Chapter 61 – Episode 61
The next morning, I secretly took my smartphone from my uncle’s truck before he went out again.
Then I turned on the map app on my smartphone and checked last night’s trajectory.
‘I guess it’s here.’
Depart from this ranch and move to a place far away.
And a few hours later, we moved back to this ranch.
The map app on the smartphone was showing the place where the man stopped by last night.
“Junseok, did you find out where it is?”
Gahye came up behind me as I was looking at my smartphone.
“Yeah. I think it’s about this… Do you have any guesses?”
“Hmm… I don’t know.”
The place marked on the map is a rural corner.
It is a place where it is difficult to find anything.
Fortunately, I looked up the route on the navigation and there was a bus going nearby.
“Shall we leave?”
“… Yes.”
Ga-hye seemed to be uneasy about something, but she strengthened her resolve and answered my question.
***
The road to the countryside was the same one I had only heard about.
Buses barely arrive every 1–2 hours.
The only people on the bus were one or two grandmothers.
The bus driver moves forward slowly while chatting with the customers.
A quiet bus stop with no one around.
And the crazy sound of cicadas, the summer sunlight, and the haze that welcomes us.
“… It’s hot.”
“Yes.”
On the way to here, Gahye continued like this.
No matter what I said to lighten the mood even a little, Gahye just answered ‘yes’.
You probably don’t have time to answer what I’m saying.
However, if you just leave it alone, you can clearly see the child becoming more and more anxious.
I was restlessly rubbing my hands and looking around for no reason.
When asked why I was so anxious, the only answer I got was ‘I don’t know either.’
“Let’s walk in the shade.”
“Yes.”
So I had no choice but to say this and that, even though I knew for sure that the answer would be ‘yes’.
“I think I’ll have to walk for about 20 minutes.”
“Yes.”
“Good thing I brought water. There doesn’t seem to be a supermarket on the way.”
“Yes.”
“Now that you think about it, you didn’t eat well this morning, right? Are you okay?”
“Yes.”
“… Can I touch your breasts now?”
“Yes.”
I just said that and of course I didn’t touch it.
“Then is it okay to insert it raw during sex?”
“Yes.”
“Can I not have sex for a month?”
“Yes… No, why are you asking such a question, from earlier.”
They’re finally starting to pay attention.
“You finally looked at this side?”
“Junseok asks a strange question.”
“Yes. Because I want to get attention.”
“What…”
The reason why we make pointless jokes in serious situations.
The reason why you get better at other things during the exam period.
That’s nothing.
It is a human defense mechanism to avoid being crushed by excessive pressure.
The current Gahye couldn’t do it herself, so I just did it for her.
“Ahaha, I’m sorry. I just wanted to ease the tension a little.”
“… Is it noticeable like that?”
“Yes. Hugely.”
Gahye doesn’t even say yes to what I say anymore.
“It’s okay. So don’t think too much about this and that. It’ll just clutter your head.”
“But… I’m anxious. I feel like there’s something big going on.”
“Nothing will happen.”
“Yeah…”
I continued walking while talking to Gahye about various things.
There were only two of us on the road, and no matter how much we talked, no one seemed to be interested in us.
After walking like that for 20 minutes, we soon arrived in front of a house.
It was an ordinary country house.
A moderately worn plate, an old car in the corner of the yard, and a lot of miscellaneous things piled up…
“Who are you?”
For some reason, a woman appeared out of it.
It seemed like we came out when we heard the sound of footsteps coming in.
“Excuse me, we…”
I was about to say something I had prepared in advance, but stopped.
It was because the woman’s appearance was so familiar.
“Uh…”
Is he over 40?
At first glance, he looks young enough to make you think he’s in his 30s, but the atmosphere and subtle features made me confident that he was over 40.
But that wasn’t the important thing.
It’s definitely the first time I’ve seen it.
But this look is all too familiar.
Big breasts and a subtle cat-like face…
I have seen this face before.
Recently, in a very deep relationship.
I turned my gaze to the side without saying a word.
That’s right.
The woman in front of me closely resembles Gahye.
As if they were mother and daughter.
“Ah…”
When Gahye was at a loss for words, she just opened her mouth.
It was the same for the other party.
The woman turned her gaze from me to the side and stopped the same way when she saw Gahye.
“… No.”
“Yes?”
“No, what if you come here? What will he say if I do this, no, no… I’m not… Ready yet…”
The woman looked confused and looked away from Gahye.
Then, like an ostrich hiding in its fur, she walked to the corner of the house.
“…”
When I glanced at Gahye, she was still frozen.
It seemed like he didn’t know what to do.
“Ma’am, I came here to talk to you for a moment…”
“No, get out.”
The woman responded immediately to what I said.
“It’s not time for that kid to come here yet.”
“Madam…”
“If this woman is caught, she will definitely… Go out. I’m sorry, but please take me back.”
The woman had her back turned and was waving her hands.
“It’s not time for her child to come to me yet. No one would have allowed it! So…”
“Ma’am, this child is an adult.”
At my words, the lady turned her head and looked at me.
It was an expression that asked what he was talking about.
“No matter what Gahye does, it is Gahye’s freedom and Gahye’s responsibility. Gahye came to you because she wanted to, and Gahye will take responsibility for what happens when she meets you.”
The woman couldn’t answer anything to what I said.
“So you don’t need anyone’s permission. And…”
I placed my hand on Gahye’s shoulder, who was frozen in a daze.
“I don’t know what you’re worried about, but don’t worry too much.”
These words were spoken not only to that woman but also to Gahye.
Ga-hye seemed to understand that, and she finally started to move at my words.
He turned his head towards me.
“Nothing will happen. Who dares say anything about her mother and daughter meeting?”
With those last words, I closed my mouth.
And then I looked at the two women.
At my words, Gahye turned her gaze and looked at her woman.
The woman also turned her gaze to my words and looked at Gahye.
Two women looking at each other for a long time.
A short period of time passed, as the wind blew about three times.
***
We entered the house and sat down quietly.
The woman took out her can of green tea from the refrigerator and handed it to us.
Chiik.
The sound of opening a can echoes, and the quiet room is filled with only the sound of me drinking green tea.
Gulp.
I feel bad after drinking it.
I was just thirsty, so I opened a can and drank it myself.
“…”
“…”
The two women remained quiet.
If you leave me like this, I won’t do anything all day.
“Hey, my name is Lee Jun-seok.”
I started introducing myself.
When you don’t know what to say, the best thing to do is to introduce yourself.
“May I ask your name?”
“… I’m Kim Soo-ae.”
Gahye flinched at those words.
It looks like the name was confirmed.
“Yes, Kim Soo-ae. Well… Actually, we came here because we wanted to know what happened.”
“What can you say…”
“Why is Ga-hye’s father coming and going, what is Song Se-hyun’s relationship with Ga-hye’s father, and why…”
As I was about to ask the last question, I looked at the two of them.
I was worried about whether I could bring this word out.
Fortunately, Kim Soo-ae opened her mouth in the middle of my words.
“… I guess I should explain everything from the beginning. I thought this day would come someday, but I never thought it would be today…”
Kim Soo-ae takes a deep sigh.
She opened her can of green tea, took a sip, and began to talk slowly.
***
More than 20 years ago.
Kim Soo-ae and Ga-hye’s father, so Lim Seok-pil, were a couple.
Lim Seok-pil, who worked at the ranch at the time, seemed to be a fairly successful man.
It is said that he worked hard enough to become chief at a young age, and was a healthy and handsome man.
I would say it’s a bit like the ideal male image of the 80s and 90s.
Anyway, Kim Soo-ae was dating that kind of man.
At the same time, they went to the stage of thinking about getting married.
“But that was my mistake.”
Kim Soo-ae calmly continued her words.
“One day, I heard a strange rumor from a colleague who worked with him at the ranch. He was seen dating another woman…”
“Was it the wind?”
“It would have been fortunate if it had been that much.”
After that, Kim Soo-ae asked Lim Seok-pil.
He asked if he was cheating on me, if he was dating another girl.
Lim Seok-pil initially denied that fact.
However, when Kim Soo-ae persistently asked, she quickly admitted and said she would not do it again.
“I believed that. I shouldn’t have done that.”
Kim Soo-ae forgave Lim Seok-pil.
But even if he forgives, the anxiety still remains.
She started living with Lim Seok-pil to make him her own person.
It took some time to get married right away, and if that were the case, it wouldn’t have been a gamble to create a common-law marriage!
Kim Soo-ae thought so.
“At first there seemed to be no problem. But…”
“But?”
“Soon, he started acting suspicious. He said he came home late from work at the ranch, and he often stayed out, saying he had something to do…”
Ah, this is so suspicious.
It’s blatantly suspicious.
“When working outside, there will be times when unavoidable circumstances arise. I just thought of it that way and passed it on.”
A few months later, one day, a woman came to Kim Soo-ae.
The woman’s name is Song Se-hyeon.
It is said that she introduced herself to Kim Soo-ae as ‘Im Seok-pil’s wife.’
“Wife…?”
She’s your wife, not your girlfriend?
“Yes. Like a fool, I didn’t even know that.”
Her head can’t keep up with the sudden development.
“Then she was already married before she even married Kim Soo-ae…”
“It’s a simple story. I was stuck on both sides for a long time.”
After hearing Song Se-hyun’s story, Kim Soo-ae was able to know the truth about her.
Lim Seok-pil was living with two women.
He was even married to Song Se-hyun.
Kim Soo-ae listened to Song Se-hyun’s story to find out the full story.
“Around the time he was dating me, he was also dating Song Se-hyeon. I heard that Song Se-hyeon, the daughter of the ranch owner, approached him.”
A young and handsome chief who does a good job at the ranch.
There wasn’t just one woman who was interested in that kind of man.
“It looks like he couldn’t refuse Song Se-hyeon’s advances. Of course. She is the daughter of the owner of the ranch where he works, so how could he refuse? Besides… It was his dream to become a ranch owner.”< Br>
“Are you the ranch owner?”
“The former ranch owner, Song Seok-ho, or Song Se-hyun’s father, was looking for someone to take over the ranch. Due to his illness, he did not have much time left to live, so he was looking for someone to continue to develop his ranch.”
“That was Mr. Im Seok-pil.”
“Yes. Moreover, her daughter Song Se-hyun was also interested in him, so he was the perfect son-in-law to Song Seok-ho.”
After saying that, Kim Soo-ae sighed.
“Foolish person, then you should have given up on me…”
Why didn’t you give up?
She was about to ask that question but stopped.
Mr. Lim Seok-pil liked the person in front of her, Mr. Kim Soo-ae.
I don’t know if she loved Song Se-hyun, but it is certain that she at least loved Kim Soo-ae.
The heart of a man who is greedy for two women.
Asking why I didn’t give up is meaningless because I know it so well now.
… That’s not even a question I would ask.
“Anyway, he fell into the situation of dating me and Song Se-hyun, and ended up making the worst move.”
“What is that?”
Kim Soo-ae sighs at my question.
Then she paused for a moment, then opened her mouth again.
