Cheondoong wasn’t sure how long he stood there, staring dumbfounded at the front door. 

It didn’t make sense.  Why would the sajangnim visit his mother?  Cheondoong had never once mentioned his mother to anyone other than Hyunsik and he was certain Hyunsik would never divulge that information… so where was the connection?  Did his mother know Kim Dongmin from before?  She had, after all, been friends with a high power CEO such as Jang Daeho… did they run in the same circle?  How else could any of this be explained?

Taking a deep breath, he walked the last few steps to the front door of his mother’s home and knocked on the door.  Whatever the reason, he would find out tonight.  He was tired of secrets; they had cost him so much already.  Well no more…

The door swung open suddenly, making him jump.  Cheondoong looked up at his mother with surprise.  She looked the same as she did three weeks ago at the hospital; still tired and weary from life.  She wore a faded gray sweater and large worn jeans.

She stared back at him with a similar look of surprise followed by relief and anguish.  “Ch… Cheondoong-ah,” she murmured in disbelief, “You’re here…”

“For the dinner I promised you,” Cheondoong said.  He pursed his lips to avoid throwing questions at her; he should give them some time to adjust before he buried her in his confusion.

“Of course,” she said, dabbing her moist eyes with her sleeves, “Come in, come in…” 

Bracing himself, Cheondoong stepped inside the house with wary.  It looked exactly the same as it did all those months ago.  That wasn’t a surprise though; the house had barely changed from how it was years ago when his father had divorced her.  It still smelled the same and the place was still felt foreign to him though that was no surprise either; he barely had a chance to grow up in it before his parents separated.

“I was just about to put the stove on,” his mother said, walking past him and leading them to the kitchen, “I’m afraid I don’t have much prepared.  I didn’t know you were coming…”

Cheondoong stayed silent as he followed her to the kitchen.  She had some vegetables cut up and a pot of rice cooking.  Other than that, the kitchen was empty.

“I’m so glad you came,” she said as she pulled out a pot, “I’ve been waiting.  Every day, I kept hoping that you would just… show up.”  A heartbreaking smile graced her lips as she looked at Cheondoong and said, “I’m so glad I can have supper with you again.”

“There’s… a lot of things we need to talk about,” Cheondoong said slowly as he watched her bustled around in the kitchen with a sudden liveliness, “About everything that’s happened… about Joonie-hyung.”

She faltered for only a fraction of a second before she continued cooking.  She nodded briefly with her back turned to him as she stirred the vegetables in the pot.  “How have you been?  What have you been up to?  You’ve grown since I last saw you!” she chattered, her mood suddenly bright, “You’ve also gotten thinner; are you eating properly?  How’s school?  Are you doing okay?”

A little taken aback by her sudden mood change, Cheondoong tried his best to answer her questions in a civil manner.  He was already here; his feelings of anger, and wary should be put aside if he really wanted to help them start a new relationship as a family again.  That was why he was here… wasn’t it?  In the midst of suddenly seeing the sajangnim here, Cheondoong wasn’t quite sure anymore.

“I’m doing well.  I’ve been eating fine,” he said, “Schools not hard; I’m doing fine.  I’ve… recently signed up with KTA as a trainee…”  He paused, wondering if he should continue telling her so much. 

“Hmm,” she said, not having quite noticed what he’d said, “That’s great.  Glad to hear school is going well.  We want to get into a respectable university after all.  Grades are an important part of life, I keep telling your father.”  She sighed dramatically and began humming to herself as she stirred the pot.

Cheondoong blinked as he stared at her back.  What did she just say?  Did she just… mention his father?  “What?” he asked, taken aback.

“Hmm?” she replied, turning to look at him as if nothing had happened, “What is it sweetie?”

“What did you just say?” Cheondoong asked, his heart speeding up.  Did he really just hear what he thought he heard?  It was strange only because his mother openly showed her hate towards his father… not to mention his father died several years ago.  And as far as he knew, the two did not keep in touch.

“What are you talking about?” she asked, her face clearly confused, “Stop being silly.”  She chuckled to herself as she turned back around and turned off the stove.  Grabbing a plate from the cupboard, she began spooning out the vegetables when she said nonchalantly, “Dinner’s ready.  Go get your sister.”

Cheondoong stared at her, his mouth slightly open in shock.  What the… go get his sister?  Was she kidding?  Did she even realize she was saying these crazy things?

Placing the now empty pot into the sink, she turned to him with a strange look.  “Why are you just standing there?” she asked, as if he was the one acting strange, “Go set the table.” 

Dumbfounded, Cheondoong walked towards the cupboards and began taking out bowls.  His mother was acting very strange… it was as if she had suddenly lapsed back into the past.  Talking about his father and his sister?  And acting as if everything was fine in the world?  What the heck was going on?  Was… was her sanity still there?  She seemed fine when she’d first opened the door to greet him; was this all an act to gain sympathy?  

“I’m just so glad you’re here,” she said suddenly, her voice soft and sad again, “I’m just… so glad that you’re willing to give me another chance…”

Cheondoong let the silence sit briefly before he responded with, “You promised you’d turn yourself in so… it’s what noona would’ve wanted.”

“Dara…” his mother said softly, “She was always so forgiving and kind.  It’s such a shame…”  She trailed off as she wiped the pot dry and set it on the rack.  “It’s such a shame,” she continued, lamenting as she stared at the pot, “I wish I could have been at her funeral.”

Cheondoong dropped a bowl as he suddenly looked at her with wide eyes.  What did she just say?  Funeral?  Did she think Dara was dead?  What the heck was wrong with her?  Before he could utter a word though, she turned around at the sound of the smashing plate and sighed at him in exasperation.

“Oh Doongie,” she said, grabbing a broom, “You were always so clumsy!  If you only had half the grace Joonie did…”  With another sigh, she knelt down and began sweeping up the debris.

Cheondoong watched her as more shock crashed into him.  His mother… was insane.  That could be the only explanation for her actions.  “What’s wrong with you?” he whispered as she stood and walked towards the garbage with the pieces.

“Don’t worry,” she said, suddenly flashing him a sunny smile, “These bowls are so old; we needed new ones anyways.”  Sweeping the floor one last time, she set the broom aside and grabbed another bowl.  Without another word, she began scooping rice into the bowls and placing the dishes on the table.  Grabbing a few chopsticks and spoons from the drawer, she returned to the table and gave Cheondoong a puzzled look.  “Sit,” she said as she took a seat herself.

Cheondoong sat across from her and accepted the utensils she handed him, his eyes never leaving her face.  He watched as she began to eat.  As she chewed, her expression was normal and devoid of any emotion.  After a brief moment, she looked at him and pointed to the food, urging him to eat.  Warily, Cheondoong began to eat too.  The food wasn’t bad but he could barely taste what he was eating; he was much too focused on his mother as she ate.

“This is nice,” she said suddenly, smiling at him, “I miss this.  Won’t you move back home?”  She gazed at him, sadness now in her eyes. 

Cheondoong looked back at her from across the table and recognized the woman that was now talking to him; it was the same one that had visited the hospital room a few weeks ago.  Was this the real side of her?  Then… what was that cheery and sunny side that had talked to him as she’d cooked?  And what about the one that thought Dara had died?  Which one was the sane one?

“I… I can’t do that,” he said slowly, setting down his chopsticks, “Rather than that… I want to know about… Joonie-hyung.”  He watched as her expression changed from one of sadness to a plastic smile.

“Joonie?” she asked as she resumed eating, “Why do you want to know about him?”

Cheondoong paused before speaking carefully, “Noona never told me the details.  All I know is that… you were ing him to Jang Daeho for cash,” he said, his face settling into a frown as he remembered the conversation with his sister.  It had been a dark one; one he had finally achieved after pestering his sister at the hotel they’d been staying at during the time.  She had caved and provided him with some detail but it still left some confusion.

“You don’t have to worry about Joonie,” she said, “He was just a temporary replacement for you.  He’ll never take your place, sweetheart.  It was only until you came back to me-”

“I’m not asking about that,” Cheondoong interrupted, making her jump, “I want to know how you met and why the police couldn’t identify him.  I want to know why you decided to throw him to the dogs and let Jang Daeho ruin him.  And I want to know why you agreed to help Jang Daeho try and kill my sister.”  Towards the end, his words had become sharp and laced with venom.  It wasn’t intended but given the topic, it was difficult to not despise her.

His mother continued eating as if she hadn’t heard a word.  After a brief moment of silence, she said, “I was never good at making this dish; it always ends up being too sour or too sweet.”  She sighed dramatically and shook her head as she looked at the plate of vegetables.  “Your father used to get so mad at me for that,” she said, trailing off.

Setting his bowl down in frustration, Cheondoong stood.  “If you’re not going to talk about this, then I might as well leave,” he said tightly, “I said I would come for dinner and I did.  Whether you turn yourself in is up to you.”  Turning on his heels, he made to leave when…

“I met him by accident,” his mother said suddenly, setting her bowl down and staring at it, “He ran across the road when I was driving and I almost hit him.”  She looked up and her plastic smile was gone, replaced with the woman that Cheondoong recognized as his tormented mother.  “Please,” she whispered, “Please sit, Doong-ah.  Please…”

Still unsure about her sanity, Cheondoong sat back down and looked at her with a frown.  He took a deep breath and waited for her to continue, hoping that she was in her right mind.

His mother sighed in relief as he sat and looked at the food between them as her gaze became distant.  “I was driving home from work when he sudden ran into the road.  Luckily, I stopped in time… He couldn’t remember who he was or why he was there.  From what I could tell by his neat clothes, he was probably from a well-off family,” she said softly, “He was so pretty… and doll-like.  He reminded me of you when you were little…”  She looked up at Cheondoong with soft eyes as she gave him a small smile.  “He was scared and… I missed you,” she said, her smile fading, “So I took him in my car.  I was going to the police station to report him as a missing child but somehow… I ended up… home.”  She paused as she stared off into the distance, lost in the memories of her own crime.

Cheondoong clenched his jaw as he listened to her story.  Even though he knew everything was in the past, it was still a difficult thing to listen to his mother describe her kidnapping.  He had no doubt that the story would only get worse…

“He was a sweet boy,” his mother continued, a smile gracing her lips again, “He listened to me and was so obedient.  But even so, I couldn’t let him sleep in your room.  I couldn’t let anyone sleep in your room.”  She looked at Cheondoong with emotion-filled eyes.  “So I created a makeshift bed for him on the couch.  He barely slept so I stayed with him the whole night.  The next morning, we searched his pockets and found a business card,” she said, her eyes turning slightly cold, “He asked if I could use that to find out who he was.  The police would be able to use it for sure…”  She looked again off into the distance, her face now devoid of any warmth.  “So I took it from him,” she said quietly, “And scratched the contact information off of the card.  It was quite difficult; I had to crinkle the card to fray it enough.  Come to think of it, I could’ve just told him I lost it…”

Cheondoong’s eyes widened.  She tampered with the business card that could have helped identify who Joon was?  “So,” he said slowly, “You never gave it to the police?”  His heart thudded heavily in his chest as she laughed suddenly.  It was laughter devoid of any emotion; it was chilling to hear it coming from her.

“I thought about handing the card over to the police,” she replied, shaking her head, “But they would have been able to figure out who he was… they would’ve taken him from me.”  She smiled sadly and murmured, “I couldn’t let them do that.  I wasn’t going to have my son taken from me again…”

Cheondoong let out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.  His mother… had deliberately kept Joon out of the police radar.  And what for?  Because she missed her children, whom had been taken away from her by her ex-husband.  It seemed surreal that someone related to him could do such a thing.  But if she treated Joon like a son then…

“What’s your relationship with Jang Daeho?” Cheondoong asked, “Why… why would you let him do what he did?”

His mother fell silent as she stared at the food between them.  After what seemed like a long stretch of silence, she said, “The bills began piling up… the savings your father left me had dwindled down to almost nothing and I still had a mortgage to pay.”  She paused and looked up at Cheondoong with soulless eyes.  “He could never replace you, Doong-ah,” she murmured, “And… I needed money.”

Author's notes: 

The next one should be up much faster than the rate I've been going.  Sorry for the long stretches!  Thanks for staying tuned!  I ♥ you readers!!!