episode_0119

The room in the traditional inn is deathly silent.

I and the lady sit side-by-side on the bed, wrapped in towels.

Seo, my older sister, stands before us with her hands on her hips, watching.

It’s like a scene from an adultery drama, where the husband and mistress are caught in the act by the wife.

Though, we weren’t actually having an affair.

Seo already knew about my situation with the lady and was even cheering me on.

But for some reason, her expression as she looked at us was so dark that I was overwhelmed by the heavy atmosphere.

“Haa.”

Instead of me, who was watching her reaction, or the lady, who was speechless from shock, Seo broke the silence with a deep sigh.

“Hey, Han Jihoon.”

“Huh, huh?”

“I told you atmosphere was important, so why would you just go for it?”

My sister asked with a voice filled with frustration.

I didn’t expect the arrow to be aimed at me, so my reply was unconsciously subdued.

“Because the atmosphere was good, and the lady looked even more beautiful…”

“You said you wanted to win Mom over. So instead of doing something like that right away, you should have talked to her more.”

I understand what she means.

I needed an exchange of emotions with the lady rather than physical contact, but I was too hasty.

“…Sorry.”

It’s funny to be apologizing, but the words came out of my mouth on their own.

Her following words still had a sigh mixed in.

“Hooo. Sorry for watching without you knowing. I was just too curious and wanted to peek for a moment, but it was too frustrating for me to bear.”

“…”

“Mom. It’s not just Jihoon. You’re really frustrating, too.”

“Seo, what are you…”

“Looking at you, it’s not like you hate Jihoon. So isn’t it time you accepted him?”

The lady’s eyes, which had been confused until just now, widened.

She seemed to have grasped the situation to some extent after hearing Seo’s words just now.

“You knew all along? How…”

“Jihoon told me about it a while ago. Coming here was planned to connect you two. Yuna also knows you’re dating Jihoon, right? She knows all about you and Jihoon.”

“I can’t believe it…”

The lady didn’t say anything more, but I knew what she was thinking without even hearing it.

Seo seemed to feel the same way, as she lowered her hands from her hips and said,

“I don’t understand, do you? I don’t understand myself either. But I hope Mom will start caring about her own happiness besides me.”

“…”

“Mom doesn’t even meet men because she’s worried I’ll be uncomfortable. I’m really grateful for that, but if you spend your whole life just taking care of me, your life will be too boring. I’m all grown up now.”

The lady, who was looking down, still couldn’t make eye contact with her daughter.

“Uh, Mom just wants Seo to be happy…”

“That’s why I can’t. I want Mom to be happy, too.”

“Still, Jihoon is your boyfriend. Is it really okay for your boyfriend to get close to another woman… to Mom?”

“What else can I do, he said he wants to date Mom too. And Mom was excited while being with him earlier. It’s the first time I’ve seen that face of hers, how can I oppose it?”

“…”

“And it’s a hundred times better for Mom to date my boyfriend than to get involved with some weirdo, since Mom doesn’t know how to judge men.”

The lady is lost in thought, and Seo, who has been pouring out words without a break, parts her lips again as if she still has something to say.

“Mom, you know I’ve become a lot brighter since I started dating Jihoon, right? It’s embarrassing to say this in front of him, but when you have someone you truly love, the feeling of living your life changes completely. I hope you’ll feel this way too.”

Silence descends on the bed while my sister waits for an answer.

That silence is soon broken by the lady’s trembling voice.

“…Even if Seo allows it, Jihoon is also my friend’s son and my future son-in-law. What will people think if we date?”

“…”

“I can handle being criticized. But I don’t want Jihoon or you to be pointed at because of my greed.”

The lady’s face, more serious than ever, which she showed me at the hot springs.

But Seo’s answer was without hesitation.

“Who cares what other people think. We’re not going to advertise how we live anyway. Mom already quit being the center director and is going to reduce interviews, right? Then what’s the problem if we live quietly among ourselves?”

“But…”

“Lady. I’m okay with it too. If you’re afraid of being criticized, we can keep it a secret.”

I added words from the side, but it seems insufficient to instill confidence in the lady.

However, I have no intention of giving up, and it seems Seo feels the same way.

“Mom. Your thoughts are more important than other people’s opinions. Take everything else out of the equation and just think about yourself. What do you want to do with Jihoon?”

“…Honestly, I don’t really know either. From some point on, my heart starts pounding when I see Jihoon, and I keep imagining us dating…. But I’m confused whether it’s really because of Jihoon, or whether I’m just nervous because I haven’t had this kind of experience before.”

“In other words, you have the heart but you don’t have the conviction?”

“It’s not that simple-.”

“Mom.”

As if she thought of something, Seo interrupted the lady’s reply.

“You said you don’t have any schedule tomorrow, right?”

“Uh-huh? That’s right, but why…?”

“Jihoon said he only has school tomorrow too? Then it’s okay to skip for a day, right?”

“Is that… right? But why?”

“Both of you wait here for a moment.”

“Seo?”

“Sister?”

Despite me and the lady calling out, my sister left the room without even looking back.

A few minutes passed as we waited without saying a word in this sudden situation.

After a while, the door opened and my sister returned.

“Sister, where did you go?”

“I extended the room.”

“What? Why?”

“We came all the way here, are you going to end it ambiguously like this? You both said you don’t have any schedule tomorrow anyway. Go out on a date tomorrow.”

“Seo, what are you saying? You want us to go on a date…”

My sister answered the lady’s question.

“Have a proper date and decide how you feel, Mom. And I like it here, so I’m going to rest here for another day while you two are out.”

I didn’t expect my sister to help this actively.

She’s definitely her, pushing forward boldly once she decides.

But I couldn’t just be admiring her inside.

Because my sister sent an implicit message with her eyes, ‘If you screw up again after I’ve done this much, I won’t let you off.’

Right. I need to appeal to my sincere feelings this time.

I’m going to teach the lady that what she can get when she’s with me isn’t just sexual pleasure.

“Still, so suddenly…”

“Lady. Do as our sister says.”

“Jihoon?”

“I want to walk around with you, lady.”

“…”

“Do it, Mom. Don’t just imagine it, go on a date. Sightsee the places we couldn’t go to yesterday because we didn’t have time.”

“Just the two of us…”

The lady, who looked at me and Seo alternately with troubled eyes, mumbled that.

However, the atmosphere had already tilted too much to reject my request and Seo’s persuasion to the end.

“Ah, okay…”

===

Unlike last night, which was somewhat chilly, the sun is shining brightly and a cool breeze is blowing, making it perfect weather to walk around outside.

However, Yiseo Kang, who just came out of the traditional inn, was in a difficult situation because her heart, which had been pounding since earlier, wouldn’t calm down.

“Lady. Shall we go?”

“U-uh, shall we?”

Following his invitation, she started walking side by side with him.

A time alone with Han Jihoon that suddenly took place due to her daughter’s impulsive actions.

It was a situation she had always imagined with half curiosity and half envy, but when it was right in front of her, it wasn’t easy to fully focus on this moment.

‘There are so many people…. Is it really okay to walk around like this? Won’t they think it’s weird?’

Just in case someone recognizes her, she can’t help but lower her head.

Glancing to the side, Han Jihoon was striding forward as if nothing was wrong.

‘Is he not embarrassed to be walking around with a middle-aged woman like me….’

“Lady.”

“U-uh? Why, what is it?”

“Is there anywhere you want to go? The place we went to yesterday is fine too.”

“Well, I don’t mind anywhere…”

She was just too nervous to think of anything, but as soon as she answered, she felt like she had messed up.

She was worried that she would be seen as a high-maintenance woman who passed the decision-making to the other person.

‘We came out to have fun…. I can’t be so stiff like this.’

The rigid expression that wouldn’t soften easily made her own inner monologue seem embarrassing.

Still, she mustered up the courage to raise her head, thinking that she should say something from her side too.

“Jihoo-, Ah…!”

Because of the brighter sunlight than she had expected, she couldn’t say anything and instead frowned even more.

“The sunlight is a bit too strong, right? Ah, there’s a place selling sunglasses over there, would you like to wear one?”

“Sunglasses?”

If she wore sunglasses, she would be a little more free from the gazes of the people around her, and she would be able to look at Han Jihoon’s eyes more directly.

“Y-yes. I’d like that.”

She moved her feet to a nearby stall.

She was finally starting to feel the reality of being on a date with just the two of them.

But before she could fully enjoy that feeling, the situation she had been worried about happened.

“Oh my, aren’t you Yiseo Kang? I’m such a fan!”

“Ah, yes… Thank you.”

The stall owner, who recognized a famous person who frequently appeared in the media, greeted her.

It was definitely awkward, but it was not easy to show it.

Of course, the other party couldn’t possibly understand Yiseo Kang’s inner thoughts.

“Who’s the person next to you… could it be your boyfriend?! So Yiseo Kang has someone she’s seeing!”

“That’s…”

Her heart sank at the words uttered with a beaming smile.

The fear that Han Jihoon and her daughter might be harmed if the rumors were to spread incorrectly as it is.

Because of that, she couldn’t easily open her mouth, but then she heard his voice next to her.

“Ah, we’re aunt and nephew.”

“Oh my, is Yiseo Kang already at the age where she has a nephew? You look so young, I couldn’t even imagine it!”

“I’m n-not that old… Thank you.”

“Aunt Yiseo. You said you were going to look at some sunglasses before Mom came, right? How about this one?”

After finishing the purchase in a daze, Yiseo Kang started walking with him again.

Thanks to wearing sunglasses, she was less conscious of the gazes of the people around her, but her heart became heavier.

‘I only received help from Jihoon just now…. Jihoon even bought these sunglasses for me….’

She was older than the other person, but she only seemed to be stiff and causing trouble.

Dating a man was definitely too much for her, who had only studied and lived a life that was too rigid.

She was suppressing the growing gloom so that it wouldn’t show on the outside.

“Huh?”

Yiseo Kang turned to the side at the feeling on her hand.

Han Jihoon, who had silently taken her hand, was smiling at her, looking this way.

“It’s okay, no one cares anyway.”

A smile as bright as the sun behind him.

From that face, she couldn’t feel the embarrassment of being accompanied by an older woman, nor the dissatisfaction with the frustrating person.

Only then did Yiseo Kang realize.

The other person was enjoying this moment, and it was okay for her to enjoy the present without complex calculations.

“Ah, I didn’t make you feel bad by calling you aunt earlier, did I? Those words came out because I was trying to get through it because I thought you might be troubled.”

“No, it’s okay. Thanks to you, we got through it without any problems.”

“That’s a relief. Since we have a lot of time, shall we look around here and there from nearby?”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

After a short conversation, the two of them walked hand in hand quite naturally.

The anxiety that had been lingering around Yiseo Kang until just now had completely disappeared from her face.