Chapter 1010. Crank Up 10
Choi Haesoo looked at Maru holding the fruit knife. He was very proficient in using it. It might disappoint her daughter if she said this, but his cooking was better than hers as well. Even men who had lived by themselves for a long time wouldn’t become that good at cooking unless they paid special attention to it, so this meant that he was eating well.
“You usually prepare the meals, right?”
Her daughter waved her hands in the air in denial. Maru also said that Gaeul looked after him a lot, but they couldn’t deceive her.
“I can tell without looking. My girl Gaeul says she’s more comfortable ordering food than cooking when she lived alone. She likes home meals, but she hates to cook them. Such a bad girl, isn’t she? Maru, you must be having a hard time.”
“Hard time, oh, no. I’m thankful that she eats anything I made.”
Haesoo received an apple that Maru handed over. It was peeled prettily. She had a look at the place where the two were currently living together, and she saw that it was neatly organized, and above all, very clean. It wouldn’t be strange if it looked messy since they were raising two dogs, but there was none of the like. He showed her that he could take care of the household chores.
“It’s rather annoying to live with her, isn’t it? She has so much hair falling out. There was once a time when my daily routine was to pick up all the hair she failed to clean.”
“Mom, how long ago are you even talking about?”
Gaeul smiled awkwardly and tried to stop her. Haesoo gave her a glare. The little girl was trying her best because she was in front of her boyfriend. Haesoo took a bite of the apple.
“Have you decided on anything about marriage?”
Maru, who was peeling the apple, and Gaeul, who was putting away the peels, froze up at the same time. Haesoo did not mind that and asked once again, about when they were going to get married,
“Mom, we haven’t talked about that yet.”
“Considering that you’ve known each other since high school, it’s been almost ten years. If you cried after breaking up and now got back together, you should have at least the resolution or a plan to get married. I might be a parent who lets the child do whatever she wants, but when I think about you two, I really want to hear this straight. Gaeul is one thing, but Maru, you must have had a hard time too. The two of you aren’t exactly young anymore to not talk about marriage.”
They were grown up enough to come and greet her like this. It would be funny if they didn’t think about marriage at all. It wasn’t that she wanted to urge them to marry. Both of them were actors with a busy careers in front of them, and if they suddenly announce their marriage, it might throw a wrench in those careers. It was just that she wanted to know how serious they were, and how faithful they were to each other. She never wanted to see her daughter crying in the middle of the night again.
“I can tell you two things for sure,” Maru started speaking.
“One is that we don’t plan to get married immediately. This is something we decided on after taking into account both of our circumstances.”
Haesoo looked at Gaeul, with her intent asking if they had talked about this beforehand. Gaeul nodded.
“If you two have talked about it, then there’s no need for me to say anything. Regardless of your circumstances, you are both adults capable of choosing the right thing to do. What’s the second one?”
“We are definitely getting married.”
“I use the word ‘definitely’ only when it’s necessary when I write. It’s a scary word. You can’t get married immediately, but you’re definitely getting married. When is this ‘definitely’?”
“I have talked about this with Gaeul before, about when we should have our wedding. I originally didn’t ask it as a serious question, but it became a serious conversation that we talked about for over an hour. The conclusion we came to was that we both wanted to consolidate our foundations as actors. It’s not that our acting careers will end just because we get married, but there will be changes to a certain extent.”
“To a certain extent, you say.”
Maru smiled, as though he knew what she was going to ask.
“We have come to the conclusion that we should hold the wedding if we achieve one of two things. First, we decided on a date. If we turn thirty, we will stamp the marriage documents first.”
“So the deadline is thirty?”
Maru and Gaeul nodded at the same time.
“And what are those two achievements?”
Maru smiled awkwardly and stayed quiet. Gaeul spoke instead,
“This is something I decided on, so I’ll tell you. First is that we appear in the same piece as leading or supporting roles. I’ve always wanted to perform in the same piece as Maru. Not as a passing, minor role, but one where I can act with him.”
“I didn’t know my daughter had a romantic side to her. What’s the second one?”
“If Maru gets an award, I’m immediately going to tell everyone around that I’m getting married.”
“An award?”
It sounded like an absurd promise between two snotty-nosed brats, but it was nothing that she couldn’t understand. It was probably a necessary step for them to feel proud of themselves to each other. The two of them seemed to know the reality of marriage. If they said that they were going to hold the wedding against public outcry, she might have frowned.
“If the two of you decided on that, then that should be fine. You have talked to each other about it, and you must have accepted it.”
“Do you want me to get married as soon as possible?”
“With Maru as the partner, it’s not bad to get married early. I’ll be less worried as well.”
“What do you take your daughter for? I’m completely fine without him.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure you are. Mr. Han, I haven’t told you about how Gaeul was when you two broke up, have I?”
Gaeul walked over on her knees and quickly sat down next to her. Inheriting a certain trait from a certain someone, her glaring eyes were fierce. Haesoo covered her mouth and looked at Maru, who coughed.
“I understand the two of you, so you can get going. It must be uncomfortable doing this in someone else’s house.”
“Don’t say that. You’re making me sad, mom,” Gaeul said as she hooked arms with her.
“Ma’am, I’m also comfortable here,” Maru added.
Haesoo waved her hand in the air in denial. How many sons-in-law would be comfortable with their parents-in-law? No matter how comfortable he may be, they were ultimately strangers. She got their greeting and heard a serious story, so it was time to let them go.
“You’re going to curse me for being shameless if I try to hold you here, aren’t you?”
“Of course not.”
“Forget it, you should leave after some coffee. I want to get some rest.”
Haesoo turned on the TV, thinking that she should just let them go after drinking some coffee. She stopped Maru from getting up. She had him cook, so she should at least do the coffee.
“I only have instant coffee sticks. Are the two of you okay with that?”
“Yes, I love instant coffee.”
She boiled some water and poured the coffee mix into a cup. She poured the hot water into the cup and stirred it with a chopstick before adding some milk. She also took out some scones she had in the fridge and went back to the living room.
“Coffee made by mom is the best,” Gaeul said after taking a sip.
Haesoo changed channels. She didn’t want to talk while listening to news about lonely deaths.
-There was unfortunate news a while ago, wasn’t there? About how actor Kang Giwoo received big injuries on his face. Today, his agency said that a glass shelf fell on top of his face while he was moving some furniture. Fortunately, we have heard that he has gotten treatment and there’s no problem with him, but from how all of his schedules were canceled after that, it seems we can’t expect his return for a while.
-His fans must be worried. I’m really glad that it didn’t lead to a bigger accident. Mr. Kang Giwoo. I hope you get well soon and start working again.
Haesoo felt pity as she watched the news. It said that it was bad enough that he had to have surgery, so it should be hard for him to return to being an actor for a while. She hoped for the wound to heal well.
“Oh, my. What’s that? Gaeul, you might not be able to visit him, but definitely give him a call. Giwoo must be having a hard time.”
Gaeul did not say anything. Haesoo thought she’d say yes, but she was looking at the news with cold eyes. Maybe something happened?
“He deserves it,” Gaeul said as she changed the channel.
Maru also looked like he knew something. While Haesoo knew that her daughter was someone who clearly distinguished her likes and dislikes, she usually wouldn’t stiffen up and express it out loud. It was clear that there was a reason behind this. She thought about asking but decided to hold back, and just drank coffee. They were way past the age of when she had to scold them for fighting with a friend. They would have to resolve their own problems. She made eye contact with Maru for a brief moment. He lowered his head, as though to thank her for understanding. Haesoo was fine with just that.
The silence induced by the TV was broken by a bell. Following that there was a voice that said ‘you have a parcel.’ Gaeul stood up.
“I’ll get it.”
Haesoo looked at her daughter. Was there anything she was expecting? She didn’t order anything online, and it wasn’t a season where TV stations would be sending out gifts. Gaeul opened the door. Haesoo could see a vest with the post office’s mark on it.
“It’s a check card[1]. Park Myungjin, is this you?”
“Park Myungjin? There’s no one like that here. Mom, did you get a check card issued?” Gaeul asked as she turned around.
Haesoo stood up. She never applied for a check card, and above all, there was no one named Park Myungjin here.
“It looks like you got the wrong address.”
She stood in front of the postman instead of Gaeul. The man pushed down his ball cap and tilted his head. He tapped something on his terminal for a while before reciting the address.
“It’s not here. It should be the building opposite of the road. It’s separated into 1st and 2nd complexes.”
“Oh, you’re right. I’m sorry, it hasn’t been that long since I started working.”
“That’s fine.”
The man lowered his head to apologize before stepping away. Haesoo peeked out the door and looked at the man who scurried away.
“That man must be having a hard time too.”
Haesoo closed the door and came back.
* * *
The man used the staircase to come back to the first floor after pressing down his ball cap with the post office logo on it. He checked that there was no one in the guard’s office and walked to the mailbox. He checked the floor and apartment number before taking out mail from the inside. It was from an insurance company. He put the envelope in his bag before leaving the apartment. He crossed the road and went into an alleyway next to the convenience store. There was nothing bad about being cautious. He looked around and got in a black sedan parked next to the road. He took off his cap and said to his client,
“I saw a man and a woman together. I also saw the woman call her mother.”
“Mom?”
The man took out the mail he got from the apartment and gave it to the client.
“It’s indeed Mrs. Choi Haesoo. She’s Miss Han Gaeul’s birth mother.”
“So the two of them are staying at Choi Haesoo’s house.”
“Yes.”
“A man and a woman well-dressed and visiting the mother’s parents. What do you think that means?”
The man did not reply. This client should be well aware of what that meant. When the two of them got out of the car, the man even got out with something that looked like a gift. There was only one thing that was pointing towards.
“They’re having a good time.”
The man quickly scanned the face of his client before throwing his gaze outside the window. The unwritten rule in this field was to never take interest in each other. The client would say what they want, and they would do what they were asked without questions. However, he was curious about this specific client’s circumstances.
“Good work.”
The client gave him some cash. The man checked the amount on the spot. He knew that the client would never tamper with the money, but it would be better for both of them to be sure.
“Please call again once there’s anything.”
The man got out and stuffed the post office vest and cap into his bag. The client then drove towards the apartment. From what he saw just before he got off, the client’s expression was quite grave. He had seen that kind of expression several times. Those were eyes that looked akin to someone who found out that their lover was cheating on them and those who found out the history of the one they were engaged to. The man clicked his tongue. People with eyes like that always caused problems. Above all, he reeked of booze, so there was bound to be a matter that would involve the police.
The man clicked his tongue when he thought about the stench of alcohol that he could smell whenever the client spoke. That guy had everything.
“A successful actor isn’t much.”
The man took out the money from the envelope and left the alley.
[1] Usually, packages would be left outside the door, but in the case of important mail such as credit cards, it would require the person involved to sign as a proof of receipt.
