Reunion
“Is that… Seoyeon baby’s mother you’re talking about?”
“Yes. My mom.”
“Ah, no. That’s true, but…”
Kim Wooyoung looked utterly shocked. Why is that person showing up here?Hasn’t she already retired? But the one who truly couldn’t grasp my words was Yoo Harin.
“Seoyeon, what do you mean? You’re saying you want to cast your mother for the ad?”
Ah… This sister still doesn’t know. That my mom, Yoon Chaeun, was once the most famous celebrity in the country.
“My mom was a celebrity too, just like you, Harin sister.”
“What? Is that for real?”
“Yes! Dad said she was super famous. He fell head over heels for her and proposed right away…”
As I spoke, I covered my mouth with both hands. Dad had always emphasized that this was a secret. Eek!
“I… I see. What’s your mother’s name, by any chance?”
“Yoon Chae-un. Yoon Chaeun—that’s my mom’s name.”
“Whaaaat?”
This was a restaurant with other customers around. The sudden loud shout made everyone frown. Yoo Harin, realizing her huge blunder, adjusted her sunglasses. Her whole body trembled as she asked me again.
“Is it true? Is your mother really Yoon Chaeun sister?”
“Yes, that’s right. But why are you like this?”
Was there some bad blood from the past? I’d never heard of Mom holding grudges against anyone. Her reaction was just so extreme. I fiddled with my innocent fork, sneaking glances at her.
“This is the first time I’m hearing this story. Even my family doesn’t know.”
Yoo Harin downed the water in her glass to calm herself and took a deep breath.
“A long time ago, I had a huge setback—worse than I expected. Celebrities live off attention, you know. When it doesn’t come your way, all sorts of dark thoughts creep in.”
Yeah, to get that attention, some take sponsors or do shady things. No one who’s been unknown can truly understand that misery. Of course, I wasn’t saying Yoo Harin had ever taken illegal sponsors. She’d earned her fame through sheer hard work.
“I was so down, I thought about quitting the industry altogether. That’s when Yoon Chaeun sister appeared.”
“My mom?”
“Yeah! She wasn’t in a great spot herself back then, but she spent what little she had to buy me something delicious. It was gukbap.”
“……”
“When you’re starving, your mind races with every crazy thought. But once you’re full… it all seems pointless. And I’ll never forget what Chaeun sister said.”
“Could you tell me what it was?”
“Hmm, looking back now, it wasn’t anything special.”
Yoon Chaeun recalled the past and chuckled softly.
“This too shall pass.”
“!”
This too shall pass… I remembered reading it in an old Persian fable. The Persian king had ordered a wise man to create words that comforted in sorrow and curbed arrogance in joy. The sage came up with “this too shall pass.” I never imagined those words coming from my mom.
Come to think of it…
Mom hadn’t brought her own nanny, right? The nanny had been wandering aimlessly when she applied to be a housekeeper for the Hansung family by chance, and that’s how she first met Mom at the interview.
“I never dreamed Chaeun sister’s daughter was you, Seoyeon. As you know, she suddenly retired from showbiz. Some said she was sick, others that she married into a chaebol…”
“She gave up being a celebrity to marry Dad.”
“I see. Marrying into a chaebol family as a celebrity… the family opposition must have been fierce.”
“Yes. Grandpa was dead set against it. But after I was born, we all live together in the main house with him now.”
“R-Really? That’s… truly fortunate.”
I got a strong sense that her words were veering off track. It felt like she had something specific she wanted to say to me.
“Um, Seoyeon?”
“Yes?”
“I… heard Hansung Food is making another ad. And this one isn’t just selling ramen—it’s tying into the Olympics with a lottery broadcast too.”
“That’s right. If our national team uncles win gold medals, we’ll do the lottery on the radio.”
“Th-Then!”
Yoo Harin spoke in a desperate rush.
“Me, me! I don’t need radio appearance fees—just one favor, please?”
“A favor?”
“Yes! It’s simple. Just let me meet Chaeun sister once!”
“…With Mom?”
She bowed her head deeply and gripped my hands tight.
“I’m begging you! Please!”
Yoo Harin, the nation’s top actress and “national little sister,” was groveling like her hands might wear out. Oh my god…
“Hwahh…?”
＊
Yoon Chaeun hummed a tune while cleaning the mansion. Being a Hansung daughter-in-law didn’t mean shirking the tough jobs. Maybe that unpretentious attitude was why Chairman Han Seongcheol favored her more than the other daughters-in-law.
“Aigoo, ma’am! Leave the cleaning to us!”
“No, no. I can’t do everything, but at least let me clean the family rooms.”
“B-But!”
The mansion staff watched her with moved expressions. Being part of the Hansung family was like Korean royalty—nobles in their own right.
Yoon Chaeun was blissfully happy now, with nothing left to wish for. Back when she married, Chairman Han Seongcheol had been vehemently opposed.
[Even if dirt gets in my eyes, I’ll never give my son to a worthless entertainer like you!]
Yet Han Seongu, the youngest son, gave up all his rights, took her hand, and left home. They endured hardships—struggling to make ends meet, even conceiving a child—without blaming each other. Heaven must have noticed, because the “cursed” Hansung family, with no daughters, finally had its first granddaughter: Han Seoyeon.
“Lalala~♪”
As she wiped the window frames with a soaked rag, a staff member approached.
“Ma’am.”
“Yes?”
“There’s a phone call. You should take it.”
“Who’s it for? I don’t expect any calls…”
“It’s for the baby miss.”
“Seoyeon?”
“Yes~ Go on.”
“O-Okay…”
“Leave this to us. You’ve been cleaning so hard lately, we’ve been feeling awkward just watching. Hehe~”
“Got it. Thanks anyway.”
“No trouble at all…”
She picked up the phone, and the voice on the other end was unmistakably her daughter’s.
“Baby!?”
-Mom!
“What’s up at this hour? Did you fight with your friends?”
Kids grow through fights, they say. She fretted over any scratches on her child’s beautiful face.
-Hehe, no. Someone wants to see you. I can’t just bring them to the main house unannounced.
Hearing someone was looking for her, she tilted her head in confusion.
“Okay. Where are you?”
-We’re at…
Her eyes widened at the answer.
＊
Honestly, I never dreamed Yoo Harin and Mom knew each other. Didn’t someone say the world is smaller than you think? It really was.
This country had over 38 million people and covered 100,413 square kilometers—about the size of Iceland, a bit smaller than half of Britain. Against odds worse than winning the lottery jackpot, these two had reunited.
“H-Harin!”
“S-Sister!!”
Anyone would think it was a long-lost family reunion. The nation’s little sister, Yoo Harin, and Mom, once the top star of showbiz. They hugged, eyes glistening with tears.
“What brings you here?”
“Tell me about it. I was shooting an ad with Seoyeon, and turns out her mom is you!”
“Oh? The world really is small.”
“But I’m so glad to see you like this. Do you know how much I’ve missed you?”
The “national little sister” buried her face in Mom’s bosom like a kitten, then nuzzled right in. Feeling those ample peaks, Yoo Harin smiled contentedly. Mom looked flustered by her junior’s aegyo.
“Hey, what if people see?”
“Let them! Hmph!”
I shook my head wordlessly and quenched my thirst with the warm milk in front of me. As the milk settled my tense body, my stiff muscles relaxed, a cozy warmth spreading through me. Ahh, perfect.
A moment later, we huddled around a table, chatting away. The main topic, naturally: the Haeguri ad.
“I originally wanted Harin sister to model, but doing back-to-back ads as the same model felt repetitive. So this time, I’m trying something fresh.”
“Like what?”
“Harin sister does the radio, and Mom models for Haeguri!”
“Wh-What? Is this another one of your ideas, Seoyeon?”
I shook my head at Yoo Harin’s question.
“No. Grandpa and Dad are fully backing this one.”
“Gasp! The Chairman and President?”
Caught off guard, Yoo Harin nearly had a fit. Han Seongcheol, chairman of Hansung Group. Han Seongu, youngest son of the Hansung family and president of Hansung Food. People of their stature could meet the president of Korea without an appointment. For them to step in for a mere ramen ad? No wonder she was stunned.
“Mom!”
“Yes?”
With both their eyes on me, I broached it carefully.
“Have you ever thought about returning to showbiz?”
“…!”
They both startled—Mom in shock, Yoo Harin with a twitching grin. Her beloved senior’s potential comeback made her eyes sparkle. Truth be told, I hadn’t suggested this knowing Mom was once a top star. Their love story was like a Cinderella fairy tale to ordinary folks.
“You think I could go back to entertainment?”
I waited patiently for Mom’s reply. Because in one corner of the room where my parents were, photos from her active days were still preserved.