Chapter 206
Chapter 206
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: A Promise of Hope
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Chapter 206.
Lee Sun was having dinner with her father.
“Min-woong smiles a lot and seems to be adjusting well, but I’m worried about Soo-young. She doesn’t smile, and she’s so withdrawn.”
“Do you think life in a children’s home is easy? Especially after being torn away from her mother.”
Lee Sun let out a deep sigh.
“Dad. Are you really going to be okay?”
“Don’t you worry. I can handle taking them to and from school and making their meals even if I were ten years older.”
“That’s not what I mean. I’m worried you’re going through all this trouble because of me.”
Lee Sun said, her face etched with concern.
“I didn’t have much to do and was bored anyway, so it worked out perfectly. It’s great, isn’t it? I get to help my daughter and even earn some money.”
Lee Sun was deeply touched to see her father so happy to be of help to her.
“If it ever gets too hard, please tell me right away. We can just hire someone.”
“I’ll be sure to tell you if I feel like it’s too much.”
Lee Sun paused as she was eating her soybean paste stew.
“Can you bring food to prison visitations these days?”
“I think I heard you can. They even have separate family visitation rooms now.”
“That’s great. I should ask Soo-young what her mother likes.”
“Have you applied for a visit?”
“Yes. I went with the children to register and applied for a care visitation.”
“That’s my girl.”
“It was nothing.”
“I think the problem with you, Sun, is that you’re too perfect. Is that why men find you intimidating?”
“Oh, Dad! Don’t you think I’ll get married when I find the right person?”
Lee Sun’s father was a little surprised.
Just a few months ago, when they’d had a similar conversation, his daughter had insisted that ‘plenty of people don’t get married these days.’
But he feigned ignorance, simply offering a warm smile.
“Okay, I’m recording! Aaand action!”
Soo-young and Min-woong stood in front of the induction cooktop and frying pan, forcing awkward smiles. A wave of pity washed over Lee Sun as she saw Soo-young manage even that strained smile.
“Today, Mom’s daughter Soo-young and son Min-woong will be making tteokbokki for their mother!”
“Yay!”
In front of the clapping siblings, the ingredients for the tteokbokki—prepared according to Lee Sun’s modified version of a famous restaurant’s recipe—were laid out in the order they would be used.
“Let’s begin. First, we add the pre-made broth, then the rice cakes and fish cakes…”
Nine-year-old Min-woong handed the ingredients to Soo-young, and twelve-year-old Soo-young took them and proceeded with the cooking.
Finally, the tteokbokki was complete after pouring melted mozzarella cheese over it.
“All done! Now, we’re off to deliver this to Mom!”
As the children shouted, Lee Sun stopped recording.
“Great. Let’s go, quickly.”
Worried the tteokbokki would get soggy, Lee Sun hurriedly packed it into a container. When the children took off their aprons, the neat, pretty clothes Lee Sun had gifted them the day before were revealed.
Lee Sun and the children got into the car driven by her father, and they set off immediately.
Little brother Min-woong was so excited he couldn’t sit still, while Soo-young kept touching the tteokbokki container, which was covered by her jacket to keep it warm, every five minutes.
Seeing this, Lee Sun smiled faintly and spoke.
“There’s a microwave in the family visitation room. A few minutes will be enough to warm it up.”
“Oh?!”
Soo-young felt a mix of relief and gratitude toward Lee Sun for understanding her worries, and she smiled for the first time.
After a two-hour drive, they arrived at Cheongju Prison, where Soo-young’s mother was incarcerated.
“Soo-young, Min-woong, have a good visit.”
“Okay!”
Soo-young’s small reply was drowned out by Min-woong’s loud voice.
“We’re here for a care visitation. Lee Sun, with her daughter Soo-young and son Min-woong.”
“Yes. Confirmed.”
“Please follow me.”
Guided by another prison guard, Lee Sun and the children entered the facility.
The moment she saw the barbed wire fence, Lee Sun felt an inexplicable chill. On their way, a few guards and inmates they passed stared at her with admiration.
The outfit Lee Sun wore was a modest navy suit with a wide double collar and cropped trousers, but the slim waistline and the glimpse of her pale ankles above her high heels had a power that made people of all genders look twice.
“A guard will enter when your time is up. The visit will end immediately then. Please make sure to finish saying whatever you need to before that.”
“Thank you.”
Lee Sun covered the front of her blouse as she bowed her head.
The guard who had led them gulped, captivated by her hair that flowed like ebony and the subtle fragrance she exuded.
“You’re even more stunning in person.”
“Thank you.”
As Lee Sun responded gracefully, the guard turned away with a pleased expression.
The family visitation room was sparsely furnished with children’s books and dolls that seemed forced, along with a table and a water dispenser, but it was a vast improvement over the stiff, heavy atmosphere they had felt since entering.
“Isa-nim.”
“Yes, Soo-young?”
“There’s no microwave.”
“Ah!”
Lee Sun belatedly realized that the information she had looked up while preparing for the visit must have been for a different prison.
She considered calling back the guard who had left to ask for help, but it was already too late, so she couldn’t bring herself to do it.
“I’m sorry, Soo-young.”
“…”
Soo-young shook her head as if to say it was okay.
“Mom!”
“Mommy!”
“My babies!”
A woman who appeared to be in her early forties emerged, and Soo-young and Min-woong ran into her arms. The mother and children couldn’t even see each other’s faces properly through their tears.
Lee Sun also looked up at the ceiling to swallow the tears welling in her eyes. The sounds of Soo-young’s mother kissing her children mixed with sobs, and several minutes passed this way.
“Mommy’s so sorry. Stop crying now.”
Remembering that their time was limited, Soo-young’s mother wiped her tears and comforted her children.
“Hello, ma’am.”
“Oh, Isa-nim Lee Sun. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
The two had already communicated through email and letters.
“Mom, we made you tteokbokki. Here, eat.”
“Soo-young and Min-woong made this? You made it for me?”
“Yeah. But it’s gotten cold.”
“I’m so sorry. I mistakenly thought there would be a microwave in the family visitation room.”
“Oh, no, not at all. Thank you so much for being so thoughtful.”
Soo-young’s mother knew that the children’s clean clothes and the tteokbokki hadn’t just appeared out of thin air.
And as she expected, her gratitude doubled when Lee Sun played a video on her phone of the children cooking.
“Wow. It’s my favorite, cheese tteokbokki! It’s still warm. Let’s have some.”
“Yeah. Eat up, Mom!”
“Ah… nom nom. Ah, it’s delicious! It’s really delicious!”
Lee Sun and Soo-young’s mother needed to discuss the contract regarding the children, but the kids, seeing their mother after so long, kept trying to talk to her, making the adults antsy.
“Soo-young, could you play with Min-woong for a bit while I talk with Isa-nim?”
“Okay. Min-woong, let’s see what books they have.”
The quick-witted Soo-young pulled Min-woong toward a bookshelf where the books were lined up with an impersonal, military precision. Their mother watched their retreating backs with a pained expression.
“I don’t know how to express my gratitude. And for someone so famous to do this…”
“Not at all. We made this decision after seeing Soo-young’s talent. When I’m not around, my father will take care of the children’s schooling and meals, so you can rest assured.”
“I’m so grateful, I’m at a loss for words. It must be so difficult…”
“My father is also receiving fair compensation from the company for his work, so you don’t need to worry about it. Please take a look at this.”
The contract Lee Sun handed over detailed the terms regarding the children’s lodging, food, and eventual debut.
“Is our Soo-young really that talented?”
“Min-woong is just about average, but Soo-young is definitely on another level. With her current form, a successful debut in a few years is possible.”
Lee Sun played a song by Answer on her phone, and Soo-young, who had been listening all along while pretending to be uninterested, started dancing on her own.
As she watched the small performance—Soo-young skillfully breaking down the beats at key points, and Min-woong, a bit clumsy, trying to follow his sister—their mother’s mouth fell open in amazement. Contrary to her worries, it was clear at a glance that her daughter was a dancing prodigy.
For Soo-young’s mother, who had been desperate about her children’s future, it was an incredibly moving sight.
“It was all my fault, starting from when I remarried for the sake of the children. I’ve wronged them so much.”
Lee Sun could only nod with a heavy heart.
After being widowed by the children’s biological father, Soo-young’s mother had remarried. One day, she discovered the terrible thing her new husband had done to Soo-young. In the ensuing fight with her now-violent stepfather, she had unintentionally killed him.
“For someone as beautiful and famous as you to take care of my children… my children and I are truly blessed. I don’t know how to express this overwhelming feeling. I can die without any regrets. Thank you.”
With a trembling voice, Soo-young’s mother repeatedly thanked Lee Sun as she signed the contract.
For a mother and children who hadn’t seen each other in a year, thirty minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
“Soo-young, Min-woong, you have to listen to Isa-nim Lee Sun. And practice hard.”
“Okay. I’ll become just like the unnis from Answer so that Mom, Min-woong, and I can live happily.”
Seeing the resolute look in Soo-young’s unchildlike eyes, her mother felt a pang of pity for her daughter who had grown up too fast.
“Waaah. Mommy. Hu-hung.”
Sensing their impending separation, Min-woong burst into tears, but Soo-young, unlike when she had first entered the room, remained composed and didn’t cry.
Their mother hugged the siblings and patted their backs.
“Soo-young, Min-woong, I’ll bring them to see you every two months without fail. If I can’t come, I’ll send someone else.”
“Thank you. I will never forget this kindness for as long as I live.”
The visitation time was over. A guard came to escort Soo-young’s mother away, and only then did Soo-young finally let out the tears she had been holding back.
“U-hung, Mommy.”
“Waaaaah.”
When his sister started crying, Min-woong wailed even more sorrowfully.
Lee Sun’s heart ached, but she crouched down to their eye level and showed them a calm face. As Lee Sun watched them in silence, Soo-young’s crying soon subsided.
“Remember this feeling. And work harder than anyone else. I’ll create an environment where you can focus, Soo-young.”
“Thank you, Isa-nim.”
For the first time, Soo-young gave Lee Sun a big, bright smile.
“Park Min-woong. Stop crying.”
Watching Soo-young, who had already regained her composure, comfort her little brother, Lee Sun smiled hopefully.
Soo-young’s beautiful side profile. That high-bridged nose and delicate features would surely capture the public’s attention after some training.
And all that attention would one day be transformed into happiness for Soo-young’s family.
***
I went up to the gym on the second floor.
The faces of the Earl Grey members, who were slowly trailing behind me, were dark and shadowed.
“As you artists wished, you won’t be assigned a trainer. However, anyone who fails to meet the target metrics after one month will be assigned one. Of course, the cost will be deducted from your personal settlement.”
“Ugh.”
“For your reference, personal training costs about 100,000 won per session, once a week.”
“Gasp.”
If I put it like that, those obsessed with money would have no choice but to work hard. The intense body sculpting could wait until their debut date was set.
“The dorm is only two kilometers away, so we won’t be providing separate transportation. I recommend you run there, if possible.”
“Ah! Min-jun Timjang-nim!”
“Huh? That’s him.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“The manager who was almost in Fire Emblem.”
“Ohh, so that’s Answer’s manager?”
The gazes of the female trainers in charge of Answer and numerous female gym members fell upon us.
“Are you part of a debut team?”
“Yes.”
“Aha!”
The Earl Grey members looked thoroughly intimidated as the well-built female trainer scanned them from head to toe.
“We haven’t decided on PT yet; it’s free workout for now.”
“I see! Still, it looks like you’ll need someone to show you how to use the machines, right?”
“We’d appreciate that.”
“You’re part of the Answer family. That much is on the house, of course.”
A few of the Earl Grey members’ faces twitched faintly. They seemed to have no idea how grueling it is to work out while being watched by the opposite sex.
I could already picture them pushing themselves through torturous reps just to avoid embarrassment under the watchful eyes of the women. A dry laugh escaped me.
“Then, I’ll leave them in your hands, trainer.”
“Leave it to me. Let’s go. I’ll show you around.”
The trainer led the Earl Grey members away.
Leaving them dazed by the intense atmosphere of the gym, I headed to the set of Answer’s commercial shoot for Break Burger.
Grow well, my year-end cash cows.