Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: All Parents Are Different
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All parents are different.
"Auntie, one more bottle of soju here!!"
With the order, a chilled bottle of soju dripping with condensation was placed on the table.
The moment I twisted off the cap to blow it back in one go again, Go Yuna beat me to it.
Whoosh-!
Her small hand snatched the soju bottle right before I could grab it.
Twist-!
With a strength unbelievable for her slender wrist, she unscrewed the cap.
Glug glug glug...
She filled the stainless steel glass in front of her to the brim with clear soju.
Then, without a moment's hesitation, she brought it to her lips.
I could see the harsh liquor sliding down her pale, slender throat with a 'gulp'.
"Phew-"
She slammed the empty glass down with a 'thunk', winced, and let out a few dry coughs.
Then she glared at me even harder than before.
As if saying, 'You think you're the only one who can do it? I can too, you fucker.'
I burst out laughing loudly.
"Pfft, you little shit... What a fucking temper."
"......"
"College student working at a factory? For tuition?"
"Yes."
That short reply.
At least it wasn't as rock-bottom as that bitch Han Yura, jerking off guys and spreading her legs for tuition money. That eased my mind a bit, but it still pissed me off like hell.
The fact that my own blood was living like that, out of my sight.
And...
Sudden scenes I'd never experienced flashed through my mind like a panorama.
Fuck.
That bitch of a mom must've followed her to every sports day with homemade lunches,
woken up at dawn on picnic days to make fucking kimbap,
slipped thick envelopes under the teacher's desk at parent-teacher conferences.
Good test scores? Whole family gathers for a chicken party, laughing their asses off...
Fucking lived like that, huh?
Fuck, a flower in a greenhouse?
I deliberately sneered even harder.
"Your mom must treat you like fucking gold, huh?"
"......"
The girl claiming to be my sister shot me a sideways glare instead of answering.
"What? Gonna do something if I badmouth her?"
"Sigh..."
She let out a deep sigh. With that, I made my decision.
"...Look into transferring schools. To a college near Paju in Gyeonggi-do. I'll cover housing and tuition."
"......"
Her eyes shook like there was an earthquake. Before she could speak, I nailed it down.
"Not doing it out of the goodness of my heart or anything. I'm a natural-born philanthropist. 'Paju's Giving Angel Kim Cheolsu' gets a ton of props. Look at me, I'm a local bigshot. Can't have some chick from the same pussy working in a factory—fucking embarrassing."
I explained my generosity in my own way.
Of course, I was ignoring the real reason deep down, even from myself.
Now she just had to shut up and nod.
But she reacted completely differently from what I expected.
"First off..."
"First off what? Fuck, you hit the fucking lottery. Just shut..."
Before I could finish, she cut me off.
"College isn't about 'transferring', is it?"
"...What?"
"What, you think it's high school? 'Transfer'? If you mean transferring credits or re-enrolling, maybe. Fucking ignorant."
That instant, my brain froze.
The girl who'd been poking at her food in awe of my money and power just called me 'fucking ignorant'.
Backed by facts.
I stared at her blankly.
She was still glaring at me with that pissed-off look.
Genes are fucking scary...
Fuck, even charging in headfirst is just like me...
Suddenly, a horrifying thought crossed my mind.
'Fuck, is our Bada like this because she takes after me?'
[Dad! Why the fuck are you such a fucker?! Watch your dickhead!]
Imagining my daughter yelling that at me when she grows up made my shoulders twitch involuntarily from the nightmare.
Right then, through the gukbap joint's window, I spotted a rag of a woman pacing nervously outside, peeking in.
A ridiculously short skirt flashing thigh meat, glittering under passing car headlights.
A mini dress squeezing massive tits so hard the cleavage popped out.
A woman in her mid-to-late thirties advertising 'I'm a bar girl' with her whole body.
Blood pulling me—now I got what that meant.
Thought I'd feel nothing.
Thought it'd just be disgust and rage.
But my heart stung.
Ah, fuck...
That's my mom...
I stared blankly out the window, then blurted to Go Yuna across from me.
"Hey, is that your mom?"
Her head snapped toward the window.
Spotting her mom dithering out front, her face hardened. She shot up and strode over.
She flung the gukbap joint door open with enough force to kick it, yelling loud enough for me to hear.
"Ah, fuck!! What crime did you commit?! Get in here, what are you doing?!"
Go Yuna strode back.
Behind her trailed an auntie, dragged in reluctantly, shuffling awkwardly.
Self-conscious of the stares, she tugged down her short skirt while covering her cleavage, approaching the table all hunched and ashamed.
She sat next to Go Yuna, across from me, head bowed, avoiding eyes.
That's the face of a 'mom', huh.
Something welled up in me at the sight. I swallowed it and yelled.
"Auntie!! One more soju here!!"
While the new soju arrived, heavy silence hung between us three.
Me staring at distant mountains.
The sister-figure glaring at me like I was shit.
And the mom-figure bowed like a criminal.
I cracked the new bottle and chugged straight from it.
The harsh booze burned down my throat.
With the 'thunk' of the empty bottle, Go Yuna broke the suffocating silence.
"When Mom drinks and meets that 'Oppa' she sings about... say something to him."
Drinks and looks for me?
Ha, fuck...
Saying this for me to hear on purpose? Trying to tug my sympathy to escape this shit?
Ha, fuck...
I quickly crunched numbers in my head.
She's 41.
I'm 25.
She was just sixteen when she had me.
Younger than Chaewon when she had Haneul.
Makes sense in my head...
But fucking doesn't.
Obviously a sixteen-year-old girl couldn't raise a kid.
But that doesn't change that she abandoned me.
Fucking bullshit...
I couldn't say shit, just fiddled with my glass.
Across, the bowed woman trembled like a sinner.
I said nothing more.
Just sat and downed five more bottles in a row.
The gukbap table reeked of silence the whole time.
Go Yuna's barely touched gukbap got nudged toward the mom by her daughter's hand.
But the mom kept her face buried in the bowl, untouched spoon.
Fucking hell,
Shit. This fucking sucks...
Couldn't take the stuffy vibe anymore.
Temper flaring, I shot up, chair toppling back. Go Yuna's startled eyes hit me.
"Where's home?"
"......"
I didn't wait for an answer, headed for the door.
They'd have to follow.
Sure enough, chair scraping and hurried steps behind me.
In the rain, I grabbed a taxi, hopped in the front first.
The mother-daughter pair hesitated, then climbed in back.
Taxi rolled out quietly per Go Yuna's address.
I glanced in the rearview at the two side-by-side, heads down.
One who birthed me, one supposedly my sister.
A goddamn awkward combo.
The stop was a rotting neighborhood like where I lived in Siheung back then.
Villa cluster at least 30 years old.
Alleys too narrow for cars, let alone guys walking abreast.
I got out wordlessly.
Followed the leading pair, cig dangling from my lips.
Damp air, musty mold from crumbling concrete.
All dragged up my suffocating past.
Then, a sight that furrowed my brows.
'No, fuck. Who's the psycho driving a foreign whip down this tight alley?'
Illegally parked white luxury car gleaming, clogging the alley.
Price and size totally mismatched the hood—pissed me off for no reason.
I approached, stubbed my cig out on the pristine window.
Sizzle, ash smearing dirty on the glass.
If they report it, I'll pay up, whatever...
I kept walking casually.
Thud thud, heavy steps led to a barely habitable villa where the women stopped.
Guess we're here.
I waited silently for them to open the creaky shared entrance.
Door opened to a typical two-women setup.
Tiny kitchen-living room combo.
Two rooms from closed doors.
Worn but tidy.
And what caught my eye...
Pics plastered on the fridge, full of nostalgia.
Kindergarten graduation, elementary sports day, beach trip...
Fuck...
Saw how they live. Good enough. Time to head to Seoul and fuck up that old bastard Cheon Myeong-hwan.
I glanced at the awkwardly staring duo, pulled my wallet from my back pocket.
Yanked out the wad of crisp white checks inside.
Easily millions.
True to Paju's sucker rep, my gold business card slipped out too, for no reason.
I tossed the handful onto the table casually, spat the finale of this shitty play.
"Was shit meeting you. Never see you again."
As the gold card glinted under the dim living room light, I slammed the entrance door shut without looking back.
Never turned twice.
Eh, fuck.
Why's the world so fucking hazy?
Fine dust is bullshit...
Making excuses, I roughly wiped my eyes with the back of my hand.
Damn.
They say listen to the wife and you'll get laid even in your sleep...
Glad I came alone like Chaewon said. I trudged down from this rotting shithole.
This Busan alley smelled just like the one in Siheung from my childhood.