You Promised Me, Mr. Lee San-ha - Chapter 122



Only Krnovel

Episode 122 Find Me (1)

I want to eat tofu.

I’ve been craving tofu for several days now since I went to the police station for the Ahn Hee-chan rescue incident.

I want to eat white, fluffy, warm, rich, and slightly salty tofu.

It’s been a long time… … but I decided to go to my parents’ house anyway.

“Mom’s braised tofu is the best in the universe.”

It’s a different concept from the white tofu I eat after being released from prison, but it doesn’t matter.

Tofu… … I need a really big piece of tofu… … .

I stopped by a nearby market and bought some handmade tofu that cost 3,000 won each, and headed home.

Braised tofu is good, but wouldn’t tofu pancakes be good too?

Or tofu kimchi is also good.

I opened the front door with happy worries.

As soon as I opened the door, I heard my father shouting from the kitchen.

“Oh my! What’s going on? Why is the frying pan on fire?!”

Idaein is screaming with her upper body buried under the sofa.

“Oh no, Cha! Where did the remote go?! Why can’t I find it even after searching the entire house?!”

A truly chaotic multiverse where only chaos, destruction, and oblivion exist.

I, who had come with a smiling face holding tofu, could only watch the disaster with a blank expression.

It’s almost like the perspective of a war correspondent witnessing the horrors of war with his own eyes.

I asked with a blank expression.

“What the hell happened… … ?”

Idain crawled out from under the sofa like a mechanic at a car center.

“Mom left home.”

What is it? What does it imply? A hint at a twisted menopause?

I need to know what the hell happened.

After finishing putting out the fire, my father walked out into the living room.

“Have you come to Sanha… … .”

The most dead voice ever.

He looks even more depressed than when he got his money stolen by Park Hyun-woo, who had given him a guarantee.

First, I sat my father down on the sofa and sat across from him on the living room floor.

The conversation took place while the three of us, father, Ida, and I, sat in a triangle formation.

I was the first to speak.

“Who would like to explain first?”

“Yes! My dad forgot our wedding anniversary for three years in a row, so my mom turned into a runaway ninja and transformed into a dark ninja!”

Idain answered, raising her hand energetically.

I found myself nodding in agreement with this truly accurate and clear explanation.

The father, who was given a reproachful look, cowered even more and defended himself.

“Hey, I forgot to register the anniversary on my phone… … .”

Idain nods, resting her chin on her hand, and grins.

“I listened carefully to the defendant’s closing argument. It wasn’t a very good argument. Death penalty.”

In a country governed by the rule of law, it is impossible to impose the death penalty without notice.

I have expressed my opposition to extreme punishment.

“Calm down. Right now, dealing with the situation takes priority over punishing the criminal.”

“Why don’t we just cut off the heads of the criminals and send them to the enemy camp?!”

“What kind of grudge do you have against your father?”

Idain smiled and acted coquettish.

“Hey~ Where’s that kind of thing? These days, I get all my allowance and stuff from my mom, so I just take her side.”

Aha. The supported countries have changed.

Then, changing camps is inevitable.

Idain sat on the sofa and patted her father’s back.

“Dad, there are plenty of things to think about positively.”

My father asked back in a weak voice.

“… … For example?”

“The community center is closed. I have to wait at least until tomorrow to file for divorce.”

My father covered his face and lowered his head.

There is an additional hit from Idain.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll find a handsome younger man to be your new dad. You don’t have to worry, Mom!”

I think it would be less painful to stab it with a knife.

Ida In, who had come back down to the floor, was holding her father’s cell phone in her hand.

Idaein opened the chat screen and showed it to me.

“Look at this. This is what my dad texted me. It’s not a joke.”

I took the phone and slowly scrolled through it.

[Wife: What are we having for dinner tonight~? ^^]

[Lee Seong-geun: There’s tuna]

[Wife: ?]

[Wife: Don’t you know what day it is today?]

Here, after a long time, my father replied.

‘It’s so obvious that you’re worried… …!’

I sighed and scrolled up.

[Lee Seong-geun: I know]

[Wife: You forgot? Hahahaha]

[Lee Seong-geun: No]

[Lee Seong-geun: I was talking about tuna sashimi]

[Wife: Hahahahahahahahahahaha]

[Wife: Get out of here]

[Lee Seong-geun: ?]

[Lee Seong-geun: I was trying to make a reservation for tuna sashimi, but did I misunderstand something?]

[Wife: I don’t like tuna sashimi.]

[Lee Seong-geun: Aha]

[Wife: Hahahahahahahahahahaha]

[Wife: Don’t look for me]

[Lee Seong-geun: There is also salmon at the tuna restaurant]

[Wife: Hahahahahahahahahahaha]

[Wife: ㅗ]

There has been no chat since then.

A feast of regret that makes sighs come out naturally.

No words of comfort come to mind for this self-inflicted disaster.

Mom seemed really angry.

The status message has also changed like this.

[My husband is on someone else’s side, so my husband]

The profile picture was even more terrifying.

This is a captured photo of an old lady answering a question on a Korean language quiz show.

The question was, “What is another word for husband?”

The problem provided a hint for the initial consonant, so the initial consonants of three letters were written in the box below.

[f*ck]

Of course, the correct answer would be ‘Sir’… … but I don’t think he changed his profile picture with that intention.

They say that a fight between a married couple is like cutting water with a knife, but this is too serious.

Should I say that it is at the level of cutting H2O with a single molecule cutter?

Since it was split into molecular units, it seemed like suturing would not be easy.

I took extraordinary measures.

“From now on, we will carry out large-scale operations to overcome division.”

My father and Idain’s gaze poured out toward me.

* * *

Idain and I traveled in a car with my father.

While I was driving to my destination, I tried sending a text message to my father on his cell phone.

[ㅅㅂㄴ] I touched the chat room with my mom where her profile picture was floating and entered the content.

[Lee Seong-geun: Honey](1)

[Lee Seong-geun: I’m sorry.](1)

Mom remained silent.

I typed the message seriously, as if I were Zhuge Liang writing a letter of resignation.

[Lee Seong-geun: I always wanted to be good to you, but it doesn’t work out as well as I want. I don’t know how happy I am to have met such a good person as you. I feel so sorry for hurting you so much. I don’t know how I can be so shameless now, but can we at least meet and talk for a little while?](1)

The 1 next to the letter does not disappear.

I couldn’t tell if he wasn’t reading at all or if he was only previewing it.

‘I guess I’ll have to change my plans.’

This time I took out my cell phone.

I opened a chat window with my mom and sent her a message.

[Lee San-ha: ? Dad just asked me if Mom came to my studio. What’s going on?]

I wait for a reply with nervous eyes.

A while later, a text message arrived from my mom.

[Mom: I don’t know that kind of person.]

It’s a chat that is clearly crooked to anyone who looks at it.

I pretended not to know and continued the conversation.

[Lee San-ha: Hahahahahahaha~ Why~ What’s going on?]

[Mom: I’m really upset. That guy wants to celebrate White Day and buy me Pepero. I never asked for that. But what’s the point of forgetting our wedding anniversary for three years in a row? And today’s a holiday! And he went out drinking with his neighborhood friends the night before!]

… … Until now, I thought my mom was overreacting.

But after hearing the inside story, I could tell that my father was wrong.

But now was not the time to reprimand my father.

It is a priority to keep in touch with your mother and get additional information.

[Lee San-ha: Oh my;; Mom is so caring. Even Buddha would stand up and applaud.]

[Mom: I’m going to kill your father and go to hell]

[Lee San-ha: Why are you saying such scary things;;; Then where are you now?]

[Mom: The youngest is here. Phew… … Soju is sweet. You guys shouldn’t drink this kind of stuff… … ]

Judging from the fact that he’s showing off something he doesn’t normally do, he must be drunk.

‘First of all, is the current location your little aunt’s?’

If you’re staying with your aunt, who is a weekly, you’ll likely be staying for quite some time.

I ended the conversation with an appropriate greeting.

[Lee San-ha: Haha, but don’t eat too much and take care of your health.]

[Mom: Living with your dad is the most detrimental to your health. It causes complications due to stress.]

I don’t know why my mom’s speech is becoming increasingly more formal, but anyway, I achieved my goal.

Just then the car arrived at its destination.

I got out of the car and headed towards the elevator.

While I was waiting for the elevator to come down, I opened the status window.

To Yoon Seok: Promise to buy me a new bracelet.

To Yoon Seok: Promise to buy me a new wallet.

To Yoon Seok: Promise to buy me a new bag.

… … .

It seems like everything can be solved with money… …but other than that, nothing else comes to mind.

The list was filled with promises as numerous as the years my father and mother had spent together.

But of all the things that give you the fastest feedback, gifts are the best.

‘Of course, other than that, I kept all the promises that seemed good.’

The most important thing right now was to put out the fire at our feet.

When I looked closely at the promises, I could see that they were promises made a long time ago.

Some of them were even promises made before I was born.

It can’t be helped, although a lot of the wealth my father has accumulated over the years will be depleted.

‘This is the sin that the father who issued the empty check must bear. Accept it.’

It’s similar to doing all the homework you’ve been putting off the day before school starts.

I started my shopping in earnest, praying for the peace of my father’s wallet.

Da-in Lee, the only female member, recommended various wallets.

“How about this product? It is an eco-friendly product made by waiting for the crocodile to die a natural death. Tanning with a luxurious finish along the spotted pattern. It will give you the best satisfaction with a natural gloss added… … .”

My father pretended not to hear and picked up another wallet.

My father’s attitude is as if he would choose anything.

Idain shouted in anger.

“Huh? What are you doing, Dad?! Even picking out mackerel at the market would take longer than that!”

The father, who was keeping his promise, answered with a blank expression.

“Your mom doesn’t like that kind of thing. She hates wasting even a single coin, so she likes things with a coin purse inside, and she looks good with a lot of cash in it, so she looks for things with a lot of space for bills. She often gets tteokbokki sauce on her clothes, so she only wears dark-colored clothes, but she thinks that if her wallet is dark, it won’t be visible, so she uses bright-colored wallets. She likes this brand more than that brand in the first place.”

It was like watching a robot analyzing big data and guiding users to their preferred products.

My father already knew my mother’s tastes amazingly well.

Even small habits.

I also like the texture.

Even your favorite brands.

That’s something only someone who has been by your mother’s side for a very long time can understand.

I had a question.

“If you knew so well, why did you keep putting it off until now?”

“Isn’t that the case for everyone? Because life is busy, life is hard. When I have a little more free time, I should buy them nice things. I should spend money on more important things first… … I think that’s all I’ve ever thought about. Children’s tuition, utility bills, housing loans… … When I live my life worrying only about such things, time really flies.”

My father answered with a still blank expression.

Idain and I, who had maintained a playful atmosphere throughout, could no longer bicker.

The weight of the words spoken by a person who has carried his family on his back his entire life hit me hard.

Father continued speaking.

“And then, at some point, it became a habit. ‘This person will understand. This person won’t be upset by such trivial things.’ And at some point, you even started rationalizing it. ‘You can buy them something better later.’ It’s… … stupid. People don’t know unless you express it.”

Idain sniffled, her nose turning bright red.

“I’m sorry, Dad. I didn’t know you… … were thinking that way. I’m really sorry—”

At that moment, Idain’s cell phone rang.

The words [Mom♥] were floating on the screen.

“Huh? Mom! What’s going on?”

[I called to see if my daughter had eaten. That person can’t even cook properly.]

“Hehe, I prepared the food myself! Mom―”

That moment.

Suddenly, her father snatched Ida’s cell phone away.

“Hello? Honey!”

[… …hang up.]

“No! Don’t hang up and listen! Even if you hang up, listen to this and hang up!”

What on earth were you trying to say that you even took away Idain’s cell phone?

Idain and I turned our gazes mixed with questions toward our father.

Finally, my father said.

“I told you before that the air conditioner wasn’t cooling well, right? That’s because I hid my emergency money in the filter. That thing inside the toilet isn’t a brick! It’s a wad of money wrapped in plastic. And behind the picture frame… … .”

Oh, no.

There was one thing on my list of promises that I failed to keep.

To Yoon Seok-eun: Promise to transparently disclose financial status.

My mother’s answer came back to the confession that continued one after another.

[You’re behind.]

Things have now gotten out of control.