Chapter 115
Chapter 115
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Seeking Out Mother
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Even after descending the entire alleyway, Ms. Yoon kept staring at the photo she'd taken in front of the mural.
"It's amazing. A group photo with everyone."
Something about Ms. Yoon made me think that.
She seemed just like a child.
Though it hadn't been a long time, the way she'd acted so far was pure innocence itself—the kind only kids could show.
In a way, it felt like someone who could enjoy life more than anyone else, yet couldn't.
Like she was trapped in her own world, forever stuck in a frozen moment in time.
That's when Daeun asked,
"But Auntie!"
"Yes?"
"Daeun thinks Daddy is super nice, so why do you hate Daddy?"
She'd never outright said she hated him, but Daeun must have interpreted it that way from hearing how hard it was for her to accept her emotions because of her father.
"Why do I hate him?"
It was, in a way, a pretty sensitive question.
It was basically prying into Ms. Yoon's family history. But Ms. Yoon didn't seem to mind at all.
It was just... like she was talking about something that had happened to someone else long ago.
"Hmm, how should I put this? I mentioned earlier that my mother is Korean, right?"
Nod.
She had said that.
"When I was little, the man who was my father abandoned my mother."
"Yes?"
...Abandoned her.
"You might find it a bit hard to understand, but it's true. That's why I came to really hate my father. It also messed up my emotions."
She told this incredibly sad story so matter-of-factly. Maybe that's why it felt even sadder.
Her own father had abandoned her mother, and the child had lost her ability to feel emotions from the shock.
Once she started talking, Ms. Yoon kept going with her story.
"I was really close to my mother back then. I must have been about Daeun's age. My face was always full of smiles. But from the moment my father abandoned her, I couldn't smile anymore. Even when I closed my eyes or opened them, I kept seeing my mother crying and clinging desperately—it haunted me."
Seeing something like that at such a young age would definitely be traumatic.
It was a relief she'd only lost her emotions, nothing worse.
Hearing Ms. Yoon's story made me a little worried.
Daeun was so empathetic— what if she got really sad?
I glanced over at Daeun's face while listening.
'Is she... okay?'
Fortunately, there wasn't much change in Daeun's expression.
Just like Ms. Yoon, she was listening calmly.
Afterward, I asked very carefully.
Something I'd been curious about but hadn't dared to ask.
"So, using the surname Yoon..."
"Yes, I just took my mother's family name."
I see...
I'd suspected there was some story behind her asking to be called Ms. Yoon.
Then Daeun asked,
"So Auntie!"
"Yes?"
"When did you last see Daddy?"
I wondered what was behind that question.
Just as I was pondering Daeun's intentions, Ms. Yoon answered earnestly.
"I started living separately when I entered high school, so about ten years ago."
"Ten years."
Daeun spread her fingers and started folding and unfolding them.
She was probably trying to gauge how long ten years really was.
Figuring out her intent, I explained it in a way she'd understand.
"You're five now, Daeun. Add five more years here, and that's ten."
"!!"
Did she get it?
Daeun's mouth dropped open wide.
"That's super long!"
They say ten years can change mountains and rivers.
At this point, she might not even remember what he looked like.
No, faces change a lot anyway, so if they met now, they probably wouldn't recognize each other.
"Looking at it now, it has been quite a while."
It almost sounded like she was talking about someone else's story.
Ten years was long, but not long enough to become this emotionally numb.
Then Daeun said to Ms. Yoon,
"Auntie! You gotta meet your daddy!"
Her sudden declaration that she had to meet her dad even surprised Ms. Yoon a little.
"Meet him... you say?"
"Yeah! Daeun was super scared when people said I had to meet Daddy! But when I actually met him, he wasn't scary at all—he's super nice!"
...I was hearing this for the first time.
I had no idea Daeun had been scared of me.
"You'll be the same, Auntie!"
But Daeun's situation and Ms. Yoon's were very different.
Knowing that, Ms. Yoon couldn't just agree right away.
"Ten years have passed, but that doesn't change the memories. I can still vividly see how he looked when we parted—the last thing he said, telling me to just forget it all."
Of course, the circumstances were different.
But I didn't think Daeun was completely wrong either.
They'd parted when Ms. Yoon was Daeun's age, and the last time she'd seen her father was in high school.
Maybe there was some secret her father hadn't told her.
Then Daeun said,
"So Auntie! Go meet your mommy! Daeun can't meet my mommy 'cause she's gone, but you can meet yours!"
"M-my mother?"
At Daeun's suggestion to meet her mom, Ms. Yoon looked around nervously.
"I... I've never even thought of that...."
We were the ones surprised by that.
Especially Officer Kim, who asked if she really wanted to help Ms. Yoon.
"Have you ever considered looking for her? If you're thinking about it, I can help."
It was Officer Kim himself offering.
It felt incredibly reassuring.
At Officer Kim's words, Ms. Yoon looked at him and asked,
"Do you think I even have the right to find her? He abandoned her... what if she thinks I abandoned her too...?"
I told Ms. Yoon,
"Not 'her,' but your mother."
Ms. Yoon's expression turned a bit desperate.
It was a subtle change, but since she rarely showed any expression, it looked quite serious.
"Even if I do find her, what if it just causes problems...."
Then Daeun said,
"Mommies are like that!"
Ms. Yoon's eyes widened.
"Daeun's mommy! Even if Daeun does something bad, she still loves me! And Mommy says she loves Daeun super super a lot! So your mommy loves you too, Auntie!"
Daeun's pure words were enough to push past Ms. Yoon's hesitation.
And that word "love" gave her courage.
"I'll do it. I'll go find my mom."
A firm resolve appeared on Ms. Yoon's face.
The resolve to face the truth.
It had been decades since she'd parted from her mother.
Finding her with just a name and age would be incredibly tough.
Ms. Yoon didn't remember much about her mother either.
But.
'Hmm, right on cue.'
Ms. Yoon might not know, but her secretary did.
I'd wondered why someone who did nothing at home needed a secretary.
"Hmm, I don't do absolutely nothing. I have a building in New York. He manages it directly for me."
Ah... my mistake.
Being around Ms. Yoon like this, I'd momentarily forgotten, but she was insanely wealthy.
The kind who could crush my worries with money.
But the one truly shocked by this was none other than Officer Kim.
"A building... in New York?"
"Surprised?"
"Of course! It's one of the most expensive real estate spots in the world."
Oh, he seemed pretty knowledgeable about this stuff.
"Wow, I figured you were rich from the way you dress, but I had no idea you were this rich. Impressive."
Even I, who knew, was shocked, so Officer Kim, who didn't, must have been floored.
But at Officer Kim's reaction, Ms. Yoon asked with a hint of worry,
"Does that make you dislike me or something?"
Wow, now she's asking outright.
I nearly blurted out, "Why don't you just say you like him?"
But Officer Kim's response made my jaw drop.
"I was surprised, but not entirely unexpected."
"You'd anticipated it?"
"Your clothes, shoes, bag, even your hair accessories. Everything you're wearing right now probably costs more than my three years' salary combined."
Officer Kim had sized her up from the start.
Of course—he wouldn't have laid his jacket on the ground for her if he hadn't.
"Ah, so you noticed."
She seemed a bit surprised.
She probably hadn't expected anyone to clock her outfit.
But Officer Kim brushed it off.
"A friend of mine is into this stuff, so I know a little. Anyway, that's a relief. We have basic info on your mother."
Ms. Yoon nodded at that.
"Yes, exactly. And I just found out she's living in Korea, not the US."
It was too much coincidence to call it chance.
First off, her secretary had been handling this for quite a while.
He'd worked under Ms. Yoon's father for a full 15 years and followed her when she went independent.
Thanks to that, getting info on her mother was easy.
'Well, they did divorce, but money doesn't just vanish.'
Marrying into that kind of wealth already proved her mother had plenty.
And the other amazing thing: she'd lived in the US until a few years ago, then suddenly returned to Korea.
"Did you get the address?"
"Not yet. But James said he'd send it, so it should come soon."
Just then, Ms. Yoon's phone buzzed with a text.
"Ah, it's here."
"Let me see."
Officer Kim checked the address that had come through on her phone.
"Hmm, closer than I thought. Should be about 30 minutes by car. You drive here, right?"
At his words, I smiled awkwardly and replied,
"Uh, no. We took the bus."
"The bus?"
Well, yeah—a person with a New York building taking the bus was bound to surprise.
There were circumstances, but no chance to explain.
"If it's okay, I could give you a ride in my car."
His sudden offer made me feel bad, so I said,
"You're already busy enough—no need to make time for us. We can just take a taxi...."
But someone jumped in urgently.
It was Ms. Yoon.
"Yes, please give us a ride."
Excuse me, Ms. Yoon?
And at her follow-up, I could only chuckle.
"Having you there would make me feel secure."
Whoa, American style.