By Zephyria Auntie’s sharp, probing gaze felt unfamiliar. Perhaps that’s why my confused mind quickly cleared up.
“Auntie, I’ve never thought Sung Se-han was uncomfortable.”
“That’s… really a relief.”
Even as she smiled and said it was a relief, the doubt didn’t disappear from Auntie’s eyes. I had never noticed it because she had always been fond of me. Auntie had been observing me from the moment I set foot in this place until the end of the meal. With eyes full of worry and suspicion.
“So dating is something you also agreed to? For sure?”
I drank the lemonade because I was suddenly thirsty and straightened my posture.
“Auntie, there might be people who don’t find Sung Se-han to be their ideal type, but there’s no one who would reject him if he asked them to date.”
He hadn’t even asked me to date him, and he was a jerk who hadn’t even sent me a text message, let alone a phone call, from last night until this time, but still, it made me uncomfortable that Auntie kept painting him as a strange person, as if the delicious pasta I had eaten was stuck in my throat.
“What… what does Sung Se-han lack that he would unilaterally do that to me?”
“I see. You’re uncomfortable with definitively saying you’re dating?”
Auntie’s cold words made my heart sink. The anxiety I had kept hidden deep inside suddenly reared its head and instantly pushed me off a cliff. The anxiety turned into fear, making it increasingly difficult to breathe.
“It’s not that I’m uncomfortable….”
I just want to be with Sung Se-han in a place where no one knows. I wanted to hide in a dark place where no one could see us and be alone with Sung Se-han. If only that were possible, if no one could catch us holding hands, then no danger would find us.
“So you couldn’t reject Se-han either, I suppose.”
“Yes…?”
Lost in my own thoughts, I looked at Auntie with somewhat dazed eyes.
“You must have been drawn to Se-han’s genius talent, which made him a top idol as soon as he debuted. His looks, which captivate people regardless of gender, must have played a part too.”
“No….”
I was speechless at Auntie’s cold words, just gaping like a fool.
It’s true that I was captivated by Sung Se-han’s talent and that I was out of my mind over his looks, but even so, I couldn’t help but feel wronged if she just summed it up so simply.
“Auntie, it’s hard for me to tell you all my feelings, but I’m definitely not doing this lightly….”
“Keeping Se-han close will also bring many benefits to your career, Tae-kyung. Isn’t that right?”
I guess I didn’t know Auntie at all. I didn’t know she could be so emotionless and give someone sitting across from her such an insult.
“Hoo…!”
Well, someone who runs a huge lodging business can’t just be warm and kind.
“Auntie, did you bring a money envelope?”
“Yes? Puhup!”
Auntie, who had been wearing a cold expression, burst into laughter, revealing the cheerful side I knew so well.
“Puhuhu! Tae-kyung, if I ever bring a money envelope in the future, it will mean that I’m asking you to take good care of Se-han.”
“Ah… so you didn’t bring one today?”
It’s not because I’ve been short on money lately… I was just curious how much Auntie would prepare in the envelope.
“I apologize if I was rude.”
“No, there’s no need to apologize….”
“And I’m going to say something even more rude.”
Auntie, leaning back in the plush chair, smiled kindly. I didn’t smile. I don’t know what she’s going to say again, but I wish I could stop seeing new sides of Auntie today.
“Tae-kyung, do you know what Se-han’s face looked like this morning? I really wish you could have seen it too… It was the first time I’d ever seen Se-han so happy.”
I lowered my gaze to my hands, which were hidden under the table. The fingers rubbing against my slacks must look anxious because of my state of mind.
I had always wanted Sung Se-han to be happy, and I lived believing that he definitely would be. But I don’t know why Auntie is saying that he hasn’t been happy at all.
“You can make our Se-han happy, Tae-kyung, so you also have the power to make him unhappy.”
“…!”
It felt like Auntie’s words had hit me over the head. My mind was numb, and I couldn’t say anything.
“That shouldn’t happen, Tae-kyung. Because if it does, I won’t forgive you.”
Does Auntie want me to be scared by those words? I felt a pang of pity and sighed.
“Hoo…! I can’t give you any guarantees, Auntie. Someone with a more beautiful face and more special talent than Sung Se-han might appear….”
“Oh…!”
Auntie’s eyes widened as if she was surprised.
“Puhuhu! Well, if someone like that appears again, I won’t be able to do anything about it either.”
Seeing the playfulness in Auntie’s eyes made me feel a little more at ease. After all, Auntie looks best when she’s smiling kindly.
“Auntie, I heard some bad things at the company today, and I made time with difficulty. So….”
As I drank the lemonade, Auntie waited for me with curious eyes.
“Please tell me about Sung Se-han. Are you saying Se-han… hasn’t been happy until now?”
I didn’t know what to say or how to ask, so I just threw out a vague question for now.
“It’s hard to say he was happy. Our Se-han had a bit of a hard childhood.”
Surprisingly, Auntie told the truth without much hesitation, so I was the one who was flustered.
“Oh, he had a hard childhood…!”
“But he became much brighter while living with his Grandmother (Maternal)…”
Grandmother (Maternal). The moment I heard the word, my heart felt like it was being squeezed, so I pressed down on my chest without realizing it. My heart was beating loudly, thump, thump.
“After Grandmother (Maternal) passed away, he closed his mouth again… and tried not to communicate with anyone. It’s like he poured all his emotions into the piano….”
My heart ached so much that I couldn’t take my hand off my chest. I could still vividly see the twelve-year-old Sung Se-han playing the Moonlight Sonata with explosive force.
Sung Se-han had been pouring out those suppressed emotions like that.
“But, Se-han suddenly wanted CCTV footage one day, you know?”
I barely lowered my hand and looked up when Auntie’s voice brightened considerably.
“That was the first time Se-han asked me for something. So, I had no choice but to grant it, right?”
I opened all my senses and listened to what Auntie was saying. Se-han’s childhood, which I didn’t know, seemed so close I could almost grasp it, making my heart pound in a different way.
“You wouldn’t believe how much Se-han loved that CCTV footage. Anyway, we started planning together from then on and began stalking Tae-kyung.”
Auntie’s voice grew louder, as if she were telling an exciting adventure story. The fist I had clenched was lowered back under the table.
“Do you want to see it too, Tae-kyung? Shall I show it to you now?”
I had made it clear last time that I was uncomfortable.
“I don’t really want to see it.”
I didn’t want to see young Lee Tae-kyung rebelling, saying he hated the piano and wanted to become an idol, again.
“Um, Auntie…”
Instead, I wanted to see something else. The reason in my head coldly warned me to please restrain myself, but I wasn’t in a state where anyone could stop me. If not now, I couldn’t guarantee when I’d have another chance…!
“Could I… see Se-han’s, Grandmother (Maternal)’s photos?”
“Oh, of course!”
My heart started beating faster and faster as I spoke those short words, and with Auntie’s cheerful reply, it started pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of my chest.
“I only have my favorite photos on my phone… Oh, I’ll show you this one first.”
My fingers trembled as I took the phone Auntie offered.
Ah, Status Window, whom I can never forget and miss. During those times when I ran around trying to save Se-han, Status Window was always by my side. I sometimes resented Status Window, but thanks to Status Window, I was able to save Se-han and come this far.
Thanks to Status Window, I met Sung Se-han alive again.
If only I could thank Status Window again, if only I could hear that playful voice one more time. If such a dreamlike thing were allowed, I would….
“….”
Grandmother (Maternal)’s image, filling the screen, seemed to have stolen my words.
I couldn’t say anything, holding Auntie’s phone tightly in both hands. My chest was so tight I couldn’t even breathe.
Grandmother (Maternal) was smiling brightly, as if all the bright energy in the world had gathered there. Her elegant appearance, with her shining silver hair twisted up. With a beauty that would captivate everyone’s attention.
So much so that even her obviously sickly appearance couldn’t be described as pitiful.
“Isn’t my mother really beautiful?”
“Yes…”
I wanted to make a cheerful voice like Auntie, but my throat was sore and I couldn’t speak. Inevitably, I buried my nose in the screen and inadvertently swiped to the next photo.
“…!”
And after checking the next photo, my eyes and mouth were wide open.