Time to Make a Choice
Time to Make a Choice
An awkward atmosphere settled over the dining table that had been harmonious just moments before.
It was impossible not to be concerned when Seoyun, who had returned home after a month, not only had a puffy face but was also smiling without any emotion.
"Seoyun-ah, you seem a bit off... Is something wrong?"
"Huh..? It's nothing."
"Nothing my foot~ I can tell you've been crying. Your face is all puffy, isn't it? And you know you're terrible at lying, right?"
"Ah... Huh..."
At this point, there was no way to hide her emotions.
Stirring her soup with a spoon, Seoyun quietly opened her mouth.
"You know, Mom..."
"Yeah. What is it?"
"It's about Junwoo oppa..."
"Did you fight with Junwoo? What's going on with you two, who were always so close... What on earth did you fight about to end up like this?"
"Ah, no..! It's not that we fought..."
She wanted to speak.
She wanted to tell the truth.
She wanted to get help.
But thinking about her parents who would be hurt, her lips simply wouldn't part.
"What's the matter?"
Her father, who had been quietly listening, also put down his utensils and focused his gaze on Seoyun.
"It's just... you know, would it be okay if I dropped out?"
"Dropped out??"
At Seoyun's sudden, bombshell statement, her parents' eyes widened in shock.
"You worked so hard to get in, didn't you? You tried so hard because you wanted to go to the same university as Junwoo."
"Yeah... That's true, but I think it doesn't suit my aptitude."
"Is that so?"
She wanted to use aptitude as an excuse to drop out of university and distance herself from Junwoo.
She wanted to abandon Junwoo, whom she had always considered the top priority in her life, and now spend time with her parents.
"So, Mom, Dad, if I were to drop out..."
"Hoo..."
Her father's deep sigh cut off Seoyun's words, and a serene silence descended.
Her parents looked at Seoyun with expressions full of worry.
What could have made her say such a thing, what kind of feelings was she holding now...
They couldn't even guess.
They didn't know what words to use to comfort her either.
"Do as you wish."
"Huh?"
The one who broke the silence first was her father.
He indifferently respected Seoyun's choice and picked up his utensils.
"Is it really okay if I drop out?"
"Yes. If it's hard, quit. It's your life, after all. I'll always support you, but I won't force you."
"Okay."
Hearing her father's opinion, her mother also chimed in.
"Yeah, Seoyun-ah~ To be honest, I never dreamed you'd get into such a good university? I'm satisfied knowing how hard you worked and how determined you are~ Our daughter will do well at anything."
"Huh..."
Hearing her parents' words, tears welled up in Seoyun's eyes, and she closed her mouth.
"Don't get sick. Just live healthily as you are now. That's enough."
"Okay..."
Seoyun was a child born with a genetic disease from birth.
Her parents had only one wish: that she would live a long, healthy life.
That was all.
A good university?
A major corporation?
A salary of 100 million won?
None of that was necessary.
They had no intention of leeching off their child later in life either, and no matter the situation, her parents always considered Seoyun their top priority.
"If you want to drop out, you can do it anytime. But you have to tell us before you do it, okay? If we find out after the fact, we'll be shocked."
"Okay, thank you..!"
"Now let's eat. It's getting cold~"
"Okay."
With the atmosphere returning to harmony, Seoyun finished her meal with a smiling face.
Yes, she always had her parents nearby, trusting and supporting her.
A new school, new friends, a new life.
The current Seoyun had the courage to start everything anew.
"Sweetie~ If you're done eating, help me clean up~"
"Okay."
Her father, who had finished his meal first, secretly smoked a cigarette on the veranda.
Seoyun did the dishes with her mother while watching her father's back, which seemed particularly heavy-shouldered today.
"But you, something is definitely wrong, right?"
"Huh?"
Even if others couldn't tell, she could recognize her own child's emotional changes in an instant.
The same went for detecting lies.
"What's the matter? Is it because of Junwoo?"
"Huh... No, it's not."
Seoyun shook her head in denial.
Her desire to tell the whole truth was as strong as a chimney, but her mouth simply wouldn't open.
Every time she tried to speak, her throat felt tight and blocked, making her feel stifled.
Because she didn't want to shock her parents any further.
Because she was a foolish person who always hid her true feelings and kept them bottled up inside.
"You know you're acting strange today, right? Something is definitely wrong~ Is someone bullying you? Is that why you brought up dropping out?"
"It's not like that. I'm fine..."
"Something is definitely wrong~"
Her mother, squinting her eyes at Seoyun, smiled and looked away.
"Alright. Since you say it's a secret, I won't pry. But you have to tell me if you have any worries, okay?"
"Huh..."
She was sorry to her parents...
But it seemed like something she would never be able to tell them in her lifetime.
After finishing the dishes, Seoyun returned to her room and finished getting ready for bed.
She wanted to spend time chatting warmly with her parents, but using the excuse of having to leave early tomorrow morning, she killed time alone in her room.
Seoyun pulled the blanket over her head on the bed and turned on her phone.
She meaninglessly browsed community posts and watched short videos.
One hour, two hours, three hours...
She simply drifted mindlessly into the small world of her phone.
Around the time a yawn escaped her mouth, she turned off her phone, lay down, and stared at the dark ceiling.
"Haa..."
The moment had come to face the reality she had been avoiding by drowning in dopamine.
Whenever she fell into deep thought like this, she would have a sleepless night and feel extremely tired the next day.
Normally, she would have tried to sleep by counting sheep or something, but today it was utterly impossible.
"What should I do from now on..?"
No matter how deeply she pondered, there was no answer.
Because she couldn't even properly sort out her own emotions.
When she first learned the secret, she hated Junwoo, despised him, wanted to kill him.
She wanted to run away immediately, report him to the police, and make him pay for his crime.
But once she regained her composure and thought about it, more than the feeling of hating Junwoo, the decades of memories she shared with him came flooding back.
From the unforgettable moment of their first meeting in the third grade of elementary school...
Memories of crying and laughing together, being each other's support...
Graduating from elementary, middle, and high school together, being eternal friends through university life.
"Sniff..."
Recalling all those memories, Seoyun couldn't hold back the tears that flowed.
The reason she could overcome depression was thanks to Junwoo,
The reason her family was harmonious was thanks to Junwoo,
The person who pulled Seoyun, who had been a hikikomori, out into the world was Junwoo,
And being able to attend a university in the Seoul area and enjoy a life of blissful luxury was all thanks to Junwoo.
The person she wanted to spend her whole life with.
Even now, that feeling hadn't changed.
No matter how much she hated him or found him annoying, forgetting all those memories in her head was an impossible task.
Junwoo's presence already held too much influence in Seoyun's heart.
"I don't know..."
Seoyun sniffled and pulled the blanket over her head.
Forgiveness and betrayal.
Obedience and rebellion.
Endlessly agonizing over this impossible either-or choice, she imagined the outcome of reporting Junwoo to the police.
The image of her parents crying came to mind first, and she anticipated the worst possible ending: social isolation and a ruined life.
Would Junwoo use his connections and money to avoid punishment and get released?
"I don't want to..."
Seoyun didn't want to hurt her parents any further.
To avoid hurting them, she had to pretend everything was normal and act out an ordinary daily life.
"If I just endure it alone, it'll be okay..."
In the end, she resolved to bear it alone and handle her relationship with Junwoo herself.
A foolish human being to the bone.
Seoyun volunteered herself as a sacrificial lamb for everyone's happiness.
If she just quietly became Junwoo's pet, she wouldn't have to imagine a bleak future.
Because she could protect her harmonious family.
"It's my fault. It happened because of me. Because of my mistake..."
It was something that happened because she ignored Junwoo's warning never to enter the small room.
Since this mess occurred due to her pointless curiosity, if she wanted to blame anyone, she should blame herself for acting without thinking.
"It's all because of me..."
The fact that her relationship with Junwoo, which had been fine until yesterday, had gone wrong was also because of her.
Making her parents worry was also because of her.
Her life getting messed up was all because of her.
The solution was simple.
Just fit the misaligned cogwheel back into place and make it turn normally again.
Erase the existence of the small room and the pain of her first experience from her mind, return to her past clean state of mind, and love Junwoo.
Of course, if it were as easy as saying it, she wouldn't be agonizing like this.
"Uuuuuh..!"
Seoyun tossed and turned for a while, then turned on her phone.
She tried to get help by searching various words in the internet search bar, but it was completely useless.
"Pet... Psychopath... Obsession..."
There were often cases similar to Seoyun's situation, but they were all just stories from creative works.
There were absolutely no real-life accounts.
"Annoying..."
Her own emotions, which she still didn't fully understand.
Was this really the right choice?
Was there no better way?
Seoyun repeatedly agonized over it until she spent a sleepless night...