Chapter 124: The Snow That Stayed

I lost my words for a moment. I hadn’t expected Seunghee to cry or make a fuss, but her being this calm was still surprising.

“…Are you okay, Noona?”

– Yeah. Honestly, it’s quieter and better with him like that. Grandpa isn’t okay.

“Did something happen?”

– The article hasn’t gone out yet. But after seeing Dad like that, Grandpa collapsed too.

At those words, my heart dropped.

“Is he okay?”

– Yeah. They admitted him just in case.

“He’s not in a coma or anything?”

– No, he’s fine. He woke up quickly… The doctor says there’s no problem.

Seunghee let out a short sigh and said.

– If anything, it’s less his health and more his mind… They say it looks closer to depression.

I was pretty shocked. A heavy silence followed. Grandpa had accomplished so much, and depression in his later years? I couldn’t find an answer. While I was struggling to reply, Seunghee spoke again.

– …I’ve felt a lot this time.

“Yeah?”

– I feel like I’ve been a fool. All this time I struggled to be noticed by Grandpa and Father, but now… it feels so empty. Like, what have I even been doing? Why did I live like that?

Seunghee looked like she was mocking herself. Seeing that hurt.

She was the one who grew up facing discrimination in the family, and she probably knew it well. But she must have thought hard work could overcome it. So she fought stubbornly to prove her ability.

But when Choi Yeonggil used Seunghee’s inheritance as an excuse to force Mother into divorce, and even said he would transfer Seunghee’s inheritance share to Doyoon, Seunghee must have realized something was wrong. I couldn’t even imagine the betrayal she felt toward Father. Choi Yeonggil’s casual declaration ignored Seunghee’s past and all her effort. Then Seunghee said again.

– I’m not going to just wait anymore.

My throat bobbed. I spoke sincerely.

“…I’m sorry I can’t help you from here.”

– Forget it. Choi Doyoon is doing well. You just rest.

Seunghee acted like she would hang up right away, then added one very small sentence.

– …And if you can, it would be good if you came to Korea too. Mom misses you a lot. And so do I.

I smiled bitterly.

“…Sorry.”

If I went, I’d have to see Doyoon. Could I really act like nothing was wrong when I saw him? Just imagining meeting him made my heart sink, so it seemed better not to go back for a while.

Seunghee sighed, but she didn’t say it twice.

After that, I went to French class more diligently. Before I knew it, my skill was far ahead of Minseok’s. And when I came home, I regularly uploaded videos to YouTube. There was nothing better for killing time and clearing my head.

Then finally, at the end of November, Choi Seunghee proudly took office as vice chairwoman of Hae-won Group through the shareholders’ meeting. Even as the child of the owner family, considering she was in her late thirties, it was an unusual achievement. And since the actual chairman, Grandpa, was lying in a hospital bed and had let go of all company work, Seunghee was practically the chairman.

News outlets raced to report Seunghee’s career at Hae-won Mulsan. They praised Hae-won Group for entering a “third-generation management” and a “new era,” attaching all sorts of positive words.

At the same time, with new personnel and a reorganization of the company’s governance, the stock price fluctuated heavily. Kim Minseok, who bought Hae-won Mulsan stock during the gap, was thrilled, saying he’d made a huge profit. He danced around the cafe and wished Vice Chairwoman Choi Seunghee long life. It was funny, so I just let him be.

Then a month later, Choi Yeonggil died. Pointlessly, and naturally, from a stroke. They had operated several times, but it seemed it wasn’t enough. For a man who had tormented everyone, it was a pretty absurd death.

Mother looked much calmer than I expected when she spoke about his death.

“Are you okay?”

When I asked carefully, Mother smiled faintly beyond the screen.

– Of course I’m okay. But there are still documents to sort out, so I plan to announce the official death next week. He isn’t brain-dead; he’s completely stopped breathing, so it can’t be dragged out longer than that.

“Ah…”

I was a little thrown off by the overly detailed explanation. I asked after the person I was truly worried about.

“What about Grandpa?”

– He’s not good.

Mother stared at me for a moment and asked.

– Are you coming to the funeral?

I stiffened slightly. Then I said naturally.

“Doyoon… he’s there.”

– …Grandpa seems to want to see you.

I smiled bitterly.

‘As if.’

If she had seen Grandpa throw the paternity test at my head and yell, she wouldn’t be able to use that excuse. Besides, I had no face to see Grandpa. I had caused a huge mess the last time I left.

Mother had never directly told me to come back to Korea since the night the fireworks exploded and she heard my confession. But when talking through Seunghee last time didn’t work, it seemed she was using Grandpa as an excuse this time. When I didn’t answer, Mother eventually sighed.

– I’m not forcing you. Grandpa can’t come anyway because he’s sick. And the funeral will be private.

“…I’m sorry.”

I quickly changed the subject.

“So what happens to the divorce lawsuit?”

– Since that man died, it’s automatically canceled. The property division claim ended on its own too.

Mother smiled. But it was a smile that looked more hollow than happy. It was similar to the expression I’d seen on Seunghee.

“…You’re really okay, right?”

– What would I not be okay about?

But Mother hesitated a little and said,

– Still, it doesn’t feel as relieving as I thought.

Then after a moment she added,

– …Thank you for stopping me back then.

My eyes widened. I had never expected to hear those words.

– After you left for that place, it was really hard. I felt like I had ruined your life. But now that things turned out like this… it feels like I was possessed back then. I almost did something crazy for a man who would have died if I just left him alone.

“…You didn’t do it, so it’s fine.”

My voice trembled a little. I hadn’t done it hoping for repayment, but her words seemed to melt something in a corner of my heart. It made me think what I had done wasn’t useless. She hesitated for a bit and said,

– …You might already know, but Noh Jae-sik killed someone before. A doctor who knew the secret of your birth.

“…I know.”

Mother’s expression twisted. She looked like she might cry.

– Aside from how disgusting that man was, I think I actually felt a little relieved. Because I thought the secret would never come out. But then…

Mother took a short breath.

– Doyoon… after talking with him, he said the other side already knows. So if it’s okay with you, I’d like to tell those people the truth and apologize. Is that okay? It’s something I should have done much earlier…

I smiled faintly.

“Of course.”

Mother smiled slightly with me.

– Thank you.

“For what. I’ll contact you again.”

Then Mother said hurriedly,

– Seunghyun, I hope you… live happily too. Please.

I blanked out for a moment.

Hearing my own words returned to me felt a little strange. I stared endlessly at the ended call. My face reflected on the black screen like a mirror. I stared hard at my face and thought.

Seunghee got what she wanted, Mother admitted her fault, and Choi Yeonggil died. And I was a fantastic unemployed man with lots of money and even more time. So why did I have this face?

****

As Mother said, news of Father’s death was announced a week later. But since Seunghee had already become vice chairwoman, Choi Yeonggil’s death didn’t have a huge effect on Hae-won. His death was pushed aside by other issues and soon forgotten.

When his story occasionally came up in comments, the usual response was “that filthy bastard.” Dying and remaining dishonored forever suited him perfectly. A man who yelled at everyone while alive ended up being yelled at by everyone after death.

Outside the window, snow was falling heavily. Maybe because Christmas was the day after tomorrow, the streets were full of lights and carols. Everyone around me was full of smiles and looked happy. Everyone except Kim Minseok.

“My girlfriend is in Korea too, so I’m lonelier. Here everyone spends Christmas with family, but we don’t have family.”

He brought me a cafe latte with a fancy tulip drawn on it. His latte art skill was growing impressively.

“Oh, right. You said you live with relatives, hyung.”

He looked at me like a stray dog hoping someone would pick him up. In the end, I burst out laughing and asked,

“What, do you want to drink with me that day?”

“Aw, no. I was just saying.”

It didn’t sound like he was just saying it… If I asked once more, he’d probably pretend he couldn’t refuse and say yes.

Then it happened. Someone walked up behind me with steady footsteps and stopped right next to my table. Then they said something out of nowhere.

“…Good timing. Then how about drinking with me?”

My body flinched. It was an all-too-familiar voice.

One I hadn’t forgotten even once in the past few months…

When I slowly raised my head, Doyoon stood there in a dark gray coat and black scarf.

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