Chapter 233
Chapter 233
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 233
Chapter Title: Hyorin's Long-Lost Aunt
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The figure who appeared before us looked remarkably like Hyorin.
So much so that I couldn't help but think that if Hyorin had grown older, she might have looked just like that.
But I wasn't the only one having those thoughts.
"Daddy..."
Even Daeun stared at Chairman Kim Soon-bae's face before turning to look at me.
What was this? Really, what?
Why did she resemble her so much?
Maybe because I'd had such a vivid dream about Hyorin the night before, but it only made me more confused.
At that moment, she arrived at our table and spoke to us.
"Nice to meet you. I've wanted to meet you for a while, and now here we are."
"Ah... yes. Th-thank you so much for buying Daeun's painting."
"A great work is worth its price, so it's only natural."
Chairman Kim Soon-bae spoke as if purchasing the piece for such a hefty sum was no big deal.
Then, Chairman Kim Soon-bae gazed at Daeun for a moment before saying,
"She really does look a lot like her."
"Yes."
A lot like who?
But her next words left me speechless.
"Well, you've seen my face, so you might have guessed already, but let me introduce myself properly. I'm Hyorin's aunt."
"A-aunt?"
I was truly shocked.
Hyorin's aunt?
As far as I knew, Hyorin had been an orphan.
For someone with no family ties to have relatives...
"I've been searching for her for quite a long time, actually. When Hyorin was left at the orphanage, I was overseas. I couldn't rush back right away."
This was the first time I'd heard anything about Hyorin's family.
And the story was far more astonishing than I could have imagined.
"By the time I found her again, Hyorin had already passed away. I was devastated... If only I'd found her a little sooner..."
Chairman Kim Soon-bae's eyes welled up with tears.
She'd searched so desperately, only to find out Hyorin was gone.
She wiped her tears and continued.
"I agonized over this a lot. Whether I should tell you, Painter Kanghyeok Lee, Hyorin's partner... And..."
She wiped her tears again.
"...Daeun, Hyorin's daughter, as well."
I could fully understand Chairman Kim Soon-bae's dilemma.
To others, it might seem like dredging up memories of someone who'd already passed.
"Was it perhaps rude of me?"
"Oh, no. Not at all. I'm grateful, truly."
This wasn't empty politeness.
It was meeting the family of the woman I'd once loved fiercely—no, still loved.
How could that ever be rude?
"So, what about Hyorin's parents...?"
That was the question burning in my mind.
How had Hyorin ended up at the orphanage?
Chairman Kim Soon-bae's expression grew sorrowful at my question.
Her slightly trembling lips spoke volumes about her state.
"It was an accident. When Hyorin was very young, both of them passed away on the same day. If I'd been in Korea then... But my own situation wasn't good at the time, so with nowhere else to turn, Hyorin ended up at the orphanage. By the time I learned of it and went to find her, the original orphanage had closed, making it impossible to track her down."
She had been too young to have any choice in the matter.
Left with no other option, Hyorin had grown up believing she was an orphan.
Even though she had family, she'd lived her whole life alone.
If only we'd known sooner...
Hyorin might have cherished memories of her parents.
"Um..."
Then, Chairman Kim Soon-bae asked me.
With a deeply sorrowful expression...
And then.
"Was Hyorin... ha-happy?"
She asked with desperate longing.
* * *
I told her about the days I'd spent with Hyorin and how happy she'd been.
The story continued through lunch, from preparation to finish.
Of course, Daeun also shared moments when Hyorin had been happy and joyful.
It started sadly, but as the tale unfolded, Chairman Kim Soon-bae's face gradually brightened.
"I'm so relieved. That Hyorin was happy..."
At first, I hadn't realized, but Chairman Kim Soon-bae had blamed herself for what happened to Hyorin.
She thought that if she'd been in Korea, she could have taken care of her.
But life has a way of unfolding unpredictably.
Seeing her shoulder all the blame made her pitiable.
"I've always thought it was all my fault. If I'd been in Korea... No, if I'd returned just a little sooner, I could have looked after Hyorin."
Of course, an aunt was family too, but to carry those thoughts for decades was remarkable.
But there was a reason for Chairman Kim Soon-bae's actions.
"I've received a debt of gratitude I could never repay in a lifetime..."
She explained that Hyorin's mother—my mother-in-law—had saved her life.
Her business had failed, and she'd been ready to end it all.
But her sister had appeared at that desperate moment, talked her out of it, listened for hours, and given her every last bit of her own fortune to help her start over.
"Even though it's late, I want to repay that kindness now. So please, don't refuse."
With that, Chairman Kim Soon-bae handed me a white envelope.
"I've arranged an apartment in Gangnam suitable for the two of you. It's empty and ready, so you can move in anytime."
"A-an apartment?"
"Yes. When you move, the staff member you saw at the exhibition will handle the transfer. Compared to the kindness she showed me, this is nothing, but it's all I can do right now."
Ha...
I was speechless.
An apartment in Gangnam worth tens of billions.
Did I have the right to accept it?
The mother-in-law's kindness had come full circle.
It was a whirlwind of shock and surprise; it didn't feel real.
Of course, for Daeun's future, I should accept.
"I'm sorry, but we can't accept this."
Some might call it foolish.
But thinking about what Hyorin would have decided if she were here made it clear.
"Why? Why not? With this place, you could send Daeun to a better school, and..."
Of course, refusing was foolish.
It was just the mother-in-law's kindness returning.
Accepting wouldn't hurt anyone.
"No."
I had no intention of taking it.
No, I couldn't.
"Because Hyorin's mother... no, my mother-in-law didn't help you expecting anything in return."
"...Yes."
Accepting this would tarnish the pure intent of her kindness.
"I've never met her, but I don't believe she helped with any such expectation."
Childhood teachings last a lifetime.
I'd seen Hyorin's heart and how she lived, right by her side.
Surely, her mother was the same.
"So I don't want to turn that pure intent impure."
I couldn't.
No, I shouldn't.
At my resolute words, Chairman Kim Soon-bae fell silent.
I couldn't read her thoughts as she stared at me for a long while.
Finally, after what felt like ages, she spoke.
"You're really making it impossible for me to repay her kindness..."
In response, I could only do one thing.
I smiled brightly.
"I'm sorry."
"Ha, how did my sister end up with a son-in-law just like her..."
Her words said one thing, but her expression had completely changed.
"If you won't accept this, then I have no choice but to repay it my own way."
She didn't elaborate on her method.
It felt a bit ominous, but the atmosphere had lightened considerably.
"But there's one thing I'm curious about."
"Yes, ask away."
If she was Hyorin's aunt, maybe she knew.
So I decided to resolve the question that had lingered as a mystery.
"By any chance... did Hyorin's parents live in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province?"
Her expression changed instantly at my question.
"H-how do you know that? Did Hyorin... No, she couldn't have remembered..."
Ah... as I thought. Even more than me.
So I told Chairman Kim Soon-bae the story I'd heard from Hyorin.
The village from her childhood memories.
How, as a high schooler, she'd searched every dang-san tree called Dang-san tree across the country to find that place.
Hearing it, she covered her mouth with her hand.
"Poor girl... She remembered... Yes, that's Hyorin's hometown. I've visited a few times, so I know it."
Then Daeun asked,
"Daddy, that painting Grandma painted back then?"
I nodded.
"Yeah, that must have been Mommy's real hometown."
A memory lingering in her subconscious.
Following it to her roots.
If Hyorin had known, how happy she would have been.
Then the chairman asked,
"Do you have time today by any chance?"
"Today? Well, no other plans, so sure..."
She asked quietly,
"Since it came up, would you like to go there together?"
To Hyorin's hometown... again.
Daeun grabbed my hand and said,
"Daeun wants to go! Mommy's hometown! Daeun go!"
And so, on a bit of a whim,
"Y-yeah... l-let's go."
We headed to Hyorin's real hometown.
* * *
Clunk.
After nearly two hours of driving, we arrived at Hyorin's hometown.
How long had it been since I'd come back?
That time, the bus ride had taken forever.
But with Hyorin, time had flown by.
Now, knowing it was truly her hometown, the two hours felt endless.
Thus, after over a decade, I faced the dang-san tree from back then once more.
"This place always feels good, no matter when you come."
"Yeah. Over ten years, and it's unchanged."
Daeun said excitedly,
"Daddy! This is really Mommy's hometown!"
"Yeah, right. You always wanted to come here, Daeun."
"Yeah! Right!"
Maybe because it held her mother's memories, but Daeun was thrilled.
Then she said to the chairman,
"Where's Mommy's house?"
"Hyorin's house should be a bit further up from here."
"Let's go see!"
"Alright, let's go."
Led by her staff pushing the wheelchair, they headed uphill.
Watching them, I turned my gaze back to the dang-san tree.
The first time, it hadn't struck me much, but now it felt different.
Memories from then resurfacing, perhaps.
As I felt that strange emotion and turned to follow them,
"How is it? Cool, right? I especially love that tree. Every time I come, it feels like it's welcoming me."
Whoosh!
Hyorin's voice rang out clearly.
As if she had truly come back to life.