AOA 136

“Ah, I should start by organizing my bag.”

I turned around while stretching. The large suitcase spread out beside the bed was packed full.

Mostly clothes and shoes I’d brought from Korea. I didn’t know how long I’d stay here, but since I’d need to be here for at least a week, I had to sort through my luggage first.

Crouching in front of the suitcase, I pulled out some clothes. Since they were summer clothes, they didn’t take up much space in the closet.

“Huh…?”

While putting socks and underwear into the drawer, a single knotted sock caught my eye. I remembered what was inside the sock tied at the opening.

After a moment’s hesitation, I pulled the problematic item out of the sock.

It was a wedding ring.

Seeing the wedding ring shimmering brilliantly in the morning sunlight made me sigh.

“I can’t just throw it away.”

Although we hadn’t divorced yet, I hadn’t brought a single item from the house he shared with Baek Mugyeong. I’d bought everything new, afraid something might happen if I stopped by the house. The expensive wedding gift was a bit of a waste, but since I hadn’t bought it with my own money anyway, I let go of the attachment.

Instead, the wallet, cell phone, wristwatch, and ring I’d been carrying when I collapsed were at the hospital. According to Aunt Soyeon, Baek Mugyeong had set them aside separately.

Honestly, I couldn’t even begin to guess what the man was thinking, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. I was too busy sorting things out to prevent my biological father from finding fault.

I organized bank accounts, took a leave of absence from school, canceled the life insurance policy my biological father had forced me into, changed my credit cards, seal, and phone number, and handled administrative tasks like changing my registered address.

Then, finally, while packing my belongings, the wedding ring caught my eye. Wondering what to do with it, I stuffed it into a sock and tied it tightly so I wouldn’t lose it.

After coming to America, I’d completely forgotten about it, but seeing it again felt strange.

Even before getting married, I’d desperately wanted a divorce. I hadn’t divorced yet, but I’d come far away to escape my biological father. Divorce was just a matter of time.

Even though I’d achieved half of what I wanted, I didn’t feel relieved.

It was all because of Baek Mugyeong.

“Haa…”

I sighed again. I tried my best not to think about Baek Mugyeong. But no matter how hard I tried, whenever something triggered it, I found myself thinking only of him.

The wedding ring was a powerful trigger.

The man visited me in the hospital almost every day, providing Alpha pheromones. They said he didn’t even skip weekends.

Yet, until now, there had been no reaction whatsoeve.

I did keep it a secret from Baek Mugyeong that I had regained consciousness and where I was going after discharge. To his family, I’d only relayed through Baek Jinseok’s secretary’s assistant that I was going to the US, where my maternal grandmother lived, for recuperation.

It seemed Baek Jinseok hadn’t informed Baek Mugyeong of anything. But as Choi Jaeha said, if he were a man, he’d find out where I was and then some. The same went for my changed phone number.

Yet, if there was only one reason Baek Mugyeong hadn’t contacted me, it was this.

“Does he really not want to see me…”

Providing Alpha’s pheromones might have just been out of pity. Maybe he felt responsible because I collapsed while with Baek Mugyeong.

I tried my hardest not to get his hopes up. But I couldn’t stop the heaviness in my chest. My longing for Baek Mugyeong grew uncontrollably.

I wanted to contact Baek Mugyeong first. If I sent a message, he would read it. But that felt too desperate. If he read it and didn’t respond, it would be infuriating.

“Ugh.”

I let out another sigh and rubbed my face roughly with the hand not holding the ring. I needed to let go of my lingering feelings, but it wasn’t easy.

Suddenly, I remembered the handkerchief Baek Mugyeong had given me. Leaving behind that handkerchief bothered me more than any expensive wedding gift.

“Oh, come on. Let’s move.”

To stop these distracting thoughts, I needed to move. I put the wedding ring back into the sock, tied it up, and tucked it into a drawer. After organizing the remaining clothes and shoes, I washed up, changed clothes, and went downstairs to the living room.

My younger brother, who had been lying on the sofa looking at hisphone, jumped up and came over.

“Hyung? You’re awake? Is it okay to move now?”

“Yeah. I’m fine now. Where’s Auntie?”

“She went out with Auntie Soyeon. She said her charger broke.”

My aunts, only a year apart in age, had grown very close while taking care of me. They got along like sisters, clicking perfectly. Especially when they cursed my biological father, they looked like they’d known each other for over ten years.

“Oh? What about you? Why didn’t you go with them?”

“Because you’re here alone. And if the aunts go out together, they’ll get closer.”

He was a cute, loving, and kind little brother. Even though he’d fled Korea, he never once complained.

I had enough money to support both my aunt and my brother. But my brother was of school age. Our stay in the US was capped at 90 days. We had to decide where he would attend school during that time.

The best option was for him to finish his studies in Korea, but there was no telling how my biological father would react. A place as far away from him as possible was safest.

“So, should we go out too? Not right now, but after lunch, let’s go to the beach. I heard there’s a famous beach nearby.“

”Really?“

”Yeah. Want to go swimming? Got a swimsuit?“

”No. I don’t. It’s okay. Just looking around is fine.”

When I suggested going out, my brother’s face lit up. He must have been bored, stuck here since arriving in America without going anywhere.

“Hey, hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Listen, I want to go to school in America. Aunt Soyeon said she’d look into schools for me, so I think it’ll work out.”

Last time, we’d made a huge scene apologizing to each other for our mistakes, then agreed not to say sorry anymore. But I felt guilty that because of me, he’d lost the chance to go to school with his friends in Korea.

My younger brother said he ran into our biological father at the hospital once. He was furious, saying he felt madness in the way he hurled insults even while I lay unconscious. After that, he seriously accepted the fact that we had to leave Korea.

I was proud of my mature younger brother, grateful, and also felt sorry for him. But instead of saying I was sorry, I just patted his back.

“Right. Jaeha’s coming to America in ten days. We’re going to Disneyland and Universal Studios. I haven’t bought tickets yet, but we need to ask the adults too. You’re coming, right?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’ll go.”

At the mention of going to America’s most famous theme parks, my brother’s face lit up instantly. His happiness rubbed off on me, and I smiled along with him.

*

When I first arrived here, I was half-conscious, so while I remember greeting my grandmother, her face was a hazy blur. That’s why the very first thing I did after regaining my senses was to go see her.

The grandmother I formally greeted after three days possessed a formidable appearance. Her eyes, etched with the passage of time, were piercing like those of a predator. Her voluminously puffed hair, green dress, and necklace and ring set with large jewels further accentuated her presence.

Sitting in the elegant living room filled with flowers, my grandmother exuded an aura like a queen. I stood stiff as a board, tense as a dog before a tiger.

I’d heard about my grandfather, the loan shark king, but never about my grandmother. It was obvious at a glance she was no ordinary woman. I understood where Aunt Soyeon got her bold, forceful nature.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes. Thanks to you.”

“I was against you staying here. Even if we share blood, we’ve been apart for so long with no contact. Living together would be awkward, wouldn’t it? And the annex is cramped. It’s not that I dislike you. As you can see, I’m not the warmest person, and you have to be especially careful with family. But seeing you like this, I can’t send you out. Rest well here and focus on recovering. I’ve already informed the guests. Once you’re better, you can decide whether to leave or not. I own several houses; if you need to, you can move to one of them anytime.“

”Thank you.”

Grandma’s tone was as intense as her appearance. But since she said it wasn’t because she disliked me, but out of consideration, a simple thank you sufficed.

“I heard you don’t have any special allergies. They say you eat well without being picky. Still, don’t you have anything you especially like?”

“I like all kinds of meat, and I like shrimp. Grilled shrimp.”

“Shrimp, good. Alright, let’s have shrimp for dinner. And meat too.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s eat what you like,” said my grandmother, whose strong features now softened into a smile that creased the corners of her eyes. Her smile, too, was generous.

The initial stiffness in the air dissolved, and things felt a little softer. I cautiously asked my grandmother if my brother and I could borrow a car and a driver to go see the sea. We could have called a taxi, but I wanted to play it safe this time.

Grandma readily agreed to lend them. She even handed me cash, saying there were many shops near the beach that didn’t take cards, and told me to buy something delicious for my brother.

“You don’t have to give it,” I protested. “When an adult gives something, you accept it.” After a few rounds of this back-and-forth, I finally took the cash. Amidst this, the maid appeared and whispered something to Grandma.

Her voice was soft and quick, so I couldn’t make it out clearly. It seemed a guest had arrived. An unwelcome one, apparently. Grandma’s face twisted into a frightening grimace.

I waited, slightly nervous, for her to speak.