The Inquisitor's Smile
"Jihyun, ah~"
Soyeon slides the porridge into my mouth. A spoonful cooled to the perfect temperature slips past my lips.
"Young love really is something special! Where in the world did you find such a well-behaved, pretty girl?"
"Oh, Mother, you're too much..."
Soyeon smiles with feigned bashfulness, scoops up another spoonful, and blows on it gently to cool it down.
"Come on, open wide again."
I accept the bite and let my mind wander. I can't tell her what happened with Jimin. No matter how sweetly she's smiling right now, she's definitely nursing a deep, festering knot of rage and resentment. The moment I confess the truth, both Jimin's and Professor Kim's lives would be finished. Yet I still can't come up with a flawless excuse that would completely defuse this situation.
"Is the fever any better now?"
Soyeon lifts the damp towel from my forehead and presses her own against it.
"Mmm... still feels like you have one."
Mom sits watching with keen eyes as Soyeon soaks the towel in water once more and wrings it out.
"I knew you had a girlfriend, but how on earth did our son manage to charm such a beautiful girl? Honestly..."
"We first met at a group gathering. The two of them pulled me aside and suggested we hang out separately."
"Aigoo! Just like his father—he sees a pretty face and loses all sense."
"Exactly... I know."
Mom and Soyeon share a laugh. I can't read the thoughts behind Soyeon's eyes as she lays the towel back on my forehead. The fever and bone-deep exhaustion from the pain are clouding my ability to think straight.
"...Soyeon, I don't want any more."
"You've barely eaten half of it."
"That's right. The sicker you are, the more you need to eat. Listen to your girlfriend and finish it."
The easy rapport they've built between them fills me with unease.
Soyeon brings another spoonful to my lips.
"Ah~"
...I eat it.
While Soyeon is busy washing dishes in the kitchen, Mom approaches my bedside.
"Our son has excellent taste. I really like Soyeon."
"...Yeah."
"It's rare to find a woman who takes such good care of her boyfriend these days. Make sure you treat her right."
"I will."
"Sigh... So, what exactly happened that you came home injured like this?"
"...Work-related."
"Don't do anything dangerous."
"I won't..."
"Still, I'm relieved. I was worried you'd keep living alone like some aimless bum."
"..."
"And your father said he wants to see me soon."
"During break?"
"No, this Sunday. You've got three days."
"Then I won't be able to go."
"He only invited me. He said you're busy with the semester, so I should come alone. Apparently he's doing well enough to treat me properly for once."
"That's good."
"I almost couldn't go because of you."
"...Sorry."
"Hoo... It's fine. Just get healthy, please. If you don't want to see your mother collapse from worry."
"I understand."
"Anyway, I'll be gone next week, so the two of you behave while I'm away."
The two of us... Through the doorway I can see Soyeon's back as she works. To Mom, that calm, diligent figure washing the porridge bowl and utensils must look like the perfect, capable young woman. To me, she looks like a medieval inquisitor calmly deciding how to dispose of a heretic. Even if what she's holding is only a spoon...
"And you two fought, didn't you?"
"A little."
"Soyeon still seems to be holding her anger inside. Do whatever you can to cheer her up. A mother's intuition is sharper than you think, so just do what I tell you."
"...Really? Okay."
Mom must have noticed too. Of course she would—she's my mother.
"By the way, how did you know to open the door for her?"
"She was standing outside calling your name and sobbing, so I let her in."
"...Even so, you shouldn't have just opened the door. It could have been dangerous."
"You expect me to ignore a beautiful girl crying her eyes out and pounding on the door while screaming my son's name?"
"When did she get here?"
"This morning."
"What have you two been doing until now?"
"Talking about you. If it weren't for Soyeon, I wouldn't have even known you were missing. I just assumed you went off somewhere with your friends again. I was shocked when I heard."
She must have told Mom she came looking for me and that I hadn't been home at all. Soyeon is definitely suspicious of Jimin. I don't know if she can actually smell her on me, but it's only natural she'd suspect the girl I was fighting with most recently.
There are three things I need to explain:
Why I said we should break up.
Why my body is covered in wounds.
Where I've been for the last twenty-four hours.
The missed calls can be excused by saying I was too out of it from the injuries, so that one's off the list. How can I make all three sound convincing? I absolutely cannot mention Jimin at all. Dragging up old friends as an excuse would be stupid. Soyeon will dig into every word I say with vicious thoroughness. I need a believable reason that won't fall apart under scrutiny...
"Mother, I'm all done!"
"Oh my, thank you... Could you watch Jihyun for me? Now that I can relax a little, I feel exhausted."
Mom leaves the room, deliberately giving us space. ...This is not the kind of consideration I need right now.
"Jihyun, what were you talking about with Mother?"
Soyeon sits on the edge of my bed.
"Just... Mom said she was worried about me. That I shouldn't do it again."
"Anything else?"
"She's going to see Dad soon."
"What did she say about me?"
"She did mention you."
"Really? What did Mother say about me?"
"That you're pretty. She likes you, so I should treat you well."
"Really? That's a relief... I was worried after showing such an ugly side of myself this morning. I was afraid she might think badly of me."
Soyeon strokes my hair with a happy smile.
"Yeah, don't worry."
"Mother really is a wonderful person."
"She is."
"Then why does our Jihyun keep telling such nasty lies?"
Soyeon looks down at me. The smile on her face carries an undercurrent of ice that presses down on my chest.
"...Soyeon, I'll explain everything."
I still don't have a solid idea. I can't connect the stab wound, the breakup declaration, and a twenty-four-hour alibi in any believable way.
"No, no, it's fine."
Soyeon presses her index finger to my lips, signaling me to be quiet.
"I'm in a really good mood right now! It's like riding a roller coaster. Our baby suddenly said he wanted to break up, but now he's come back so adorably. I still want to savor this feeling a little longer."
"Besides, Mother seems to like me... I'm so happy today."
Soyeon pinches my cheek.
"Our Jihyun... hmm? You prepared such a fun event for me, didn't you?"
She tugs and squeezes my cheek, gazing at me like I'm something cute.
"So, I'm going to prepare an event for you too! You have to tell me honestly why you did this, where you went, and what you were doing... Understand?"
I nod. There's still time.
"Get some rest... You need to recover quickly."
Before I'm fully healed, I have to come up with something. Anything.
"...Okay."
"Mother, you must bring sunscreen if you're going to Southeast Asia!"
"Aigo, I would have forgotten. Thank you."
"And I bought these for you and Father to enjoy there."
Soyeon presents a plastic bag sealed with kimchi and ramen.
"You told me Mother can't live without kimchi! I thought Father would like the ramen too. Even if they sell it in Korean towns or markets over there, it's just not the same as the ones from home."
"Oh my, is this what having a daughter feels like? You're just too lovely."
The two of them laugh warmly as they finish packing.
Tomorrow morning Mom will leave to see Dad. It's a fairly long trip—fourteen nights, fifteen days. She must have felt lonely with me barely coming home. The moment Dad invited her, she agreed immediately...
"Mom, be careful. The security there is better than most places, but you should still watch out as a tourist."
"Your father has gone completely native. He even looks like a local now. Nothing will happen. And they're putting me up in a hotel, so I'll just enjoy myself there."
"That's good, then."
"You two be good. You're at that age where things can happen before you know it."
"Oh... Mother."
Soyeon lowers her eyes to the floor in apparent embarrassment.
"I'm more worried about Jihyun. Even if you do it, you must use protection no matter what. Don't do anything you can't take responsibility for."
"...Mom, I'm not like that."
"Mother, have a safe trip!"
"Travel safely."
"I will. You two take care of each other. When I come back I'll bring some of that dried mango you like, Jihyun. What should I get for my new daughter?"
"I like dried mango too! Please get some for both of us!"
"Alright. Let me give you both one last hug. Aigoo, my son and daughter..."
Mom pulls both of us into her arms. Once she leaves, it'll be just the two of us.
"Look, that taxi over there!"
Soyeon waves to flag one down.
"Mother, let me load your luggage."
Soyeon lifts the heavy bags into the trunk with ease.
"Oh, our daughter is strong too! How impressive~"
"I'll call you. Have a wonderful trip!"
Soyeon opens the rear door and helps Mom inside.
"Yes, please take good care of our Jihyun."
"I will, Mother."
The door closes. Mom waves. The taxi pulls away, and she grows smaller in the distance.
"Mother's gone now."
"Yeah."
Soyeon wraps her arm around my waist.
"Shall we go home too?"
"...Yeah."
"It's been a while, hasn't it?"
The studio apartment, cluttered with all sorts of objects, feels strangely unfamiliar. I can vaguely sense what Soyeon must have done here.
"Watch your step! I broke some things..."
Soyeon sweeps up the shattered soju bottle and dishes.
"Lie down over there for a bit. There's nothing on the blanket."
"Soyeon, I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"...Because of me, everything ended up like this."
"Hmmm... Well, that's true."
Soyeon carefully dumps the collected shards into the trash.
"Soyeon, I'll explain everything... I didn't have a choice."
While lying down I managed to piece together a scenario. It's something she won't be able to verify easily. No, something she won't even try to verify. If I can get through this smoothly, the situation should resolve itself to some degree.
I take a slow, deep breath and begin speaking to Soyeon as she approaches.
"You know too, right? Near the sch—"
Crack!