LLU 3

It was a meeting that was, as expected, not very pleasant. And the one who made me feel unpleasant was not, surprisingly, the man who got my mother pregnant, but his son.

After that meeting, my mother quit her job. “He told me not to work while carrying a child,” my mother said, smiling like a young girl.

It had been a year. That’s how long her relationship with Chairman Choi had been progressing seriously. My mother looked so happy, it was hard to imagine how she had hidden it until now. After the meeting that day, she revealed it to me without holding anything back.

A woman in love. No other words came to mind. It may have been a late-blooming love, but being freed from the work she had been doing her whole miserable life, on top of Chairman Choi’s bountiful material offerings, must have also played a part.

For my part, I didn’t dislike seeing her so vibrant and fresh.

The men in my mother’s life that remained vivid in my memory were all scumbags. My mother, starved for affection, gave them everything too easily, and they exploited her too easily. I had seen more than once or twice my mother collapsing and crying only after being messily discarded by them.

Chairman Choi was incomparable to the scumbags my mother had dated. From an objective point of view, he was more than my mother deserved; he was overflowing.

To speak coldly, my mother had nothing besides her striking looks and a body that was young and healthy for her age. But he was a man who had many things besides immense wealth. His looks were handsome, and his disposition was full of leisure.

What part of my mother had Chairman Choi fallen for? What were the chances that a man who was the CEO of a renowned corporation would fall in love with his housekeeper, have a child, and welcome her into his family?

I couldn’t understand what motivation was driving him to do so. I could only guess based on the impression he gave at the dinner and the atmosphere he exuded when he was with my mother. Though, it would only amount to the shallow and impoverished imagination of a child.

I stopped thinking. In any case, the situation surrounding me had already progressed quite a bit, and I was in a position where I had no choice but to comply.

I stopped my idle thoughts and turned off the water that was pouring loudly from the sink. After finishing the dishes, I immediately took out the vacuum cleaner without a break.

My head ached from concentrating so hard on my studies all morning because of the gathering I had to attend this afternoon. The whirring sound of the old, running vacuum cleaner stimulated the headache even more.

I neatly organized the hairdryer, comb, and cosmetics that my mother had left scattered in her hurry to go out and pushed them into the mini vanity. The appointment was at 6, and it was already 5. The two of them would finish their date outside and would soon return to Chairman Choi’s mansion.

It was nothing short of a monumental day for my mother. She was finally making a dignified entrance into that house, not as an employee, but as a ‘guest.’

My mother had cautiously told me on the day we returned from the first meeting. That she was truly happy. That setting aside the man’s family, fortune, and other background factors, she was so happy just to have met someone who truly loved her.

And only after pouring out all her feelings, did my mother ask. If I was okay.

The moment I heard that question, I had no intention of sneering, but a dry chuckle, pssh, escaped. What was there not to be okay about? I wasn’t a seven or eight-year-old child; I had no reason to throw a tantrum and tell my mother not to remarry.

For me, who would soon be independent, it was much more of a relief for my mother to become Cinderella and wear glass slippers than for her to go around working herself to death at other people’s houses.

‘What’s there not to be okay about. It’s your life, Mom.’

My mother smiled brightly upon hearing those words. She seemed incredibly relieved. In fact, maybe my mother had wanted to hear those words from me from the very beginning.

This was the reason I was taking time out of what I should be pouring into my studies to prepare to go to that mansion. Because not breaking my mother’s glass slipper would be the last gift I could give her before I moved out on my own.

After pondering what to wear, I decided to just go in my school uniform. Not only did it save me the trouble of picking something decent from among my worn-out clothes, but unlike that dopey suit from last time, it fit my body well.

My mother left three ten-thousand won bills before she went out. “It’s your first time, so don’t trouble yourself transferring buses, be sure to take a taxi.” The mother who said that in a cheerful voice no longer showed any trace of her former self. Since I was young, it had been ingrained in me that taxis were only for going to the emergency room when I was occasionally sick.

After searching for the way to the mansion on my phone, I headed to the bus stop. The bills were safely tucked away in my wallet. There was plenty of time anyway.

I stared blankly at the street scenery and huddled my body, which was colored by the chilly autumn wind. The temperature was steadily dropping, as the college entrance exam was not far off.

Fortunately, the bus came quickly. The train of thought that had been drifting aimlessly in the rattling bus suddenly came to a halt somewhere.

‘Let’s see each other again.’

Unlucky b**t**d.

Before the three syllables of the name Choi Junghan came to mind, the emotion I had felt that day came up first.

But I tried to shake it off. From what I heard during the first dinner, he was extremely busy with company work. Surely he wouldn’t come to this gathering today. That day was a gathering for a supposedly momentous announcement, and today was just a casual get-together for a meal.

I smoothly transferred to the last bus going to the mansion. After getting off, I walked in the direction shown on the map, and a neighborhood of mansions came into view.

A completely different world unfolded from the alley where my mother and I lived, where narrow houses were crammed together. Monotonous yet beautiful houses, like landscapes in a masterpiece painting, stood spaced widely apart.

My mother must have walked this path before she started dating Chairman Choi in earnest, but how on earth did she commute this long distance every day? Still, as I diligently moved my legs, the scenery of the mansion that my mother had sent me a picture of finally came into view.

Chairman Choi’s house was particularly large, even among the houses standing shoulder to shoulder. How many employees did he have in the house? The sheer grandeur of it hit me anew. Was my mother always this bold a person? A dumbfounded admiration followed.

I had just arrived in front of the huge gate. I was taking out my phone to contact my mother when a call came in.

—Oon-ah! Sorry. We’re on our way, but the traffic is really bad. We’ll be 30 minutes. The chairman said he’ll call ahead. Do you want to go in and wait?

A short sigh escaped me on its own. To be told to go into a house I’d never been to before and wait, I really didn’t feel like it. But I couldn’t say that outright, and now that I had come this far, I couldn’t go wait somewhere else. I had no choice but to say I understood and then hung up.

When I pressed the bell, there was a clanking sound from the huge iron gate, followed by the sound of the lock being released. I pushed it open with all my might and crossed the wide-open garden.

The sun had almost set already. I hunched my shoulders as I passed through the dim garden. The coat I had thrown on lightly over my school uniform felt thin.

The front door was open. As I cautiously took off my shoes and stepped inside, an employee who was in the living room gave me a stiff greeting.

“Please sit there and wait.”

It was a polite yet chilly voice. The place the employee pointed to was a sofa in a space that looked like a reception room. The neatly dressed woman left those words and turned on her heel and disappeared.

Of course, a colleague she had worked with until just a few days ago was suddenly arriving in a bridal palanquin, so there was no way she would be happy to see the family as well. While I fully understood the employee’s feelings, I had a bitter taste in my mouth.

It was actually more comfortable with the employee gone. I sat awkwardly on the sofa and looked around the house. A pure admiration emerged at the scale of it, which was so unrealistic it felt unreal. I had heard that rich kids grow up playing soccer inside their houses, and I realized anew that it wasn’t an exaggeration.

A vast living room, a reception room, and a dining room partially visible in the distance. There was probably a kitchen inside there. Over there, I could see a staircase leading to the second floor. Sitting all alone in a huge house that looked like it came out of a drama, I felt like an object that had been misplaced by mistake.

Should I just look at my phone? It was the moment I was about to avert my gaze from looking around the house.

“…….”

Like a bird shot in mid-flight, my gaze came to a dead stop in one place. Choi Junghan walked out, opening one of the doors on the first floor that I had glanced at and passed by indifferently.

He was dressed similarly to when I had seen him before. A stylishly colored suit handsomely enveloped his large frame. His hair, meticulously styled and swept back, along with his sense of dress, created a perfect aura.

Even seeing him for the second time, his appearance was unrealistic. Looking at him naturally brought back the feeling of our first meeting, where I was awkwardly wearing someone else’s clothes.

My mood soured on its own. However, for now, I was in the position of being an invited guest here. I stood up clumsily, thinking I should at least offer a minimal greeting.

It was the moment I was about to open my mouth. He raised the corners of his lips softly and greeted me first.

“Hi. My flower-like Oon-ah.”

Ha. A scoff escaped. At this point, I should have been grateful that he had used formal speech at our first meeting. In front of this ruffian who was casually dropping formalities, the childishness I had forcibly suppressed came back to life.

“The flower thing is unpleasant. And I don’t think we’re on terms to be exchanging such jokes.”

He, who had been naturally walking this way, raised an eyebrow as if he had heard something unbelievable. The feigned look of surprise was an obviously forced expression for anyone to see. His elegantly raised lips opened with considerable amusement.

“Our flower-like Oon-ah and I.”

Each and every syllable dropped clearly, filled with ridicule.

“Aren’t we going to be joined as brothers in the future? There couldn’t be a closer relationship than this.”

“…Are you serious?”

ㅤ

Goosebumps ran all over my body. At this point, everything felt like a show staged solely for my mother’s remarriage. I never thought he would utter the word ‘brothers’ with such a lack of resistance.

“Of course I’m serious.”

Choi Junghan’s eyes curved leisurely. He approached slowly and closed the distance without hesitation. Before I knew it, he was standing right in front of me, looking down at me. His gaze, more blatant and intense than the first day, unpleasantly scanned my face.

“I’m an only child, so I wanted a cute younger brother.”

“…….”

“So why don’t you try smiling a little more sweetly? Like a cute younger brother should.”

Bewilderment rose up to my throat. This wasn’t a four-year-old pestering for a younger sibling, what was this…. He was definitely trying to tease me.

I was not foolish enough to take his words at face value as goodwill. Why on earth was this person showing such unnecessary interest in me?

“Excuse me. Right now I… I don’t know what to say first.”

The words didn’t come out well due to the unpleasant feeling. A deep sigh escaped on its own first. Slowly, as if exhaling cigarette smoke, I let out the absurd feeling I was experiencing right now.

“The adults’ business is the adults’ business. Honestly, you and I… I really don’t know the reason why we’re exchanging words with our nerves on edge like this, so needlessly. It seems like I’m bothering you a lot. But I’ll be moving out as soon as I graduate anyway, so you don’t have to worry about me. So….”

It was the moment I had spoken up to that point.

Suddenly, my vision shook violently. Next, a pain as if my scalp was being torn off attacked me. A short scream leaked from my mouth.

Only after a brief moment passed did I realize that the man standing in front of me had suddenly grabbed a fistful of my hair. It was that much of a surprise attack.

“You’re sighing so insolently.”

In front of my wide-open eyes was his face, leaning down and whispering. My throat, which had been blocked with shock, opened up a beat later. Short gasps burst out convulsively.

“Where did you learn to ignore a person’s sincerity? Oon-ah.”

“Let go of me! Crazy, what are you doing right now, what is this…!”

“Ah. Were you too busy trying to make a living to learn any manners?”

His low laughter was chilling. It was a clear insult to my mother. My eyeballs grew hot with anger. The words that mocked and trampled on my and my mother’s situation were more unbearable than the dumbfounding situation of the man suddenly grabbing my hair.

Glaring at the man, I grabbed his arm that was clutching my hair. The moment I felt the overwhelmingly thick bone structure beneath my hand, my breath caught.

“Let go of me. Are you not going to let go? And what do you mean by saying something like that…!”

At that moment, sparks flew before my eyes. The words that had been struggling to crawl out of my throat stopped there.

Slap, slap, slap.

The consecutive cracking sounds tore at my ears. A pain that was incomparable to having my hair grabbed clung to my face.

It felt like my right cheek was on fire. Choi Junghan did not stop there and raised his left hand high again. Bewilderment, pain, and shock. After observing all the emotions in my eyes, he raised the corner of his mouth. As if to make me clearly recognize my situation, he deliberately paused.

Following that, the final cracking sound exploded on my right cheek. The suppressed groan finally burst out. After delivering the final act of violence, he let go of the hair he was holding without any lingering attachment.

While I huddled my body, clutched my cheek, and groaned, Choi Junghan, without a single breath out of place, calmly waited for me to come to my senses.

“Haa, haa, huh, ugh….”