By Zephyria 
“Wake up.”
A faint voice drifted down from above my head, where I seemed to have fused with the bed.
“Wake up, Cha Soo-kyung.”
At the sharp voice, I barely managed to push myself up to a sitting position, but lifting my eyelids, which felt as if they had been glued shut, was an arduous task.
“I heard you’ve been lying down for several days. You didn’t show up for meals, you skipped classes without a word… and it seems you’ve been skipping meals too.”
Father clicked his tongue as he looked down at the bowl of soup on the nightstand that had turned into a thick paste. I rubbed my eyes through my blurred vision. After a bout of dizziness, Father’s face finally came into focus.
“To say you’re in shock… you didn’t seem to be on particularly good terms with the second son.”
“I just don’t feel very well.”
“And not emotionally unwell?”
It was uncomfortable to meet his piercing gaze. Whenever I met the gaze of the man looking down at me, I often suspected that he might know something. Perhaps it was because his emotionless eyes were like a mirror, reflecting my face exactly as it was.
“Do you have anything to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
“I don’t know. Something you’re hiding?”
“There’s so much I don’t even know what it is.”
I let out a hollow laugh and stood up from the bed. Having lain down for too long, my body struggled even to maintain balance. As I staggered and flopped back onto the bed, Father clicked his tongue again.
“Go wash up. There is a place we must go, but first, you must eat.”
My empty stomach was so shriveled it didn’t even make a growling sound. Every organ in my body felt parched, as if all the moisture had been sucked out.
Father, watching me sit there blankly, tapped my shoulder with his fingertips. It was a prompt to hurry up and wash. I don’t know why he’s being like this today when it’s such a hassle.
“Where do we have to go?”
“Just wash up and come down.”
He always makes a person curious and never gives a proper answer. I watched Father’s back as he walked out briskly, then finally stood up and entered the bathroom.
I washed my greasy hair, cleaned my stale-smelling body, and brushed my teeth. Once I did, I felt the blood slowly begin to circulate through my stiff body.
Towel-drying my hair haphazardly, I went down to the dining room. I felt awkward about eating, but fortunately, a simple porridge had been prepared.
It was around ten o’clock. The house was quiet, likely because the other family members had gone to work. I felt a bit of dread, unable to guess why an Omega father would postpone his work to wait for me.
“Eat.”
Father, holding a cup of coffee with a relaxed air, pointed to the porridge. I stole a glance at him, sat down, and took a spoonful of porridge. As food entered my system for the first time in a while, my stomach belatedly let out a growl.
“So, where are we going?”
“If you’re unwell, we’ll go to the hospital first.”
“I feel better after some rest.”
Father snorted at my excuse. His face showed he knew it was a blatant lie, but I didn’t back down and maintained the excuse that I had been unwell.
“We’re going to get a massage. You need skin care, and your hair… you need a total overhaul.”
Scanning me from head to toe, Father frowned and emphasized the word ‘total.’
“A massage? Since when were we such a close father-son pair that we go get massages together?”
The thought of two men walking side-by-side holding hands to go get a massage gave me goosebumps. I know this is a prejudice, and I know prejudice is a bad thing. But still, it’s just such an unfamiliar sight.
“It’s set for this Saturday. Since today is Thursday, the time for grooming is tight, but it can’t be helped.”
It was while I was finishing one bowl of porridge and waiting for another. Father’s words felt too unsettling to just brush off, so I spat out the spoon and spoke.
“What’s set for this Saturday?”
“Your arranged date.”
Ah, my date. A blind date I have to attend. He’s notifying me just two days before, without even consulting me.
I could only let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity. I quickly slurped down the porridge brought by the employee and rinsed my mouth with water.
“I really… just can’t adapt to this household.”
“Watch your mouth!”
“No, I mean, really. Without consulting me, without even asking my opinion—this isn’t how you notify someone. It really means my opinion doesn’t matter at all.”
“Still, I thought it would be better for you to leave this place as soon as possible rather than stay here. You don’t even like it here.”
“Doesn’t that make it even weirder to have an escape-marriage with a complete stranger? No, putting aside the weirdness, it makes no sense. If that were the case, I’d just move out and live independently.”
It’s not like this family is broke. It’s not like they lack the ability to provide a deposit for a child’s apartment.
If things were really difficult, I could sell my gold bars to raise some money. I didn’t expect to use the gold toad Kwon Yi-kang gave me so soon, but if I added that, would I really not be able to get a place in Seoul?
“Do you think your father would allow that?”
“What if he doesn’t? It’s my life; why does my father have to allow me to be independent? If I need to, I’ll just do it. Anyway, independence isn’t the issue; it’s the date set for this Saturday. I’m not going.”
“Soo-kyung.”
“I’m not going, even if you call me like that.”
Did he think I’d just nod and say yes after he told me we’d discuss it again in a couple of months, only to notify me like this? The man, who knows my personality all too well, had the nerve to think he could just notify me.
Whether an appointment was made or not, I had no intention of going, and even if he grabbed me by the collar and dragged me there, I had no intention of sitting through a blind date with a pleasant smile.
“Fathers are so strange. Do you really think I’d go just because you notified me like this? With my personality? Was I ever such an obedient child?”
“You have to go on dates and get married eventually. What difference does it make if it’s two months from now?”
“That’s exactly what I want to say. If it doesn’t make a difference whether it’s pushed back two months, why are you so anxious to make it happen right now? Do you really just want to get rid of me?”
“Your father seems to be rushing for various reasons, and I simply thought it wasn’t a bad idea.”
What’s the point if everyone around me says it’s not a bad idea? The person actually involved thinks it’s bad. I couldn’t understand why the party’s own thoughts or opinions weren’t reflected in the slightest.
I let out a groan and rubbed my cheek; after living like a wreck for a few days, the skin touching my fingertips felt rough.
“My skin really is like trash. Fine, let’s go get the massage. I’ll try the skin care or whatever. Let’s do a full treatment from head to toe, just as you said.”
Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to the date.
I cleanly omitted the last part and stood up. When else would I get a massage like this? Since I’d never go of my own volition, it would be good to follow Father this once.
When I, who had been grumbling about the date, suddenly agreed to go for a massage, Father narrowed his eyes and looked at me.
“Are you going in those clothes, Father? I think I need to change. …Why are you looking at me like that?”
“It’s just strange that you’re following along so readily.”
“What’s so strange? You say it’s strange that I’m doing what I’m told. I’ll change and come down.”
I wondered if I was just an easy person to read, or if Father had a keen intuition. Every time he spoke as if he could guess my ulterior motives, my heart skipped a beat.
Humming a light tune, I went up to the second floor. I pulled some random clothes from the closet and pressed the button on the phone I had tossed aside, but the screen was black. It seemed the battery had drained after being left for a few days. I’d have to charge it on the way.
I stuffed the dead phone into my pocket and practically ran down the stairs.
∞ ∞ ∞
Money really is the best.
My skin, which had been as dry as a parched rice paddy, had become plump and hydrated, and my rough face had become smooth. I lightly pinched my cheek, confirming the drastic change before and after the treatment.
“Wow, damn. I guess this is why people pour money into this.”
Come to think of it, I think they mentioned mixing gold powder with honey earlier. In the literal sense, they had poured money onto me. I felt it was a waste that the gold powder probably all washed off during my shower.
My hair, which had been slathered in something and wrapped up, now swayed by my ears after being washed, dried, and styled. My scalp felt light and cool, as if it had been planed, and my hair had a glossy sheen. It was a level of gloss completely different from the greasy shine of unwashed hair.
Finally, they applied something to my entire body for moisturizing, which left a pleasant scent without any stickiness, and even my fingernails and toenails were smooth, having been trimmed and groomed by someone else.
It truly was a treatment from head to toe.
It was worth the money. Though I wouldn’t want to pay for it with my own money.
“You seem satisfied.”
“Do you come here often, Father?”
“Not that often. About once a week.”
I had wondered how he could have a face like that at nearly forty, and it turned out he had been pouring money into it. Natural looks are important, but the power of money is also crucial.
“Getting the massage seems to have loosened up my body. It really is great.”
“As long as it wasn’t bad, that’s enough. I’ll make a reservation, so come alone tomorrow. I’ll get you a membership if you want.”
“Sure, anything you’d do for me is great.”
I didn’t need to spend my own money to come here, but there was no need to refuse when someone else offered. I looked warmly at Father’s back as he spoke to the desk and swiped his card decisively.