Stepmother Han Hye-su 2
“Your father raised you well. Like father, like son—you really do have excellent manners.”
“Haha, you're making me blush.”
He said it as he took his seat, and while he glanced over the menu she spoke again.
“Can you eat a lot?”
“Yes, I have a good appetite.”
“Alright then. I'll take care of the ordering.”
Hye-su called the server over and placed their order. Once that was finished the two of them sat in silence for a while.
Hanpan was the one who finally broke it.
“What's it like living with my father? He's pretty conservative, so it could be tough in a lot of ways.”
She offered her characteristic awkward smile, then put on a thoughtful look. Whether it was the professional habit of a doctor or simply her nature, her face rarely showed much emotion, which made reading her feelings difficult.
“Hmm. I already knew that well enough… But he has a pure side to him, and I think that's what I like.”
“Ah, I see… How's Father doing these days?”
“He's quite busy with all sorts of schedules. There are a lot of people he has to meet and places he has to attend, so he's often not home… I'm busy with my own work too, so we don't see each other much… That day my husband was really fretting over you, Hanpan… You should contact your father more often… He doesn't show it, but he thinks about you more than you'd expect.”
Facing this woman who so casually called his father her husband left Hanpan with a distinctly strange feeling.
He smiled brightly.
“Ah, I see… I'll make sure to call him often.”
“Come visit the house often too! It's always open. There's even an empty room with a bed.”
“Understood. If it wouldn't be an imposition, I'll drop by sometime.”
At that she waved her hand in a broad, dismissive arc.
“Imposition? We're family now.”
Hanpan briefly wondered whether she truly counted as his family. She was his biological father's current wife, so of course she was family. Watching his expression, she continued.
“Hmm, but… how about you, Hanpan? Adjusting back to society after discharge can't be easy. There must be plenty of things you're still not used to.”
“I'm doing my best to adapt.”
“I see.”
Once the ice was broken the two of them chatted about all sorts of light, everyday topics. Food began arriving dish by dish, and as they shared it the conversation only grew freer. They turned out to have more hobbies in common than expected, so the talk flowed easily. Hye-su especially loved movies, and on that subject the two of them got along remarkably well. The kinds of films she liked lined up almost perfectly with his own tastes. Knowing his father's dislike of going to the theater, Hanpan guessed she had simply been looking for someone to talk about movies with.
And so they kept up a pleasantly lively conversation while dividing the dishes that kept filling the table. She had no children of her own, yet from the way she spoke it seemed she wanted one. The thought crossed Hanpan's mind that he might end up with a half-sibling.
The meal eventually wound down. Dessert and tea arrived. Conversation lapsed for a moment while the two of them sipped.
“How was everything? Was the food alright?”
Hanpan patted his stomach.
“This place is really good. I ate well.”
“I'm glad our tastes match.”
She smiled sweetly. The stiff expression she had worn earlier had softened into something more relaxed, and he found the change strangely charming.
“Um… if you ever have time—of course you'll be busy with this and that after discharge—but eat with me sometimes. Let's see each other often.”
“Ah, of course.”
She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes for a moment. She looked a little tired. Noticing Hanpan studying her face, she said,
“Ah, excuse me… I've had so many patients lately that I'm a bit worn out…”
“Yes.”
She slipped the glasses into a case she pulled from her bag and went on.
“Actually… it's nothing else… as you know… your father, Hanpan—that is, my husband—and I don't have a child… We tried many times, but it just wouldn't happen… Um… this is hard to say, but… your father is no longer in a condition where he can make a child.”
“!!!”
Hanpan was stunned. He could scarcely believe that his father was no longer capable of producing children.
“We tried so hard, but nothing took, so we had his sperm collected and tested. It came back as azoospermia…”
She let out a sigh. At her words Hanpan thought of his father—the long years of overwork, the stress that must have come with becoming a politician. Age, of course, could not be ignored either, and unlike Hanpan himself his father had never been a man particularly interested in women. Having roughly pieced the situation together, Hanpan simply nodded with an understanding look.
“So that's also why I asked to meet today.”
Hanpan put on a serious expression and waited for whatever came next. After a brief pause she spoke.
“Um… so… I was thinking, what if you treated me like your real mother…”
“Ah… yes…”
The unexpected proposal left him flustered. No matter how generously he estimated her age she still looked to be in her late thirties; treating a woman like that as his mother felt distinctly awkward. Besides, he still saw his living biological mother every day.
“Um… have you talked about this with my two older sisters?”
Hye-su hesitated again before answering.
“Ah, yes… Actually I've tried to get close in all sorts of ways, but it hasn't been easy… With Seo-a the age difference isn't that severe and she herself doesn't want it, so we agreed she'd just call me Unnie. As for So-jo, she didn't exactly welcome me with open arms…”
Hanpan could picture their personalities well enough to understand exactly how that must have gone.
“Um… so… I was hoping to ask the same of you…”
An awkward silence stretched between them. Hanpan had no idea what to say.
“Um… I understand… I'll try my best for now, but it won't be easy…”
“Yes, I fully understand.”
“Yes…”
Silence settled once more.
“It might sound strange to say this, but… this is my first marriage, and as a woman I want a child, yet realistically it's impossible. Whether you accept it or not, in some ways we're family now…”
Hanpan felt an inexplicable pity for her. She seemed to be speaking with real sincerity, and that sincerity moved him.
“Um… then… though it's still very awkward, I'll treat you like a mother… What should I call you?”
She thought for a moment before answering.
“Could you… just casually call me Mom?”
“Yes? …Mom?”
“Yes… If you called me that I'd be really grateful… I can't hear it from anyone else, but I want to hear it so badly.”
“Won't people think it's strange? I haven't asked your age so I don't know, but you look far too young to be called my mother…”
“Ah… I'm thirty-eight this year. If I'd had a child early, having one around your age wouldn't be strange at all…”
He nodded. He had often seen people on television who had kids early after high-school accidents; looked at that way it wasn't odd, yet something still felt off.
“Yes… It's a sudden request so it's awkward and flustering, but… I'll try.”
“Thank you… Actually it took a lot of courage just to say this.”
“Yes, I can imagine…”
They finished the last of their tea in quiet sips. Hanpan was not only flustered by her proposal; he was also at a complete loss as to how he would ever explain this to his own mother. Deciding their business was finished, he hesitated a moment and glanced around. Hye-su seemed to sense the same thing.
“Um, then… shall we get up?”
“Ah, yes, let's… You're heading home, right?”
“Yes. No special plans, so I should go home.”
“It's not far from here—shall I give you a ride?”
“Isn't your place around here? You should head back…”
“Ah… well… a Saturday afternoon drive is nice too… Even if I go home there's nothing special waiting for me.”
Figuring there was no harm in it, Hanpan inclined his head.
“Yes, then may I take you up on that?”
“Yes. And on the way there's a place nearby that makes good coffee—shall we grab some takeout? Is that alright?”
“Yes, sounds good.”
With that the two of them rose. Hanpan moved quickly to hold her jacket open so she could slip into it easily; she smiled sweetly as she slid her arms through the sleeves. After she settled the bill at the first-floor counter and stepped outside, the car was already waiting. They climbed in, and she drove toward a café she knew nearby.
Hanpan's mind had grown extremely complicated.