Chapter 26
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: The Unromantic First Sleepover
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I was racking my brain over how to get the drunk Soo-ah home, but surprisingly, the issue resolved itself easily.
"Your place is in the next building over?"
Soo-ah's apartment was in the adjacent tower of the same complex.
So that's why she chose a nearby restaurant for our meetup.
"Oh. Did I forget to mention that?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't move here because of you, Sun-hu."
"Haa..."
Dealing with two drunk women was no small feat. Even if one was a famous actress, a drunk was still a drunk.
After a fierce battle, I finally managed to get them both into the car and head home. For the sake of their images, I'll skip the tear-jerking details of my struggle.
"I'll drop Soo-ah off first, so Mom, just wait in the car for a bit."
We barely made it to the apartment parking lot, and I planned to escort Soo-ah home first.
But as I was helping Soo-ah out of the passenger seat, Mom got out from the back, staggering toward the elevator.
"Mom can go by herself. You two young folks have a nice chat about the rest~."
"Mom!"
No matter how close the parking lot was to home, I couldn't let drunk Mom go alone. Reluctantly, I sat Soo-ah back down and chased after her.
"Sorry, Soo-ah. I'll take Mom up first and come right back. Just wait in the car a little longer."
"Ohoho. Take care, Mother."
On top of that, Soo-ah had switched from calling her "ma'am" to "Mother" at some point. It was too scary to dwell on the implications, so I let it slide.
I caught up to Mom, who had already boarded the elevator, and got in. Mom, dazed from the alcohol, widened her eyes upon seeing me.
"Oh my? Sun-hu, why are you here? Where's Soo-ah?"
"You went off alone, so I followed. Soo-ah's in the car."
"No way. You can't leave a girl alone. Mom can manage by herself."
"Forget it. To me, you're more important than Soo-ah."
Mom tried to shake off my supporting arm, insisting she could walk alone. Of course, I had no intention of letting go.
"My son still only has eyes for Mom—such a handful. I'm grateful you think of me, but aren't you at the age to spread your wings?"
Mom was subtly pushing me away. So she really did intend to distance herself from me.
And foist that woman on me instead? There was no woman who could replace Mom.
Sure, Mom must have agonized over her decision, but I couldn't help the twist in my gut.
"I don't care what you're thinking, Mom. I'm never leaving your side."
"Sun-hu."
Mom gently chided my petulant tone.
Pretending to support her, I wrapped my arm around her waist and pulled her close.
Mom startled and tried to pull away, but I held her tighter, refusing to let her escape.
Mom had raised me from a helpless state to this point. It wasn't an exaggeration to say I'd grown up in her embrace.
But now the tables had turned—Mom was in my arms.
Her body heat seeped through her clothes, hot against my skin. The emotions I'd bottled up all day swelled uncontrollably.
In the sealed elevator, only the hum of its ascent filled the silence. Neither of us spoke.
Soon, it dinged at our floor.
"Kyaa."
I scooped Mom up into my arms just like that.
And carried her straight home.
It felt oddly familiar, like something similar had happened recently.
The difference was that now, I'd crossed many lines with her.
...Was Mom regretting it, perhaps?
Why was she looking at me with such anxious eyes?
We'd been one step away. But just before that final step, Mom had put up a wall.
I knew she must have wrestled with far more than me—someone just following base desires.
We arrived home and entered her room. I laid her gently on the bed.
Naturally, it formed a position with Mom lying back and me looming over her.
Her skin flushed from drink, her eyes trembling with unease, her warm breath—all tempted me.
The house was empty right now.
If I wanted, I could force that final step.
And I was certain Mom wouldn't resist too much.
"Sun-hu. We can't do this..."
What did she see in my eyes right now?
Was I twisted with lust?
Did I look like a beast?
I didn't want to appear ugly to her.
"I love you, Mom."
Mom's anxious eyes flew wide at my confession.
"I don't want to make you sad. But I can't give up either. So I'll wait until you allow it."
"Sun-hu..."
I trusted she'd understood my meaning.
I kissed her cheek and got off the bed.
"Rest, Mom. I'll go drop Soo-ah off."
"..."
I left the room quietly after those words.
"Hoo..."
Outside the door, I pressed my chest to calm my racing heart and let out a deep sigh.
My feelings were a mess riding the elevator down alone.
I wasn't sure if this was the best choice. Maybe a man should push forward at times like this.
But if I'd done that, I'd have hurt Mom for sure. I'd be an ungrateful wretch repaying her kindness with enmity.
That's not what I wanted. It might be a pipe dream, but I hoped for our whole family to be happy.
Especially Mom.
So I'd wait until she sorted out her heart.
If she never allowed it? Then I'd wait forever.
"Sorry, Soo-ah. For making you wait."
Back at the underground parking lot, Soo-ah was peacefully asleep in the back seat.
The alcohol had her out deep—even shaking her didn't wake her.
"Soo-ah. Wake up for a sec. Can you manage on my back?"
No response despite my calls.
I hoisted her limp form onto my back with effort and headed to her building's elevator. Good thing I'd gotten her keycard earlier.
"Ugh... Sun-hu..."
"Soo-ah. Pull yourself together."
During the ride up, she stirred. Barely, though—just enough for basic communication.
"Sun-hu... You and Mother seem close."
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Well... way closer than a typical mother and son, I think."
"...Heh, hehehe. No good. I didn't know I was this simple. To think it'd turn out just like she said from day one... And jealousy toward Mother, no less."
Her arms around my neck tightened.
I could boast endlessly about my love for Mom, but I kept quiet. No need for weird rumors in her industry to trouble her.
"Soo-ah's place is 703, right?"
At the seventh floor, she suddenly squirmed.
"Ugh... Put me down now. I can go alone..."
"What are you saying? You're wasted."
"Just drop me at the door. I'll get in once I'm sober..."
"That's ridiculous."
Her stubbornness didn't last—soon she went limp again, like a doll with dead batteries.
Clearly, she didn't want me inside. Understandable for a first-time meeting.
But I couldn't just leave her in the hallway like she suggested.
"Sorry, Soo-ah. I swear I won't do anything. Please let me."
At 703, I swiped the keycard, and the door unlocked.
I stepped inside with her on my back.
"Ha. Huh?"
Under the auto-lit lamps, the apartment stunned me speechless.
No furniture, no interior—just bare bones. Only large cardboard boxes stacked in each room.
It didn't look lived-in at all.
"...First, find the bedroom."
I decided to unload my burden first.
But searching every room, no bed in sight.
"...This must be it?"
The smallest of six rooms.
The only one with curtains—on the floor lay a shabby pink blanket.
It looked retro enough to have been used since middle school.
Situationally, this had to be the bedroom. I laid Soo-ah on the worn blanket, propped her head on a matching pillow.
Removed only her outer coat and hung it up. I swear, nothing else.
That should do it. I'd fulfilled my duty.
But surveying the place, my feet wouldn't move.
What kind of home was this?
Never seen such a barren space. An actress without a TV or PC? The kitchen fridge hummed, but held only a bottle of mineral water of unknown vintage.
The glamorous star from TV lived like this? What were her agency and manager doing? Was this acceptable?
No wonder her acting suffered in such an unhealthy environment.
I plopped down right there and searched "Hwang Soo-ah" on my phone.
Hwang Soo-ah. Age 25. South Korean actress.
And an glaringly empty family section below.
"Haa..."
I turned off the phone and flopped back.
What now? Honestly, I couldn't bring myself to leave.
Ignorance would be one thing, but pretending not to know felt wrong. I'd even eaten her food.
A nagging unease hit me. I rubbed the floor with my palm—dust from who-knows-when coated it.
"This... needs cleaning first."
I texted Mom.
『Mom. Might be late tonight. Don't wait up—go to sleep.』
Looks like a long night ahead.
In the end, I spent the whole night there.
Spending the night in a single woman's home. Scandalous if word got out, but zero romance.
All I did was clean and unpack.
The boxes were mostly moving supplies, left untouched since arrival.
I opened them all, sorted what I could, and stacked empties at the recycling bin by the emergency exit.
No vacuum, so mopping for the floors. No energy for the whole place—just cleared minimal living space.
"Ooh... Blinding sun!"
After sorting most boxes and making the kitchen usable, dawn broke outside.
No curtains in the living room, so the view was great, at least.
"What for breakfast?"
I headed to the convenience store.
Grabbed instant rice, bean sprout soup, small-pack kimchi, and quail eggs in sauce. Plus ion drinks, water, hangover remedies.
All instant, but downright homey for that place.
"Mind if I use the microwave?"
Heated rice and soup there. It'll cool on the walk back, but no appliances at hers anyway.
Finished up and returned.
"Soo-ah. It's me. You up?"
Knocking brought rustling from inside, then silence.
Hmm. What was she thinking? Shocked, probably.
Overstepped, maybe. Cleaning, unpacking, cooking unasked. And yesterday, I was a total stranger.
She might not even remember me through the hangover. Maybe calling the cops right now...
"Soo-ah, it's Jin Sun-hu. Im Shin-hye's son from the drama shoot. We met yesterday, remember?"
"...Sun-hu?"
A small voice from within.
Phew. She remembered.
"Yeah. You drank a lot, so Mom worried and told me to look after you. Brought breakfast—can I come in?"
A pause, then the door cracked open. Soo-ah peeked out, a bit disheveled but still unfairly radiant.
"Have some breakfast."
I waved the bag; her flustered face softened as she opened the door.
"Bean sprout soup and rice. No tray, so this sturdy box for now."
I set up on a leftover box top.
Simple spread: rice, soup, kimchi, quail eggs. Looked even plainer on cardboard.
"It's cooled a bit—eat before it gets cold. Soak in soup if the rice hardens."
Soo-ah stared blankly at the meal, sitting down.
Like she'd never seen food before.
Makes sense—a star like her probably never had humble fare like this.
Under my urging gaze, she hesitantly picked up the spoon.
"How is it? Edible?"
"...Tasty..."
"Really?"
One bite and she knew? Me asking was silly too.
"It's tasty... really."
"Ack."
Tears like chicken droppings fell from her eyes as she repeated it.
Thought I mis-saw at first, but they poured like a breached dam.
"Hey, if it's no good, don't force it."
"Ugh... uuh... huu..."
She shook her head vigorously, shoveling rice and soup desperately. Her unexpected reaction left me flustered.
Soo-ah sobbing while stuffing her face. Even that felt like a drama scene. Born actress, huh.
"Uh, um... After you're done, I'll show you the food waste chute by the sink. Just toss it in, but... uh, enjoy for now."
Tried sharing basics as a neighbor, but not while she's crying.
I fled the room like a coward.
Ha... No clue what's going on.
Yesterday, drunk—fine. But sober today?
Women are complicated, but this? Overkill.
I'd never understand the female heart.
Toward the shining sun outside, I sighed for the umpteenth time.