episode_0073

Chapter 72: What are you?

It was a bit unexpected.

After first being possessed in this world,

I absorbed the memories of Han Se-in, who had lived in the original world.

But.

It wasn’t me, he genuinely liked Kang Shin-hye.

He was grateful.

Thanks to him, I could say I was a bit more comfortable.

I had been eyeing the opportunity for a while, and today was the day.

“No… I’m more grateful.”

“Yes…?”

A kind smile bloomed.

Eyes shimmering in the bright sunlight were filled with gratitude.

It was a flame igniting in a different sense.

When passion was infused into the dying gray eyes.

She gave a sincere smile.

“Thank you, really thank you…”

It was done.

I had awakened someone who still didn’t know their abilities, so the rest would be handled by her.

Kim Hyung-min was a good catalyst, but dangerous.

Unpredictable, and his nature was eccentric.

So.

Shouldn’t I target his mother first?

Without her, Kim Hyung-min was nothing.

The end of someone who had lived luxuriously was anticipated.

Meanwhile.

Kang Shin-hye’s body drew closer.

A gesture that seemed devoid of ulterior motives.

It was a light embrace.

-Pat, pat.

“Thank you. I know what to do now.”

“I’m more thankful… to you.”

It wasn’t a clingy embrace.

While engaging in a hug, there was enough distance for two hands to fit in between.

A light embrace indeed.

The pat on the back was wholesome.

The role ended here.

The goal seemed accomplished.

There was no longer a reason to devote to her.

After all, she wasn’t an important soul.

At that moment.

“Mother?”

“Oh, Hyun-ah.”

The warmth that was close faded away.

The obscured vision in the darkness brightened.

Kang Shin-hye’s voice continued.

“Oh, no need for introductions.”

“Yes?”

Kang Hyun-ah met eyes with her.

It seemed uncomfortable, confused, but it felt like a push to converse with her mother.

It was a sudden remark.

Was there something they were supposed to do together originally?

“Instead of looking around, I have something to do.”

“Is it a schedule?”

“Similar. Let’s see each other at home.”

“….”

Kang Shin-hye walked past Kang Hyun-ah.

With determination and passion in her eyes.

Her confident stride was reminiscent of when she first stepped into the political world.

“….”

“Hey.”

Kang Hyun-ah spoke sharply.

Or should I say, a voice mixed with anxiety?

Due to the confusing emotions, she unknowingly approached me.

She uttered an oppressive question.

“What are you?”

What should I answer?

What should I say to draw out the point?

In fact, I already knew, but I thought about it again.

I lightly closed my lips, then opened them.

***

It was confusing.

Her mother’s request for help.

In terms of importance, it wasn’t a big deal, but it was clearly a sensitive matter for Kang Hyun-ah.

The request was as follows.

After the speech, since her schedule was clear, she wanted to go sightseeing at school and have a meal together.

It was no different from a normal mother-daughter relationship.

Originally, it was said that mothers and daughters could communicate through their eyes and hearts without speaking.

It was a product of the Confucian era that had spread in a patriarchal society.

At least for the silent and awkward mother-daughter relationship, it was a comforting word.

However.

“Mother?”

What is that?

A familiar back view.

A familiar hairstyle.

The back view of a boy wearing the school uniform of Hwarang, looking like a freshman, was Han Se-in.

And.

Why was her mother hugging him?

It was confusing.

The firm heart sank deep.

And as it tightened, it became more suffocating.

Words came out.

It was nothing special.

Just a word to accept the request.

The appearance of the resolute woman was separate.

Alone, Han Se-in was puzzled.

Huh? She was flustered.

In a strange and mismatched situation.

Her mind was twisted.

Politics was an unavoidable matter.

And, just like Kang Hyeon-ah’s mother.

Strong women always knew how to find men.

Hero worship.

She was a mother who cherished her family.

Even if she couldn’t act affectionately, if asked if she fulfilled her role as a mother, she would answer that she did enough.

However.

There was no reason for such a mother not to reveal the man.

And if that presence was Han Se-in…

“What is it.”

She pushed strongly.

Kang Hyeon-ah’s body getting closer to Han Se-in.

At the end of the path where she involuntarily took a step back, there was a wall.

With Han Se-in cornered against the wall.

And Kang Hyeon-ah looking down at her as if growling.

In the quiet silence.

Han Se-in’s voice echoed.

“What is it.”

It was a bold gaze.

Not timid or shy.

It was not a gaze that was trying to read her.

The red eyes quietly looking up at Kang Hyeon-ah were calm.

The questioning was concise.

“….”

“Ask properly. If you suddenly ask ‘What is it,’ how should I answer.”

It was a confrontation.

But, although it felt a bit unfamiliar.

The atmosphere was welcoming, similar to when they first met.

“Why are my mom and… why are they together?”

“….”

“What do you mean?”

It was confusing.

The voice that kept coming out nervously was mixed with anger.

It was anger towards herself.

It was an incident without evidence.

An investigation close to delusion.

But really.

If her mother was close to Han Se-in…

Where, how did it go wrong.

And. What was at the center of it all, Han Se-in.

In a very short time, she formulated her deduction.

“Fan.”

“….?”

For a moment.

It was just one word that was enough to shatter her deduction.

Fan.

Not even a celebrity, a word that could be used for a politician.

As much as the deduction crumbled and fell, negative emotions rose.

“Fan, you say…”

“Since when…”

“5 years? Uh, it’s been about 5 years.”

Kang Hyeon-ah’s mouth was tightly shut.

Han Se-in’s words flowed out like a broken dam.

When asked what the child of a politician she liked was, a sincere fan could only be hurt.

“My dad died, and my mom ran away.”

The one that Kang Hyeon-ah loved.

She kept her pain to herself.

“There’s only me and my sister. What should I do? Thanks to Teacher Kang Shin-hye, the policy changed.”

“….”

“I wanted to join the club? But I didn’t have the money.”

Kang Hyeon-ah closed her eyes tightly.

Even without stating the reason, she knew the reason.

Because her mother, who was proud of the policy she unfolded last year, came to mind.

“It’s all thanks to Teacher Kang Shin-hye.”

“….”

Kang Hyeon-ah didn’t say anything.

Even though she wanted to say something, her lips trembled.

She didn’t know how to take care of a man with wounds.

She cornered him against the wall and threatened him with sharp words.

The space she created.

She confined him, and was cornered in the space where she looked down on him.

She couldn’t say anything.

Her body stiffened.

The moment she met his trembling eyes.

Like a frozen beast, she could only look at him.

Han Se-in’s eyes trembled slightly.

The mirror containing his soul reflected his emotions.

The power contained in it flowed out.

“Hit me, tormented me.”

“….”

“Every Friday, you had your way with my body.”

“….”

Tears.

A single tear streaming down Han Se-in’s cheek.

“Do I have to hate the politician I used to like…?”

“….”

Because it’s your mom?

A choked sob.

With that word, her tightly closed lips.

Han Se-in slightly bowed her body and escaped from her.

Awkward footsteps.

The creaking sound echoed from the stepped-on wooden plank.

One step.

Two steps.

As he took his steps forward.

“Ugh…”

“Ha, Han Sein…”

Kang Hyun-ah grabbed him.

The grip on his wrist was weak.

It was more like comforting a baby, just barely holding on.

“….”

Creak, creak.

As his body turned.

Every time he saw the tear-streaked face.

His heart ached as if swallowing a large thorn.

“That…uh…”

The relationship changed.

The perpetrator and the victim.

The popular kid and the outcast.

The choice was in Kang Hyun-ah’s hands.

He could force, manipulate, do whatever he wanted.

“Sorry.”

“I…can’t hear you.”

“Sorry, I said.”

The relationship changed.

Man and woman.

The one who likes and the one who receives the affection.

The choice was in Han Sein’s hands.

She could reject, distance herself.

She could distance herself from him as much as she wanted.

“….”

“….”

The relationship changed.

The psychology changed.

With a confident expression.

Kang Hyun-ah, who had been freely teasing Han Sein.

Started to read his emotions.

He spoke, and the choice was his.

Will he accept… forgiveness?

“Friday.”

“….”

“Let’s meet on Friday.”

The answer was tacit.

However, the meaning was deep.

Let’s meet on Friday.

At first glance, it may seem like forgiveness, but.

In other words, it meant this.

If not on Friday, I won’t see you.

It contained that fact, that emotion.

It was only natural.

Having lived as a sincere fan.

It felt like being treated like a criminal.

“…Okay.”

Han Sein left.

Although he was filled with the desire to hold her again.

He couldn’t.

His empty eyes gradually lowered to the ground.

His head felt heavy, causing him to bow down.

The creaking wooden plank was in sight.

Even if he wanted to change, it was an unchanging situation.

Someone has to step on it to make a sound.

Kang Hyun-ah sighed.

The wooden plank he saw in his eyes was like himself.