# Chapter 52
Mom didn’t forget to bring it; she deliberately didn’t take it.
I casually put down my smartphone and left as if I had forgotten it too.
“Should we go shopping while we’re out?”
“Sure.”
Looking at Mom who seemed determined to dispel all my worries, I felt relieved.
At least I wasn’t alone.
We went shopping first, changed into the clothes we bought, and then went to a quiet restaurant.
It was an ordinary restaurant we hadn’t visited since Uncle started coming to see us.
Since our conversation would likely be long, we chose a place that served course meals. While waiting for the food, I talked with Mom.
It was natural for her to be shocked by what I told her, but she seemed to be forcing herself to stay calm, thinking that if she showed anxiety, I would become more unsettled.
Come to think of it, Mom had been like this for a long time.
There were occasional failures and times when she was caught in tremendous anxiety, but she had always tried hard not to show that to me.
The images of her failures had left such a strong impression that it felt like she had failed often, but now that I had become an adult, I realized that even adults inevitably fail countless times.
“To think that he would say such things…”
Mom said Grandfather must have been very surprised.
Then she looked at me and said:
“Call him Grandfather, Seomin. He is your grandfather. And after hearing your story, it seems we’ve been too hasty in believing only one side.”
“I think so too.”
We carefully went through everything that had happened from the beginning and slowly examined the true meaning behind those words.
“That makes sense. I didn’t think about it then, but now I understand. There were many things that seemed strange in what your uncle said. Still, my desire to believe him was so strong that I feel like I’ve been deceived all this time.”
I thought I knew which parts made Mom think that way.
She understood and grasped the situation much more systematically and analytically than I had thought.
She was focusing even more because she knew this was important to me.
After considering how much I should open up to Mom and receive her help, I ended up telling her only about Grandfather’s story without mentioning what happened with Cha Yeonwoo.
I told her money would be delivered through a package, and we would move with that money.
I explained that the house we were currently living in was also filled with people sent by Uncle, and there was no law saying cameras couldn’t be installed there.
Mom nodded and looked at me affectionately.
“Our Seomin has really grown up.”
Then she smiled contentedly.
“It’s all vague now, but before long, we’ll be able to confirm everything. Whether what we’re thinking is paranoia or justified suspicion.”
“Yes, Mom.”
I answered like that, but I didn’t fully understand what she meant by those words.
“The food is delicious. I think we can stay longer and savor it. You eat slowly too.”
“Okay.”
“I said eat slowly, Seomin.”
I thought “eat slowly” simply meant to chew thoroughly, but it seemed that wasn’t it, so from then on, I really chewed slowly.
Because of that, our mealtime became very long, and after the meal, we walked around the area.
Afterward, we went into a café with a nice atmosphere and spent time there.
It was a 24-hour café, and the time had already passed 2 AM.
I wondered how long it had been since I spent such time with Mom, or if I had ever spent time like this with her before. Our conversation wasn’t boring at all.
Mom told me about Dad.
“Your father was similar to you. You really take after your father a lot. The unusually fair skin, the thin frame, the fine features. As you grew up, it became more and more painful because your father’s appearance seemed increasingly prominent in you. It felt like I couldn’t survive without forgetting, but it was as if your father was coming back to life through you. That’s why it was so difficult. I’m always sorry for showing you those moments when I was exhausted and broken.”
“Mom, you shouldn’t say that. If not for you, who would have protected me like you have?”
“…”
“Tell me more about Dad, Mom.”
A smile appeared on Mom’s face.
Then she told me the story from when she first met Dad.
“Not knowing what kind of person he was, I complained so much. I don’t know why he was so good to me. I had nothing to boast about except my pretty face.”
I burst out laughing at that confident statement.
“No, Mom. You have a good personality too.”
“I’m only good to you. I wasn’t like that with your father. I really tormented him a lot.”
Somehow, I could easily imagine that too.
“Your father was truly a gentle person, but I didn’t like that. I often scolded him, saying how could someone like him survive in this harsh world. He said I didn’t need to worry because he was only like that with me. Your father couldn’t keep that promise.”
A small sigh escaped Mom’s lips.
“But when I think about it, the person who has been most cruel to me is your father, and the person I resent the most is also your father. No one else has made me suffer this much. But if you ask if I regret meeting your father, that’s not the case. How wonderful it was. Every moment with your father. The waiting times were good, and whenever we made a promise to meet, I enjoyed every moment until he appeared.”
I held Mom’s hand.
“Mom, thank you. Thank you for meeting such a wonderful person and giving birth to me. And for becoming my world.”
A touched expression appeared on Mom’s face.
It was when we were spending time like that in the café that Noona appeared with a flushed face.
“…Noona.”
“Seo, Seomin… you, you… why. Are you here? I, I was surprised because your phone wasn’t working. This is strange. Meeting everyone here. I was just passing by, and we meet here?”
A stupid comment that she would never normally make suddenly burst out.
Mom had told me to eat slowly, so our mealtime really took a long time.
And since we didn’t return home afterward, if there was someone monitoring us at home, they would have been flustered by the situation.
It would have been especially so because neither of us brought our smartphones.
And we occasionally used our cards here and there, deliberately leaving breadcrumbs for them, so they must have come here based on that.
To think they had the authority to access our card usage information.
She seemed to have more power than I had imagined.
It seemed pretty clear now that Kang Jiyoung could access my information.
I looked at her with an innocent face.
“What brings you here, Noona? This is really strange. We’re on the second floor, so you couldn’t have seen us from outside. I just wanted to talk with Mom for a while. Today is Mom and Dad’s anniversary. They couldn’t have a wedding ceremony, but Mom said they had a small commitment ceremony, so I really wanted to celebrate it together this time.”
“I, I see.”
She spoke to me and then looked at Mom, congratulating her on the commitment ceremony.
“If I had known it was a commitment ceremony, I would have prepared something for you, Aunt.”
“You don’t need to prepare anything for my commitment ceremony anniversary, Jiyoung. This is my commitment ceremony, my commitment ceremony anniversary.”
That statement seemed simple but carried a complex meaning.
I wasn’t the only one who felt it was a polite yet stern warning not to interfere in my business.
Noona’s pupils trembled slightly.
“Seomin, why did you leave your phone behind? What if something urgent comes up? You have so many responsibilities right now. Do you know how complicated things get when you’re unreachable at times like these?”
“Noona, is that how you found me? Not bringing my phone was something I didn’t realize myself, but it’s kind of scary that you found me because I didn’t bring my phone. Wow. As expected of you, Noona. I was wondering if there was anything you couldn’t do, but you even found me when I vanished without a trace.”
I spoke as if I found the situation, that coincidence, simply amazing.
But Kang Jiyoung must have known how many gaps her fabricated lie had.
Her face gradually turned red.
“But why were you working so late? And wasn’t this on your way home? Did you have somewhere else to stop by at this hour?”
I said this because this place was in a completely different direction from her home, but Kang Jiyoung couldn’t hide her flustered appearance. She hesitated for a moment, then looked at Mom and greeted her.
“I’m sorry for the sudden interruption. I was thinking of having a cup of tea, and the café’s atmosphere looked nice, so I was looking around when I saw Seomin and came over without thinking. Congratulations on your anniversary once again. I’ll see you next time, Aunt. Seomin, you probably have to go to work tomorrow, so go home early.”
She then walked out confidently, as if she had regained her usual composure.
She seemed to think that her hastily made-up explanation had somehow found its logic.
How self-centered.
