Ma Gongja
“I want to be Gongja’s mom.”
Her voice was very gentle. I stared at her, wide-eyed.
Will this really be okay?
Hold on. This was the kind of problem that needed some thought.
Well, at the very least, I could express myself by crying or something.
I thought about it as objectively as I could.
She’s a top actress, a third-generation chaebol, rich, and her personality is straightforward enough to be pleasant enough, but…
I still wasn’t sure whether she was serious or simply having a whim. Of course, for the moment, she really did seem to like me…
This was my last chance to refuse.
If I acted like I hated it and cried here, maybe Ma Soo-jung wouldn’t raise me.
I looked at her.
Her eyes were sparkling. The moment I saw that shine, I couldn’t help smiling.
Cackle!
This much could still be a coincidence.
Ma Soo-jung desperately wanted to see me; maybe that was only because I was handsome.
But still.
I blinked.
I know.
Ma Soo-jung was a brilliant actress, but her life was short.
I still remembered it vividly.
It was a funeral photo.
Ma Soo-jung’s daughter was crying at the memorial portrait. It was only one photograph, but it told me exactly what kind of situation it had been.
Back then, I’d felt like I’d seen something too private and had shaken my head.
I remember thinking, what kind of asshole of a reporter takes pictures like this?
I didn’t want to glimpse that kind of sorrow. And now, for another reason, I didn’t want to see it either.
I made my choice.
Let’s do well, Ms. Ma Soo-jung.
I’ll do my best for you.
I don’t even know what, exactly, I’ll be doing well, but thank you for choosing me.
Being filial. I’d never really done that before. Could I even do it right?
At the very least, I’ll make sure that photograph never happens.
Then something damp fell onto my forehead. It was Ma Soo-jung’s tear.
What a strange feeling.
Why was it that the drops of water trickling down felt deeper than I expected?
“Yeah, Gongja.”
She whispered softly.
“I’ll be your mom. I’ll raise you really, really well.”
The top actress’s forehead and mine touched. Her breath tickled, and I broke into a small smile.
That was when it happened.
You were born to be loved.
Actress Ma Soo-jung is overjoyed because of you.
Love & Peace Coin increased by 1,000.
Wow. That all came at once.
No, more importantly, just how happy is she?
The coins shot up by a thousand.
If I have this many coins, I should be able to make Sister Theresa healthy, right?
I couldn’t help laughing for real.
“Bba-hyaaa!”
This is awesome!
As I wriggled with joy, Ma Soo-jung kissed my cheek.
“Do you like it?”
“Bya!”
Yes!
“Thank you….”
I shook my head.
Why are you thanking me, Ma Actress?
Raising a kid wasn’t cheap. Yet you were saying you’d do it anyway—for me, a child with not a drop of your blood in me.
Ma Soo-jung turned to Sister Theresa.
“A lawyer will come. He’ll make sure everything’s handled properly.”
“Ms. Soo-jung.”
“I know I don’t seem very reliable. But there’s no going back now. I’ve made up my mind.”
She wiped the tears from my forehead with her hand.
“I got divorced, so the process will be a little complicated. But even if it takes time, I’ll do this right.”
Sister Theresa let out a quiet breath.
“Ms. Ma Soo-jung.”
Honestly, I expected her to object again. But instead, Sister Theresa took the actress’s hand.
“Please take good care of him. Our Gongja was abandoned all alone with not even a single letter on a day this cold.”
“I’m really not that bad a person….”
“Ms. Soo-jung. You must make our Gongja truly happy. We’re sending him with our trust in you, but if anything unfortunate happens, we won’t just stand by and do nothing.”
It was a side of Sister Theresa I had never seen before.
I was surprised, and Ma Soo-jung was even more so. But Ma Soo-jung, who understood better than anyone what that meant, calmly drew a breath.
“I may seem childish, but please believe me. This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this, too.”
Only then did Sister Theresa seem to relax a little, and a faint smile touched her lips.
“I understand.”
The two of them smiled at one another. It was a heartwarming sight.
“Ms. Soo-jung, though, it’s late today, so you’d better head home now.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. I came so late!”
Ma Soo-jung hurriedly looked for the coat she’d taken off. The coat, already covered in snow, was being held by Sister Maria.
Sister Theresa asked, “Is it snowing heavily outside?”
“Yes. I came straight here after filming ended. I just couldn’t wait anymore. Sister, to be honest….”
She put on her damp coat and went on, “I stood out in front for ages. I kept wondering if my feelings were really just a whim. I agonized over it for hours.”
“Oh my!”
“I kept standing there like that until one of the other sisters couldn’t bear it anymore and let me in.”
Ma Soo-jung looked at me and said, “See you later. No—actually, I’m going to come by often now. Gongja.”
“Bppa-bbappa! Bbu-bbappa-yu!”
Sounds good! Come by often!
I giggled. Ma Soo-jung kept looking at my face until the very end, and only then did she finally turn away.
She was gone, but her scent still lingered.
It smells like snow.
The damp, cold air felt completely real.
She really was standing out there in the snow.
Oh no. Please don’t catch a cold, Ma Actress.
Maybe because it had been such a big event, sleepiness came over me again. As my eyes grew heavy, Sister Theresa gently patted my chest.
“Gongja, are you sleepy? Then off to sleep you go. It’s late at night.”
Sleep washed over me. I was quietly carried away into slumber. It was a comfortable sleep.
* * *
“Gongja, it’s Mommy!”
“Bbu-bbaa!”
I wriggled my arms and grabbed at the brown hair in front of me. Ma Soo-jung grinned and gave my bottom a playful pat.
“Our Gongja’s cute again today, isn’t he?”
I answered in kind.
“Bbu-aaaa!”
Of course I am!
“Did you sleep well last night? I’m sorry I couldn’t come yesterday. Mom was busy filming.”
I laughed and kicked my legs.
She’s come every single day since then. I didn’t expect her to be this devoted.
Ma Soo-jung came by at least once every day to see my face. Honestly, by now I couldn’t even call it a whim anymore. Ma Soo-jung—no, Mom—was serious.
It’s already been four months.
The top actress whispered softly, “Today’s the day we go home, Gongja.”
“Bbu-bba!”
Yay!
“Mom had such a hard time waiting. The process was a lot more complicated than I expected.”
I heard laughter behind her. It was Sister Theresa.
“At last, this day has come.”
“Yes. It’s all wrapped up perfectly.”
“You’ve worked so hard.”
“The lawyer handled all the complicated parts. I was the one who suffered from missing Gongja….”
Ma Soo-jung stroked my cheek.
“Gongja. You’re really my son now.”
“Bba-ppu-ah!”
Okay!
Seeing me laugh, Ma Soo-jung clenched her fists and wriggled at the waist.
“Ohhh, so cute! Why are you so cute? Our baby is the cutest thing in the world!”
“Gongja really is adorable.”
Watching us, Sister Theresa smiled softly. Then she let out a small breath and called her name.
“Ms. Ma Soo-jung. Please look at this for a moment.”
Sister Theresa took out a small bag.
“What is it?”
“The bag Gongja had with him.”
Sister Theresa rummaged through it.
“Look.”
“Is this baby clothes?”
“Yes. It’s the outfit Gongja was wearing when he first arrived. I packed it just in case.”
Ma Soo-jung looked at it and frowned in puzzlement.
“It’s just clothes.”
“Yes. And here’s a photo. It was taken when he first came. Looking at this, our Gongja has grown so much in four months.”
The actress stared at the photo for a long moment.
“Was this taken a few days before I met him?”
“About three or four days before, yes.”
“I see.”
Ma Soo-jung carefully put the photo away.
Sister Theresa pulled something from the very bottom of the bag.
“I think this is the most important thing. It’s the baby’s name tag.”
“Ah….”
“There was no birth date or time. Only the name was written. And the surname seems to have been scratched out like this.”
Ma Soo-jung turned the bracelet over in her hands.
“It’s just a perfectly ordinary bracelet.”
“Yes. That’s why we’ve been assuming our Gongja might be the child of some unmarried mother.”
Ma Soo-jung nodded.
“Will you give him a new name when you take Gongja?”
“No.”
Ma Soo-jung looked at me and said, “Gongja suits Gongja.”
“Ah, then his surname would be Ma….”
“Yes, he’d become Ma Gongja.”
H-huh?
W-What the hell!
I hiccupped in shock.
Wait a second. Ma Gongja?
That’s my name?
Why didn’t I think of this before?
They’d been calling her Ma Actress, Ma Soo-jung, so of course my surname would become Ma too!
Ma Gongja!
That was ridiculous!
My left arm’s going to start harboring some kind of dark dragon at this rate!
No, how in the world did that name fit a cute little me?
“Ma Gongja… That’s unusual. But it really does suit our Gongja.”
“Right?”
No. Why are you going along with this too, Sister Theresa?
“Bbu-bbu, bba-bbappa!”
Give me a different name!
I flailed my arms and legs and shook my head violently.
“Ba-ba, bbu-bbappa!”
Please change it!
I paddled furiously, but the two of them covered their mouths and laughed.
“Oh my, how adorable.”
“Seems Gongja likes it too.”
No, I don’t.
“Bpu-hyah-hyah-rarara! Bba-bba! Bbu-bbu-bbu! Bba-bba-pi-ya!”
Please change the name. What do you mean, Ma Gongja?
I’d need a whole exorcism just to introduce myself! This won’t do at all!