Moon’s Labyrinths

Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Dark Day of the New Moon

Sungyoon had a blank face on his face as he looked at an apartment building . It was a large 1,800 sq feet apartment building in Mok-dong . Normal people couldn’t even dream about living in these luxury apartment buildings . He looked out of place like an alien that had just drifted onto earth .

Before meeting Miyun, he had cleaned and groomed himself . He looked presentable . But now, he looked to be in worse shape than the time when he had been flung to the ground by Jaeho’s security guards .

His face looked gaunt before, but now he looked emaciated . One could see his cheekbones . His hair was tangled every which way, and he had a rough looking beard . His clothes were crumpled, and his clothes emanated an odd smell . It was unknown as to when he had washed his clothes . However, Sungyoon didn’t care . He had lost everything . He had been betrayed, and he had fallen to the bottom . His eyes were empty .

However, a little bit of life suddenly returned to his eyes . His eyes reflected everything he had lost, but he had one thing left . She was his greatest and most precious treasure .

“Dad!”

A small girl ran towards Sungyoon as she chirped like a bird . Sungyoon’s face lit up when he saw her . There had been sadness, despair and grief on his face up until that point . It all disappeared in one moment . Love appeared in place of those emotions . There was so much love in him that it was overflowing .

The little girl was Woo Shinhae . She was Sungyoon and Miyun’s daughter .

“Aigo . My cute daughter!”

Grab!

Sungyoon hugged Shinhae tightly . Shinhae didn’t hesitate as she hugged Sungyoon . He was shabbily dressed, and there was a moldy smell to him . Yet, she didn’t hesitate to rub herself against Sungyoon . He could feel her body heat . It was a unique warmness that was special to little children . It was as if spring winds were sweeping through Sungyoon’s withered heart . .

“Have you been doing well?”

Sungyoon looked into Shinhae’s eyes as he spoke .

Shinhae was the child produced between a handsome couple . This was why she was really cute . The child actors who appeared on TV couldn’t hold a candle against her . This wasn’t the rose-tinted opinion of a parent . It was an objective truth .

Her eyes were large and bright . She still had her baby fat, so her cheeks were chubby . Her hair had a bobbed cut, and it reached down her neck . It really highlighted her cuteness .

“Mmm . Not really . . . ”

However, Shinhae was unenthusiastic as she gave her answer . When his daughter's face fell a little bit, Sungyoon’s eyes turned sharp .

“What is it? What happened”

Did something already happen? Sungyoon unconsciously raised his voice .

“Nothing happened . Stop trying to nitpick everything . ”

He heard a cold voice and raised his head . The warm love, which had been written all over his face, was gone . The only thing left was a cold anger that raged like the arctic winds .

“Why would she react this way if nothing happened?”

She had been his loving wife, yet she was now a hateful bitch in his eyes . He growled towards Miyun, but she didn’t even blink an eye .

“I just stopped paying attention to her . She is no longer my daughter . ”

“You dare···!”

Sungyoon was filled with anger, so he was about to stand up .

Grip!

He felt a light pressure on his sleeve . Shinhae, who had been in his arms, had grabbed his sleeve . Sungyoon, who had been ready to stand up, stopped . Sungyoon was put in an awkward position, so he sat down once again . Then he hugged Shinhae .

“It’s alright . Everything is alright . ”

He lightly patted and rubbed his daughter’s back . As he was doing this, his eyes remained trained on Miyun .

“Does your father and mother know you are acting this way?”

He took a quick glance at the residence behind her as he asked the question . The large apartment was owned by Miyun’s parents . It was the residence of Sungyoon’s in-laws .

Maybe, he was grasping at straws . He had no love for Miyun anymore . However, a small part of him expected better of the people he had called father-in-law and mother-in-law .

However, the daughter had taken after her parents .

“Of course . The two of them were a big fan of my plan . ”

“I see . Your whole family is trash . You guys aren’t even human . ”

This was their last chance to see their granddaughter, yet they hadn’t come out . He could already guess at their stance on this matter .

“You can think whatever you like . Even if we are all trash, it is better than being a beggar without money . ”

It was as if she was choosing to say the worst possible words to him . She was disgusting . It was almost a talent . It really was a mistake to leave Shinhae with Miyun . Even if it would have been tough on him, he should have kept Shinhae by his side .

“Let’s go home, Shinhae . ”

He grabbed his daughter’s hand as he stood up . When she saw them hold hands, Miyun spoke as if it were an afterthought .

“Keep your promise . ”

Sungyoon whipped his head around to glare at Miyun . But she was unperturbed as she moved her mouth . She didn’t vocalize it, but Sungyoon could tell what she was saying by reading her mouth .

Custody rights .

If Sungyoon moved to harm either Jaeho or Miyun, she would immediately move to get the custody rights to Shinhae as her mother . Sungyoon unconsciously balled up his fists .

“Dad, it hurts!”

Sungyoon became surprised at Shinhae’s voice . He loosened his grip . It seemed it had been quite painful for Shinhae as her face had crumpled . But despite her pain, Shinhae didn’t let go of Sungyoon’s hand .

Sungyoon bit his lips as he turned his back to Miyun .

“Don’t worry . I’ll never associate myself with snakes . In fact, don’t you dare come close to us . ”

“You should worry about yourself . You have nothing I want . Why would I hang around you?”

Miyun turned her back on the father and daughter .

“Ah! Didn’t you say this when you proposed to me? You said you’ll make me happy . Congratulations, you kept your word . You allowed me to acquire enough money that I’ll be happy for the rest of my life . I want to thank you for that . ”

Sungyoon didn’t reply to her . Miyun also didn't plan on hearing Sungyoon’s response in the first place . She turned around as soon as she said all she had to say . She walked into the apartment .

The divorce papers had already been sent out . This was the final straw that finalized the separation between Sungyoon and Miyun as a married couple .

Sungyoon quickly walked away . It was as if he was escaping a filthy location, which was infested with bugs . Shinhae was a child, so his pace was a bit demanding . However, she didn’t complain . She stuck close to Sungyoon . She almost ran as she got out of there .

Shinhae should be sad since she was being separated from her mother . However, she didn’t turn back even once to look at where Miyun resided . She already knew . The person, who was supposed to be her mother, had abandoned her .

* * *

The building was a two story single house . It was located at the outer edge of Seoul . This place was quite cheap compared to the rich neighborhoods at the heart of Seoul . Still, it was a house in Seoul . It was quite expensive compared to the houses in the countryside . Moreover, this was a single house with two floors . It meant the owner of the house was wealthy .

However, Sungyoon was no longer the owner of this house . He was the former owner . He was in a worse situation than most average Joe now .

He had taken Shinhae from his former in-laws' house, which had been a den occupied by demons . In the end, Sungyoon took her to his old house . Even though it was no longer his house thanks to his debt, he still had time before his house would be auctioned off through foreclosure . Above all else, he had no other choice . His parents had already passed away, and he had no relatives . He could entrust Shinhae to no one .

When he entered the front door, he saw that the interior was clean . Miyun had always cared about outward appearances . This was why she had used cleaning services quite often . Miyun’s fingerprint was all over this place . If one went by appearances, this place looked like a model house .

There were a lot of fancy furniture and fixtures . However, there were red stickers for bankruptcy all over them . It really ruined the elegance of the house and created a gloomy atmosphere .

Shinhae had not been to this house in a while, so she was happy . She took off her shoes, and she ran into the house . She jumped up on the sofa in the living room, then she started rolling around .

Sungyoon looked pleased when he saw this .

However, the good feeling didn’t last too long . His head started to hurt when he thought about the future . He had a mountain of debt, yet he had to provide food, clothing, and shelter . Moreover, there was something Korean parents worried above all else . It was the expenses incurred when educating one’s child . Sungyoon pressed down on all his worries . It felt as if a heavy weight was pressing down on his shoulders .

“Dad . ”

He was looking blankly ahead as he thought about the life to come, when Shinhae called out towards Sungyoon .

“I’m hungry . ”

His daughter was clutching her stomach as she looked up at him . Sungyoon decided to push away his worries to a later date .

“Yes, let’s eat . ”

When he looked outside, the sun had set . It was dark outside . It had been awhile since he had seen his daughter, so he wanted to buy her something delicious . He brought out his wallet, and he rooted through it . He found a couple ten dollar bills crumpled within . He also had credit cards, but they were basically useless plastic . When he checked his pockets, he only found a couple of coins .

It wasn’t too long ago that he had always had 500 dollars in his wallet . He also had many credit cards at his disposal . This made his current situation that much worse .

“Dad, I want a fried egg! I want to eat a fried egg!”

Shinhae pulled on Sungyoon’s sleeve as she spoke . Sungyoon just stared at Shinhae .

From what he knew, Shinhae didn’t like to eat fried eggs . She was like every child her age and loved eating pizza, galbi and chicken . However, Shinhae currently had a bright smile on her face as she asked for a fried egg .

It was said that children were quick on the uptake . Shinhae was only 5 years old, yet she was worried about him . He was very thankful to her . He also felt very miserable for putting his 5 year old daughter in her current situation where she had to make such choices . His eyes reddened .

However, he couldn’t shed tears in front of his daughter, who was acting mature for her father .

“··· yes . Let’s cook some fried eggs . ”

“Yes, yes! Sunny side up! I like it sunny side up!”

The fact that he was in bankruptcy didn’t mean everything had been repossessed . At the very least, he had enough food to not go hungry for the near future . He took out the remaining eggs from the refrigerator, and he stepped into the kitchen .

The kitchen was clean . If he thought about it now, it was rare for Miyun to cook . She sometimes made rice, but that was it . They ate out most of the times, or they bought side dishes from stores . Most of the cooking utensils inside the kitchen were basically new .

He put oil into the frying pan, and he put the heat on high . At the same time, he took out the side dishes from the refrigerator . Shinhae was already sitting in front of the table, and she was watching her dad set the table . He cracked open two eggs, and he placed them into the heated frying pan .

Cheeeeek!

The clear egg white turned white in an instant, and savory smell emanated into the air . He broke open the yolk and sprinkled some salt on it . When one side was done, he flipped it . Soon, two scrumptious fried eggs were ready . Sungyoon put the fried eggs onto a plate .

“Wow-!”

Shinhae raised both her hands in the air when she saw the fried eggs put in front of her .

“Huh? Aren’t you going to eat, dad?”

She asked the question when she saw both fried eggs placed in front of her . Sungyoon just shook his head from side to side .

“Daddy likes side dishes . Shinhae can eat both of them . ”

Shinhae hesitated for a moment . She wondered what she should do in this situation . However, Sungyoon urged her to eat the eggs again, so she started eating the fried eggs with rice .

Sungyoon picked up his spoon, and he ate a spoonful of rice . As he did so, his gaze remained on Shinhae . He was chewing the food in his mouth, yet he could barely taste anything .

‘Yes . I didn’t lose everything . I still have Shinhae . ’

He had lost his company, house, wife, and friend . However, he still had his daughter, who smiled for him . She believed in him .

‘I’ll only live for this child from now on . ’

Sungyoon made a promise as he watched his daughter energetically eat her food .