* * *
“Mom, I broke up with her ages ago. Please don’t worry about my personal life. Just take care of yourself, okay?”
He never imagined that she’d think he was still seeing someone he showed her just once.
Taehyun shook his head, feeling sorry for the ex-girlfriend he’d only dated for a couple of months and hadn’t heard from since.
The reason Taehyun struggled to maintain deep relationships was clear.
His parents had shown him the worst example of a marriage.
Why would he want to go through the same?
Although he knew intellectually that not all couples end up like his parents, he didn’t want to take the risk.
Moreover…
“I don’t want to drag someone else’s precious child into my mess.”
Unless his father died and was completely out of his life, he would always remain a source of anxiety for Taehyun.
Just as he had always been afraid his father would come home when he was younger, the fear of his father, even in a different sense, still lingered.
His mother said she met his father through a mutual friend from school.
She was told he was studying business at a neighboring university and would inherit a small business. His mother was the youngest daughter of a local notable family.
When she entered college, it was around the time her father passed away.
Promised support until marriage, she had been raised delicately, attending a prestigious music school without ever having done any household chores.
A well-bred music student and a business major set to inherit a company—his mother said she thought her future would be a stable life as a virtuous wife and wise mother, even as she walked out of the wedding hall already carrying Taehyun.
She only realized later that her husband had never even been to college and that the business he’d inherit was nothing more than a small restaurant. The idyllic married life he’d promised was all a lie.
His mother was naive.
Though it wasn’t her fault, she was too sheltered to understand that people could deceive with malicious intent.
Having never done anything but play the piano, there was no way she could help run a restaurant.
Her first attempts at household management were a disaster, and whenever her cooking didn’t suit his taste, her father would slam down his spoon and leave the house.
Things only got worse when her father passed away, and all the inheritance went to her eldest brother.
It might seem unbelievable now, but back then, it wasn’t uncommon.
Sure that he wouldn’t get anything more from her family, her father became even more reckless.
The smell of alcohol was a constant in their bedroom, and before Taehyun could even speak properly, his mother had to leave him with neighbors and go out to earn money.
All she knew was the piano, so she contacted her school friends, pleading for her first teaching job.
After that, her father clung to her like a parasite, using her as his host.
After Taehyun was weaned, his father would claim he was watching him while drinking continuously and smoking.
It was obvious, even to a child, that once Taehyun became famous and financially stable, his father would try to leech off him too.
Naturally, Taehyun refused to become his father’s victim.
“If you come around here causing trouble again, I won’t stand for it. Do you think I can’t do anything?”
Like a cornered rat that bites the cat, Taehyun had already outgrown his father by the time he was in high school.
He wondered why he had been so afraid of this pathetic excuse for a man.
Why had he endured beatings that left him bruised all over without even thinking of reporting them?
When Taehyun raised his hand as if to strike, ready to overpower him, his father fled, screaming that his son was trying to kill him and causing a commotion that shook the neighborhood.
But it was a relief.
Once his father realized that Taehyun was no longer the defenseless five-year-old who would just sit and take it, he began to avoid him.
The problem was that his father started harassing his mother whenever Taehyun was away for training.
Even that calmed down when Taehyun began to gain fame as a sports star, and with the restraining order in place, his father’s violent behavior was no longer a daily occurrence.
However, the anxiety still lingered.
After all, there were countless ways a worthless parent could torment their child.
Taehyun had long since abandoned any hope that his father might now be living a decent life somewhere.
If he was at least getting paid fair wages as a day laborer, that would be fortunate.
The next best scenario was gambling, and the worst fear was that he was somehow involved in criminal activities.
Furthermore, there were far too many parents who would sell out their children.
Every time a celebrity was dragged into a public scandal due to a parent’s misdeeds and was humiliated as if guilty by association, Taehyun couldn’t help but feel it was not someone else’s problem.
He feared that his father might be doing something similarly shameful somewhere, or that he might be using Taehyun’s name to con people, just as he had deceived his mother.
He was a man capable of that and worse.
Perhaps the only relief was that there had been no news since the last police report.
But even this was unsettling.
How could he know what mischief his father might be up to?
Whatever the case, the existence of his father was undeniably a huge obstacle in Taehyun’s dating life.
“Is it really necessary to drag someone’s precious child into hell…?”
If it were just a light, short-term relationship, it wouldn’t matter, but if he were to marry, a giant stigma would stick to the couple, much like what happened to his mother.
Taehyun could easily imagine the hell that would unfold if his father started secretly demanding things from his spouse under the guise of being the father-in-law.
He shook his head again at the thought.
His mother might never admit it, but Taehyun figured he wouldn’t even dream of marriage until at least sixty.
The age of sixty was the closest estimate to when he thought the man might die of natural causes.
With a handsome face, easy-going attitude, and naturally kind and gentle personality, there were many who wanted Taehyun as a partner.
But would anyone still be interested if they knew he came with the disaster that was his father?
Most would likely run away as fast as they could.
After a brief reflection, Taehyun managed to continue the conversation with a slight smile.
“Anyway, it’s a relief to hear you’re okay. If anything comes up, call me right away. Don’t worry about bothering me; don’t keep it to yourself and suffer alone.”
Although he was far from being a “mama’s boy,” Taehyun always felt indebted to his mother, who couldn’t rid herself of her trashy husband because of him.
“Don’t speak too harshly; he’s still your father…”
Even though that man had drained her life, she still spoke with a soft heart, making it impossible for Taehyun to feel at ease and disengage from family matters.
“Okay, I got it. Train hard. No matter the outcome, I’m proud of you…”
Taehyun forced a hollow laugh at his mother’s encouragement, which, truthfully, wasn’t much help.
“Yes, yes, go back inside. I’ve rested a bit, so I need to start training again. I’ll stop by the academy before I head off.”
“Okay, see you next time. Take care of yourself.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As the cheerful dial tone signaled the end of the short call, his head grew complicated again.
If he didn’t win a medal this time, he’d be in real trouble.
Having already missed two opportunities and incurred considerable disfavor, missing a third would make him a national villain, undoing everything he had built so far.
It would be even worse if his father caused problems under his name.
No matter what, he needed at least one medal, regardless of its color.
That way, at the very least, he wouldn’t be disgraced and burdened by all the resentment he had accumulated.
“Ah…”
Leaning against one side of the conference room wall, Taehyun closed his eyes and sighed deeply. This was seriously messed up.
Cursing didn’t change reality.
The fact that he left two Olympics without a medal, and his father’s issues, were both inescapable realities.
He had to cling to any straw he could.
After briefly groaning while escaping reality, Taehyun eventually turned on his phone screen and looked for someone’s number.
It had been four years since he last sent a message to this number.
Do you have a moment? (2:51 PM)
Then, realizing he had changed his number, he quickly sent another message.
It’s me. Save this number. (2:52 PM)
He could only hope Sejin would realize who “me” was.
* * *
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