Affection's Facade

As we exist

Authors pov

After the PTA showcase, Elera and Jae-Hoon arrived home awkwardly as they usually did. A distance amongst themselves, hesitant to speak.

" I thought you were coming home late," Elera stated as she walked up the stairs into their home.

" I decided to leave early."

" Why? Did you need a favor from me? How'd you even know..." before Elera could say much more she entered the home to find her mother-in-law and father-in-law sitting on the couch, their faces unimpressed by the arrival of their daughter-in-Law.

Jae-Hoon's father was the first to speak, his smile tired yet broad, "Ah, there they are." However his mother cleared her throat before Elera had a chance to say anything, her face sat stoic but unreadable.

"When did my in-laws get here?" Elera asked, her voice betraying her surprise. She attempted to make it sound light as she looked to the maid for confirmation.

"Should we leave," her mother-in-law suggested, with a noticeable amount of disdain in her voice.

Jae-Hoon glanced quickly at Elera, then looked away, clearly uncomfortable.

"Of course not, eomonim. I just wish I had known, so I could have prepared a better meal for you. I've been on a tasteless diet," Elera added awkwardly, a hint of embarrassment creeping into her voice.

Her mother-in-law, Ji-Hye Park, subtly looked Elera up and down before nodding slowly. "I guess it's working?" she remarked with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Elera couldn't help but feel that Ji-Hye's mannerisms always seemed to get under her skin. It was as if there was an underlying current of judgment in every word and gesture. In Elera's head, she ran over her mother-in-law too many times to count - other times threw her off a cliff into oblivion.

Her favorite was when she would
walk out of her favorite department store and imagine witnessing her mother-in-law hit by a white truck.

All that and still here this woman stood, alive, healthy, and well. Speaking in tones that alerted the displeasing elements she had towards her daughter-in-law.

Elera returned the smile, forcing herself to remain composed. It wouldn't do her any good to let Ji-Hye see how much she was affected by her comments.

Byung-Ho Park and Ji-Hye Park seemed to revel in what felt like the revenge arc of their life story. Once upon a time, they had been the most successful of families, until they weren't. Ji-Hye, Jae-hoon's mother, had never been able to let go of her privileged personality, even after losing the money that had once entitled her to that status. If anything, it had only solidified her sense of superiority. Ji-Hye was a thin, older woman in her 50s, with a short pixie cut and a borderline obsession with keeping her skin pale.

Ji-Hye turned to her husband and said something in a low voice, which made him nod in agreement.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Elera finally spoke up, "Would you guys like anything to drink?" Elera asked, trying to break the tension.

"Do you have any barley tea?" her father-in-law asked, his voice soft. Elera nodded and gestured to one of the maids to get the tea. As she did this she felt the eyes of her mother-in-law on her.

"Are you too good to serve your father-in-law?" her mother-in-law began again, and Jae-Hoon stepped in shortly after.

Her sharp, hawk-like eyes seemed to pierce through Elera, sizing her up as if she were a piece of merchandise on display. Her lips curled into a thin smile, full of subtle condescension that had become all too familiar to Elera over the years.