YAIMF 35 🍒

Chapter — 35

His Painful Past (2)

Only now did Saena understand what it meant for one’s chest to feel tight and heavy. Haman-daek kept wiping away her tears as she slowly spoke about what had happened that day.

“If at least Madam had stayed by Young Master’s side… he wouldn’t have had to go through such a painful time alone.”

What happened after his parents passed away? Or… did something terrible cause their deaths? Saena couldn’t bring herself to ask. Haman-daek wiped the tears clinging to the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand and took a deep breath.

“That day was warm, just like today. The grapes were fully ripe, and even from far away, the sweet smell filled the air.”

Haman-daek turned her gaze toward the vineyard, now dark and hard to see. Her eyes were already filled with deep sorrow. Just looking at her expression made Saena’s heart feel heavy.

“I never met Madam’s husband even once. They said it couldn’t be helped. The Chairman pushed him away coldly, and he disappeared just like that.”

“D-disappeared?”

“There were bad rumors going around. I was so worried they might reach Young Master’s ears. And then… Madam lost her sanity.”

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped Saena’s lips. Even without explanation, she could guess what kind of rumors they were. Losing her beloved husband like that—it was no wonder his mother broke down.

“Sometimes, when she came to her senses, we got permission from the hospital to bring her home. Every time that happened, Young Master’s face would light up. I thought, ‘He’s still just a child.’ But what could we do? This town is so small. Once he started school, he learned how his father died, and that the place his mother was staying wasn’t an ordinary hospital.”

How must he have felt when he learned the truth? It must have been devastating. Saena felt as if her heart had synchronized with his, growing heavy like a sponge soaked in water.

“He said being bullied by friends was fine. But he couldn’t stand them speaking badly about his parents. That gentle boy, who never caused trouble and only studied diligently… they said he beat someone up. When I heard that, it felt like the sky was collapsing. I dropped everything and ran there. In that huge classroom, he was sitting all alone.”

That scene was still vivid to Haman-daek. In the middle of the classroom, with only one desk that smelled damp and moldy, Jiwoon sat there. She called his name again and again, but he didn’t move. Startled, she rushed over—and saw his eyes filled with rage.

“I’d never seen such a frightening expression. His hands were a mess, stained with the other student’s blood, but he still wouldn’t unclench his fists.”

Saena couldn’t imagine it at all. It felt less like a forgotten memory and more like something she had never seen in the first place.

“After that, he was locked in the storage room for a whole week. That was the Chairman’s punishment. But even then, he never begged to be let out.”

That day, the argument between the Chairman and Jiwoon had been fierce. Even now, Haman-daek felt her heart tighten when she remembered how she’d feared both of them might break.

“That was the first time I ever saw him talk back to the Chairman.”

And yet now, Jiwoon didn’t even dodge the drink the Chairman threw at him—he just took it, as if he were willing to accept that anger head-on.

“Their relationship stayed cold for a while. Then, on the day Madam came home… that incident happened.”

“An incident?”

“Yes. A very big one.”

Even now, remembering it made Haman-daek’s heart drop.

“Late at night, the police called. They said they had Young Master with them.”

“Th-the police…?”

“He went on a trip with Madam. She was lucid at the time, and even though Young Master was still a minor, he was already in high school. We trusted them and let them go. That’s my greatest regret.”

Haman-daek clutched her chest tightly and drew in a shaky breath. Every time her face twisted in pain, Saena’s heart pounded harder.

“It was just one day. The sea was right there in front of them. But while Young Master stepped out to go to the convenience store for a moment… she jumped into the water.”

“……!”

Saena’s heart raced uncontrollably, as if she couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. Without realizing it, she clenched the bedding tightly, as though it were a lifeline. If she didn’t, the emotions buried deep inside her felt ready to burst out.

“Madam was cruel… How could she make that choice in front of her own child?”

At last, Haman-daek broke down in tears. She pressed her lips together to hold back her sobs, but soft, broken sounds still escaped. Unable to endure it, Saena pulled her into a hug. Leaning against Saena’s shoulder, Haman-daek struggled to contain her grief.

“Please don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault.”

As Saena gently stroked her back, heavy with the weight of years, Haman-daek’s anguish didn’t fade. She kept saying she should have stopped them, that she had been careless. Saena felt nothing but pity for the long, painful life she had lived.

“…Do you think he blamed me?”

“Of course not. Jiwoon isn’t that kind of person.”

“That’s right. Our Young Master has such a deep heart. With a family history like that, how could he afford to look elsewhere? While others dated normally, he spent all his time worrying that Madam might completely lose her mind. And he was terrified that if he misbehaved even once, the Chairman might abandon Madam entirely. After that day, he never fought again—not even once—and he never lost his first-place rank.”

Saena could easily imagine his school life. No matter how much Jiwoon pretended not to hear, there would always be cruel kids who mocked him openly. He must have endured everything, forcing himself to do what was expected while suppressing his emotions. He spent those beautiful, once-in-a-lifetime youthful years pretending not to see, not to hear, not to feel anything at all. Haman-daek found that unbearably heartbreaking.

She took a deep breath and stepped back from Saena’s arms, then looked straight at her. Tears shimmered in her dark eyes.

“Thank you… for staying by our Young Master’s side, even like this.”

“No, I haven’t really helped at all.”

“You’ve helped more than you know. I honestly thought he’d never be able to date. You know that saying—someone who’s tried something does it better. He spent his whole life forcing his emotions down. I thought there was no way he could handle something like love, where you have to express how you feel.”

Why did the words “suppressing emotions” sound so tragic? Saena felt tears threatening to spill. Then Haman-daek lightly clapped her hands, as if something had just occurred to her.

“Oh—now that I think about it… maybe not.”

“Yes?”

“Well, it’s just that…”

Seeing her hesitate, something came to Saena’s mind.

First love.

The first love that appeared before a man who lived such a restricted life—how meaningful must that have been? She had forgotten about it while hearing his painful past.

“It’s okay. It’s all in the past.”

“That’s right. It was a very long time ago.”

“A long time ago?”

Haman-daek hesitated again and forced a smile. But what mattered more than his feelings for another woman was the fact that he had gotten hurt for her. So Saena gently pressed on.

“I heard he lost his memory because of that incident. Did something happen?”

With the focus shifting to Jiwoon’s injury, Haman-daek reluctantly spoke.

“Yes. After Madam passed away like that, there was a time when he’d sit by the sea all day long. He was probably in his second year of high school then.”

She continued, recalling Jiwoon’s lonely figure heading to the beach every weekend morning.

“She must’ve been a girl from Seoul.”

“Seoul? How did you know?”

“I heard about it. A friend of mine worked at the yacht marina. Apparently, the girl’s father gave her a yacht as a birthday present.”

“A… yacht?”

“Yes. She was only a high school student, and not a car—a yacht. I still remember us saying how different their world was from ours.”

A yacht. Why did that word feel so familiar? Saena felt as though something was on the tip of her tongue.

“They must have grown close then. I heard the girl also lost her mother early, so they connected over that.”

“…I see.”

“But she went to the U.S., so they only saw each other for a few months.”

As she spoke, Haman-daek let out a deep sigh, lost in memory.

“Time really does fly. Young Master is already twenty-eight. Oh my… that was exactly ten years ago.”