episode_0131

Ding dong, ding dong.

Along with the sound of the wind chimes hanging on the front door, someone rushed into the living room.

“Chaewon! I left half of my ramen to come running… Eek!”

It was Yoon Jichang, facing his father’s stern gaze and his son’s startled, disobedient behavior.

“Oh… um… I’ll go into that room.”

Yoon Jichang tried to escape, but a stern voice called him back.

“Sit here.”

The atmosphere was heavy. Was this the gravity one feels when jumping from the moon back to Earth?

Of course, this story only applied to Yoon Jichang.

I felt relieved, thinking that Yoon Gwanchul was not much different from Yoon Jiyu. It made me feel at ease.

“So, will someone else come after this?”

Ding dong.

Instead of a xylophone sound, the sound of the wind chimes came from the door.

Everyone fell silent, waiting for the owner of the light footsteps to reveal themselves. And it was none other than…

“…Ugh.”

Yoon Jiyu grimaced and scowled at the three people gathered. But realizing it was in front of her father, she quickly changed her expression.

“Why… are we all gathered here?”

With just Yoon Gwanchul and Yoon Jichang present, it would have been suffocating, even for me. Truly a shocking experience.

If Yoon Jiyu overlapped the dawn with me, this situation might trigger serious PTSD for her.

But she didn’t run away. It was as if she found this opportunity surprisingly intriguing.

“You sit down too.”

Yoon Jiyu and Yoon Jichang sat side by side on the long sofa next to Yoon Gwanchul, creating an atmosphere that hinted at an impending conversation.

And…

…Surprisingly, no one said a word.

The eyes of the three families turned to me, with a pleading look. Should I take on the role of the facilitator after all?

“Should I continue with what I was saying?”

“Speak your mind.”

“Yes. Then, could you wait a little longer?”

I smiled at Yoon Jiyu. It was a brief apology for deceiving her. I would properly apologize later, but for now, I couldn’t reveal everything.

Just then, a clear sound echoed from the front door once again. The last guest, a step behind, had arrived.

Everyone looked surprised, staring at the corridor leading to the front door.

“Uh… uh…”

With a sudden movement, a pair of pink socks appeared on the living room floor.

Although it was barely audible, I heard the girl behind the wall muttering to herself in fear.

“I’m just… looking…”

As I was closest to the corridor, I heard her words. A moment later, with her pink hair flowing, Jin Saebyeok slowly pushed her face around the corner, startling herself.

“Eek!”

Startled, Jin Saebyeok stumbled and fell on her behind.

She seemed completely unaware that all four of them were staring at her.

I got up and approached her.

“Sorry for scaring you.”

“Oh. No… no… um… you didn’t… call just me today, right…?”

Yoon Jiyu’s eyes were red as she looked at Jin Saebyeok. She was trying hard not to cry.

“It was a lie. I had to share something, so I called everyone.”

“Uh… uh…”

She glanced at Yoon Gwanchul briefly before looking back down. Understanding her discomfort, I gently helped her up.

“I debated whether to speak up or not. Honestly, I didn’t think much about it.”

It was a lie. The truth was, there was an issue with Yoon Gwanchul’s one-sided communication style.

Thanks to him, this family had been disconnected for a long time.

The story went back and forth, but it wasn’t really a conversation when words and sentences just popped out of the mouth.

For it to be a conversation, there must be a mutual understanding between the parties involved. It was time to put an end to Yun Kwan-cheol’s one-sided commands and the resigned listening evaluations from the receiving end.

I had observed conversations in happy families for a long time.

And I had also felt the absence of such families for the same period.

It might be impossible to reconcile with each other. Surely, there would be families out there like that.

But Yun Kwan-cheol’s family still carried wounds that could be healed. Even though they might tear apart completely if left as they were, there was still a chance for recovery. If they were going to heal their wounds, now was the time.

I first asked Jin Sae-byeok.

“Sae-byeok, what do you think of your father?”

“…Me, me? Me? All of a sudden?”

I asked again to the flustered Jin Sae-byeok.

“Yes. I dislike him. I hate him. I don’t want to see him. I wish he would disappear forever in front of me. You know, those kinds of things.”

Yun Kwan-cheol’s gaze was piercing, but I held back and didn’t react.

Now was the time for Jin Sae-byeok to speak. I was just nudging her slightly to draw out her sincerity.

If someone were watching this situation, they might be puzzled. There was Yun Ji-yoo, who spoke well and was full of resentment towards her father. And there was Yun Ji-chang, who was easy to manipulate.

Why did I choose Jin Sae-byeok as the first batter?

“Oh, no…? Oh… My… My dad… He treated me badly. He threatened my mom. He threatened me too… Well, he did, but he wasn’t a monster! …Ah.”

I waited for her to say these words.

Despite her hesitance, she was one of the few who perfectly revealed her true feelings.

Isn’t that impressive? Where would you find someone who wouldn’t find it difficult to speak frankly in front of an adult, especially someone with considerable authority?

Even as she tried to recover, her words became more straightforward and direct.

But Yun Ji-yoo, who shot me a venomous look, and Yun Ji-chang, who blinked as if questioning if this was right, were also there.

As Jin Sae-byeok’s story continued, it seemed like there was a realization.

“Stay away… Have you experienced something similar?”

“That, that was because my mom fell ill and we had no choice but to… Oh, so, that’s it! I didn’t mean to say that my dad is a bad person who plays around with my mom’s medical bills…!”

The more she tried to recover, the more her words became blunt and straightforward.

But Yun Ji-yoo, who shot me a venomous look, and Yun Ji-chang, who blinked as if questioning if this was right, were also there.

As Jin Sae-byeok’s story continued, it seemed like there was a realization.

“My dad… So, he had his reasons for doing that. It’s true that he treated me badly, but I understand…! When I see my dad… I think of my mom. I can understand… His methods may be a bit rough and blunt, but…”

Dad, dad, dad.

Jin Sae-byeok still saw Yun Kwan-cheol as her father.

Even after enduring such harsh treatment and becoming a child without a father.

She didn’t resent him. She believed that it was her own fault for being inadequate and couldn’t forget the happy days spent as a family.

For Jin Sae-byeok, or rather Yun Sae-byeok, Yun Kwan-cheol was still her eternal father.

That was the truth.

I didn’t know what had suddenly changed Yun Kwan-cheol due to some unknown incident. They had been a happy family until then.

Yun Ji-yoo, Yun Ji-chang, Jin Sae-byeok. They all said the same thing. There had been happy times. They never expected it to turn out like this.

With all that they had been through, it wouldn’t be easy to forgive their father. And it wouldn’t be easy to go back to the happy past.

Yun Ji-yoo and Yun Ji-chang were protective of Jin Sae-byeok. If Jin Sae-byeok wished for it, wouldn’t they be willing to endure some sacrifices for her happiness?

Repairing a broken relationship. Connecting the shattered pieces. If there’s something you don’t like, you’ll definitely speak up rather than just holding it in like before. Starting with today’s dawn, pushing forward diligently.

Of course, it’s only possible when Yoon Gwan-cheol lets go of his obsession and seeks forgiveness.

Have the courage to apologize to the children. Let’s go back to the past and speak first.

Forgiveness is a privilege of the three children.

Seeking forgiveness is a privilege of Yoon Gwan-cheol, their father.

“Is this going too far….”

Was it too excessive? Did it really have to be done like this?

…I’ve had these thoughts quite often until I arrived here today.

Because they are not a family so distorted that they need to sever ties. They are a family that can live happier by caring for each other.

They are the only ones in this world who will never betray me.

Thanks to Professor Baek and his wife, there was no major inconvenience in living. But I hoped I wouldn’t become someone who couldn’t truly trust anyone other than myself.

“Saebyeok.”

“Yes. Yes!”

Yoon Gwan-cheol spoke softly.

“You, you were a musician who didn’t meet my standards. Your skills were pathetic. Watching that made me so frustrated I was going crazy.”

“I’m… I’m sorry….”

“So I kicked you out. Because I didn’t want to leave you as a flaw in this household. But still!!!”

Waiting until Saebyeok opened her eyes again, shocked by the booming voice and crouched down.

Yoon Gwan-cheol spoke in a gentle tone, something he hadn’t done in a long time.

“But still, do you still see me as your father…?”

Although his eyes still held a guarded look, Jin Saebyeok didn’t hide her emotions.

That’s who she was.

Saebyeok was fortunate to have her.

“My real dad, according to my mom, gave birth to me and ran away.”

Extending her trembling hand, she embraced the bowed Yoon Gwan-cheol in her arms.

“But my dad dressed me in nice clothes, fed me delicious food, showed me wonderful things, even paid for my sick mom’s medical bills.”

“To me, my dad is just my dad.”