"Quickly, bring a tub of hot water!" an old lady ordered with urgency, her voice trembling as she watched the pregnant woman writhing in pain on the bed. The young woman was drenched in sweat, her body trembling violently as the snow outside hit angry blow against the windows.
The maids rushed in, tears streaking their faces, their hands shaking as they brought the warm water. They could hardly bear to see their beloved mistress in such agony, her cries echoing through the room with every painful contraction.
"Push, my daughter! You can do this!" the old lady, determined , took charge, kneeling beside the bed. There was no doctor to call upon—the master of the house, Kim Daehyun, had gone out hours ago, braving the storm to fetch help, but now he was trapped somewhere in the snow. Every road was blocked, and they were left to face this alone. The advisory was running on tv about the snowstorm.
The young woman, Kim Somi, let out a heart-wrenching sob, gripping the sheets with white-knuckled hands as another contraction tore through her. Her mother-in-law clasped her hand tightly, even her eyes brimmed with unshed tears.
"You're almost there, just a little more!" she urged, though her heart ached for the suffering her beloved daughter-in-law was enduring.
Forty-five agonizing minutes passed.
And then, through the weight of the storm and the cries of labor, a new sound pierced the air—the first sharp cry of a newborn.
“It’s a boy,” the old lady whispered, her voice breaking with emotion as tears slipped down her face. She held the tiny, wriggling baby in her arms, her heart swelling with both relief and joy. The storm outside roared on, but inside the Kim household, something beautiful had emerged from the chaos.
Kim Somi lay on the bed, her body spent and drenched with sweat, her breathing shallow, but her face softened when she saw her child for the first time. The maids rushed to clean her, dabbing her forehead with trembling hands, their tears mixing with hers.
The old lady, carefully wrapped the infant in a soft blanket and laid him gently in Somi’s arms. The new mother trembled as she reached for her son, her hands shaking not just from the strain but from the overwhelming wave of love that surged through her as she touched his tiny face for the first time.
She wept, her tears falling onto the baby’s delicate skin as she kissed him gently. “My baby… my precious boy,” she whispered through her sobs, holding him close to her chest.
About an hour later, the door to the house was banged on so hard that the sound echoed through the halls. The maid rushed to answer it, already knowing who it would be—her master. He had been informed of the birth of his first son.
Kim Daehyun had abandoned his car in the midst of the snowstorm, choosing to run through the blizzard, the path usually taking just thirty minutes by foot, now stretched to an hour. But not a hint of exhaustion showed on his face. Instead, there was only joy, a father’s overwhelming happiness. As the door opened, he didn’t even pause to catch his breath—he ran straight to the room where his wife and their newborn son awaited him.
The moment he stepped inside, his breath hitched. Tears welled up in his eyes at the sight before him—his tiny son, swaddled and sleeping soundly on his wife’s chest. So small, so fragile, yet already holding his heart in the palm of his little hand. He couldn’t help but cry, overwhelmed with love and gratitude.
His wife smiled softly, gesturing for him to come closer and pick up their son. Daehyun’s hands trembled as he gently lifted the newborn into his arms. His tears flowed freely as he gazed down at the pink face, the tiny fingers that barely curled around his own. The baby was so delicate, so precious, and Daehyun felt his heart swell in a way he had never known was possible.
He pressed soft kisses on his son’s face, his hands, his tiny chest, cradling him as if the world itself rested in his arms. “Kim Taehyung,” he whispered, his voice thick with emotion as he looked down at the baby.
His wife’s smile grew wider as she watched the father and son, the love between them filling the room with warmth, despite the storm raging outside.
And so, on December 31st, 1995, the heir of the Kim Group of Industries, Kim Taehyung, was born. With him, he brought all the happiness in the world for his parents and grandparents, filling their lives with a new sense of purpose and joy.
****
"Kim Taehyung, don’t drench in the rain! How many times do I have to warn you?” Somi scolded her two-year-old, who never missed a chance to play in the rain. She scooped him into her arms, holding an umbrella over them, but the little bean kicked his legs in frustration, upset that he couldn’t stay out in the downpour. He had snuck outside to play, but his mamma wouldn’t let him.
“Bear, no!” Somi warned, but he squirmed, ignoring her.
“Twe twe lain pway,” the little bean mumbled, his small voice barely managing to string together the words.
( Tae Tae rain play )
“No, plum, you’ll get sick if you play in the rain, yeah?” Somi tried to reason with him gently. “Come, let’s play with blocks instead. We’ll make a big castle today, how about that?” She tried coaxing him with a soft smile, but Taehyung only pouted, his little face full of disappointment.
Somi sighed. She couldn’t understand why her son was always so fixated on playing in the rain. Aside from that, he was such a well-behaved and reserved child, always listening to his parents and grandparents. But when it came to rain, he wouldn’t back down, no matter how many times they told him no.
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"Somi, why is Bear crying?" Taehyung’s grandmother asked as she watched her now four-year old grandson sobbing uncontrollably.
Somi's face fell, tears brimming in her own eyes. "Eomma, it’s happening again... December 10th," she said, her voice breaking.
His grandmother's expression softened, a mixture of sadness and concern filling her eyes. She knew exactly what Somi meant. This wasn’t the first time.
Somi knelt beside Taehyung, brushing his tears away as gently as she could. “What’s wrong, baby? Tell Mamma,” she asked her now four-year-old son, desperate to soothe him.
“Tae feel bad...” he cried, his small body shaking with sobs.
Despite all their efforts, Somi and her mother-in-law tucked the boy into bed, trying to comfort him until his sobs finally quieted. But his cries weren’t just the usual tantrums of a child. Every year, on December 10th, their little prince would cry himself to sleep, his tears so heavy that he would run a fever. At first, they had thought it was just a coincidence. But after four years of the same pattern, they knew it wasn’t.
Somi sat by his bedside, her heart heavy with worry. She didn’t understand why this date always seemed to break him, why their sweet Taehyung—a child so innocent and pure—carried such a deep sadness on this day.
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