Chapter 27
Yeong-sook picked up her phone again and looked at the messages from Mrs. Kang, just to make sure she hadn’t misread them.
Did you get settled in well? I’m at Songhwa Palace now too. Come over here. Let’s have a cup of tea.
Oh my, Mrs. Kang, you’re here too? Where should we go?
Just come to the Mae Lounge. Tell the staff at the entrance that I invited you, and they’ll let you in.
Yes, yes! I’ll be there soon.
Apart from the areas shared by all members, the Mae, Ran, Guk, and Juk Centers could only be accessed with a member’s phone or biometric verification.
The last time Yeong-sook came, she had tried to peek into the Mae Center, but nothing could be seen clearly from the outside.
“Hyemi, I specially asked Mrs. Kang to let us in together. Behave yourself and don’t embarrass us.”
“Mother, don’t worry. I’ll be very well-behaved.”
The Mae members’ lounge they were guided into was on a completely different level from their own lobby.
The interior seemed made from high-end materials, blending traditional Korean hanok styles with European luxury furniture. It was truly a space worthy of a ladies’ salon.
“Welcome.”
Mrs. Kang, seated on a Chesterfield, greeted Yeong-sook and Hyemi as they sat down.
Several women were sitting around her. Since this was the Mae Center, all of them looked refined and elegant at first glance.
These must all be influential people. All the top connections must be gathered here.
Rumor had it that high-level information on real estate, art, and stocks was exchanged here.
Yeong-sook and Hyemi walked straight to Mrs. Kang and bowed deeply.
“Mrs. Kang! Thank you so much. Thanks to you, I became a member of Songhwa Palace and get to see places like this today.”
“Well done. I invited you for a cup of tea. But who is this…”
“Oh, this is my daughter-in-law.”
“I’m Oh Hyemi. I’ve always respected you, and it’s an honor to meet you!”
“Oh, the second daughter-in-law?”
The mother-in-law called her mentor, and the second daughter-in-law expressed respect. Mrs. Kang found the similarity in their flattery amusing.
So that’s why they get along well. No wonder they didn’t match with Hyun-seo.
Mrs. Kang introduced them to the other guests nearby.
“I should introduce them to everyone here. This is Han Yeong-sook, the future wife of Chairman Jinsung Chae, and her daughter-in-law.”
“Oh, that person? I’ve heard a lot about her.”
“Ah, so that’s her.”
Yeong-sook felt a little cold as the reactions from some people seemed sarcastic, but she couldn’t show it. She forced a bright smile that almost hurt her face.
“Ah, hello. Nice to meet you.”
“Hello.”
After the greetings, Mrs. Kang turned to Yeong-sook and asked,
“This is your first time here, right? What tea are you drinking these days?”
From what Yeong-sook had seen in interviews, Mrs. Kang was a tea enthusiast.
She froze for a moment but then remembered Hyun-seo preparing tea at home and answered.
“I’ve been enjoying Bie Lu Chun and Qi Men black tea lately. I like tea so much that I’ve brewed it myself many times.”
Back then, she scolded me, saying it smelled like grass and was a waste of money… Who knew it would help now.
“I see. If you can drink Qi Men black tea, you have the basics down. Then, brew some tea for us.”
Yeong-sook blinked at Mrs. Kang’s stern tone and whispered to Hyemi, nudging her with her elbow.
“Hey, go ask the staff to bring some tea.”
Hyemi immediately stood up.
“Yes, Mother.”
“No, I meant you,” Yeong-sook started, but Mrs. Kang stopped Hyemi from leaving and gestured at Yeong-sook.
“Han Yeong-sook, you. Brew the tea. Make sure there’s enough for everyone here.”
“Me?”
Yeong-sook glanced around at the other women.
There are women here who look younger than me. Why am I being sent on this errand? A shuttle… not a bread shuttle… a tea shuttle?
Her pride was hurt, and a flush of indignation rose.
“Yes. Go and bring it yourself. There’s a variety of fine teas and tea utensils prepared.”
“I… the staff would do it better.”
Yeong-sook’s face turned red as she hesitated. All the women were staring at her.
They’re all high-class Mae members, huh?
It felt as though a hierarchy was being established, and her inferiority complex nearly exploded. Yet she couldn’t show it.
“No, I want to drink the tea you brew. I’m curious how well my mentee knows tea.”
Yeong-sook was in a dilemma. She had never properly brewed or even drunk tea, yet now she had to.
In the end, she quietly gathered the utensils and prepared the tea. She placed green tea leaves in the boiling water in front of everyone.
Hyemi signaled her subtly, but Yeong-sook was focused on brewing the tea.
“Mother, you should steep green tea according to the water temperature. You can’t put it in boiling water,” Hyemi whispered.
Yeong-sook, not understanding, flustered and fumbled through the process.
Finally, she brought the brewed tea to Mrs. Kang first. Her hands trembled as she placed it down, overwhelmed by tension.
Mrs. Kang silently lifted the cup to her lips. She only took one sip.
Suddenly, Mrs. Kang shouted loudly.
“Han Yeong-sook! Did you lie to me?”
“Wha—? Why? Why are you—?”
Yeong-sook looked up, startled by Mrs. Kang’s sudden fury.
“There’s no delicate aroma, it’s bitter and astringent! It’s way too hot! I almost burned myself!”
Mrs. Kang slammed the cup down and yelled.
“If you don’t know, admit it! If you can’t do it, say so! Han Yeong-sook, do you think I’m a joke?”
“Uh? N-no, what are you saying, ma’am?”
“Why did you deceive me when you know nothing about tea?”
Mrs. Kang called the staff over in a rage.
“Get these faces out of here! Never let them show up in front of me again.”
Hyemi quickly intervened, turning her body toward Mrs. Kang.
“M-Mrs. Kang, it’s just my mother… If you send me out too…”
“Tsk tsk, like mother, like daughter-in-law. How selfish and fake they are.”
Watching Hyemi’s actions, Mrs. Kang clicked her tongue in disbelief.
“Kick them out now.”
The staff approached Yeong-sook and Hyemi.
“Dear guests, we’re very sorry, but we’ll guide you to the exit. You can only be here by a Mae member’s invitation, and as you’ve heard, the invitation is no longer valid…”
In the end, Yeong-sook and Hyemi had to leave the lounge with the staff, faces almost in tears.
Inside the tea room, all that could be heard was Mrs. Kang and the other women laughing heartily.
Later, it was mealtime.
Do-han noticed Hyun-seo’s plate, topped with fresh tuna belly. She barely touched it, and her inability to eat much kept catching his attention.
Lucas asked her,
“Hyun-seo, you’re not eating well? You like tuna, don’t you?”
“Mm. I’m just not very hungry today.”
Hyun-seo smiled lightly and quietly pushed back her chair to stand. Lucas looked up, following her.
“Where are you going?”
“I need to make a phone call.”
“Oh, okay.”
Hyun-seo left the room and stepped outside the restaurant.
The restaurant had a well-kept garden, with neatly trimmed lawns. The sky was slightly darkening.
“Yes, Aunt. Put the kids to bed first. I won’t be too late.”
After ending a short call, Hyun-seo stayed in the garden, enjoying the fresh air.
She inhaled deeply, letting the crisp evening air ease the tension.
Suddenly, a shadow appeared behind her long shadow on the grass—a much taller one than hers.
“It’s been a while.”
Turning around, she saw the silhouette of her ex-husband in the backlight of a streetlamp.
“…”
As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, his expression became clearer.
But when she finally saw him up close, it wasn’t the expression she had imagined when he first spoke. Strangely, it was different.
Her ex-husband looked as though the past had been cruel to him as well.
He spoke again, his voice heavy.
“How… have you been?”
Hyun-seo didn’t answer. There were countless answers she could give, yet none were ones she could tell him.
Memories of raising Do-han alone and all the trials she endured flashed through her mind.
The memory of giving birth without him, the joy of welcoming a precious life, marveling at how beautiful the baby was—and feeling sadness because the baby was too beautiful, the moment of choosing a name by taking a character from each parent, struggling to earn money and raise the child without letting them lack anything compared to other children who had both parents…
All those memories, yet the father, the one who passed on half the baby’s blood, wasn’t there.
The father who should have celebrated the birth, adored the baby, named the baby, and spent time together… wasn’t there.
And what could she say in front of him?
“Where have you been all this time?”
Hyun-seo covered many answers with that question and turned it back on him.
“Do I need a reason to tell you?”
“…”
He took a few steps closer. Up close, his face was more visible.
Hyun-seo took a step back defensively, and he stopped.
Then, with a voice like a sigh, he said,
“…I was looking for you.”
“…”
Hyun-seo looked up at him with wide eyes.
“I’ve been searching for you for a long time.”
It was a completely unexpected statement.
