Chapter 121: Chapter 121 – The Park of Forgotten Memories
With his phone in hand and lying in a soft bed... that’s how the protagonist of this story spent the entire day.
Physical rest and mental relaxation had done their job — in the morning, Sohen woke up feeling much better.
Runo, as always, was the first to arrive.
She quietly entered the room, sat on the edge of the bed, and gently kissed him on the cheek, then on the forehead.
- (Runo). "Good morning, my love. How are you feeling?"
Today she didn’t have her usual lustfulness, just a grandmother’s warm concern.
- (Me). "Good morning, and... today seems better... much better."
- (Runo). "I’m so glad."
She nodded contentedly and didn’t press for anything more.
She just sat next to him, stroked his hair, and went to make breakfast.
Karin and Phoebe were acting perfectly normal, too.
Although Phoebe sometimes gave him slightly bolder glances and lightly brushed against his thigh as she walked by, nothing overt.
(Sis?...)
The day went by peacefully until lunchtime: breakfast with everyone, a few hours of work at the computer, a morning workout, a short break, and back to work... and then the doorbell rang.
Karin went to answer it.
Sohen heard her voice change abruptly.
When he walked into the entryway, he saw a tense scene.
Standing in the doorway was his biological mother... Minju.
She looked elegant and confident, but a heavy, almost electric tension already hung between her and Karin.
The two women stared at each other like two lionesses, ready to pounce at any moment.
(Mother Minju... what’s she doing here?)
Sohen walked over to them and...
- (Me). "Minju..."
She turned to him immediately.
Her face softened instantly, her eyes lit up.
- (Minju). "Sohen! Sorry for dropping by unannounced, but I really wanted to see you. I couldn’t wait."
Karin snorted sarcastically.
- (Karin). "Really?..."
Minju turned her gaze sharply toward her.
- (Minju). "I came to talk to my son... face to face."
Karin took a step forward.
- (Karin). "You won’t be talking to him alone in my house anymore, and anyway... you’re not welcome here."
- (Minju). "I have every right to see my own son."
- (Karin). "You lost that right over twenty years ago."
The tension was rising by the second.
- (Minju). "Bitch..."
- (Karin). "Bitch..."
(Oh no, this is really a shitty situation!...)
Sohen quickly stepped between them and...
- (Me). "Enough, moms... Calm down, both of you."
He turned to Minju:
- (Me). "Wait for me in the yard."
- (Minju). "Okay..."
Minju nodded, albeit reluctantly.
Karin, too, though clearly unhappy, followed him deeper into the house.
When they were alone, Sohen...
- (Me). "Thanks for sticking up for me. I really appreciate it, but I have to handle this ’issue’ myself."
Karin was clearly unhappy, but eventually sighed.
- (Karin). "Ugh... Fine, but... don’t let her into the house. Also, be careful. She’s a snake. Don’t trust her."
- (Me). "Okay, don’t worry."
She hugged him, pressed herself tightly against him, and kissed him... on the neck, long and tenderly, and after a few seconds finally let go.
(Usually she kisses me on the lips when we’re alone, but this time she decided to kiss my neck?... So no one would see, or something?)
- (Karin). "Good luck, and if anything happens — yell."
- (Me). "Ha-ha..."
Sohen nodded, quickly got ready, and went out onto the street.
Minju was standing a little further away, waiting for him.
When he came out, she turned and smiled happily, but then her gaze lingered on his neck — right where Karin had just kissed him.
- (Me). "What’s the matter?"
- (Minju). "..."
For a moment, her face looked displeased, but she quickly hid it behind a smile.
She stepped closer, raised her hand, and gently touched that spot on his neck with her fingers, then began to gently stroke the area.
- (Minju). "Everything’s fine, and... Karin, I think that’s her name... isn’t very hospitable."
- (Me). "Sorry about her. She was just... in a bad mood."
- (Minju). "It’s okay... I probably would have acted the same way. Let’s talk somewhere else. We might get interrupted here."
She nodded toward the window, where Karin was standing, watching them with a sullen expression.
- (Me). "Okay... I know a nice place where we can talk in peace, but it’s about a twenty-minute walk."
- (Minju). "I don’t mind. I’ve booked a hotel room for two days, so we have plenty of time."
Minju adjusted her clothes around her neckline and smiled.
- (Me). "???"
(Is it okay to adjust her chest like that in front of her own son? Does she have... a low sense of modesty?)
After Minju finished, they left.
...
Sohen walked alongside his biological mother in near silence.
They took their time.
A light breeze rustled the leaves on the trees, and the sun gently filtered through the canopy, casting golden patches on the asphalt path.
Sohen deliberately led her to his favorite park... the very one where he usually went running in the morning.
This place always helped him calm down when his mind was heavy and chaotic.
That was exactly why he had chosen it today — hoping that the familiar surroundings would at least slightly ease the tension before a conversation that could turn out to be very difficult.
Minju walked beside him, holding her purse with both hands.
A heavy, though no longer quite so sharp, awkwardness hung between them.
The longer they walked, the easier it became for both of them to breathe.
The air was fresh, with a light scent of grass and flowers.
Occasionally they passed mothers with strollers or elderly people sitting on benches, but overall the park was quiet and uncrowded.
Sohen was the first to break the silence:
- (Me). "Do you... still plan to move here? To the city where I live?"
Minju slowed her pace slightly and nodded, without looking at him.
- (Minju). "Yes... I’ve already made up my mind. I want to be close to you. To try... to make up for the time you didn’t have as... my son. I understand I can’t give you back that lost time... but I’ll at least try to make a better future."
Sohen was silent for a few seconds, processing her words, and then asked quietly:
- (Me). "How did you find me?"
Minju gave a faint smile, but it was a sad one.
- (Minju). "I already told you... I had a dream about a green-haired woman who told me where to look for you, and... your biological mother is a journalist. I have enough connections to find the right person if I really want to, and I would search for my own son with particular diligence."
- (Me). "A green-haired woman..."
Sohen felt the image of Keiko — the girl with green hair flash through his mind, but he decided not to dwell on it for now and simply nodded.
The conversation gradually flowed on its own.
- (Minju). "I think we’ve talked enough about me... I’d like to learn more about you. I have a lot of questions, and I hope you’ll answer them?"
- (Me). "..."
Sohen began to talk about his life.
About his childhood.
About his father, who barely paid him any attention.
About how he died and how Sohen was left completely alone.
About the severe depression he suffered after his death.
About how he found a new family — Karin, Runo, and Phoebe, and how they literally pulled him out of that state.
Minju listened very intently.
Her expression kept changing: sometimes sad, sometimes angry, sometimes with a slight smile.
Most of the time she cried quietly, and sometimes loudly.
She kept pulling out new tissues and repeating:
- (Minju). "Forgive me!... Forgive me, Sohen!... I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you during the hardest moments of your life..."
Sohen replied that it wasn’t her fault, though deep down he was thinking...
(What if you’d shown up sooner?... How many times have I asked myself that?)
They walked through the park for nearly a few hours, not even noticing how they had started going almost in circles.
(So much for a twenty-minute walk... Sarcasm.)
The conversation jumped from topic to topic.
Sohen talked a lot, but he still kept some things to himself - especially those concerning his intimate relationships with Karin, Runo, and Phoebe.
Minju also talked about herself, but Sohen sensed that she, too, was holding something back.
Gradually, the conversation turned to his father.
Sohen described what he was like.
Minju listened, then said quietly:
- (Minju). "I don’t remember much about him, but from what I do know... he was a terrible person."
- (Me). "..."
For some reason, those words brought Sohen a strange sense of relief, as he had believed his father had only become so terrible after he was born.
A few minutes later, they reached his favorite spot — a small café by the lake.
It was cozy there, with tables set under the trees and the water lapping quietly nearby.
Sohen nodded toward an empty table:
- (Me). "Let’s sit down. We can have a proper conversation here and relax a bit at the same time."
Minju agreed, and they took a seat by the water.
