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Chapter 29
The End of First Justice
“Shall we call it that? Anyway, you’re not the type to take my words at face value.”
From the very start, Jeongha’s attitude suggested that the conversation wouldn’t go smoothly, and it cracked the noble mask on the matriarch’s face.
“Did you learn to speak so arrogantly from that child? Indeed, what one sees while growing up matters.”
“Well… maybe I got it from someone else, as you said, Mother.”
Jeongha’s words pierced through her own trauma, and the matriarch pressed her lips together tightly.
She had already lost her husband once from her grasp. She could not afford to give up even on Jeongha.
Forcing herself to wear the mask of a fragile mother, she spoke pathetically.
“Jeongha, my son… think again. Seo Yeon-woo isn’t someone you can keep for long.”
“That’s something I’ll decide now, not you, Mother.”
Seeing her son’s unyielding determination, the matriarch squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again.
Jeongha, sitting loosely, looked seemingly bored at first glance. Yet, the look in his eyes—directly facing his mother—shone dark and deep.
“You’ve always expected something from me, haven’t you? To inherit Father’s company and erase his existence cleanly.”
“……”
“I’ll grant your wish, Mother.”
“Are you threatening me?”
It was a threat, implying she should not think of refusing him. Hearing such words from her son for the first time, the matriarch exhaled sharply in disbelief.
The child who had once avoided her gaze was gone.
The Jeongha before her now was confident and unrelenting. Though he was her own child, she had never seen this face. The fact that Seo Yeon-woo had caused this change angered her all the more.
“When you divorced Father, I believe you received the transfer papers for Se-woon Construction stocks that were to come back to me.”
“So… now that it’s your money anyway, I should use it on Seo Yeon-woo?”
“You do interpret well.”
What could that child possibly mean to Seo Yeon-woo?
Seeing Jeongha smirk, the matriarch clenched the papers so tightly that they tore at the edges.
Jeongha’s cold gaze met hers directly.
“I think I can use a little of it, Mother.”
“…You.”
“Let me know when you’ve decided.”
Seeing Jeongha turn his back so calmly, the matriarch clenched her teeth tightly. The grinding of her upper and lower teeth made a grating sound.
“I trust you’ll at least keep it a secret from Seo Yeon-woo.”
“……”
It was barely past spring. The two children had only met a few months ago.
Watching from the sidelines as the situation refused to unfold as she wished, the matriarch’s expression shifted.
With a thud, a paper fluttered behind the closing door. Straining to maintain her composure, she let out a low groan through clenched teeth.
Five days passed. During that time, Yeon-woo couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning.
Her wish to go to Seoul clashed with her bleak reality, making her heart ache more with each passing day.
She could see her aunt sleeping with her back turned. Unable to hide her uneasy expression, Yeon-woo let out a deep sigh.
Her gaze fell on the scarf Jeongha had bought, hanging on one wall. After a moment of daze, she got up and wrapped it around her arms. Carefully, she slid the door closed and stepped outside.
“……”
The sounds of unknown insects played a strange duet. Looking up, the sky was full of stars, yet seeing them didn’t bring relief.
A solution. The word swirled in Yeon-woo’s mind. Her eyes then landed on the main building.
Knowing that money could only be repaid with money, she realized one slim possibility remained.
But could it work?
She pondered deeply, sitting on the wooden porch with her head against a post. Silently, someone approached her.
“Can’t sleep?”
It was the matriarch, draped in a real shawl. Yeon-woo, sitting dumbly on the porch, raised her head in surprise.
“…Madam.”
As always, the matriarch sat elegantly, looking at Yeon-woo.
“I think I know why you can’t sleep.”
“……”
“There was a call from the school. Our Jeongha’s mock exam scores are excellent.”
Startled, Yeon-woo tensed her shoulders, and the matriarch laughed softly.
“That’s you, right?”
“……”
“Have you been looking into schools in Seoul?”
The matriarch, pretending ignorance, easily touched Yeon-woo’s nerve. Everyone in the village knew about her debt. Even though the matriarch must have known, she smiled kindly.
“I was thinking if there’s anything I can do for you… Even so, as long as we live in this house together, it’s almost like family.”
“Madam…”
“So… if it’s okay, I could help you with your debt a little.”
“What?”
Surprised, Yeon-woo’s eyes widened. The matriarch’s words were almost unreal, a gesture she had never considered before.
Her chest boiled with warmth she couldn’t suppress. As a wave of anxiety twisted in her esophagus, she parted her lips to speak.
“Our Jeongha asked me to. I don’t know when he grew up enough to care for others like that.”
“…You mean Jeongha?”
“Since it was his request and for your sake, I thought it only right to help.”
He asked her, Jeongha did.
Only then did Yeon-woo recall Jeongha’s face when he suggested going to Seoul together. She clenched her fists.
She knew what Jeongha had intended. Her mind understood, but her heart burned like molten metal.
Seeing Yeon-woo lose composure, the matriarch smiled softly.
But beneath that gentle smile, her words were sharp as thorns.
“As much as I guarantee your life, I hope you don’t forget the gratitude you owe our son. You understand that, don’t you?”
“……”
“You’re smart enough to know.”
Without needing to say it outright, Yeon-woo understood. Jeongha had rejected her with his own hands.
In that moment, she was stripped of the right to be with Jeongha.
She had wanted to walk beside him, not be dragged along like a helpless fish she had begged for a week to hold.
“It’s cold tonight. Go to sleep quickly. Your matter will be resolved soon.”
The matriarch stood, draped in her trembling shawl. The faint click of her shoes echoed.
Watching the tassels on the patterned shawl swing, Yeon-woo let out the hot breath she had been holding.
“Ha…”
Suddenly, her head felt feverish. Not wanting to stay there any longer, Yeon-woo returned to the small annex room.
Her eyes landed on the shabby corner of her room. Her aunt snoring, the patched-up quilt, her makeshift wooden desk…
“……”
She was not in a position to refuse anyone’s touch.
A bitter chuckle escaped her lips. At the same time, a twitch at her eyes brought tears falling to the floor, one by one.
She was angry.
Angry at… she didn’t know what. Her chest continued to throb, stubborn and restless. The pink scarf around her neck fell to the floor.
