38
I flopped down on the sofa and squeezed the water from my wet hair. Water dripping from my suit was leaving dark stains on the sofa.
Sigh, the sofa’s ruined too. This is what happens when you don’t control your temper, you stubborn old man.
“I don’t understand why things turned out this way. Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if we just had a nice meal, enjoyed some tea afterward, and parted ways pleasantly?”
“That’s enough.”
My Alpha father restrained me with a calmer voice. It seemed his flustered state had finally settled a bit. You could have calmed yourself down a little sooner and helped calm Grandfather while you were at it.
“Everyone, go home. I’m exhausted and don’t have the strength to stand anymore. Gangbaek, come see me later.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Are you tired, Grandfather? That’s why you shouldn’t get so excited. At your age, you could drop dead from one outburst. You should be more careful. Would you like me to help you to your room?”
“Take that boy and get out. All of you, get out of my sight. Useless, the lot of you.”
I kept provoking him to the end, and Grandfather, with anger rising to the top of his head, glared at me while grinding his teeth. I had been hit a few times, but an exhilarating thrill wrapped around my body.
“Well, Grandfather, since you’re tired, I’ll leave for now and see you next month. Next time, please control your temper and let’s have a nice meal together. Okay? Oh, I’ll buy the missing chairs. And if you still can’t find a caregiver by then, let me know. I’ll find someone for you.”
“What are you all standing around for? Get out now!”
At Grandfather’s command, everyone barely managed to bow properly before being hastily pushed out of the house. Like after a typhoon had passed, everyone looked dazed, unable to gather their thoughts. My Alpha father, who had finally hardened his expression, stared at me for a moment.
“Let’s go home for now.”
Go home and what, lecture me? If Father was preparing to give me one earful, I was ready to give him ten in return. While the rest of the family hurried ahead as if we weren’t together, I took my time walking behind them.
∞ ∞ ∞
“Everyone, don’t go upstairs. Sit in the living room.”
Upon arriving home, my Alpha father spoke as if giving an order. Like students being scolded, my oldest brother and his wife, my second brother, and I sat in a row on the sofa. Father asked the housekeeper to bring tea, and once it was prepared, he requested that they leave us alone.
After even the staff had left, a brief silence hung over the living room. Father took a sip of tea, put down his cup, and looked at me.
“I have a lot to say about your behavior today.”
“I have a lot I’d like to hear about today’s events too. Who should go first? As a courtesy to elders, would you like to start, Father?”
I had nothing to hold back anymore. I’d already decided to unleash the madman inside me, and I had no intention of apologizing or pretending today’s events never happened.
“Who taught you to talk back like that when an elder is speaking?”
“It would also be rude to ignore an elder when they’re speaking, wouldn’t it? What is a conversation anyway? A conversation is when people exchange words. A one-sided lecture is a speech.”
“This brat!”
“Yes, I am your son. So you don’t need to raise your voice for me to hear you.”
“Sukyung, what kind of way is that to speak to Father? It’s quite a spectacle to hear. Even though you’re young and have mental issues, there’s a limit to how much one can watch and tolerate.”
If you’ve been listening, then just keep listening. I don’t understand why you need to butt in with something to say. Your line is even long. If you don’t have tact, you should keep your mouth shut like my second brother—that would be the middle ground.
“You be quiet. It’s loud enough without you chiming in.”
“Oldest brother, please stay out of this. This is a conversation between Father and me. It’s also impolite to interrupt a conversation!”
My oldest brother, having been told off by both Father and me, closed his mouth and leaned back.
“Do you understand that your behavior toward Grandfather today was problematic?”
“I understand that Grandfather’s behavior was problematic. Not just today, but consistently until today, I imagine.”
“You don’t have any remorse for your attitude at all?”
I don’t know what kind of answer Alpha Father wants. No, I know the answer he wants, but I’m not sure if that answer is the right one. Does Alpha Father himself believe the answer he wants is correct?
“Would you like to tell me what I did wrong? I completely fail to understand why the father who gave birth to me has to be treated like a criminal, not even treated as a person while attending to Grandfather, and why it was so wrong for his child to step in and offer to take care of Grandfather instead.”
“You really… seem crazy.”
Is everyone who thinks differently crazy? People think differently from one another; that’s what makes them human. Why do parents expect their children to follow all their thoughts after giving birth to them? Would it be satisfying to raise children according to their own thoughts? Would they feel fulfilled seeing children with no opinions or thoughts of their own?
“Father, you can’t defy Grandfather’s behavior either. You care about him because he’s your parent. You care about your parents, so why is it wrong for me to care about mine? Should I just watch when Grandfather insults and mistreats my parent? Is that the right thing to do?”
“You’re still defending yourself loudly. You don’t know what you did wrong, and you show no remorse at all.”
“We’re going in circles. Yes, I don’t know what I did wrong, so I’m not sorry. So if I truly did something wrong, tell me, Father. Tell me with your own mouth that I should have ignored my parent and just watched while Grandfather insulted them.”
Stop beating around the bush and just say it outright. With my Omega father right beside you, just spit it out. Why are you being so vague, trying only to extract an apology and remorse from me? If there’s something to gain, there should also be something to lose—why are you trying to have it all?
“Why… didn’t Father stop him? If you married for love, you should have stopped Grandfather from acting that way. For twenty long years, he wasn’t even treated like a person, standing alone serving Grandfather while everyone else was seated for meals, kneeling to wash his feet. Why did you just watch that happen?”
“Grandfather is old. He could pass away any time. What’s so wrong about helping him a little?”
“Are you saying that’s filial piety? If you want to be filial, you should do it yourself. Why try to show filial piety through someone else’s hands? Filial piety is a self-service. That’s a popular saying these days—don’t you know it? Why can’t you pick up a side dish for Grandfather with your own hands? Why have you never washed Grandfather’s feet with your own hands? Anyone watching would think you two switched roles as parent and child. Put your hand on your heart and tell me if what you just said is justified.”
“You’re… completely out of control. You can’t distinguish heaven from earth, you can’t use proper judgment, you can’t even recognize your parents.”
“Stop with the excuses. Before talking about manners, etiquette, filial piety, and duty, you should set an example first. The water upstream must be clear for the downstream water to be clear; you have to demonstrate for those below to follow. And right now, I’m causing trouble precisely because I recognize my parents too well. If I didn’t, I would have kept my mouth shut there and just eaten while reading the room.”
He keeps making strange excuses. When he’s speechless and has nothing to say, he just says things like “you’re crazy,” “you’re out of control,” “you can’t reflect.” That’s why nothing gets resolved, and the conversation just goes in circles. It turns into an emotional fight, and eventually age comes up, along with talk of respecting elders. The current situation wasn’t much different.
“I know I spoke harshly to Grandfather today, but I don’t regret or feel sorry for my actions. Father, if you say parents are more important than a spouse, that can’t be helped, but try to think about it differently. What if your parent, Grandfather, were treated that way somewhere? If Grandfather had to stand without sitting while everyone else was seated for a meal, serving food until the end of the meal, kneeling to wash someone’s feet—would you feel at peace thinking this is how it should be?”
“Why are you making such ridiculous arguments!”
“Why is it ridiculous? Do you think it’s impossible? You just saw it today with your own eyes. Why? Is Grandfather someone who shouldn’t be treated that way? Are my parents people who deserve such treatment, while your parents are people who shouldn’t be treated that way?”
“Y-You… ungrateful child.”
“You keep saying the same thing. I’m doing this precisely because I am grateful.”
I sighed deliberately and dropped my shoulders. You’re wearing me out. I don’t know why I’m making such a fuss for someone who has nothing to do with me, or why this has blown up so much. Anyway, I wish you wouldn’t exhaust me anymore.
“Sister-in-law, be careful. You might have to serve our father meals and wash his feet when you get older. How long have you been married? Have you learned a lot from watching what my father has been doing all this time?”
At my casual remark, my oldest brother and his wife’s faces froze. Nothing was funnier than seeing their expressions change after watching with such interest until just now.
“Why? Do you think you won’t have to do it because you’re the first wife? Do you think you’ll remain a welcomed presence in this house until you die? Who can guarantee that? Life is unpredictable. Given the precedent, who knows how spectacular things might get later?”
“Enough, that’s enough.”
Alpha Father cut me off.
“Everyone, go upstairs. Let’s calm down and talk later.”
“Yes, I’m already calm, but it seems Father needs some time. Let me know when you’ve organized your thoughts.”
Alpha Father left with a deeply furrowed brow, and my oldest brother and his wife also glared at me coldly before heading to their room. As my second brother hesitated and slowly got up, I stared at him blankly, wondering what nonsense he was about to spout.
“Crazy bastard.”
“What did you say, you idiot?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
