It was a question she truly didn’t want to ask. If she heard an answer saying it was still the case, Jungok would surely collapse in an even worse state than her sister-in-law. She forcibly swallowed the tears that were rising again.
“I’m… not sure.”
It was neither the answer she had hoped for, nor the answer she had feared. It was an ambiguous response.
Jungok forcibly held up her body that seemed ready to crumble at any moment.
“I… see?”
Just then, Kyungwoo stood up from his seat. Her son slowly approached and stood before Jungok.
Long, straight hands reached out, touched Jungok’s shoulder, then flowed down to her back. Jungok froze stiff.
The rigid tall figure slowly tilted. A light embrace followed briefly. Soon Kyungwoo, who had separated his body, awkwardly took a step back.
“The food… thank you.”
“Kyung… woo-ya?”
“Please make it often from now on. I like galbijjim.”
“Uh… yes, that’s right. Kyungwoo-ya. Galbijjim… yes, that’s right… Mom will make it… for you… anytime…”
Jungok, who had been continuing her words in bewilderment, eventually couldn’t hold back and bit her lips tightly, swallowing her tears. She shook her shoulders while forcibly suppressing the hot surge of emotion.
“Don’t cry.”
“I’m sorry… Mom is… to blame…”
Her son, who had been distant, approached again. Then he embraced Jungok, who had been leaning forward more and more.
The moment she leaned her face against his solid chest, Jungok burst into sobs.
“Kyungwoo-ya… *sob*… Mom… is sorry… For not being able… to protect you… Mom is really… sorry…”
“Don’t cry. It’s okay now.”
Her son, who had already become a complete adult, told lies as if protecting Jungok. In the arms of her son who was comforting his hateful mother when nothing was okay yet, Jungok cried and cried again.
*
“So what are you doing right now?”
—We came to buy galbijjim ingredients together.
“Pfft.”
He burst out laughing without realizing it. Then the eyes of the working staff members were drawn to Jaeha. Noticing their glances, Jaeha stood up from his seat. The case processing was urgent right now, but still, it seemed better to take the call outside.
—Don’t laugh. I’m serious.
“What’s there to be serious about? Just buy the meat together and make galbijjim.”
—Is this really the time for that? It’s an urgent situation where every moment counts in containing the aftermath of the case.
“Then on a day like today, you shouldn’t have bothered to visit your mother and talk about reconciling.”
—So you’re saying it’s my fault in the end.
“Of course. And if you’re that uncomfortable, you can just say the company is urgent right now so let’s talk more later.”
—How can I do that when she’s crying with joy?
“That’s why you made your mom cry, you unfilial son.”
—Is that my fault too?
“You know it now, that’s enough.”
Jaeha, who had gotten a free vending machine coffee, took a sip while blowing on the hot coffee.
“Since you went shopping anyway, please get the highest quality Korean beef. My body’s been weak lately.”
—I didn’t say I’d give you any.
“That’s too much. I want to eat galbijjim too.”
—You’re a filial son, so ask your mother to make it.
“Hey, my family is poor.”
—Then go get some state welfare benefits or something. I’m hanging up.
Click.
“How petty.”
Jaeha looked at his phone and smirked. Then he went back to the office.
Jungok, who had been picking out potatoes and carrots over there, gestured to Kyungwoo. As he pushed the cart close, Jungok, who had just put in the vegetables she’d picked, asked.
“Who was it? A friend?”
“Yes.”
“Is it someone I know by any chance?”
“No.”
Jungok seemed curious about who it was, but Kyungwoo didn’t say anything more.
The high-end department store food section was still sparse. The staff, mostly elegant middle-aged women, smiled and nodded in greeting whenever they passed by.
Click-clack, click-clack.
Jungok headed straight to the meat corner. A staff member wearing a red bandana slightly bowed to Jungok.
“Hello, customer. Is there anything you need?”
“Do you have good meat? For galbijjim.”
“We have the highest quality that came in today.”
The staff member pointed to pre-packaged meat. In front of that staff member, Jungok conspicuously linked arms with Kyungwoo.
“Son, would this be good?”
“Oh my. Your son is so tall and handsome. He looks like a model or an actor.”
“He’s an executive director at a company. He’s too shy to be an actor.”
“An executive director. He looks young but must be very capable.”
Normally, whether it was meat or vegetables, unless it was a special occasion, she would order from the highest-quality shops that only served certain classes, but Kyungwoo now understood why she had bothered to come to the department store today. Jungok held Kyungwoo’s arm tightly as if she might lose her son and smiled proudly at the staff member.
The staff member smiled and asked Jungok, “Will two packs be enough?” Two packs were already plenty. However, Kyungwoo passed one more chunk of meat to the male staff member who was preparing to trim it.
“Please give us one more.”
When Kyungwoo interjected, Jungok asked in a high voice, “Did you want to eat it that much?”
“No, it’s not for me, um.”
“Could it be for your friend?”
Jungok asked perceptively.
“Yes. I’m sorry. You don’t have to if it’s burdensome.”
“No, it’s fine. Since we’re making it anyway, what’s a little more? Give us three.”
After cutting three packs and putting them in the cart, Jungok exchanged eye greetings with the staff member, then stuck close to Kyungwoo.
After finishing the payment, Kyungwoo loaded the vegetables and meat into the car he had driven himself and sat in the driver’s seat. As the car drove through downtown toward the main house, Jungok, already seated in the passenger seat, couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked.
“Are you close with that friend?”
“Yes.”
“I see. What does that friend do?”
“He’s a civil servant.”
It was an unexpected answer, so Jungok was at a loss for words. She couldn’t get a sense of how he had met a civil servant.
“It’s not a woman, is it?”
“It’s a man.”
She was inwardly disappointed. It would be better if it were a woman. No, if it were a woman, she might have other concerns in her own way. For Kyungwoo, who disliked men, to make a male friend was a tremendous change. It wasn’t disappointment but something to be grateful for.
“Does that friend like galbijjim too?”
“Yes. He enjoyed what you made, Mother.”
Jungok suddenly remembered something.
“Is that friend the one who told you to pass on his thanks?”
“Yes.”
A smile slowly formed on her lips coated with rouge.
“He seems like a well-mannered friend.”
“He’s the type who values manners a lot.”
Jungok looked out the window and murmured lowly, “I’m grateful.”
“Come play together sometime. I’ll make lots of delicious food.”
“Yes.”
She was happy to receive such a compliant answer.
She had heard stories among wives with sons about friends from ordinary families storming into the house and emptying the refrigerator. Jungok looked forward to soon seeing that sight of them eating endlessly like cows with black hole stomachs.
After arriving home, Kyungwoo, who had carried the groceries to the kitchen, left the house again. Jungok followed him out to the entrance with regret.
“You said you’d come for dinner, right? That’s what Kyungrok said.”
“I’m afraid it will be difficult. I should have been at the company.”
“I see.”
Jungok smiled slightly, hiding her disappointment. Work must have piled up from moving around with Jungok during the day. Kyungwoo’s cell phone had been ringing non-stop since earlier.
“I’ll make galbijjim and send it. Is it okay to call Secretary Choi?”
“Yes. Please do so.”
“Don’t work too long.”
“I understand.”
Her first time seeing him off was so regretful. Jungok came out to the gate following her son. Only after watching for a long time as Kyungwoo’s car, which got into the driver’s seat without looking back, immediately left the alley, did Jungok return to the house.
“Madam? Should I make the galbijjim right away?”
“Yes, ajumma. Make everything we have.”
“Yes.”
Jungok immediately followed the housekeeper into the kitchen.
In the middle of an ongoing marathon strategy meeting, Kyungwoo received a call from Dohyun.
—I received two containers of galbijjim and abalone porridge from the madam. Should I leave them with the secretarial office? Or should I store everything at your residence?
He had been hungry anyway.
“Bring the porridge here, and the galbijjim to home… no, one container to home, and deliver the other container to Seo Jaeha.”
—Right now?
“Yes. Deliver it and tell him to wash the dishes and bring them back himself.”
—Understood.
The meeting continued afterward. It seemed they would have to pull an all-nighter. After giving the staff his card to order late-night snacks, Kyungwoo returned to his own office. A bowl of porridge was placed on the sofa table.
“Should I heat it up for you?”
He told the secretary it was fine and instructed the secretary to go home. He was just about to take a spoonful of the cold porridge by himself. That’s when his cell phone rang.
It was Choi Dohyun. It was exactly around the time she would have arrived at Jaeha’s.
“Yes.”
—Executive Director, there’s big trouble.
“Why?”
—Right now, the Chairman’s secretarial office is waiting for Prosecutor Seo.
“What?”
—There’s a vehicle presumed to be from the Chairman’s secretarial office in front of Prosecutor Seo’s house.
“Stop them immediately.”
—Yes.
Kyungwoo jumped up from his seat right then and there. Because of that, the spoon bounced and fell to the floor. Porridge splattered, but this wasn’t the time to worry about such things.
Ring ring ring. Ring ring ring.
He called Jaeha, but he didn’t answer.
“Why isn’t he answering?”
Kyungwoo, who came down angrily, was just leaving the lobby when he ran into staff members coming in with late-night snacks.
“Executive Director?”
“I have urgent business and will be going out for a moment. Hold the meeting and leave the report on my desk.”
“Ah, yes.”
Leaving the staff behind, Kyungwoo got into his own car parked right in front of the lobby. And as soon as he started the engine, he plunged into the downtown area at high speed.
