A Tense Dinner
The address for a rather expensive restaurant—the one we occasionally visited together—arrived from Min-a. As we opened the door and stepped inside, she greeted us with a smile.
“You two are later than I expected.”
Her words carried a subtle barb. She clearly already knew where we’d been and what we’d been doing, yet she spoke as if the delay was because of our niece. Or perhaps she’d decided from the start to torment the girl. How dare she come to her boyfriend’s house first? There were limits to how much one could grate on someone’s nerves.
“I was surprised too when I left the house. I got caught up gathering a few things and ended up running late.”
I’d only meant to stop by the apartment to drop off the luggage, but Yerin had insisted we leave right away. She didn’t want to keep Sungmo waiting.
‘How have you already made the child so conscious of your moods?’
When I tried to sit beside Min-a, Yerin slipped into the seat first.
“Then you should have called me. It’s different when a man and woman meet, after all. Even if Samchon is right there, you might miss something.”
“You’re busy with work at the company. How could I call you?”
“Is the company more important? Oppa’s matters come first. Oh, and Yerin, your sister took care of the order. Oppa and I have eaten here before, and the steak is quite good. Both of you need to take better care of yourselves. Your faces are so thin.”
“Yes. Thank you, Sungmo.”
“Sungmo? Just call me sister, I’ve told you before.”
Min-a shuddered theatrically, as if the word disgusted her. That could wait. She waved her hand at Yerin, saying the girl could call her Sungmo once they had a child of their own and the baby started school.
“But Grandma said… She told me to use proper titles with adults. She said I must call you Sungmo.”
Yerin defied her with crisp precision. She would do exactly as she had been taught.
“Mother… Yes, Mother did say that. Both Oppa and Yerin. Your family really does listen to Mother so well.”
Min-a was smiling brightly. She had probably encountered someone defying her in a long time—at the company, at home, even from her own boyfriend. Everyone around her bent to her will.
Thanks to that, the atmosphere between the two women grew increasingly strange.
“Doesn’t Sungmo listen to her parents?”
“Me? Well… I’m just an ordinary daughter, aren’t I? Though I did lie sometimes. To spend the night with Oppa.”
“Hey, don’t say weird things in front of the kid.”
“Why? Yerin knows everything already. Speaking of which, Yerin, do you have a boyfriend?”
“No.”
“Sorry. With your uncle right here. I should have asked when it was just us girls, right?”
“It’s fine. I really don’t have one.”
“Still, you must have dated before.”
I was curious too. My sister had given birth to such a beautiful girl; of course there would have been plenty of boys eager to date her. I was already turning into a doting uncle. I didn’t even know who they were or where they lived, but I already wanted to beat the crap out of any punk who had dared make a move on my niece.
Yerin shook her head instead of answering.
“Why? Why not? At your age, everyone dates and breaks up. All my friends did back then.”
“I went to an all-girls high school… and I wasn’t interested in meeting anyone.”
“I suppose that makes sense. Honestly, when I was in school I thought I’d never find anyone I liked and would have to live alone. But life has a way of changing your mind.”
Min-a toyed with my left hand. The ring on my finger caught the light and sparkled under her touch.
“In the end, it turned out like this. With your uncle.”
“Ah… So Samchon was Sungmo’s first love?”
“That’s right. Wait, Oppa, how long have we known each other? I started following you around when I was still in high school…”
“Samchon! That’s a crime!”
“Oh please. I didn’t do anything. If anyone committed a crime, it was her.”
“That’s funny. So relationships just happen without both people’s consent? One person decides everything on their own?”
When she had shown up at my lecture hall—I still don’t know how she found out—it had been chilling. Without shame, in front of everyone, she threw a tantrum saying that if I quit teaching she would drop out of college entirely. In the end, I had no choice but to do as she wanted. I stayed until she finished the Suneung. The tutoring fees I received during that time were used to cover my mother’s hospital bills, which her parents paid in my stead, but Min-a refused to accept the money. She said it wasn’t given with that intention and told me to keep it. She was simply in love with her teacher of her own accord. She would wait until she looked like a woman, and it was fine if I dated others in the meantime. She kept expressing her feelings to me. Eventually I accepted that heart… and this is how we ended up.
Yes. This must be right. With someone who loved me this much. She was far too good for me. Sometimes her feelings felt overwhelming, but that only proved how deeply she loved me. That was why she clung to me so fiercely. This was the ending we were meant to have. The two of us loving each other. Bearing the fruit of that love. Living together like that, and someday dying in the arms of the one we loved.
“Some people say we’re rushing into marriage, but if you’ve met the right person, you should decide quickly. There’s no need to waste time dragging it out.”
Min-a, perhaps imitating the role of Sungmo, began sharing her views on marriage with Yerin. Yerin’s gaze drifted to the ring on my left hand. Unlike when Min-a had been playing with it, I felt strangely embarrassed and subtly covered my hand.
‘I should have waited a little longer before arranging a meeting like this.’
Whether we looked happy or not, our behavior seemed excessive to show in front of our niece. Above all, Yerin’s feelings must be hurt right now; our excited chatter would only annoy her.
“She’s still in school.”
“It’ll be soon enough. Look at us, Oppa. How many years has it been already?”
“Have you set a date then?”
“We’re thinking next year for now. Yerin can hold my bag for me. You know, like a maid of honor. I’ll buy you a nice bag as payment for your trouble.”
“Isn’t this moving a bit too fast?”
“What’s too fast? We already have the new apartment. Our parents have given permission. All that’s left is for the two of us to pick the date.”
The new apartment. Of course her words excluded any space for Yerin. I could almost hear the voice in Min-a’s head. Even though she wanted to file the marriage registration immediately, her boyfriend had brought home a freeloader—what was she supposed to do?
“I-I’m sorry. It’s because of me.”
“It’s not. Maybe this is for the best. To be honest, I had some complaints about Oppa’s old house. It wasn’t new construction, and the facilities were outdated. This could be the perfect chance—let Yerin have Oppa’s house, and we can use my place as the new home…”
“Let’s stop talking about that. It’s already been decided.”
Min-a casually tried to dismiss everything I had obtained through my own effort. It wasn’t that she was a bad person; it was simply her nature. Whether it was a house, a job, or even a single household item. She would say that she could buy everything Oppa needed, so why bother struggling so hard? No matter what meaning lay behind it, she would throw out anything of lesser quality and replace it with something better.
“Then what, are we just going to leave my house empty? Or send Yerin there. After all, it’s better to let her stay for free than rent it out to strangers.”
“Did you already forget what I said on the phone earlier? That would make everything pointless.”
I had brought Yerin with me because I couldn’t bear the thought of her living alone.
“Then what do you want me to do? Are you planning to live with your niece forever, Oppa?”
Min-a’s voice rose as well. The first meal the three of us were sharing was turning into a disaster. The dishes that had been brought out one by one were losing their warmth. Once again, the headache that had plagued me began to throb deep inside my skull. I swept my hair back and let out a heavy sigh, but it solved nothing. The more I breathed, the more the pain swelled, pressing down on my entire body.
“......”
“......”
“......”
The three of us fell silent. I didn’t know what to say or how to say it. No matter what words I chose, there was no way to resolve this situation. Min-a would keep trying to drive Yerin away. I would keep trying to keep her with me. I felt sorry for Yerin, who was stuck watching the two of us.
The food gave off an appetizing aroma, but it turned my stomach. If I took even one bite, I might end up sick.
“Let’s do this another time. Min-a, another day. We came to a nice place… let’s not do this.”
“......”
“Yerin, I’m sorry too. Just… think of it as Samchon and Sungmo having a discussion. You know how parents sometimes disagree, right?”
“Yes. I’m fine, Samchon.”
The youngest among us was the most mature. While the two adults stubbornly clung to their own opinions, she alone remained composed in the middle.
“Fine… Do as you want, Oppa. Your opinion is the most important, after all.”
Min-a wore her usual expression again—the one that put people on edge, like watching a ball that could bounce in any direction.
“But… I want you to remember that I’m making a lot of concessions for you because of this. Sometimes I just want to make sure how much you love me, so I act out a little.”
“I know.”
“And shave your beard. It gets in the way when we kiss.”
“Okay.”
Min-a stroked my cheek. Normally I would have stopped her, saying it was too much in front of people, but right now her earlier words hung in the air.