Chapter 19
While Hyun-oh was away from Eunsol, Eunsol grew closer to others. The first was Kang Ye-ryeong, and the second was the person whose name appeared on his phone screen right now.
“Seems like you’re getting along well with that kid.”
“…Please be nice to me.”
Kang Ye-ryeong also glanced at Eunsol’s phone. Even though it seemed like the message was because of her, Eunsol didn’t check it, so she deliberately took out her own phone.
“Relax. We still have some time before we get to the shop.”
“Yes.”
Eunsol finally opened the messenger app. The chat with Hyun-oh was clean, but with Ryu Jeong-woo, it was filled with messages they had exchanged over time.
[Eunsol, are you at home again today?]
Ryu Jeong-woo had started to take care of Eunsol more and more. He was worried about Eunsol, who was getting thinner day by day.
Three days ago, he had also taken Eunsol out of the house to a famous restaurant. The face that said they should go to a dessert shop that was good at making éclairs soon came to mind.
[I’m out with my mother right now.]
As soon as Eunsol sent the message, the number 1 next to the message disappeared. What came next was an emoji with a bright smile.
[Today, I’ll have to give way to your mother for Eunsol. Have a good date. Don’t be too intimidated.]
It was just a message, but Ryu Jeong-woo’s kind voice seemed to ring in his ears. Eunsol, who had simply replied that he understood, put down his phone.
Just then, the car arrived near the shop. Eunsol and Kang Ye-ryeong followed the shop staff’s guidance and headed to the room inside.
“Madam, it’s been a while since you visited. You seem even more beautiful than the last time I saw you.”
“Even if it’s flattery, it’s nice to hear.”
“Oh, how can it be flattery? You know I’m not good at lying.”
“Who would believe that you can’t lie while doing this job?”
The manager’s flattery made Kang Ye-ryeong smirk. She had stopped walking and looked at him with narrowed eyes.
“But why are we going this way? I remember my usual room was different.”
“Ah, that… We didn’t know you were coming today, so we gave it to someone else.”
At the manager’s answer, the sound of clicking heels stopped abruptly. Eunsol, who was walking a step behind, also stopped.
“Hmm, I think I mentioned it last time I was here. To always keep that room empty.”
“I’m sorry! Madam!”
“Didn’t I pay the room usage fee generously last time? Is my memory wrong?”
“…It’s not.”
Kang Ye-ryeong was indeed a difficult and hard-to-please customer, but she wasn’t someone who made unreasonable demands. The face of Kim Soo-in, the general manager of the beauty shop Rose, turned pale.
The room currently being used by another customer was the best room in Rose, which Kang Ye-ryeong had paid a year’s usage fee for after using it once.
However, Kang Ye-ryeong used many shops, so she visited Rose about once a month.
It had only been a week since her last visit to the shop. That’s why Kim Soo-in had given that room to the demanding request of the customer who visited today.
He had tried to guide her to another room as discreetly as possible, but it was a careless thought.
The customer who visited today also seemed extraordinary in terms of clothing and speech, so he had made the decision. If he could, he wished he could turn back time. His vision went dark.
“I need to see the face of the person who took my room.”
“M-Madam…”
The sound of high heels hitting the floor quickly led to the VVIP room. Kim Soo-in couldn’t even grab Kang Ye-ryeong’s arm and followed behind her.
Eunsol, who was watching the situation, also quickened his pace. If any unfortunate incident happened, he had to protect Kang Ye-ryeong.
“This is unexpected.”
The sight revealed when the room door opened stunned not Kang Ye-ryeong but Eunsol. There were four people in the room: two sitting on chairs and two employees touching their heads and faces.
One of Kang Ye-ryeong’s eyebrows went up. She crossed her arms and tapped her elbow with her hand. The tips of her nails, painted as red as her lips, were sharp.
Kim Soo-in was afraid that Kang Ye-ryeong might scratch the faces of the customers in the room with those nails.
That’s how unusual Kang Ye-ryeong’s expression was.
“Mother-in-law, nice to meet you. I’m Eunsol’s mom.”
If Kang Ye-ryeong resembled a splendid rose, the middle-aged woman who stood up from the chair and smiled was reminiscent of a pure lily. Both of them were so beautiful that the word “beautiful” came to mind even now that they were older.
“Since we’re not officially acquainted yet, let’s just call each other by name instead of ‘mother-in-law.’ Call me Yoo Hye-jin.”
The corners of Yoo Hye-jin’s mouth, which had a graceful smile, twitched.
Yoo Hye-jin was also surprised when she saw the person who appeared when the door opened. As Kang Ye-ryeong said, the two had only met briefly at a party and exchanged greetings.
“But how can I? Eunsol is married to my son.”
Kang Ye-ryeong scoffed. Just by her tone, others might mistake that she cherished Eunsol.
Kang Ye-ryeong had also done a background check on Eunsol, so she roughly knew what kind of life he had lived.
Even if she didn’t know the background information, just by talking to Eunsol for 30 minutes, she could tell how much he had lived his life in fear.
At first, he was a child who couldn’t even look her in the eye. She didn’t know how much effort it took to make that child smile.
She didn’t have affectionate feelings for Eunsol. But she had to admit that she was growing fond of him day by day. She had never treated her own son, Hyun-oh, as kindly as she did Eunsol.
Only she could scold and reprimand the person who had entered her circle.
“What do you mean by ‘my son’?”
At the openly sarcastic remark, Yoo Hye-jin’s lips also hardened into a line. It seemed she was not an easy person to deal with, and her gaze naturally turned to Eunsol, who was trembling behind Kang Ye-ryeong.
“Eunsol, it’s been a while. Show me your face.”
Her voice was soft. But her eyes looking at Eunsol were colder than when she looked at others. As if looking at a worm crawling to her feet.
“Ah, ah, hello…”
Meeting his family in an unexpected place, his mind was filled with darkness. The cold sweat pouring down like rain soaked the clothes he was wearing.
He was thankful that his hair was messy for the first time. The shadow of the hat would cover his pale face to some extent.
“Didn’t I tell you repeatedly? You should look into the person’s eyes when greeting.”
Eunsol couldn’t make eye contact with people well. He always got hurt by the way his family looked at him.
Knowing Eunsol well, Yoo Hye-jin subtly pressured him with a gentle voice.
Eunsol lifted his trembling gaze. But what came into his view was not Yoo Hye-jin but Kang Ye-ryeong’s back.
Yoo Hye-jin and Kang Ye-ryeong were of similar height. Facing Kang Ye-ryeong’s back, his heart pounded. It was then that Eunsol realized that he wasn’t even breathing properly.
His breathing sounded too loud, so he bit his lips, but it was of no use.
“Our Eunsol has an appointment with me today. He doesn’t even have time to greet.”
Kang Ye-ryeong smiled brightly. It was an expression that naturally came out when she met someone she didn’t like. She felt a surge of combativeness for the first time in a while.
A maternal instinct she didn’t have seemed to arise. Hyun-oh went around beating up other guys, but he wasn’t someone who would be intimidated anywhere he went.
Hyun-oh’s spouse was like her own child. Kang Ye-ryeong decided to think of him that way from now on.
“Eunsol, come over here.”
“Yes, yes…”
However, the memories ingrained in Eunsol’s life were stronger than expected. At Yoo Hye-jin’s low voice, Eunsol came out from behind Kang Ye-ryeong and walked towards his stepmother.
His pitifully trembling body seemed like it would collapse to the floor at any moment. The heavy atmosphere made it difficult to breathe, and Kim Soo-in and the other employees anxiously bit their lips.
“Hmph.”
Kang Ye-ryeong’s eyebrows furrowed as Eunsol passed by her. The short sigh that came out represented her discomfort.
It was a tone like calling a trained dog. It was also a glimpse of how Eunsol was treated.
“Greet properly.”
“…Hello, Madam.”
Eunsol used the title he habitually used for Yoo Hye-jin. A moment of confusion flashed through Yoo Hye-jin’s eyes.
“Madam? You should say ‘mom’ to your mom.”
“Ah…”
It wasn’t that Eunsol had never called Yoo Hye-jin “mom.” When he was younger, not as tall as her waist, he had longed for his mother’s embrace.
The day he had grabbed her skirt and first called her “mom,” Eunsol was locked in his room. The closed door didn’t open no matter how much he pounded until his hands swelled.
If the employees who worked at home hadn’t prepared meals separately for him, he would have starved to death during the time he was locked up. That week, the thunder and lightning were particularly strong.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
