You Don't Know Me ➳ Taesan [COMPLETED]

Thirty-Three

The door creaked open, and Taesan entered his home quickly, eager to share the day's events with his mother.

'Mom, you won't believe...' he started, but he realized that his mother was on a phone call in the kitchen. Her voice tinged with frustration to whoever she was speaking with.

Taesan hesitated, standing near the entrance, uncertain whether to let his presence be known. His mother's expression, a mix of distress and urgency, prompted him to linger and listen, catching bits and pieces of the conversation.

'What!? Is this how you want things to be done!? Really!?' she exclaimed, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Taesan's heart quickened, still not able to grasp the situation but growing increasingly curious.

'Someone has to be held accountable! This is not right!'

Taesan's mind whirred with questions, but he couldn't quite answer them. Who could she have been talking to? He ventured further into the room, now approaching the kitchen.

'I won't stand by this!' she asserted, determination resonating in her voice.

Taesan, his thoughts swirling, finally mustered the courage to speak up once he was at the kitchen entrance. 'Mom, what's happening?'

His mother turned toward him, and she hastily concluded her call, her eyes flickering with a mix of surprise and concern.

'Well, where have you been?' she asked him uneasily, trying to deter his attention from the phone call.

'I was with my friends,' he replied, eyeing his mother curiously. The abrupt end to her call had piqued his curiosity. 'Who was that?'

'Just...the old workplace.' She answered quickly. 'Let's go watch some TV, I'm so glad you're home. I needed someone to watch this movie with.'

His mother was normally nice to him, but now it seemed as if she was trying to take his attention away from the call. Now he no longer felt like telling her about the incident at school, his attention was fixed on his mother's possible dishonesty.

The two started to watch the animated family movie, while at the same time his mother decided to fix dinner. She paused the movie and retreated to the kitchen for a while, and he observed her movements with subtle suspicion. The aroma of chicken wafted through the air, momentarily distracting him from the unanswered questions in his mind.

Taesan then looked forward and noticed his mother's phone on the living room table. The screen displaying a constant glow of notifications. Taesan's gaze flickered toward the device, an opportunity to unravel the mystery he sensed.

He leaned forward cautiously, glancing around to ensure his mother remained preoccupied in the kitchen. Curiosity overcoming him, Taesan picked up the phone, noting the unfamiliar sight of a passcode prompt.

His mother had never locked her phone before, and the sudden change struck Taesan as peculiar. He remembered how he sometimes used to answer her messages for her when he was told to, and how they used to take selfies together on her cell phone. It all seemed too strange.

A pang of guilt accompanied his next move, but his determination to understand the situation propelled him forward. Taesan attempted a few combinations, trying to unlock the phone without success. He had tried his birthday, his mother's birthday, the day that they had moved to Green Haven but to no avail. The encrypted barrier only deepened his suspicion, leaving him grappling with secrets concealed within the device.

His mother's voice drifted from the kitchen, a mix of distant conversation and clattering utensils. He quickly placed the cell phone back on the table and focused his attention on the paused movie.