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# Chapter 69: Eun-seo’s Dilemma
Sunlight filtered through the window and spilled across the room. Eun-seo’s eyes opened. The memory returned to her—spending the night at Min-jun’s pottery studio yesterday, returning home at dawn, and falling asleep. The warmth whenever his hand touched hers. That smile. Her heart kept rising and falling, rising and falling.
But on the other side, questions kept surfacing. What was his past? Why did he treat her so carefully?
Eun-seo rose from bed and gazed out the window. Mornings by the river were always quiet. The sound of flowing water, sparrows chirping, the distant hum of delivery motorcycles. Even the scent of deepening seasons drifted in. She rested her arms on the windowsill.
‘Should I ask today?’
Her mind had decided, but her body wasn’t ready.
When Eun-seo came downstairs after tidying her room, her grandmother was waiting. On the table sat rolled egg, seaweed soup, and perilla leaves. Meals prepared by her grandmother’s hands were always warm—the kind of gentle heat that could melt any coldness, like winter sunlight.
“Eun-seo, where are you off to today?” her grandmother asked, sipping her soup.
“To Min-jun’s pottery studio, Grandmother.”
Her grandmother’s face brightened slightly.
“That pottery boy. He’s a good one. You’ll be happy spending time with him.”
Eun-seo nodded at her grandmother’s words. But unease kept stirring in a corner of her heart.
When she opened the studio door, Min-jun was already at his workbench. His fingers rolled slowly across the damp clay. The earthy scent of mud mingled with a subtle woody fragrance. The kiln’s heat in the corner made the air shimmer faintly.
“You came.” He looked up. “What should we do today?”
Eun-seo’s lips trembled. This was it. She had to ask now.
But Min-jun smiled first.
“Let’s make pottery. How about a new piece?”
When his hand touched hers, her throat went dry. Questions kept rising in her throat, only to sink back down.
They spent time shaping clay. Each time their fingers touched, Eun-seo was too busy steadying her breath. Min-jun’s hands were skilled. As if his fingers could read intention, the clay naturally took form.
“Eun-seo, do you feel it? When you make pottery, doesn’t your mind settle?”
“Yes… it feels even more so when you’re here.”
The moment she said it, Eun-seo met his gaze. His eyes wavered. For just a moment—unmistakably—something dark flickered across them.
“Min-jun.”
Eun-seo set down the clay.
“Your real name isn’t Kang Min-jun, is it?”
The studio fell silent. Only the faint sound of the kiln remained.
Min-jun’s hands stopped. Slowly, he looked up. His eyes trembled.
“How did you know?”
“So many things didn’t add up. You treat me so carefully. Like you’re afraid of losing me…”
Min-jun stood. He walked to the window and looked outside. His back was visible. His shoulders trembled slightly.
“Kang Tae-oh.” Eun-seo spoke quietly. “That’s your real name, isn’t it?”
A long silence stretched between them.
“Yeah.”
His voice was low.
“I was Kang Tae-oh. I still am. But… I couldn’t live under that name.”
Eun-seo stood and approached him. She looked at him from behind.
“Why?”
“Eun-seo, I can wait until you’re ready. But…” He turned around. Tears glistened in his eyes. “Do you really want to know?”
Eun-seo nodded.
“Everything might… change.”
“That’s okay.” Eun-seo took his hand. “I trust you.”
Kang Tae-oh—not Min-jun—gripped her hand tightly.
“Will you listen?”