Side Story 2.1

“We’ve arrived.”

The chauffeur, having parked the car, glanced toward the back seat and involuntarily frowned. The passenger sprawled across the back seat reeked of alcohol, the stench filling the entire vehicle.  

He doesn’t even look that old. Must be nice.  

An imported car worth at least hundreds of millions of won and a luxury apartment building infamous for its exorbitant prices. The chauffeur, assessing the young passenger’s extraordinary wealth, raised his voice again.  

“Sir! We’ve arrived, Sir!”  

“Ah, so damn noisy…”  

Jingyeom, crumpled like a soaked rag doll, sluggishly opened his eyes. His unfocused gaze wandered aimlessly before he irritably rubbed his forehead and muttered.  

“Damn it, my head’s pounding…”  

“You’re home, Sir.”  

Noticing that the wealthy but ill-tempered passenger seemed annoyed, the chauffeur’s voice softened considerably. He timidly handed over the car keys, carefully gauging Jingyeom’s mood. Only then did Jingyeom open his wallet and pull out some bills, seemingly at random.  

The chauffeur’s face brightened as he received the cash. He had suspected the young man, who had cursed the moment he opened his mouth, must have some backing. And as expected, he turned out to be the child of a wealthy family. Years of chauffeuring experience had taught him to recognize such people with just a glance.  

A privileged brat, bored with life and wandering aimlessly.  

Feeling pleased by the unexpectedly generous tip, the chauffeur jumped out of the driver’s seat to help Jingyeom out of the car. Jingyeom, accustomed to such assistance, leaned on the chauffeur as he staggered toward the elevator.  

Practically carrying the drunkenly swaying Jingyeom to the elevator, the chauffeur, sweating profusely, said, 

“Take care, Sir. If you ever need a chauffeur again, please call. I’ve left my card for you.”  

Jingyeom, wearing an expression of utter annoyance, waved dismissively at the chauffeur’s grinning face.  

Left alone, Jingyeom entered the elevator, his steps unsteady. As the elevator ascended, defying gravity, nausea began to swell in his stomach.  

Suppressing the urge to vomit, he anxiously watched the floor numbers rise. The moment the elevator doors opened, he clamped his hand over his mouth and dashed into his apartment.  

The front door was half-open. He didn’t have the mental capacity to wonder why. Instead, he thought it was convenient, sparing him the trouble of unlocking it, and rushed inside.  

“Goodness! You scared me! I thought you were some thief!”  

Joo-ah, standing in the living room, jumped in surprise at Jingyeom’s sudden entrance. Without responding, Jingyeom slammed the bathroom door behind him and clung to the toilet, retching violently.  

“Ugh, really. That good-for-nothing brat. When will he ever get his act together…”  

Joo-ah clicked her tongue and yelled toward the bathroom.  

“Want me to pat your back?”  

“…No, thanks.”  

Jingyeom’s voice, weak and lifeless, came from inside. She had often felt like beating him up for his incessant drinking, yet seeing her only son so defeated, holed up in the cramped bathroom, softened her heart.  

Letting out a deep sigh, Joo-ah turned to the housekeeper, who had been cleaning the living room.  

“Could you make some thick honey water? Jingyeom’s throwing up again. His stomach’s so weak. Honestly, he just breaks my heart.”  

“Yes, Ma’am.”  

The housekeeper put down the vacuum and headed to the kitchen. Only after the housekeeper’s touch did the apartment, which had looked like a pigsty, begin to resemble a livable space.  

If she didn’t bring the housekeeper weekly to clean and organize, the place would be unrecognizable.  

He couldn’t do his own laundry or cleaning, nor even prepare a proper meal. Yet he insisted on living independently. Just thinking about Jingyeom’s lifestyle made Joo-ah feel as though the wrinkles on her face were deepening.  

She had nagged him countless times to move back home, but Jingyeom had always ignored her, insisting there was only one place he could call home.  

The old family house, long demolished and its land sold off in pieces, was something Jingyeom still yearned for deeply. And all his resentment for not being able to return was directed squarely at Joo-ah.  

She found him pitiful, stuck in the past like that, yet her heart ached, knowing the series of shocking events he had endured.  

Hearing his groans from the bathroom, Joo-ah shook her head. After a grueling legal battle, Jingyeom had narrowly avoided serving time.  

When Chairman Kwon’s hospital stay dragged on, Joo-ah had been pushed out, almost exiled. After enduring the cantankerous old man for twenty years, this was all she had to show for it. Though she felt wronged, she also considered herself lucky to have escaped his wrath after he collapsed from illness.  

Otherwise, she might still be trapped in the mansion’s basement.  

She had tried to track down Incheol but had failed. He was either dead or barely surviving. Her fate wouldn’t have been much different, and the thought still sent chills down her spine.  

Now, she was preparing a lawsuit to claim her rightful inheritance, waiting for Chairman Kwon, who seemed to be at death’s door, to finally pass away. However, the old man’s life dragged on endlessly, tormenting her with false hope for years.  

She had poured all her remaining resources into securing Jingyeom’s probation, spending an enormous amount of money and time. But public opinion had been so unfavorable that he had no choice but to drop out of university.  

Of course, she knew that wasn’t the real reason for Jingyeom’s troubles. She simply didn’t want to confront the truth.  

Sighing deeply again, Joo-ah sifted through the pile of bills stacked on the kitchen island.  

“If I don’t handle these myself, he’d let the electricity and gas get cut off. No matter how much I nag him to sort his mail and separate the bills…”  

Her words trailed off as she picked up a yellow envelope mixed in with the mail. There was no sender or recipient listed on it.  

Envelopes like this usually contained ominous contents. Like a paternity test, for instance…  

Peeking inside, Joo-ah gasped and dropped the envelope. 

What did I just see? 

Pale-faced, she reached for the envelope again, but Jingyeom suddenly appeared and snatched it away.  

“Why are you going through my things?”  

Looking even more gaunt than before, Jingyeom muttered irritably.  

“Damn it, so annoying…”  

“What… What’s in there?”  

“It’s my business. Why are you snooping around?”  

When Jingyeom shouted angrily, the housekeeper, who had been making honey water in the kitchen, dropped a spoon in surprise. Without even glancing at her, Joo-ah said, 

“You’ve done enough for today. You can leave now.”  

“Oh, yes, Ma’am. I’ll be going then.”  

Flustered, the housekeeper grabbed her coat and hurried out the front door. Only after confirming she was gone did Joo-ah lower her voice, speaking in a threatening tone.  

“Are you still hung up on your brother’s wife?”  

“…Ha!”  

Jingyeom let out a short, bitter laugh before twisting his face into a scowl.  

“What brother? Kwon Taegyeom isn’t even my real brother. So what if I still have feelings for her? What does it matter to you? Do you think you have the right to say anything to me?”  

Caught off guard, Joo-ah’s eyelashes fluttered. Left speechless, she opened and closed her mouth like a fish, while Jingyeom glared at her as if he wanted to kill her.  

“You and Hwang Incheol ruined my life, and the only thing I’m grateful for is that I’m not actually related to Kwon Taegyeom. Do you get it?”  

“What… What did you just say? How dare you talk to me like that! After everything I’ve done for you…”  

Joo-ah clutched her chest and sank weakly into a chair.  

“You’re still young, with your whole life ahead of you, yet all you do is drink and gamble your money away! You hang around with women who aren’t even on your level! But I let it slide, thinking it was just a phase. That you could bounce back at any time!”  

“…”  

“But there’s a limit to everything. Why do you think we got kicked out of our home? Who’s to blame for all this? Kwon Taegyeom! His wife is our enemy, someone we should tear apart, not someone you should still have feelings for!”  

Her attempt to keep her voice down had long been forgotten. Now, she was shouting at the top of her lungs.  

“And yet, you can’t let go of those foolish feelings. Worse, you’re hung up on a woman carrying someone else’s child? Ha!”  

Her bloodshot eyes bulging, Joo-ah screamed, 

“That’s not love. That’s a sickness. A mental illness!”  

“Just leave.”  

Jingyeom furrowed his brows and stood, pulling Joo-ah to her feet.  

“Get a grip, Jingyeom. I don’t even care if you bring random women into the house. Why not date someone your age, someone cheerful and carefree? Why waste your time obsessing over someone so unattainable? What are you lacking?”  

Even as she was being pushed out by Jingyeom’s irritated hands, Joo-ah pleaded desperately.  

“I’m scared for you, Jingyeom. You’re already not yourself. No, you’ve already lost it. This isn’t normal. What if she finds out? What if she accuses you of something and reports you to the police…?”  

Jingyeom, who had been holding his forehead in silence, finally exploded.  

“I’ve never done anything worth reporting!”