It's Way Too Late To Stay Locked Up Inside Ourselves

One Month Later

"That's the best one so far. Stick with that. You look lovely."

Se-ri turned around from her closet and looked at Han Jeong-yeon who was sitting on her bed sipping a glass of white wine. She had never felt more uncertain of selecting an outfit in her life. It was a very strange feeling for the chief executive officer of Se-ri's Choice. Se-ri spun around in the mirror and narrowed her eyes at the reflection.

"Are you sure? It's The Late Show! National live television and the photographs will live on forever. It has to strike the right balance ..."

"Of a CEO philanthropist attending a live performance of a federal agent turned rock star who happens to be the nation's first son and is dropping the biggest story of the year out of nowhere?"

Se-ri burst out laughing.

"This is so crazy isn't it?"

Her mother nodded but smiled.

"It is in fact ... crazy."

She laughed softly as she shook her head. Han Jeong-yeon then looked at the ensemble again and her tone turned more serious.

"You want the public to look at you tonight and identify with you — not envy you. Your instincts are right to keep it lowkey. How they love to hate successful women..."

Han Jeong-yeon rolled her eyes and took a sip of wine as Se-ri raised her eyebrows at that hard truth. I need them to be on my side. And so Se-ri had eschewed her signature suits and instead chosen a T-shirt, a black blazer with a soft silhouette, and jeans. She pulled down on the ends of the blazer and stood up straighter as she looked again in the mirror. Yes, this will do.

"It makes me happy to see you so happy."

Her mother's voice was now soft and almost wistful. Se-ri looked at the reflection of the woman who had loomed so large in her life but from a distance. A year ago Se-ri never could have imagined that the two of them could be like this. Han Jeong-yeon was now a trusted confidant. Se-ri sat down on a chair across from her and threaded her hands together.

"Thank you — for being here tonight. And for being there for me over the last year."

Han Jeong-yeon sniffed as she turned away for a moment. When she looked back at Se-ri, her eyes were glistening.

"I'm sorry that it took me so long to be there for you like I should have been."

Se-ri nodded silently. I may have forgiven her but she may never forgive herself. Han Jeong-yeon smoothed her hair as she regained her composure.

"Has Father been grumbling very much to you?"

Han Jeong-yeon gave her a knowing smile.

"Your father was not as difficult a sell as you would think. A year of retirement has turned his attention to other things. He respects that this is what you want."

Se-ri gnawed at her lip as she tried to imagine her father and Jeong-hyeok's father in the same room together someday. It was beyond comprehension.

"He was the same as he was when I first told him about Ri Jeong-hyeok -- surprisingly supportive. But I know how he must be dreading the idea of having to interact with Ri Chung-ryeol on top of seeing him everywhere on the news."

Han Jeong-yeon leaned back on one hand.

"I'll make sure he takes out his frustrations on the golf course."

She swirled the wine around in her glass and looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I actually think that there's a tiny part of him that's enjoying this. That man came after our family for years and now, well...."