Chapter 2.1 – Beast

Her mother and father—those two had their own world. 

Even as their daughter, she could never find a gap to wedge herself into that world. She didn’t feel the need to force herself into it either. 

The fact that she shared blood with her father wasn’t something she took pride in. As the president of a small company, he gave her mother plenty of money, but that was all. To her, he seemed more like her mother’s “man” than her father. 

During her adolescence, the realization that she had no other blood relations besides those two was devastating. 

Then, one day, something happened that made her appreciate being related to her father. It was a minor event, insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but it brought a change to her life. 

“Behave politely when you meet her. Call her ‘Grandmother’ first. Don’t mention Mom at all. I trust you’ll do well, Ah-jin.” 

She was about to meet her father’s mother. For some reason, the woman who had practically ignored her existence suddenly wanted to see her granddaughter’s face. 

Her father probably wasn’t thrilled, but her mother eagerly sent her off. 

After all, she and that woman shared blood, so perhaps it was better for her to go rather than her mother, who was the actual party involved. Her father wanted her mother to come along, but she firmly refused.

In that regard, her mother seemed to have been wise. 

If her mother had accompanied her, it would have looked like parading the mistress and the child born from the affair. It would have been as good as exposing her father’s shame. Her mother must have known how unpleasant that would be from a parent’s perspective.

Without her mother, just her and her father went, and the meeting simply became a granddaughter greeting her grandmother. The atmosphere was simpler and quieter than she expected.

“So, you’re the child that woman gave birth to. She insisted on having you, but at least she raised you better than herself. That’s a relief.” 

After asking her age and name, her grandmother made that remark. 

“I think so too, Grandmother.” 

“Oh my, listen to this child talk.” 

Gesturing for her to come closer, the grandmother gave her a hug. The warmth was lukewarm, but it wasn’t unpleasant. 

Smiling, the grandmother told her to keep calling her ‘Grandmother’ from now on. 

That day, for the first time, Ah-jin thought that being her father’s child wasn’t entirely bad. 

Later, she learned that her grandmother had softened considerably after becoming bedridden. Before that, she had been so cold and stern that even her father’s legal wife couldn’t look her in the eye. 

From then on, her grandmother told her to visit occasionally, and she did—occasionally. They weren’t close enough for frequent visits, but to her, the grandmother was a special person. 

After getting married, she visited a bit more often. 

Even then, it was only about once a month. Her father, his legal wife, and their children never visited her grandmother’s hospital room. But just as her grandmother had told her to visit occasionally, visiting more often than that felt inappropriate. 

***

The rain had caused traffic to pile up. 

It was late in the afternoon by the time she arrived at Han River Hospital. This was the hospital where her father’s high school friend served as the director, and where her grandmother had been admitted for long-term care. 

“Excuse me, I’m here to visit patient Kim Yun-ja.” 

She went straight to the reception desk. Every time she came, she had to ask for the room number. 

“Just a moment. Patient Kim Yun-ja was moved to the sixth floor recently.” 

She had expected as much. Even though her grandmother was admitted to the VIP ward, she had likely pestered the doctors and nurses to move her to another room. 

A month ago, her grandmother had complained that single rooms felt suffocating. The image of her grandmother cheerfully welcoming her during her last visit came to mind. 

Taking the elevator, she got off on the sixth floor. 

Following the long corridor, guided by her memory, she eventually reached the lounge. The sounds of television dramas, chatter, and laughter filled the air. 

Several patients who were mobile were sitting on the sofas. 

Her grandmother, Yun-ja, was among them. 

The topic of conversation was heated—predicting the next episode of a weekend drama. 

Standing by the door, she listened to their chatter for a moment. 

“The cheating husband ran off with the mistress, I’m telling you. I’m right about this.” 

“No, no! That mistress isn’t actually a mistress! She’s a spy hired by the wife. Didn’t you watch the last episode? Stop acting like you know everything!” 

“Please, dramas are all the same. Skip an episode, and it’s still the same story. Spy? What spy? This is a drama, not a movie!” 

Everyone was raising their voices, sounding so lively that they didn’t seem like patients at all. 

Only her grandmother kept her mouth shut. 

She must have felt left out, unable to join the conversation. Watching English-language newspapers instead of weekend dramas left her with nothing to contribute. 

“Actually, the cheating husband did run off with the mistress. But here’s the twist—the mistress was hired by the wife to catch her husband’s infidelity. She was an aspiring actress, but she ended up genuinely falling in love with the husband. …Isn’t that right, Grandmother?” 

Sliding into the seat next to Yun-ja, she answered on her grandmother’s behalf. 

Her confident explanation, as if she had already seen the next episode, drew everyone’s attention to her. 

Then came the barrage of questions. 

“So! What happens next?” 

“Are you the writer of that drama, by any chance?” 

“Forget that! Stop standing there and sit down. If you know more, tell us! Everyone here is dying waiting for the next episode.”  

‘The Dignity of Trash’ was currently the most popular weekend drama. Last week’s ratings had reached 40%, and an article online predicted that next week’s ratings might hit 50%. 

The article summarized the ending scene of last weekend’s episode. Apparently, the cheating husband, the protagonist, had left home to run away with his mistress. 

It was no surprise that housewives and elderly viewers across the nation were furious at the husband’s audacity. 

“That’s all I know about the next part. I don’t really know what happens after that.” 

Her ability to act like she knew the next episode came thanks to a well-connected friend. Her close friend Eun-hee happened to be the writer of ‘The Dignity of Trash’.

Though Eun-hee was now one of the most popular writers, things had been tough for her a few years ago. Before her wedding, Ah-jin had attended a high school reunion. She had wanted at least one friend to invite to the ceremony. While she could have hired someone to play the role, she thought it would be better to invite someone she actually had a connection with. 

Eun-hee, the class Vice President, had always been friendly and got along with everyone. At the reunion, she learned that Eun-hee had been working part-time jobs while moving from one tiny room to another, all to pursue her dream of becoming a drama writer. 

At that moment, she decided to invest in her friend. 

It was only a small portion of the money she had received from her father, but she wanted to use it meaningfully if she was going to spend it anyway. 

Eun-hee had been incredibly grateful. Ah-jin, on the other hand, had felt somewhat ashamed. She envied Eun-hee for having a dream. Even now, Ah-jin didn’t have anything she particularly wanted to do or was good at. 

A few days ago, Eun-hee had called to thank her. Her voice had been so full of excitement, saying it was all thanks to her. During that call, Eun-hee had casually mentioned a little bit about the next episode’s script, which was why Ah-jin could act as if she knew what was coming. 

“Miss, you really don’t know what happens next?” 

“She said she doesn’t know, so stop asking her. Don’t bother my granddaughter.” 

Yun-ja put a stop to the persistent questioning. The others, realizing she was Yun-ja’s granddaughter, turned their attention to her. 

Since it was a weekday afternoon, visitors were rare, making her an easy focus of interest. 

When Yun-ja waved her hand dismissively, signaling them to stop, the others returned to chatting about other topics. 

Shortly after, Yun-ja took her to a VIP single room. 

Even though Yun-ja had moved rooms, the rent for this room was still paid monthly by her father. She had said it was better to use the space when Ah-jin visited than to leave it empty. 

She truly was an unstoppable woman. Ah-jin helped her grandmother settle onto the sofa. 

“Grandmother, did you happen to watch the drama earlier?” 

“I don’t watch things like that.” 

“Then why were you sitting there?” 

“I don’t know what it’s about, but listening to them chat passes the time. Look around. This room is unnecessarily spacious, isn’t it? With just a bed and a couple of sofas, what are you supposed to do here?” 

With that, her grandmother asked her to pass the English newspaper on the table. Taking the paper, Yun-ja put on her magnifying glasses and stared at it for a few minutes before tossing it aside. 

She complained that her eyes hurt and she couldn’t see well, then lay down on the sofa. 

Without a word, Ah-jin began massaging her grandmother’s legs. Since her grandmother didn’t tell her to stop, she continued. 

Feeling a gaze on her, she turned her head. 

She didn’t know when it started, but whenever she visited, her grandmother would sit her down beside her and just stare at her. Even without much conversation, Ah-jin found these moments comforting.