Moon’s Labyrinths

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

A warm breakfast had been prepared on the dining table . Shinhae saw steaming rice, warm soup, and several types of side dishes laid out . Jimin had merely taken out and reheated the food made beforehand by the hired help . Still, Shinhae loved the fact that someone had prepared food for her . She was still a child . She was starving for attention .

“Enjoy your meal . ”

Jimin spoke as she placed a spoon and chopsticks in front of her . Shinhae vigorously shook her head as she took a big spoonful of rice into her mouth . She started stuffing her face . It might have looked like bad manners to others, but it didn’t look like that at all in Jimin’s eyes . In fact, she found Shinhae to be commendable for not complaining about the food .

“Is it tasty?”

“Yes! It is delicious, ajumma!”

‘…I have to get her to call me by a different title . ’

She was trying to comfort Shinhae yesterday, so she had done the horrifying act of allowing Shinhae to call her ajumma . However, a small wound appeared on her heart each time she was called an ajumma .

“Hey Shinhae . Unni isn’t old enough to be called ajumma . Do you mind calling me unni?”

Shinhae tilted her head in puzzlement . There was a grain of rice stuck near her lips .

“When dad talked about Jimin ajumma, he called you by ajumma?”

‘It’s his fault!’

For the first time since meeting him, she felt anger towards him . He had ingrained the word ajumma into Shinhae’s head when he had spoken about her . She would make sure to berate him next time they met .

“Mmm . Then I’ll call you unni . Unni . ”

After she spoke those words, she continued to put the spoon rice into her mouth . However, Jimin’s spoon didn't move . She was still like a statue . It was as if she had caught sight of a rare salamander species with gills on its neck .

‘Unni . ’

She had heard it a lot before . Any woman in Korea had frequently heard the term unni and noona throughout their lifetime . However, this child had been calling her ajumma until a moment ago . For some reason, she was deeply moved when this child called her by unni .

“You should eat a lot . ”

When she broke out of her reverie, she pushed the meat side dish towards Shinhae . Shinhae didn’t hesitate and picked up the meat . She was using a child’s chopstick . It was meant to train children on how to use chopsticks, so she was able to grab a big piece of meat .

“Did unni make all of this?”

Finally, the title of unni had taken hold . Jimin was once again moved a little bit by it . Jimin shook her head from side to side .

“No, the ajumma made all of it yesterday . ”

Jimin put up an image of being a very well-rounded person . In fact, she was very skilled in many areas, but she sucked at cooking . She had been living by herself for a while, but she didn’t really cook for herself . She bought side dishes from stores occasionally ordered from a food delivery service . She usually only made rice . In many cases, she made due with microwaveable rice .

“It’s really good, right? It’s not the same as the rice made by your mother . . . ”

Jimin quickly shut her mouth . It slipped her mind . She shouldn’t mention Shinhae’s mother in front of her . She discreetly assessed the situation . As expected, Shinhae’s expression had quickly darkened . She looked sad . Unlike before, Shinhae ate in a slow and deliberate manner .

“…she didn’t . ”

“Huh?”

Jimin was flustered, so she missed what Shinhae had said . Jimin leaned forward a little bit, so she could lend an ear towards Shinhae .

“Mom either bought side dishes or we ate out . She didn’t really cook . ”

“…is that so?”

Shinhae’s mother was someone capable of throwing her daughter away . Of course, she wouldn’t have taken care of Shinhae .

‘Even that part reminds me of her . ’

It was eerie how similar Shinhae’s mother was to her ‘biological mother . ’ It made her frown a little bit .

‘Maybe I should learn how to cook . ’

Jimin didn’t want to be lumped in the same category as those women . Even if it was a little bit, she decided to improve her cooking skills .

After Shinhae finished her meal, she said she had to go to her kindergarten class . She went into the restroom to wash . Shinhae was a child that didn’t need much upkeep . It seemed this was a form of survival mechanism for Shinhae . Survival mechanism might sound fancy or too complicated to describe Shinhae’s behavior to others . However, Jimin was well aware of Shinhae’s story, and she knew what difficulties Shinhae had gone through . Such a weighty word was an apt description of her behavior .

As she stayed longer with Shinhae, Jimin’s pity for Shinhae deepened . She already knew about Shinhae’s situation, but it had merely been information in her report . Seeing it for herself gave her an entirely different perspective .

After washing herself, Shinhae put on her own clothes and picked up her backpack . The helper had probably prepared everything for Shinhae . Shinhae just had to put on her backpack over her prepared clothes . If Jimin wasn’t here, she would have done all this in a silent house, and she would have gone out by herself .

“When do you have to leave?”

Jimin asked . After finishing her preparation, Shinhae turned on the tv . Jimin recognized the show . It was a very long running children’s tv show that she had watched growing up . Shinhae turned her gaze towards the clock .

“Mmm . When the short and long needle points towards 8, the alarm rings . Then, I leave the house, and the bus comes . ”

It seemed Shinahe didn’t know how to read the clock yet . If both the short and long hands were on eight, it meant Shinhae would leave home at 8:40 AM . They still had 10 minutes .

“Should unni go out with you?”

Jimin was already ready to leave . She had put the leftovers in the refrigerator and the dishes in the sink . The helper would wash the dishes later on .

“Really?”

Shinhae abruptly stood up .

“Will you wait with me until the bus comes?”

“Bus?”

“Yes . Everyone waits for the bus with their mom . I’m the only one that has to wait by myself . ”

Shinhae looked dejected . It seemed all the moms held the hands of their children as they waited for the bus . Shinhae stood there by herself, and it was enough to cause a wound to form in Shinhae’s heart .

“Yes, I’ll wait with you . ”

“Yay~!”

Shinhae raised both her hands . The dark shadow, which had been cast over her face since yesterday, was gone . She was full of energy . Shinhae looked excited as she paced around the living room . There was still 5 minutes left, yet she already had her bag on . Normally, she would be focused on the children’s show, but it held no interest to her . She gripped her cellphone in her hand as she waited for the alarm to ring with excitement .

Shinhae and Jimin had met each other yesterday, yet she was looking forward to going to the bus stop with Jimin . It was a bit odd, but Shinhae was starving for love and attention . Jimin had acted like a mother when she consoled Shinhae during the thunderstorm . It was enough to bring down Shinhae’s guard towards Jimin . Of course, it also helped that Sungyoon had told Shinhae about Jimin helping her out while he was gone .

Dee! Dee! Dee! Dee! Dee!

As soon as the alarm rang, she bounced to her feet and turned off the alarm .

“Let’s go!”

Shinhae ran out the front door . Jimin couldn’t help but let out a small smile as she followed after Shinhae .

The school bus would arrive in front of the store that was located next to the apartment complex . Shinhae and Jimin walked down the roadside by side .

There was a mother and daughter walking in front of them . It seemed they were going to the same destination to get on the school bus . The mother and daughter held hands . Jimin was quick to notice that Shinhae was looking at this sight with envious eyes .

“Should we hold hands?”

Shinhae’s expression brightened when Jimin pushed her hand out . Shinhae’s small, soft, and warm hand gripped Jimin’s hand tightly .

It didn’t take them long to arrive at their destination . There were already several children with their mothers gathered there . All of them turned to look at Jimin and Shinhae, who had just arrived . There was surprise in their eyes . The sullen child, who had always come alone, was here with an eye-catching beauty .

Shinhae stood tall as she joined the group . She still held tightly onto Jimin’s hand .

The ajummas kept looking towards Jimin as they discussed among themselves . However, she didn’t pay any mind .

“Shinhae!”

A girl, who seemed to be Shinhae’s friend, ran towards her . She was a cute chubby girl with her hair braided . The girl looked up towards Jimin, who was holding Shinhae’s hand . Then she looked back towards Shinhae .

“Who is this?”

“Yeah . She’s my unni . ”

Shinhae spoke in a boastful manner . Jimin was satisfied too . She had proof now . The term ‘unni’ had stuck in Shinhae’s vocabulary .

At that moment, the bus arrived . The yellow school bus stopped in front of the grocery store, and it slowly opened its door .

“Hello!”

A woman, who looked to be the teacher, got off the bus . The ajummas all greeted her, and they handed their children over to her . The teacher took the time to grab each child’s hand as she led them into the bus .

“Hello!”

Shinhae spoke loudly as she grabbed the teacher’s hand .

“Hello, Shinhae!”

The teacher was guiding Shinhae up the bus when she caught sight of Jimin .

“Oh my! Hello . ”

“Yes . Hello . ”

When the teacher gave her greeting, Jimin also lowered her head .

“Shinhae didn’t come alone today?”

“Yes! I came with unni . ”

“Yes . That’s awesome!”

The teacher didn’t go out of her way to ask who Jimin was . Shinhae gave a big arm wave as if she wanted everyone to see them before she headed into the bus .

Soon, all the children were aboard the bus and the door closed . Shinhae sat next to the window and she continued to wave her hand . Jimin kept waving her hand too .

The bus let out a stinging exhaust as it left . Jimin continued to wave her hand until she couldn’t see Shinhae anymore .

* * *

Jimin arrived at her company a little bit later than usual . In the past couple years, the time she came to her office was 8:40 AM . She started her work at 9:00 AM sharp . She didn’t take any breaks aside from her lunch break and would work tirelessly until 5:00 PM . Even if she didn’t have any work to do, she would stay in her office . There were more days when she had no work to do than the days where she had work to do . However, she never took a day off . She was like a silent robot working towards her goal . The fact that she was late for work was an anomaly .

Still, Jimin had no regret . In fact, she felt good inside as she arrived at work . It was a feeling that had been missing for the past couple years . Anyways, she didn’t have any urgent business right now, and she was the president of her own company . She had no employees . No one would say anything, because she was late to work .

Still, she was coming up with a contingency plan in case she was late again . She arrived in front of her company .

A big frown appeared on her face .

Someone stood outside of her company’s front door . This person looked annoyed as she tried to open the door . Of course, the door was locked, so it wouldn’t open . She complained before she tried to open the door again .

“What are you doing!”

Jimin sounded sharp . There was clear anger in her voice . She was always cool and collected, and it was very rare to see her this angry .

When the woman heard Jimin’s voice, she turned her head around .

She was a middle-aged woman, but her annoyed expression caused her wrinkles to deepen . She had good features . It was evident that she had been beautiful when she was young . However, her eyes were slanted upwards . It indicated that she had a bad temper .

Her entire body was plastered with luxury brands . She wore expensive necklaces, rings, earrings, handbag, clothes, and sunglasses . However, she gave off a cheap feeling instead of looking like nobility .

Her face relaxed when she saw Jimin .

“What? I came here before you got to work? I thought you were inside, and you were refusing to open the door for me . ”

She awkwardly let go of the doorknob . However, Jimin’s hostility never abated . All her good feelings dissipated like bubbles .

“I’ll ask again . Why are you here?”

“Jeez . Your mother came to see you at work . Why are you making it a big deal?”

She waved her hand as if Jimin was talking nonsense .

However, her words were absolutely unacceptable to Jimin .

“I’ve told you this already dozens of times . I’ll tell you again since it seems you’ve forgotten it . ”

Jimin’s breathing became rough as she growled out her words .

“A woman like you isn’t my mother!”