Chapter 63
by Gideon“Dong-yeong has a friendly, easygoing personality, but he’s obsessed with flashy accessories.”
The watch he’d taken this time was absolutely encrusted with diamonds.
“So that’s why he took a liking to Bora? Our Bora’s always sparkling, too.”
“Is that so? I thought Ko Hyewan sparkled the most.”
Flattery.
“You’re the one who tore apart a couple that was getting along just fine.”
Yundo slumped his shoulders at her scolding.
“I know. That’s why I have so many people to apologize to.”
“What can you do? You still have to do it.”
Only after finishing a whole container of chicken feet did her tongue finally start to sting. Hyewan took a sip of her peach-flavored drink.
“I need to give Bora a reward too, but I don’t know what would be good. I have to figure out what she doesn’t have.”
“Use this.”
Yundo pulled a key fob from his jacket pocket. Hyewan, who had been fanning her mouth with her hand to soothe the stinging, stared at the keys, her eyes widening.
“Is this… for a car?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re giving her a car?”
“You said she paid your electricity bill and stayed with you every night. Is a car too much to ask for someone who did all that for you?”
“Cha Yundo, you’re really…”
Her heart pounded as if she were the one receiving the unexpected gift.
“What? Throwing your money around?”
“No. You know me too well. Thank you for taking care of Bora.”
Yundo smiled at the rare praise. Hyewan shot him a playful, haughty glare.
“Except for one thing.”
The wide smile faded from his face, and his shoulders slumped. He looked like a scolded shepherd. It was a pitiful sight, but she decided to stay in “whip mode” for a while longer.
Yundo only left the hospital room after Hyewan had fallen asleep. But as he stepped out, he ran straight into Min-suk in front of the elevator. Startled, he couldn’t even manage a proper greeting. He knew he should have visited her formally to apologize, but he had been putting it off, too ashamed to even face her.
Min-suk spoke first.
“Did you come to see Hyewan?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Yundo had no excuses to offer.
“Some people might say I’m being too harsh,” she said, “but I don’t care. I can’t forgive you or your family. Whenever I think about what my daughter went through, I wake up in a cold sweat.”
“I know you can’t forgive me, Mother. I have no right to even ask for it.”
“Then why do you keep coming back? What’s the point now that you’re divorced?”
“…”
Min-suk sighed as she stared at Yundo, who remained silent.
Is this really all Yundo’s fault?
She knew he was only here because Hyewan had given her permission. The real solution was to keep Hyewan in check, but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything harsh to her own daughter. Instead, she had taken her frustration out on Yundo.
How is that any better than what that old man did?
“Fine, I understand,” she said. “I know you kept this a secret because you cared about Hyewan. I know you were just trying to protect her. But some things can’t be fixed with understanding alone.”
“Yes, Mother. I know.”
“I know you’re not a bad person,” Min-suk said, her voice trembling. “But I can’t bear to see you. Every time I do, it hurts too much.”
“Yes…” Yundo lowered his head. If only I could argue, if only I could defend myself, maybe she’d feel better. But he couldn’t bring himself to say a word.
“If I refuse to see you, Hyewan will eventually stop seeing you too.”
Everyone knew that was true.
“Just… meet her somewhere I won’t see you. Keep it from me.”
“What? But Mother…”
“In the meantime, I’ll try to be more understanding. But I can’t go back to how things were when we first met. Don’t expect that.”
“Mother…”
Yundo’s throat tightened. It felt as if someone were squeezing his heart.
“Go now.”
Min-suk turned and walked away first. But Yundo couldn’t bring himself to leave, even after a long time had passed. He was rooted to the spot, overwhelmed by a mixture of gratitude and guilt toward Min-suk, who had never once truly blamed him for anything.
Unaware of the meeting between Yundo and Min-suk, Hyewan greeted Bora with a beaming smile when she arrived the next day.
“You’re here!”
“Sorry I couldn’t make it yesterday.”
“What are you apologizing for? Bora, even a boyfriend wouldn’t visit this often.”
“You’re more important than any boyfriend,” Bora declared, her tone firm.
Hyewan was deeply touched. “I’ll be loyal to you for the rest of my life.”
“Of course you will. Ugh… seriously, this Civil Law! Do you have a bomb? Let me use it.”
“If I did, I would’ve thrown it myself.”
“True. Ugh! This damn Civil Law is suffocating me! Can you hear my sanity grinding away? I think I’m getting tinnitus.”
Bora was half-mad from overstudying.
“How are you going to manage if you’re this stressed?” Hyewan asked sympathetically.
Bora turned to look at her. Her expression was blank as she stared, then she suddenly burst into a laugh.
“Ju Bora, stop it. You’re scaring me.”
“You’re pitying me? Ko Hyewan, this is your future self. You might even become a kamikaze martyr fighting against the Civil Law.”
She’s terrifying.
To quell Bora’s burning madness, Hyewan held out the box. She didn’t want to just hand over the keychain alone, so she’d gone down to the convenience store to buy a small gift box and tucked it inside.
“Here. Take this.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a thank-you gift from Cha Yundo.”
“No. I won’t take it.”
“Just take it.”
“Ko Hyewan. I hate Cha Yundo, you know?”
“Just look at it first.”
Bora glared at Hyewan with a menacing look before snatching the box and tearing it open. In an instant, she froze. Her eyes widened as she stared at the keychain, then at the logo.
“He said that since the world isn’t any safer for plaintiffs and defendants than it is for victims and perpetrators, he wanted at least the car to be safe.”
“Is this… the model I’m thinking of?”
“I’m not sure about that, but he said it’s parked in the hospital lot. Want to go see?”
“…We’re just looking.”
“Got it.”
Bora helped Hyewan into her wheelchair. They didn’t have the luxury of waiting for Hyewan to walk. When they finally spotted the car in the parking lot, Bora was genuinely awestruck.
“Hyewan.”
“Yeah. What is it?”
“This is going to sound obnoxious, but I’m kind of a silver spoon, right?”
“What’s with the humility? You’re a total silver spoon.”
“Right? But even my dad wouldn’t buy me this car! I begged him for it, but he told me to earn the money and buy it myself!”
“So you’re saying you like it?”
“I love it!”
Thank goodness.
The new car was an SUV, so it sat high off the ground. Bora, who had just taken it for a grand test drive alone—leaving Hyewan behind, who would’ve struggled to get in and out anyway—burst into the hospital room, her face flushed with excitement.
“Hyewan, I love you!”
“I love you too.”
Hyewan handed Bora a slice of the apple she had just peeled.
“I’ll tell Cha Yundo I love him too.”
“Are you crazy?!” Bora nearly jumped out of her skin, a piece of apple still in her mouth. “Getting a gift is one thing, but forgiving Cha Yundo is another! If you keep this up, I’m taking it back!”
“It was a joke. Do you really think I’d actually tell him I love him? I never said I’d forgive him either.”
“Please. You’ve already forgiven him.”
“No, I haven’t! I have some pride, you know?”
“I don’t know about that. Don’t you have zero pride when it comes to Cha Yundo?”
“I do not.”
They bickered until the peeled apple turned brown.
“So what about you? Aren’t you talking to the team leader?”
At the mention of Dong-yeong, Bora’s irritation subsided, and she shrugged.
“Yeah. We only went on a few dates before this.”
“A few dates is enough to build some affection! Why not try seeing him again? There’s no reason for you to avoid him just because of me.”
“Why not? You said he knew about it too, didn’t you?”
“Cha Yundo is the problem here. How was the team leader supposed to know when the person involved kept it a secret?”
“Oh, please. We didn’t even hold hands. How could I have developed any feelings for him?”
“Oh, really?”
That was surprising.
“You went on dates without even holding hands? I slept with Cha Yundo the first time we met.”
Choke!
A piece of apple flew out of Bora’s mouth. Hyewan blocked the debris with both hands.
“Bora, that’s kind of gross.”
“Ack, it’s stuck in my throat!”
“Drink some water, water!”
Bora coughed incessantly as she drank the water Hyewan handed her.
“Is it really that shocking, enough to make you choke?”
Was it? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?
“Hey, Ko Hyewan! You never told me that!”
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