# Chapter 58
“But now I don’t even want to ask you to come back to us. You look so cool here. It feels like you’ve finally found where you belong. And you’ll keep climbing higher, right?”
“That’s uncertain. I might get caught up in a sibling dispute, be defeated, and come begging you to take me in.”
“Then come to us anytime. You’re always welcome.”
I showed him around the office and then went outside with him.
As expected, people who had seen Han Sijin coming in with me seemed busy talking about it, and when I left with him, screams erupted from everywhere.
Han Sijin skillfully greeted people and waved his hand.
“Department Head, I knew you were friendly with all the Crop Five members, but I didn’t realize you were close enough to meet Han Sijin, who briefly returned to Korea, at the company. If it’s alright, would you consider doing the interview with the PR department today that you agreed to…”
The PR team leader appeared out of nowhere and spoke, but I waved him off, saying we had a hospital appointment and needed to go.
It seemed obvious they wanted to write an article featuring Han Sijin, but I didn’t want to make things difficult for the kid who had come to rest and receive treatment.
Han Sijin eagerly signaled that it was fine, but I ignored his signals.
* * *
After prioritizing and completing tasks that absolutely had to be finished today, I left early to take Han Sijin out for a nice lunch.
Now, no matter where we went, his presence couldn’t be hidden.
Even with a hat and sunglasses, his unique physique immediately drew people’s attention.
Moreover, it was even more difficult to hide when he was with me.
We got caught in crowds several times on our way to eat, and when we finally arrived at the restaurant, our presence made it difficult for them to operate.
In the end, we left without eating because I felt sorry, and then unexpectedly, my mother called.
She seemed to have found out I was with Han Sijin because people had uploaded photos online.
—It seems like you can’t even eat properly. Come home. Mom has prepared lunch.
I looked at Han Sijin.
If it were Han Sijin’s mother inviting me, I would probably feel very uncomfortable.
So I declined, saying it didn’t seem possible, and hung up, which made him curious.
“What’s not possible? Wasn’t that your mother?”
“Yes, it was. She asked us to come over for a meal.”
“Then why not? I’d like that.”
“You would? Wouldn’t it be uncomfortable? My mom has incredible intuition. She might think something is strange just by seeing us together. She notices even the tiniest details.”
“Isn’t that better? We can’t keep hiding forever anyway. It’s not like we’re meeting out of mere curiosity.”
“Huh?”
So that’s what Han Sijin thought.
I felt grateful for no reason.
I knew Han Sijin hadn’t approached me lightly, but I didn’t realize he thought this deeply about it.
We hadn’t had the opportunity to talk about it.
No. Maybe I was worried about such opportunities arising and deliberately avoided talking about it.
“Then… do you want to go?”
“Yes. Please call her back. If she asks what I like, tell her I want doenjang jjigae with lots of kimchi and tofu in it.”
“Alright.”
When I called her back and relayed what Han Sijin had said, my mother barely contained her joy, telling us to just come quickly.
It seemed like it had been a long time since my mother was this happy, which made me feel grateful to Han Sijin once again.
Come to think of it, it must have been an especially difficult time for my mother.
I could forget by dealing with other issues that kept arising and meeting people, but my mother had to endure and bear that time alone.
Many people who had been helping my grandfather at his house for a long time had moved to our house to help my mother.
But it seemed not enough time had passed for them to become close friends yet.
“What does your mother like? This is my first time meeting her, so I can’t go empty-handed.”
“My mom? She likes expensive things.”
Han Sijin laughed at my words.
“What should we buy? It would be strange to bring something like a bag for our first visit.”
“I think it’s fine to go as we are?”
“Then how about buying some beef and a fruit basket?”
We decided to do that, but that process wasn’t easy either.
Shopping with Han Sijin was truly a high-difficulty task.
In the end, we gave up and headed home.
At least we could say we had tried hard enough.
When we arrived, my mother came out with a bright face, and Han Sijin was surprised to see her.
“Wow… Ma’am. I’ve been scolded a lot by hyung because I really can’t tell white lies, but you are truly beautiful. I think it’s the first time I’ve met someone as beautiful as you. I was wondering who hyung takes after, but if you’re his mother, he must be a failed version.”
My mother burst into laughter at Han Sijin’s words.
“Sijin-ssi even knows how to say such things. Our Seomin was so worried about you, but now he doesn’t need to worry. You’ll do well in society even if you’re sent out on your own.”
“No, Ma’am. This really isn’t me trying to be socially adept. Waaah. My mother is extremely pretty too. When she came to school, everyone would go crazy, saying a celebrity had come. But if my mother were with you, she would learn the virtue of humility. She needs that a bit.”
“My goodness! You really know how to make someone feel good! Why are you only bringing Sijin-ssi now?”
“Right, Ma’am? I’ll come visit often from now on. I went to hyung’s office today, and he seemed very busy. He’s playing with me today because I just arrived in Korea, but in a few days, I don’t think he’ll have time for me. Can I come over when I’m bored?”
“Of course. I would be grateful.”
“That’s great, Ma’am.”
I was dumbfounded, not having expected my mother and Han Sijin to get along so well.
It wasn’t just my mother who liked Han Sijin.
The people helping my mother also smiled brightly whenever they caught Han Sijin’s eye, saying they were fans.
And each time, Han Sijin took pictures with them, gave autographs, and had a good time.
Although I don’t usually eat doenjang jjigae, that day I enjoyed it specially thanks to Han Sijin.
“Aaah. This is what I’ve been craving so much. I could find something similar to other foods if I went far enough, but I couldn’t find doenjang jjigae anywhere. Before coming back, I had decided, ‘When I go to Korea, I’ll eat doenjang jjigae!’ But I had forgotten about it after arriving, and finally today, I’m eating it. It’s much more delicious than I thought. I really love this spicy doenjang jjigae.”
I ate my meal, wondering if Han Sijin had always been this talkative.
My mother sat across from us and kept watching us eat.
Even though Han Sijin asked her several times to join us, she said she would eat later and just watched us eat.
The smile never left my mother’s face, and she seemed genuinely happy.
“You know our Seomin cares about you a lot, right? Seomin was very lonely since childhood. I wasn’t good at making friends, and I was so obsessed with our Seomin, worrying too much, not letting him meet other people, keeping him in my arms. That’s why Seomin still doesn’t have many friends.”
“Yes, I thought so, which is why I try to keep him company well, Ma’am.”
Han Sijin said it playfully, but my mother didn’t seem to be joking.
“Please, take care of our Seomin for a long time so he won’t be lonely.”
I felt a pang of discomfort, wondering if my mother knew something about our relationship, but Han Sijin continued to smile openly and said there was no need to worry.
“Later, when we can no longer sing or dance, we’ve decided to open a big café or something and run it with Seomin hyung. All our members have made this decision. So you don’t need to worry about that, Ma’am.”
“That’s a relief. Thank you so much.”
My mother spoke as if she was truly relieved, and I looked at Han Sijin.
“You guys decided that without asking me?”
“Yes. Why would we need your permission, hyung? We’re planning to set conditions you can’t refuse anyway, so I’m not worried. We’ll pay you much more than your salary at Seyoung Media, and we’ll do all the work. You just need to be there with us.”
“If you pay such a high salary, what will be left?”
“It’s not about making money, so it’s fine. If you’re worried, we can do something other than a café.”
The idea of just being together, regardless of what we did, finally brought a smile to my face.
“The other guys said this too? They’ll have to get their wives’ permission after they get married. They might say this now, but their thoughts could change after marriage, right?”
“Then we’ll just tell those people to step aside. Ma’am, you should join us too at that time.”
At Han Sijin’s words, my mother burst into laughter and waved her hands.
“Oh my, that’s fine. But just hearing about it makes me happy. To receive such an offer from Crop Five! I should go around bragging about this.”
“Ma’am, can I have one more bowl of doenjang jjigae and rice? I want to eat it while the manager hyung isn’t around.”
“Sure, sure.”
My mother scooped out heaping portions of doenjang jjigae and rice, and I found myself extending my rice bowl too.
“Just two-thirds for me.”
“You should eat more too.”
I had wondered if it would be uncomfortable for him with her staring like that during the meal, but he ate really well without minding, and my mother seemed to be healing.
