Chapter 64
by Gideon“Why are you telling me this out of the blue when I didn’t even ask?”
“I have to! Wow, Ko Hyewan, you little sly thing. A straight-up one-night stand? This is crazy. I never would’ve guessed you’d do something like that.”
“I didn’t think I would either.”
“How’d you pull it off?”
“It just happened.”
“How, exactly?”
“Hmm… I guess I’ve always liked shiny things.”
Bora shot Hyewan a skeptical look, as if she were talking nonsense.
“I always wanted to own a star from the night sky, but you can’t just pluck one down. And a star would never fall for someone like me anyway.”
Hyewan reminisced about her first meeting with Yundo.
“But the day I met Cha Yundo, I felt like if I just reached out, I could grab a star. I thought, Why can’t I have one? So I went for it and seduced him.”
“No way! She even made the first move!”
Bora still couldn’t believe it.
“My heart just took over that day. I’ve never been more true to my feelings,” Hyewan said. “So if you like him, you should make the first move too. Bora, it’s the twenty-first century. We don’t just wait to be chosen anymore.”
“Ko Hyewan, don’t mess with my head. My mind is already a mess from Civil Law, and I’m still reeling from that gift. I’m not in my right mind!”
Hyewan shot back, “You have to lose your mind to make a change.”
“You’ve become a damn monk,” Bora muttered, glaring at Hyewan despite her inner turmoil. “Not that I’m planning to make a move, but even if I did, it wouldn’t work. I’ve been furious with him all this time. Pretending to be well-behaved now won’t do any good.”
“Overcome all hardships and adversity.”
“I hate dead-end roads. I’m only driving on the highway.”
She wanted to say that life never goes as planned, but she held back. No matter how well-intentioned, she shouldn’t say anything that could sound like a curse.
Hyewan hoped only good things would happen to Bora. Even if life played tricks on everyone else, she hoped Bora would be spared—that she would walk only on a path strewn with flowers.
Tonight’s late-night snack was spicy fish cakes.
Why haven’t I eaten this before?
The flavor was a pure dopamine rush. She felt she could finally understand, if only a little, how Columbus must have felt when he discovered the New World.
“Are you okay eating three of these spicy ones in one go? Doesn’t your stomach hurt?”
He’d bought the spicy food because it was the only way to get a pass into the hospital, but he still worried. The more Hyewan ate, the more anxious he became.
“Not at all,” she replied.
That’s a relief, he thought, but she’s going to regret this when she’s older. He held his tongue, though. There was no point saying something that would only get him into trouble.
“Bora loved it. She said thank you.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking her for accepting it.”
Yundo even imagined Bora hitting him in the face with the keychain he’d thrown her.
“Next week marks exactly three months since the accident.”
“Has it only been that long?”
To Yundo, those three months had felt like three years.
“I’m planning to go out next week.”
“Where are you going?”
“You’re coming with me, Cha Yundo.”
He wasn’t surprised by Hyewan’s unilateral announcement. If she wanted to go, he would go.
“They say temples pray for babies who were never born to be reincarnated into a better world. That’s why my mom placed Haetsal’s memorial tablet at the temple she always goes to. She told me to visit whenever I wanted.”
Reincarnation was a Buddhist belief, but some might dismiss it as mere superstition. Still, since they weren’t profiting by sacrificing others, there was no reason to feel guilty.
“Even if you don’t want to go, Mr. Cha Yundo, I’m definitely going.”
Because you’re Haetsal’s father.
“Of course I’ll go,” he replied, his voice filled with sincerity. He hoped that by going with Hyewan, his heart would reach Haetsal.
The snow, which had been falling for two days, had blanketed the world in white. This winter had seen frequent snowfalls, but this was the first time Hyewan had ever truly seen it, let alone touched it.
Yundo spoke up as Hyewan stared out the window, her gaze fixed on the scenery from the moment they left Seoul and entered Gangwon-do.
“What’s so interesting? You’ve been looking at the same scenery for an hour.”
Yundo grumbled, feeling guilty for not being able to show her a more spectacular winter landscape.
“Just looking at it… it makes me feel at peace.”
They were on their way to pray for Haetsal to go to a better place. But seeing the snow piled softly across the world, it felt as if the baby’s pure soul had come out to greet them. It felt as if a soft cloth were being draped over Hyewan’s heart, which had been torn apart by her unhealed wounds.
An elderly monk awaited them at the small, serene temple. It was a place Min-suk frequented.
Guided by the monk, they entered the Main Dharma Hall, where they found Haetsal’s memorial tablet. Min-suk had already arranged it.
Hyewan prayed with all her heart.
Haetsal, Mommy and Daddy loved you so much. We’ll definitely meet again.
Just then, a shaft of sunlight filtered through the open window, gently touching her head. It felt as if it were stroking her wounds.
In that moment, Hyewan knew instinctively—Haetsal was at peace. Reason and logic couldn’t explain it, but she felt it because she was his mother. A profound sense of relief washed over her, and she wept silently.
“Thank goodness, my baby.”
Since it was the weekend, they decided to stay overnight at a famous hot spring near the temple instead of heading straight back to Seoul.
Yundo checked into a room with a private open-air bath. When the large window of the ondol room was opened, a picturesque garden came into view. While Hyewan was admiring the steamy open-air bath, Yundo asked, “Are you hungry? What should we have for dinner?”
They had left early in the morning and eaten a meager lunch while traveling, so even though it was just past five in the afternoon, she was already hungry.
“You choose. Eat whatever you want.”
“You’re always like this unless it’s chicken feet.”
He worried about her meals every single time. He lectured her on how she needed to eat high-quality food and enjoy it if she wanted to live a long, healthy life. Before Yundo’s nagging could drag on, Hyewan quickly named the first dish that came to mind.
“Then let’s have tteok-galbi. I heard this place is famous for it.”
“Alright.”
There was a reason it was famous.
The tteok-galbi was tender, and its sweet and savory glaze kept them reaching for more.
Hyewan cut a piece of the grilled short rib and placed it on top of his rice. He flinched, clearly caught off guard, which prompted her to playfully add another piece.
“Eat up, Cha Yundo.”
“What’s gotten into you?”
“Don’t you like it?”
“No, it’s not that… It’s just that you’re doing things you never do…”
Yundo looked deeply uncomfortable. The sight was so amusing that she couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Here, Yundo, eat this too.”
Finally, his face flushed red. He glanced around, then lowered his voice. “Stop it. People are watching.”
“We’re not going to see them again, so don’t worry about it. Just eat.”
He eyed the suddenly attentive Hyewan with suspicion before taking a bite of the tteokgalbi. A sudden wave of guilt washed over him. Hyewan had always been the one being taken care of. If I loved her as much as she loved me, why couldn’t I take care of her like this?
“Oh, right. I need to give this back to you.”
Suddenly remembering, Hyewan set down her chopsticks and began rummaging through her bag.
“Whatever it is, just give it to me later. Eat your food before it gets cold.”
“I keep forgetting things lately.”
Hyewan handed him the title deeds for the building and the officetel she’d received as alimony. Yundo clicked his tongue.
“You brought these all the way here?”
“I heard you get forgetful for a while after general anesthesia,” she replied. “I’ve been meaning to return them, but I kept forgetting.”
He asked with a glimmer of hope, “Are you going to call off the divorce?”
It’s not that simple, Hyewan thought, her voice turning coy. “Your conclusion is a bit premature, don’t you think? When did I ever say I would?”
His hopeful expression deflated. “I’m asking because you haven’t said you would.”
“My opinion is one thing,” she said, her tone shifting from playful to serious. “But my mother still hasn’t said a word about you, Yundo.”
The lighthearted conversation took a somber turn.
“I have no intention of breaking my mother’s heart twice. I’ll do whatever she tells me to do.”
She couldn’t help it. She loved Yundo, but if Min-suk disapproved, then that was that.
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