The woman emitted a distinct Gangnam mom vibe.
With features reminiscent of an actress and adorned with splendid accessories from head to toe, A walking indulgence
On top of that, even someone like Jong-sik, who was clueless about fashion, recognized the brand, Chanel. The woman in the tweed two-piece suit raised her voice.
“Jaewoo? Oh Jaewoo?!”
– 7 missed calls.
[Text Message: Hello. I’m the person protecting Jaewoo, who was almost kidnapped. I couldn’t reach you, so I’m leaving a text. I’ll explain everything when we meet. Our home address is in Seoul… ]
How surprised she must have been upon reading the message. Due to that, the woman, Aran, had to leave the hair salon without even drying her hair.
And finally, when Aran arrived there, she was desperate.
“Uh, where’s our Jaewoo right now?”
At this, Jong-pal stepped forward. A parent’s heart understands a parent’s heart; just a while ago, he himself was sobbing uncontrollably upon seeing his son! He could empathize perfectly with her feelings.
“Are you Jaewoo’s mother? Jaewoo is fine. He’s sleeping in our daughter’s room right now. I’ll bring him out soon, so please sit down and have a glass of water for now.”
“T-then he’s not hurt or anything, right? Injured?! Is there anywhere he’s injured?”
“I’ve checked him thoroughly, and there are no injuries. He must have been very startled, though.”
Jong-pal spoke, and Aran let out a sigh of relief. Knowing that there were no injuries made her heavy heart suddenly feel lighter. As long as he looked okay on the outside, they could bury this incident as their own secret.
“Ha, alright then. I’ll have a drink. But kidnapping? What on earth is all this about?”
“Well, you see…”
“Dad, let me explain.”
It’s probably most accurate when the person involved explains. Jong-pal nodded, and Yeona detailed the recent incident she experienced.
“I was waiting for Uncle at the bus terminal, and a young child came alone. It was Jaewoo. He said he waits for his mom there every day. While we were talking there, a man appeared.”
For a moment, the eyes of Jong-pal and Jong-sik narrowed. There was something suspicious about the part where a young child came alone to the bus terminal.
And the fact that Yeona blurred the end of her sentence at such a crucial point was also strange…
At this, quick-witted Aran responded in order to dispel any misunderstandings from the family members, including Yeona.
“I was in the middle of training Jaewoo on independence skills, so that’s why he was alone.”
“With such a young child?”
“Early education is important, you know. Anyway, of all times, for this to happen now…”
“….”
Then, she opened her clutch bag and took out a business card.
After briefly scanning Yeona, Jong-pal, and Jong-sik, she finally handed the business card to Jong-sik.
Just at a glance, it was clear that she was the head of the household here.
“Anyway, thank you. The gentleman here, the big brother, saved our Jaewoo, right? I’ll make sure to express our gratitude properly. Here’s my business card. Could you please put an account number here for me to send a token of appreciation? Oh, don’t feel burdened.”
Of course, Jong-sik refused. He didn’t rescue the child for money, and besides, his bank account already had billions of won accumulated.
“No need for any token of appreciation. It’s not like I rescued your child to expect anything in return.”
“Oh, still, that won’t do. But was the culprit caught on the spot? Does our child have to testify or anything like that?”
“Well, I’m not sure about that either.”
After exchanging a few words, Jong-sik felt definitely something off. It’s like… she didn’t feel maternal. Not shedding a single tear seemed suspicious.
Maybe it was because of Jong-sik’s stern response. Aran furrowed her brows. The way the man looked at her seemed as if he was looking at an abuser! Despite her explanation. Or perhaps that was the reason?
“Is this about stating a specific amount?”
While pondering about this, another visitor crossed over the threshold of Jong-sik’s house. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead, indicating how far he must have run.
“Jaewoo-!”
It was Aran’s husband, Oh Jong-sik, who entered. Opening the front door, Jong-sik bowed his head as he saw the people gathered in the living room.
“Uh, uh. I received a call. I’m Jaewoo’s father. Where’s Jaewoo…?”
“Honey?”
In an instant, the man’s eyes lit up upon seeing his wife. Meanwhile, Aran’s expression was as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.
“You, Yang Aran!”
“H-Honey…”
“Will you… shut up?”
“Honey, it’s a misunderstanding. Misunderstanding. I don’t know what you heard, but listen to me first and don’t get angry.”
“I’ve been asking since last time! To pay attention to Jaewoo, especially when he’s commuting! But what’s this? Where did Jaewoo go? What happened?”
WWhy do they come here and fight with couples? With an expression of discomfort, Jong-sik was about to say something when…
“Aaah!”
Jaewoo opened the door and came out. Finally, the couple lowered their voices.
Jaewoo ran past his parents towards Yeona. Anyone would think Yeona was his mother.
“Ms. Sunbae!”
“Jaewoo!”
“…Honey, can you listen to me for a moment? Hm?”
“Misunderstanding? Did you just say misunderstanding? What on earth is there to misunderstand? Save your nice words for later. Jaewoo! Come to Dad.”
The living room was in chaos. A couple fighting in someone else’s house, a child sprawling while being held by Yeona, and even Yeona trying to calm down the child.
“What are you doing in someone else’s house, no less in front of a child.”
Finally, Jong-sik raised his voice.
Only then did the couple seem to feel embarrassed, their faces turning red.
A moment later.
“We showed disgrace. We’re truly sorry. And thank you for saving our son. We’ll take him to the hospital and then come back. We should properly express our gratitude. We’re really sorry.”
Bowling his head, Oh Jong-sik apologized and thanked them. Then, with the child who had stopped crying, the situation came to an end as they left.
That night,
Oh Jong-sik came back, carrying a large fruit basket with him.
Jong-sik, feeling hungry, went downstairs to the store and saw Oh Jong-sik lingering at the door.
“Aren’t you coming in? If you came, you could have just pressed the doorbell and come in.”
“Haha. Yes, you’re right. I don’t know why I hesitated like this… Maybe it’s because I’m embarrassed. After showing such disgrace, I came back.”
Oh Jong-sik’s face as he said that looked extremely dark. Perhaps he had another round of arguments with his wife even after returning home.
“Is the child okay?”
“Thanks to you, yes. They said there were no issues at the hospital. And I heard all the details from Jaewoo. Thank you once again.”
Oh Jong-sik bowed his head again. Jong-sik looked at the man with a wry smile.
“Have you eaten?”
“…Yes?”
“I mean, have you had dinner?”
“Uh, yes. I have.”
‘If you’re going to lie, at least do it properly.‘
With that thought, Jong-sik opened the locked store door.
It had been quite a tiring day, so Yeona and Jongpal had gone to bed early. Trigo said something about intermittent fasting or something strange like that.
That’s why Jong-sik was alone downstairs in the store.
“Don’t just stand there like that, come in comfortably.”
“uhh..Yes”
“I came down here because I was a bit hungry and wanted to eat something. It doesn’t taste good eating alone, so let’s eat together. Or have a drink before you go.”
“…Then I’ll have a drink with you, but just one.”
As expected, Jong-sik wasn’t good at cooking. So he brought back the leftover soup from today.
The spicy hot soup paired well with the soju.
“Ah…”
Oh Jong-sik downed glass after glass of soju. Jong-sik didn’t bother asking anything. They continued the drinking session in silence.
Whether it was the rising alcohol or the comfortable chair that eased his mind, Oh Jong-sik finally spoke up, sharing a story he had never told anyone before.
“When Jaewoo was two years old, there was an accident. That’s when Jaewoo’s mother passed away.”
“… ”
“It was really tough at that time. The child cried day and night, and my childcare leave was coming to an end. It was not easy raising a child alone. So, I hired a nanny around that time. And that nanny is my current wife. Of course, it wasn’t an easy decision to remarry. But I believed that children needed a mother, so… sigh*.”
Jong-sik silently listened to the man’s words.
“Anyway, I was really grateful when a woman agreed to marry a man with a child. So, I bought her everything she wanted, supported her studies… Was that a mistake?”
A call he received from Jaewoo’s kindergarten teacher.
“The teacher called me saying that Jaewoo was sick, and his mother couldn’t be reached. Fortunately, that was all it was. Haha. Do you know who was the last child to stay at the kindergarten? Yes, it was our Jaewoo.”
Oh Jong-sik tapped his chest vigorously and raised his voice.
“When I received that call, my heart felt like it was being torn apart. So, that’s when I first expressed my discontent to my wife. I asked her to pay more attention to Jaewoo’s after-school care. Fortunately, my wife agreed to make an effort.”
But upon closer inspection, it turned out that the child was waiting alone for his mother, away from the eyes of others.
During that time, his wife was leisurely getting her hair done at a Cheongdam-dong salon…
And today, such an incident happened.
Oh Jong-sik’s heart seemed to be torn apart beyond repair.
“I’m so, so angry. Could Jaewoo have been like this if he had been with his own mother?”
Meanwhile, Jong-sik looked at the man with disdain.
‘A child needs a mother so he remarried?’
“It’s just an excuse for yourself.”
Jong-sik finally spoke up after silently listening.
“So you left the child with that kind of mother and came out?”
“…No way. I just asked her for a moment.”
“Well, it’s not as bad as I thought.”
At that, Oh Moon-se lifted his head and looked at Jong-sik.
“Why? Are you feeling bad?”
“…Ugh. No. I’m just as pathetic, so I must look that way to others too.”
“I know. Children need a mother? Who says so? Have you asked your child if a mother is necessary? Or if the current mother is the right one?”
Oh Moon-se bowed his head deeply. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a conversation with his son.
Of course, when he came home from work, it was time for his son to fall asleep.
“And was it because he’s not your biological son? That’s utter nonsense. It’s because your wife is just that kind of person, regardless of blood relation. How do I know? Because I’ve experienced it firsthand and seen it.”
Just look at Yeona. They didn’t share blood, but they were already family. Yet, in front of Jong-sik, who was lamenting about bloodlines, he couldn’t help but feel angry.
“And I heard it’s not the first time the child went to the bus stop alone. What did you do as a father? The head of the family should protect the family.”
Oh Moon-se felt dizzy from the fact barrage without brakes. At the same time, he made a decision.
“The head of the family protects the family… That’s right. I should have protected my son. Huhuhuhung.”
And then, out of the blue, he burst into tears like Jaewoo. Jong-sik trembled and poured Soju into his empty glass.
The two heads of the household then had a long conversation.
How much time passed since then?
Drunk Oh Moon-se repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Jong-sik. He hugged Jong-sik tightly and sincerely conveyed his gratitude.
“Thank you! I realized from what you said. I’ll be a proper father from now on. I promise!”
And the next day, he had a sober conversation with his son Jaewoo. And he could sincerely apologize.
