no one would care about him, he had to do it himself. But seeing how hard it was for Miyoung to trust him hurt. Somin’s words came back to taunt him: You, who gives nothing and tries to convince himself he can live alone because he’s scared to let go of any part of himself?
As she turned to leave, he spoke, one final last-ditch effort to get her to understand: “I am sorry for what I did.”
“I know you are,” Miyoung said without turning back to look at him. “But I don’t want to forgive you.”
“Fine,” Junu said, throwing his hands up in frustration. “Don’t forgive me. But we’ve got bigger problems right now.”
Miyoung’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Like what?”
“Jihoon.”
HEOUNGAEGI WAS A mother with many children. So, when she died and was sent to the underworld, she wept with worry for her children. The king of the underworld saw her tears and felt compassion for her. He gave her permission to travel to the human world by night to care for her children. There was only one rule: She had to return to the underworld before morning came. And so Heoungaegi was able to spend each night with her children. For a time they were happy. But an elderly neighbor soon became suspicious that the children were always well-kept and cared for despite losing their mother. When the neighbor questioned one of the younger children, they said that their mother came back from the underworld every night.
The neighbor, thinking that this was no proper way to live, told the children that she would come up with a way to keep their mother from returning to the underworld. She tied one end of a string to her foot and the other end to the foot of the eldest. She told the children to signal her when their mother came by pulling on the string. When they did, she hid the mother’s spirit to keep it in the world of the living. When morning came and Heoungaegi did not return to the underworld, the king was enraged. He came to the world of the living himself, found her spirit, and took her back. And for this breach of trust, he said that no spirit would ever be allowed to enter the world of the living again.
38
AS SOON AS Somin stepped into the apartment, she was pulled into the whirlwind that was her mother.
“Somin-ah,” her mother said, rushing out of the back room. She had on her robe, thrown over a camisole that she often wore under her work clothes. “Have you seen him?”
Him? Who? Jihoon? Somin wondered. Or did her mother know who she’d spent the day with? She truly hoped not. Her mother always had weird questions for Somin every time she started dating someone new. And she really wasn’t in the mood for it now.
Maybe because her mom had been too young when she got pregnant. And instead of raising Somin like a daughter, she’d raised her like a friend.
It had been great when Somin was a kid. And when she’d discovered makeup and fashion. But as soon as puberty had hit, her mother’s questions had started to make her uncomfortable.
“He’s back, and I just don’t know what to wear if he comes by again. I just don’t know what to do when we see him,” Somin’s mother said, her words tumbling over one another.
Her mother had started toward the bedroom when Somin grabbed her arm and turned her. Her eyes were overly bright. Like she’d drunk too much espresso.
“Who’s back? Who are you talking about?”
“Your father,” her mother said. And Somin’s hands dropped in shock. Her mother spun around to rush into her room.
Your father—the words echoed in her head like a cruel joke. Except her mother would never do that, not about this. Your father. She’d said it with such conviction. With such hope. With such manic joy.
“Eomma,” Somin said, walking back to the master bedroom. Her mother stood in front of her closet, dresses clutched in her hands.
“Which one looks best on me? I mean, which one makes me look less old? It’s been so long. I don’t want him to think I look old.”
“Eomma!” Somin shouted, pulling the dresses from her mother’s hands. “What are you talking about? Appa is . . . he’s not here anymore.”
“I know he’s not supposed to be here. But we were given a miracle. I don’t know how. I didn’t believe it at first, but then he said my name.