Affection's Facade

Toast to our new life

Elera present Pov

Jae-hoon entered the living room with his mother, spotting Elera engrossed in her TV show, munching on an apple as if she didn't have a care in the world. "We have an interview after the gala this weekend," he began, hoping to catch her attention. It had been about a few days since the incident and still Elera was treating him with the same distaste she did the night of their previous fight.

Without taking her eyes off the screen, she took another crisp bite of her apple. " Have fun," she replied, with indifference.

"-but we have a problem," he continued.

Elera finally looked at him, arching an eyebrow. "We?"

"The Kims said they're not helping us with any more campaigning. Elera, what did you tell them?" he probed, his tone bordering on accusatory.

His mother chimed in, adopting a more diplomatic approach. "Perhaps you should talk to the Kims, Elera. It seems they might be misunderstanding our relationship with you."

Elera burst into laughter, setting her apple down on the coffee table. "Misunderstanding?" She paused to chuckle some more. "I think they understand perfectly well. I was just a poor girl who got lucky by marrying into this family. What influence could I possibly have?" She paused, letting her words sink in. "If there's a misunderstanding, it's not with me."

Her words were laced with a sarcasm that wasn't lost on either Jae-hoon or his mother. She looked at the Television and turned it off getting ready to walk away.

Jae-hoon's mother then chimed in, "Still as rude as ever, I see. Won't you offer your mother-in-law something to eat?"

Elera gestured toward a maid walking nearby. "Your son has slept with her, and also seems to find her cooking just as satisfying, if not more so. So really, what difference does it make whether I cook or they do?"

Jae-hoon's mother looked momentarily flustered, her mouth opening and closing as if searching for the right words to say. Jae-hoon, too, seemed taken aback by Elera's newfound assertiveness.

"Any other concerns?" Elera asked, her tone now imbued with a cool detachment.

Jae-hoon finally spoke, "Elera, this isn't helping. We need to find a way to work together, especially now."

Elera turned to face him, her eyes meeting his with a smile, a smile of disbelief. "Work together? Isn't that what I've been doing all along, while you—"

"Let's not dredge up the past," he interrupted. "We have an interview after the gala. The campaign needs us to present a united front. This win is important."

Elera laughed softly. "A united front. How poetic." She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "But tell me, Jae-hoon, when was the last time we were united in anything other than appearances?"

Jae-hoon looked as if he'd been slapped, his face flushed and eyes averted.

"Thought so," Elera said, turning on her heels. "Goodnight, Jae-hoon. Goodnight, eommonim," she added with a sly grin before walking out of the room, leaving them both in silence.

There are moments when even nature grows tired of patience. Moments when the emotions we've carefully suppressed, deemed inhumane or inappropriate, break free without our consent. Such moments are rare, especially for someone like Elera, who had built her existence around restraint. If her recent experience with the Kims taught her anything, it was that she needed to harden her approach. Well, she couldn't be rash, that would do nothing for her. However she couldn't continue to act the way she did, not the way she had in the past—crying and retreating into seclusion—but in demanding respect from those around her, even if the Kims themselves did not afford her any, she at least needed to receive some from the others that thought they too were the Kims just because Elera was kind to them.