Small and Fragile Things - Chapter 43

A rabbit, licking cream off its nose with delight, sat there disguised as a human.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

So much for the girl who was just on the verge of tears, saying she wanted to go home.
Muk-hyun’s mind was a tangled mess about to split open, yet her face radiated pure happiness.

“Hehe. This is so good.”

Was this someone who could ever convincingly lie to anyone?

It felt like someone had smacked him in the back of the head, yelling, Wake up.
The idea that Irang was just clueless and being used made way more sense than any other theory.

“I’ll let it slide that you lied about not remembering anything. So just tell me the truth. Someone offered you bread, and you followed them, didn’t you? And that’s how you got kidnapped?”

“…No! Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“You said you don’t remember. Then how do you know it’s not true?”

“I mean, I don’t remember… but still, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that.”

Muk-hyun let out a deep sigh and reached up to wipe the whipped cream off the tip of her nose with his thumb. She must’ve buried her face in the cake because it wasn’t just a little bit—it was a whole dab.

“You always say it’s not—”

He looked around for something to wipe it with, but before he could find anything, he suddenly felt something warm and soft wrap around his finger.

Startled, he looked down— The whipped cream had already disappeared… into her mouth.

Thankfully, the lighting was dim and everyone was focused on the screen. If anyone had seen that…

“What the hell are you doing?”

Even his face twisted into a scowl—but in the dark, it probably didn’t show.

“There’s no napkin here.”

“So you just suck it off like that?”

“Hehe.”

“You’re laughing?!”

Right then, the video ended and the lights flicked on. Lucky timing. If they hadn’t turned on, Muk-hyun might’ve forgotten everything else and just started scolding her out of sheer embarrassment.

But the lights came on. Reality returned. Muk-hyun quickly refocused and scanned for his target.

He spotted a couple heading toward the stage—and caught sight of Chairman Choi moving to intercept them.

“Listen carefully.”

He pulled Irang to her feet and stood her beside him, eyes still fixed ahead. She blinked up at him, completely clueless. That only made him feel worse.

“You…”

Honestly, after hearing Jung Yoon’s theory, he had started to wonder. Even just entertaining the idea gave him chills.

It would explain Chairman Choi’s bizarre confidence and the strange vibe surrounding all of this.

If all this really was Kim Deok-gyu’s grand design. Then he’d won. Completely. Chairman Choi and Muk-hyun were dancing in the palm of his hand.

But even so— Muk-hyun couldn’t bring himself to believe Irang was working with him. No way.

“What’s wrong?”

Still, he needed to be sure.

“I need you to stay here by yourself for a bit.”

“By myself…?”

“Just a little while. Don’t go anywhere. Even if someone comes up to you, just ignore them.”

“Why? I want to come with you.”

“I’ll be right back. Here, hold this. And just one more piece of cake, okay? No more.”

He handed her his phone—already recording.

As he gently turned away, using cake as a distraction for her nervous eyes, he suddenly locked eyes with two men who were staring directly at him.

Kim Deok-gyu. Choi Joongdo. Beasts in human skin, eyes gleaming.

“Irang.”

The board was set.

No telling who started this.
No telling who had the advantage.
And no telling who’d win in the end.

“I’ll be right back.”

Muk-hyun’s face darkened as he walked away, leaving Irang alone on a battlefield where no one could tell friend from foe.

***

Thankfully, she was standing by a window, just out of the spotlight.

The second Muk-hyun left, her heart started pounding like crazy, but once she realized no one was paying attention to her, she slowly began to calm down.

“Just one is okay.”

There was still a slice of chocolate cake on the plate Muk-hyun had brought her. She glanced around, then took a bite. A soft smile crept onto her lips.

“Mmm.”

The cake was soft and sweet—kind of like Muk-hyun when he was being nice. Dark and sweet.

She suddenly craved milk. She wished Gi-seon or Jung-pal were here too.

As those thoughts drifted through her head, her eyes landed on the phone in her hand.

They use this for a lot of stuff… even talking to people. She stared at the black screen, wondering what to press to hear the voices she missed.

She tried lifting it to her ear like other people, then shook it a bit—but nothing happened.
Disappointed, she set it down and turned back to her cake.

“Chocolate cake’s the best, huh?”

A stranger had approached her.
A slim guy, not very tall.

“It’s not too sweet. I liked it. Did you try the strawberry one too?”

Oh no. Muk-hyun said to ignore people if they came close.

But it was too late to pretend she hadn’t seen him. And too close to act like she didn’t hear.

She bit her lip, uneasy, as the man stepped even closer and set his champagne glass down on the table where her cake plate rested.

“Mind if I sit here? It’s the most low-key spot, but you beat me to it.”

“….”

No. Someone’s coming to sit here soon. Please leave. That’s Choi Muk-hyun’s seat.

All those words stayed trapped inside her mouth. Before she could say anything, he’d already sat down and started talking again—completely unfazed by her silence.

He said he came because his dad dragged him, he didn’t care about art, his hobby was tennis, and he’d recently traveled abroad to watch a match.

Irang couldn’t even finish her cake. She just sat there, eyes darting around, waiting for Muk-hyun to come back like he said he would.

But no matter how hard she searched, she couldn’t find him. And then, purely by chance, her eyes landed on someone.

…Huh?

Under the sparkling lights, a woman was smiling brightly. Ivory dress. Pearl necklace. Elegant hair neatly pulled up. She was deep in conversation with the person beside her, clearly enjoying herself.

The distance was far, yet her face was crystal clear—like she was standing right in front of Irang.

Thump.
Thump.
Her heart started pounding. So hard it felt like her ribs might crack with every beat.

She couldn’t even blink. Didn’t want to waste a single second of seeing that face.

She pinched the back of her hand. Bit her tongue. Was she dreaming?

As her breath hitched and the world around her faded into static, the woman looked in her direction.

Time stopped.

Everything around her disappeared. It was just the two of them. Alone.

Overwhelmed by an indescribable sensation, Irang whispered without realizing.

“Mom…?”

It didn’t make sense. How could she recognize that woman?

Or maybe… maybe it made perfect sense. Maybe the bond between mother and child was like an invisible thread. Unbreakable. Undeniable.

Even if she’d only seen her once or twice in her entire life— Irang knew. She just knew.

That woman was Moon Heesook. Her mother. The one she’d longed for her entire life.

“Mom…”

So of course, Irang thought she’d feel the same way. They were connected, right? No matter how long they’d been apart. She was the one who’d carried her for ten months. Gave her life.

So naturally… she’d recognize her too.

But—

“Mom?”

The woman smiled politely at her, then looked away.

“…!”

It was the kind of response you’d give a stranger. Like when you accidentally make eye contact with someone and turn away politely to avoid awkwardness.

She… she doesn’t recognize me?

No. That couldn’t be.

Irang felt herself being pulled forward, feet moving without her consent. No—her body moved on its own.

Maybe it was the distance. Maybe once she got closer, her mom would realize.

She pushed through the crowd, bumping into people, knocking things over, causing a mild commotion.

But none of that mattered.

She just needed her mother to see her. She wanted to see that look in her eyes—the look of someone recognizing her child.

And then, finally— Their eyes met again.