It had been a few quiet weeks since the incident at the village square—when Hye-ran, Kwang-su's estranged grandmother, made her dramatic return. Though nothing explosive had followed, a thick tension hung in the air like unbaked dough refusing to rise.
That morning, the bakery was warm with cinnamon, rising bread, and something Jun-seo couldn't name but felt deep in his bones. He stood by the window, biting his thumbnail, eyes darting between the clock and the path outside.
"He said nine," Jun-seo muttered. "It's past nine."
"He's probably just—" Mr. Min started gently, but Jun-seo silenced him with a look.
Then, there he was.
Kwang-su walked up the road, casual, sunlit, holding a tiny, slightly-wilted bouquet like it was gold. His eyes lit up at the sight of Jun-seo, who crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
"You're late."
"You're still cute," Kwang-su replied without hesitation. "Even when your eyebrows are trying to run away in anger."
Jun-seo rolled his eyes, but the corner of his lips twitched upward.
"Idiot."
"Yours," Kwang-su whispered, pulling him into a kiss that was warm and slow and full of the kind of love that annoyed everyone who wasn't them.
Behind them, Mr. Jin-woo chuckled. Mr. Min looked away shyly, cheeks pink.
But the calm didn't last.
Later that Afternoon…
Mr. Min was in the garden, humming gently while picking herbs when a sharp voice pierced the peace.
"You missed a spot. Basil doesn't grow in shade. Didn't they teach you anything at your age?"
Hye-ran stood at the edge of the path, arms crossed, her lipstick perfect even in the sun. Her eyes—cold, calculating—raked across the garden and settled on Mr. Min like he was a weed.
"I-I was just rotating them," Mr. Min said, voice small.
"You're not doing your part, are you?" she said. "Leeching off Jin-woo's bakery like a lovesick pigeon."
Mr. Min blinked, stunned. Before he could answer, she turned her back and walked away, her words lingering like a slap.
Evening at the Bakery
The day should have ended in sweetness, but instead it curdled.
Jun-seo found his grandfather in the pantry, wiping his glasses, eyes pink.
"What happened?"
"Nothing, sweetheart. Just... a misunderstanding."
Jun-seo narrowed his eyes. "Is it that woman again?"
Mr. Min flinched.
Jun-seo stormed outside, only to find Kwang-su on the back porch, sipping barley tea and deep in conversation with Mr. Jin-woo.
"Your grandmother," Jun-seo said, "has no right. Not anymore."
Kwang-su's jaw clenched. "She thinks she can just waltz back into our lives, treat everyone like pieces on a board..."
"She humiliated Grandpa Min," Jun-seo snapped as he stepped in. "Like he was nothing."
Kwang-su turned to him, eyes dark. "She doesn't know him. She doesn't know you. And she sure as hell doesn't know us."
Jun-seo's throat tightened. For a long second, no one said anything.
Then Jun-seo added quietly, "I think she's trying to break up our grandpas."
Mr. Jin-woo flinched at that, his eyes momentarily losing their sharp glint.
"She still thinks I'm hers," he muttered. "She always did think possession was love."
Later That Night
Mr. Min stood at the sink, quietly washing dishes, shoulders curled inward like a question mark. Jin-woo came up behind him, slowly, then placed a hand over his.
"Don't believe a word she says."
Mr. Min didn't look up. "Maybe I am a burden. Maybe I don't—"
"Stop." Jin-woo's voice was fierce. "You are the love of my life, not a weed in the garden. If she can't see your worth, that's her blindness. But don't you dare let her infect you with it."
Mr. Min turned then, eyes wide. Jin-woo held his face in both hands, forehead pressed to his.
"I didn't wait thirty years to find someone like you only to let her ruin this."
Mr. Min's hands trembled, but he nodded.
Outside, Jun-seo and Kwang-su sat on the rooftop under the stars. Jun-seo leaned against Kwang-su's shoulder.
"Promise me something," he said softly.
"Anything."
"If she tries anything again, we protect them. Like they've protected us."
Kwang-su squeezed his hand. "We're not just a couple. We're a team."
Jun-seo grinned. "God, you're cheesy."
"Only for you."
Jun-seo kissed him again, fierce and full of fire, while inside the bakery, old hearts fought battles with new scars—and held on.