# Chapter 13
“Please be careful with your words and actions when you get home. Refrain from that provocative attitude and manner of speaking, and don’t talk carelessly until you understand the situation. If a topic comes up that you don’t know about, just stay silent. Try to speak as little as possible and don’t create situations where you might be caught.”
The man who came to pick me up for discharge, who would become my father from now on, admonished me. He still looked skeptical about whether taking me home was a good choice. I nodded with the most trustworthy smile I could manage, but my father still gazed at me with a distrustful expression.
“It’ll be fine. You’re just telling me to keep my mouth shut, observe carefully, and understand the situation, right? I’m exceptionally good at that sort of thing. I’m incredibly perceptive. When it comes to reading the room, I’m your guy. There’s absolutely nothing to worry about.”
“Don’t act recklessly like you’re doing now.”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
The caregiver had already neatly packed my belongings and sent them down, and I changed from hospital clothes to regular clothes and put on a coat.
I hummed a tune while riding the elevator with my father. It was the first day of my life in this changed body. I was in quite a good mood with anticipation for the life that would unfold before me.
“Don’t go out for a while, just stay at home. You don’t have anywhere to go anyway since you don’t remember anything. You know that the semester starts in a month, right? It would be good if your memory returns by then, but looking at your current state, that seems unlikely, so we’ll have to think about that part gradually.”
“Ah, that’s right. I’m supposed to go to university now? What will I study there? I don’t remember anything.”
I couldn’t even attend middle school, let alone high school, and now university? It was daunting. I couldn’t even imagine what I would study at university right away. It was a hurdle from the start.
“Your major is contemporary art. It would be good to look at the university curriculum in advance. The studio is in a separate building, so ask the employee to guide you there later.”
Art, huh. Father said he was an art gallery director, so perhaps that influenced me. My brothers are doctors, so why did only I go into art? Did they make the legitimate children become doctors to inherit the hospital, and push Cha Sukyung, the child of the second wife, into art? Or maybe I had an incredible talent for art.
I couldn’t guess why Cha Sukyung majored in art since I didn’t know the previous circumstances. Moreover, I was worried because I’d never even drawn an apple if we’re talking about art. With zero knowledge about note-taking or practical skills, I was concerned about keeping up with university classes right away.
“I’ve selected someone discreet, so if you have any inconveniences or needs, you can handle them through that person. He also serves as a driver, so always take him with you if you go somewhere. Try not to reveal to other family members or employees at home that your memory is unstable. Don’t show your weaknesses. As you said… think of them as a dysfunctional family. Think that if you show weakness, they’ll tear into you.”
“Wow, what is this, a jungle? How cold between family members.”
“Cha Sukyung! Listen seriously to what I’m saying now.”
Father grabbed my shoulders, met my eyes, and continued with a serious face.
“I don’t want you to get worse here. I don’t like seeing my child being disrespected, but I especially don’t want you to be cast out. So it would be good to keep this father’s words in mind.”
“…I understand. I’ll take it seriously and be careful. Don’t worry too much. Now you’re finally acting like a father. I’ll do well.”
“I sincerely hope so.”
Father released me with a deep sigh. As soon as we left the hospital building, a car was waiting right in front. My father’s secretary, whom I’d seen once before, opened the door of a car so well-maintained it was gleaming, and I got into the back seat with my father.
“I’ll take you home and then I need to go back to the art gallery. I’m bringing you because they say you might remember things if you see the place where you lived and the things you used, but I’m not sure if this is really okay.”
“Well, it’s not an impossible idea. Wouldn’t it be better to try various approaches?”
But it’s not like memories would come back. Even if I were really Cha Sukyung, the one inside this body is Min Jaehee, so there’s no way Cha Sukyung’s memories would return by going to Cha Sukyung’s room and seeing the things he used.
“It’s really hard to believe that a person’s personality could change 180 degrees just because their memory disappeared… Like a completely different person. It’s so unfamiliar and… I’m at a loss for what to do. I wish this crisis could be resolved without any problems, but that seems unlikely.”
“You’re being too pessimistic. Isn’t it better that my personality changed? Honestly, my previous personality was too frustrating. I would think that even from a parent’s perspective, the current me is better than my previous personality.”
“Not at all.”
There’s no need to deny it so firmly. I showed my dissatisfaction by puffing my cheeks, but my father paid no attention.
“The attendant will be waiting at home. He’ll always be near you, so if anything happens, talk to him, and if it’s something he can’t solve, contact me. Here’s your phone. All the necessary contacts are saved in it.”
Father took a phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. The latest model phone was spotless without a single scratch, as if declaring it was new. I checked the contacts with the phone I received from my father.
There were six numbers saved in total. Cha Hwangyu Chairman, Cha Gangbaek Hospital Director, Seo Jinyoung Gallery Director, Cha Baekju, Cha Donghu, Lee Gyeongjin.
What kind of way is this to save family names? It’s easy to identify, but too cold. Anyone looking would think they’re just acquaintances.
“Judging by the surname Cha, are Cha Baekju and Cha Donghu my brothers? Who is Lee Gyeongjin?”
“Cha Baekju is the eldest, Cha Donghu is the second. Lee Gyeongjin is the attendant who will be in charge of you from now on.”
“How am I supposed to know if you save them like this? You really have no sense.”
With unfamiliar hand movements, I laboriously changed the names to: Cha Hwangyu Chairman Grandfather, Cha Gangbaek Hospital Director Father1, Seo Jinyoung Gallery Director Father2, Cha Baekju Oldest Brother, Cha Donghu Second Brother, Lee Gyeongjin Attendant. Father, who was watching, clicked his tongue softly.
“It seems lack of sense is hereditary.”
“I can’t help it. I have to do this to recognize them. Oh, and I remember having a chauffeur. Is this Lee Gyeongjin person that person?”
“I dismissed him. There was such an unfortunate incident, so he had to take responsibility.”
Being an attendant is really a thankless job. Cha Sukyung was the one who jumped trying to kill himself, so why should the attendant take responsibility? Of course, that man was absent from his post that day, but he might have had an urgent matter. He could have had an urgent physiological need.
I hid my bitter feelings and just fiddled with the phone in my hand, and silence filled the car.
We arrived quietly at a neighborhood where grand houses were sparsely visible. The distances between houses were far apart, high walls obscured the interiors, and the occasional glimpses of building edges suggested that beyond the walls there were likely football field-sized lawns or gardens. The streets were wide and clean, and there were no pedestrians in sight.
The car stopped in front of a large gate. Father glanced at me as I sat there blankly.
“You need to get out.”
“What, are we here? This is home? Wow, the walls are so high I can’t even see the house. Do we just leave the car here?”
“That’s not something you need to worry about, so get out quickly. I need to take you to your room and then leave.”
If he says to get out, I should get out. I sluggishly got out of the car through the door the secretary opened. My father, who got out after me, rang the bell to announce our arrival, and through the automatically opened door, we could finally see beyond the high walls.
Passing through the gate didn’t lead directly to the house. We had to climb high stairs and then cross a wide grass garden. The path to the house took forever. The house we eventually reached consisted of a large building and two smaller buildings on either side, three in total.
I suppose we should enter the large building.
As I hesitated and slowed my steps, my father went ahead of me toward the large building as expected. When we entered the building, employees lined up waiting greeted my father and me.
“Secretary Yoon will bring up the luggage. Sort that out and discard what needs to be thrown away. Sukyung, come this way.”
My father, speaking with a much calmer and more cultured attitude, led me up the stairs inside the building. The spacious building had many winding corridors, many rooms, and many doors. It would probably take at least a week just to learn what each area was used for.
Going up the stairs and turning left, there was a separately created living room and three room doors.
“This is your space. That’s your room, next to it is the bathroom, and this is the guest room. This reception room is also for your use. The other side of the stairs is the second son’s space, so if you don’t go over there, you shouldn’t run into each other much. That person sitting there is Lee Gyeongjin whom I mentioned earlier.”
The man sitting on the sofa in the living room got up and approached. The man who greeted me with a bow stood with a proper posture and gazed at me. He was definitely a new face, not the man who used to be by Cha Sukyung’s side.
“Sukyung won’t have any reason to go out for a while. Still, always stay by his side. You may use the guest room, but don’t take your eyes off Sukyung.”
“Understood.”
“Hey, when you talk like that, it makes me feel like I’m under surveillance.”
“Cha Sukyung.”
Father called me in a firm voice, as if now was not the time to interject.
Hmm, now is the time to keep quiet.
I closed my mouth and nodded, indicating I understood. Only then did my father’s face become somewhat satisfied as he led me to open the door of what he called my room.
“We’ll have dinner together when the hospital director comes in the evening. I’ll also go out and return before then. There’s plenty of time until then, so you should have enough time to look around, right?”
“Of course. Plenty of time.”
“That manner of speaking isn’t good, but fix that gradually too. Wash up and get some rest. I need to go to the art gallery. You’ll be okay by yourself, right?”
The word ‘okay’ seemed particularly emphasized, but I confidently nodded. After looking intently at my face as if trying to confirm something, my father turned and went back down the stairs, leaving me staring blankly at the attendant standing next to me.
“I’ll be waiting here. Please call me when you need me.”
This person must have it tough too. Getting paid while not doing much is physically easy but probably mentally uncomfortable. Understanding fully that making a living is not easy, I quietly nodded and entered the room.
Now it’s time to start exploring. To find the treasures hidden in Cha Sukyung’s room.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
