Another Side: From Ha-jun's Perspective
I had always carried a heavy load of regret for not being able to take proper care of Ji-an. Her asthma meant weekly hospital visits, and each time I felt terrible for how bored she looked sitting there.
“Ji-an, Daddy needs to speak with the doctor for a moment. Will you play with the nurse sisters?”
“Yep!”
I sent her out of the exam room and began the conversation.
“Ji-an has improved a lot lately. Her breathing is much more stable.”
“That’s a relief… But we still can’t let our guard down completely, can we?”
“Unfortunately, no. Asthma doesn’t have a cure… Just be extra careful on dusty days and make sure she uses her inhaler consistently. That should help.”
“Thank you. I’ll pay even closer attention from now on.”
The doctor nodded and closed the chart.
“You’re already doing a wonderful job.”
His words brought some comfort, yet my heart remained heavy. Ji-an had lost her mother when she was so young, but she had grown up bravely. She laughed and chattered like any other child and fought through her pain without complaint.
Precisely because she was so strong, the guilt cut deeper. I hadn’t been able to fill the empty space her mother left behind. Buried in work, I had failed her.
When I finally opened the exam-room door, Ji-an’s voice was nowhere to be heard. Normally the entire hospital would echo with her chatter. Worried, I approached the desk.
“Excuse me, do you know where Ji-an went?”
“Oh! Someone took Ji-an a little while ago!”
“What?”
“It sounds strange when I say it like that… but Ji-an kept trying to follow her, so…”
After hearing the full explanation, it seemed the person who had taken her was kind. Besides, Ji-an was friendly but not without caution. I dialed the number left on the memo.
“Hello?”
The voice that answered was youthful and pleasant.
“Hello, this is Ji-an’s father.”
“Ah! Yes, yes. Did the receptionist tell you?”
As we spoke, I could sense her personality. She seemed incredibly warm, the kind of person who gave affection freely and found it difficult to pull away.
Clothing Boutique
When I arrived at the store, Ji-an spotted me immediately. She grabbed my arm and tugged me toward the fitting room.
“Nanny! Daddy’s here!”
I thought, Wait, shouldn’t the door stay closed? but it was already too late. Unable to look away, I lowered my gaze and met the eyes of a petite woman.
“Ah… um…”
“Oh… yes… You must be Ji-an’s father…?”
“Yes…”
In my line of work I had met countless people, yet I had never encountered anyone this beautiful.
“Daddy! Doesn’t Nanny look pretty?”
It felt as if Ji-an were speaking for me.
“Yeah… she does.”
“Nanny! What do you think? Isn’t my daddy handsome?”
Reflexively I glanced down to adjust my sleeves, but that was a mistake. The moment I lowered my head, my eyes fell on the soft swell of her chest clad only in underwear.
“Ah— I’m sorry!”
I slammed the door shut.
[Bang!]
This is it. Anyone would call this sexual harassment. The thought seized me. I knocked, desperate to apologize.
[Knock knock]
“Are you… all right…?”
The question was whether she was okay after I had seen her, but her reply was calm.
“Ah, yes! Just a moment!”
When Ms. Seoyeon stepped out, we talked about various things as we left the store. I learned she was a bit clumsy yet possessed a bold streak that contrasted with her gentle appearance.
I had planned to part ways with Ms. Seoyeon in front of the hospital after we ate.
“Honey, what are you doing right now?”
I couldn’t make sense of the situation. The person calling her “honey” was a woman, and Ms. Seoyeon herself was clearly a woman. While I stood there trying to understand, the stranger continued hurling insults at her. I stepped forward before things escalated.
“Excuse me… I think there’s a misunderstanding. I—”
“A misunderstanding? You’re doing this even though you have a wife?”
It was the first time I had ever met someone who would speak that way in front of a child on the very day we met. I was speechless.
“It really isn’t like that. Could you please step aside? I’ll handle this.”
“No, ha—”
“Please… I’m begging you.”
It was ridiculous. Neither of us deserved such treatment. Frustration rose in my throat, but when I saw Ms. Seoyeon bow her head and plead, I couldn’t bring myself to make things harder for her. I stepped back.
“Daddy… the aunt is… bothering Nanny…”
With no other choice, I took Ji-an home. The entire way, questions swirled in my mind, all of them pointing to one conclusion: domestic violence.
The next day.
“Daddy! Is… Nanny from yesterday… okay?”
“…You really like her, don’t you?”
“Yes! She’s pretty… and kind… just like a mom!”
On the way to kindergarten I agreed with Ji-an’s words, but as an outsider there was little I could do.
“It would be nice if Nanny played with me every day!”
After hearing that, I decided to contact Ms. Seoyeon. Maybe it was because my job had taught me never to ignore someone who looked vulnerable. Or maybe it was simply Ji-an’s request that made me want to find a way to help.
I called immediately after receiving the reply, and we arranged to meet at a nearby café.
Somehow we ended up at a kalguksu restaurant instead. There, I finally learned what had happened the day before.
“Yesterday… at the hospital… it’s because I’m a patient. Have you heard of TS Syndrome?”
I had. I once handled a case involving someone with the condition.
“Isn’t it strange?”
I couldn’t understand why she would think so. The truly strange one was the woman we had met in front of the hospital. To treat someone whose entire life had vanished in an instant—and family at that—was beyond comprehension. The strange one had been that woman.
“Why do you think it’s strange?”
At my simple answer, tears welled in her eyes as if she had never received even that much kindness.
“I’m sorry… It must seem like nothing special.”
When a person’s whole life disappears in a single moment, nothing about it is small. After losing my wife, I had spent a long time feeling as though my own life had been erased overnight. The emptiness and loss I felt then must be exactly what Ms. Seoyeon was enduring now.
“People only say ‘it’s nothing’ once they’re truly all right. Please don’t say that.”
I had once repeated the same words to myself. The more I did, the more it hurt. I knew the pain well.
While we talked at Dalle Coffee, I made a mistake.
“Your family must be confused right now too, Ms. Seoyeon. Don’t worry too much.”
It was the wrong thing to say.
“Still… once time passes… things will change.”
I should have stayed silent. With every word, her expression grew tighter. Finally she spoke in a voice thick with restrained anger.
“I can’t go back anymore. I was just fired.”
I hated myself for my repeated blunders.
“…I’m sorry. I keep saying the wrong things.”
What she said next sounded like someone who had given up on everything.
“It’s all right. It’s my fault anyway.”
“No!… It’s not your fault, Ms. Seoyeon.”
I began loudly but trailed off, afraid of another mistake. In the heavy silence I finally revealed my purpose.
“By any chance… are you looking for work?”
In the end the first attempt failed. Yet soon afterward I met Ms. Seoyeon again.
“Once upon a time, in a certain village…”
Laughter bubbled up at the voice drifting from behind the door. For someone with such a cool, elegant appearance to be reading fairy tales in that gentle tone was unexpectedly charming.
“Daddy!”
While I desperately held back my smile, Ji-an ran over beaming. Ms. Seoyeon, embarrassed, kept her head lowered. I calmed myself and looked at them both, only to freeze at Ji-an’s next words.
“Daddy! Mom is going to read me a fairy tale!”
That single sentence told me just how deeply Ji-an had come to love Ms. Seoyeon. Feeling relieved, I continued the conversation—until a small shriek cut through the air.
“…Hik!”
Startled, I looked at Ms. Seoyeon. She lowered her head in shame. I was equally flustered, realizing the soft warmth I had felt a moment ago had come from her, not Ji-an, and fumbled for an excuse.
Ji-an, bored by our awkwardness, wandered off in search of something to play with. As Ms. Seoyeon and I talked, I finally heard her full story. She was truly a pitiful person.
The fact that someone like her had not yet broken was proof of how strong and remarkable she was. When I told her so, tears began to fall. I called her name in panic, but when Ji-an saw her crying and scolded me, I had no defense.
After the commotion died down, Ji-an made us promise: “Daddy won’t make Mom cry” and “Mom won’t cry.” The promises were silly, yet they became the moment I resolved to protect her.
It’s a long story, but I succeeded in hiring Ms. Seoyeon as our housekeeper. When we left kindergarten and went to eat, Ji-an cried and I panicked. When people at the park mistook us for a married couple and looked at us with disgust, a chill ran down my spine.
On the way home to draft the contract, I learned just how heavy a burden she carried. The mess I hadn’t had time to clean embarrassed me, but in the end we completed the paperwork.
It should have ended there, but midway through Ms. Seoyeon glanced at her phone and her face hardened. Seeing her like that, I understood.
Just what is chasing her so desperately?
I couldn’t send her home alone. I offered her a ride. Inside the car her face grew deathly pale, as if she might faint at any moment. The sky darkened and rain began to fall.
“Is this the right place?”
“Yes…”
I stepped out to fetch an umbrella, but she got out too and walked toward the trunk. Seeing her like that, I couldn’t understand why someone so gentle had to endure such hardship.
“Ms. Seoyeon, if anything happens… please don’t carry it alone.”
I spoke the words as a precaution and watched her enter the house. It might not even be a true home.
When I finally returned home, Ji-an was still asleep. I sighed and opened my laptop, searching for information.
TS Syndrome Domestic Violence Cases
While reviewing several precedents, my phone suddenly rang.
“Hello?”
Anxious, I answered.
“Ms. Seoyeon?”
“Hic… Hiccup…”
I waited for words, but only the sound of quiet sobbing came through the line.