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Chapter 49 - Our Son
Chapter 49: Our Son
TL: Aniea
“It’s been a while…”
“Our new daughter-in-law is here!”
As if her own son was invisible. My mom didn’t even glance at me and swiftly brushed past, heading straight for Kim Eun-ha.
My mother immediately grabbed Kim Eun-ha’s hands tightly, shaking them up and down with intense enthusiasm.
‘…This is bad!’
Kim Eun-ha doesn’t like it when someone touches her without permission.
Who would, but she’s the kind of person who thinks the world revolves around her—someone at the pinnacle of narcissism.
No matter how much she is my mother, touching her like that without warning could lead to serious trouble. I was extremely startled and quickly tried to separate the two.
“Mother, have you been well?”
“Of course! Thanks to our new daughter-in-law, we’ve been living luxuriously! Look at these wrinkles, they’re practically gone. The cosmetics you gave me last time worked wonders…”
“I’m glad to hear that. They are good cosmetics, but I was worried they might not suit your skin. I’ll bring more next time, so you can use them generously.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
Hohoho—
Watching the two women exchange conversation naturally, I stood there blinking blankly.
Just before knocking, I was worrying about how to introduce Kim Eun-ha to my parents.
But now, what is this natural conversation unfolding right in front of me? Since when did they become acquainted?
“Come on in, daughter-in-law.”
“Father. How’s your health?”
“Thanks to our daughter-in-law, my mind feels at ease, and my body feels much lighter than before. I almost feel like I’m in my twenties again. Look at this. Oomph—!”
Like someone trying to show off his muscles, my father bent his arm in an ‘L’ shape, flexing, while my mother shook her head side to side as if embarrassed.
It was such a childlike sight that I couldn’t believe these were the people I had known for over 20 years.
“… … …”
Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, I couldn’t figure out what to say.
Naturally, my gaze turned to Kim Eun-ha, the root of all this, and she was also looking at me, so our eyes met.
Smirk—
Kim Eun-ha greeted me with her characteristic mischievous smile. She pretended not to know anything on purpose just to see me flustered.
‘Did I miss something on the schedule?’
We share our schedules regularly to coordinate our dates (showmanship).
We provide a brief overview in 30-minute increments, including filming, meetings, home time, and leisure time, though not in detailed content.
Kim Eun-ha has been using this method since she was very young. Initially, it was somewhat cumbersome, but as I got used to it, it greatly improved my time management.
Thanks to the detailed breakdown, my memory also improved significantly, so I could easily recall about a month’s worth of where we were and what we did.
‘…Was that [meeting] listed last week this?’
I quickly remembered the item marked with a highlighter and red stars above the title.
Considering Kim Eun-ha, who hardly ever makes such markings, I thought she was going to meet someone very important, like the Chairman or a VVIP customer of the department store.
‘…To think it was my parents.’
Although Kim Eun-ha and I share our schedules, it’s strictly a contractual relationship.
Therefore, unless the other party tells first, we do not ask about it—an unspoken agreement.
Moreover, with the department store-related work packed in her schedule, who could have guessed such a plan? Especially when it’s Kim Eun-ha.
“Oh, I must have forgotten to mention it before. Last week, I came separately to meet Woo-ju’s parents.”
“…Why didn’t you come with me?”
“You were obviously exhausted from filming for three days and nights straight. How could I wake you? Besides, there was no other time available, so it was really unavoidable.”
“… … …”
Unavoidable, my foot.
Still, after watching Kim Eun-ha’s face for quite a long time, I could now tell what expression she was making just by looking at the corners of her eyes.
That said, Kim Eun-ha wasn’t entirely lying either. She must have really squeezed in time to meet my parents.
“Hoho—It’s been a while since I’ve seen you so flustered, my son. When I saw the trailer on TV, I couldn’t believe it was really you.”
“…You saw that?”
“Of course. Why ask something so obvious?”
“Dear, let’s sit the kids down and talk. We can’t keep our precious kids standing outside like this.”
“Oh my, look at me losing my mind.”
My mother quickly ushered us inside.
The VVIP room was more like a top-class studio apartment than a hospital room. It even had a table and sofa for visitors.
As we followed my mother’s lead and took our seats across from her, my father slowly walked towards us from the bed.
“…”
My father, supported by my mother, limped over to us. Watching him, I realized that what Kim Eun-ha had told me wasn’t wrong.
‘The man who was once so vigorous…’
As a child, my father was like a towering mountain to me. He was the only pillar and roof of our family, wielding the authority befitting that role.
In those days, when proper child-rearing practices were not yet established, my father would punish me without negotiation whenever I did something wrong.
While this did instill in me a socially correct character, it also made me somewhat fearful of my father.
He was both a figure of fear and the person I respected the most.
“…”
But now he struggles to move on his own. Even the smile on his face seems half-frozen and awkward.
His once sturdy back and shoulders have shrunk from long hospital stays, and deep wrinkles line his face that couldn’t escape the passage of time.
“…”
Clench—
I unconsciously bit my lip at the sight of my father, who looked like he could be toppled over with a push.
Yes, I knew. I knew that if I came to the hospital, I would face this scene again.
When I gave him the car as a gift last time, I didn’t really look at father properly.
I didn’t want to see the aged and sickly figure of the father who always stood at the forefront, protecting our family. I wanted to deny it somehow.
I feared remembering such a vulnerable image as my last memory of him. Maybe I had been unconsciously delaying this moment as much as possible.
“…”
Tap-
At that moment, my father suddenly flicked the bridge of my nose with his finger. When I looked up, I saw his face right in front of me.
“Son, why do you look like that?”
“…Huh?”
“Consider yourself lucky to have me as your father. If some guy had a gloomy expression like yours and wanted to take my daughter, I wouldn’t let him, even if it killed me.”
Grin—
My father smiled brightly.
Even though half of his body was paralyzed and only trembled, and his lips couldn’t move properly, there was no falsehood in that smile.
Seeing him, I tried to smile back. Given how much I’d practiced this over half my life, I didn’t think it would be difficult.
But my lips wouldn’t move.
They just trembled.
Unlike usual, they wouldn’t listen to me.
“…?”
Umpf—
Meanwhile, my father, who had sat opposite, suddenly reached out his hand. He put his elbow on the table and leaned forward.
“Shall we arm wrestle, for old times’ sake?”
When I was young, I often arm-wrestled with my father. He would offer his calloused hand, saying he wanted to see how much his son had grown.
At first, he used one finger.
Then two fingers.
As I got older, the strength in my father’s hand gradually increased. The last time was probably just before I went to the military.
‘…It was quite a shock back then.’
Surprisingly, I had never once beaten my father in arm wrestling. His strength, developed through years of hard labor, was beyond imagination.
His grip, honed from turning screwdrivers, could crush walnuts barehanded.
The muscles thickened by hammering seemed impervious to even the prick of a needle.
However, the hand he extended now looked so frail. It seemed as if a little pressure might cause it to collapse.
“Ah, what are you doing.”
“…Tomorrow is your surgery. Don’t overexert yourself.”
“Oh ho, look at you, thinking you’ve grown up and now you’re looking down on your old man? No matter how weak I’ve become, I’m not going to lose to you yet.”
Wiggle wiggle-
My father beckoned with his fingers as if daring me to come at him. Hesitating, I felt a slight push on my arm from Kim Eun-ha.
Though she said nothing, the message she conveyed was clear.
“…I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a patient.”
“Just don’t cry when you lose.”
I cautiously grasped my father’s hand. His arm, now much thinner than I remembered, lay in mine.
For a moment, a surge of emotion threatened to overflow from my heart, but I converted it into a light smile.
“Honey, could you referee for us?”
“Oh geez, you’re not kids anymore…”
Despite her words, my mother’s eyes reddened as she placed her palm over our clasped fists.
Through the touch of their skin, I felt the warmth of both my parents. I tightened my grip to push it away.
“Alright, let’s start. Three, two, one!”
“…!!”
As soon as the countdown ended, my father put all his strength into his hand. It was as if he were giving it his all.
But it was too weak.
I could easily overpower him whenever I wanted.
However, what was in that hand was more than just physical strength. It held the weight of being the head of the family, the heaviest burden in the world.
Momentarily faltering, I quickly regained my composure and adjusted my posture. As I applied more force, my father’s hand slowly began to bend.
The years contained within that hand.
Slowly, they began to tilt.
Thud—
Eventually, my father’s knuckles touched the table. Out of breath, he had given it his all.
Just as everyone rose with worried expressions, my father waved his hand in the air, signaling he was fine.
After catching his breath, he slowly lifted his head again. A clear smile was etched on his face.
“You’ve really grown up now.”
“…”
Never in my life have I been so grateful to be an actor. If I had chosen a different path, what expression would I be making right now?
I responded to my father’s smile.
Just as I had practiced countless times in front of a mirror, I naturally lifted the corners of my mouth, forcing out my submerged voice.
“Shall I take you on with two fingers this time?”
“You brat…! Ugh—!”
“Dad!?”
“Honey!?”
“Mom, the button! Call the button!”
A commotion erupted as my father clutched his neck and fell. Thankfully, it turned out to be nothing serious, but we had to endure over 30 minutes of the doctor’s scolding.
As we were half-forced out of the room, my father’s spirited voice echoed behind us.
“Kang Woo-ju! Don’t worry about your old man! I won’t die before seeing my grandchild’s face. Focus on your work! Got it!?”
Heh—
I let out a chuckle at my father’s words, swallowing the bittersweet thought, ‘Then father, you will never die in his lifetime.’
*****
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