The Motherly Counselor
The private room felt strangely intimate for a place where nothing inappropriate was happening.
We had been invited here, but there was no drinking. Instead, we were served oolong tea and sat together like ordinary parents meeting to discuss their children.
“I’m sorry for calling you to a place like this. After what happened last time, I really needed to apologize properly.”
“I was the one who hit your kid first. If I were in your shoes, Miss Gaeun, I probably would’ve done the same.”
For the record, Gaeun was apologizing for the time I struck Man-bok. She had lost it and slapped me in return, and it seemed to have been weighing on her.
Yumi sat with her legs neatly together, watching the situation with quiet poise. In contrast, Gaeun had her legs crossed and was visibly restless. Though their figures were similar, their black-and-white color schemes made them look like an oddly mismatched pair.
“Our kid still hasn’t said anything, right?”
“No. What about your side, sis?”
“Same when he’s with me. He told the police he received a suspicious card, and after that his mood’s been off. …That’s all he’s said. He did apologize first once, which is rare, but he’s hiding everything else.”
It seemed they hadn’t made much progress either.
Since the topic had come up, I decided to share what I’d thought about in the bathroom earlier. Maybe Man-bok had joined the Locust of his own free will. If so, there had to be a reason.
“Normally I would’ve screamed at you not to say such things. I’d want to shout like those parents in dramas, insisting my child would never do that. But right now… I’m actually considering it might be possible. I heard him say it was because of his mom, loud and clear.”
The thought that her own son might have gone astray made her stomp her foot in agitation.
Then she looked around the room.
“Do you know why I called you here today?”
“Doesn’t it have something to do with this establishment and the kids?”
“That’s right. I lost my husband early and did whatever I could to survive. Before I knew it, I ended up here….”
Gaeun uncrossed her legs, let down her tied-up hair, and scratched her scalp roughly.
It was about her child. A fire must have been burning inside her with no way to put it out.
“Because of my job, I come home late every night, but I kept everything about this place completely hidden from him. I’m a parent too. I didn’t want him to see any of it.”
“But he found out anyway?”
“Yes. Around fourth grade. There was a parent observation sports day, but I couldn’t go. I couldn’t even pack him a lunch. I work late, so my stamina was shot… Oh, but I don’t mean I was working the floor or anything like that. I manage the kids and handle things in the back, so I’m busy every day. That’s why.”
Working late and sleeping in the morning.
To a parent it might seem perfectly normal, but how did it look through a child’s eyes?
“When you got home, you were probably asleep and he came back alone, dragging his feet.”
“And apparently he’d been bragging to his classmates that his mom was strong in battles, which made it worse. That sports day also had a parent-friendly match.”
Even imagining it herself, she could picture how her son must have felt. The venom that had filled her red eyes drained away, replaced by a face full of sorrow.
“When he came home he slammed his bedroom door. For once, my conscience hurt so much I couldn’t say a word. And… from that day on, he started following me to see where I worked. Lately unmanned taxis are everywhere, so tailing me was nothing to him.”
She spread her palm out and bent forward at the waist.
“There’s a young guy handing out flyers at the entrance here. When he called to say there was a kid standing at the door, my legs started shaking. Sure enough, there was my son. My mind went completely blank… We just stared at each other, both of us stunned. I can’t even describe how shocked I was.”
Just hearing the story made the scene play out vividly in my mind, as if I had witnessed it myself.
In a world where children’s card anime tropes ran rampant, I couldn’t believe I was listening to such a painfully realistic story. And the fact that it felt so believable made it even worse.
“After that, a lot of things were said… He became way too mature for his age. Even when the school calls parents in, he tries to hide it if he can. But that’s exactly why I don’t understand. I know he grew up too fast because of this and something went wrong, but he’s not the kind of kid who would go this far. Or maybe it’s because I’m a woman after all… That’s when I heard about you, Mr. Lee Baek, so I asked you to come.”
Her leg was shaking. She was clearly anxious.
The woman who had looked ready to smash a child’s head with a basin now seemed, once the outer layer was peeled back, every bit a woman by nature.
“What do you think, Mr. Lee Baek? Sis and I can’t figure it out any further.”
What a burden.
I’m not a child counselor.
Still, I had ‘similar experiences’ of my own, so I drew on those to offer advice.
“The fact that he doesn’t call you to school probably means he’s being considerate because he knows what you do. He likely realized he was acting too childish since you’re working late nights because of him. You both understand that, right?”
“Yes. We do.”
“However, kids that age are immature no matter how mature they pretend to be. Even if they say they’re fine, they always compare themselves to others. I don’t know if he understands what ‘water trade’ really means, but he definitely knows his mother’s job is less wholesome than other parents’. So it wouldn’t be strange at all for him to feel inferior because of it.”
At my speculation, Gaeun’s gaze darted back and forth.
“But what does that have to do with joining the Locust….”
“Does Man-bok pester you a lot to buy him cards or other things?”
“No. Not at all. Considering what we earn, he’s incredibly frugal. Almost to the point where I wonder if it’s okay. The only thing he spends is his allowance. He never asks for more.”
“In his own way, that’s also him being considerate of his parents. He knows you earn well, Miss Gaeun. You live in the capital area and wear nice clothes. But to a child’s eyes, it doesn’t look that way. All he sees is his mom struggling alone without a dad. And these days, with the internet, he probably looked up what kind of business this is. If that’s the case, joining the Locust makes sense. Especially if he was envious of normal families.”
“No way… Ah….”
While Gaeun and Yumi sighed in unison, I scratched my forehead and organized my thoughts.
“If we assume that, I think I can roughly understand why Man-bok picked fights with the other kids and what criteria he used. You said he fought everyone from shops in other neighborhoods, right? I believe he was secretly jealous of those kids.”
“So he steals their cards? Really? For a reason like that?”
“Whether stealing cards is a way of expressing his inferiority complex or if there’s another reason, we should think about it more. But I believe the big picture is something like this.”
“Haa~.”
I casually invited them to refute my opinion if they had any objections. But no rebuttal came. Since Gaeun was the one who watched her son more closely than anyone, my words seemed to strike a chord. Instead of arguing, she looked like she understood.
The most important part—the reason for stealing the cards—was still unclear, but that would come in time. Gaeun seemed to have shed some of her doubts. Her shoulders relaxed as she moved on to the next topic.
“If we give it time, he’ll open up and tell us the truth. I just hope the Locust situation gets resolved without anything happening until then… Oh, right. Yumi, didn’t you say the association contacted you?”
“I was just about to mention that.”
“What did they say?”
“The association said they gained a major lead on the Locust through this incident and thanked us first. They determined this case is significant, so they’ve already deployed skilled battlers throughout Seoul. They’re working undercover, blending into daily life while protecting the children. Especially in Man-bok’s case, since he suffered something like brainwashing, they’re keeping constant watch over him.”
“That’s such a relief. I was even thinking of hiring someone with my own money if it came to that.”
“And at Mr. Lee Baek’s suggestion, we also asked the Red Mother Dawn Brigade for help. Since it involves children, those mothers are willing to risk their lives.”
At those words, their gazes turned back to me.
Gaeun uncrossed her legs, swept her disheveled hair behind her ear, and her previously sharp red eyes had grown much softer.
“Now that I think about it, Mr. Lee Baek. You’re a victim of the Locust too, right? You mentioned memory loss. What will you do if your memories don’t come back?”
“I can’t keep working part-time forever. I plan to get some certifications and prepare to move on. Logically, I can’t keep imposing on you indefinitely.”
“Pffft—!?”
Barley tea sprayed from her mouth.
It was Yumi.
“Are you okay, dear?”
“Y-yes… sis.”
Why was she so shocked?
“But where do you plan to work? I know it’s rude to say, but getting a job isn’t easy these days!”
“Even though I lost my memories, I can handle basic office work. I could get a job at a small company that needs an extra pair of hands. If not, I could study something related to Beyond Battle. I saw Taeyang reading workbooks because he wants to become a pro. If I cram for about a year, I might be able to manage something, right?”
“Office work is mostly handled by robots these days. And you’re a bit old to start studying now!”
“Come on. Look at Miss Gaeun. Bringing in new cards for this establishment means she’s studying current trends. And you, Miss Yumi, renew your certifications every year by memorizing the latest safety regulations, don’t you? Yet you say it’s too late for me to study? That’s a little hurtful to hear.”
“Ughhh~!”
Yumi clutched her head and made a fuss. It was a funny sight rarely seen from someone usually so polite.
Watching her sister’s outburst, Gaeun suddenly made a strange gesture.
“Yumi.”
“…Yes?”
She held up her index finger straight, then looped her other fingers around it and shook it vigorously.
It was unmistakably a sexual metaphor.
“Sis!!”
“All the other girls say it all the time. You have to seize a chance while you can. You need to secure your spot before Taeyang hits puberty so there’s no lingering resentment later.”
What the—? A chill just ran down my spine.
I’m not an idiot. Why would she say something like that right in front of me?
“Mr. Lee Baek, it’s nothing! My sister always makes these kinds of jokes! Please don’t misunderstand!”
“Yes, well… I’ll pretend I didn’t hear anything.”
“—See? That guy who used to hit on you before. He’d go ‘huh?’ and immediately hoist you up, huh? Book a room right out front, strip you naked, huh?”
“Sis!!”
This time she went beyond finger gestures and started thrusting her hips in the air like she was miming the act.
How vulgar. A moment ago she had been every inch a woman and a mother. Now she looked like a mischievous high school girl.
Who do you think isn’t having dirty thoughts?
If I didn’t owe her for saving my life, I would have already done it. And I would have done it as violently and horribly as that battle back then. I’m sure Yumi would have gladly accepted even that.
But I’m the kind of person who treats good people kindly and bad people without mercy. That’s why I was doing my best to pretend I hadn’t heard and kept my ears closed.
Just then, as if to shatter the atmosphere, a phone rang.
“No way….”
“……….”
“Tsk.”
The smiles vanished from our faces.
Even before opening the phone, a terrible premonition rose up.
We were certain something had happened to the children.