Between the lines

Be my weakness

At times, isn't it okay for a mom to become evil for her child's sake?

The words echoed in her head like a broken record. Oh Yoon-hee knew she had heard that before, she just couldn't recall where exactly. It was so familiar, so intimate. Suddenly, she remembered it all, but it felt like a memory from another life, a better one. There was no way. Could it be her? Could it be Su-ryeon? Her heartbeats increased dangerously. She gripped the end of the table in front of her to anchor herself to reality.

At times, isn't it okay for a mom to become evil for her child's sake?

Those words. That voice. That look. Oh Yoon-hee's eyes went wide at the realization. It was her. It had to be. She swallowed hard and looked at the door closing behind Ae-gyo. She grabbed her purse and ran after her.

"Shim Su-ryeon!" Yoon-hee yelled. Ae-gyo's eyes widened at the sound of her voice. She knew that Oh Yoon-hee would figure it out. She stopped next to the car and turned around to face her. She put her mask on and hid her true feelings. However, nothing prepared her for what was coming. Oh Yoon-hee stopped in front of her and looked at her as if it was the very first time she saw her. Her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, her lips. It was her. Her eyes filled with tears and her lower lip trembled. She knew that her voice would fail her, and so, she threw herself into her arms. Ae-gyo didn't move. She stood there, holding back her own tears as the younger woman sobbed in the crook of her neck. "Why did you lie? Why did you leave?" Yoon-hee asked her. She brought her closer to her. She needed to feel that she was real. Ae-gyo clenched her jaw. The hot tears of the younger woman meeting the skin of her neck felt like claws tearing her flesh apart. Ae-gyo cleared her throat and collected herself. She couldn't be weak now. She had to be strong for the both of them.

"What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?" Ae-gyo asked her as coldly as possible. Oh Yoon-hee stepped back and wiped away the tears. "Stay away from me. All I did was to tell you to get yourself together and to act like a mother would," she said, looking away. She couldn't bare to see the pain she was causing her. All she needed from Yoon-hee was her trust. She needed to focus on her goal to take Dan-tae down.

"Stop lying! I know it's you," Oh Yoon-hee yelled, grabbing her by the collar of her blazer and pinning her against the car's door. Ae-gyo didn't give anything away, which only infuriated Yoon-hee even more. "I know it's you," she repeated, frustrated. Ae-gyo chuckled.

"You are mad, you know that, right?" Su-ryeon replied, playing her character. She didn't want to risk Oh Yoon-hee's safety because of a moment of weakness. She would never forgive herself if something happened to her. Oh Yoon-hee's facial features changed. From hopeless she went to anger. She tightened her grip on her purple blazer.

"Shim Su-ryeon! Why are you doing this to me?!" she asked her, invading her personal space again. She wasn't having it this time. Her warm breath caressed Ae-gyo's face seductively and the impostor nearly forgot how to breathe. "Stop running away and answer me!" Yoon-hee demanded, watching her. Ae-gyo's chest raised and failed irregularity. She was cornered. She had no other option but to come clean now.

"Because I had to!" Su-Ryeon shouted, meeting her brown eyes. Yoon-hee let go of her and stepped back as if she had been burned by her touch. Su-ryeon held her head up high. "Staying away from you was the only way in which I could protect you," she explained to her. Oh Yoon-hee was shocked. "Now that you know that it's me, I can't be around you anymore. I'll explain it to you when the time comes," she said, opening the car's door to get in, but Yoon-hee grabbed her elbow and stopped her.

"You don't get to walk away from me just like that. Do you know how much I've missed you? Do you have any idea of what I have had to endure?!" Yoon-hee asked her, raising her voice. She wanted answers and she wanted them now. Su-ryeon let go of her and ignored her questions.