The Season I Loved You Without You - Chapter 45

CHAPTER 45

Go-yeo visited her hometown during the lunar new year. Although she had a distant relative, who was significantly older than Sang-moon, he had settled in the United States long ago and had no regular contact. He had no children and was married to his wife.

So, it was as if Go-yeo had no relatives. While it didn’t seem to be on her mother’s side, there was no interaction with those relatives. Fortunately, Tae-chun comes to visit every holiday. Today, Tae-chun’s wife joined them, making five at the table.

Go-yeo briefly glanced at her aunt sitting across from her. She had an elegant demeanor that didn’t seem to fit with worldly affairs. She looked fragile, as though she had suffered much in life. Go-yeo sensed there was more to her story, though she didn’t know what.

Their eyes met, and even the faint wrinkles around her eyes seemed to complement her atmosphere perfectly. Go-yeo was aware that her smile could be likened to those shown to boutique customers. The holiday dishes on the table filled her stomach just with their aroma.

Go-yeo picked at a fish dish she couldn’t identify, listening to Sang-moon and Tae-chun discuss business. What were they thinking?

‘Eun Ji-ho’s mother was a whore. Imagine Eun Ji-ho being a whore too.’

When this memory came to mind, Go-yeo’s mouth moved involuntarily.

‘It’s like there’s negative blood mixed in. I’m already the granddaughter of a gangster, and in the end, that blood doesn’t go away.’

In the 21st-century advanced civilized society, discussing bloodlines in this way was laughable, but thinking of it as an issue of innate genes made it simple. She had inhuman and unethical genes that put money above morals or law.

Go-yeo lost her appetite amidst these complicated thoughts. Her mother must have put in a lot of effort for today, but she couldn’t eat anymore. Yet she didn’t put down her utensils or get up.

The conversation took a strange turn after the meal. Somehow, Sang-moon brought up Go-yeo’s remarriage. Bringing up last time’s opera talk indicated Sang-moon’s character had a planned agenda. Coincidentally, these ambiguous words didn’t sit well with Sang-moon.

“Last time, you separated from Tae-shin without even eating. If you don’t like Tae-shin, why don’t you have a meal with someone else?”

“Um… sure.”

Go-yeo glanced at her hesitant mother. She didn’t want this conversation. Go-yeo would remember her resolve to handle it herself. Suddenly, she understood why her father was pushing ahead so forcefully, remaining quiet for a while, wondering about the reason for this.

‘Oh. Is it because of Moon Ji-hyuk’s engagement?’

Go-yeo frowned, about to say something, but Tae-chun intervened.

“Meet some new people.”

“Hey, enough of this. I’ll handle it myself.”

“You, boasting like that, you’ll regret wasting your youth.”

Go-yeo sighed softly in response to Tae-chun’s assertiveness that the youth was already behind her, taking a sip of green tea.

“No, what my brother means is not to get married right away but to meet new people.” 

Tae-chun conveyed as Sang-moon’s assistant.

“Okay, I understand.”

It was enough to respond positively rather than arguing that one could live well alone for a lifetime.

For a moment, just a moment, she wondered how Yoon Ga-eul would spend the holiday, but that was all.

* * *

Go-yeo looked at her phone messages.

[Go-yeo, I’m coming to Korea soon. Let’s meet then. I have something to give you.]

[Is this going to continue?[

[I don’t care what you did with someone else.]

[Please respond.]

[Han Go-yeo, think carefully. I can’t live without you. How can we break up?]

A faithful, discarded child. Go-yeo sighed. To be honest, she hadn’t loved these aspects of him. The stubborn attachment was sometimes sweet, but now she felt immense anxiety due to his uncontrollable self.

Facing this side of him was like looking at Yun Seung-ok, both dreadful and pitiful. A tangled mass of ambiguous familial emotions pounded her chest.

Whenever she faced the lacking Moon Ji-hyuk from childhood, she felt sorry for him to the point of pain. Despite knowing it was inevitable, she embraced everything about him with childish behavior. Perhaps, when living with Yun Seung-ok, there was a motherly emotion of resolution in enduring him.

That’s why she couldn’t end it in time. She had supported Moon Ji-hyuk, who had no roots, barely balancing on the brink. This was the essence of a tilted relationship.

The only way for the two of them to live well was to part ways. Moon Ji-hyuk could live fully with someone Yun Seung-ok liked, and she could live relatively well, forgetting Moon Ji-hyuk.

She deleted all the messages. She knew this was an imperfect solution, but she didn’t want to provoke him with unnecessary words.

She looked at other messages from Sumi and made a call. Normally, Sumi didn’t work during holidays, but she had said she wouldn’t be working for a week after that.

“What’s going on?”

-It’s nothing serious.

“Yeah. What do you mean by ‘nothing serious’? I need to know what’s wrong with someone who’s been working, even if they’ve been told to take time off.”

-I was playing with my grandchild, and accidentally twisted my arm and leg.

“How do you get hurt playing?”

-When you get older, there’s nowhere safe. It’s not too bad. It’ll get better if I rest. So, please bear with me for a few days. Got it?

“A week like this? So where are you now?”

-I’m currently hospitalized. I’ll be discharged in a few days and rest.

Go-yeo sighed softly as she looked at her phone, turned off. She questioned whether it made sense to worry about her injured body and take care of it until the end, fearing that she might become uncomfortable.

‘Give the side dishes in the refrigerator to Ga-eul before they go bad.’

Sumi, who couldn’t stand the sight of wasting food, probably considered it one of the important things. The refrigerator was filled with holiday food brought from the hometown and side dishes made by the aunt.

Knowing that Aunt would detest fruit baskets that looked good on the outside, Go-yeo brought bone-strengthening supplements. When she arrived at the hospital room her Aunt directed her towards, family members crowded the small space. She realized her mistake as soon as she opened the door. Among them, her Aunt’s eldest daughter, Ji-eun, greeted her warmly. She had seen her a few times when she was younger.

“Oh! Go-yeo, come in quickly.”

“Sister.”

She insisted on giving her a seat even though there wasn’t one. Aunt Sumi’s husband, Ji-eun’s children, and the youngest daughter were all present. The second son and Ji-eun’s husband had gone home to take care of things. The large family crowded into the small hospital room unnecessarily. Go-yeo found it slightly odd, but this family atmosphere was unusual, so she went along with it. However, she couldn’t erase the warmth she felt.

Go-yeo smiled faintly as she sipped the orange juice Ji-eun handed her. The room became slightly less chaotic once Aunt’s husband and the children left. The youngest daughter, Jin-young, was a pleasant surprise. She greeted her politely before returning to her phone. During their exchange, Jin-young’s gentle face stood out, especially when she mentioned that she would soon graduate from the security studies department.

After handing Sumi her supplements and following Ji-eun out, Go-yeo offered her an envelope. Although Ji-eun tried to refuse it, Aunt Sumi was practically family, so this was her way of expressing both gratitude and apology.

“Don’t feel burdened. Use this for the hospital bill. Okay?”

In the end, Ji-eun accepted the envelope gratefully.

“And tell Aunt not to worry about me and to take a long rest.”

Go-yeo stopped as she started to walk down to the lobby. The hospital lobby during the holiday was quiet, with few people sitting in chairs, and the lights were dim.

She had packed all those side dishes to hand them over to Ga-eul, but suddenly she hesitated to contact him. The distance she suddenly felt was the problem.

Even if his mother were there, it wouldn’t be easy to enjoy holiday food at the hospital. On the other hand, he eats everything faithfully, and there’s nothing better than food to get into the holiday mood.

Thinking like this was a bit unfamiliar. When had she ever thought of others like this? Standing still and contemplating seemed absurd. If she left the food at home and told him to take it when he came, that would be fine.

“Boss?”

At first, she thought she had misheard. But that familiar calm voice was unmistakable. When she turned her head, there was the person she had been thinking about all along. Go-yeo was so surprised that her eyes widened. Although he was always present when needed, it was truly surprising to see him at this hospital. However, his voice didn’t convey that surprise.

“What are you doing here?”

He responded with a sincere smile.

“My mother’s hospital is here.”

Go-yeo realized that this was the C University Hospital that was mentioned by Ga-eul last time. After finding out where his mother’s room was, she asked a lawyer to settle things financially. Because she usually handled everything with just one phone call, she didn’t pay much attention to the hospital itself.

“Why is the boss here?”

“Aunt got hurt and was admitted to this hospital.”

“Oh? What happened? Is she badly injured?”

“She needs to rest for a while.”

Ga-eul’s sincere expression of concern for Sumi was not unfamiliar. That was typical of Yoon Ga-eul. Still, Go-yeo added that there was no need to worry too much. Since she had met her here, there was nothing more to worry about.

“Shall we take a short drive?”

Go-yeo faced Ga-eul’s noticeably bright expression. He was like a puppy wagging its tail, simply following his master because he liked her.

She pointed to two bags in the front seat. At Go-yeo’s direction, Ga-eul first picked up the bags in both hands.

“They’re holiday food from home and side dishes made by Aunt. Go and eat with your family.”

“Oh… thank you.”

“You haven’t had a chance to prepare yet?”

“No.”

“Good. Let’s go now.”

The bags that had occupied the seat were now comfortably in his hands. Ga-eul seemed to want to say something more.

“Brother!”

Some people in the parking lot even glanced at the figure standing at the hospital entrance when they heard the fairly loud voice. Go-yeo also looked in that direction.

The voice’s owner quickly approached where Go-yeo and Ga-eul were. Go-yeo realized that she was Ga-eul’s younger sister. She alternated his gaze between Ga-eul and his sister.

‘She seems like his younger sister.…’

According to Ga-eul’s words, they weren’t even related, but they looked alike. Their kind eyes and fair faces especially emphasized this resemblance. However, the sister had a brighter and more cheerful energy. Seeing her smiling face now made her feel strangely happy.

‘Indeed, it’s her from back then.’

Eun-jae had noticed the woman next to Ga-eul from afar, but upon closer inspection, she was certain it was someone she had seen before. The person she had encountered in the restroom during the opera day—a person with an atmosphere that was not easily approachable. Rather than saying she was pretty, she was fittingly described as beautiful.

“Brother. Is she the boss?”

“Ah. Yes.”

Realizing she was his superior from that time, Eun-jae was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude.

“Hello! I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Brother Ga-eul’s sister.”

Ga-eul felt a bit embarrassed as Eun-jae approached without reservation because she didn’t like to be treated so casually by someone she didn’t know.

“Nice to meet you.”

Contrary to Ga-eul’s concerns, Go-yeo was fond of this child who could smile so innocently and brightly. He found even Go-yeo’s hesitant words and polite tone charming. Suddenly, he felt embarrassed to the point where his face flushed at the thought of not having washed up since yesterday.

‘I must look like a mess. I should have at least washed my face.’

“Ah, yes. Um…”

Go-yeo looked quietly at Eun-jae, unsure of what to say.

“Well, I wanted to thank you for taking us to the opera last time and for helping with my mom’s hospital bills.”

“You’re welcome.”

Encouraged by Go-yeo’s reassuring response, Eun-jae gained courage.

“Would you happen to have some time?”