By Zephyria It was the penalty I had been waiting for, so I wasn’t surprised or flustered.
[You are going to July when Sung Se-han was eighteen years old!]
But I couldn’t shake the fear in my heart.
In the end, I’m going to make Sung Se-han do something he doesn’t want.
[…….]
I was about to sit on the bed when I straightened up and looked at the Status Window.
“What’s wrong?”
Today was the most subtle day since I started feeling the Status Window’s emotions.
“Status Window-nim, you seem to be sad right now… and also happy.”
It felt like that complex emotion was seeping into me.
[Se-han.]
My heart dropped at the sudden, affectionate voice in my ear.
[Se-han really wanted to meet Mom.]
I couldn’t say anything, even with my mouth open.
I know too. He never showed it, but I know. I know how much Se-han wanted to know about Mom.
“……!”
Suddenly, everything around me went dark, and I couldn’t see anything in front of me.
I quietly closed my eyes and listened for any sounds.
Crash! Crack!
I flinched, my shoulders trembling at the eerie sound of something breaking. I hurriedly looked around, but everything was still dark.
“Stop with the threats.”
The moment I heard Sung Se-han’s voice, a faint light turned on in the distance. I kicked off the floor and started running.
Se-han!
The place I was getting closer to was Sung Se-han’s apartment.
The moment I saw Sung Se-han sitting in the middle of the living room sofa, my heart sank. The living room furniture was scattered around the sofa in a terrible state, and the only thing intact was Sung Se-han.
No, is he really okay? My eyes hurriedly scanned Sung Se-han. Leaning back on the sofa with his hands in his slacks pockets, Sung Se-han didn’t seem to be hurt anywhere. Not yet….
The moment I saw the man standing in front of the sofa, the blood in my body ran cold.
The beast who mercilessly stomped on Sung Se-han’s hands. The one who locked up young Sung Se-han, the one who assaulted me, it was that bastard.
‘Just hit me instead. Why are you breaking valuable furniture.’
“Sung Se-han! Please shut up…!”
Even if I shouted, Sung Se-han wouldn’t hear anything, but still, a desperate cry burst from my mouth.
Sung Se-han was surrounded by huge men in black suits. I was almost going crazy, afraid that they might lay a hand on Sung Se-han.
“Se-han, please…! Haa! Haa!”
I arrived at the entrance of the living room, but I was so out of breath that I couldn’t even stand properly.
‘But there are a lot of faces I’ve never seen before.’
Sung Se-han, with one corner of his mouth raised, looked around at the huge men.
‘Are they newly adopted puppies?’
The mockery and contempt filling his brown eyes made my spine tingle.
“Se-han! Please stop. Don’t provoke those people…!”
Even as I moved my staggering legs and hurriedly approached, Sung Se-han didn’t recognize me.
“Se-han…!”
Seeing eighteen-year-old Sung Se-han, who looked much younger than I remembered, facing ruthless men alone, my heart ached.
The moment I took another step closer to Sung Se-han, the men suddenly started moving.
I couldn’t help but be puzzled by the scene of about ten men nimbly leaving the living room. Sung Se-han also seemed to be not expecting it, as he raised one eyebrow and stared at the entrance of the living room.
I also couldn’t let my guard down and watched the entrance of the living room, and in an instant, my body froze.
A person was slowly walking into the living room where the men had left.
A person slowly walking barefoot on the messy floor.
A beautiful person who created an atmosphere like a goddess because no sound or weight was felt.
I could tell at a glance. The beautiful woman was undoubtedly Sung Se-han’s mother.
I closed my eyes at the strangely distant feeling, then slowly lowered my gaze to look at Sung Se-han sitting on the sofa.
Sung Se-han was frozen cold.
Sung Se-han, frozen stiff like an inanimate object without a soul, broke my heart.
I could feel it.
Sung Se-han was violently shaking like a ship caught in a storm.
Sung Se-han, who never lost the initiative in any situation, was wavering like a child who had lost his way because he couldn’t control his own heart. His coldly lowered eyes made me sad.
‘Se-han.’
A voice as smooth as silk flowed from her alluring lips.
‘Is this the first time we’re meeting like this.’
The goddess in a fluttering olive-colored dress and a white jacket walked smoothly and stood in front of the sofa.
‘You’ve really grown up. You’re much more handsome than in the photos, Sung Se-han.’
Seeing her smile with her eyes crinkling, I knew where Sung Se-han’s eye smile came from.
‘Shall we talk for a bit?’
Until then, Sung Se-han, who had only been looking at her, his mother, had a cold glint in his eyes.
‘Who are you.’
Even at Sung Se-han’s twisted voice, the woman didn’t erase her smile.
‘I gave birth to you, but I’m someone who doesn’t deserve to be a mother.’
The woman, with an elegant gesture, looked around the living room and sat on the left sofa of Sung Se-han. I walked in front of the two and looked down at Sung Se-han.
Sung Se-han, with his teeth clenched, seemed to want to run out of this place right away. But he couldn’t do that at all.
It wasn’t just Sung Se-han who resented this moment, where he couldn’t resist or comply. It was the same for me.
I wanted to comfort Sung Se-han, who was faced with an unreal situation, I wanted to hold his hand. But there was nothing I could do.
‘I don’t deserve to be a mother to you anyway.’
The woman, with her beautiful hands on her knees, looked warmly at Sung Se-han.
‘Today, I came because I have a favor to ask of you, Se-han.’
A crack slowly began to form in the brown eyes that were staring at the woman.
‘A favor…?’
As if he had heard something he couldn’t understand, Sung Se-han’s cold face tilted slightly. The woman, looking at her son for a moment, gave a bitter smile.
‘Se-han, you… have everything.’
What did you say…? Without my knowing, I took a step closer to Sung Se-han’s mother. What did you just say? Se-han has everything?
‘I, have everything…?’
The moment I heard the trembling voice, I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. I couldn’t bear to look back at Sung Se-han, so I squeezed my eyes shut.
‘Se-han, Grandfather must have regretted leaving you to be abused by Butler Heo. That’s why he sent you to Grandmother. Grandfather’s greatest act of generosity was allowing you to go out into the world. You mustn’t forget that.’
The woman’s beautiful voice, flowing out so harmlessly, felt like a slap in the face. I couldn’t ignore it any longer and turned to look at Sung Se-han.
‘Ha…!’
Sung Se-han smiled with the corners of his lips raised. That would be the best reaction he could muster. In this situation where all he could do was laugh in disbelief, what else could Sung Se-han do?
‘It must have been hard because of Butler Heo, but you ended up growing up so well, and you were happy while receiving Grandmother’s love. But my son….’
I paused, my feet that were approaching Sung Se-han froze in place. In my frozen vision, I saw Sung Se-han’s complexion slowly draining away.
‘My son didn’t have anything. He didn’t have a healthy body like you, and he didn’t have outstanding talent… He’s just a pitiful child who has been weak since birth.’
Ah. Sung Se-han, with his lips slightly parted, let out a hollow laugh.
The mother he had wanted to know so much. Just a few minutes after meeting her, Sung Se-han was getting exhausted. The brown eyes that were always full of life were losing their light.
The beautiful woman gave a pitiful smile to Sung Se-han, who was frozen like ice.
‘Se-han, you’ll understand if I tell you that he inherited Grandmother’s weak constitution. My son is like a candle that could go out at any moment.’
‘So.’
Sung Se-han barely raised the corners of his lips to make a smile.
‘What do you want me to do about your son?’
He was probably using every last bit of his energy to maintain that cold attitude.
But I couldn’t stay calm, nor could I accept the reality that I had to go through such an absurd thing.
‘Se-han.’
The woman sat closer to Sung Se-han. Her voluminous hair swayed on her left shoulder as she did so.
‘I support whatever Se-han you do, and I want you to be happy. But….’
Her red lips trembled hesitantly, but she eventually revealed her honest wish.
‘You know, if it gets out that I gave birth to you, everything I’ve achieved so far will be ruined. My husband and children won’t be able to handle the shock, and everything will collapse.’
I looked around desperately.
I couldn’t bear to watch Sung Se-han crumble any longer, and I only desperately wanted to escape this place, cowardly.
‘Se-han, Grandfather (Maternal) didn’t allow your existence. He said you should never come into the world, but I didn’t give up on you and protected you until the end. But in return, I live with a secret that I can’t even reveal to my own family, worrying as if I’ve committed a sin.’
But there was no way out, and I had to keep listening to the voice that denied everything about Sung Se-han.