CHAPTER 39

Hurriedly rushing up to the second floor, Siyeon retrieved a wooden comb she had kept in a plastic bag inside her desk drawer. The intricately carved patterns matched exactly with the wooden comb she found inside the mother-of-pearl box.

Her eyes widened in shock.

‘How is this possible?’

Her mind was filled with confusion. The comb was clearly an item that Gwihyeon’s great-grandfather had given to his great-grandmother as a proposal. She couldn’t understand how her own great-grandfather had the comb that was supposedly made by Gwihyeon’s great-grandfather.

“There was another one just like this. Eunhye’s great grandfather made one more and gifted it to the private tutor who taught him back then.”

“Tutor…?”

“Yes, a tutor.”

But Gwihyeon’s great-grandfather was not a tutor. Siyeon wanted to hear more details, but her biological mother stopped talking. Her face grew suddenly dark, and she merely put the wooden comb into the mother-of-pearl case. Then she sighed and changed the subject.

“By the way, it seems something has happened to Eunhye. She said she’d contact us later, but something seems to be bothering her. She told me to ask my husband, but he won’t talk… It’s frustrating.”

Her biological father was currently unable to speak. The hospital suspected that he had experienced a sudden shock that resulted in mutism. They believed there was no abnormality in the brain’s nerves, but they cautioned against worrying too much. Nevertheless, they couldn’t help but worry about his sudden inability to speak.

Her mother’s face was also a cause for concern. She appeared both physically and mentally unwell. Siyeon remembered her mother suffering from severe depression in the past. Seeing her mother’s current state, Siyeon couldn’t help but worry; her mother was as concerned as she was about her father.

After placing the wooden comb in her drawer, Siyeon descended to the first floor. Her mother had nearly finished organizing their belongings.

“Starting tomorrow, a maid will come for daily chores. She’ll take care of meals, cleaning on both the first and second floors, and even laundry, so don’t worry about household chores.”

Living alone, Siyeon had never considered hiring a helper for fear it would disrupt her work at home. In fact, she had felt little need for one, and the thought never crossed her mind. However, her circumstances had changed.

Up until now, she had been able to manage with minimal movement, eating and cleaning up quickly. But now with more people living in the house, she couldn’t continue living the same way. She felt somewhat guilty for continuously receiving side dishes from the team leader, but it was a fortunate development in light of her current situation.

“You’re hiring a helper…?”

“Yes.”

“It might be burdensome to have someone around all the time…”

Siyeon sensed her mother’s surprise upon hearing about the decision to hire a helper. Knowing about her past part-time work at the factory, her mother likely thought her financial situation was not good.

There was a significant possibility that Yoonsoo had shared facts about her identity based on his highly subjective viewpoint. However, what he might have said didn’t matter much to her.

“I earn well, and I’ve saved up enough money so that I can live comfortably without working for a few years. I didn’t inherit anything; I made all my money myself.

“Well, aren’t you admirable? How did you achieve such success at such a young age?”

“I’m a promising freelancer in a thriving field.”

She didn’t care much about how others perceived her, but she didn’t want her biological mother to feel pity for her. Siyeon wanted to be seen as someone who had grown up well and was successful.

“With a daughter like you, I’m sure your father and mother must be very happy. Can I ask what your parents do? You’ve been living alone, so it seems like your parents might be far away in the countryside.”

Siyeon laughed awkwardly when her biological mother made this remark. It was precisely at that moment that Yoonsoo opened the door to the first-floor room and stepped into the living room.

“Madam, have you finished organizing everything? The boss is looking for you.”

“The boss?”

“Yes, and Jessica! Let’s go out for lunch. There’s a great place nearby that serves delicious duck.”

“Who’s Jessica?”

“You don’t know Jessica? She’s a part-timer, just like you! She doesn’t like being called a part-timer, so I call her Jessica.”

“Is this for real?”

Seeing Siyeon rolling her eyes and getting frustrated, Yoonsoo burst into laughter, and her biological mother chuckled as they all went inside the room.

Although she had seemed composed, Siyeon suddenly felt embarrassed in front of her mother. She glared at Yoonsoo, her face turning red.

Yoonsoo stayed at Siyeon’s house until late afternoon, chatting and having dinner together. He wanted to make her feel more comfortable with the boss and his spouse.

He also constantly kept her biological father company, trying to make him feel better by engaging him in conversation. Once dreaming of becoming his son-in-law and inheriting Yeongjin, Yoonsoo genuinely liked her father.

After dinner, she went upstairs to give her biological parents a chance to relax.

When her biological parents came in on the first floor, Siyeon changed the environment on the second floor. She placed a long, narrow wooden desk horizontally facing the living room window that received sunlight, making it her new workspace. The vacant second-floor room became her bedroom.

She had just turned on her laptop when a voice came from behind.

“Can I come up for a moment?”

“Yes, come on up!”

At the cautious voice from behind, Siyeon turned around and quickly got up from her seat. Her mother was coming up the stairs, holding a tray with a glass of drink.

“No, you don’t need to get up, I’ll be going back down soon. I brought some fruits and vegetables for you while I’m giving some for the boss.”

She set the tray with the drink on the desk.

“Don’t worry about me, just treat me as if I’m not here. My husband gestured for me to bring it up the second floor first.”

Her father avoided making eye contact with Siyeon almost all day long. Occasionally, he struggled to control his emotions, his eyes would redden, and he would breathe heavily as if he couldn’t catch his breath.

Siyeon had decided to wait quietly until her biological father regained his composure and confessed the truth to her mother, but hearing this conversation shook her resolve once again.

“…Alright, I’ll eat it well. Oh, and by the way, I usually wake up late in the morning. I mainly work at night, and I always go out for lunch. I’m telling you in advance in case you need to find me.”

“What kind of work do you do that you have to work until the early morning? If you keep it up, your health might deteriorate.”

Her biological mother asked with a worried expression. Siyeon hesitated for a moment before responding.

“I write novels. I can concentrate better when it’s quiet, so I usually work at night.”

“Wow, really? That’s interesting. I’m curious about what kind of novel it is. Can I find your work by searching for your name? It’s probably under your pen name, right?”

“It’s a fantasy novel… and my pen name is different from my real name, so even if you search for it, you won’t find it. But… this is something I haven’t even told Yoonsoo oppa. I’m telling you for the first time now.”

“I see what you mean. You want to keep it a secret, right?”

Her face lit up with excitement. Seeing her bright smile, Siyeon felt proud.

Siyeon wanted to boast about her achievements, the fact that her novel had become a famous game with TV advertisements, and how it was now earning her a lot of money, even being translated into Chinese and making a fortune in China. She wanted to say that she had succeeded so well that even if the truth came out later, there was no need to be upset or shed tears.

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. You told only me, which is an honor. But can I tell the boss? I think he’d like it.”

“Oh, then… wait a moment!”

Siyeon dashed into her room, cradling her most famous book series in her arms.

“What’s all this…? Are these books you wrote yourself?”

“Yes. There are more where this came from, but this is the most famous series I’ve written. It’s quite famous, so I thought boss could read it when he’s bored… You can also use it as a pillow if you stack them up vertically. It’s good for your sleep. If you like reading it, you can keep them, but it’s not a must.”

Siyeon waved her hands in urgency. Seeing her biological mother’s puzzled expression, her confidence took a sudden plummeted. She realized that, despite its fame, fantasy novels might not be to everyone’s taste, and she had been impulsive.

“I should read it myself. Just tell me the title, and I’ll buy it.”

“No, no! If you buy them now, it won’t be the first edition… This is a first edition, first printing.”

Little did she know, the first edition of Siyeon’s book was trading at an exorbitant price in the second-hand market. It was a book that fans eagerly sought, and even acquiring a copy was a daunting task.

Siyeon had suggested using them as pillows, but if avid readers found out, it would be a source of great anger and frustration.

“Is it okay to just give me a book like this?”

“I have another one in my room.”

“Thank you. The boss will love it! Do you think you could… sign it?”

“Sure!”

After all, signing things was what Siyeon did best in the world!

Siyeon swiftly retrieved a fountain pen from her desk and sat down on the floor, ready to create a one-of-a-kind book adorned with her signature.

Since the incident where she spontaneously signed a book during lunch with the publisher, this was only the second time she had personally signed a book.

Siyeon signed her name in large letters on the blank left page of each book, along with the phrase “A happy author every day, Drumstick.” It was a kind of message to her biological father, assuring him that she was living happily and he should no longer be tormented by guilt.

“I’m done.”

Siyeon proudly handed over the books, each with her autograph, to her biological mother.

“I’m really so amazed and happy. Since you are the same age, it would be great if Eunhye and you could become friends.”

“… Yes.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t tell Eunhye. Only me and the boss will know.”

Seeing Siyeon’s expression darken, her biological mother smiled as if to reassure her. She hesitated for a moment before adding,

“In fact… Eunhye’s great-grandfather was quite good at writing too. He worked at a factory during the day, studied at night, and still found time to write. Her great-grandfather was influenced by his father and often wrote as well… Looking at you Siyeon, I can’t help but think how nice it would have been if our Eunhye became a writer, too. It wouldn’t have been impossible, given the talent she inherited, but she has no interest in this field at all.”

A hint of loneliness passed over her face.

“Since you don’t like it, Siyeon, I promise to keep this secret. I can’t go into details about our family history; it’s nothing people should be proud of, but… but we know very well that for a writer, their work can be more important than their life.”

“….”

Listening to her mother’s words, Siyeon felt her heart warming, and her heartbeat quickened. It wasn’t fast or slow, but it was a strong, heavy beat, almost painful in its intensity.