episode_0005

Mira didn’t know when or where the funeral would be held. The bereaved family refused Mira’s attendance, so even though they knew she was his girlfriend, they didn’t give her any information.

Mira also knew that the bereaved family disliked her, but she was determined to attend the funeral anyway.

Even though he was dead, Yunyoung was still her beloved lover and, at the same time, her savior.

If Yunyoung hadn’t saved her, it would have been her lying in the coffin now. It was as if she were living by inheriting Yunyoung’s life.

There was no way for her to apologize or atone for him, who had already left this world. No matter what she did, she couldn’t repay him.

She thought that living her life without forgetting Yunyoung, remembering him in a corner of her heart, and carrying the guilt, was the best she could do.

So, she was determined to attend the funeral, no matter what.

As it was the deceased’s final ceremony to bid farewell to the world, she felt that if she didn’t go and stay by his side, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

She already carried an immense amount of regret and didn’t want to add more. And she wanted to stay with her beloved Yunyoung’s funeral until the very end.

She knew it would be painful to go to an uninvited place. Being pointed at and cursed at was natural, and it wouldn’t be strange if she suffered even worse treatment.

Mira, who was timid and faint-hearted, felt scared and trembled at the thought of such treatment, but she didn’t try to avoid it.

Since the bereaved family had refused Mira’s attendance, no one would say anything even if she didn’t come to the funeral.

There was no need to go out of her way to suffer. Attending the funeral wasn’t the only way to mourn a death.

However, Mira firmly decided that she would definitely attend the funeral. And there, she also had to properly apologize to the bereaved family.

There was no situation where just avoiding it would make things alright.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t get any information about Yunyoung’s funeral. She had even considered searching every funeral home in the area and calling each one to ask.

The one who helped Mira in such a difficult situation was Minho, Yunyoung’s best friend.

Since Yunyoung had introduced Minho and Mira a few times, the two were somewhat acquainted.

Minho knew well what the bereaved family thought of Mira, and he also understood Mira’s feelings.

If Yunyoung were alive, he would surely be sad to see Mira in such a predicament.

Thinking so, Minho subtly informed Mira of the funeral date and location.

Thanks to that, Mira was able to attend Yunyoung’s funeral.

When Mira first arrived at the funeral home in a black suit, Yunyoung’s mother recognized her and erupted in great fury.

“You… how dare you come here?”

Mira, speechless with sorrow and apology, bowed her head and remained silent. Yunyoung’s mother shouted loudly, as if she would lunge at Mira at any moment.

“Because of whom did Yunyoung die? What nerve do you have to show your face here!”

“I’m sorry.”

“Get out! Get out right now!! I don’t want to see your face, so disappear at once!”

“I’m truly sorry, Mother.”

“Do you think ‘I’m sorry’ is enough when I’ve lost my precious child’s life? Get out, get out right now. Someone like you has no right to be here. You murderer!”

The commotion drew the attention of those around them. However, Yunyoung’s mother, having lost her reason, paid no heed to their gazes and continued to hurl accusations at Mira.

The intensity gradually increased, but Mira merely endured it silently.

She believed that all she could do for Yunyoung’s mother was to accept her emotions and help her find some release, no matter how small.

After scolding Mira for a long time, the mother finally seemed exhausted and slumped down, then began to wail.

“Yunyoung, if you go first… how am I supposed to live? Yunyoung, how am I supposed to live…?”

Mira just kept repeating that she was sorry.

“I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry… Because of me… I’m sorry…”

She thought of herself as a parrot, yet she had nothing else to say.

Mira knew very well that Yunyoung had grown up loved by his family. Yunyoung’s usual behavior couldn’t be explained otherwise.

Having grown up in a deprived family environment, Mira could understand it even better.

To the bereaved family, Yunyoung must have been a very precious son and a dependable presence, but she had become the one who took such a man’s life.

She thought of herself as a murderer, just as Yunyoung’s mother said. It was just that she wasn’t holding a weapon, but she was the one who drove Yunyoung to his death.

She also thought that the sense of loss Yunyoung’s mother felt was greater than her own, certainly not less.

She didn’t feel any resentment or anger towards her; rather, her true wish was to comfort her.

But from a murderer’s standpoint, she couldn’t possibly offer comfort and could only silently accept the emotions.

-1-

Fights at funeral homes are not uncommon. People, highly sensitive due to someone’s death, often become emotional and quarrel, unable to compose themselves.

At Yunyoung’s funeral home, the commotion didn’t subside. Yunyoung’s mother, who had slumped at the entrance, continued to shout at Mira, who still showed no sign of leaving.

“Why haven’t you left yet? This isn’t a place for a woman like you!”

“I’m truly sorry…”

“Does saying that bring dead Yunyoung back? *Sobbing*… Yunyoung died because of you, you wretched woman! *Choking back tears*… What about my son…?”

Mira politely clasped her hands together and remained silent with her head bowed. She had decided to attend Yunyoung’s funeral, so she couldn’t give up and go back now.

Tears flowed, but she swallowed her sobs, enduring it somehow.

No matter what Yunyoung’s mother said, Mira showed no sign of backing down. The mother’s expression soon turned fiercely venomous.

“I heard your father was a murderer too?”

The moment she heard that, Mira raised her bowed head. Her face was filled with the same dismay one feels when a shameful secret they wanted to hide is exposed.

“Wha… what kind of… what are you talking about…?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know! Did you think I wouldn’t find out if you hid it?!”

How could Yunyoung’s mother know that secret?

Mira couldn’t grasp it at all. Unable to understand what had happened, her mind was a chaotic mess, heavy with confusion.

Her eyes simply trembled, and her breathing became shallow.

She was too ashamed to speak of her father, never even telling her beloved Yunyoung about it.

It was a secret she desperately wanted to hide and a truth she wished to erase.

Mira was so afraid that if Yunyoung ever found out, he would abandon her, thinking she was a woman with a low-class bloodline.

The matter concerning her father was a trauma that she couldn’t shake off.

However, contrary to Mira’s expectations, Yunyoung had known all along. He had merely pretended not to know and acted as if he had no interest in her family history, so as not to hurt Mira.

He had learned the situation because of Yunyoung’s younger sister.

Surprisingly, Yunyoung’s younger sister was from the same middle school as Mira.

When Mira was in middle school, she was severely bullied. This was because the open secret about her father being a murderer had spread throughout the entire school like a rumor.

Naturally, even Yunyoung’s younger sister, who didn’t have much contact with Mira, heard the story.

The fact that a murderer’s daughter was attending their school was a good topic of conversation for teenagers.

Yunyoung’s younger sister, who had graduated middle school, had forgotten about Mira until she accidentally saw a photo of her brother’s girlfriend and recalled the past.

His sister, who didn’t want such a woman to potentially become her sister-in-law, confided everything to Yunyoung.

She had thought that revealing this shocking secret would cool her brother’s feelings for Mira.

It goes without saying that in the process, Yunyoung’s mother also learned about her son’s girlfriend’s secret. This was because Yunyoung’s younger sister had told her mother as well.

From Mira’s perspective, unaware of these circumstances, it would be nothing short of utter terror. She couldn’t even guess why Yunyoung’s mother knew that story, and she felt afraid and terrified.

Before coming to the funeral home, Mira had vowed not to be swayed by anything she heard.

She must have thought that as the murderer who killed Yunyoung, she wasn’t allowed to show such weakness, that it wouldn’t be forgiven, yet she was helplessly breaking down.

Mira’s face turned pale, and her eyes darted around. Her gaze trembled unsteadily.

Seeing Mira in distress, Yunyoung’s mother shot back.

“You’re just like your father. A father and daughter, both killing people, side by side.”

“Tha… that’s not… that’s not how it is…”

Mira, attempting to deny it, couldn’t even properly utter her words and gasped for breath. Her face turned stark white, and she was trembling severely. Mira instinctively stepped backward.

“You killed Yunyoung too, in the end! A murderer like you should never have been born. How did you seduce Yunyoung? Tell me, did you seduce him with your body?”

“I… I didn’t seduce him. I, I just liked him.”

Mira had unconsciously forgotten to use polite speech. She just mumbled in a small voice like a terrified child.

“If you didn’t seduce him, why would my son like a woman like you? Do you think there’d be any man who likes you, someone with nothing to offer?! I thought only a filthy murderer’s blood flowed in you, but now I see you were a harlot too.”

“No… That’s not true… Yunyoung and I loved each other. I’m not a harlot…”

Mira recalled memories from her school days when she was pointed at by friends and ridiculed as a murderer’s child.

Not only that. The terrifying memory of almost being gang-raped by male students after being called a harlot vividly came back to her.

A female student had called her to the restroom when she was left alone at school, and when she went, it was full of boys.

Fortunately, a teacher came running after hearing her scream, and it ended up as an attempt, but it was a terrifying incident she never wanted to recall again.

“My son died because of a woman like you! Disappear from my sight right now! I don’t want to see your face. If you don’t leave on your own, I’ll kick you out.”