A Visit to the Terrace
“Don’t worry about it!”
Well, I understood how she felt.
If she thought about me, that kind of concern was only natural.
“If Gongza gets shy, I’ll just skip it.”
Ansan-daek shook her head.
“No, that’s not it.”
“I felt it even when we were taking those magazine photos. Gongza’s just like the young lady.”
Oh?
“Oh, Ansan-daek felt that too?”
“Yes. During the photo shoot, he was like a fish in water.”
My mother looked down at me.
“What should I do?”
“Ba-buu!”
I want to go!
If I miss this chance, I’m not Gongza anymore, I’m Laozi.
I grinned from ear to ear. If necessary, I was ready to spend coins.
My mother saw me like that and let out a small laugh.
“My instincts are telling me Gongza wants to come to the premiere.”
Wow.
I clapped and kicked my little body around.
“Bba-uu!”
Yes. Very much yes.
“Ahahaha! Gongza, you’re adorable! Our Gongza wants to go to Mommy’s premiere, right?”
“Bba!”
Yes!
My mother picked me up and patted my bottom.
“You’re so cute I could die. What does my angel even eat to stay this adorable?”
Formula and baby food.
Ansan-daek clicked her tongue and said, “What else would it be? The young lady’s love and attention, of course.”
Ah, that mattered too, I supposed.
I smiled brightly and kicked my legs.
There are a lot of babies in the world, but babies who get all of that are rare.
So I was very grateful to her.
I looked at my mother. Ma Soo-jung, who had become my mother, was breathtakingly beautiful.
City of the Dead is going to be a massive hit.
On top of that, it had already been popular even before the story line for the “Female Warrior” character was added. Now that the biggest missing piece had been filled in, I could already see how this would turn out.
Mom.
I grabbed my mother’s hand and flailed my legs.
I’ll do even better for you.
As it turned out, raising a child cost more money than I’d expected.
Please look forward to it!
I beamed and said, “Mama!”
“Oh, our Gongza! How cute can you be?”
My mother hugged me and spun in a little circle.
“You have no idea how much strength you give Mommy. Gongza, do you know that? Mommy can do anything for a baby angel.”
Wow.
No, you really don’t have to go that far.
As she put me into my crib, my mother leaned close and whispered, “Yes. That’s right. Anything.”
Huh?
That sounds less like she’s trying to comfort me and more like she’s making a vow to herself.
While I was tilting my head in confusion, my mother flexed her fingers and pulled on a pair of leather gloves.
Wait, no. It is still cold, but why leather gloves?
I wasn’t the only one curious. Ansan-daek asked, “Young lady, what are you doing?”
“Mm. I’m going to go deal with Lee Yu-kyeong.”
Oh. Lee Yu-kyeong, then, was that woman who’d spoken so rudely back then?
I did give her a sharp tongue.
My mother rolled her shoulders.
“I caught the internet hate campaign, and one familiar name showed up.”
“Oh, my.”
Ansan-daek covered her mouth and let out a groan.
“So... you’re saying you’re going to slap the second daughter-in-law in the mansion?”
“Yeah. I’m going to wreck her.”
My mother tied her hair back.
“N-no, young lady! Still!”
“It’s fine.”
My mother smiled brightly.
“I brought my bat, after all.”
Wow. A bat. A beautiful weapon.
Our mom is incredible.
But wait.
Will this be okay?
I looked at my mother’s arms. They were toned from exercise, but still slender in the way of an actress.
Can she even swing something like that with any force? No, wait. Even so, that’s the second daughter-in-law. A bat?
My mother loosened her shoulders and strode outside with confidence. She even made a V sign and winked on the way out.
A sigh escaped me before I could stop it.
“Bba.”
“Oh, dear.”
I turned to the side. Ansan-daek and I met eyes.
We didn’t need to say anything.
At the same time, Ansan-daek and I both sighed.
“Gongza, still, don’t worry too much.”
That’s right, right?
No matter how much she hated her, she was family. She wouldn’t really bring that bat down on her, right?
“I just hope she doesn’t go too far.”
...What?
Ansan-daek looked at me and gave the mobile a little shake. Clear bell chimes rang out.
“Gongza, you don’t know how the young lady grew up, do you?”
Of course I don’t.
“She started with rhythmic gymnastics, then learned ballet.”
She learned beautiful things!
“After that, she evolved into taekwondo, boxing, and kickboxing.”
Huh.
“And after that, whenever she got stressed, she’d swing a bat. These days, I bet she still beats tires.”
Wow.
I pictured my mother standing there with a bat, hammering a tire into submission.
So she learned strong, beautiful things too.
And yet I was still worried.
What if she really does hit her?
Hmm.
Was her name Lee Yu-kyeong?
That was the lady who had greeted me so annoyingly when I first came here, right?
Well, if she really gets hit, I’ll cover the repair costs with coins.
But would she actually hit her?
Whether she could read my thoughts or not, Ansan-daek kept muttering.
“I just hope she doesn’t beat her too badly. Compensation would be expensive.”
Huh? So that’s already decided?
Hmm. I’d rather she didn’t hit her.
She could get hurt by a fragment flying off if the swing went wrong.
Our mother’s face is precious.
Ansan-daek kept worrying.
“Oh, dear. She’ll have to hit her somewhere not too visible and do it with some skill. I wonder if she can control her strength after not swinging for so long.”
For a moment, I had nothing to say.
Still, one conclusion remained.
Yeah. Our mother really is amazing.
I smiled brightly and prayed for my mother’s safe return from her bat-wielding expedition. Somehow, it felt like that was the proper thing to do.
* * *
Ma Soo-jung opened the front door and stepped inside, metal bat in hand. A servant she’d never seen before spotted her and jumped.
“Young lady?”
“Where is she?”
“Madam? She’s in the second-floor parlor.”
“No, not Madam. My sister-in-law.”
“She’s on the third-floor veranda.”
Ma Soo-jung answered with a smile worthy of an actress.
“Thank you.”
The actress ran off like a deer. She moved with such elegance that the metal bat in her hand looked like a luxury handbag.
Maybe that was why it took them a moment to recover their senses after staring at her back.
“Ah, the call! I should call her!”
By the time they snapped awake in a panic, the bus had already left the station.
Ma Soo-jung was already sprinting like lightning.
When she reached the third-floor veranda, she looked around for her target. Fortunately, the target was nearby.
She gave the bat a light swing. The club, delighted to meet its owner again after so long, let out a joyful hum.
Wung-
Wung-
Ma Soo-jung stepped gracefully onto the veranda. Of course, the first thing she did after entering was rest the bat back on her shoulder.
“Hi.”
Lee Yu-kyeong had been trying to drink her coffee with elegance, but her hand slipped.
“Y-young lady?”
Ma Soo-jung didn’t answer. At times like this, actions worked better than words.
Bang-
The luxurious tea table shook with a crash. Lee Yu-kyeong stared at the dent left by a single blow of the bat.
“W-what do you think you’re doing!”
“What do I think I’m doing?”
Bang-
One strike to the corner sent the table skidding away. Lee Yu-kyeong hurriedly tried to get up, but Ma Soo-jung was faster; her knee pressed her back down first.
“Y-young lady!”
“There were malicious comments about our Gongza, and when I looked into it, I found you.”
“N-no!”
“Yesterday I got the call, so I pulled out the leather gloves for the first time in a while. Hey! What did I say? I said I wouldn’t let it slide, didn’t I?”
Ma Soo-jung hooked a finger under Lee Yu-kyeong’s chin.
“Th-this is gangster behavior!”
“The gangsters are your lot. Aren’t you from that brilliant family that made its money in loan sharking before winning big at baccarat?”
Lee Yu-kyeong bit her lip.
“I think my own family is bottom-of-the-barrel, but life taught me there’s a basement even lower than the bottom. Seeing you reminded me of that after a long time.”
Despite her sharp tone, Ma Soo-jung smiled with elegant poise. Lee Yu-kyeong trembled.
“This kind of threat isn’t even a big deal in your house, is it? Why are you shaking?”
“I-I’ve never been treated like this!”
Lee Yu-kyeong was already crying. Ma Soo-jung tilted her head.
“Really? So what? Because you haven’t been dealt with until now, does that mean you never should be?”
Lee Yu-kyeong shook in fear.
“If you try to lay a hand on our Gongza again, I won’t let it go.”
“T-this...”
“Got it? If you do, nod.”
Lee Yu-kyeong stayed still. But the moment Ma Soo-jung lifted a hand toward her face, she flinched and cried out, “O-okay! I won’t do it again!”
“Won’t do it again? Are you talking back to me now? There are proper levels to things.”
“I-I won’t do it, young lady.”
“Good. That’s my good girl.”
Ma Soo-jung stood up lightly. Then she kicked the overturned table once more and turned away.
“I’m a mad dog, so if I say I’ll do something, I do it.”
She turned elegantly and said, “Think carefully about what that means.”
For an instant, Lee Yu-kyeong’s whole body jerked.
Ma Soo-jung slung the bat back over her shoulder and left the veranda. Secretary Cha came rushing over in a panic, but the game was already over.
“Secretary Cha! It’s been a while.”
“Young lady!”
“Don’t shout. She’s perfectly fine over there.”
“A-and you, young lady?”
Ma Soo-jung blinked.
“Hm?”
“You’re fine too, right, young lady?”
The actress covered her mouth and laughed. Perhaps because she was loved by everyone, she was also popular with the staff.
“Of course I am.”
“I see. Then I’ll go check on the veranda.”
Just as she was about to turn back, a far more formidable opponent blocked her path.
Ma Soo-jung greeted her brightly.
“Oh, Madam, hello.”
Lady Na Hwa-jin frowned when she saw her daughter.
“What on earth is that outfit?”
Ma Soo-jung smiled at the bat.
“I’m going into battle, so I need a weapon.”
“You... surely not...”
“It’s for intimidation, not violence. You know I don’t hit people these days.”
She did beat tires, though.
“Ever since Gongza came to me, I’ve been living properly.”
At her daughter’s words, Lady Na Hwa-jin shook her head.
“You’re short on thought. You still only look at the trees and miss the forest.”
“I didn’t hit her at all while I was busy looking at the forest.”
“If you do that, do you think the second wife will just sit still? You should consider that she might do something worse. Tsk.”
“Really?”
Ma Soo-jung turned slightly.
“Then I should go back.”
“For what?”
“Things like this need to be made clear. If I break something important for her, she won’t dare try anything stupid with our Gongza.”
“You don’t need to.”
Lady Na Hwa-jin let out a sigh.
“I’ll take responsibility and make sure she doesn’t.”
“My, why? You hate trouble.”
“You’re still entangled with the second branch.”
Ma Soo-jung snorted.
Right. When her second brother got married, he had tangled the branches together with all kinds of mergers and subsidiaries and whatnot.
“So you’re saying it doesn’t matter as long as we’re not entangled.”
“We’re still very entangled. It takes time.”
Ma Soo-jung let out a small laugh.
“This damned house always works like this.”
She looked thoroughly sick of it. Shaking her head, she said, “Even so, it’s strange to see someone who rarely comes forward do this. Did you take a liking to our Gongza, perhaps?”
Lady Na Hwa-jin immediately scowled.
“As if. I was choking on the smell of a mongrel.”
Ma Soo-jung was about to say something, then closed her mouth instead. Since childhood, she had long known that there were some people words would never reach.
Bitterness rose in her chest.
My angel, who would be cherished wherever he went, has to hear this here.
She swept her hair back and sighed.
“What a damn house.”
Ma Soo-jung tucked the bat under her arm and shot Lady Na Hwa-jin a sidelong look.
The madam of Sungjin Group ignored her and passed by gracefully, leaning on her cane.
Ma Soo-jung was just about to hurl a string of curses at her back when she thought of her adorable baby angel.
I need to make our Gongza happy...
She’d been so confident when she brought him home, but somehow the situation only grew more unsettling by the day.
Maybe I’m not fit to raise an angel.
Bitterness lingered at the corner of her mouth. Ma Soo-jung let out a deep sigh. For the first time in a while, she felt an urgent need to go beat something with a bat.