CHAPTER 17

Around the time the vacation period was about to end, Siyeon’s parents returned. However, her mother continued to spend a lot of time away from home and when she was at home, she mostly sat there absentmindedly, like a person lost in thought.

With a housekeeper to help with the household chores, there was no inconvenience in daily life, but the atmosphere inside the house remained heavy, and conversations among family members rarely extended beyond a few words.

Despite the sudden change, Siyeon didn’t ask anything, and her parents were too preoccupied to notice anything unusual about her emotional state. They had no mental capacity left to pay attention to Siyeon’s feelings.

It was dinner time. Today, the dinner table was filled with the same quiet silence as usual, but there was a slight change in her mother’s attitude. She seemed to have regained some energy as she helped the housekeeper set the table. After silently eating for a while, her mother cautiously spoke up.

“…Siyeon. We have land in Gyeonggi Province, four lots to be exact.”

Siyeon looked up from her meal and stared at her mother without saying a word. It had been a long time since they had a proper conversation, and the topic happened to be about the land she owned.

“Yes. Please go on, Mom.”

“Your father and I have discussed it, and it seems like we should probably sell that land.”

While the circumstances had changed, some things remained the same. As soon as she learned that Siyeon was not her biological daughter, her mother immediately thought of the valuable land in Gyeonggi Province.

She was bothered by the fact that the expensive land was registered in Siyeon’s name, not Eunhye’s. After being lethargic for a while, it seemed she had regained her composure thanks to the substantial sum of money at stake.

“I understand.”

Siyeon responded calmly.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that like you said before… the property tax is not insignificant, and there happens to be a buyer willing to purchase it at a good price. I feel like we shouldn’t miss this opportunity…”

She made various excuses, but Siyeon knew her true feelings. Her mother wanted to dispose of the land as quickly as possible, even if it was at a low price, before Siyeon turned eighteen next year and gained full rights to it. Of course, even now, the price couldn’t be considered low by any means.

“I’m okay with it. However, I think you should inform Suwon Grandfather. Even if others don’t know, Grandfather, who bought the land first, should be aware.”

“Is…there really a need to tell him? After all, he gave it to you.”

She looked surprised, as if she hadn’t expected Siyeon to say something like this.

Financially, they were not in dire straits, and if they mentioned selling the land, Suwon Grandfather would definitely be puzzled. It wouldn’t be easy to come up with a convincing excuse. But that wasn’t something Siyeon needed to worry about.

“I don’t want him to keep misunderstanding that I still own that land. I don’t want to leave an emotional debt behind it. If it makes you uncomfortable to talk about it, I’ll do it. I’ll also let Grandmother know.”

“Grandmother already knows. I told her in advance.”

In the midst of her chaotic thoughts, her mother acted quickly. While she was staying in Hannam-dong, it seemed that the adults had already discussed it among themselves. Although Siyeon knew that the land wasn’t truly hers, she couldn’t help but feel a bittersweet emotion.

“…Mom.”

“Yes?”

“I’m planning to move out next year.”

“I know. I haven’t forgotten. Once your exams are over, your father and I plan to calmly look for a good place for you to live. 

Her mother no longer opposed Siyeon’s independence. The 19 years they had spent together as parent and child were now gone in the blink of an eye, and Siyeon and her parents had become strangers overnight. 

Had Eunhye also learned of this fact? Probably not yet. She wouldn’t have mentioned it to Eunhye, especially with the college entrance exams so close.

“Are you going to Hannam-dong again today?”

“Huh? Um, yeah. Since Grandmother isn’t feeling well, I’m worried about her living alone…”

Siyeon knew it was just an excuse. In the past life, her mother had never worried about her grandmother’s health. Visiting Hannam-dong frequently was probably just to see Eunhye’s face again.

“Instead of that, wouldn’t it be better for Grandmother to come live with us? Or you can move into the Hannam-dong house.”

“Wouldn’t that make you uncomfortable?”

“Well, I’m going to live independently anyway. You don’t have to worry about me.”

Siyeon didn’t miss the fleeting expression of relief that crossed her mother’s face. Siyeon and her mother ended their conversation with smiles, something they hadn’t done in a long time.

* * *

Winter had arrived. During this time, Siyeon got accepted into a university, Gwihyeon completed his military service, and Ijun came and went on leave twice. Siyeon and her parents maintained an awkward but outwardly normal relationship, pretending as if nothing had happened.

As soon as Siyeon’s university was decided, her parents spent several days visiting houses. Siyeon was with them, as it would be her future home.

At first, her parents wanted to get her an officetel on a lease, but they soon changed their minds and decided to buy an apartment where she could live for a long time.

“If it’s on a lease, we’ll have to find another place in two years.”

“That’s true.”

“In that case, wouldn’t it be too much trouble for Siyeon?”

Siyeon couldn’t help but smile wryly when she overheard her parents’ conversation. Although her mother spoke with an anxious tone, the underlying nuances were different. It was clear that her mother’s concern wasn’t because of Siyeon’s inconvenience, but had a different reason.

‘Is she worried that I might decide to come back to the Ichon-dong house?’

Siyeon wanted to bring up this topic with her mother, but she held back. If they obtained a lease, it would need to be renewed every two years. Her mother was already worrying about whether Siyeon would come back to the Ichon-dong house after the lease ended in two years.

“To make it more comfortable for Siyeon, it’s probably better to buy instead of lease.”

“Do you think so too?”

After some hesitation, they eventually found an apartment that met their criteria—good sunlight, convenient public transportation, and nearby commercial facilities—and signed the contract in Siyeon’s name. They would pay the remaining balance and move in a month later. With this, they resolved the issue that had been bothering Siyeon the most.

As the date for Siyeon’s independence approached, ironically, her relationship with her parents in Ichon-dong improved. Her mother spoke to her affectionately, just like before, and her father often inquired if there was anything she needed, taking care of her meticulously.

The atmosphere had definitely become more relaxed, until Siyeon brought up the topic of visiting Suwon. 

“Mom, I’m planning to visit Suwon Grandfather’s house tomorrow. Since I’ll be busy with the move for a while, it’s better if I visit him beforehand.”

One day, about two weeks before her move, Siyeon mentioned this to her parents during a meal. The atmosphere at the dining table suddenly turned tense. Her mother’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re going to Suwon…by yourself?”

“Yes. Since Gwihyeon is back from the military, I thought it would be a good opportunity to see him and also say hello to Grandfather. I’ll be busy with school soon, so it’s better to visit before that.”

Both of her parents hesitated to respond and exchanged awkward glances.

“Siyeon, you’re twenty now, and it might not look good for a grown-up young lady like you to visit someone else’s house alone.”

Her mother spoke with an awkward expression.

“It’s not someone else’s house, it’s Suwon Grandfather’s house. Besides, since you both seem busy, I thought I’d go by myself but if you want to come with me, that’s fine too.”

“No, Mom didn’t mean that… What I meant is, if you find it burdensome, you don’t have to go visit Suwon Grandpa for a while. When you go there, he’ll bring up the topic of marriage again… Honestly, it’s hard to understand why he keeps talking about marriage at your age. I didn’t think much about it when you were younger, but now that you’ve grown up, I feel uncomfortable with those things and worries as well.”

Her mother gently tried to persuade Siyeon. The main point of her words was that she found it uncomfortable for Siyeon to discuss marriage with Gwihyeon’s grandfather in Suwon.

Moreover, Siyeon had previously mentioned that she didn’t mind getting married early when she talked about moving out. So, it was understandable that her mother felt uneasy.

“Mom.”

“Yes, I’m listening.”

“If you’re not comfortable with me getting married, then I’ll tell Suwon Grandfather that I won’t marry Gwihyeon.”

“Wait a moment, Siyeon. You shouldn’t say something so rash!”

Her mother was taken aback and her eyes widened.

“If you don’t want us to get married, then we should end things quickly so that Gwihyeon-oppa can find someone else. It feels uncomfortable to me that you’re taking away the opportunity for Gwihyeon-oppa to meet other people while we two keep seeing each other occasionally.”

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

Her mother’s reaction was excessive, and Siyeon felt her greed was getting out of hand.

For now, her parents in Ichon-dong wanted to keep Siyeon with them until they were sure about Eunhye’s safety. They hoped to do that until the moment Eunhye gets hold of Gwihyeon.

They were waiting for the moment when Eunhye’s existence would be revealed to the world, so that they could change places quickly.

“Is it because of that land? If the marriage falls apart, you’ll have to return the money from selling the land?”

“What are you talking about? That land has nothing to do with it!”

“How can I not think about it that way? Suwon Grandfather gave me that land as a marriage dowry. If I marry someone else, it would be an awkward situation, wouldn’t it? If that’s not the case, is there another good way for me to keep the land without marrying Gwi-hyun?”

She hadn’t planned to say it so forcefully, but after knowing everything and seeing that her parents were not considering her feelings, Siyeon wanted to poke their consciences and make them feel guilty.

“I can’t understand why you’re pushing this so hard. It’s about the future of my only daughter, so isn’t it right for me to be careful and cautious?”

“For the sake of your only daughter?”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Siyeon’s mouth. However, it didn’t seem to show in her expressive eyes.

“Yeah, of course!”

“So, it’s for my sake?”

“It’s what I’m saying…!”

As she was getting agitated, her mother couldn’t finish her sentence. Her trembling lips turned pale, and eventually, her voice began to stutter its way out of her lips.

“I… I have… for twenty years, I’ve done my best for you. With true love, with nothing but love… I’ve cherished and raised you as if you were my own life. Isn’t that enough? What more do you want me to do here!”

“…”

With a piercing scream as her final words, she covered her face with both hands and began to cry. The family dinner that had started so harmoniously came to an abrupt and disheartening end.