PHUW 144

“If you’ve come, come in. What are you standing there for.”

Chairwoman of Hyeonsan, Noh Seongjae.

Though she had been chosen as successor for being the former Chairwoman’s daughter, she had faced constant opposition inside the male-dominated, patriarchal construction group. Even so, she firmly secured her position and raised Hyeonsan into a global conglomerate. A heroic figure. She was also famous for always wearing hanbok, a trendsetter of hanbok in Korea.

As the rumors said, she was dressed in hanbok. Like her daughter, without a single accessory, she radiated refinement from head to toe.

“Chairwoman.”

Jeong Mok bowed his head in greeting.

“Hello! My name is Ahn Haeri! It’s an honor to meet you for the first time!”

Haeri bent his body more than ninety degrees like a folding phone.

“You greet vigorously. Did Vice Chairman Jeong tell you to?”

“No! I practiced by myself!”

“Is that so? Then lift your head.”

“Yes!”

No elder disliked polite manners. Haeri naturally thought the Chairwoman would look kindly upon him. But the face he met when he raised his head was not like that at all.

There was not a trace of a smile. She wasn’t frowning or displeased either. She only looked at Haeri blankly. Like a tiger with a mouse’s paw pressed under its chin, too small to eat, debating whether to let it go or kill it anyway because instinct wouldn’t allow otherwise.

Waaah!

A baby’s cry echoed from somewhere. Both the Chairwoman and the Professor turned to Choi Jieon.

“Alright. I’ll go up. See you later, Haeri.”

“Yes.”

Choi Jieon went upstairs.

“Dinner isn’t ready yet. Let’s have some tea first.”

“That would be good.”

Haeri and Jeong Mok followed behind the Chairwoman toward the living room. The Professor, like a chief eunuch following a king, stayed close enough not to hinder her path, then opened a folding wooden door that blocked the way.

When the hanbok-clad Chairwoman entered the room steeped in traditional style, it felt as if they had stepped back a hundred years. On the wall hung scrolls mixing paintings and calligraphy. On a wooden table that looked freshly taken from a scholar’s study were scrolls, old books, and moonlike white porcelain.

The eight-person sofa set was not the usual leather but wooden chairs and tables like those used in a royal court. Instead of spring cushions, soft silk pads were laid out.

The Chairwoman sat in the seat where a Prime Minister would sit in a historical drama.

Behind her, the entire wall was made of traditional wooden windows with faint chrysanthemum patterns, butterfly-shaped hinges here and there. If opened, they would probably show the yard.

“Sit.”

At her permission, Jeong Mok sat in the closest seat, and Haeri was made to sit beside him. Opposite Jeong Mok was the Professor’s place, but he was a little late, supervising the staff who brought the tea.

The tea set was no ordinary one. Pure white porcelain without a blemish, decorated with clouds, birds, and deer. As the Professor poured clear tea, she asked,

“It’s hydrangea tea. Shall I serve it first?”

“I’ll pass. Give it to the guest first.”

Haeri had assumed the Chairwoman would be served first, so he was surprised. Seeing him hesitate, the Professor smiled.

“The Chairwoman doesn’t like hydrangea tea. But it should suit your taste, Haeri.”

“Thank you.”

After that, the Chairwoman and Jeong Mok were served the same tea. The Professor as well. Haeri wondered why his was different.

“Drink.”

At the Chairwoman’s signal, the others raised their cups, so Haeri followed and drank. At first it tasted like nothing. Bland, he thought. But as it went down his throat, it felt sweet.

“Huh?”

“How is it?”

“Did you add syrup?”

“Hahaha.”

The Professor laughed. Jeong Mok explained.

“That’s the flavor of the tea itself.”

“Ah. That’s amazing. What about you, hyung?”

“Chrysanthemum tea. It’s a tea for its fragrance. It’s the Chairwoman’s favorite, so we often drink it at the main house.”

Jeong Mok naturally showed his cup. The Professor asked,

“Would you like a chrysanthemum tea as well?”

“No, I was just curious. This one is really good. Thank you.”

The conversation ended there. The atmosphere was already heavy. With the silence, it felt suffocating. Even the sweetness of the hydrangea tea didn’t help.

‘Does this cushion have thorns?’

He wanted to fidget, but it didn’t seem allowed. With eyes down, he only moved his feet, then finally poked the man next to him. Say something.

Jeong Mok had sharp perception. The problem was, he only used it when he wanted, dragging Haeri along. Like now.

“What, do you need the bathroom?”

Unbelievable. Haeri forced his glaring eyes into round ones and poked him again, meaning, “No, please fix the mood.”

“Right now? Do you want me to go with you?”

“The bathroom’s over there.”

“The bathroom’s over there.”

The Professor added in. Haeri wanted to scream. Since it had come to this, he thought maybe he should drag Jeong Mok to the bathroom and twist his arm in silence.

“With so little sense, tsk.”

An unexpected savior appeared. Clicking her tongue, the Chairwoman looked at Haeri. No, not a savior but a villain making an early entrance.

“Soon we should arrange a small meal with your mother. No matter what, handling family matters one-sidedly without an elder is improper.”

“What?”

Where had this mother suddenly come from? But even Jeong Mok and the Professor looked like they didn’t know what she meant.

“Mother?”

At the Professor’s question, the Chairwoman delayed by sipping her tea instead of answering. Haeri only rolled his eyes around. Jeong Mok seemed to realize something.

“Don’t tell me, you found her?”

“Of course.”

At the Chairwoman’s reply, Jeong Mok frowned.

“Ah. You can’t do that without the person’s consent.”

“That’s right. At the very least, the person in question, Haeri, should be asked first. Whether he even has memories of his mother, whether he would want to find her, these things should be discussed before barging ahead.”

‘The person in question is me?’

Haeri still didn’t understand. So he poked Jeong Mok in the side again.

“What’s she talking about?”

“Well…”

“No need to whisper.”

The Chairwoman cut Jeong Mok off just as he tried to be discreet.

“Haeri isn’t the only person involved. Strictly speaking, she’s my in-law, so I’m involved too. As her in-law, it’s natural for me to know where she is and what she’s doing.”

Mother, person in question, in-law, mother-in-law… did that mean?

“Ugh!”

Unconsciously, Haeri jumped to his feet. The heavy wooden chair clattered backward.

“M-my mother… mother?”

He forgot all about manners and even stammered.

“Yes.”

“Ah…”

Suddenly the world blurred. At first he thought it was because his blood pressure had spiked from shock. But no. His tear ducts reacted before his veins.

“Haeri.”

Jeong Mok stood and pulled him into an embrace.

Haeri had never even considered searching for her. He had deliberately avoided it. It was better to treat her as dead. That way he wasn’t a child who had been abandoned.

He had no memories of his mother. He didn’t even know her face.

Grandma hated photographs. She rarely took them, and she didn’t care for pictures of her only daughter and grandson either. So no photos remained. He hadn’t even received the graduation albums everyone else had, because they hadn’t paid by the ceremony. Only his elementary school album had remained, but it was lost when he was practically forced into the orphanage. More precisely, it was discarded.

And now his mother had been found. He had no idea where to begin or how to handle it. Should he be happy? Or angry? Should he agree to meet? But he didn’t want to. She abandoned him, and now she showed up? But she was still his mother. Wouldn’t it be alright to see her face just once? Maybe she was living well. Did she know Grandma had died?

“You went too far this time.”

“Wasn’t it something he would have to know eventually? In fact, it’s already late. You’ve kept him for half a year without even thinking to find his living mother. I was frustrated, so I did it myself.”

“This matter depends on Haeri’s will. Whether he has memories of her, whether he even wants to find her. These things should take time, but instead you suddenly found her and now want to set a dinner? How could you.”

The Professor said what Haeri wanted to.

“Today we’ll leave first.”

“Fine. Do that.”

Jeong Mok declared it, and the Professor permitted it. In truth, both of them were similar to the Chairwoman, they did as they pleased. He understood they meant well because he was in shock, but it was still one-sided.

“Wait, just a moment.”

Haeri pushed away the man holding him.

“Excuse me, Chairwoman.”

“What is it?”

“I’m thankful you found my mom, but honestly, it’s ridiculous. Who are you to find her?”

“What?”

His lid had flipped, and his mouth ran on its own. But at this moment, he was grateful for his runaway tongue.

“Isn’t this something where my opinion matters most? Does being a chaebol chairwoman make you above everything? And what is with calling her your in-law. Seriously. Who gave you the right to say that?”

Even at such rude words, the Chairwoman didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow.

“I did it because I could. And it’s not only your mother I found.”

“What?”

“Your grandfather is alive in America.”

…What?