“Oh, yes.”
“Does it bother you when Dylan doesn’t come home late?”
Andy clicked his tongue.
“Is this guy crazy? I asked you, why are you asking the sister-in-law?”
Tadeo shrugged his shoulders.
“Will the sister-in-law get angry at Dylan?”
Andy, clicking his tongue in disbelief, was still curious about Lola’s answer and didn’t take his eyes off her. Frank, pretending to drink beer, also looked quite curious.
Even though Dylan noticed that she was feeling awkward, he was also eager to hear Lola’s answer, so he didn’t jump in.
“I wouldn’t feel bad, but I think I would worry if Dylan didn’t come home late.”
“Oh, good!”
Andy exclaimed, then envied Dylan again.
“Hey! You’re lucky. Your sister-in-law is so understanding.”
“Uh!”
With the same indifferent response coming back, Andy and Tadeo chuckled softly. As the atmosphere lightened, Lola relaxed for a moment, but this time, Frank called her.
“Sister-in-law.”
When Tadeo had asked Lola a question earlier, it hadn’t seemed to matter, but now that Frank was speaking, Dylan felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Andy and Tadeo also looked back at Frank in surprise.
“Yes?”
Frank, spinning his beer glass, spoke next to Lola, whose expression was mixed with confusion and tension.
“Why did you choose psychiatry? Wouldn’t you earn more if you went to a place like plastic surgery?”
Was Frank acting strangely today? Did he eat something bad? Or was he sick?
Andy and Tadeo’s faces were filled with astonishment as they looked at Frank.
Dylan, who had been closely observing Frank’s reaction, was once again convinced that there was something between Frank and Lola that he didn’t know about.
“Is it because psychiatrists seem impressive or special?”
“Hey, hey! Why are you curious about that?”
As Frank added this, Andy asked in confusion.
“Don’t get me wrong. I just asked out of curiosity. I found out that the psychiatry department at National University Hospital is quite famous. I think it’s okay to ask this much about someone who might become my doctor in the future…”
“Hey! Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”
This time, Tadeo asked. Dylan answered instead of Frank.
“That guy has insomnia.”
“Insomnia?”
Andy and Tadeo murmured simultaneously as they looked at Frank. Dylan, raising his voice as if to make sure Frank heard, teased him.
“These days, insomnia seems to be mentioned all the time.”
Lola’s heart raced for no reason, and she swallowed hard.
It seemed like this man had intentionally asked her an awkward question.
‘Did I treat him too harshly yesterday?’
Was he trying to make her uncomfortable?
To calm her mind, Lola took a sip of juice and spoke calmly.
“It’s not because of any special reason.”
“Then?”
Everyone leaned in, waiting for Lola’s next words.
“I… had a trauma.”
Lola’s answer was a mix of truth and lies.
However, this unexpected response left the four handsome men utterly flustered. The atmosphere quickly became heavy.
Frank, who had unintentionally brought up someone’s painful past, was at a loss for how to handle this awkward situation, momentarily flustered. Even the usually cheerful Andy and Tadeo found it hard to speak and pretended to drink their beer.
‘Trauma.’
Having met her parents and heard quite a bit about her, Dylan knew that Lola had not lived an easy life. Yet, those words sank deep into his heart, causing him pain, and he felt annoyed at Frank for prying into someone else’s wounds.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked that.”
“It’s okay. It’s understandable to be curious.”
Lola offered a faint smile to the apologetic Frank.
After taking a sip of beer, Frank cautiously asked,
“Have you… overcome your trauma now?”
“I’m still in the process of overcoming it.”
After that, there were no further questions. The atmosphere had become so dark that the men soon stood up, saying it was time to leave.
After Dylan’s friends had all left, Lola, who was helping him clear the table, said as if she was okay.
“Dear, I can do this by myself. You should go up and rest first.”
“Wouldn’t it be faster if we did it together?”
“That’s true.”
“Then we can sleep earlier.”
The expression on his face as he said this seemed somewhat lewd. Lola’s face turned bright red.
As they cleared the table cluttered with leftover food and empty bottles, they finished quickly.
Looking down at the now clean table with satisfaction, Dylan asked for confirmation.
“Is everything done now?”
“Yes, dear.”
Before Lola could finish her answer, Dylan suddenly lifted her up. Even though it wasn’t the first time, Lola still let out a surprised sound as if it hadn’t become a habit.
“Mommy… Dear.”
“There’s no mother here.”
As he teased her, Lola rolled her eyes without realizing it. Dylan, holding her, slowly climbed the stairs.
“Why? Do you miss your mother?”
“Oh, no.”
“Thank goodness! I was worried you might be like a child, missing your mother.”
“I’m not a child.”
