Chapter 16 (Part 1)

Jinwon’s mother arrived at his apartment complex.  

By the mailboxes, she spotted someone placing something into Jinwon’s mailbox.  

“That’s my son’s place. Is that mail?”  

The person, wearing a black hoodie with the hood up, froze in place.  

“Excuse me.”  

She approached the silent figure.  

The person in the black hoodie quickly turned and bolted.  

“Oh my!”  

Startled by the sudden movement, Jinwon’s mother clutched her chest.  

“What’s with that person?”  

She stared in the direction the person had fled before walking up to the mailbox.  

She retrieved what the person had just placed inside.  

“There’s no sender’s name?”  

When Jinwon returned home, he glanced at his mother sitting on the living room sofa and headed straight for the kitchen.  

“What if I wasn’t home? Why didn’t you call before coming?”  

“If you’d just given me the door code earlier, I would’ve let myself in. It’s not a big deal.”  

As she watched Jinwon drink water from the fridge, she suddenly exclaimed,  

“What happened to your hand?”  

“It’s just a small injury.”  

“How did it happen?”  

Her face clouded with worry as she asked. Jinwon avoided answering.  

“It’s not a big deal.”  

“That’s why you didn’t tell me, isn’t it?”  

She wasn’t one to skip over scolding her son for getting hurt and keeping it a secret.  

Jinwon chose to remain silent.  

Then, his eyes landed on the mail sitting on the dining table, and he froze.  

“Did you bring this in?”  

“Yes. But there’s no sender’s name. And the person who brought it didn’t look like a mailman.”  

Jinwon’s eyes widened as he urgently asked,  

“Did you see them?” 

“No. They ran off so fast I couldn’t even see their face.”  

Jinwon let out a sigh of relief. Then, he threw the mail into the trash can in his room.  

“Have you quit your job yet?”  

At his mother’s question, Jinwon replied flatly,  

“I told you I’m not quitting.”  

She frowned, clearly displeased.  

“You’re either reckless or fearless.”  

“Neither. I just have no reason to be scared.”  

She shook her head in exasperation.  

Jinwon brought her a cup of warm tea.  

“What’s this?”  

“In-ah bought it for me. She said to share it with you.”  

Her expression changed. With an annoyed look, she snapped at Jinwon.  

“You really! That girl doesn’t listen to her mother, so why would she listen to me?”  

“When has In-ah ever ignored you?”  

Jinwon’s mother raised her voice in frustration.  

“Not me—her own mother.”  

“What are you talking about?”  

Judging by Jinwon’s genuinely puzzled expression, he didn’t seem to know.  

Not wanting to start an argument, she sipped the tea without answering. Then, her face stiffened.  

“What is this?”  

“What do you mean?”  

At her sharp tone, Jinwon asked, confused.  

She looked at him incredulously and asked,  

“This is what she bought?”  

“Yes.”  

Her expression turned serious.  

“Why? Don’t you like it? It’s called Gam… something. Hold on.”  

Jinwon got up to check the tea box for its name.  

Meanwhile, his mother muttered to herself,  

“Gamnocha.”  

“That’s it! Gamnocha. Have you had it before?”  

Suddenly, she grabbed her bag and stood up.  

“You’re leaving already?”  

“I’ve seen your face. It’s late, so I should go.”  

Jinwon grabbed his car keys and led the way.  

“I’ll drive you. Let’s go.”  

Watching his back, her expression grew complicated.  

“What’s her name again?”  

“Who? Oh, In-ah?”  

“Have you told her everything about yourself?”  

Jinwon froze while putting on his shoes. Then, pretending nothing was wrong, he resumed.  

“No. Why?”  

“No reason.”  

Though puzzled by her reaction and question, Jinwon decided to let it go for now.  

***

In-ah stepped into a luxurious restaurant lined with private rooms.  

She was guided by a staff member to a room where Shin-hye was already waiting.  

“Welcome.”  

What’s with the sudden formal tone?  

As In-ah sat across from her, she glanced at Shin-hye.  

Perhaps it was because of the recent ordeal, but Shin-hye looked pale. Somehow, she also seemed calmer than usual.  

“I arrived first and ordered for us. Is that okay?”  

“Why are you acting so awkward? Just do what you usually do.”  

“Alright then. It does feel a bit strange.”  

A moment of silence passed between them.  

Soon, Shin-hye broke the silence.  

“I thought it’d be awkward to ask you to come to my house, and meeting at the hotel didn’t feel right either, so I suggested this place.”  

In-ah gave a slight nod.  

“First of all, I wanted to thank you for coming to the funeral. And today, I have something to tell you.”  

Shin-hye’s voice was heavy with emotion. In-ah had no idea what she was about to say.  

“Please don’t take what I’m about to say the wrong way or react negatively.”  

Just then, the door opened, and the food was brought in. As the table filled with dishes, Shin-hye forced a cheerful tone.  

“Let’s eat while we talk, shall we?”  

“No, go ahead and say it first.”  

“Alright then.”  

After a brief pause, as if gathering her courage, Shin-hye began speaking slowly.  

“Just like how you let Jinwon go in the past, can you do the same this time?”  

“What?”  

In-ah was dumbfounded.  

Unfazed by In-ah’s reaction, Shin-hye continued.  

“You’ve lived well without Jinwon all this time. But I can’t. I can’t live without him.”  

In-ah was so taken aback that she couldn’t find the words to respond.  

Shin-hye’s nonsensical plea continued unabated.  

“Jinwon can’t live without me either.”  

In-ah’s face shifted from shock to pity as she listened.  

Now, Shin-hye attempted to sound logical as she explained.  

“To be precise, it’s not just me—my family and our wealth. Jinwon needs that.”  

Unable to listen any longer, In-ah finally spoke.  

“If this is about Jinwon’s mother, it’s none of your business. That’s something we’ll handle. Acting like this won’t solve anything.”  

Shin-hye’s face twisted in indignation as she retorted.  

“When did I ever act like this for no reason? Don’t you get it? I’m begging you right now.”  

Tears welled up in Shin-hye’s eyes.  

“Please.”  

Finally, Shin-hye dropped to her knees in front of In-ah.  

“Save me. No, save both me and Jinwon. You can do it. Please let Jinwon go!”  

In-ah sighed deeply as if exasperated.  

“Kneeling is your choice, but whether I let Jinwon go is not up to you.”  

“Please!”  

Shin-hye clung to In-ah’s pants, pleading desperately.  

Looking down at her, In-ah spoke with a hint of pity.  

“If you think love can be achieved by begging, you’re more naive than I thought. It’s not going to happen, so wake up.”  

Seeing Shin-hye’s tear-streaked face, In-ah frowned slightly.  

“Get up. The floor is cold. Let’s just consider the meal over.”  

In-ah stood up from her seat.  

“Hey!”  

Shin-hye shouted as she suddenly stood up, grabbing a side dish bowl from the table and hurling it at In-ah.  

The kimchi in the bowl splattered all over In-ah’s face and clothes.  

Startled, In-ah froze, unable to close her mouth.  

“How dare someone like you lecture me?”  

Wiping her tears with her sleeve, Shin-hye revealed a venomous expression.  

“Just because I spoke nicely, you think you’ve won or something? Don’t fool yourself.”  

In-ah calmly wiped the kimchi off her face. Shin-hye, still agitated, continued ranting.  

“This is the last time I’ll speak nicely. Mark my words—you’ll regret not listening to me.”  

Shin-hye roughly grabbed her bag and stormed out of the room. But before she could fully leave, she suddenly stopped.  

Turning back, she saw that In-ah had grabbed her bag strap without even looking at her.  

While brushing off the kimchi from her clothes, In-ah said,  

“Where do you think you’re going? Do you like spicy food? I prefer salty.”  

Before she even finished speaking, In-ah picked up a bowl of soy-marinated crabs from the table and slowly poured it over Shin-hye.  

And she didn’t forget to add a comment.  

“I thought you’d regret leaving without tasting this delicious dish.”  

When Shin-hye tried to shout, In-ah raised her hand to stop her.  

“No need to thank me. I’m just someone who gives back what I receive.”  

“You!”  

As In-ah grabbed her bag to leave, she turned back as if remembering something.  

“Oh, and… what was that? You said this is the end of being nice? Don’t fool yourself. If you get rough, do you think I’ll stay polite?”  

Pointing her finger to her lips, In-ah added calmly,  

“You’d better prepare yourself—for whatever you plan to do from now on.”  

Leaving the trembling Shin-hye behind, In-ah walked out, only to grimace at the mess on the floor.  

“Ugh, the staff here will have a hard time cleaning this up. You should leave them a tip. After all, this mess is your doing, isn’t it?”  

“You!!”  

Shin-hye’s enraged scream echoed behind In-ah as she left, soy-marinated crab dripping off her.