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It was something that would never happen, but her heart continued to pound. Her heart was beating with an anxious rhythm, even when she just heard people whispering. It was because she had just gone through something that had a much greater impact than that.
The moment she entered the curator’s office, her legs gave out. Her head ached as if she had been on high alert while dealing with Ryu Taejo. Yiseo threw back some painkillers and took several deep breaths to compose herself. It was already nearing 5 p.m.
“Wanna sleep together?”
She thought she had finally calmed down, but when that rude voice pierced her mind again, her ears started to pound.
“That crazy bastard.”
Yiseo chewed out the words in a low voice that no one could hear. Still, she didn’t feel any relief. She couldn’t understand how such a child could be born to the elegant and graceful Yiseo Jung-joo. She had met both of Director Yiseo’s other sons, but they were both dignified and gentle. Ryu Taejo was a completely different species.
A weirdo. And a scumbag. The thought of him being a weirdo reminded her that her situation was not so different. The thought ended abruptly when she felt the gaze of a colleague from beyond the partition. The colleague, whose gaze she met, smiled awkwardly and looked at her cautiously.
Why? Only then did Yiseo feel that the atmosphere in the curator’s office had changed slightly. It had been like this ever since she came in a while after being called out by Ryu Taejo. She remembered that the atmosphere had been strangely noisy since the news of Director Yiseo Jung-joo’s son’s visit had spread.
He was the only unmarried one among Director Yiseo Jung-joo’s three sons, who were all masterpieces in their own right. The colleagues’ constant glances were definitely because of Ryu Taejo.
However, Yiseo ignored their looks, which seemed to be asking something, and started organizing her materials. There was a lot of work to be done to prepare for the special exhibition in the fall.
She knew this attitude would quickly create rumors, but rumors are born out of nothing and grow like a snowball.
She could hear people whispering about Ryu Taejo next to her, hoping she would join the conversation. Yiseo acted as if nothing had happened. No matter what they whispered about, it wasn’t anything new. By now, she had become indifferent to whispers and people pointing fingers at scandals.
If it had been in her teenage years, she might have been hurt by a single whisper, but being hurt only put her at a disadvantage.
Yiseo focused only on writing the proposal on her monitor. She took a few phone calls from artists in between, and by the time she finished her work, an hour had already passed.
“By the way, the director’s youngest son...”
Just as she was thinking of taking a break, she heard a voice from somewhere. Was it still that story?
“You know that mass communication student who came today? The college student who visits the director every time he comes.”
“Ah, Ms. Yiseo Ji-hyun?”
At the name she heard, Yiseo remembered the bright-faced 23-year-old college student. She was a student reporter who visited the art center a couple of times a month to interview people.
“I think there’s something going on between them. They were together in the cafeteria, and they looked really close. Are they dating?”
“I don’t know. Well, if they’re dating, they’re dating. They’re young. Besides, the person who came today is the director’s only unmarried son.”
“Ms. Yiseo Ji-hyun. Where did they say she was from again? Oh, right. They said she’s the daughter of the Hangyung Ilbo family. She’s working as a student reporter right now, and she’s made a few interview requests because she wants to get some help.”
“Birds of a feather flock together, as they say.”
“If it’s the Hangyung Ilbo and the Haesin Group, the picture’s not so bad, is it?”
“My point exactly.”
Yiseo recalled the woman who had dropped by the curator’s office to see the director and even brought snacks for the staff. She had a brightly set, wavy hairstyle and a fresh, cute smile. The woman seemed to have grown up with a lot of love, showing no signs of distress.
“Ah, I’m so jealous. What would it be like to live as a royal family member? Do they ever get sad or feel wronged?”
“Of course they do. But they probably relieve their stress by throwing their Hermès bags around in a suite with a killer night view, shouting, ‘You don’t know how I feel!’”
Yiseo’s hands, which were typing on the keyboard, stopped at the giggling, as if to make sure she could hear. It felt as if her colleagues, who knew about her background, were talking about her.
The feeling of living as a member of a royal family. It wasn’t particularly good or bad. You live a predetermined life and spend every day the same. The only difference is that your day is a little more structured, and your duties are different. A life with a predetermined future might allow you to enjoy the pleasures of things others don’t have, but you can never have the normal life others have. It was an ironic situation.
These days, the trend of marrying for love and building family connections is increasing, but the family’s decision regarding all procedures is still absolute.
A life with a heavy burden of duty and responsibility to match the expectations and admiration that are poured upon you. Could that really be called happiness? It was hard to say that even Yiseo’s own situation was blessed.
“Anyway, the director’s youngest son. I saw him today, and his looks were just out of this world.”
“Right? He was so handsome. I mean, the whole world knows the three brothers are good-looking, but today, I realized again that the third one is truly the best.”
“That’s just the third child’s advantage. It’s an academic theory that the best genes come out after they’ve been mixed and mixed. Look at his face. The first one is a spitting image of the elegant director, the second one is a mold of the chairman, and the third one... is a work of art.”
It was so funny she could almost laugh. What’s the use of being good-looking on the outside? He’s rotten on the inside.
“Looks aren’t everything. He’s cold on the outside, but his manners are so good. It must be because he’s well-educated; his manners, his manners...”
Her colleagues, who were clapping and admiring him, followed with agreements.
Right.
Yiseo let the unsolicited praise of Ryu Taejo wash over her and recalled the rude moment from a little while ago.
Where was the good manners in him casually asking, ‘Wanna sleep together?’ without a hint of guilt?
“The third time we meet, we’re sleeping together.”
She remembered his voice, which had declared so confidently that it would definitely happen. Along with his laughter that came with it like the wind. Suddenly, she felt a chill coming from somewhere and raised her hand to rub the back of her neck.
Why did he call me for no reason and make me so nervous?
She thought her heart, which was beating faster than usual, was due to anger. She had never liked him, neither then nor now. It was hard to believe that he had come out of the womb of the director she respected so much.
And yet, Ryu Taejo’s smiling face, like the wind, was vivid in her mind. It was then, as she tried to ignore her heart’s unpleasant throbbing and shift her gaze back to the monitor, that she received a phone call. It was an unknown number.
________________________________________
A loud roar echoed in the large gym. Two men in martial arts uniforms stood facing each other on the mat. They were staring at each other with intense gazes, trying to find each other’s weaknesses, and their momentum was fierce as they gauged when to dive in and subdue the other. Just as they were checking each other and waiting for an opening, one man reached out his arm, and the other man flipped him over.
Thud.
With a dull thud, the huge body was flipped over and fell.
“Hah...”
Taejo stretched out on the floor and let out a sigh of defeat. His eyes were sore from the bright ceiling lights that lit up the gym. Above him, a familiar face soon appeared. It was his second brother, Tae-han.
“Get up.”
He commanded him, pulling at the hem of his disheveled blue uniform.
“Hurry.”
His face, drenched in sweat, was slightly flushed. His short words were laced with heavy breaths. But Tae-han was as calm as ever.
From a young age, the brothers would gather at the gym once a week to work out together. They started learning self-defense to protect themselves from danger, and as they grew, they mastered taekwondo, judo, and other martial arts. After that, working out was like a way of life for the brothers.
The sport they chose today was judo.
“Are you taking it easy on me because it’s been a while? You, the person who was a national high school judo silver medalist back in the day.”
“Shut up.”
Taejo rebuked Tae-han for bringing up the past and got up with a quick motion.
“Why? Grandfather was so proud of you back then.”
His grandfather was happy for a long time about his achievements, which he had earned while briefly being a member of the school’s judo club in high school.
“Whose fault do you think it is that I started working out?”
“Oh, I know. It’s all thanks to me that you grew up this big.”
Tae-han replied with a leisurely smile. Taejo’s eyebrows furrowed as he adjusted his posture, as if it was a memory he didn’t want to remember. His well-defined muscles twitched between the open parts of his uniform.
Ryu Tae-han was the person who first taught Ryu Taejo about defeat.
It was natural for him to be ahead in all experiences and superior in all records because of their five-year age difference, but Taejo found it difficult to endure not being equal to his brothers. From a young age, his stubbornness and disposition were extraordinary, to the point that he couldn’t sleep from a stomachache on the days he lost in a match.
The trouble started on the day Taejo returned with a silver medal from the national competition. Even though a silver medal was a valuable achievement, Taejo couldn’t control his anger at the fact that he had lost.
He was the youngest, with a particularly strong competitive spirit. Tae-han knew that his younger brother was serious about working out simply because of his competitive spirit to beat his older brother. He also knew that the underlying reason was the resentment toward Tae-han, who had chosen physical force as a method of reform, which accounted for 80 percent of it.
But he had to learn as he grew up that the world wasn’t so easy. The day Taejo, who thought everything in the world belonged to him, first tasted reality and broke down in front of his grandfather, despite the encouragement that it was an honorable achievement to have entered a national competition for a hobby.
Tae-han dragged Taejo out to the garden and beat him to a pulp. The lesson that he could lose at any time if he didn’t try, and that if he hated losing so much, he should work hard to win, was ingrained in him after a commotion that left him with a few broken ribs.
Tae-han’s gaze, lost in old memories, landed on Taejo. The youngest, who had now become a complete adult, was flawlessly dignified. He hadn’t been violent since then, but he couldn’t help his innate nature. It was a moment when he was lost in thought, looking at his still stubborn eyes. A large hand reached out and flipped Tae-han over with an arm throw.
Thud.
Caught off guard, Tae-han fell onto the mat with a loud noise.
“You’re relaxed, lost in thought.”
Taejo smiled annoyingly, as if warning him that he might get hurt if he wasn’t careful. Tae-han looked at his brother and laughed in disbelief.
“Not bad. You’ve grown up.”
“Stop treating me like a kid.”
“You’ll always be a kid in my eyes.”
Tae-han grabbed Taejo’s outstretched hand and got up. It was a sport where they fought against each other and settled the match with a full-point victory when one’s back touched the ground first. With that, the brothers had two wins each.
“Let’s go easy. Yiseo-eun will worry if I get hurt.”
“Where’s the ‘easy’ in a match? If you hate losing, then work harder.”
Tae-han tidied up his disheveled uniform as he looked at Taejo, who was returning the words he had once said to him.
“Remember? You said that after the national competition when you almost killed me.”
“I don’t know. It’s not like I almost killed you just once or twice.”
Tae-han replied nonchalantly and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, pretending to be innocent.
“I thought I would kill you someday.”
“Oh, you should have.”
Even his provoking voice had a sense of dignity to it, which was annoying. Taejo’s brows furrowed at his noble voice.
“You’re so annoying, the more I look at you. What did my sister-in-law even see in you to marry you?”
“Love?”
“Hah.”
The face of his sarcastic brother overlapped with the young Taejo. The fierce, hateful, and childish face of a young man with a venomous desire to win burning in his eyes. His dark eyes were still burning with a desire to win, but he looked a little more like a person now.
Tae-han calmly stared at his brother with his deep, well-like eyes. The power to read an opponent without revealing emotions. He had a poker face that didn’t reveal his hand until the match was over, and at the same time, he acted like a nobleman who didn’t get excited no matter what happened as he lightly raised his hand to suggest the next match.
Taejo’s expression disappeared, and he bit his chin fiercely. The emotions he had casually mentioned to his brother, who was crazy about winning, surged like an impulse. Soon, Taejo pretended to reach out his hand and then swiftly grabbed Tae-han’s arm, which was trying to snatch it.
Tae-han, who was holding on against the force that was gripping his shoulder and pulling, quickly tripped Taejo’s inner thigh. The moment his body tilted, Taejo twisted his waist. As they were falling to the ground while holding Tae-han’s body, they turned half a circle in the air. Taejo’s large shoulder turned and pressed down on Tae-han’s body.
Taejo had won. Tae-han, lying on his back on the floor, laughed as he looked at Taejo, who was huffing and puffing while crushing his body.
“Well done.”
“You’re just all talk, lying under me.”
Taejo’s eyes, which were crushing Tae-han’s body as if he were choking him and letting out heavy breaths, were full of a honed ferocity. That face was quite impressive.
“You must have been working out in your spare time. Not bad.”
“Not as much as you.”
Spending a lot of time on exercise to the point of pushing his body to its limits was a family trait. Starting with swimming and jogging early in the morning, then personal training in the evening, and practicing martial arts two or three times a week to train their mind and body.
“I don’t do it as much as I used to, either. Yiseo-eun worries too much.”
“I guess so. What would happen to our poor sister-in-law if you slipped and hurt your back?”
Just as he laughed it off, as if telling him to save himself for the future nephew, Tae-han grabbed his shoulder and instantly flipped Taejo over with a hip throw.
“You shouldn’t let your guard down like that.”
Wham!
Taejo was thrown to the floor the moment he stood up.
Both of them had inherited their family’s large build and strength, so they were both much bigger than average people. Among them, Tae-han was especially strong. On the other hand, his personality was quiet and persistent, like his mother’s.
“You... fu...”
Taejo got up, gritting his teeth at the surprise attack. Veins stood out on his forehead as he panted, catching his breath.
“Let’s stop. It seems like you’re getting a little too excited.”
“One more round.”
“You’ll get hurt.”
Just as they were about to finish the workout, Taejo grabbed his shoulder.
“Just one more round...”
No sooner had he finished his words than Taejo was instantly flipped over. Thud. It happened before he could even figure out what was going on. A dull impact was felt on his back. Only after the ceiling lights scattered chaotically, as if to pierce his eyes, did Taejo realize that he had been tricked.
“One more round, over.”
A clear voice announced the end.
“Hah... fu...”
“Go get changed and come out. I made a reservation at a restaurant.”
Tae-han, who was smiling leisurely from above, said it casually and walked toward the locker room.
Taejo got up and threw off his uniform onto the floor. The muscles that had been crushed against the floor were red and swollen from sweat. Every time he breathed with his heaving chest, the well-defined muscles created organic lines. His broad shoulders went up and down with his panting chest.
Taejo wiped the sweat beaded on his forehead with the palm of his hand. It was then that the annoying feeling that had been gnawing at his mind came back to him again.
It was an annoyance that he could ignore, yet it kept coming back to him several times a day ever since he visited the Haesin Art Center.
________________________________________
After finishing their meal at the traditional Korean restaurant, the two were enjoying dessert. The table was cleared, and traditional Korean sweets, black sesame ice cream with nuts, and sujeonggwa were placed on the table. Tae-han, who was rinsing his mouth with sujeonggwa, pulled his lips and smiled as he watched Taejo childishly scrape at the black sesame ice cream.
“Your taste hasn’t changed. Want some?”
“I don’t want someone else’s.”
He was about to offer his untouched ice cream to his brother, but Taejo flatly refused.
“I haven’t even touched it.”
“It’s not mine.”
“Right. You don’t even touch things that aren’t yours.”
Taejo neatly finished only his portion that was placed in front of him and looked up.
“I heard you met Joon-won’s sister.”
“I think I’m suddenly going to get indigestion after eating so well.”
Taejo muttered, putting down his dessert spoon and wiping his mouth with a napkin.
“Why? Ji-hyun’s cute.”
Most of the families of big corporations knew each other well. They grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same schools, or they built connections through social gatherings regardless of their background.
The Hangyung Ilbo and the Haesin Group had maintained a good relationship for a long time. So, Tae-han also knew Taejo’s friend, Joon-won, and his sister, Ji-hyun.
“What do you want to hear?”
“I was wondering if you should start meeting people, too.”
“Hah...”
He had a feeling what kind of conversation was about to start. Taejo’s expression wrinkled in boredom at Tae-han’s well-like gaze.
“Did Mother tell you to ask me to go meet Ji-hyun?”
“Mother doesn’t even know you’re meeting me today.”
“Then don’t worry about it. I have no intention of meeting anyone. There’s no woman I want to roll around with.”
That meant Ji-hyun wasn’t someone he even had the impulse to roll around with. Tae-han fell silent. He had no intention of worrying about his brother’s love life. He knew that he was doing well without any worries. Although the rumors he heard were sometimes embarrassing and sometimes surprising, Tae-han was aware that Taejo had never caused any trouble with his love life.
“I just don’t get it.”
Suddenly, Taejo spoke, staring at Tae-han as if he had a question.
“What?”
“Why is everyone in this family so desperate to get rid of me?”
“Because you’re the only unmarried one left in our family.”
“Two out of three sons are married; do I really have to?”
“If you build a family, you can live a stable life.”
“I’m fine as I am. Sharing something with another person is tiring.”
He didn’t want to expend energy on something like dating. Tae-han’s gaze, which seemed to understand him, landed on him.
From a young age, Taejo had an extreme dislike for anyone interfering with his things, his possessions, and his space. So, it was impossible for him to welcome a person who would leave a trace in his life.
“I’ll handle it myself. Don’t interfere.”
“It’s not interference. As your brother, I’m giving you advice. When you build a family, you not only get a stable life but also the opportunity and right to be happy.”
“I don’t know. I don’t think that’s always the case.”
It was a dream-like thing to say. He couldn’t even share a bed, let alone a space with someone else. He had sex, but he had never embraced someone and fallen asleep with them. They say dating is about sharing time and making memories, but if that’s the true definition of dating, then he had never had a proper relationship.
He couldn’t even think about sharing everything he had, including his time, with someone else. Come to think of it, it was true. He could give his attention, but he had never given his heart. He would respond appropriately to people who wanted his attention, but when dating became tiring, the relationship ended there.
That’s probably why he moved out of Haeseungwon, which had five mansions, and was living alone in a hotel ever since he became an adult.
“You’ll be happy. I can say that for sure.”
Tae-han’s firm eyes shone with honesty.
“That’s your opinion. Shouldn’t we hear what my sister-in-law has to say?”
“Yiseo-eun thinks the same. We’re a couple.”
His unwavering belief was almost astonishing. Is it possible to have blind faith if you have affection? It was an emotion Taejo could never understand, even if he died and came back to life.
Ryu Tae-han was the only one in the family who had a love marriage. He fell in love at first sight with the daughter of an affiliate company’s CEO at the Haesin Group’s anniversary party, passionately courted her, won her heart, and pledged his loyalty. Even now, he was a man who, despite his mountainous size, was completely under the thumb of his squirrel-like sister-in-law. So, of course, the world must look beautiful to him.
The dream-like words of a man living in a dream were not worth listening to.
“I don’t fit into the institution of marriage. I know myself.”
“You’re just young and don’t know yet. The comfort and peace that your own family gives you.”
Taejo scoffed as if what he was saying was ridiculous.
Would such a thing even be possible?
His brothers seemed to be maintaining a decent, exemplary married life, but to talk about comfort and peace while living so fiercely...
“Still, meet as many people as you can when you have time. Who knows? You might meet a woman who would accept a scumbag like you.”
“Hah...”
“If you’re even a little attracted to her, meet her. If you live like this, you’ll just become unnecessarily picky.”
Tae-han’s gentle voice, which was hitting him with facts without his expression changing, pierced his ears.
“As someone who’s been there, I advise you: a love marriage is better than an arranged one.”
It was unnecessary advice for a brother who wasn’t listening at all, but it was more sincere than anything else.
________________________________________
Yiseo’s footsteps quickened as she entered the restaurant. A few days ago, an unexpected phone call had caused her to rush over to Seoul as soon as she was off work. The traditional Korean restaurant where they had made reservations was quiet.
“Welcome. How many are you?”
“My party has already arrived. The name on the reservation is Kim Sung-hyun.”
The employee, who had checked the reservation schedule, led Yiseo to a private room. When the door opened, Kim Sung-hyun, who had already taken his seat, stood up.
“I’m sorry. I’m late.”
“No, you’re not. I just arrived myself. Please have a seat.”
The man who gestured for Yiseo to come in quickly while pushing her hair back was the one she had gone on a blind date with at the Haesin Hotel last week.
A few days ago, a phone call she received after Ryu Taejo had visited the art center was the start of this meeting. Kim Sung-hyun had contacted her, saying he wanted to apologize for his rude behavior on the day they first met and asked her to meet him.
Part of her wanted to refuse him completely, but she couldn’t bring herself to cut off the man who was speaking sweetly, saying he wanted to see her face and have a meal together.
She also remembered Choi Sung-hee’s displeased reaction when she ended the blind date. And the cold stare she got, as if to say, can’t you even do that? So, the thought of this being a chance to make amends was also true. Since the other party had provided the pretext first, she decided she would properly tie up the loose ends even if she was going to end it.
“Did you have a hard time getting here? It’s a bit far, and you must be tired from the drive...”
“No, I’m fine.”
Yiseo hid her exhaustion and smiled with a soft expression. She was anxious the whole way, afraid she wouldn’t make it on time, so she was relieved.
The way they had ended things that day was disrespectful to both of them.
How bad was the ending that she had vowed never to run into him again? No, it wasn’t just bad; it was so bad that the name Kim Sung-hyun was firmly imprinted in her memory. And now she was going to have a meal with a man like that again. Ignoring the feeling of nausea rising in her stomach, Yiseo wiped her hands with a wet towel.
“Take this.”
Suddenly, Kim Sung-hyun offered her a bouquet of flowers. It was a bouquet of pink hydrangeas and other flowers.
“Flowers... all of a sudden?”
“As an apology for my rudeness last time.”
He smiled kindly with a gentle attitude that was in stark contrast to before. She felt something was strange, even as she was taking the flowers in a daze.
“You didn’t have to do this.”
“After I left like that last time, I couldn’t sleep. I felt like I had to apologize to you in person before I could feel at ease.”
She wondered if there had been a change in his feelings, but then she came to the reasonable conclusion that he, like her, didn’t want to remain on bad terms with her.
The meal began.
Yiseo quietly ate the neatly set food. She ate gracefully and elegantly. She looked very pretty as she carefully used her chopsticks to take a small portion of the food. She put the food in her mouth and chewed it delicately. Suddenly, Kim Sung-hyun gave her a frank stare from across the table.
“You look so pretty when you eat.”
Yiseo stopped chewing at the unexpected compliment. She wasn’t used to surprise compliments. She barely managed to swallow the food that felt like it was stuck in her throat and pulled her lips awkwardly.
“Do you hear that a lot?”
“This is the first time.”
“That’s strange. I wonder what’s wrong with everyone’s eyes.”
Does he have some kind of ulterior motive? Now that she looked at him, his affectionate smile seemed more like a flirtatious glance. At first, she wasn’t sure, but now she was certain. This man was strange. An alarm bell rang in her head.
His kindness was out of place. It would have been different if she hadn’t seen his true colors that day. Even if he was trying to salvage the relationship, why would he go to such lengths?
Her doubts didn’t disappear throughout Kim Sung-hyun’s story. Afterward, he continued to talk about himself and his future plans, the size and vision of his company, and his competence in leading such a company, all mixed with some current events. The conversation continued until the end of the meal.
“To be honest, I’ve wanted to tell you this since the moment I saw your face...”
The man, who had been speaking so fluently until now, was awkwardly hesitating.
“I’d like to get back together with you.”
It was right after they had just finished dessert. Yiseo’s face, which had just thought she had finally finished the uncomfortable meal, hardened in embarrassment. She stopped moving for a moment, like a frozen screen, and stared at him. Kim Sung-hyun seemed to have misinterpreted Yiseo’s shocked and hardened reaction as a sign of approval, and he continued without hesitation.
“I think I was really reckless back then. Please forgive my rudeness.”
He bowed his head politely and looked up with a solemn expression, as if to show off. You don’t have to go that far.
“No, I don’t. I think I was rude back then, too.”
Kim Sung-hyun smiled hopefully at Yiseo’s reaction as she waved her hand and said it was okay. Yiseo continued speaking, fearing that she would be misunderstood if she missed the timing.
“But that’s a different matter. I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can accept your offer.”
A moment of silence passed. She desperately wanted to run out of the room. However, Yiseo endured a little longer, thinking of Choi Sung-hee, who valued appearance. She had a calculated thought that if she could untangle this twisted knot, Choi Sung-hee would feel a little better.
“I guess it’s because we got off on the wrong foot.”
A look of regretful laughter spread across Kim Sung-hyun’s face as he suppressed his disappointment.
“It seems your feelings were hurt a lot, but I can wait as long as you need me to.”
“I don’t know. I don’t understand why you suddenly feel this way.”
When she looked up and stared directly at him, he flinched at her straight gaze.
“You seem to have forgotten that I liked you from the very beginning...”
“Didn’t that initial interest end completely that day?”
“But seeing you again today, new feelings are springing up.”
Kim Sung-hyun laughed heartily in embarrassment. She felt awkward. As she was contemplating how to refuse him more nicely, Yiseo decided to be direct.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s rude to refuse you again, but my thought that we’re not meant to be is the same now as it was then.”
The smiling expression on Kim Sung-hyun’s face gradually hardened. A look of embarrassment appeared on his expressionless face. Unlike Yiseo, who hadn’t touched her dessert at all, the dessert plate in front of Kim Sung-hyun was empty. After confirming that fact, Yiseo looked up at him again and said politely.
“Thank you very much for the meal today. And for being so considerate to the end. But I hope you don’t try to arrange another meeting like this in the future.”
“Yiseo.”
“I’m sorry.”
With a gentle refusal, Yiseo got up from her seat first.
________________________________________
Kim Sung-hyun hastily chased after Yiseo, who was leaving the corridor. “Yiseo,” he called out, and his voice was the same as before.
“Wait, Yiseo. Just a moment.”
He grabbed her arm. They had walked noisily down the quiet corridor and finally stopped in front of the counter. Kim Sung-hyun, who had come closer, stood in front of her. He was holding the bouquet of flowers that Yiseo had left behind. Yiseo looked at the man blocking her path with eyes filled with a sigh.
“Please don’t do this.”
This would only cause trouble for both of them. She didn’t want to say another cold goodbye at a place she had come to for a good ending. It was obvious that what happened today would quickly turn into another baseless rumor.
Yiseo lowered her gaze. Her wrist, which Kim Sung-hyun was holding, was starting to ache. An unnecessary standoff continued in the ambiguous silence. Just as she was about to ask him to let go, a large figure suddenly pushed in beside her.
When she turned her eyes to the figure that had invaded her sight, Yiseo’s eyes widened in embarrassment. It was Ryu Taejo, standing there as if he had found something to watch, with his eyes a hand-span higher than the people standing next to him.
“A date?”
It seemed he was on his way out after a meal, and he was with someone. His brother, who had finished paying, tapped Taejo’s back as if to tell him he was leaving. With a light nod, Ryu Tae-han left first. Nevertheless, Taejo didn’t seem to have any intention of moving.
He casually glanced at Yiseo’s arm, which Kim Sung-hyun was holding, and the bouquet of flowers that was crushed in his hand, and he let out a laugh. Yiseo subtly twisted her arm to pull it away.
Taejo’s gaze then turned to Kim Sung-hyun. The man, who had been acting so gently, flinched when their eyes met. Then it was Yiseo’s turn. The gaze that slowly came over was annoyingly emotionless. And yet, her heart was beating with anxiety at his stare.
“We meet again.”
It was a greeting directed at Yiseo. His smiling lips were crooked. Of all times, why did he have to see her like this? Why was her heart pounding like this, like a person who showed something that shouldn’t have been seen, at his smile, which she couldn’t understand the meaning of? She felt as if she had been caught stealing.
“I’ll be going now.”
Yiseo ignored Ryu Taejo, who was staring at her, and bowed her head to Kim Sung-hyun. Yoon Yiseo, who was hurrying away, quickly disappeared like the wind. The entrance was quiet, as if no one had been there in the first place. When he turned his head after staring at the spot where Yiseo had left, Kim Sung-hyun was looking at him with a bewildered expression.
“Shouldn’t you be leaving?”
“...”
Taejo, with a hint of anger sticking to his cheek, offered the card he had just received back to the employee.
“It’s okay. I’ll pay. Use this.”
“Just do it.”
When he gave the instruction to the hesitant employee, she quickly swiped the card with a difficult expression. The sound of the card machine spitting out the receipt was clear.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“If you ate well, you should say thank you.”
Taejo patted Kim Sung-hyun’s shoulder as if he were saying, don’t you even know that? The man’s face, which had been concealing his true emotions when he was with Yoon Yiseo, was now cold and filled with anger. Come to think of it, he had put a lot of effort into his outfit today. A three-piece suit from head to toe and a bouquet of flowers.
“I didn’t know you were so diligent behind her back. Were you serious about that bet?”
“And what about you? Why are you so calm, as if you know I’m going to take something from you?”
Taejo quietly laughed inside his lips at his sarcastic voice.
“It doesn’t seem to be going too well for your courtship, though.”
As if to say that the end of the bet was set even if he didn’t obsess over it like him, he lowered his head and whispered softly into Kim Sung-hyun’s ear.
“Do well. Don’t act up and cry tears of blood later.”
Taejo patted Kim Sung-hyun’s shoulder and walked out.
________________________________________
Kim Sung-hyun’s phone calls continued throughout the drive home. The persistent calls continued even when she didn’t answer. It’s so annoying. Yiseo ended the last call from Kim Sung-hyun and turned off her phone completely.
It was a crazy day. She felt as if her whole body was so crushed by fatigue that she was buried in the ground. Her footsteps were heavy. Her feet felt like they were sticking to the ground.
After she finished parking the car and went up to the house, all the lights were off except for the drawing-room and the kitchen. It seemed the employees had gone to bed since it was late.
The family must be asleep, too. She barely ever saw her father’s face because he was so busy, and her mother would close her door and go in at 8 p.m. Her brother, Yiheon, was also busy with company work, and she rarely saw him in the evening.
All she wanted to do was go up to her room, warm herself up with a hot shower, and go to sleep. It was the moment she opened the inner door that led to the house. What stopped Yiseo, who was quietly heading up the stairs to the second floor, was Choi Sung-hee’s voice coming from inside.
“I’m planning to send her off by the end of this year. So stop taking her side.”
Her voice, which was as consistent as pressing the white keys of a piano, was more heated than usual.
“I’m not taking her side; I’m saying this because Father’s and DK’s names keep coming up because of this.”
“I’ll take care of it. You just focus on your work.”
Choi Sung-hee tried to end the conversation as if she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. The voice that was speaking to Choi Sung-hee was her brother Yiheon’s.
“You say you’ll take care of it yourself, but you send her on blind dates every week. Twice a week, don’t you think that’s too much?”
“...”
“Just leave Yiseo alone. She’s a smart kid who can handle herself.”
“Why are you acting like this, too?”
Choi Sung-hee sighed irritably, as if she couldn’t understand. The lights in the drawing-room were on, but it was empty. The voices were coming from the kitchen, where a faint light was leaking out.
It’s happening again.
They’re clashing again because of me. Her heart pounded with unnecessary anxiety. It happened occasionally. Not often, but her brother, Yiheon, was as rational and sensible as the other members of this family. He wasn’t a very affectionate or cautious person, but even though he was only half-siblings with Yiseo, he treated her like a normal sister.
“Mother, what you’re doing doesn’t look good in the eyes of others.”
“Why should I care what others think? This is our family’s business.”
“I’m telling you this because it’s a family matter. I know what you’re worried about, Mother, but marriage, Mother. No matter how important the conditions are, it can only happen if the people like each other. It’s not something that just happens by pairing them up like animals. Are you going to do that to me, too?”
“Yoon Yiheon.”
“You’re not, are you? Yiseo is our family, just as you said. She’s my sister, and she’s your daughter, too.”
Yiheon’s voice was calm, but the way he articulated his words made it clear that he was angry. Choi Sung-hee let out a few sighs in disbelief, as if she had been hurt by her son’s reprimand. Worried about his mother, Yiheon poured her a glass of cold water and handed it to her.
“Drink this and calm down. I’m sorry for upsetting you so late at night.”
“I...”
The sound of a glass being placed on the table was heard.
“Just looking at her face still makes me feel like the world is falling apart.”
Choi Sung-hee pleaded in a weaker voice than before. Yiseo, who had been holding her breath and listening, lowered her head. The world seemed to go white in front of her eyes. She clutched her handbag tightly in her hands, even forgetting to breathe, as if it was so difficult to just hide and listen. The words felt like they would shatter her heart.
“What haven’t I done for that child? Have I ever hated her or starved her? I gave her the same education as you. Like you said, I raised her as my own daughter so she wouldn’t be envious of others. But I can’t give her my affection. I’m not confident about that.”
I see. That’s why she never called me by my name, ‘Yiseo,’ in the 26 years I’ve been alive.
When she talked about Yiseo, her sentences always lacked a subject. She used the pronoun “that child” when talking to someone about her, and Yiseo had never shown any sadness about it. But her heart ached. The feelings that she had comforted by telling herself that she deserved to be hated, that she had to endure it because she was born a sinner even if she had no other sins, cracked with a snap.
“How long are you going to be like this? It’s been 26 years since we’ve lived together. If you’ve been living in the same house for that long, you’re a family. It’s about time you accepted her.”
“How can you... how can you say that so easily?”
Choi Sung-hee raised her voice, sounding hurt. She took a few more rough breaths as if she couldn’t understand her son’s words. The sound of Choi Sung-hee pulling out a chair and sitting down was heard, as if she couldn’t steady herself. “Ah,” Choi Sung-hee let out an exasperated sigh and poured out her agitated voice.
“How could you... How could you say such a thing to me? It’s time to accept her? I still think of that woman I never even saw whenever I look at her face. What did the bar hostess I never met look like? When I see that child’s face growing up, I think of that woman’s face and I feel like I’m going crazy every night. Do you know how I felt when your father went out and cheated on me with that woman? Even on the nights your father didn’t come home, I would hold you in my arms and put you to sleep, telling myself that everything would get better, that it would be okay. Because I had you. I lived only for you. But your father still brought that child home.”
“...”
“That child is the one who broke my perfect family. If it weren’t for her, the three of us could have lived as if nothing had happened. I only accepted her for your sake. I wanted to pass on a perfect Dae-kyung to you. Do you know what your maternal family is like? They said they would save DK if I accepted her and raised her like my own daughter. A child that my husband had with another woman outside of our marriage!”
Tears streamed down her cheeks. To Choi Sung-hee, Yiseo was a being she could never get close to or let into her life.
“I made them promise and I did that. I had no power back then. To protect you, I had to save my maternal family. That’s how 26 years went by. It wasn’t a period of time that just passed by. What do you think it feels like for me to see that child, who gets bigger every day right in front of my eyes, look more and more like that woman, who is not your father or me? Just looking at her back makes my heart sink. Do you really not know?”
“That wasn’t Yiseo’s choice. A child can’t choose their parents, and isn’t it too cruel to blame Yiseo for something that happened when she was born?”
“Cruel? Just a few blind dates?”
“I know you’re sending her on one every weekend. People are talking about it.”
“She has to endure it. If I raised her like this, shouldn’t she be of some help? If she has any conscience at all, she should do her part.”
The heartless words cut through her chest.
Minimal conscience. A human’s duty. These were the words that had been ingrained in her mind and bones throughout her life. But hearing them like this made her certain that her existence in this family was nothing more than a tool for marriage.
“I don’t know why you always take her side.”
“You know I’m not trying to take sides right now, Mother. Don’t lose the main point of the argument.”
“You bad son.”
Choi Sung-hee must have pushed Yiheon in a fit of rage, as a dull sound of friction was heard.
“You’ll never understand. How much of a living hell this is. Thinking every night that I wish something would happen and she would just disappear from my sight, and then feeling tormented by the thought that I’m turning into a monster for thinking that. You don’t know what this misery is. If you knew, you wouldn’t be like this. You’re the only one I can depend on in this house! How could you...”
Her voice, which was pouring out like a bloody scream, was mixed with sobs.
“Let’s stop.”
“Mother.”
“That’s enough. Stop. There’s no one on my side in this house.”
Choi Sung-hee grabbed her head and came out of the kitchen. She was tying her nightgown as she came out, and she made eye contact with Yiseo, who was frozen in the drawing-room. Yiheon, who was following her, did the same.
“...Ah.”
Yiseo, who was frozen like ice, hurriedly spoke.
“I’m... I’m late coming home from work. You haven’t gone to bed yet?”
Embarrassment rose in Yiheon’s eyes as he saw Yiseo’s rigid face, which was trying to greet her. Unlike Yiheon, who was worried that she might have heard the entire conversation, Choi Sung-hee just stared at Yiseo with cold eyes. As if to say that it was shameless of her to be in this position even after hearing such things.
The cold eyes soon passed by Yiseo without a word and disappeared. They were eyes of disgust. The sound of the master bedroom door closing left only Yiheon and Yiseo behind.
“You’re late.”
Yiheon, who had come closer, spoke softly. His gentle voice made her knees weak. The handbag she had been clutching fell to the floor with a thud, and he picked it up and handed it to her.
“Work was busy.”
Yiseo composed her expression as if nothing was wrong, but her voice was still shaking in her short reply.
“Are you tired? Should I warm you up a glass of milk?”
“No.”
Yiseo shook her head, shaking off Yiheon’s worried gaze.
“I’ll go to bed.”
“Yiseo.”
“I had a busy day... Let’s talk tomorrow, Oppa. Good night.”
It’s nothing.
It’s okay.
It’s not a lie.
These were things she already knew. She knew, but why did it sting so much today? With her eyes welling up with tears, she bit her teeth and ran up the stairs to the second floor as if she were escaping.
She stood under the showerhead for a long time, letting the hot water hit her. By the time she finished her shower, a lot of time had passed. Yiseo, who was standing in front of the steamy mirror, rubbed the mirror with her palm. With a squeak, the foggy glass became clear. The innocent face was visible in the spot where her palm had passed.
“Just looking at her face still makes me feel like the world is falling apart. What did the bar hostess I never met look like?”
Bar hostess. She stared silently at the innocent face in the mirror.
Does my mother look like this?
She had never been curious about the face of her biological mother, whom she had never met or seen a photo of. She had thought that as long as she lived in this house, she shouldn’t feel any curiosity. But the words that she was growing to look more and more like her mother kept circling in her mind.
Considering that she didn’t have a single feature that resembled her father, even though they had a 99% genetic match, Choi Sung-hee’s words must be right. This face must have been inherited entirely from her biological mother.
Yiseo carefully scrutinized her reflection in the mirror. A forehead that was as round as anyone else’s, eyebrows that were as dark as anyone else’s, eyes that were as normal as anyone else’s, and a nose that was as normal as anyone else’s. What was so unusual about it? No matter how much she looked, she had the same two eyes, one nose, and one mouth as anyone else.
Her discouraged face and her defeated eyes were still stubbornly persistent. Her nose was red from holding back her tears several times, and her face, which was slowly losing its vitality, looked blank. They were the same as usual, so why did she hate the sight of them so much today?
The cold glances, the cruel words. She had thought that she wouldn’t be hurt by those things anymore. Just as she had been told, if she was raised to not be envious of others, she should be of some help. She had lived for 26 years believing that was her duty, as she had been taught.
She had thought that the awkward relationship would get better if she tried. If trying didn’t work, she thought she would just have to get used to it. And she thought she had become numb enough that nothing could hurt her anymore.
She realized that the hard shell covering her scars was powerless. Yiseo was once again reminded of her position in this house.
An uninvited guest. A cohabitant. The reason why no one welcomed her and why she couldn’t get close to anyone was because of this face.
Yiseo stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror with a dazed look in her eyes, fidgeting with the razor blade in her hand.
“Ah...”
At that moment, a sharp pain grazed her fingertip. The stinging and throbbing pain brought her back to her senses, making her realize what she had been about to do. A drop of bright red blood fell from the cut left by the sharp, never-before-used razor blade and landed with a plop in the sink. It was like tears she couldn’t shed.
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