As Sunwoo glanced at Eunjae’s wet hair, he noticed the moisture on his fingers. Apparently, he hadn’t even dried his hair, and it seemed he rushed over. The slippers he was wearing were the ones shared by the kitchen aunties when coming in and out. Eunjae’s gaze met Sunwoo’s when he raised his head slowly.
Although he had anticipated it, his eyes reddened as much as they could. No, it felt like his chest was being pounded mercilessly.
Looking at the swollen eyes, it wasn’t difficult to imagine Eunjae, who answered the phone and hurriedly came out, in a state of disarray.
Was I too late again?
I didn’t want her to cry alone. I always wanted to be by her side.
“It’s okay.”
“…”
In response to his quietly soothing voice, Eunjae’s large pupils, already red, quickly filled with tears.
The phone call about his mom being in critical condition made him anxious, restless, and scared throughout his journey to the hospital.
In that moment, the only person that came to his mind was you.
At the moment I saw him, I felt relieved, and I wanted to cry out in his arms. More than the resentment towards him, who proceeded with such a significant matter without consulting me, was the desire, in fact, to expect.
“Our mom… She was waiting for a lung transplant surgery.”
While waiting for him to come like that, words different from what my heart wanted popped out. Eunjae, with teary eyes between blinking eyelids, barely managed to stand up, swaying his body.
“What if you don’t tell me until it gets to this point?”
His calmly spoken voice trembled. Sunwoo’s hand, as always, moved toward Eunjae’s eyes.
“Just in case.”
Seeing Eunjae’s face up close, Sunwoo understood why Miran wanted to keep it a secret from Eunjae.
Sunwoo wiped away the tears clinging to the corners of Eunjae’s eyes with his thumb.
“Still, I should have known. I should have known!”
Eunjae pushed his hand away roughly. The gaze from Eunjae, who looked up at him, was intense.
“I’m her daughter, her only family. Am I supposed not to know something about her?”
“Why are you the only family? She’s my mother-in-law. Am I supposed to be relieved because of me?”
“Mom was in so much pain, and I didn’t know anything! I didn’t know anything and foolishly…”
I thought it was okay.
That she was getting better. That her complexion wasn’t good today.
“Tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow, I’ll see Mom’s smiling face. That’s what I thought so lightly.”
There were so many things I wanted to say, so many things I wanted to tell. But I couldn’t say any of them.
Eunjae, who relentlessly hit Sunwoo’s chest with a touch of resentment, finally burst into tears that he had been holding back.
Looking at Eunjae, who buried his face in his hands again and sobbed, Sunwoo sighed deeply once again.
Even after the chest with a sense of impact became calm, the lingering sadness continued to torment Sunwoo. It was stifling.
Maybe it’s because of you. Because you’re in pain, because you’re sad.
“What should I do now?”
If you’re like this, I’ll be in pain too, I’ll be sad too.
Sunwoo pulled down his tie and looked down at Eunjae. Just like before, Eunjae was burying his face in his hands, suppressing the sniffling sounds.
“I told you not to swallow it and just cry.”
“Sob… If my mom is gone, I can’t live. If my mom… is gone, what should I do…”
Eunjae sat down on the cold floor, still crying loudly. Sunwoo pulled Eunjae into his arms.
“Sob… It’s going to be okay.”
Eunjae’s face, endlessly shedding tears, seemed to have lost consciousness halfway. It seemed like he was half out of his mind.
“It’s scary. I might be left all alone without my mom.”
“Jaeun.”
“Sunwoo, I’m so scared… I’m so scared I might die…”
“Eunjae.”
Even at Sunwoo’s call, Eunjae only shook her head. Even after Sunwoo called her name several times, Eunjae continued to repeat the same words. It seemed like she couldn’t hear any words.
“Jieunjae, look at me.”
Sunwoo gently embraced Eunjae’s cheeks, which seemed to collapse at any moment, wiped away the constantly flowing tears, and looked straight into her eyes.
“Your husband is a doctor.”
“…”
“I will never leave you alone. I will make sure of that.”
Sunwoo pulled Eunjae into his arms in one breath.
“I promise, trust me.”
In response to his firm voice, Eunjae poured out the remaining tears in his arms without reservation.
The wait was a draining time.
Every time I saw Mom, lying on the bed with machines all over her body, my heart shook and trembled.
Tears that I thought were all dried up poured out again and again.
It felt like all the moisture had been drained from my body. Sitting down even felt exhausting. I became numb, then suddenly my consciousness returned.
If I collapse like this, who will protect our mom?
Barely lifting my body, I grabbed a water bottle. Trying to drink a sip of water was challenging, and my hand, trembling, gave up.
Looking at the bed where Mom lay, Eunjae left the hospital room.
Visiting hours.
Mom was still in a deep sleep. Slowly stroking Mom’s cold hand, Eunjae pulled Mom’s hand toward her cheek.
“Mom, do you remember? The day we got our first store after running a street stall.”
“…”
With no response from Miran’s hand, a tear rolled down Eunjae’s cheek.
“We were so happy back then…”
We hugged in the store instead of doing business. We cried in the store and still laughed. On the way home, we ordered sweet and sour pork from the Chinese restaurant for the first time.
I still can’t forget that day.
It was the day Mom liked the most, the day Mom was the healthiest, and the day we were the happiest.
“Do you remember that then?”
A very hot day. While I was sweating and stirring tteokbokki, a customer came out of the cafe across the street with a coffee full of ice. Mom took a ladle from me and said that I would be the daughter of the cafe owner because she earned a lot of money.
“Mom said she would treat me because she earned a lot of money.”
Then I wouldn’t have to stir tteokbokki on a hot day, right? I promised that I would earn a lot of money and give her the cafe.
The dream Mom had that day became my dream and my goal.
“I want to throw a tantrum while eating Mom’s cooked meal.”
Smiling, Eunjae lightly patted Miran’s hand over her cheek.
“I want to hear Mom’s nagging.”
With moist eyes, Eunjae looked at Miran, then closed her eyes.
“So, please hold on a little longer…”
For some reason, Miran’s nagging seemed to echo, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
