Epilogue 6
Translator: RaidenTL
Epilogue 6
A deep blue sea, as vivid as a field of lush grass, stretched out before them. Following the ripples that sparkled in the sunlight, the horizon dividing the sky and sea faded into the distance.
Dipping one’s feet into the transparently clear water revealed the shape of each toe with perfect clarity. Wading a little deeper, past white seashells that bobbed on the waves, schools of tropical fish in colors no paintbrush could capture darted by.
The rich scent of the ocean wafted from the gently swaying seaweed. The fine, silver-white sand was soft to the touch and felt warm, as if it had been baked by the sun. Here, father and son ran, swam, and built sandcastles.
The nightscape was even more majestic. The endless rolling of the waves acted as white noise, soothing the mind into a quiet peace, while a gentle, warm breeze drifted through their loose T-shirts.
It felt almost like being in a vacuum—a space entirely devoid of matter. Sealed in this vacuum of pure happiness, no other emotion could find a way in.
Discord, self-reproach, anxiety, and worry had vanished. Their only thought was for the joys tomorrow would bring, free from any concern about the future. It was a perfect trip, a succession of perfect moments, allowing them to bask in a condensed pocket of time filled with nothing but joy.
“Is Mom sleeping?”
Eun-seong, out for a night walk holding his son’s hand, nodded at Han-byeol’s question.
“I think she was tired from running around all day. She said she was sleepy even during dinner.”
“Mom always says she’s tired when we go on trips. When we went to the amusement park, she even slept in the car. I didn’t sleep, though.”
As Han-byeol launched into a detailed explanation, Eun-seong let out a soft chuckle.
Today, Yeon-ju had pushed herself through a rather packed schedule of outdoor activities. Usually content to watch from the sidelines, she had joined in for once, only to end up completely exhausted. She had screamed so loudly while paragliding—spinning through the sky before descending over the sea—that she’d nearly lost her voice.
“Mom says she’s afraid of heights. That’s why she gets scared when she goes up high.”
“Then Mom overcame her limits today, didn’t she? Floating all the way down from the sky like that. She did something really brave, right?”
“Super brave! That’s why today was twice as fun. No, three times? A hundred times? No, ten thousand times!”
Han-byeol drew a massive circle in the air with his hands and hopped on the spot, making Eun-seong burst into laughter. As Eun-seong ruffled his son’s hair, marveling at how the boy grew more adorable by the day, Han-byeol continued.
“Dad, you know what?”
“Yeah?”
“Earlier, Mom told me to grow up just a little slower.”
Eun-seong’s hand stopped mid-stroke. He looked down, and Han-byeol looked up at him.
“And then she cried. Mom did.”
“Mom? She cried?”
“Yeah. It was my first time seeing her cry.”
Clearly remembering his mother’s face as tears rolled down her cheeks, Han-byeol stood still and looked up at the night sky.
“Dad.”
He wanted to grant his mother’s every wish, no matter what it was.
“How do you grow up slowly?”
As he finished his question, Han-byeol placed a hand flat on top of his head, as if measuring his height.
“I’ve been drinking milk every day because I wanted to grow tall, but I should stop now, right?”
I should peel off the giraffe height-chart sticker when we get home, too.
“It’s hard to talk like a baby, though. Since I lived with Grandma for a long time, everyone says I talk like a little old man.”
Listening to Han-byeol’s remarkably serious dilemma, Eun-seong smiled faintly. The boy truly wanted to grant his mother’s request.
“What Mom meant wasn’t for you to stop growing tall or to change how you talk.”
“Then what was it?”
“She probably meant she doesn’t want you to have any worries or anxieties.”
“Hmm…”
Since the start of this trip, Eun-seong had observed Han-byeol closely and realized a few things. One was how the boy constantly checked his mother’s expressions.
Whenever Han-byeol laughed out loud, his eyes would instinctively dart to his mother. It was the same when he was surprised, when he discovered something fascinating, or when he saw something beautiful.
Eun-seong had taken note of this habit. He didn’t think of it as a trivial matter. At an age when a child’s own feelings should be the center of their universe, constantly monitoring someone else’s emotions was no small thing.
Perhaps Yeon-ju wanted her son to live a life focused entirely on himself. She likely wished for him to let his guard down completely, secure in her unconditional care.
Hearing that he shouldn’t have any worries or anxieties seemed to plunge the boy into a whole new dilemma. As confusion filled those innocent eyes, Eun-seong smiled warmly and added, “You don’t need to overthink it. This is all just because you’re such a good son.”
“Ah… a good son…”
“When you’re this filial, things like this happen.”
“Then what do I do? I don’t have any money.”
Hearing the phrase “Filial Piety is Money” pop up again, Eun-seong burst into laughter once more. In a few days, they would leave Maui and travel to Australia to meet Han-byeol’s paternal grandparents.
Suddenly thinking of his parents, Eun-seong took Han-byeol’s hand again and continued walking. The gentle sound of the waves was pleasant to the ear.
“What do you want to do when you make a lot of money later?”
“When I make a lot of money? I’m going to buy my mom pretty clothes.”
“What about me?”
“Well, Dad… you’re already rich…”
“I don’t have any money now. I gave it all to your mom.”
Huh? Han-byeol looked up in surprise, and Eun-seong shrugged.
“Dad’s a beggar now. So when you make money later, buy me some clothes instead of Mom’s.”
“You gave it all away? Why would you do that?”
“What do you mean, why? I have to live off your mom now. And get some filial piety from you.”
“But Mom’s a cheapskate, she doesn’t spend money. Are we traveling without any money now?”
Eun-seong couldn’t stop laughing at the boy’s refreshingly innocent questions.
“If Mom is going to be a miser and not spend money, we have no choice. We have to join forces.”
“How do we join forces? Do we defeat Mom?”
“No. I mean we have to join forces to get on her good side. And behave ourselves.”
If we could defeat her… do you want to try it alone…?
I feel like you might actually stand a chance…
Eun-seong continued walking, holding Han-byeol’s hand. He planned to stay out with the boy as long as possible so his wife, exhausted from the unaccustomed physical exertion, could sleep in peace.
“Mom loves saving money. She’s super, super thrifty. She saves water, and she saves electricity.”
“I know. Your mom is even hand-washing laundry all the way out here. Why on earth won’t she just use the laundry service?”
“Right? At home, she even washes the blankets by hand. Those are so heavy. And she stuffs the trash bags so full they’re about to burst before she finally throws them away.”
“She’s a complete miser.”
“You’re telling me.”
“There’s a limit to everything. I don’t like it. I really don’t.”
When Eun-seong said he didn’t like it, Han-byeol suddenly stopped in his tracks. Not knowing why, Eun-seong looked down at him.
“I don’t think you should say you don’t like it.”
“Wh-what?”
“What are you saying about my mom right now? Talking behind someone’s back isn’t a nice thing to do, you know.”
Eun-seong’s jaw dropped as Han-byeol slowly let go of his hand and took a step back, drawing a clear line between them.
“Whoa, what’s this? Turning on me now? After we were just gossiping about her together?”
“I didn’t say anything bad about my mom.”
“You started it! You said she was a cheapskate! That she doesn’t spend money!”
“But that’s a fact. I was just stating facts.”
“Wow… Just wow, Han-byeol…”
As a dumbfounded Eun-seong struggled for words, Han-byeol shrugged with his palms turned up.
“I’m going to tell Mom that Dad was talking bad about her.”
“Hey, you’re really something else.”
“I’m gonna tell on you~ I’m gonna tell on you~”
“…What do you want? Just say it.”
“No thanks. You said you’re a beggar now.”
“…I have an emergency fund. Tell me.”
“I’m gonna tell her that too~ That Dad has an emergency fund~”
As Han-byeol sang teasingly, Eun-seong took a giant stride toward him. Han-byeol quickly dodged and bolted.
“Get back here!”
Eun-seong ran after him. He could have easily caught up if he wanted to, but he kept a playful distance as he chased the boy.
“I’m gonna tell! I’m gonna tell!”
“Let’s negotiate! A negotiation! Alright, I get it, let’s negotiate!”
They ran across the sandy beach under the night sky.
The ten-year-old’s high-pitched laughter rang out, seeming to paint the night sky.
* * *
Back in Korea, production had begun on adapting Eun-seong and Yeon-ju’s love story for the screen. Director Kim Dong-ju, who had been attached to the project from the very beginning, cleared his schedule to kick off the scriptwriting process in earnest.
Since it was based on a true story, the adaptation would be kept to an absolute minimum. Everyone involved wanted their story to remain as authentic and undistorted as possible.
Since Eun-seong had cut off all external contact except for emergencies during their trip, they had agreed to handle the necessary Q&A for the script via email. Director Kim would compile a list of questions and send them to Eun-seong, and Eun-seong and Yeon-ju would write down their answers and send them back.
Because Eun-seong and Yeon-ju’s perspectives were bound to differ sharply, the questions were sent to each of them separately. Even when the questions were identical, the answers they provided were vastly different.
Late at night, with both Yeon-ju and Han-byeol fast asleep, Eun-seong sat on the terrace with his laptop open, letting the hours slip by. He carefully penned his answers to the questions, looking back on the past over and over to ensure there were no lapses in his memory.
Q. After reuniting, when did you first fall in love with her?
When did he realize it? When was it? When could it have been?
He hadn’t kept a diary, so the exact moment eluded him. He knew when the absolute certainty of his love had struck him like lightning, but the very beginning—those fleeting, occasional flutters of the heart that had brushed past and lingered—remained hazy.
…Perhaps it had been like that from the very beginning.
That moment, the very second he had opened the agency office door and found her standing there.
That day, when she had maintained a fluid, easygoing attitude, yet her frightened eyes had remained so guardedly fixed on him.
Back then, he had no way of knowing what she was so afraid of. He had simply assumed she was uncomfortable, awkward, or perhaps even resentful of his presence.
At a time when he couldn’t have fathomed the massive secret she carried, he, too, had wanted to match her uncomfortable gaze, to keep his voice dry, and to make his fingertips cold.
“…This is hard.”
Unable to find an easy answer, Eun-seong fell deep into thought and closed his eyes. Eventually, resting his head on his arms on the table, his breathing slowed to a steady rhythm as he drifted off to sleep.
Lulled by the gentle lapping of the waves and blanketed by the creamy glow of the moonlight, he was drawn deep into a dream—
His time wound back ten years, to when he was twenty-five.
He was back at the moment just before his glorious award win, but this time, he carried every single memory of all that had happened since.