Tame – Chapter 3

About a year later, February 7, 1997. Seoul.

Evening arrived, dusk creeping across the horizon. After checking the rice jar, Heeul stared blankly at the twilight fading beyond the mountains.

Lowering her gaze, she saw children heading home from the alleyway entrance.

Since tomorrow was Lunar New Year’s Day, their relatives must have given them New Year’s money and sent them out to play. They were laughing even as they parted, seemingly overjoyed. Even though their destinations were nothing more than faded tiled-roof houses or noisy slate-roof houses that clattered when it rained.

Yes, at that age, playing without a care in the world is the best. Heeul, thinking like an old woman, stiffened at the presence she felt behind her.

“Hey.”

As expected, a curt call came from behind. Heeul crossed her arms and turned around. A middle-aged woman with permed hair glared at her.

“What are you staring at? Do you want to go back to being a snot-nosed kid?”

“…Hardly.”

Heeul retorted indifferently to her mother, who reeked of alcohol and sneered.

“Look at you talking back… Your father raised you wrong.”

Oh, here we go again.

“That girl doesn’t even ask if her mother has eaten dinner. Her eyes are full of nothing but defiance.”

“…….”

“Does she think I gave birth to her because I wanted to…?”

Heeul suppressed a sigh and went inside.

Her mother, who practically lived with a rag in her mouth (meaning she constantly complained), strongly disliked Heeul. It was probably due to the stark contrast between their reputations.

The two of them lived at the top of a slum, in a tile-roofed house the color of spoiled raw meat. Her mother was known as a gambler, while Heeul, despite being her daughter, was a model student who tenaciously studied and got into a prestigious university.

The neighborhood residents, both envious and impressed that such a talent had emerged from this squalid alley, showered Heeul with praise in front of her mother, saying how lucky she was to have raised such a wonderful daughter.

Her mother couldn’t stand the disparity. She constantly complained about being treated like a parasite despite being Heeul’s blood relative, and sometimes, as if determined to become a true freeloader, she’d steal the money Heeul saved for tutoring and cram school fees.

Her behavior was vastly different from most parents, who would be embarrassed yet pleased by the praise their successful children received.

“I raised that little brat even though I wanted to abandon her…”

If that constituted raising a child, then Heeul would consider the stray cat that had settled in the empty house next door her parent. If her mother was a source of annoyance she wanted to avoid, the mother cat offered her a sense of peace.

“I need to leave this house soon, yes, that’s what I need to do…”

Heeul glanced at her mother rummaging through the drawers and went into her bare room, closing her eyes. She wished the holidays would end quickly so she could return to school, where she could study in peace.

☘️⊹₊

The next day.

Lunar New Year’s Day arrived. It was still early morning, and the air that touched her lips was cold. The children’s laughter was absent.

Heeul bundled up further. Even inside, the temperature had dropped noticeably. The faint sunlight filtering through the window felt like a waterfall. She closed her eyes, opening them only when the sunlight started to sting her skin, and slowly got out of bed.

After making her bed, Heeul cautiously put her ear against the weathered wooden door.

…Is she asleep?

Heeul carefully tore open a section of cloth she had sewn inside her bag. Like a secret compartment in a movie, the narrow opening revealed a vocabulary book she had made herself.

Her mother disapproved of her studying for the bar exam and was eager to tear up her study materials.

In fact, during holidays, when the university dormitory practically kicked students out, urging them to go home, her mother would frantically search Heeul’s bag upon her return, ranting, “What’s this? Are you seeing a boy? Did your father give you money? The child support isn’t enough!”

Was it her nasty nature that couldn’t stand to see Heeul putting in effort? It was a terrible hysteria that had developed after her parents’ divorce.

Heeul quietly recited vocabulary words.

She sensed something was amiss when she noticed the unusual state of the house.

Normally, around this time, her mother would barge into her room. But no matter how much she strained her senses and waited, her mother’s angry shouts didn’t come.

Heeul slowly rose.

Opening the door, she found no trace of her mother’s permed hair. Only strands of her curly hair lay scattered on the floor.

Confused, her eyes darted around.

It hadn’t been long since their belongings had been auctioned off due to gambling debts. There was no place to hide in their sparsely furnished house. Hoping to find some trace of her having eaten, Heeul checked the rice cooker and the cutlery drawer, but the cooker was clean, and the cutlery was exactly as she had left it after washing it yesterday.

Why isn’t she here?

“Mom?”

Heeul called out cautiously.

“Mom!”

She called louder, but there was still no answer.

This time, she went to the entrance. Her mother’s worn-out, cheap sneakers were gone.

Now it was certain.

Her mother had disappeared.

Did she run away because of her gambling debts? Heeul pressed her hand to her forehead and sighed. Quickly putting on some winter clothes, she slipped on her own sneakers.

The dented metal mailbox was probably filled with overdue notices. Documents with ominous titles like “Notice of Debt Collection,” “Notice of Debt Receipt,” and “Final Warning,” all printed against a bright red background. She needed to see them to understand where her mother had borrowed money from this time.

Just as she was about to open the door,

“Is Ms. Shim Hyemi here?”

The door rattled violently.

“I’m sorry, but playing dumb won’t work, Ms. Shim Hyemi.”

“…….”

“I’ll have to pick the lock and enter. Please understand.”

Shim Hyemi. Her mother’s name.

As Heeul stood dumbfounded by the sudden voice, the sound of a drill erupted from beyond the front door. Startled, she knocked on the door to indicate that someone was inside. The grinding noise of the drill boring through the lock stopped, and the presence outside faded.

Heeul slowly opened the door.

“…Who are you?”

A man wearing glasses filled her vision. With a stern demeanor, he placed the drill on a nearby brick and removed his red work gloves. He glanced around the desolate interior, then asked Heeul curtly,

“Are you at Ms. Shim Hyemi’s residence?”

“…No.”

“What is your relationship to her?”

“I’m her daughter.”

“…….”

The silent man adjusted his glasses.

“That’s strange. Ms. Shim Hyemi should be here…”

Heeul, momentarily intimidated by the man’s aura, straightened her back. Her anxious gaze scanned him.

Is he a company employee? No, although he was wearing a suit, he wasn’t just any office worker. This man exuded a more dangerous air.

If her mother was the most hot-tempered person in the world, and her father a hypocritical scoundrel, this man felt like he wouldn’t flinch even if stabbed…

Just as Heeul, sensing danger, turned towards the large living room window,

Click.

The window opened. From the outside.

Before she could react, a new figure stepped into the house, bathed in the dim dawn light.

The first thing she saw as the blurry window opened was a black suit. The backlight obscured their face, but the overall silhouette looked familiar.

Confused by the sense of familiarity, Heeul’s eyes darted around.

“Myunghyun.”

Heeul’s shoulders stiffened.

A low, feather-light voice. Even the tone was familiar.

“You should greet the person inside when you enter a house. You’ve been taught better than that.”

“…Greetings, Ms. Lee Heeul.”

The young man called Myunghyun finally bowed his head towards her. The crisp yet heavy sound of his dress shoes continued.

“Sorry. Did we surprise you, Heeul?”

A hand clad in a leather glove suddenly appeared beside her head. Her cold shoulder was rubbed by a large hand.

“He’s my secretary. I’ll make sure he’s properly trained when we get back to the office.”

“…….”

Heeul slowly raised her eyes.

An ink-black shirt, a long tie, a bobbing Adam’s apple, and…

Her wavering gaze finally landed on the man’s face, the only white part of his body.

“…Oppa?”

Kwonil was looking down at her.

To be caught in this shabby house by him of all people… Shame washed over her at the stark reality of her situation.

She hadn’t heard from him since she’d broken up with him, so she assumed he was doing well somewhere, employed. She’d never imagined she’d reunite with her ex in this rundown house.

“…Why are you here?”

Heeul asked, her voice trembling as she looked around the house. Kwonil patted her shoulder.

“Well, didn’t Shim Hyemi explain anything? We’re here looking for your mother.”

“…So, why-.”

“She ran away without paying back the money she owed us.”

Heeul’s face hardened at his blunt explanation. Kwonil continued kindly.

“She was working for us, but she ran away from that too. We tried to be understanding of her situation, but as you can see, we got played.”

“…How much does she owe?”

“40 million.”

Heeul clenched her jaw at the exorbitant amount.

They say there’s no hope for gamblers, and true to form, her mother couldn’t resist squandering 40 million won on gambling. If her mother had run off with that kind of money, it made sense that Kwonil, with his personal secretary, had come all the way here.

I need to get out of this crazy house. Having made up her mind, Heeul nodded.

“I’m sorry to meet you again under these circumstances, but I apologize. My… relative seems to have caused a great deal of trouble for your company.”

“Yes.”

“Should I give you a list of places where she might have run off to?”

“Huh?”

Kwonil voiced his confusion at her calm demeanor. Heeul turned to him.

“What’s wrong?”

“No…”

Kwonil’s chest expanded slightly. He let out a long breath and chuckled.

“You weren’t this naive before. I wonder why you’re saying such foolish things.”

Momentarily flushed by the unexpected insult, Heeul frowned. A warning bell rang in her head.

Wait a minute, don’t tell me…

“You want me to pay it back instead…”

“…….”

“…Right?”

He lowered his thick eyebrows, looking truly regretful. With a gentle expression tinged with amusement, Kwonil rubbed his cheek.

“You’re not completely clueless, are you?”