Epilogue 1
Translator: RaidenTL
Epilogue 1
"It's absolute chaos out there."
Hae-young, who had been scrolling through articles about Eun-seong on her phone, muttered with a heavy sigh. Eun-seong and Yeon-ju had already left the country, and in their absence, South Korea was in an uproar over Eun-seong's handwritten letter.
Sunlight Magazine published the article they received from Eun-seong and Dream Art. It was an exclusive. As agreed, Sunlight broke the story of Eun-seong and Yeon-ju, and other media outlets scrambled to churn out their own follow-up pieces.
"How's the public reaction?"
Hae-young glanced to her side. An employee from the agency's PR department, who was monitoring various online communities, replied.
"It's a total warzone."
"Is it positive? Or negative?"
"It's not even about that. Everyone is just too shocked to process anything."
People were mostly just venting their disbelief. Most found it hard to accept that Im Eun-seong was getting married, let alone that he already had a child.
The employee lowered their phone and continued.
"As expected, public opinion is sharply divided. There are those defending Yeon-ju, and there are those accusing her of using her son to sabotage actor Im Eun-seong's career. Some are even sneering that she invested ten years of her life to hit a jackpot bigger than any lottery."
"Who the hell do they think they are? Do they even know Yeon-ju? The nerve of them, running their mouths like that."
As Hae-young vented her frustration on Yeon-ju's behalf, the employee chuckled. Public curiosity about Eun-seong's mystery woman was exploding, fueling wild speculation and rumors. People were secretly hoping someone would leak her identity, eager to see what she looked like and which parent the child resembled more.
From here on, everything depended on how well Dream Art handled the situation.
"Fine, talk all you want. Go ahead," Hae-young muttered, slipping her phone into her bag.
Before entering the airport, Yeon-ju had handed her old phone to Hae-young and received a new one registered under Hae-young's name.
I wonder where they are now. They must still have a long way to go before they land.
"Ah, but still, I'm so jealous. I wonder how happy they are right now."
Eun-seong and Yeon-ju probably wouldn't look at a single news story until their long trip was over. They would spend their time focusing entirely on their little family of three.
A gentle smile spread across Hae-young's face at the thought. The media firestorm would eventually die down, and by then, the three of them would have become a true family.
"If you're jealous, you should get married too, Director."
"Marriage? Not in this lifetime. No thanks, I'm good."
Hae-young retorted with a raised eyebrow. They say if you're jealous, you lose, but Hae-young was always willing to lose when it came to Yeon-ju.
She hoped they would be endlessly happy and healthy, just as Eun-seong had written in his letter. She hoped this trip would be a time for them to truly realize the preciousness of a family—something they had lived without for so long.
Hae-young wished for this, over and over again.
* * *
Mrs. Na, having just returned from the sauna with her friends, was stir-frying chicken feet with a trot music show blasting in the background. As she let the dish simmer, having generously added spicy Cheongyang chili powder, she heard the beep of the front door keypad.
Though she knew it wouldn't be Yeon-ju and Han-byeol, Mrs. Na instinctively looked toward the entryway with a tense expression. The moment she saw Hae-young step inside, a long sigh of relief escaped her.
"Mother, I'm here!"
"Oh, you're here. You're early."
"I missed you, so I left work early."
Stepping into the living room, Hae-young froze as a wave of spicy aroma hit her. Combined with the ear-splitting trot music, her senses were momentarily overwhelmed.
As Mrs. Na stood to welcome her, Hae-young looked toward the kitchen and asked, "What are you cooking?"
"Oh, just some chicken feet. I started simmering them when I heard you were coming."
"Oh my gosh, really? No wonder the smell was so intense!"
Hae-young laughed, setting the makgeolli she'd bought at a convenience store on the table. Staring at the chicken feet bubbling in the cast-iron wok, she swallowed hard.
"I was actually craving something spicy! How did you know, Mother?"
"Well, I can only make this when you're around. That Yeon-ju can't handle anything spicy, so I could never make it for her."
"I know, right? Yeon-ju could never eat spicy food to begin with, but raising Han-byeol gave her the palate of a child."
Hae-young turned her gaze to the TV. A popular trot group was in the middle of a lively song and dance routine.
Taking the makgeolli out of the bag, Mrs. Na spoke.
"Now that Han-byeol's gone, I can finally blast my music as loud as I want."
"Exactly. When Han-byeol is here, it's homework time, so you can't play this kind of music loud."
"So, wouldn't you say I'm living it up right now?"
Hae-young burst into laughter at Mrs. Na's relaxed expression as she thoroughly enjoyed her freedom.
A short while later, the table was set with the bubbling chicken feet, savory brown rice sungnyung, and Hae-young's absolute favorites: Mrs. Na's homemade soy-marinated shrimp and abalone.
Hae-young poured makgeolli into their bowls and handed one to Mrs. Na.
"Mother, let's have a drink to celebrate your graduation from childcare!"
"You bet. Let's drink ourselves silly tonight!"
"Yes, let's drink ourselves silly! Congratulations, Mother!"
Sitting across from Hae-young, Mrs. Na emptied her bowl in one go right after they clinked them together. "Ahhh," Mrs. Na exhaled. "Ahhh," Hae-young echoed.
They both burst into a fit of giggles at their synchronized sighs. Then, putting on a plastic glove, Hae-young popped a chicken foot into her mouth, and her eyes nearly shot out of her head.
"Whoa, this is seriously spicy! It's burning!"
"Of course it is. I dumped a whole load of Cheongyang chili powder I got from Ganghwa Island in there."
"Wow, but it's so good! This is insane! You should be selling this, not just making it at home!"
"Hey, should I open a shop? A chicken feet place?"
"I'm in! Totally in! I'll invest!"
Pleased by Hae-young's enthusiastic reaction, Mrs. Na smiled warmly and took a bite of a chicken foot herself. For a moment, only the sound of heavy, spice-induced panting—Hoo, hah, hoo, hah—filled the air as the two diligently emptied their bowls.
In the living room, the cheerful trot melody was still going strong.
* * *
"How are you holding up? Things are still pretty noisy out there."
By eleven, the lively atmosphere had settled. Mrs. Na looked up, pushing aside the four empty makgeolli bottles they'd finished together.
"Well, I don't really think much of it. I just tell myself, 'Ah, Yeon-ju has just taken Han-byeol somewhere far away.'"
It had been ten days since Yeon-ju and Han-byeol left.
"I met up with my friends today, and they were all talking about my Son-in-law Im at the sauna. There's a lot of talk, even among my friends."
"You should have told them! That that handsome, amazing man is your son-in-law."
"Goodness, why would I ask for trouble? It's best to keep my mouth shut."
Mrs. Na's expression grew heavy as she spoke. Hae-young politely refilled her bowl.
"They were all badmouthing our Yeon-ju, saying things like, 'How could she just have a baby alone and tie a man down like that?'"
"Ah..."
"So that's what outsiders think. To them, our Yeon-ju is that kind of person."
"..."
"I knew people would talk, but it still made my blood boil. I mean, they're saying those things because they don't know the truth, and they wouldn't dare say it to my face if they knew she was my daughter, but still..."
"Yeah..."
Huddled together in the sauna, cracking open baked eggs and sipping sweet roasted grain drinks, the middle-aged women had gossiped about Eun-seong. It was mostly the mothers of sons who disapproved of the couple's story.
Mrs. Na understood their perspective all too well, but she couldn't help the bitter ache in her chest.
"You must have been so upset."
"I can just chalk it up to my own karma, but I'm so worried Yeon-ju might read those articles. It keeps me up at night."
"She won't be reading them. That's exactly why they went on this trip."
"I'm also worried about what Han-byeol will think later on. Once he's older, all he has to do is search his dad's name to find everything. I'm afraid he'll get the wrong idea when he sees people badmouthing his mom."
"That would never happen. You know better than anyone how much Han-byeol thinks of his mom and how deeply he cares for her."
"Children grow up in the blink of an eye, change in an instant, and slip right out of their parents' hands before you know it."
Mrs. Na looked down at her wrinkled hands. She had thought Yeon-ju would always be safe in her arms, yet her daughter had stood on her own two feet before she even realized it.
"And being a married couple isn't something that just happens overnight. They have to cram ten years' worth of ups and downs—of fighting and making up—into a short time. I worry about that, too."
After rattling off her worries, Mrs. Na looked up. She gave a sheepish smile to Hae-young, who was watching her with a concerned gaze.
"I guess having too much free time just breeds more worries. When I was busy looking after Han-byeol, I barely had time to think, but now that I have all this time on my hands..."
"The three of them will do great."
At Hae-young's words, Mrs. Na nodded slowly. Yes. They have to. That's how it should be.
"Think of how desperately they found their way back to each other. They'll hold onto that feeling and live happily for a long, long time, so don't worry too much, Mother. Oh, by the way, do they call you often?"
When Hae-young asked, shifting to a brighter tone, Mrs. Na nodded, though she playfully furrowed her brow.
"Ugh, they call me more than a dozen times a day. It's driving me crazy. 'What are you doing?', 'What did you eat?', 'Why are you doing that?'... It's such a hassle."
Yeon-ju called to the point of annoyance, and Han-byeol and Eun-seong took turns calling too, keeping her phone ringing off the hook all day. They sent so many photos she was starting to run out of energy to look at them all.
Hae-young laughed and raised her makgeolli bowl again.
"But you love it, don't you, Mother?"
"Of course. I'm happy my girl isn't alone anymore, and I'm happy our Han-byeol has a reliable dad now. And, well, I'm happy to have a son-in-law everyone raves about. It's great. I can't help but smile."
As Mrs. Na finally admitted her true feelings, Hae-young burst into laughter once more.
Before leaving the country, Eun-seong had given Mrs. Na a black card with no limit. He had also promised to send her monthly living expenses, and just recently, ten million won had been deposited into her account. She'd wondered if the ten million won was for the whole quarter, but it was just for a single month.
Yet, nothing changed in Mrs. Na's lifestyle. She remained as frugal as ever and hadn't even touched her son-in-law's limitless card. She planned to save every penny of it and give it back to Han-byeol later.
Hae-young suggested they go to the department store together sometime soon, looking at Mrs. Na with the expression of a puppy caught in the rain.
"Please don't get mad if I visit too often. I'll be so sad if you kick me out because I'm annoying."
"Having you here is a hundred times better than eating all three meals alone. Come whenever you like."
Mrs. Na looked at Hae-young with deep affection. No matter how devoted a parent was, there was a void that only the genuine care of others could fill. For Yeon-ju, Hae-young had been that person, pouring boundless affection onto her daughter. She was a true benefactor.
"You have no idea how grateful I am to you, Hae-young. Thank you so much for looking after our Yeon-ju."
"I didn't do much. If anything, I've received so much more from Yeon-ju."
"You'll be blessed. Absolutely. A good girl like you is bound to receive blessings."
"I'm already blessed. I have a wonderful friend in you, Mother."
Hae-young gave a sweet reply and winked, making Mrs. Na smile in return. Picking up another chicken foot, Hae-young asked with a bittersweet smile, "Do you mind if I ask you something? What was it like... when you first found out Yeon-ju was pregnant with Han-byeol?"
"Oh, dear."
A heavy sigh escaped Mrs. Na's lips at the question. She refilled her makgeolli bowl and spoke.
"What is there to say? It was hell. A living hell, pure and simple."
Mrs. Na's mind drifted back to ten years ago.