“…”
“…”
It was an incredibly awkward moment.
In black sweatpants and a stretched-out t-shirt. Just a moment ago, he had been lying down. His hair was all matted.
Anyone could see he was just an ordinary guy.
In fact, even though it was my first time seeing Sohee’s father, there wasn’t much difference in what he was wearing compared to her dad.
Earlier, when I came home, he looked very stiff in a three-piece suit with a tie, giving off a strong aura of intimidation, but somehow in this outfit, I felt like it wouldn’t be strange if he spoke informally to Sua.
“…Are you thirsty?”
After staring at me for a while, the guy asked that.
“Yes.”
As I nodded, he silently took another cup from the shelf, poured water into it, and handed it to me without a word.
“…Thank you.”
I received the cup with both hands.
Thinking about it, I hadn’t said such a thing to an adult before. I had hardly ever had conversations with the servants, and I never felt the need to show respect, regardless of their age.
Mutual respect had never existed in my interactions, so receiving something from someone older with one hand didn’t feel odd at all.
So, I could say I was grasping the situation properly right now.
If it were that person, he probably wouldn’t have even thought about such concerns.
“…”
But how should I drink it?
I didn’t usually watch television, but I had chances to pick up some common knowledge about this kind of thing.
That person had turned away to drink when receiving alcohol from an older adult.
“…”
After pondering for a moment, I decided to do as he did.
I turned my upper body slightly to the side and held the cup with both hands as I took a sip of water.
To be honest, it felt a bit uncomfortable, but still, it was in front of a friend’s dad. I had to show at least a minimum level of etiquette.
“…”
And Sua’s dad was looking at me with his eyes fixed on me.
After sipping water a few times and turning my head back, I found that Sua’s dad was still holding the cup as if he had forgotten to drink.
I couldn’t exactly say anything about that.
…Most importantly, I didn’t know what to do with the cup I was holding.
Putting it in the sink was out of the question since he was right in front of me, and leaving it there felt too rude. Asking him to put it away seemed even less appropriate.
“…Give it here.”
Reading my thoughts, Sua’s dad extended a hand towards me and said.
“…Thank you.”
Once again, after some hesitation, I ultimately handed him the cup I had drunk from.
Watching him place the cup in the sink, I was left contemplating what to do next.
Not knowing etiquette turned out to be more troublesome than I had thought. Until now, I had only met adults with whom I had no need for such manners, but in front of an ‘adult I needed to maintain a relationship with,’ it had become a significant source of anxiety.
When dealing with Sohee’s dad, at least Sohee was beside me. She had spoken informally to her dad, and he treated his daughter without any formalities, like an old friend.
However, the relationship between Sua and her dad didn’t seem to have that kind of intimacy.
From what I saw of Sua’s mother, there seemed to be a certain closeness between the mother and daughter, but… there were notable differences between people.
“…Sua.”
Sua’s dad, still looking at the sink, opened his mouth.
“I know that she initiated the conversation first.”
For a moment, I didn’t understand what he meant, but then I realized he was referring to the first encounter between Sua and that person, so I replied,
“…Yes, that’s right.”
Of course, I had changed the subject with that. He was clearly someone who looked at me with a degree of disapproval. There was no way I could say, ‘Actually, I have two personalities, and that time, I wasn’t the person Sua greeted.’
I knew how dangerous that could sound.
Just a little while ago, I had been sleeping in the same bed as Sua.
“I heard you are quite close with Sua.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
This time, I could answer without contemplating it.
After all, we really were close.
Close enough to think it was hard to accept an apology.
Moreover, this was true on an external level as well. Sua had lost all the acquaintances she’d made up until that point after becoming close to me, had run away and lived in the mansion where I stayed, and now, I was essentially leeching off Sua.
So saying that, ‘We aren’t close’ now would be like stabbing Sua in the back.
Considering how extraordinarily kind Sua was, she would probably think ‘It’s all my fault’ and let it go.
“…I see.”
Sua’s dad nodded slightly, looking down at the sink where the cup had gone.
His expression was stiff, like he held onto a hard stone.
Even in the dim view reflected by the moonlight, it showed, so I could imagine how stiff his expression really was.
“…Do you perhaps harbor any resentment towards Sua?”
“…What?”
Once again, a topic had come up that surpassed my thinking.
“If you have any resentment towards Sua, there is no fault of hers in it. It’s entirely my fault. If there’s anything you’re unhappy about, you can resent me rather than Sua.”
“…What?”
My mouth dropped slightly.
Could it be that he heard the conversation we had before we left?
…No, I didn’t think that way. After all, he didn’t seem like the type to go that far. Sure, one shouldn’t judge solely based on first impressions, but knowing how concerned he was for his daughter led me to believe my assessment was correct.
“May I ask why you said those words?”
Still, it didn’t make much sense to me, so I asked that.
“…The reason Sua didn’t talk to you during her middle school years was entirely due to my actions.”
“…What?”
Then, something I never expected slipped out.
*
Eventually, we found ourselves sitting on the living room couch, maintaining as much distance as possible while facing each other.
Honestly, even without forcing it like this, anyone watching us wouldn’t perceive it as anything more than an awkward vibe passing between us.
“So… are you saying you were worried about Sua?”
“More precisely, I worried about this company.”
What Sua’s father shared with me resembled what I had heard from other kids. Various bad rumors had circulated, and he hoped that his company wouldn’t suffer adverse effects from that. So he wished Sua wouldn’t get close to me.
…But.
“Are you saying you believed such groundless rumors?”
For a moment, I forgot my manners and blurted that out.
Of course, I had believed the rumors too. Most kids probably did. Maybe even some adults.
But the fact that someone like him, the chairman of a group, believed those rumors was somewhat incomprehensible.
I thought someone in his position would have looked into the truth of those rumors.
“…Do you know what the term ‘Yuhwaeng’ means?”
He seemed to be referring to the ‘Yuhwaeng’ from Yi Won Yuhwaeng.
“…”
“Yuhwaeng refers to a company that used to earn money by bringing Western goods during the time when it was still difficult to interact with the West. In short, it means a trading company.”
Exhaling quietly, Sua’s dad continued.
“And ever since this company was founded at the end of the Joseon Dynasty until now, it has expanded into numerous business sectors, but the foundation of this company remains trade. Of course, as times changed, so did the direction. Selling domestic products became more common than importing from abroad. Korea has now become a country that thrives on exports.”
“…”
I quietly listened to his story.
“And among the items we export and import, there are products from the Yujin Group.”
“Yes?”
“That’s right. Surprising, right? That such a large company doesn’t have branches everywhere. But no matter how big a company is, not many have the intention of stepping into a poorly developed market. Yujin Electronics is no different in that respect. Especially in places like Africa, it’s common not to have branches at all.”
“Are you saying that you’re selling goods instead of the Yujin Group in such markets?”
“Exactly.”
“…”
After briefly contemplating, I asked, “But if it’s a place where the market hasn’t developed…”
“Do you think we could just let it go without doing anything about it?”
“…”
As I closed my mouth, Sua’s dad slowly continued.
“The Yujin Group is our ‘largest’ client. They’ve entrusted us with the process of exploring and establishing markets. We are the ones connecting that country with the Yujin Group, filling in the gaps with our shares and capabilities in areas where the Yujin Group cannot operate. It’s a kind of partnership. Therefore…”
Even if a part of that rumor was true, Yi Won Yuhwaeng could take quite a hit.
…And that was worth much more than the value of a single child without any blood ties to them.
“…”
I couldn’t think of anything to say.
“…I know that even if I apologize, it’s not something that can be easily resolved. But…”
Sua’s father spoke up.
“At least in that regard, there is no fault on Sua’s part. She was merely trying to overcome that pressure…”
“…Is that so?”
Surprisingly, my voice came out properly.
In fact, I wasn’t that shocked.
Regardless of the reason, it meant the outcome was pretty much what I had expected.
And that meant there was no reason to resent Sua.
…She had shown me the courage to talk in such a situation.
Against her father’s views.
“Thank you for sharing this with me.”
Having such thoughts, I could say that to Sua’s father.
“…Hmm.”
Sua’s father merely nodded.
…I wouldn’t seek revenge or anything against Sua. After all, she had tried to apologize while sacrificing everything, even her own achievements.
But no matter what, I found it hard to see this man in a good light.
…Even if he was doing it for his daughter, he had ultimately left her abandoned.
…Of course, it wasn’t for me to judge.
Someday, Sua would have to realize and be able to receive an apology from her father.
When that time comes, I would simply think to support Sua from behind.
Just as she had done for me.
