By Zephyria 
“What?”
“That… Ah, um…”
“What’s wrong?”
As I looked at him quizzically, Min Si-hu stammered, unlike his usual energetic self. Then, after a moment, as if making a big decision, he bit his lip and looked up.
“Well… if it’s about the media! Si-hu knows a place…”
“Really? Where? Public broadcasting?”
My eyes lit up brightly. Although Min Si-hu’s voice trailed off like a downhill slope, I couldn’t help but be delighted by the welcome news.
“But… it’s…”
“Why? What is it?”
“That…”
“That?”
“Ugh…”
“Huh?”
Then, Min Si-hu suddenly started to whimper.
Why was he crying?
“Help me, Jjuni!”
“Huh?”
“Min Si-hu! Stop bothering Hae-jun and get off!”
Seong Hae-min and Lee Beom, who had rushed over, pulled Min Si-hu off my arm.
Watching them bicker amongst themselves again, I put my hand to my forehead. Min Si-hu, fiddling with his fingers, quietly confessed a surprising fact.
“Actually, it’s…”
“What is it, for goodness sake? Stop being so frustrating.”
“It’s that, actually, my…”
“Your?”
“Mom…”
“Mom?”
“…is an anchor.”
“What!”
His mom? Didn’t he say he had a bad relationship with her back then?
Everyone looked surprised, as if it was the first time he had mentioned it. I was also taken aback. I knew his family was wealthy, but I never imagined his mother was a former reporter and now an anchor.
Min Si-hu added that his mother had worked in the social affairs department of a broadcasting station for a long time, so she knew many reporters. When she worked as a reporter, she had also handled several important specials.
It was truly welcome news, but…
“If, by any chance, Mom accepts me… we might be able to discuss this issue. Then, borrowing the power of the media won’t be difficult.”
“…”
“So Jjuni, help me! Please!”
Min Si-hu nodded vigorously, looking at me with eyes like a discarded puppy.
‘How am I supposed to help with this?’
What made him look at me with such trust? I had no idea.
Is it okay for me to interfere in someone else’s family matters? While consulting with a professional is more effective when facing difficulties in resolving family issues, I wasn’t an expert like the renowned Dr. Oh. I wasn’t confident in human relationships. I’d rather retake the college entrance exam.
I couldn’t make promises I couldn’t keep.
“Hey, look, it’s true that your mother’s help would be good for this situation…”
As I was about to argue about how I could help, I made eye contact with Seong Hae-min.
The words got stuck in my throat. I knew it wasn’t easy to find such a capable connection.
‘Well… alright, even if I can’t, I have to try.’
As if by habit, I fiddled with my bag strap and stammered.
“I, I’ll think about it, at least…”
“That’s my Jjuni!”
“I’ll think about it! Don’t get your hopes up.”
“Okay!”
I had only deferred my answer, but Min Si-hu acted as if I had accepted and jumped around excitedly.
‘Why is he so happy?’
Seeing him grinning, I felt like retracting my answer. But looking at Seong Hae-min walking beside me, I felt I had to try somehow. I spent the rest of the walk home racking my brain again.
I already knew Min Si-hu had a bad relationship with his mother, but to help bridge that gap, I needed to understand the situation more concretely.
Based on his explanation: Min Si-hu’s mother was forced to marry his father because of her maternal grandfather, she has a bad relationship with her maternal grandfather, and she regrets giving birth to Min Si-hu. After his mother remarried, Min Si-hu became an unwanted child, ignored by his family… that’s what he said.
Hearing it made me feel even more helpless. How was I supposed to help with this?
Reconciling with his mother…
‘I guess I need to find another way!’
After pondering alone, I ultimately decided to abandon the card of Min Si-hu’s mother.
Frankly, it was outside the scope of help I could provide. How could the friends of a son change a mother’s hatred for him? It was right to give up on impossible methods quickly.
Deciding to find a new direction, I decided to trust Ban Seo-yi’s connections again. When I contacted her asking if she knew anyone in the broadcasting station, Ban Seo-yi, true to her quick replies, responded immediately.
“For media stuff, ask Min Si-hu instead of me~ His mom is an anchor there, right?”
I stared blankly at the message filling the screen pixels.
Seong Hae-min and Lee Beom didn’t seem to know that Min Si-hu’s mother was an anchor, so how did Ban Seo-yi know this? While Ban Pyo-ran was known to have good information, enough to uncover her half-sister, this was terrifying.
“But she can’t help right away due to circumstances, so I’m looking for someone else.”
“What circumstances???”Is their relationship not good?” I don’t really know.”
I couldn’t reveal the specifics of someone else’s family affairs, so I vaguely brushed it off. More importantly, considering Ban Seo-yi’s information network, finding a reporter didn’t seem too difficult, so I was about to send a message asking if she knew any other reporters she could find.
“Huh… That’s absolutely not true.”
An unexpected reply came back. I wondered what she meant by “not true” and realized she was referring to the relationship between Min Si-hu and his mother.
Min Si-hu himself said it was bad, so why was Ban Seo-yi denying it? How could she be so certain about someone else’s family matters? I felt suspicious. Was Ban Seo-yi just arrogant, or did she genuinely know something?
Since every piece of information was valuable, I couldn’t overlook even such a minor reaction. I moved the message I was writing to a temporary folder and sent a probing reply.
“Why? Do you know something?”
“I know they have a really good relationship;; It’s strange-_-”
“Family matters are complicated, you know. How can you know everything about someone else’s family?”
“But it’s really not like that… her mom cherishes him dearly.
I pondered for a moment, tapping my chin. Ban Seo-yi tended to speak aggressively and was stubborn, but she wasn’t someone who casually lied.
I maintained my cautious stance. I decided to be sure.
“How do you know? Are you also acquainted with Si-hu’s mother?”
I expected a quick reply again and looked down at my phone. However, after a long time, there was no sign of a response.
‘Is it difficult to answer? Or did something unavoidable come up during the conversation?’
It was strange. While we weren’t obligated to reply instantly to each other, it was particularly odd for someone who always replied so quickly to act so uncharacteristically.
I repeatedly opened and closed my phone’s folder, and rather than waiting indefinitely for Ban Seo-yi’s message, I decided to do something else and put my phone aside.
However, Ban Seo-yi’s reply only came a full day later. Two messages arrived side-by-side.
“It’s hard to explain, but it’s true and not something you don’t know.”
“It’s not your fault, but it’s upsetting. I just wish Min Si-hu wasn’t such an idiot who turns away from a mother like that.”
The messages filled the screen. Especially the second message, which took up so much space, seemed to convey Ban Seo-yi’s emotions as much as the character count. It reminded me of the Ban Seo-yi from the novel, whose mother was surprisingly indifferent to her daughter.
Judging by the circumstances, it didn’t seem like Ban Seo-yi was just saying anything. The content of the messages, and her behavior so far, indicated she wasn’t someone who spoke nonsense. However, it was also difficult to blindly believe Ban Seo-yi’s words.
To prepare a separate method for contacting another reporter, I refined the message in my temporary folder and sent it. This time, I received an immediate reply. She said she didn’t have any reporters she was particularly close to, but she would try to find one, so I thanked her.
After replying, I felt a sense of post-nut clarity.
We’re both high school students, yet who is asking whom for what.
‘A broadcasting station reporter isn’t a mock exam solution guide!’
I pushed my phone far away and flopped onto my back.
If Min Si-hu and his mother’s relationship improved, it would be good for everyone. We could get media help for my and Jeon Jae-hyung’s issues, and it would also be good for Min Si-hu personally.
‘But how do I help?’
What’s more, it wasn’t just a problem between Min Si-hu and his mother, but involved his maternal grandfather and his deceased father!
However, Ban Seo-yi’s messages also weighed on my mind. After much thought, I decided to meet the person directly and confirm Ban Seo-yi’s words.
When I asked if I could meet him and his mother together, Min Si-hu nodded vigorously. His head bobbed up and down so quickly, it was like he had a dog’s tail.
We set a date to visit Min Si-hu’s house.
Setting the date wasn’t difficult. Contrary to the story about his relationship with his mother being the worst, Min Si-hu knew his mother’s schedule like the back of his hand.
“You know your mother’s schedule so well?”
“Well… when Mom is home, I’m usually out.”
“…”
So this is how a delinquent teenager is born.