15
I didn’t know if they always gathered like this for dinner or if they had assembled to commemorate my discharge, but the evening meal with the entire family gathered around felt suffocatingly stifling.
Hospital Director Father, Art Gallery Director Father, oldest brother, oldest brother’s wife, second brother, and Cha Sukyung.
There was hardly any conversation at the dinner table where six people were seated. I awkwardly observed the situation while taking in the faces of the Hospital Director Father and those fellows called my brothers, whom I had only seen in photos until now.
“Are you feeling better?”
I raised my head to see who was asking about my condition, as I was the only one likely to receive such a question. I was confused when no one seemed to be looking at me, but then the one called oldest brother turned his head to meet my gaze and asked again with an “Hm?”
So it was him.
“Yes, well. Thanks to your concern, I’m much better. I wasn’t seriously injured anyway.”
“That’s good.”
According to Cha Sukyung, both brothers were terrible people who treated him poorly and caused him tremendous stress, but seeing him asking about my well-being made me think he might surprisingly be normal.
Of course, the fact that he hadn’t visited me even once in the hospital despite his verbal concern suggests there isn’t even a grain of brotherly affection between them.
“Then how about accompanying me to the gathering the day after tomorrow?”
“Him? Want to embarrass the family?”
The second brother, who was eating beside me, asked the oldest brother in an irritable tone. Hmm, I could tell this one was terrible without spending much time with him. He must have a hasty, impulsive, eccentric, and hot-tempered personality. In short, a simple personality. The kind of personality that’s exactly what it appears to be. Such people aren’t difficult to deal with.
The difficult one was the oldest brother. My instincts warned me of this. A face that revealed no expressions, a voice that concealed emotions, conversation that gave no hint of his true thoughts. Given what Cha Sukyung had said, and the fact that there wasn’t even a hint of warmth in his gaze toward me, it was hard to conclude he was a decent person.
“It seems like you’re the one who goes around embarrassing the family more.”
“What?”
At the oldest brother’s comment, the second brother slammed down his chopsticks roughly and shouted. Unlike the oldest brother who continued eating as if nothing had happened, the second brother’s face was flushed with anger as if he might flip the table at any moment.
“Your voice is too loud at the dinner table.”
The Hospital Director Father, who had been eating silently, said.
Ah, on top of feeling stifled, I now felt like I couldn’t breathe. I’d only experienced it for ten minutes, but I was already beginning to grasp the atmosphere of this household.
Hypocrisy wrapped in visible etiquette, dignity, culture, and elegance. Appearances are important, but having to live like this even at home is practically torture.
“Since he was discharged today, I think it would be better for Sukyung to rest at home for a while. Attending the gathering seems too burdensome for him right now.”
“I was too busy to visit personally, but I heard he wasn’t particularly injured. Looking at him now, he seems fine. I’d also like Sukyung to rest at home for a while, but there are unfavorable rumors circulating. You know how people like to gossip about others’ affairs. That’s how people are, but if we ignore them, rumors can easily become accepted as facts. So if Sukyung is up to it, I think it wouldn’t be bad for him to go out and show his face… Would it be too burdensome for you to go?”
The Art Gallery Director Father tried to politely decline, but the oldest brother smoothly countered and turned the question to me.
He’s a formidable opponent. Pretending to be concerned while bringing up others’ opinions to demand what he wants. He was much more skilled than the second brother who just raises his voice impulsively, leading with his emotions.
“Not at all. I’m curious about these unfavorable rumors, and leaving such rumors unaddressed would tarnish the family name… Even if it’s burdensome, I should show my face.”
I was curious about what kind of gathering it was, what kind of people would be there, what the bad rumors were, and what they would say when they saw me. And I also wanted to confirm what the oldest brother was trying to gain by taking me there.
“I’m a bit anxious, but since oldest brother will be with me, I can trust you and go, right?”
Be careful. Since you’ll be sticking close to me, don’t think about screwing me over. If I get screwed over, you’ll get screwed over with me.
Hiding my true thoughts, I smiled sweetly at the oldest brother. I wasn’t used to this face yet, so I wasn’t sure what expression I was making when I smiled. It must not have been as good as I thought, because the oldest brother’s jaw tensed when our eyes met.
“Of course. You don’t think I’d take you there and leave you alone, do you? Then I’ll assume we’re going together the day after tomorrow.”
On the surface, it was a very affectionate and considerate conversation. Not that it was genuinely affectionate inside. As if even the outward affection was displeasing, the sound of the second brother’s spoon hitting his bowl grew rougher beside me.
This one’s a lost cause. With so much anger, I wonder if he can function in daily life.
He must have always been overshadowed by the firstborn since childhood. He would have grown up being compared, harboring a strong inferiority complex toward the firstborn, dissatisfied with everything, hating the stepmother who replaced his deceased mother, and while disliking the firstborn, absolutely detesting the child born to the stepmother. I didn’t need anyone else to confirm my assessment.
The rest of the meal proceeded quietly. Dinner concluded at the Hospital Director Father’s pace, and as soon as he left, the oldest and second brothers put down their utensils and vacated their seats, as if they’d been waiting for it. Though the hired help had probably prepared the meal, there wasn’t even a courteous “thank you for the meal.”
“You’re not going to bed right away, are you?”
“I should digest first before sleeping.”
“Then go on up. Let’s have a cup of tea together.”
The real purpose probably wasn’t to drink tea. Realizing the Art Gallery Director Father had something separate to discuss, I nodded.
“Thank you for the meal. I’ll go up and brush my teeth.”
“You don’t need to tell me such things. I’ll come up a little later then.”
Father put down his utensils with an elegant movement, rose from his seat, straightened his clothes, and left the table.
Gosh, how stifling. Despite having eaten a feast, my stomach felt heavy. I thought iced plum tea would be good.
∞ ∞ ∞
Knock knock. At the neat knocking sound, I responded to come in, and the door quietly opened as Father entered the room carrying a tray with two cups of tea.
“Should we go outside?”
“No, I think it’s better to talk here.”
Even though this was supposedly my space, he was still concerned about listening ears. Not that I cared either way, so I nodded. I offered the bed to Father and pulled up a chair, sitting at a slight distance.
“You carried yourself well at dinner.”
“I don’t think I did anything particularly praiseworthy, but thank you?”
When I answered with a slight upward inflection, Father let out a small sigh.
“You’re planning to go to the gathering with the oldest?”
So this was the issue. He must be worried, our father. Thinking I’m a complete fool, he’s concerned about what trouble this fool might cause at the gathering, what verbal blunders I might make. He probably wishes he could either keep me locked up at home or accompany me to supervise.
“It’s hard to refuse when he puts it like that, isn’t it? Though I don’t think his intentions are good, I’m curious about what he’s thinking. Oh, what is this gathering anyway?”
“It’s apparently a regular monthly meeting of second-generation heirs. Sons and daughters from families whose names you’d recognize gather and… I don’t know exactly what they do, but I imagine it’s nothing good.”
Even sitting on the bed, Father maintained perfect posture, his back straight without a trace of slouching, elegantly sipping his tea as he let out a low snort.
“Have I attended this gathering before?”
“The oldest took you a couple of times during high school. After that, you made excuses not to attend, and at some point, you naturally drifted away from it. You… don’t seem to have a talent for socializing.”
“I’m not sure whether I couldn’t blend in or people wouldn’t let me blend in, but either way, it was due to my lack of ability. The number of people attending wouldn’t be small, right?”
“Considering they rent out hotels, it’s clearly not just a small meeting of five or six people.”
“What do they do there? Eat, or drink?”
They’d probably eat, of course. Since he said they have fun, maybe they drink alcohol. Surely they don’t just have a cup of tea and leave. As I furrowed my brows in thought, Father clicked his tongue.
“They network. Food and alcohol aren’t important. Honestly, I don’t think it’s a particularly helpful gathering, but while they giggle about useless topics and get excited over gossip, they probably think it’s quite a constructive event. You just need to show your face, stay quiet, and come back.”
For parental expectations, isn’t this too low, even considering I’ve supposedly lost my memory? I’m not even the old Cha Sukyung, and my personality has changed this much.
“What should I be careful about?”
“Don’t try to stand out, don’t take the initiative, don’t speak first. Just quietly show your face and come back. Make sure to wear a formal suit when you go.”
“You said it’s a networking event. Shouldn’t I be making connections too?”
“Sukyung.”
Father called me in a serious voice.
“The thing you need least right now, having lost your memory, is people’s attention. Please, just come back without doing anything. Understand?”
At his firm response, I pushed out my lips in a pout. Immediately came the advice, “And don’t make such strange expressions.”
“Don’t trust the oldest. He’s like a snake. He takes after his grandfather the most.”
As Father said this, his face was tinged with faint disgust. Perhaps Father doesn’t like this family much either. Or maybe he just dislikes his in-laws. Though I’d never met him, the person the oldest brother resembles the most made me wary even before seeing him.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
