She said, "I need to go, Jae."

Young Jaehyun stood alone by the door, confusion etched on his face. It was six in the morning, in the midst of autumn; the weather was chilly, and he had just woken up. He called out with a raspy voice, "Where are you going, Mom?" The child questioned innocently.

In a gentle tone, his mom replied, her eyes filled with sorrow, yet her voice firm, "To pursue my happiness." Her response was short and precise.

A glimmer of sadness appeared in Jaehyun's eyes as he asked, his gaze fixed on his mom now descending the stairs, "Aren't we your happiness, Mom?"

"Of course, you are, forever and always," she replied, sincerity evident in her heartfelt words, but her feet continued to move away from his bedroom.

"Then where are you going?" He repeated his question, this time for the second time.

His mom stood by the stairs, gazing at her son, the son she was about to leave behind in just a few more minutes. Her eyes remained gentle as she maintained her silence.

The stare lingered for more than a minute before she finally spoke, "You will understand this once you grow up, Jae."

There was nothing left to understand now that he had grown up.

 

His mom was leaving for her own happiness, THE TRUTH HE CANNOT DENY. The harsh reality HOWEVER, her happiness was her first love, someone she could never leave behind despite being married to a man who had loved her until his last breath.

 

her pursuit of happiness meant leaving her child with a depressed and heartbroken father who struggled to move on. It took their father two years to finally leave this world, but his departure was far from peaceful.

 

He still hoped that his wife would come back and assure him that she would never leave him again. Until the day of his death, he waited for her, his last words echoing her name.

 

Jaehyun's younger brother grew tired of it all - their selfish mother and delusional father. He rebelled, left home, and never returned, not even when their father passed away.

 

And then there's Jaehyun, working tirelessly to maintain the facade of a functional family in the eyes of others. He excels in school, achieving first place and excellent results, but for what?

 

He is too busy to make friends, with no time for himself. His life revolves around others, never truly about him. No one cares about him, except himself. So, he toughens up, prioritizing his own well-being and forsaking friendshipS and relationships because they can never pay his bills.

 

He becomes smarter, richer, and better. He becomes successful.

 

He never reaches out to his brother, and neither does his brother attempt to do so.

 

Only on one fateful day, he see a familiar yet distant face, staring at him with care and love in her eyes - his mother.

 

She comes running towards him in the middle of Apgujeong street. Behind her stands a young boy, perhaps the same age as his biological brother.

 

His mother cries, tears staining her face, as she embraces the confused Jaehyun.

 

"Let me introduce you to your younger brother," she says proudly.

 

Jaehyun coldly pushes her hands away, devoid of emotion. "Mother," he says plainly, holding back his hatred and the memories of his past. "It's unexpected to see you here. But it would be better if we never meet again."

 

"I'm sorry, Jae," his mother pleads.

 

He leaves.

 

He doesn't need to hear the reasons; he already knows what it's all about.

 

There's absolutely no point in expressing her care now; it's far too late for that.

 

He halted in his steps, gazed at his mother with hatred in his eyes, "You should have never called out my name. It's not like you ever thought about us when you made the decision to leave. Just go, for the sake of your dead husband, and pursue the happiness you crave the most."

 

"Your father..."

 

"And don't pretend to care now; it's clear that you don't. So, go ahead and live your life happily, because we've managed just fine without you."