Perfect Possession - Episode 85

Seo-yeon searched the main living room on the first floor, as well as both living rooms on the second floor, but Jaehoon and Tae-yul were nowhere to be found. She went back downstairs and asked the housekeeper who was tidying up the playroom.

 

“Where is Mrs. Kim?”

 

“She went to the kitchen to check the ingredients for Tae-yul. Is something the matter?”

 

“Oh, it’s nothing. I’ll check it out myself. Thank you for your hard work.”

 

When Tae-yul turned four, Mi-ryung occasionally called Seo-yeon to her art gallery. It was still awkward to call her “Mother.” But Seo-yeon knew she was trying, so she treated Mi-ryung with the utmost respect as her mother-in-law. However, Chairman Han still couldn’t forgive Jaehoon, so the two families still didn’t visit each other.

 

Mi-ryung had called her over briefly to show her a newly acquired painting, and when she returned, Tae-yul and Jaehoon were gone. Seo-yeon went straight to the kitchen to find Mrs. Kim. She found Mrs. Kim in the storage room, checking the ingredients that had arrived that day.

 

“Mrs. Kim.”

 

“Oh, you’re here? I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were here because I was checking the ingredients.”

 

“It’s okay. But I can’t find Tae-yul and Jaehoon.”

 

“You can’t find them? That’s strange. They were in the playroom before I came down to the kitchen. Did they say where they were going?”

 

“No, they didn’t.”

 

“What about the car? Is the car here? If it is, they must have gone somewhere nearby.”

 

“Oh, right. I didn’t check the car.”

 

Seo-yeon smiled brightly, as if she hadn’t thought of that.

 

“Shall we call Driver Yoon?”

 

“He’s on vacation today.”

 

“Have you tried calling the Chairman?”

 

“Well, this man isn’t answering his phone.”

 

Seo-yeon frowned, and Mrs. Kim smiled knowingly.

 

“I think they might have gone there.”

 

“Oh, really. They’re both so disobedient these days.”

 

“Sometimes you need to lay down the law. I’m on your side, Ma’am.”

 

“Thank you. I feel stronger because of you, Mrs. Kim. I’ll check the car first.”

 

Seo-yeon winked at Mrs. Kim and headed for the parking lot.

 

For the past month, Tae-yul had been begging for a bicycle. But Seo-yeon wouldn’t allow it. Of course, before that incident, she had been planning to buy Tae-yul a tricycle. But then Tae-yul’s friend, Garam, the grandson of the Sejeon Group, had fallen off his tricycle and split his forehead open. It happened right in front of her. There was so much blood that Seo-yeon’s heart sank whenever she saw red ketchup after that day.

 

It was a big accident that required five stitches, and Garam’s mother cried and regretted buying him the bicycle. While comforting Garam’s mother, Seo-yeon couldn’t help but feel relieved that such a thing hadn’t happened to Tae-yul. As a mother herself, Seo-yeon felt sorry for Garam’s mother. Tae-yul and Jaehoon arrived late and didn’t see Garam get hurt, so no matter how much she told him, he kept begging for a bicycle.

 

But Seo-yeon insisted that she wouldn’t buy him a bicycle until he was older. Children grow up getting hurt, but seeing Garam’s clean forehead with a red mark made her heart ache and scared her. She was aware that she was becoming an overprotective mother, but Seo-yeon couldn’t help it.

 

The problem was that when he couldn’t get it from his mother, Tae-yul started begging Jaehoon. Jaehoon, who would do anything for Tae-yul, tried to persuade Seo-yeon day and night, promising that he would always be by Tae-yul’s side when he rode the bicycle. Still, Seo-yeon wouldn’t allow it. Even if Tae-yul promised to ride it only when he was with his father, children’s minds didn’t always stay that way. Besides, Garam’s injured face kept flashing before her eyes, so Seo-yeon wouldn’t budge.

 

“If they really went to buy a bicycle, it will be the first fight we’ve had since we got married.”

 

Seo-yeon muttered with a determined look on her face as she entered the parking lot. Sure enough, the car that Tae-yul usually rode in was gone. She had returned in the car that Mi-ryung had sent, and she hadn’t driven into the parking lot earlier, so she hadn’t noticed.

 

She was about to call Jaehoon again, but changed her mind, thinking he might be driving. Seo-yeon went inside, wondering if she was being too overprotective, but still, a bicycle was out of the question.

 

“How can he do that after seeing Garam’s face?”

 

Seo-yeon concluded that Jaehoon had taken Tae-yul out to buy a bicycle. The only time he ignored her opinion was when it came to Tae-yul. Jaehoon only did this once or twice a year, just enough to be cute. She had laughed it off until now, but this time it didn’t seem like she could.

 

She was hesitating whether to wait in the parking lot or go inside when Jaehoon called.

 

“Where are you?”

 

-Sorry, I didn’t even know I had a call.

 

“I’m asking where you are.”

 

Seo-yeon could feel that her voice was stiff, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask gently.

 

-Well, you see.

 

Jaehoon’s flustered voice could be heard over the phone, as if he could sense Seo-yeon’s mood.

 

-I’m at the gym. There’s no danger of getting hurt if you fall here, so…

 

“So, you bought a bicycle and went out on the street?”

 

-I’m really sorry. He was crying crocodile tears, and I really couldn’t resist.

 

“Do I have to see him so terrified that he can’t even shed those crocodile tears?”

 

Garam couldn’t even cry because he was so hurt and scared. He burst into tears later, and Seo-yeon cried so hard that she started to sob.

 

-Seo-yeon.

 

“Come home now.”

 

-If you say that… won’t I be scared?

 

“Come home.”

 

Seo-yeon said only that and hung up. She sighed, wondering if she was being too harsh, but she couldn’t let this go.

 

“Am I being too sensitive?”

 

Seo-yeon muttered to herself and went inside.

 

***

 

Jaehoon watched Tae-yul singing and enjoying himself in the car seat, and his worries disappeared for a moment. He thought that Seo-yeon’s nagging was nothing compared to how happy he was. But as they got closer to home, that feeling slowly disappeared and he became worried again.

 

He was worried about buying a bicycle without telling Seo-yeon, keeping it at the gym, and taking Tae-yul out because he wanted to see him happy.

 

“She must be really angry.”

 

“Daddy, what did you say?”

 

“Nothing, Tae-yul.”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Mom is, uh… the bicycle.”

 

Jaehoon couldn’t lie to his son, so he sighed briefly, turned around, and smiled at him.

 

“If Mom asks, tell her it was fun.”

 

“Yeah. Tanyul had weally fun.”

 

“That’s good enough. Leave the rest to Daddy.”

 

That’s what he said, but Jaehoon walked into the house with Tae-yul with heavy steps.

 

Seo-yeon saw Tae-yul running to her, calling her “Mommy,” and immediately checked his forehead. Even though there was no danger of getting hurt at the gym, she couldn’t help but notice the hair stuck to his forehead, wet with sweat. Seo-yeon picked up Tae-yul and smiled brightly.

 

“My son is excited.”

 

“Mommy, Mommy. Tanyul had weally fun. Went zoom zoom. Daddy said Tanyul can wide bike.”

 

Tae-yul was so excited that he said it, but then he remembered that Mommy had told him to ride it when he was older, so he quickly brought Daddy into it.

 

“Didn’t you fall?”

 

“Yeah, Tanyul wide good.”

 

Even though he could pronounce “Tae-yul” now, Seo-yeon’s heart melted whenever he still called himself “Tanyul.”

 

“Is that so?”

 

Seo-yeon kissed Tae-yul’s forehead and looked at Jaehoon. Jaehoon, who had an awkward expression on his face, approached her cautiously when Seo-yeon looked at him and stroked her hair.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Don’t apologize.”

 

It sounded like she wasn’t going to end it with an apology, and Jaehoon tensed up for a moment, stopping his hand that was stroking her hair. Seo-yeon could see his tense expression, but she held on to her weakening heart and turned her gaze to Tae-yul.

 

“Tae-yul, let’s wash your hands, change your clothes, and go eat.”

 

“Okay. Lady Kim, Tanyul wanna change cwothes.”

 

“Yes, Young Master.”

 

Tae-yul smiled brightly and reached out his arms to Mrs. Kim, who had come up to him.

 

“Daddy will be there soon.”

 

“Yeah, come quick.”

 

Tae-yul waved his hand lovingly and disappeared with Mrs. Kim, unaware of the ordeal that awaited his father. Jaehoon turned to Seo-yeon with a confident, charming smile. But soon Seo-yeon’s hand covered her mouth.

 

“That smile is forbidden. I’m really serious right now. So, don’t smile like that.”

 

“Wait a minute.”

 

Jaehoon took Seo-yeon’s hand away and called her softly.

 

“Seo-yeon.”

 

“Shall we do this here? Or shall we go to the living room and have a calm conversation?”

 

Jaehoon looked towards the kitchen where Tae-yul had disappeared, and when Seo-yeon turned around, he followed her into the living room.

 

“I don’t want to hear excuses, but I’ll give you time to explain.”

 

“Tae-yul begged me so desperately that I really couldn’t help it.”

 

“I told him I’d buy it for him next year, and he even promised he understood. But suddenly he became desperate?”

 

Seo-yeon thought that Jaehoon had come up with a solution, thinking it would be okay if he rode it safely at the gym, and had gone ahead with it.

 

“Seo-yeon, honestly, I don’t understand a little bit. I feel sorry for Garam getting hurt too. But that was outside. If it’s indoors like a gym, he can ride it safely. There’s a solution, but telling him to wait a year is unfair to Tae-yul. Can’t you think about it a little more easily?”

 

“Does that mean that I’m an overprotective mother who’s fussing over something that hasn’t even happened yet?”

 

“Seo-yeon, that’s not what I meant.”

 

Jaehoon was startled by Seo-yeon’s unusually sensitive behavior and put his arms around her shoulders.