Keep it in the Family (206) - It's Been a While (Patreon)

Dae Hee's POV:

She heaved a deep sigh, calming herself down. Her fists were shaking and clenched in restrained anger. She observed the man's demeanor for a while longer until a defeated huff escaped her lips, shoulders deflating. 'What a cruel joke. To have fallen for his son... isn't this a low blow from karma itself?'

The very same boy whose father caused the death of hers.

"Jae-il! My, look at you! Hahahaah!"

A boisterous laugh.

Yes, do look at you. How does it feel to be at the center of the world? Do you find a shred of comfort and joy?

'Have I ever brought you any?'

It was easy to imagine that Dae Hee’s presence didn’t really bring any sort of impact to Jae-il’s life. 

"Proud of you, son! Incredible, splendid, truly marvelous!"

"......"

Dae Hee swallowed the bitterness creeping up her throat. It wasn't Jae-il's fault, she knew that. He was innocent, and yet...

She had spent her entire life blaming him and his family for what happened that day. She had sworn revenge, and now, she found herself hopelessly in love with the son of the man who had ruined her life. Oh, the irony. 

It wasn't like she still cried herself to sleep over that dilemma, and she hoped her parents, wherever they might be, could forgive her for having these complicated feelings.

Now, all she wanted was Jae-il's safety and well-being. Nothing more. She wanted a taste of happiness too, even better if that happiness was shared with Jae-il, and over Yeong Gu’s miserable death. Preferably. 

An eye for an eye. 

Of course, Dae Hee had no intention of giving up on her revenge, and it just so happened that her revenge and actual wish coincide.

Perhaps this was the handiwork of God, and she wouldn't know its meaning unless she willingly complied.

If falling for Yeong Gu's son was part of it, then she'd happily comply.

Love or not, she would corrupt Jae-il. The nation's golden child.

Dae Hee tucked her little flag back inside the purse, smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress, and returned her expression back to a smiling face, albeit with great reluctance, because even as she saw the happiness radiate off of Jae-il, her heart felt hollow.

He never smiled at her like that, not in the way that felt like home. Even when they were together, the warmth didn't compare.

With one last, encouraging intake of breath, Dae Hee confidently walked to the little family.

She squeezed through the gaps between the people with relative ease and reached her goal sooner than expected. She would show no weakness—in a sense, she had to hide behind an impeccable façade, to prove to them how close, and good of a friend, Jae-il was to her. Maybe something more, should all her wishes and plans finally come true.

"Oh?"

Yeong Gu appeared genuinely surprised upon her arrival. Perhaps he wasn't expecting anyone would approach. Naturally, his reaction caused the rest of his family to take notice of Dae Hee's presence as well.

Her eyes flitted around before coming to a stop at a face staring right at hers.

Blondie stared at her, hard. Her brows furrowed, in either confusion or mistrust—or maybe both.

Her eyes narrowed at Dae Hee's form. The fine-boned face twisted in a suspicious, outright antagonistic leer. The other sister's facial expression was exactly the same. It was disconcerting how quick their smiles morphed into hostile scowls. What surprised her more, though, was the mother's expression of thinly-veiled distaste at the sight of her, like suddenly finding something unpleasant stuck underneath her shoe.

"......"

Dae Hee nearly stopped right then and there. She couldn't understand where this icy avalanche of hate materialized from. These women looked at her like she was some animal that'd wandered in from the gutter. 

This wasn't at the level of simply being unfriendly, the atmosphere was downright frigid. Dae Hee's stride stammered a little, baffled at the sudden hostility, and could only watch, transfixed and stunned, at the way their eyes tracked her movements.

But she already started moving and couldn't back away very well at that moment.

Jae-il's eyes lightened up immediately. "Dae Hee~!" His lips pulled into a warm smile. "You came."

"How could I not?" Dae Hee spoke fondly. "Jae-il Oppa, it's been a while~"

“It has, I’ve been busy…”

“I know, I know~” She waved off his justification. 

"Jae-il, dear, who's your friend?" The matriarch inquired after having briefly regained her composure, smiling sweetly at him, only to briefly look at Dae Hee. Her eyes held none of her previous, openly hostile hatred towards her, though. 

Maybe a little discomfort, but at the very least, it was miles better than outright hate.

Only her two daughters openly displayed such disdain and contempt.

"Oh, this is Oh Dae Hee, she's a dear friend of mine." He patted Dae Hee's head with a cheeky grin, and her face instantly lit up with a blush, unknowingly irritating the three ladies to no end. "She usually comes to cheer for me~"

And then a round of introductions followed, in which Dae Hee learned the names of the three ladies. Eun Ha. Mia. And Su Ah.

"Oh, we already know each other." Yeong Gu suddenly dropped this statement, surprising everyone.

Jae-il's eyebrows rose high. "You do?"

"Honey...?" Eun Ha trailed off, now seemingly anxious and fidgety, giving her husband a very, very uneasy stare.

Yeong Gu broke into a mirthless laugh. "Yes, her parents and I were quite good friends, until a tragic incident stole both from this earth. It's been too long since our last conversation, Dae Hee, my, you've grown. A child’s face no longer, hahaha! If your parents had the pleasure of witnessing you as you are right now, surely, they would've shed tears of pure happiness and joy. Have you been faring well?"

Dae Hee's lips remained stubbornly stiff, her brow arching just slightly—too slight of a movement to convey anything except detached surprise at the reminder of her tragedy.

"It's good to see you, Mr. Cha. I've been doing well~ Jae-il's been so good to me, so please don't worry."

Eun Ha didn't miss the way Dae Hee looked her up and down. The unsmiling scrutiny caused the muscles of Eun Ha's mouth to quiver a little in displeasure.

"Hahaha!" He slapped Jae-il on the shoulder. "You're too kind. Our boy's a true catch, indeed!"

"Certainly, isn't he?" Dae Hee smiled brightly, staring straight into Jae-il's eyes.

Yeong Gu remained unaware of her knowledge about the car incident or her plans for revenge. She needed to butter them all up properly, to draw closer to his family—it was the quickest path to Jae-il's heart.

Eun Ha blinked and pursed her lips.

The entire conversation had her feeling ill, and the longer it went on, the worse it got. Especially when Jae-il flashed Dae Hee a painfully sweet and carefree smile, and all three of the ladies watching that exchange almost believed that they might need to consult the family doctor soon.

Dae Hee already displayed some unhealthy attachment to their son, and it wasn't good to leave her undisturbed, even if Jae-il seemed to have no problem with her whatsoever. It was obvious to anyone watching that she liked him way beyond just a friend.

"You went crazy there~"

Dae Hee made an overly dramatic gesture with her hands to emphasize her point, prompting Jae-il to laugh.

"Right? They had to foul him just to stop him!" Yeong Gu laughed again—and hearing the man laugh so happily and freely, as if he had done no wrong in the world, further incensed Dae Hee. "Dae Hee, you should've seen this one defender who tried to kick him and failed. It was hilarious, hahaha!"

"No way~ they must be so jealous of you, Oppa! Maybe if they played football instead of acting out, they'd have a chance!" 

"Yeah, well... not everyone can be a talent like him, y'know?"

"Right, right~"

"......"

Jae-il just stood there, smiling awkwardly as Dae Hee continued with the praise, eagerly backed up by his father who never missed an opportunity to shout out to the heavens how glorious and talented his only son was.

"I've always had the feeling you'll go far, you know?" She said with an admiring tone. "I hope you won't forget lil 'ol me when you go to the top."

"If that's how it ends for me, I'll definitely give you a call."

Dae Hee nervously put one of her hands on his arm, hoping it conveyed the correct amount of sincerity she was aiming for.

This was one of those small moments that she savored, that she built upon in her mind, constructing elaborate fantasies where she wasn't just a 'dear friend' but so, so much more. Of course, the perfect fantasy would be Jae-il's head right between her thighs, and after Yeong Gu knelt and groveled at her feet, admitting to everything and accepting any punishment she would give to him. But she'd start with small steps.

The three Cha women watched her like vultures.

It was impossible to ignore the sheer intensity of their collective glare. All of this animosity was quite confusing to Dae Hee, as she had done nothing that would warrant a reaction like that.

She looked at Eun Ha, then at Mia and Su Ah. "Ah, you guys must be Jae-il's sisters? You guys are so pretty~" She flashed a bright smile. "You must be very proud of him."

"We are." Mia answered with a forced smile, her eyes never leaving Dae Hee's face.

Su Ah just nodded, her expression unreadable but still cold.

Eun Ha seemed to be the only one who was at least trying to be polite. "It's nice to meet you, Dae Hee. Jae-il never told us he has such a pretty friend." Though the remark came out more stilted than it should have, she did try her hardest.

"Hmhm! It's very nice to meet you all! I wish Jae-il could bring me to his house so we could talk and hang out some more!" Dae Hee tried, but the reaction was as expected. “These days, he’s always busy…”

Eun Ha's face paled. Mia gave her the evilest glare she had ever received. Su Ah frowned, visibly upset.

"Of course, any time~ I'll be baking cookies." The woman said, barely getting the words out without choking.

"......"

Dae Hee discreetly checked Yeong Gu and Jae-il's reactions, as it seemed those two were the only ones completely unaware of the women's silent hostility. Yeong Gu beamed proudly, his hand on Jae-il's shoulder. As for Jae-il...

For a brief moment, she could've sworn he shot his family a questioning glance.

His smile faltered, and he looked surprised at the tension.

'Hmm...'

If it were any other female friend instead of his relatives, Dae Hee could've easily rationalized their behavior as jealousy or over-protectiveness over a male they liked. 

But this was his family. His mother, his older sisters. What could they possibly be so defensive about? And she couldn't even reply in kind to their unspoken animosity, because Jae-il would surely notice, and that would be catastrophic for Dae Hee.

What an unexpected landmine she was treading upon.