Chapter 3: Talking with Family

Shin-ae Choi and Mihye Kwon had been friends since university.  

They became inseparable after living in the same boarding house during their freshman year, so close that some mistook them for sisters.  

Poor thing…  

One day, Shin-ae learned about Mihye’s family situation in the worst way possible.  

She didn’t want to know, but she couldn’t help it.  

The man called “Grandpa” tried to drag Mihye home by her hair at the university entrance, all because she refused to marry the fiancé he’d arranged.  

The incident was resolved by calling the police, but after that day, Mihye became self-conscious of others’ gazes at school.  

She smiled and said she was fine, but she didn’t look fine at all.  

What kind of family… would cause such a scene just because she didn’t marry the man they chose?  

It was a huge shock to Shin-ae.  

From that day on, she grew even closer to Mihye.  

She made extra efforts to ensure Mihye wouldn’t be hurt.  

Perhaps because of Shin-ae’s care, Mihye started opening up about her inner thoughts.  

She has a younger brother…  

Mihye worked incredibly hard.  

While attending university, she took part-time jobs, and Shin-ae initially thought it was to cover tuition.  

But when she learned Mihye was saving to buy a house to live with her younger brother, it was a shock.  

“I’m… pregnant.”  

“What?”  

Just before graduation, Mihye dropped a bombshell.  

She had a boyfriend, and she was carrying his child.  

“Get rid of it, quick! What are you doing?!”  

“How could I? I’m going to raise it.”  

“You have to live your own life! What about your brother? You said you’d get a job! You said you’d live with him using the money you saved!”  

Shin-ae felt so sorry for Mihye.  

She was about to chase her dreams, and now she was suddenly pregnant.  

But even when Shin-ae urged her to abort, Mihye just shook her head.  

“I’m going to raise it.”  

“What about your dreams? Your career? Your brother! What are you going to do?!”  

“You’re giving up just like that? Because of a baby?”  

“It’s not just a baby. It’s my baby.”  

“Please… please, Mihye, don’t do this… you foolish girl, please…”  

Having watched Mihye closer than anyone, Shin-ae’s heartache was inevitable.  

No matter how much she tried to persuade her, Mihye wouldn’t budge.  

Shin-ae’s heart grew heavier.  

…What about your brother? You said you’d live with him.  

“Do you even have money for a wedding? Your boyfriend doesn’t even have a family!”  

Ironically, Mihye’s boyfriend was also without family.  

Raised in an orphanage, he had no relatives or savings.  

“I’ll figure it out.”  

Would it be easier to just cut ties with Mihye?  

No, that wasn’t possible.  

In the end, Shin-ae decided to help her.  

“Did your family… approve of the marriage?”  

“No, I didn’t even tell them.”  

“Then what about the wedding?”  

“We’re not doing one. We decided not to.”  

They planned a simple ceremony, just placing a bowl of water and a spoon.  

Knowing her family would object, they chose to live their own lives.  

“Thank you… Shin-ae.”  

“You idiot, just raise that kid well.”  

An ordinary dual-income couple.  

But Mihye went on to have two more children.  

There were many hardships that nearly broke their family, but they supported each other, barely shielding their kids from the storms of the world.  

But they say misfortune comes in waves.  

“She’s… dead?”  

News came that Mihye’s husband, who worked loading and unloading delivery trucks, had died.  

The cause was the company’s poor working conditions.  

But the matter never made it to the public.  

“They settled…?”  

“…”  

Mihye had reached a settlement with the company.  

“They said they’d give more money if I settled… so I did.”  

Though she lost her beloved husband, Mihye had to think rationally.  

To feed her three daughters who depended on her, she had no choice but to make a rational decision.  

It was sad, but that was… reality.  

“I’m going to raise my girls better than anyone, without them lacking anything. I’ll raise them to be happy.”  

The day her husband died, Shin-ae’s heart broke seeing Mihye quietly sobbing at the funeral.  

What should she do with this foolish woman?  

What could she do with this silly woman?  

How could she make this woman happy?  

…Alright. Let’s try together.  

That was all she could say.  

Working together.  

Striving to protect each other’s families from the endless misfortunes.  

That was all she wanted… just that, but the heavens didn’t agree.  

“Yes…?”  

“-Are you Shin-ae Choi? You need to come to the hospital quickly. Mihye Kwon was hit by a drunk driver and has passed away.”  

At the news of her dearest friend’s death, her daughters flashed through Shin-ae’s mind.  

Children who hadn’t even graduated school.  

Her trembling hands clutched the phone.  

She couldn’t break down here.  

She couldn’t cry.  

If she cried now, her friend’s children would collapse.  

At the very least, she had to find a solution before she broke down herself.  

That was the only thought in Shin-ae’s mind.  

And so, she headed to the hospital where her friend was.  

***

Upon arriving at the hospital, Shin-ae took Mihye to the funeral parlor.  

Then she hurriedly began searching for Mihye’s acquaintances and checking her assets.  

It was to find a way for her friend’s daughters to survive.  

This is…  

While sorting through Mihye’s belongings, Shin-ae found an old photo album.  

It looked worn, but inside, it wasn’t filled with photos—instead, it contained various newspaper clippings, printed A4 pages, and articles written in English.  

All the information pointed to one person.  

“…Adele Louis?”  

Stories about a young male writer who appeared to be Asian.  

Looking at the man in the photos, Shin-ae felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.  

As if he resembled someone, a memory flashed through her mind.  

Mihye hadn’t mentioned him after having her daughters, but back in university, she talked about her younger brother all the time.  

Could it be…?

She read the articles.  

Each one had striking headlines and awards.  

Many of his works had been adapted into films, some of which Shin-ae had seen.  

Then she saw his real name.  

“Yongsu… Kwon.”  

A quintessentially Korean name, sharing the same surname as her friend.  

So that’s it… this is her brother.  

Would he come?  

Mihye had told her a lot about her brother, but never about his whereabouts afterward.  

With a nervous expression, Shin-ae called the publishing house.  

-Ring… ring…  

Please, let him come.  

She desperately prayed that the family Mihye wanted to protect would be safeguarded by her other family.  

Shin-ae prayed and prayed again.  

“…Hello.”  

Yongsu Kwon looked at the woman in front of him.  

She seemed to be in her 40s, a sturdy woman, likely with a family of her own.  

“I’m Shin-ae Choi. You’ve been abroad for so long… your Korean is surprisingly good.”  

“It’s been a while, so it feels a bit awkward.”  

Shin-ae Choi.  

His sister’s friend.  

He had no memory of her from high school, so she was probably someone Mihye met in university or later.  

“Who’s this mister?”  

Yongsu glanced at the little girl beside him.  

Maybe four years old?  

Unlike the other kids hiding behind Shin-ae, she was friendly, tugging at his sleeve.  

“Probably… your uncle? Something like that.”  

“Uncle? What’s that?”  

“Your mom’s brother.”  

“Oh! So he’s family with Jiyu?”  

“Probably… yeah.”  

“Yay! Jiyu likes Uncle!”  

The girl, who introduced herself as Jiyu Kang, jumped into his arms.  

Startled, Yongsu froze, and one of the kids hiding behind Shin-ae stood up abruptly.  

“Jiyu! Come back here!”  

“Why? Uncle’s nice!”  

“Listen to your sister!”  

“Ugh…”  

At her sister’s words, Jiyu slipped out of Yongsu’s arms and toddled back to her sister’s side.  

The children’s faces were filled with grief, but also fear and wariness.  

To them, a stranger showing up after their mother’s death wasn’t someone they could trust.  

“I’m sorry… for being late.”  

Yongsu bowed to the children.  

If he had kept in touch with his sister, he wouldn’t have arrived so late.  

If he had been even a little later, the children and Shin-ae would have had to hold the funeral alone.  

“ ”  

“ ”  

The children didn’t respond to his apology.  

They only slightly lowered their guard.  

To them, he was still a stranger.  

“Raise your head. You’re making the kids uncomfortable.”  

“ ”  

At Shin-ae’s words, Yongsu lifted his head.  

Her face was stern, tinged with tension.  

“I’m sorry to say this right after you arrived, but… I have a request.”  

“A request…?”  

“Yes. I think I need to say it now.”  

With a face full of tension and anxiety, Shin-ae spoke.  

Looking at the uneasy faces of the children, she steeled herself and continued.  

“I don’t know the details of your relationship with Mihye.”  

She only knew that Yongsu was the family Mihye wanted to protect, the brother she loved.  

That was all she knew.  

She didn’t know how deep their bond was.  

“But… I know how much Mihye loved her brother.”  

Shin-ae still remembered.  

Mihye always wrote letters to her brother.  

Since their grandfather might answer the phone, she wrote a letter every day and sent it.  

“If you still remember that love…”  

Shin-ae hesitated.  

Did she have the right to say this?  

Not knowing the relationship between Mihye and Yongsu, was it right for her to speak?  

But she had no choice but to say it.  

“The family Mihye wanted to protect…”  

Shin-ae spoke politely yet cautiously.  

Both had left their families, and they’d been apart so long they could be called strangers.  

Even if Yongsu refused, no one could blame him.  

But if he refused, there would be no family left to protect the children.  

“Protect… no, take responsibility for them.”  

She just wanted to believe in the love Mihye had given.  

That’s why she spoke more firmly.  

Not just to protect, but to take responsibility.  

“Please.”  

Hearing Shin-ae’s words, Yongsu couldn’t say anything.