220 I am Not a Child of This Family (2/2)

”Is that so...” Mrs. Han dejectedly closed the menu. After thinking for a brief moment, she suddenly straightened her back, ”But still, it's rare that you get to eat at such a fancy place, right? Why don't you order something? It's okay, we can afford it so you don't have to mind the prices,” she insisted.

Yeo Ri's smile deepened as she shook her head, her thoughts unknown. ”That's alright. My brother promised to take me to eat at a place like this once he gets a full-time job. I have plenty more chances in the future.”

”I-I see,” Mrs. Han's smile faltered. Even an eavesdropping stranger could tell that she was purposely evading them. Yeo Ri's walls were too high. It's okay, she comforted herself, she'll warm up to them sooner or later.

”Then... ah!” Mrs. Han seemed to have recalled about the things she had brought with her. She peered into her handbag and pulled out a nondescript USB stick. It was plain white, with only the maker's logo to differentiate itself.

The older lady had a bright smile, eyes twinkling, as she slid the thumb drive towards the girl. ”Here, Yeo Ri-ah.”

Yeo Ri made no move to pick it up. She stared at it curiously, ”What is it?”

Na Hee Young's smile turned wistful. ”After you left last time, I took a trip down memory lane and found some old CDs of Yeoreum. After she left home, I ended up secretly recording the shows she was on and had kept them in the storage. I had someone I know help me make some digital copies of the files. I thought you'd want it.”

Her eyes became teary as she recalled how much she grumbled and criticised her daughter back then, not knowing that she was never going to see her ever again. Suddenly, she broke into a chuckle, ”Be warned though; your mother's acting was atrocious!”

Yeo Ri smiled, nodding. Reaching with her right hand, Yeo Ri took the tiny piece of technology from the table and studied it with an interested look. She was actually quite curious about her mother's acting; she had tried searching her up on the web, but all that came up was the news article regarding her murder. It was only after scouring for a long time did she find a forum thread for an actress named Yeo Reum, though she was unsure if it was her mother since there was no pictures on it. They had mostly conversed about how terrible the actress' acting was despite her gorgeous face and nice body, and that she should've just become an AV actress instead.

”Thank you,” she finally said, this time offering a genuine smile to the two elders. She pocketed the USB stick inside her bag, careful not to nick her hand on the pointy thing she had placed inside.

Meanwhile, hearing the chatters, Secretary Kwon could not help but do a double-take inwardly. Yeoreum? Han... Yeoreum? Were these people Han Yeoreum's parents? This was big news! His fists tightened as he felt the urge to pull out his phone and immediately inform his boss about this matter.

”But, Yeo Ri-ah, what kind of relationship do you have with Mr. Kwon? He's not surnamed 'Lee', so he can't be your brother...” Mr. Han steeled himself to address the elephant in the room. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes; the way this Mr. Kwon acted was as if he was not close with his granddaughter, but he could be considered courteous as well.

”Hm...” Yeo Ri tilted her head, exchanging glances with the man in question. ”Something like a Daddy Long Legs?” Yeo Ri replied half-heartedly. Actually, she also did not know what kind of relationship they had. Employer-employee? But she wasn't the one paying his salary. Babysitter? Bodyguard? Stalker? She had no idea.

”Do you two, perhaps, live together?” Mrs. Han interjected, gripping her handbag fearfully.

Yeo Ri let out a bell-like laugh at the older woman's absurd question, responding, ”Of course not! He just takes care of various things for me.” What living together? They weren't even close enough to greet each other outside of his work hours.

Mrs. Han relaxed her shoulders.

”Well, I was honestly surprised that your guardian came as well, but with him here, it's actually more convenient. Shall we discuss about when Yeo Ri will be moving in with us? And the guardianship as well. We should handle that part as soon as possible,” Mr. Han rambled, ”Of course, it's not like I personally don't like you or anything, Mr. Kwon, but for a young man such as you to take care of our granddaughter is a bit...” He grimaced, thinking of how not-innocent it sounded. To let a young man, who was not a relative, take care of their one and only grandchild... he was worried. In his mind, he doubted Mr. Kwon's intentions—to take in a random young girl, he must've had bad thoughts! Silently, he sent a pointed look at the man.

”...” Secretary Kwon was speechless. What did he even do to deserve this injustice?

”He was my lawyer for that case,” Yeo Ri blatantly lied, ignoring the falsely accused man.

”Oh,” Mr. and Mrs. Han trembled slightly. After Yeo Ri had left and did not contact them for a long time, they had looked up the articles regarding the case and studied it from beginning to end. The whole case was full of drama and impossibly tragic. Although the articles did not mention Yeo Ri frequently, it was clear that she had been the biggest victim. This Mr. Kwon must've seen—firsthand—that she was helpless and alone, thus he took pity on the girl and took her in! What a big heart!

With just one sentence, Yeo Ri had completely reversed their impression on Secretary Kwon.

Mr. Han sighed, ”I was too rash. Mr. Kwon, please accept my apology.”

”How could we ever thank you for taking care of our granddaughter? Really, you are a good person!” Mrs. Han choked on a sob, her mouth ceaselessly thanking the man.

”...” Secretary Kwon kept his silence, speechless for the second time. Seriously, what did he do? Was this why the girl brought him along? To make him a part of the play she was staging?

”This won't do; we can't have Yeo Ri impose on you any longer. Mr. Kwon, thank you for taking care of Yeo Ri all this time. I'll contact my lawyer and get the guardian-changing process started. We really owe you a great favour. Just say the word, and we'll compensate you however you want,” Mrs. Han said, her tone full of sincerity and gratefulness. She thought very highly of this man who was humble though he was young, successful, and charitable.

Secretary Kwon sent a look at Yeo Ri, but the girl continued to pretend as if his troubles had nothing to do with her.

”...No need.” Secretary Kwon looked away after saying those two words, withdrawing himself from the conversation. 'Do whatever you want,' his body language seemed to say.

Mr. and Mrs. Han thought that the man was someone who treasured his words more than gold, and so decided to leave him be. They turned to the young girl to continue the conversation.

”Yeo Ri-ah, we've already cleaned up a room for you to use. It used to be Yeoreum's room, but we can redecorate it if you want.” Mrs. Han eagerly commented, ”Yeoreum really liked the wallpaper, so I hope you'll like it too. There's even a canopy bed! Back then, it took five people to put it together for that spoiled little princess.”

”Your mother's alma mater is just a few minutes from home too, so it'll be convenient once you move in. It's one of the top ten best high schools in the country, so you don't have to worry about not getting into university,” Mr. Han added with equal enthusiasm. ”Ah, I forgot that you were modelling. What will you do now? I personally believe it's better to focus on your studies since you've entered high school, but if you still want to pursue that area, there's a good performing arts school nearby. I can give them a call and have you transferred in right away if you want,” he smiled confidently, thinking that he had covered all the bases to assure the girl. With his arrangements, she would definitely be able to live comfortably.

After failing to support Yeoreum, causing her to run away, the two elders had learned their lesson. What happened to their daughter caused the two so much grief and regret. This time, they would give their full support to Yeo Ri and make sure that her future was smooth. It didn't matter how much time and money it would take; they would definitely help her out.

”That's right!” Mrs. Han nodded immediately. ”Are you interested in acting, like Yeoreum? If I'm not mistaken, Hope Entertainment mainly deals with actors. It's not a big company, though, so I think it's not good enough for you, Yeo Ri-ah. I have a friend who works for PG Entertainment. They're a really famous company, right? Do you want me to contact them for you?”

Yeo Ri shook her head with a subtle frostiness in her tone, ”No need.”

She wasn't planning on continuing down the path, but it irked her that the old woman criticised Park Soo Yeon's company. How could it not be good enough? Yeo Ri was just a temporary talent but Mrs. Choi had poured so much resources and gave so many opportunities to her to the point where it was starting to make her feel bad.

”Why? Is it because you can't get out of the contract? It's okay, we'll pay the penalty fee for you, no matter how much it is. You won't make it far with such a small company, so it's better to get out while you can,” Mrs. Han advised, thinking of how Yeoreum had ended up with the roles in those terrible third-rate movies and dramas because her company was too small to get her better roles.

Yeo Ri's smile tightened. So what if it was a small company? Park Soo Yeon had a lot of connections and the offers she had presented to her seemed endless. Even if the woman was not actively seeking out work for her talents, the money and job offers would still come rolling in.

She stared at the two elders and found that there was no malicious intent on their faces as they spoke. It was clear that they were ignorant on the matter. Yeo Ri's smile grew as she inhaled inaudibly. 'Calm down,' she told herself. She fought the urge to make snide remarks about their 'good intentions'.

”I know you probably have an attachment to that company, but Yeoreum was also signed with a small company, and look how it turned out!” Mrs. Han sighed forlornly. She could not help but remember her beloved daughter's tragic end.

”Aah.” Yeo Ri let out a small knowing sound, barely a whisper, feeling that something had clicked in her mind.

She finally understood why she didn't feel like mingling with them since the first time she saw them—

—They were trying to dictate her life.

It seemed as if they harboured some regrets regarding Han Yeoreum, and was trying to use her as her mother's replacement. She felt that in their eyes, she was nothing but a tool to 'right' their 'wrongs'.

Yeo Ri hid her distaste with another smile. Brushing her hair out of her face, Yeo Ri glanced at the clock. It had only been a little over fifteen minutes since she stepped into the restaurant.

”I'm sorry, but a contract is a promise. I've already made a promise with Aunt Soo Yeon, so I'm afraid I will have to decline your offer, madam.”

Yeo Ri stood up, glancing at the clock again. Lowering her gaze to look down at the two still-sitting couple, she smiled dazzlingly, ”Besides, I'm not so talentless that I would need to buy my way into the industry.”

At that point, the Han couple finally realised that something they said had rubbed the girl the wrong way.

”T-that's not what we mea—” They paled, rapidly thinking of ways they could offset the young girl's sudden change in mood.

”—Well then, I'll be going. It was nice to see you again, Mr. Han, Mrs. Han.” Without a pause in her movements, she continued, ”As for the things we talked about... don't bother. I'm happy with where I am. I only came here today to tell you this. Please don't try to take the last bits of the happiness that I have from me.”

Yeo Ri's farewell left no room for them to redeem themselves. Swaddled in confusion, they could only watch as the girl retreated, the reticent man trailing behind her.