TNV 24

Chapter 24

The fact that his mother still could not let go of her interest in his every move was no secret.
When he was younger, he had found such a mother bothersome and exhausting and had even snapped at her, but at some point, Mu-hyeon had stopped reacting altogether. That was because he had realized that no matter how much he loathed it, his mother would never change.

But now, Song Chaeyoon was what bothered him.

If his mother were to meet Song Chaeyoon due to some needless misunderstanding, it would become troublesome in many ways.
Still, it would be ridiculous for him to bring her up first. Mu-hyeon decided to wait until his mother brought up the issue of his whereabouts herself.

“If you’re all ready, shall we head out?”

When Mu-hyeon continued the conversation as if nothing were wrong, Sun-ok responded reluctantly.

“It’ll take a bit longer for your father to come out. He just went into the bathroom.”

“Looks like Father slept at home last night.”

“No. He came in at dawn.”

So he hadn’t stayed home after all. As Mu-hyeon nodded lightly, Sun-ok cautiously asked,

“The weather’s nice—do you want to wait in the back garden until your father comes out?”

Mu-hyeon went out to the garden with his mother. Linking arms with her son, Sun-ok looked up at him with a bright smile.

“Oh my, it’s nice being with my son after so long. Come to think of it, Mu-hyeon, haven’t you been a bit neglectful of your mother lately? Why is it so hard to see your face?”

“I’ve been busy.”

“You’re not secretly dating someone behind your mom’s back, are you?”

“I thought you’d be happy if I said I was dating.”

When Mu-hyeon asked jokingly, Sun-ok shrugged.

“My standards are high. If you bring a girl I don’t like to introduce her, I won’t accept her.”

“Then I’ll just date quietly without introducing her.”

At his calm reply, Sun-ok’s eyes widened.

“You really have someone you’re seeing? Are you dating?”

Mu-hyeon had assumed his mother would naturally recognize it as a joke.

But what appeared on her face was not a smile—it was wariness. The moment he saw that expression, Mu-hyeon felt the headache that had briefly subsided begin again.

His mother likely knew that he had been staying at the villa lately. And the fact that she reacted unfavorably the moment he jokingly mentioned dating—when those two facts were combined, the conclusion was obvious.

His mother was clearly worried that he might become involved with Song Chaeyoon.

No—what showed on her refined face was not concern, but wariness and discomfort.

Did “a girl she didn’t like” mean Song Chaeyoon?

But as far as he knew, his mother had hardly ever stayed at the Yangpyeong villa. She had always preferred the city, and the late Chairman Seo had never summoned his daughter-in-law to the villa either.

She might have known Mrs. Song, the housekeeper at the villa. But given his mother’s personality, for her to know even Mrs. Song’s granddaughter and then be on guard over the possibility that that granddaughter might get involved with her son—it felt excessive, no matter how he thought about it.

“Dating? No, not at all.”

At his deliberately ambiguous answer, his mother openly showed relief.

The moment he saw her face, Mu-hyeon became certain.

His mother knew about Song Chaeyoon, and she was anxious that he might become entangled with her.

If she were a complete stranger, there would be no reason to worry like that.

There was definitely something going on.

His mother’s inexplicable wariness, and the sense of déjà vu he had felt earlier at the villa.

Perhaps all of it was related to the memories he had lost. After all, the place where he had suffered his second accident was also the villa…

“Mu-hyeon, it’s been a while.”

Just as he was about to sink deeper into his thoughts, the garden door opened and his father appeared.

“Yes, Father. It’s been a while.”

“You’ve been doing well? I hear you’ve been working hard at the company lately.”

Mu-hyeon merely nodded without answering. He knew very well that his father wasn’t genuinely curious about his work life.

Sure enough, his father didn’t wait for a response and instead extended his hand to his mother. The smile he gave his wife was just as artificial as the one he had shown Mu-hyeon.

“Shall we go?”

Though she looked disgusted with her husband, Sun-ok had no choice but to release the arm she had linked with Mu-hyeon.

Mu-hyeon watched his mother’s back as she walked reluctantly beside his father for quite some time, his gaze strangely fixed on her.

A familiar venue, a familiar atmosphere, familiar people.

The founding anniversary party of the Seongil Cultural Foundation was no different from any other event.

Except for one thing—there was a woman glued tightly to his side.

As soon as Mu-hyeon entered the venue, Jin Ha-young rushed over and guarded the seat next to him as if she absolutely could not allow another woman to take it. It had already been an hour.

Given the situation, more and more people were casting peculiar looks toward the two of them.

Mu-hyeon was well aware that this was exactly what Jin Ha-young wanted. But he didn’t care what she wanted.

So when he heard the third question insinuating that he and Jin Ha-young were a couple, Mu-hyeon wiped the smile completely from his face.

“We are not a couple. I’d appreciate it if you refrained from expressions that could cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”

The person who had been subtly trying to link him with Jin Ha-young looked awkward at Mu-hyeon’s words.

“Haha, you never know how things will turn out in the future. Why so serious, Manager Seo? What will you do if you regret it later?”

“If there’s something to regret, I’ll deal with it then. But not now.”

Faced with his firm boundary, even the other person—who had tried to brush it off with laughter—eventually fell silent.

Just then, his phone began to ring, and Mu-hyeon used the call as an excuse to leave his seat, ignoring Jin Ha-young’s startled look as she turned toward him.

Given his personality, enduring for an hour was more than enough. The only reason he had exercised patience until now was because of Jin Ha-young’s relationship with his mother—not because he liked Jin Ha-young.

“Why?”

The irritation he felt was clearly reflected in his voice when he answered the call. But Jun-ha, far from being flustered, asked with amusement,

—You’ve only been there for an hour, haven’t you? Your voice is full of irritation.

“You know perfectly well, so don’t ask. What do you want?”

When Mu-hyeon didn’t play along, Jun-ha’s voice quickly turned indifferent.

—I found out something and thought I should tell you right away.

“What is it?”

—That vice principal from Myeongun Middle School. He retired this February. Not mandatory retirement—honorary retirement. He divorced immediately afterward, and as soon as the seal was stamped, he went overseas. He’s living in the Philippines now, and he’s living with two women—both in their twenties.

“Insane…”

Jun-ha ignored Mu-hyeon’s curse and continued with even more shocking news.

—Amazingly, one of them is pregnant. Guess the old man’s been living on tonics—or maybe he’s still full of vigor.

As Mu-hyeon recalled, the former vice principal of Myeongun Middle School was sixty-eight years old.

As nausea rose in his gut and he was about to curse again, he heard cautious footsteps approaching.

Turning his head, he saw Jin Ha-young freeze in surprise as she crept closer. Mu-hyeon frowned deeply.

“I’ll call you later.”

—Huh? The really fun part starts now though—

“Later. There are ears listening.”

Even as he ended the call, Jin Ha-young continued approaching at a slow pace. When Mu-hyeon slipped his phone into his pocket, she stopped and smiled brightly.

“Mr. Mu-hyeon, aren’t you too busy? On a day like today, you should relax a bit.”

“What kind of day is today?”

“…What?”

At his flat question, Jin Ha-young’s smile faltered.

“Whether I work or rest doesn’t seem like something you need to concern yourself with, Ms. Jin Ha-young.”