By Zephyria 
I don’t know if they always have dinner gathered like this or if they gathered to celebrate my discharge from the hospital, but the dinner table where the whole family was gathered was suffocatingly oppressive.
Father the Hospital Director, Father the Art Gallery Director, the eldest Hyung, the eldest Hyung’s wife, the second Hyung, and Cha Soo-kyung.
Hardly any conversation passed among the six people at the table. I timidly gauged the atmosphere, taking in the faces of the men called ‘Hyung’ I had seen in photos and the face of Father the Hospital Director.
“Are you feeling alright?”
Since I was the only one here who would be asked about my physical condition, I looked up to see who had asked. I was flustered because no one was looking at me, but the one who was the eldest Hyung turned his head, met my eyes, and asked again, “Hmm?”
It was that guy.
“Yes, well. I’ve gotten much better thanks to your concern. I wasn’t seriously injured.”
“That’s a relief.”
According to Cha Soo-kyung’s stories, both brothers were pieces of work, treated him poorly, and were the types to cause immense stress, but seeing him ask after my well-being, I thought they might be surprisingly normal.
Of course, compared to the worry coming from his mouth, the fact that he hadn’t visited me once during my hospital stay suggested that there wasn’t a grain of brotherly affection.
“Then how about accompanying us to the gathering the day after tomorrow?”
“Him? Is there a reason to bring shame to the family?”
The second Hyung, who was eating next to me, asked the eldest Hyung in an irritable tone, as if questioning him. Hmm, I can tell just by a short encounter that this guy is a piece of work. He’s probably impatient, impulsive, eccentric, and hot-tempered. In short, he has a simple personality. Exactly what he seems. People like this aren’t hard to deal with.
The difficult one is the eldest Hyung. My instinct was warning me. A face that reveals no expression, a voice that hides emotion, a conversation where one cannot gauge the inner thoughts. Between Cha Soo-kyung’s words and the fact that there wasn’t a hint of warmth in the gaze he directed at me, it was hard to conclude he was a decent person.
“I think you’re the one who brings more shame whenever you go around.”
“What?”
At the eldest Hyung’s remark, the second Hyung shouted, slamming his chopsticks down violently. Compared to the eldest Hyung, who continued eating as if nothing were happening, the second Hyung’s face turned red and purple as if he were about to flip the table at any moment.
“Your voice is loud for a dinner table.”
Father the Hospital Director, who had been eating silently, spoke a word.
Ah, following the oppressiveness, it felt like I was suffocating. I’d only been here for ten minutes, but I was already grasping the atmosphere of this household.
Hypocrisy packaged in visible manners, dignity, refinement, and elegance. While appearances are important, living like this even inside the home is nothing short of torture.
“Since he was discharged today, I think it would be better for Soo-kyung to rest at home for a bit. I think going to the gathering might still be a burden.”
“I couldn’t go myself because I was busy, but I heard there were no special injuries. Looking at him now, he seems fine. I also wish Soo-kyung could rest at home for the time being, but there are unfavorable rumors circulating. You know how people are—they love to gossip about other families. They’ve always been like that, but if we ignore it, rumors easily turn into facts, so if Soo-kyung is okay with it, I think it wouldn’t be bad to go out and show his face… Would it be too burdensome for you?”
Father the Art Gallery Director tried to gently decline, but the eldest Hyung smoothly countered and turned the answer back to me.
A formidable opponent. A tactic of pretending to worry while bringing up other people’s talk to demand what he wants. He was on a much higher level than the second Hyung, who just blindly raised his voice with emotion.
“Burdensome? I’m actually curious about what these unfavorable rumors are, and if I leave such rumors alone, it would smear the family name… so even if it is a burden, I should show my face.”
I was curious about what kind of gathering it was, what the people there did for fun, what the bad rumors were, and what they would babble when they saw my face. And I wanted to see what the eldest Hyung hoped to gain by taking me along.
“I’m a bit nervous, but since the eldest Hyung will be by my side, I can trust him and go, right?”
Be careful. He’ll be stuck to you, so don’t think about screwing him over. If I screw someone over, I’ll do it with you.
Hiding my inner thoughts, I gave a thin smile toward the eldest Hyung. I’m not used to this face at all, so I don’t know what kind of expression I make when I smile. However, it seems it wasn’t a very good expression, as the jaw of the eldest Hyung, whose eyes met mine, tightened.
“Of course. Do you think I’d take you and leave you alone? Then I’ll assume we’re going together the day after tomorrow.”
On the surface, it was a very kind and considerate conversation. Not that the inner thoughts were kind, though. As if even the outward kindness was displeasing, the sound of the second Hyung’s spooning became rough.
This guy is a lost cause. I don’t know how he manages daily life while being so full of anger.
He must have been pushed aside by the eldest in everything since he was young. He probably grew up being compared, his inferiority complex toward the eldest must be huge, he’s dissatisfied with everything, and he must hate the stepmother who came in place of his dead mother. He hates the eldest, but he probably can’t stand the child born to the stepmother. I could figure it out without needing confirmation from anyone else.
The rest of the meal proceeded quietly. Dinner concluded according to the pace of Father the Hospital Director, and as soon as he left the table, the eldest and second Hyung put down their utensils and left as if they had been waiting. The employees must have prepared the meal, but there wasn’t even a polite thank you for the food.
“You’re not planning to go straight to sleep, are you?”
“I should digest the food before sleeping.”
“Then go up and wait. Let’s have a cup of tea together.”
He probably didn’t actually intend to just drink tea. Realizing that Father the Art Gallery Director had something else to say, I nodded.
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll go up and brush my teeth.”
“You don’t have to say things like that. I’ll come up in a bit.”
With an elegant movement, the Father put down his utensils, stood up, straightened his clothes, and left the table.
Man, how stifling. Even though I had a feast, my stomach felt bloated. I thought an iced plum tea would be best.
∞ ∞ ∞
Knock, knock. At the neat sound of knocking, I told him to come in, and the door opened quietly as Father entered the room carrying a tray with two cups of tea.
“Shall we go outside?”
“No, I think it’s better to talk here.”
He said this was my space, yet he still seemed concerned about eavesdropping ears. I wondered why it mattered and nodded. I gave Father the bed and pulled up a chair, sitting a short distance away.
“You behaved well during dinner.”
“I don’t think I did anything great enough to be praised, but thank you, I guess?”
As I answered with an ambiguous rising intonation at the end, Father let out a small sigh.
“Do you really intend to go to the gathering with the eldest?”
As expected, this must have been the problem. He must be very worried, my Father. He thinks of me as a reckless brat, and he’s probably wondering what kind of accident this reckless brat will cause at the gathering, or what slip of the tongue he’ll make. In his heart, he probably wants to lock me in the house or follow me to keep me under surveillance.
“Since you’re putting it that way, it would be awkward to say no, wouldn’t it? I don’t think the intention is good, but I’m curious about what they’re thinking. Oh, what is this ‘gathering’?”
“I heard it’s a regular monthly gathering for the second generation. Children from families whose names are well-known gather… I don’t know what they do, but it’s probably not a pleasant sight.”
Even while perched on the bed, Father kept his back perfectly straight without a single fold and let out a low snort while elegantly sipping his tea.
“Have I ever attended that gathering?”
“The eldest took you a couple of times in high school. After that, you made excuses and didn’t attend, and at some point, you naturally drifted away. You… didn’t seem to have a talent for mingling with people.”
“I don’t know if I couldn’t mingle or if people wouldn’t mingle with me, but either way, it must have been a lack of capability on my part. I assume the number of people gathering isn’t small?”
“Seeing as they rent a hotel every time to hang out, it’s probably not a small meeting of five or six people.”
“What do they do there? Do they eat, or do they drink?”
They probably eat. Since he said they ‘hang out,’ maybe they drink. Surely they don’t just drink a cup of tea and come back. As I frowned in thought, Father clicked his tongue.
“They network. Food or alcohol isn’t the important part. Actually, I don’t think it’s a very helpful gathering, but while they chatter useless stories and get heated over other people’s gossip, they probably think it’s a quite constructive setting. You just need to go, show your face, and stay quiet.”
Even if I’ve lost my memories, isn’t this expectation too small for a father to have for his child? I’m not the old Cha Soo-kyung, and my personality has changed this much.
“Is there anything I should be careful of?”
“Don’t try to stand out, don’t step forward first, and don’t speak first. Just show your face quietly and come back. And wear a suit when you go.”
“You said it’s a networking gathering. Shouldn’t I also build some connections?”
“Soo-kyung.”
Father called me in a serious voice.
“The thing you need least right now, as someone who has lost their memory, is the attention of others. I’m asking you, please do nothing and just come. Understand?”
At the firm response, I pouted my lips. Immediately, the advice “Don’t make such a strange expression” came back.
“Do not trust the eldest. He is like a snake. He resembles his grandfather the most.”
As he spoke, a faint disgust permeated Father’s face. Perhaps Father doesn’t like this family that much either. Or maybe he just hates his in-laws. I’ve never seen him, but since he’s the person the eldest Hyung resembles most, I felt reluctant to meet him even before seeing him.