episode_0075

“Do I remember Cha Doyeon Oppa?”

Near the university district, a famous franchise coffee shop with the siren logo.

I left the lecture hall during lunchtime and met my mom, who said she was in the area for work.

For context, Mom had entered the job market late in life, so her occupation changed frequently.

It was strange what kind of work she was doing that brought her to the university area in the middle of the day, and even stranger that her first question was about Cha Doyeon.

It was odd in many ways, but Mom reiterated her question to confirm.

“Was it when you were… a middle schooler? He used to visit our house often. Don’t you remember?”

“Hmm…”

I drew out a humming sound.

Stirring the ice in the plastic cup of iced americano in front of me, I pretended to be thinking.

Even though I already knew everything.

“I know he’s a celebrity who often appears on the news these days.

I also remember Oppa bringing him to my room whenever he was bored when we were kids.”

A handsome son from a chaebol family, overflowing with money.

Perhaps, under normal circumstances, we would have had no connection whatsoever.

He was simply someone who went to the same school as my brother and got along well with him, so they hung out.

My first impression of Cha Doyeon was roughly that, but,

“But that’s about it.

He’s completely unrelated to me.”

To be frank, I don’t have any particularly good memories with Cha Doyeon.

Because he and that bastard older brother of mine would always tease me relentlessly.

Only memories filled with stress, where they would torment me and make me irritated, remained.

Bursting into my room and playing embarrassing pranks with my strewn underwear, or invading the house and coercing me into running errands.

At the time, I was an elementary school student, and they were brats who showed no mercy even when I cried.

It wasn’t that kind of love-hate relationship where we’d just bicker playfully on the surface; I genuinely hated those two bastards.

In short, they were as unlikable as my own bastard older brother.

“Why are you suddenly asking about that?”

Just thinking about it made me so angry that I frowned, and Mom awkwardly touched her cheek.

“Well, it’s just… I had occasion to meet with Cha Doyeon-ssi recently.”

“With that profligate Oppa?

…Mom, what kind of work are you doing these days anyway? He seems to be incredibly busy these days, how did you even meet him?”

Even if I personally found him unlikable, the sums of money mentioned in articles related to Cha Doyeon were enormous.

Amounts that would shatter the financial sense of ordinary people were exchanged, so what connection could Mom have with him?

At that, Mom hesitated for a moment.

With her strangely heavier makeup and brighter complexion these days, she took a sip from her coffee straw, then,

“You know that place I told you I got a job at,”

“Yeah.”

“That’s Cha Doyeon’s young mas— Cha Doyeon-ssi’s personal apartment. …Actually, I’ve been working as a housekeeper there for several months now.”

“What!?”

I unintentionally raised my voice, then realizing we were in a cafe full of people, I covered my mouth.

Conscious of the attention drawn to us, I lowered my voice slightly.

“Why are you working as a housekeeper at that Oppa’s house…?”

It was out of the blue.

Because I had thought Mom was working an office job at a small-to-medium-sized company all this time.

At my questioning, Mom sighed so deeply it seemed like the ground would collapse,

“I didn’t tell you because I was afraid you’d worry, but didn’t the jobs decrease significantly due to the recession?

After I was laid off from my company, I struggled for several months, and then Cha Doyeon-ssi offered me a job… Thanks to that, I was able to send you your tuition money urgently this time.”

“That Oppa… he helped? Mom?”

“It seems he gave me many conveniences due to our old connection.

Although it’s a housekeeper’s job, the work isn’t difficult, and the salary is incredibly high.”

“High? Just how much is it?”

At that, Mom hunched her shoulders tightly.

She glanced around, then awkwardly held up her hand, quickly spreading her fingers.

“Th-that much…?”

That amount was something one wouldn’t even earn in a professional job.

What kind of housekeeper gets paid that kind of money?

“Do you understand now?

Thanks to this, the allowance I give you kids has also increased…”

“I don’t understand. Why that kind of money…?”

“He used to come to our house often, remember?

It seems he paid me considering our family’s financial situation in many ways. You kids, you still have a long way to go until graduation.”

“That brat…”

That Mom was working as a housekeeper was surprising enough, but this was extremely unexpected.

To think that profligate Oppa would be taking care of our family’s circumstances from behind the scenes.

Indeed, I remember my own bastard older brother once reaching out for money too.

It must have been money given to help with tuition.

Of course, that idiot gambled it all away on sports betting.

Perhaps it’s because of that incident that he’s delivering it indirectly through Mom.

An unexpectedly thoughtful act.

I had thought he was a character who only lived for his own self-importance, but my stereotype of him was slightly shattered.

“Do you understand why I brought it up?”

“…So you’re saying I should thank him, since we’ve been secretly receiving his help?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

Then Mom reached out and took my hand.

She rubbed the back of my hand as if asking for a favor, even if it seemed sudden, and continued speaking.

“Cha Doyeon-ssi probably wants to clear up old misunderstandings too. So, as a favor to Mom, could you just meet him once?”

“……”

A slight dissatisfaction welled up within me at that.

Not because Mom was suddenly stepping in to bridge the gap, but because of Mom’s attitude.

‘Why does she use such formal language about him even when speaking to me?’

Mom, who was strangely subservient whenever Cha Doyeon’s name came up.

I remembered her using honorifics even when he used to visit our house before, but it felt like she was being even more cautious now that he was her employer.

She’s my mom, but she’s always had a somewhat obsequious side.

How should I put it… If I had to describe it, she was like a maid who couldn’t defy her superiors.

A maid serving a Young Master from a wealthy family, fawning just to gain his favor.

She’s my mom, so I don’t want to say bad things, but it was unpleasant how it seemed she was trying to please that profligate Oppa more than her own daughter right in front of her.

“Alright. I just have to meet him once, right?”

Nevertheless, I accepted the proposal.

Because if that Oppa was secretly paying for my university tuition, it was certainly right to be grateful.

I’m not so shameless as to ignore a ‘Daddy Long Legs’ who was helping me from behind the scenes.

“Really!?”

Mom’s face brightened instantly at my positive reply.

“Then he’s returning from his overseas business trip in two days, so let’s arrange for you to greet him then.

It’ll also be a chance to clear up the misunderstandings you both harbored— Ah, first, the address you need to come to is…”

As soon as she got my permission, Mom immediately pushed ahead with the plans.

It was as if she had already planned everything in advance, suggesting we have a meal together and help him unwind from his business trip.

‘Why is Mom so proactive about something like this…?’

Mom was suspiciously excited.

As if a true master she served was returning.

* * *

“Oh, it’s been a long time, Oppa.”

“Ah! You’re Sora, aren’t you?

Wow~ You’ve grown so much I almost didn’t recognize you. You’re completely taking after your mom.”

He returned after finishing his work, dressed in a suit.

Perhaps he had heard the news in advance, because when he returned to the house and saw the splendidly set dining table, he loosened his tie and took a seat.

‘Ah… this Oppa has gotten even taller. His body also seems to have become more toned, and his shoulders broader.’

How should I put it, the Cha Doyeon Oppa in my memories was a figure who seemed similar yet entirely different from before.

His face was still handsome, but his impression was different.

It was unlike his past self, who seemed somehow jaded and smiled annoyingly.

At that point, my situation became awkward.

Before meeting him, I had just felt like I was meeting an old acquaintance.

I had intended to confront him boldly, famous or not, chaebol or not, but when I actually faced him, I froze.

He was clearly someone who had grown up drinking only clean water from the upper echelons of society.

From the start, he was a distinguished guest raised in a different environment. If my birth was that of a chicken, his was that of a swan.

‘I was instantly intimidated….’

My thinking was shallow.

I felt foolish for being stuck in the past.

Watching Oppa, who had completely changed after going out into society, I awkwardly crumpled the hem of my skirt under the table.

Meanwhile,

“You must have had a long business trip, so please have a drink first.”

Mom was extremely skilled.

As if she had been waiting for this moment, she poured wine into his glass with a rather daring dress on.

Smiling naturally, or perhaps just a sweet smile, she tried to please him by his side.

“It seemed the Young Master wanted to see Sora after a long time, so I called her. Was it not an unnecessary thing to do?”

“Of course not.

I’ve been badgering to see how she’s grown up.”

“That’s a relief, Young Master.”

‘She’s calling him… Young Master?’

Even if she used to call him anything, it would have been ‘Sajangnim’ (Boss).

The title ‘Young Master’ made her sound truly like a maid, but ever since Doyeon Oppa arrived, Mom didn’t pay any attention to me at all.

“Hehehe, the Philippines is truly a dangerous place.”

“Exactly. There were so many soldiers carrying guns, you know.”

With her heavy makeup, as if fawning, she listened closely and matched his words, practically sticking to Oppa.

Cha Doyeon, too, seemed accustomed to it, and they exchanged stories about what had happened until then, amicably.

They went back and forth between informal and formal speech, making it confusing how close Mom had become to him.

‘Is this what adults call entertainment/hospitality?’

It didn’t seem like he had hired Mom purely as a housekeeper.

Or maybe Mom was… doing her best to conform so she wouldn’t be dismissed.

It was a bit jarring.

I was secretly disappointed in Mom, who was humbly bowing down to the son of a chaebol family right in front of her daughter, but,

‘Still… I was just a child.’

But then I was disappointed in myself for having such thoughts.

I was ashamed of myself for having such an impertinent thought.

Surely, the large sum Mom was receiving wouldn’t just come for free.

After Dad passed away, Mom had endured all sorts of insults in society and still bravely raised us.

Could I, who had grown up sucking my thumb and complaining about side dishes behind her fragile back, really criticize Mom who had changed like this?

So I kept my mouth shut.

Even as I kept my mouth shut, I diligently answered only the questions Doyeon Oppa asked.

“Ah! You said you were upset with me before, didn’t you?

My apologies. It seems I was out of my mind back then. Acting like a little brat.”

“Hahaha.

It’s, it’s really fine, Oppa. I’ve forgotten everything; I don’t even remember it.”

A nasal tone emerged from me instinctively, without my knowing.

Unnecessary laughter to please him, and exaggerated gestures.

In the cafe, I had criticized Mom, but experiencing it firsthand, it was an environment where one had no choice but to act that way.

Unlike before, pushed by the aura of a respectable owner running a major corporation, I found myself instinctively shrinking into myself.

‘By the way, this house is truly fantastic.’

At the same time, my gaze subtly wandered around the house.

Looking around the house, which was neatly arranged with the sparkling night view outside the window, I felt admiration, yet also a bitter taste when comparing it to our own home.

‘What would it feel like to live in a house like this?’

Money truly was good.

I had thought it would just be an uncomfortable gathering, unsure why he wanted to see me, but I quickly got used to the drinking session.

‘The wine is delicious…’

Moreover, even the wine, which I was tasting for the first time, suited my palate.

Intoxicated by its rich aroma, after swallowing food and then letting the wine linger, my eyes unfocused, then blinked shut, and I grew drowsy, and then…

*Thud.*

……… …… … … …… ………

“U-uuh…?”

“Ah, it seems Sora has finally woken up♥”

As I groggily opened my eyes, my body felt strange.

My last memory was clearly the dining table, but now I was lying on a large bed, as if I had collapsed and been moved—

“O-Oppa!?!”

I tried to analyze the situation, but the one who instantly sobered me up was Oppa.

Oppa was naked.

Naked… and a man’s genitals I had never seen in my life.

*Gulp…!*

A thing I didn’t know whether to call it a club or what.

Seeing it, I was startled and struggled, trying to pull away, but it was impossible.

Now I saw that someone was holding me from behind.

“Mo…om?”

I tilted my chin up.

And there was Mom, wearing erotic, negligee-like underwear.

*Grin*♥

Mom, smelling of the same wine as I did.

Smiling softly, she uttered words that made me wonder if I was dreaming.

“Please enjoy the daughter I gave birth to, Young Master♥”