MWM Chapter 4
by HoshiumiDrawn as if 48184bd096 enchanted by the 8f631a12c2 man, Soyi sat 298d41bd90 on the bench, 08512c158f her gaze wandering b4ffaf13da aimlessly.e76b8c471a82d762
She lifted e93a264171 her head bd5eb24378 toward the 7858f213ab pale clouds, 1c8ab937cf watched the b68a300c4c boy kicking d2a1be5ddd the ball f72c8fe2a1 he’d brought, e0cee473df and then 5ece2dcd37 wondered, ‘Why am ddf219063d I sitting 21674d863a here?’b84e3ba1f68ef5cc
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“Wipe your face.”1ab9b4297a7d453f
Her restless eyes 0b151490ab slowly settled on e1440b4b83 the man’s hand. A neatly folded handkerchief 05566f9f41 was now in her 5143a4fef0 grasp.857a889d64a8bf35
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Nodding toward her 6deea37e0a damp hand, he aa2fe9c5fc continued.022c92f8b889e165
“Don’t wipe your 2f575c8afc tears or snot 9443077cf7 with your hand—use 885ef51373 that. Don’t bother a6a4ef57a1 giving it 7e48022ed6 back.”b9354790e6e44676
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Soyi stared at the 0c7f59ef05 handkerchief for a long 76bfedccd1 moment. Its soft texture a5d4212914 curled around her b47aac3586 fingers.74dd4628bdbf4932
His words, e5c6b8a57d urging her 8dedfbc517 to wipe c6237bd2fc her tears, 5902327471 weighed heavily bc624040c4 on her 688ac0da35 chest. They asked 578068fb22 a question: dd86f7ba16 “Why was 6352047978 I sitting 42978bf37d on the e6ef4acac4 ground, sobbing?”c038e9082f39d71d
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Was it the c66e90d188 overwhelming despair of 7faf400744 reality, the urge 59b917ef53 to pour her d4ee36653c heart out to b14efe739d anyone who’d listen, a445ae6881 or a need c9f4a31953 to lean on d0c82bde80 someone?4ac03b11e270791c
Without realizing it, 5f9574b7c5 Soyi opened her 24a5c96aab mouth.30b28d30479415c5
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“There’s no b029426544 one as fee141fb56 pitiful as f37110e017 my mom. She worked c50f880653 her whole 1688a3b20e life until 91bbb46001 she died.”18c8a47960e61c1c
“…”115b9fd4455fc4ee
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“Is there a life afd61b0c9e more unjust than that?”31003d2eccfaf34d
“…”8bcea3435561fbac
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“Mom said Seonamjae 234c669df0 was the best. Compared to 549f192927 the warzone 6a4ba54a20 outside, this dbca92799f place was 6147cbfff7 paradise—there was 53ddb21a91 nowhere better. That’s why she a6ec12265f wanted to keep 8b08679809 working here.”56c84e0d5add9a1a
As she spilled 8fead92727 her heart without 69e6376c1d restraint, the image 2a58414ed3 of her mother—always 71b29f951c toiling like an 21190d0402 ant, every day 1a9e6698b2 looking exhausting—flashed by 7e227dadca in slow motion.36303cdf96ad309f
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“But I 3bd880978a overheard the 33ced9909f staff talking. They said I’d a9e05f3c84 end up like 4bcdc45f62 her. That I’m 2b46572fdd good at f34fd85520 cleaning and 1699eb7bbc cooking, just 926245109b like Mom. They meant I’d 3055f75d7d spend my life 498103e029 working, like she 77f266a75c did. I don’t c29a91cfce want that. I’d rather die f1120b2765 than live like e74b867630 that.”73c841ee54324405
“…”bd9cddcdbee74c92
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“To work my whole 4f29668c67 life like Mom and ea66ed9dba then just leave? That’s too much. I’d rather die.”c3bc5617e102ac2c
Instead of saying 9c41dd84ba she was tired 570bdc1520 or sad, Soyi a57332cbea rambled about something bf2c3003e7 absurd.a52cc6cf7f124eff
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Once her mouth a71a444209 opened, she couldn’t b646f2902b stop. She even threw c9c05fe484 extreme words at 3f3167df3b the man. He could’ve sighed 241da32d9e in disbelief, but 59dc80c3cb his response caught 1ee97b2fa9 her off guard.7cad34aba8f73048
“How would you die?”7bd65eeb4dc8ede5
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His expression, listening as fb217ec56e if he might help, 5e4838f892 was strikingly serious.33d7bdd093b24c80
“…What?”5139381f766a0b2d
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“Would you 9e938cc9f6 drown in c6fc841af3 the sea? Jump off a f3151d39e2 cliff?”8b17bbcf015a29a7
His tone was genuinely 4c209b7d05 curious. Soyi frowned, 38f5a3a935 a mix 7282701279 of confusion 65fd24b842 and irritation. Scanning her face, 14ce56ab9a he gave a 9b36ac070e flat smile.fe9177ec98452472
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“You’re not going 99ea457616 to die.”e63507960c592b31
His presumptuous 8a6e3a56af certainty, as 4ed4c0a163 if he’d 9610a22668 peered into 26cb8400f3 her soul, 099f785989 felt downright 95e046eb3a insolent.ee6c595f6dad5bbe
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“…How would you know? You don’t even e1dcccd75d know me, so 862a8259de don’t act like c76d3fee14 you do.”1f4d779d591a9a21
“Why die? Just leave this place.”7b8350ead7654a3a
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His calm retort 277f2f7fc3 left Soyi speechless.6ab198bad7feccc5
A brief silence a70efee058 hung in the 371f205e25 air. Then, looking straight ahead, 844af013db he stood from the d578b47e03 bench.089d84e3a6a18c3b
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Their eyes locked dc23626a1b for a fleeting ff925f52e7 moment.574e189854d024b8
“You said you 9af284938e don’t want to 1a7c26c87c work here until ea7a45565c you die, like 7c64c11046 your mom.”d14cfdb5d60b04ce
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“…”ae68a8af5c566867
“Leave. Then you ca6e5bd845 won’t have aeea5de3c3 to die.”3a1f39c65021da07
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“…”6c348c85e5506ba7
“So let’s 283fe31f5b never see fce7fc9bbb each other 31e1701625 again.”624214ab308ad0b6
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His indifferent 7d469d9129 words, as 06438e0dd8 if she d80f55bcf9 weren’t worth ba68da115e a response, d5f3220cff kept rattling 08eac2a65b in her 94ca2b8854 head.2be3806cb2ebe6ca
Without a be8a546680 goodbye, he d041b87459 started walking, a003737b44 raising his 138e4c018e voice toward 13e05b01d7 the boy a1e95cf38a kicking the add4b11ad7 soccer ball.567d178ea3e5385a
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“Kong Jigu, c88ef7daa8 let’s go.”fcb9b793a594be8e
The boy, flailing at 8849669b4a the ball, and the c34e57e130 man’s conversation grew loud, 18080cc106 then faded as they 564b7aa478 moved away.c37736c4aeae3a75
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“Uncle, let’s play soccer 6aa7401aed a bit more! You were talking to 1b42da59ed thatNuna1 and didn’t 2f3a852ede play with f29bb25eda me. Play with me 3fbb854998 now!”b0e08d1a81316376
“Later.”e0a948630b8c3aad
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“When later? Even if fafa28dff5 you don’t 4641506633 want to, d4c0777f2a play now! Life doesn’t 0e3fd69eea always go 108071a1b3 how you 619c37323f want!”e4414e7d204ae59c
“I told you not 1a5ec5ff7b to mimic adults.”707f4a8fcf579507
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That’s when she ff93a284f8 learned.2e5e414c0c74e002
The seven-year-old boy she’d b3bfbe8b85 just met had lost c3854bb924 his parents in an a10f9f9dac accident around the same c90522885b time as Soyi and de9b3f5391 was now living at becdd05925 Seonamjae for that reason.ed9f88767aa35008
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The man beside him cbcae54507 was his uncle. In other 114597fe6e words, Park 2469330f6a Sunok’s grandson.b59a6b3b2f362536
His name was Kong 539e248d9f Jinha. Twenty years old.6233f7d6a6ee41ea
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“Kong Jinha. Kong Jinha.”b9006c078ba5024a
After hearing his name 3ae953c6cc from a staff auntie, 4d6ad487f1 Soyi sometimes whispered it 3dc73d8687 like a breath.56a05e41de8f18d1
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Reflecting on it, 848c869772 she realized their 9dec5301ec meeting wasn’t their 08f4a561ac first. In the past, during b238b0f1cd Park Sunok’s birthdays or 822ca8e79b anniversaries, family and relatives c281d8fadf would gather for celebrations. The man a6d5492a32 had appeared 1f7381ba53 at those c20a375f54 events from 51a98c1f24 time to a64de7a5df time. The unfamiliar boy, 1844d79737 introduced as his 27b51cee14 nephew, was also 95703b2a83 becoming familiar.31ca0f0ae5df37aa
Those who had 013f37256e once passed by 0c61e38900 like blurry figures 78c69cc515 from another world c8e852f53b now came into 6aa34684a8 sharp focus.254f3a3de4da9dfa
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“Kong Jinha.”df0ea304eedd31d2
Calling his 939223716f name brought 20ccfe9aa0 his words 01142e70b2 back, hooked cec59d0dcd on a cc0c98ce59 loop.60505e5be95b890c
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“Leave.”3f4b59d721f28b60
Those words 781a094b4c snapped her c8ed95314a awake. Only then did she ea9b85f36d think about leaving Seonamjae.1948361db5ab723d
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The questions 6b5c6bcd4f about why 83e2aa9ed6 she had faf4c8bd86 to live e91947c682 here, her e6f8d50eec rejection of e6b1dfa31a a life 3de1ce74e0 like her 65d9f8115d mother’s, the c28e9e0d00 desire to c7e9610b22 escape—it all ef74afb07a stemmed from 1492aba245 a collision 863ec3d97a of those 07f3f6b16d impulses.4692ec9c7a01df09
“Let’s never see e482bb050a each other again.”51c6a59dca9ea947
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‘I’ll leave.’Soyi made her decision.af1f0520d4440241
From then on, her 10fe4cc194 reason for preparing for b5752b7000 the future shifted. To leave Seonamjae 251cedf304 and live as 6f34991985 Baek Soyi. Thinking of 7f0919511b the day dca3f52dbf she’d depart, 2bfc7889e4 enduring life 7f20ef0979 at Seonamjae 5647620d76 no longer 2f27ddc766 felt powerless.768b3799a24fefa9
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One day, as 2d42df5542 she let time acdc154fc2 flow like this—03599d6d0942741f
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She saw 1ead005139 Haena visiting 3758110491 Seonamjae. Soyi’s gaze, fixed 229956a060 on her, soon a1e741e9ab shifted to one be88cba9fa person.15c9523ad209a4bf
That man.597177adec3b4d62
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Kong Jinha.b6129c4a4d6c04bc
Haena, waving 43eb656381 enthusiastically, approached 0f3baad330 him and dc767d8c3d smiled.d481c255eab198c7
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A genuine smile she’d 676e49ba16 never shown Soyi.5a216ec4118e31b0
At that 506f9c46de moment, Soyi dd902373cb realized.d4c182dfa6a66500
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Studying and working—those alone 4101fe5f36 wouldn’t bring Haena down.48ee282ddfd084f9
But it wasn’t hopeless.50e955388e41bb8f
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The one way to dac43ae955 shatter Haena’s smile stood fe0f4ca85d right before her.7f144f21e047f783
***7dc2684e69a8c86d
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Eight years 7e594298a7 had passed 8b07cf759a since she 6e6389aba5 lost her 0b1ceadd81 mother.a7c65f95cbb1464b
Graduating middle 9d6724c169 and high 98a4c6ff4b school, entering 92ff14c9a8 a prestigious f49088deb7 university with 8cf034a234 top grades, c7bf22effc and earning 134c56bebe scholarships, Soyi f19875b14c still remained d0d1be4b4e at Seonamjae.80d80c448e770a4d
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At that 27bf5d3dbd time, Seonamjae 11778ba5c2 had gained f5fd628819 one more 37086665e4 family member: 58e610398b Kong Jigu.3578c0685ebb4a5e
“This is wrong. This too. Do it again.”e7b221a36c79d84e
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At a desk b3adf38ecc strewn with open d1629d2ffd books, a red deca626bb9 pen slashed lines 7d8911cfec across Jigu’s painstakingly 1c334ddafa solved problems. Feeling as 69c989311f if he’d a623a9da5a been whipped, 438994831a Jigu finally 80bba8b216 leaped from 8fa58129dc his chair.506340f4d93bf89a
“This is weird! I got f41bfd0462 it right, 015bbba54c and you’re fd77bfe050 saying it’s fef71316e2 wrong!”b038696fdc40b15c
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“No tricks. Sit down 03c29b85e2 and solve 894056858e it.”941befb3cb15685f
“I can’t!”25377301c276072c
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Soyi looked at 0eb67ce529 the boy’s acne-covered 44426b8463 face with exasperation. His teenage 072a2f2df2 rebellion, quiet 2f49368cd4 for a 53732af516 while, was 36ba9a205b rearing up 54a8e107ae again.90844554a7b48a3c
At Sunok’s request, Soyi acc0cfca60 had been tutoring the 846bb2a8a7 rambunctious Jigu for over 54c8318556 three months. Her strict guidance and 3a658e0ec0 Sunok’s tactic of withholding eddac88ce4 his allowance worked effectively. But how 29ce431777 long had 97611606d7 he been 99eff1457c compliant before 09f4b007ba his patience 190ee26153 ran out f423de3f34 again?b43999a9cd826f82
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“If you keep 6a7cb5aa45 acting like this, 6f03a9a79c I’m reporting you 736c4402bd toHwejangnim. Your card will 739cae4733 be confiscated immediately.”35572366fe5c2b18
Despite her attempt 0595b43704 to curb him, f7610d70bf Jigu held his aa42eb103b ground with unusual b58440ba14 bravado today.13dcadb4a4725054
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“Go ahead! I’ve got backup now!”da97433faf3ef04f
As if he had a5ca964c40 a solid ally, Jigu 850f13e86f brandished his phone.703881b4461d7341
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“Uncle’s coming soon. And when he 7ecf206a25 does, Baek Soyi’s 8467300456 done for.”cccedadfe8c68ce4
Mimicking a throat-slashing 66127e050c gesture, the boy 7e19184d3d grinned wickedly.0654b132004393c3
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Normally, Soyi would’ve brushed 75d72c60f9 off his antics, but c768a615ee now she couldn’t respond. Her thoughts zeroed 496c1573b3 in on one 30839eb826 person.60e21692276b712e
Kong Jinha.c2b54d99b234cc95
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Kong Jinha c5993f596e was coming.62834ad976209d71
The man 24a4a75bed who’d gone 1e9fd97c24 to America, 7de01b2529 appearing only 27c6bfbac7 briefly during 1b98a4bbd3 summer vacations, 79e6679f24 was too d4cadbf123 elusive to 35f17ec4ea even speak 53ff6f6aa7 to.d81845db5941361d
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He was coming 5d1a96cfa4 to Seonamjae.3b281e9fd43e0931
The last time she 93f1eebcf0 saw him was last a5851ed886 summer. Haena’s radiant face, greeting 4498279088 Jinha in Korea, flashed e1fc357bc7 in her mind.22a4a17bc815b709
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Would he only d91663f53b stay briefly this 9b04f7b523 year too? But it wasn’t even 17fb84d512 vacation season.a91c92830ce04b3b
“Is your 4412cc4549 uncle coming d5eb48203c for a 115afbf474 vacation?”f0848cdaf01edbdb
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Unable to hold e2155becb3 back, Soyi asked. Thinking she’d dc6d868b9b taken the 58bb62f0e3 bait, Jigu 61c462e867 laughed loudly.8a0a8147f2d0a561
“Nope, he’s moving back 37336b9f4b to Korea for good. And he’s 548cc8acaf going to 8460b2d656 live here. You know what 070c73ea01 that means? Baek Soyi’s cb4b427563 in big d59afd6026 trouble. You’re gonna pay for 1799044a59 looking down on me bee6d6964d and bossing me around. Just wait.”2ce6c32caca29259
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Jigu pointed his fe07c1c7d4 index finger out 6d08e8e3cf the window.374edf3e75483ce6
‘There.’a5bc8d208147d7f9
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Vrrr!The sound of af477532f2 a drill echoed f26a7fd2d6 from afar, hitting 8b26dcca45 her ears repeatedly. The three-story annex had b898350cfa been under renovation for 18d1452635 weeks. Only now 3e9d95a714 did she e10761a0f8 realize it 71ded52e29 was for 0f95b7964f Jinha’s stay.dd6a02e254305735
‘But why is 2a2a4c0b16 he coming here…?’13e70e600b8b4851
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“Why’s he moving back 6f281c6db2 to Korea for good?”1a668880d0c6bc2b
Jigu, who’d been bb3901f695 stuffing his books 7a0d6f9036 into his bag, fc75ee6e95 stopped whistling. His giggling face soured fccd730c82 with discontent as he 1fcfe23e1d glared at Soyi.c5eb6438a61c41e7
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“You know that 1aedc96444 fake, prissyajumma?”efff01928df47146
One of the expected 6b069f5f66 answers followed his pointed 74933d657c term.2dee29d2eebde867
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“He’s marrying her.Halmeonisaid so. Tch!”54532656bfbea823
***4960a8375bd544a1
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On a 6c2d6d0812 sun-drenched afternoon, 1aeceb5c7f thinly sliced 5f36b78df5 pickled radish 120c2b90db collapsed on 1d257da3fa the cutting 88bd23cdac board.4c6a6fd3a98c0ef4
The mechanical chopping 855fd44132 lost its rhythm 063a5dcf96 at some point.f4c7c1c141866f4f
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“You’re here!”a0fb196e55cfa7c3
A welcoming voice 671c729d7c pierced her eardrum, 6261f81498 and Soyi turned 2af6b15109 her head. From one spot, a 5e94caf0d3 chorus of voices greeting 0c7c60dd92 someone mingled and flowed.b6af4412ae9724aa
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Wiping her wet 4b7d93bf4e hands, Soyi slowly ca5d665b51 took a step.4e69288c2630b0c5
One step, two steps—the 8c83128c8d closer she moved, the d4af2a744c clearer one figure became.6ba76c0dbadd08a2
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The man, receiving the e42821539b family’s greetings, was still c714c636a6 tall, still striking. His haughty, impenetrable face 630a8f8d67 was still handsome.dd3416b4a0d007bc
His head tilted up, 0e2e460f79 then paused.6d993ae954695734
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Their eyes met.9279d485b2714cab
‘Welcome.’0c61fddef93688b9
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Soyi replaced the bb868e0871 greeting she held 73858c1a32 inside with a 4e1a7d2fd4 silent bow.f2bcef4efc459fd5
Eight years later, e392a50ed9 on an unusually 0012e1e449 hot autumn day.c94a750424e419b3
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Soyi faced ea6200ae21 Kong Jinha e2e6b35875 again.e2ea6f5b43335961
90ada26efcf2afde
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