"How come my beautiful daughter rarely visits me nowadays?" Jieun's mother teased her. "Oh mom, I was busy." The daughter faked a roll eyes and hugged her mother tightly.
"How are you feeling mom?" Jieun snuggled beside her mom on the couch. She misses the smell of home. She misses everything.
"You ask like your mother was confined in the hospital for a whole week. Of course I'm fine!" Her mother ruffles her hair. Jieun laughed while fixing her hair.
Jieun's eyes roamed the house. Nothing changed in the house but the atmosphere was off. She didn't feel comfortable there already.
"Just live with us mom. I can't bear seeing you alone in this house. I'm sure Taehyung wouldn't mind if you live with us." Jieun said with a po-faced look.
Her mother sighed. "Oh dear who am I to meddle in a married couples life? I'm fine here. Also, I don't think I can manage a day away from this house. We have a lot of memories here that I'd like to treasure." Her mother's eyes scanned the living room as well as the garden outside and smiled as she reminisces.
Jieun tried to smile. She always tried to look happy. But she can't. Especially, not in this house where she's reminded of her deceased father.
"If dad was still alive, do you think he'll ever agree on me marrying Taehyung?" Jieun asked her mother.
'What am I saying out of no where?' Jieun suddenly thought. What she said will never happen even if her father was still alive. It's a matter of past and present. Plus, they know too well that their marriage was forced. They had to. For the sake of the company as well as for their financial.
"I guess it will take time but I bet he'll accept Taehyung." Her mother caressed her daughter's cheek, wondering why her daughter suddenly opened up the topic.
Though her mother has always been an optimist. Her mother knew Taehyung is a good guy and would do anything to make her daughter happy. She knew right when she saw Taehyung in the altar together with her daughter. She has high expectation that her daughter would be satisfied with her life since her daughter got herself a nice parents in law and faithful husband.
But it was just the mother being an optimist and the daughter trying to meet her mother's expectations.
Her daughter was actually having an affair.
Jieun gulped.
"I think I need to go already, mom. I need to start doing my thesis." Jieun stood and rummaged her bag for the apples she brought for her mother. "These are sweet." Jieun assured her mother and placed the bag of apples on the table.
"And that's sweet of you!" Her mother stood and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Gotta go mom." Jieun did the same thing and made her way outside the house.
She sighed. She wasn't actually going to make her thesis. She just wanted to get out from the stress and guilt she was feeling when they were having the conversation.
Waiting for the bus, her cellphone vibrated. Her forehead crinkles. She's not in the mood for another conversation.
The vibrations annoyed her though and she decided to pick up her phone and look at the messages.
