episode_0091

* Episode 91: Reconciliation of the Foolish Mother and Daughter

[Bridgette Bailey regains consciousness.]

[Please be careful not to cause any confusion in her consciousness.]

As the scene fades, she appears in a dimly lit world.

With tear-stained face, she stares blankly at Leah without wiping a single tear.

In the flashback she was just crying in, she was the mother herself.

“Huh, wh-what? What… why are you all here? And Leah, you too… why….”

Her face turned pale.

Perhaps she just saw her own dream, or saw into her own heart, she trembled.

“Oh, no? You all, you saw that just now, didn’t you?”

“We saw everything.”

“Oh… uh…?”

“We saw it all.”

“What… what is this….”

She stood dumbfounded for a moment before coming to her senses.

“You saw it? Oh, did you show it to Leah?”

“Yes.”

“Ridiculous. What is this nonsense!”

Realizing her mistake, she rushed towards Leah, despite being naked.

“-Ugh!”

She snatched Leah away from my arms.

Like a mother protecting her child.

“What, what is going on here. This is not a place for a child like Leah. Why did you bring her here!”

“Do you, who are sleeping in such a place, know that very well?”

“I just came here to escape reality! I thought someone would save me anyway! So I came here to take a break!”

“Irresponsible.”

She was surprised by my sharp words, her blue eyes widening.

“….You!!”

“Don’t be angry. I came to clear up the misunderstanding between you two.”

“What misunderstanding! What if a child sees such a scene!”

She hugged Leah again.

-My daughter whom I just met.

-My lovely daughter.

Just looking at the child made her unable to hide her sadness.

“Are you okay? Were you surprised? I’m sorry for showing you that. I didn’t mean to show you something like that.”

She held the child’s cheeks and begged.

Apologizing multiple times for her mistake.

That’s why Leah apologized back.

“No. Aunt. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

“What? No, even if you don’t know, you didn’t do anything wrong. So please don’t say that.”

“No. I know. That’s why I said those things to you back then.”

She poured out her feelings.

Despite me and the mother calling it a misunderstanding, she stubbornly spoke.

I brought this child here because I wanted to break this.

[Leah Bailey’s dream begins.]

[Please be careful not to cause any confusion in her consciousness.]

And the perspective changed.

This time, it was Leah’s dream.

The story of when this clever child gained consciousness and learned to think.

“Mom. I went to kindergarten today.”

“Mom. I got a perfect score today.”

“Mom. Today, the kindergarten teacher-”

“……”

Leah, who started going to kindergarten, spoke more and more fluently.

Bridgette’s gaze at her stepdaughter was neither cold nor warm.

She didn’t know what to do and couldn’t control her emotions.

“Mom. There’s a school performance today. Will you come to see it?”

“Mom. Why didn’t you come today?”

“Mom. They say there’s a parent observation this week.”

“Mom. There’s a sports day this time-”

“Mom. I have a favor to ask….”

“…I’m sorry. Mom has work this week.”

“Mom….”

Suddenly becoming a mother, Bridgette almost abandoned her sister’s daughter.

She didn’t resent her and lived a normal life, but there was a clear boundary in their relationship.

It was both Bridgette’s fault and a problem with the environment.

She was leading a guild during a busy period, so she didn’t have the mental capacity.

Therefore, Leia was always cautious and her face dark whenever she asked for something.

“Mom didn’t come again….”

“I studied hard.”

“I got 100 points….”

“You never… praised me….”

“Why is Mom angry….”

She didn’t know why her mother was distancing herself from her.

Being smart, she wanted to know the reason more than the sadness.

One night, while Leia was sleeping soundly, Bridget suddenly hugged her.

“Mom….”

“Did you drink alcohol…?”

Her mother, who had just gone out for a moment, came back with a drink in hand.

Clearly deeply intoxicated, her busy body was exhausted from work.

Normally, Leia would have refused her mother in such a state, but she accepted her this time.

Perhaps in a daze, her mother suddenly blurted out words she wouldn’t normally say.

“I’m sorry… Leia….”

“Whenever I see you, I think of my deceased sister.”

“I don’t want to be far from you, but when I get close, I think of her and tears come.”

“You look so much like her, so much like my sister.”

“That’s why I should love you, but I’m too scared….”

“They didn’t shed a single drop of blood….”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry, Mom.”

“I’m sorry for having such thoughts about you….”

Intoxicated Bridget opened up to Leia.

Being an elementary school student at the time, Leia might have thought she would forget what her mother said.

But being smart, Leia didn’t miss this information.

“Sister?”

“Why do you think of your sister when you see me?”

“Why is Mom sad?”

“Is she distancing herself from me because of that?”

It didn’t take long for Leia to uncover the truth.

Bridget was the master of the Mechanic Guild, and Leia was her adopted daughter.

Asking guild members for information little by little, Leia gradually uncovered the truth.

“It’s a photo of your mom from the past.”

“Wow… she looks so different from now?”

“That’s her original appearance. She’s imitating your deceased sister now.”

“She passed away. It seems she’s so sad that she’s imitating her.”

Leia eventually learned that her mother was pretending to be her deceased sister.

The photo I saw on the 15th floor was from that time, and Leia cherished the photo.

“If only it wasn’t me….”

“I killed her….”

“I should have raised her properly….”

“When I look at the child, I only have other thoughts….”

“It’s not the child’s fault… I know it’s not….”

“Even though I know she’s my sister’s child… my mind is filled with thoughts of those bastards….”

Bridget remained the same.

Every time she drank, she talked about her sister.

At that moment, Leia became convinced.

“Mom hates me.”

An unwanted child.

Not even a biological daughter.

A mix of her sister’s blood and trash.

At least in Leia’s eyes, there was no reason for Bridget to love her.

So she declared first.

“Aunt.”

“Huh?”

“Aunt Bridget.”

“Leia… what’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

“It’s okay. I know everything now. So you don’t have to hide anymore.”

“What do you know? Who is this aunt?”

“I heard everything. You suffered because of me, right?”

“Leia?”

“You don’t have to pretend to be my mom anymore.”

“Leia…?”

The emotional tension reached an irreparable level.

And this was during Leia’s second-grade elementary school birthday.

It was truly a bombshell statement.

The video cut off here.

“……”

“Sister. It’s time to stop drinking.”

“Ha… hoo….”

I couldn’t mock her, she collapsed on the floor.

She may have thought she knew Leia quite well, but from the child’s perspective, it was a different story.

Bridgetta got drunk and started talking nonsense. The child who should have listened with one ear and let it go cleverly dug into her own lineage.

“Auntie always said. She feels sad when she sees only me. She drinks and cries saying she can’t stand it because she remembers killing her mom.”

Instead, Leah continued to express her emotions in her own unique way.

Speaking like an adult unlike anyone else.

“So I tried to distance myself from Auntie. Because she feels sad because of me, I wanted to grow up quickly and disappear. That’s why I said we shouldn’t meet then.”

“Leah….”

“Auntie. You’ve been through a lot, right? You’ve suffered for over 3 years because of me….”

“Leah….”

“…I’m sorry for being born.”

“Ah… no… no… nooo!! That’s not it! I didn’t mean that! I didn’t mean that!!”

With one word that tore her parents’ hearts apart, the aunt collapsed to the ground.

She cried almost like a child, and Leah trembled as she looked at her.

After spitting out words that hurt people’s hearts, she herself didn’t know what to do.

“Sir….”

“You’re quite something. How did you manage to upset Auntie like that.”

“But… if she’s crying because of me, then there’s no need for me to be by her side….”

“That’s just your opinion, how many times do I have to tell you?”

I ran to the aunt.

She cried on all fours, but when I approached, she clung to my legs.

“Chang-gi… Chang-gi….! I did wrong… I raised you wrong…!”

“Oh my. I understand Auntie’s tears. Do you want to know how I felt when I first heard this story?”

“I’m sorry…. really… I’m sorry….”

“You don’t need to apologize to me.”

I pushed myself up and towards Leah.

I had to finish what I had started.

“Don’t beat around the bush, just say it. Why did Auntie think that way about you?”

“I thought she hated me because I couldn’t fulfill the role of a mother, because I did something wrong! So I thought she was stuck here because she hated me… that’s what I thought…!!”

“Then Leah. Why did you say those things to Auntie?”

“Every time Auntie saw me, she looked like she was in pain. I was an unwanted child and not even her real daughter, so I thought she hated me.”

From the child’s perspective, it was a valid statement.

However.

“No… that’s not it…!”

From Bridgetta’s perspective, it was an endless nightmare.

Her own child had reached such a conclusion because she hadn’t taken care of her.

As a parent, her heart would be shattered.

“Leah, please, it’s all a misunderstanding! I tried to think of you as my daughter! But I couldn’t! That’s why I neglected you and did stupid things! It was all to raise you…!”

“But….”

“You being born didn’t cause your sister’s death! Even if a mother is a fool, she knows that much! So please don’t say you’re sorry for being born!!”

On all fours, the long-haired aunt embraced Leah again.

She stroked her body and head repeatedly, pouring out her heart.

“Mom, I’m sorry. I had strange thoughts when I saw you and couldn’t be there for you at the most important time! I should have grown up more and taken care of you! I made you think these thoughts at such a young age…!”

“…Mom.”

“I should have said it sooner! Instead of talking nonsense when drunk, I should have told you, soberly, that you are my sister’s daughter and my daughter too! I should have told you not to worry about that! That’s why the day before she disappeared… I tried to tell you…!”

“On my birthday?”

“Yes. She disappeared that day of all days…!?”

The aunt explained.

After finishing the climb to the top, a sudden warning notice rang out as I turned to face my daughter.

Regretting the disappearance of Leia.

“You called me ‘aunt’ because it was my birthday! So, I was planning to treat you this time!”

“Are you trying to surprise me?”

“Yes… I wanted to clear up any misunderstandings by saying it on a special day, but you disappeared before I could even say it…! And when I finally came back, I was stuck worrying about this foolish thing!!”

“Was that really such a foolish worry?”

“You don’t have to worry about such things! If you were angry, you should have scolded and scolded me! If you had done that, I would have come to my senses quickly! Instead of whining about it…!”

“But, Mom, you seemed tired… and busy…”

“It was my fault for not making time! It was my fault as a mother to distance myself from you using that as an excuse! You can scold me as much as you want!”

“Our late mother….”

“Don’t bring that up. If I use our deceased sister as an excuse, I would truly become trash. So let’s stop. Please….”

My sister spoke softly.

“Come back home. I will try harder. I won’t let such thoughts come to mind anymore….”

“You’re not angry because of me, right?”

“How many times do I have to say… I’m not. I’m not. I’m not. How could I be angry at you!?”

“I see… I understand.”

Leia bowed her head.

Even though I told her from the beginning that it was a misunderstanding, she was quite stubborn, and she didn’t believe it until I confronted her head-on like this.

She even looked at me now, still doubting if this situation was real.

“Sir.”

“You shouldn’t see me here. Go back home and talk to Mom.”

“But… can I…?”

“-You can. Go and whine. Ask why she didn’t come to school to pick you up first. Why you were the only one without your mom on Parents’ Day.”

“But that was… because Mom was busy….”

“That’s not your concern. Whatever the reason, if she couldn’t do that, it’s right for you to scold her.”

“Then Mom will just look pitiful. She’s not even my real mom. During such a busy time… if I keep whining….”

I was fed up.

“Did you hear that, Sister? She’s like this?”

“I know. I finally understand what kind of kid she is….”

Agreeing with my words, my sister hugged Leia even tighter.

“Mom… it hurts. Let me go.”

“No. I won’t let go. I won’t let you say such things anymore….”

My sister kissed Leia’s cheek several times.

Of course, the child couldn’t escape from that ceremony. She stood awkwardly and cried a little.

“…I’m sorry for saying such things.”

“I’m sorry too….”

Finally, the two of them poured out their hearts.

Leia listened to the story of the intoxicated Bridgetta and what she thought, while my sister revealed her true feelings when Leia rejected her, and we divided our time until the black and white screen shattered.

………

……..I must have done something good, except for the day I was staring blankly.

As I stood awkwardly from a distance, a familiar voice rang out.

“What are you all doing here!”

“Even involving a child!”

“Oh, I’m going crazy! Why am I always the one left behind in my role!?”

It was Ian’s voice rushing to wake us up.

There was also one nanny here.

While I chuckled at the thought of how good people are, we returned to reality.