Affection's Facade

Ultimatums

Tae-hyung's past pov

I was sweeping the last bits of dust from my apartment floor when I realized something was missing. "Eomma, have you seen that package you guys sent me? The one with the books?"

Dad paused, his hands tucked into his pockets as he glanced around the nearly empty space. "I didn't send any package here, Tae-hyung."

Mom chimed in, "Maybe it's already in your room back home, sweetheart."

I simply nodded my head. "It's fine, they were just books anyway," I sighed, pushing the thought to the back of my mind.

We spent the next hour or so packing up the last remaining items—little mementos of a life I'd lived away from home. As we carried the last box down the stairs, I looked back at the empty apartment. It was strange, thinking I wouldn't return to this particular corner of my life.

Soon enough, we were in the car, driving away. The apartment began to fade in the rearview mirror, and before long, the familiar sights of my parents' home came into view. It felt odd, like stepping back in time. I sighed and avoided my father's glare.

"It's not like you didn't bring this on yourself," he said as he turned off the car. After pulling into the driveway, I noticed the Kims' car already parked outside.

"What are they doing here?" my mother turned to ask my father.

"Business," he said as he opened the car door and stepped out.

"Certainly seems like a lot of 'business' meetings lately," my mother murmured, clearly skeptical, as she, too, got out of the car.

"Is everything all right?" I finally asked, breaking my silence. I'd sensed tension between my parents, a subtext I couldn't quite read.

"Don't concern yourself with my matters," my father said curtly, avoiding my gaze as he started to unload the boxes from the trunk.

"Since when is family business not my concern?" I retorted, feeling my own irritation rise.

My mother sighed and intervened, "Let's not do this now. We have guests."

"Right, the Kims," I said, refocusing on the present moment. "Should I change before greeting them?"

"No time," my father said, looking at his watch. "They've probably been waiting."

"Well, this is going to be an interesting evening," I mumbled to myself as I followed my parents inside, bracing for whatever awaited me.

So-yeon and her parents were here for dinner—a social courtesy that these days felt more like a carefully choreographed dance. We exchanged polite smiles and bows as we entered the house.

Dinner was simple. The house aide served the meal, and as we settled down to eat, Mr. Kim couldn't help but quip, "It's good to see you, Tae-hyung. Not locked up or anything."

My father chuckled. "For that, we owe all our thanks to you and your family."

The comment dangled awkwardly in the air. I remained silent, picking at my food. It was Mr. Kim who broke the silence again. "It's just so scary, you know? A girl like Elera saying such things."

My mom quickly intervened. "We can hardly believe it ourselves. But let's not talk about Elera, especially when she's not here to defend herself."

The atmosphere tensed, but nobody pushed the subject further. Instead, we shifted to lighter topics—college, future plans, So-yeon's recent accomplishments. However, no matter how mundane the conversation became, my thoughts kept drifting back to Elera.