Chapter 93
- Our Music
2023.08.01.
Kim Mal-hee, Yang Heejin's fateful day.
Mal-hee and Heejin took a taxi to their destined location. Mal-hee had scraped together 1.1 billion won, and Heejin had sold her house for 300 million won. A total of 1.4 billion won. They needed to repay 2.2 billion won, leaving them 800 million won short.
Their intention was to buy some time with the money they had, but with the interest ballooning at an exorbitant rate, they were unsure how they would manage afterward.
Still, the only reason Heejin had stepped forward without running away was for her son, Hyung-woo. She couldn't allow those ruthless loan sharks to reach out to her young son, who was only nine years old.
Mal-hee and Heejin held hands tightly as they entered the office.
The loan shark couldn't help but scoff at the money the two women had brought.
"1.4 billion won? 1.4 billion won is not 2.2 billion won, ladies."
Mal-hee knelt before him and prostrated herself.
"Sir, I am so sorry. I... I recently had surgery for liver cancer. And my husband suddenly passed away. It's been so difficult. Please, be generous and give us a little more time."
She appealed to his emotions, grasping at straws. Heejin knelt beside her and pleaded.
"We will repay the principal and interest as soon as possible. Please, just a little more..."
"With what? How can I trust people who borrowed 2 billion won and then lost 600 million won in a month?"
But such pleas were unlikely to work on a loan shark whose heart was as cold as ice.
Mal-hee rose from her prostrate position and shouted.
"Then, then just kill me and be done with it!"
"Are you crazy? You said you had liver surgery. Why would I want a woman who's no good to me?"
Even that didn't work. The loan shark chose Heejin.
"You, lady, come with me."
Heejin was led away, stumbling, by the loan shark's thick hand gripping her arm.
"You're done here, so go home. Your daughter will be back tomorrow, so don't worry too much."
"Mom!"
Heejin burst into tears and reached out to Mal-hee.
"No, no! Not my child! Not my child!"
Mal-hee flailed her arms. But their fingertips never touched.
"You said you'd do anything if you couldn't repay the money. You have to keep the promise you made in the first place."
The loan shark scolded her, dragging Heejin away roughly.
\
After work.
So-eun, who arrived home early, quickly finished packing.
She had carefully selected only the essentials, and the packed suitcase was placed in room 403. Just in case Tae-joon came home, she didn't want him to find the suitcase. The house Jaepil had borrowed served that purpose.
Actually, Jaepil's initial suggestion was for So-eun to have a big fight with Tae-joon and end things. But after talking to So-eun more, Jaepil quickly became frustrated. Han So-eun was someone who couldn't lie and say she didn't like something when she did.
Therefore, they had to choose the next best option. To date normally, without raising any suspicion, and then leave without a trace. To leave only good memories, causing a great sense of betrayal.
So-eun didn't think this was a good method either.
She wouldn't be suspected at all until she left, so it would be the best for her, but what about her grandson?
Was she not thinking about the shock her grandson would receive? Did she firmly believe that Kim Tae-joon was a strong person who could overcome everything, just like he did 20 years ago when he lost his parents at once?
'I guess that means he hates me that much. This is the fastest way for me to leave.'
She understood his feelings of dislike so well that she had no choice but to do as Jaepil said.
She had to do as she was told. If that was the way to comfort his heart.
She had once watched a TV documentary about a father who had lost his son. The man had tried to maintain a strong facade until his son passed away, but the moment his son was gone, everything collapsed. He cried as if his intestines were being torn apart. It had been over 10 years since she watched that documentary, but she still couldn't forget the father's heartbreaking appearance.
That must be what it's like to lose a child.
She understood. She could understand. So she didn't resist.
Once she accepted everything, she felt rather calm.
She had always thought there would be an end someday.
She just wished that day would come a little slower.
So-eun sighed in the well-organized studio apartment.
She had received her deposit and severance pay early through Jaepil. Jaepil had also made her passport and booked her plane ticket. Jaepil said he would take care of the resignation process and cleaning out the house, so there was no better resignation service than this.
Thanks to loving someone she shouldn't have loved, she was leaving with all sorts of benefits.
A chuckle escaped her lips when her phone vibrated. It was a message from Tae-joon saying he had arrived in front of her house.
'Goodbye, our house!'
So-eun shouted inwardly as she left the house with her weekend camouflage bag.
As she walked briskly down the stairs, she heard footsteps echoing from the floor below, at a similar pace to her own. Just from the sound of the footsteps, So-eun felt like she knew who it was. So-eun's nose tingled, and she stopped there.
Tae-joon came up the stairs, spotted So-eun, and smiled brightly.
The air of farewell pierced her lungs.
The fact that she had to abandon that beautiful person and leave finally hit her properly.
She had been so composed when saying goodbye to the house where she had spent three years, but when she faced him, whom she had only been dating for less than three months, she felt like she was about to burst into tears.
"I was waiting at home. I was going to come up."
Tae-joon came up to the step where So-eun's toes were and took the bag she was holding.
"Be careful coming down. Slowly."
She had once thought that a subtle classical melody seemed to flow from his feet, from every step he took.
Even in the moments when she hated this man who was only cold to her, there was a noble music flowing around him.
A gentle music still flowed from his steps. So when she stood next to him, she felt like she could waltz at any time.
The man who walked in step with her, and sometimes lifted her up.
When she met him, her pathetic sound seemed to produce a pretty decent harmony. It was a time when she could love herself because she liked him.
Tae-joon came down to the first floor, put the bag in the car, and opened the passenger door. So-eun suddenly felt like there were many things she hadn't done for him.
I wanted to open the door for him too.
But now, there was no use in regretting it. Like music that doesn't come back once time passes, it had flowed away like that.
She was still someone who had to live steadfastly in the present.
"Let's go."
Tae-joon said as he got into the driver's seat. So-eun calmly replied, "Okay."
Now is the time when our last music begins.
\
The two of them went grocery shopping at the mart next to Tae-joon's apartment. Today, they decided to cook at home.
The menu was mille-feuille nabe. Depending on their cooking experience, So-eun took on the role of main chef, and Tae-joon took on the role of kitchen assistant, but since it was a dish they were both trying for the first time, they bickered quite a bit.
"No, what are you doing stacking so much meat? The point is to stack the meat and vegetables in layers."
"Anything tastes good, so are you going to leave the meat we bought?"
"The meat won't even cook."
"Beef doesn't taste good if it's overcooked."
"Yes, sir. Please eat a lot of your bright red meat, Director Kim."
"You'll eat it all up when it's done, saying it's delicious."
Despite the bickering, the cooking progressed smoothly. Before they knew it, the mille-feuille layers were neatly arranged in the wide-bottomed pot. Red, white, and green meat and vegetables were stacked in layers, creating a wonderful flower shape.
Tae-joon, who had been looking at it proudly for a while, asked.
"Aren't you going to take a picture?"
"Huh? Why?"
"Everyone takes pictures when they make something like this."
At Tae-joon's encouragement, So-eun, with strength in the corners of her lips, picked up her phone. Click, click. Wondering which angle would look pretty, So-eun changed positions and pressed the shutter a few times.
In the meantime, click, a sound came from in front of her.
"Why, Director Kim? I took a picture."
"Han So-eun is taking a picture of the food. I'm going to take a picture of Han So-eun taking a picture of the food."
Diverse lights gathered in his eyes, which were focused on her face.
"Stop it and hurry up and cook it so we can eat."
So-eun deliberately ignored his lovely appearance and moved the pot to the induction stove.
As the recipe said, So-eun and Tae-joon poured broth into the pot and cooked the food. It took quite a while to cook because the contents were so full. When the time was right, Tae-joon moved the pot to the table and opened the lid. The two of them burst out laughing at the same time.
They had put so much effort into making the shape.
The neat and pretty shape was still there, but the color of the meat had changed, and a cloudy layer of meat fat had floated on top, so the initial impression had faded.
"It only matters if it tastes good."
Tae-joon scooped up some food and handed it to So-eun. So-eun also took care of Tae-joon's plate. The two of them put a spoonful of food in their mouths and burst out laughing again at the same time. Tae-joon immediately brought salt and added plenty of it to the pot.
With each other's encouragement not to leave any food, the two of them stubbornly emptied the pot.
After clearing the table, So-eun handed Tae-joon the gift she had prepared. It was something she had prepared because Tae-joon had been singing for a gift.
Yesterday, So-eun had visited the department store in the midst of her busy schedule. It wasn't like Tae-joon was demanding that she give him a gift right away, so she could have just ignored him and endured it for a day or so, but So-eun also wanted to give him a gift. She walked around the department store for a long time, repeatedly contemplating. It couldn't be too pretty or too good, so that it would remain in his memory for a long time, and she couldn't give him a gift that was too insincere.
A neat gift that was perfect for a breakup, but wouldn't make him notice the breakup.
What So-eun chose was a fountain pen. A mid-priced fountain pen would be meaningless to Tae-joon, who already had countless high-end fountain pens.
"Oh. This is great? Did you want me to write prettier with this?"
But Tae-joon looked at the gift for a long time with the same sparkling eyes he had when he was taking pictures of her.
That wouldn't do. He shouldn't like it too much.
Watching him like it like a child, So-eun felt anxious on the one hand, but also happy on the other. I shouldn't be happy. The feeling of being happy felt like a sin, and her heart kept tightening.
Tae-joon didn't just like it, he also wrote on the wrapping paper.
- Han So-eun is an idiot
It was just teasing, but it felt like each letter was filled with love.
I shouldn't have chosen this.
She had tried to hold back, but she couldn't watch any longer.
So-eun grabbed the shirt around Tae-joon's waist, who was focused on writing, and shook it.
"Can't we go into the room now?"
