A New Beginning (2)
When I first sat down with the people at the counseling clinic and we talked, someone had briefly mentioned it: She seems like she’s from another world. Decent-looking, but she stares at the aunties like they’re insects. I’m seeing the truth of those words with my own eyes right now.
The woman walking toward me carries herself like someone who has spent her entire life freely indulging in every luxury the world has to offer. There are moments when a person is so strikingly beautiful that they feel almost unreal, and all you can do is stand there, stunned. That is exactly what this woman does to me. Anyone would take one look and assume she was the daughter of a wealthy family. Her appearance creates an aura that feels detached from reality itself. And it’s obvious how rudely she treats Director Choi and the aunties—both in her actions and her words. Of course, she’ll soon treat me the same way.
I finally understand why the director has been so distressed. This woman—or rather, the wealth and power of her family—must be applying immense pressure on him. I feel a considerable weight of intimidation myself, but I believe I can handle it. More than that, if I leave things as they are, the director will clearly end up in serious trouble. I have no choice but to step forward.
It’s fine. I’ve already stood at death’s door once. If I don’t do this, the director and everyone else at the clinic will suffer. If I fail to satisfy her, the consequences will be far worse than expected. The director is already trapped in an exploitative relationship with her; he can’t simply send her away. So now her attention has turned to me, and I must begin again from the start.
She looks me up and down. The attack is coming any second.
“What is this? Are they running some kind of peer-counseling internship for kids here?”
Her words are clearly meant to provoke me. I answer with a smile.
“Aren’t you the actress who’s always in those morning dramas? You know, the rich daughter role! If it’s a filming day, I should probably get out of your way.”
I finish with the brightest, most innocent smile I can manage, then stand and walk over to the water dispenser. I fill a paper cup and drink. I can feel countless eyes on my back—the director’s and the aunties’ shocked stares, the glares from the men around us who are clearly offended that I dared to reduce such an exalted person to a mere soap-opera actress, and the piercing gaze of the woman herself as she waits for her young, beautiful “owner” to give the order.
I sit down quietly on the plush sofa, still holding the paper cup. One of her eyebrows arches sharply. She crosses her arms, leans against the reception desk at an angle, and glares at me.
“Hey. You.”
She calls me with a single finger, beckoning lazily.
“Sorry, I get nervous when there’s a camera around…”
I give an awkward smile and make a polite gesture of refusal. One of the men who escorted her—the one who looks like their leader—flares up and starts toward me.
“You little son of a—”
The woman stretches an arm out in front of him. As if his earlier rage had been an illusion, he stops instantly, completely calm. Seeing how obediently he obeys, it’s clearly not just an employer-employee relationship. It feels more like master and servant.
She uncrosses her arms and walks slowly over, sitting on the sofa beside me.
“Who do you think you are, acting so far above your station?”
“I’m a student who came by to ask the director for a part-time job.”
She drapes one arm over the back of the sofa, rests her chin on her hand, and studies me with open interest.
“Director! You don’t have anything else for this kid to do, right?”
The director glances at me, then speaks carefully.
“Pardon? Ah… well, that’s true. He’s still an intern, so…”
“Then I’ll take him with me.”
“Excuse me?”
“Why? Can’t I?”
“No, no, that’s not what I meant…”
The director looks back and forth between us, visibly worried. I give him a small nod that I hope conveys It’s all right. There’s the debt we’ve accumulated from borrowing the counseling room, and we’ll likely need to rely on his goodwill again in the future. I will remove this woman who keeps troubling our clinic and settle things myself.
Time to provoke her a little more.
“I’m sorry, but my counseling internship is more important to me. If you’re looking for someone to play with, you should find someone else.”
“Don’t counselors have a duty not to turn away clients who arrive first?”
“From what I can see, your father or mother sent you here because you cause so much trouble and they want you to get your act together. Yet you ignore the counseling you’re supposed to receive and just throw tantrums for fun.”
I keep prodding, deliberately irritating her. Her face twists for a brief moment. She tries to hide her displeasure and force a smile, as if none of it affects her. Looks like I struck the right nerve.
In the end, unable to laugh off her irritation, she thrusts her sharply hardened expression directly at me.
“So what? Before I smash this place to pieces and shut it down, are you coming with me or not?”
I end up riding in the same car as the woman who had been throwing tantrums and tormenting the director. It’s the kind of car my friend who’s into vehicles always stares at, muttering, “That one’s expensive.” I don’t know the exact model. In the front seats are the leader-looking middle-aged man driving and another man in the passenger seat watching me. Beside me, the woman sits with her legs crossed, gazing out at the scenery. Three more men follow in a car behind us.
“May I ask where we’re going?”
“Who knows? Use that clever head of yours. You were so good at playing detective earlier.”
“I apologize for what I said before.”
She stops looking at the scenery and turns her gaze fully toward me.
“This is ridiculous. What exactly are you trying to do?”
“It seemed like the director was struggling with you as a client, so I redirected your attention to myself to help end the session smoothly.”
“And now you’re saying sorry?”
“When a counselor is distressed, the client can’t receive proper help either. It was a choice for both of you. I simply told the truth.”
She snorts and turns her whole body to face me.
“Like you said earlier, my father nags me so much that I just pretend to attend counseling so I can get some rest. Anyway, you’re saying you’ll entertain me in the director’s place?”
“I’m saying I’ll conduct the counseling in his stead. The director has many responsibilities, so he must have found it difficult to speak properly while trying to accommodate you. I won’t fumble and entertain you the way he does.”
The car gradually slows down. I sense we’ve arrived. Through the window I see several men approaching the stopped vehicle; they open the door for us.
“Get out. I’ll decide whether you’re all talk or actually crazy.”
I have to do well from here on. Truthfully, I’m scared. If I make a mistake now, I don’t even want to imagine how dark my future will become. Still, it’s all right. I can do this.
“This way, please.”
A smiling employee guides me with perfect courtesy. We pass through a large, imposing revolving door together, and a breathtaking lobby opens before me. The ceiling is adorned with countless decorative pieces. Stores with luxury brand names I’ve only heard about in passing line the space, along with wines and extravagant goods whose price tags I’m afraid to even look at. The lobby had seemed fairly crowded, but the moment the woman enters, the lively atmosphere instantly quiets. The beautiful woman escorted by multiple attendants claims the entire atmosphere of the space as her own.
I follow her, observing my surroundings. It really is a beautiful, magnificent place. Someday, when I make a lot of money, I’d like to bring Mom here.
We keep walking until we reach a space with the atmosphere of a café. The men who followed us position themselves naturally near the entrance and within view of our table. The leader pulls out a chair for the woman, then heads off somewhere. A female employee who looks like staff pulls out a chair for me. This is my first time in a place that offers this level of service, so I feel quite flustered.
“There are too many people here. It’s annoying, don’t you think?” the woman says, stroking her nails.
“There are a lot of people who look happy. It’s pleasant to see. They must be well-off. Spending time so joyfully in a place like this…”
“No, they’re probably just here to take pictures for Instagram.”
“If showing off makes them feel good, what’s the harm?”
“In reality they don’t have the ability, yet they talk as if they enjoy this every day. Eventually they just become more and more miserable.”
I worry that the venom in her words might reach the nearby tables. I don’t want to disturb the people sitting there smiling happily.
“Still, isn’t it rude to say such things loud enough for the next table to hear? There might be people here who really are wealthy, and even those who aren’t might have come for a day of mood-lifting.”
“Why are you taking their side? Are you on the same level as them?”
“I’m far below them. I’m not taking their side. I simply want to correct your aggressive and inconsiderate behavior.”
She frowns and raises her hand, beckoning. An employee hurries over, and she orders something with names I’ve never heard before. I have no idea what she’s ordering, but the employee seems to understand perfectly and rushes off.
“You’re only running your mouth like that because you don’t know who I am, right?”
“Since I don’t know who you are, I’m giving you an honest assessment based solely on the behavior you’re showing me right now.”
She lets out a small laugh.
“True. There’s no way you’d know.”
Employees set an array of glasses in front of us. Each glass—different in size and shape—is filled with various wines as if following some predetermined pattern. She picks up one of the glasses and holds it out toward me.
“Shall we talk after we’ve had a few drinks, Mr. Grumpy Counselor?”
I pick up an identical glass and extend it as well.
“Sounds good, Ms. Cynical Client.”
The two wine glasses clink together, producing a clear, beautiful sound.