Pay With Your Heart
Chapter 26 - Not Your Mother

After Eun-Sun left work at the Tulip palace, she decided to visit her mother. It's been too long since she last saw her. If she remembered correctly she hasn't seen her since the night of the accident.

She had tried calling her mother after the incident with Byung-Hun, but her mother had made it her life's work to hate her so much that she had refused to take her calls. ​​

Eun-Sun had tried her best to hold herself from calling her, but the more the tried, the more she found herself thinking about her mother and also desperately missing her.

Although their relationship was a bit strained, she still loved her dearly and she knew her mother loved her too. Her mother was just heartbroken and she needed someone to vent her anger on.

Eun-Sun didn't mind being the target for her mother's anger, even when she felt hurt sometimes - let's make that every time - she still wouldn't mind. Everything was fine as long as her mother was able to vent.

Being scolded and cussed by her mother was the only form of communication they shared. Song-Hee would never willingly say a word to her, if she wasn't actually cussing at her. And the few touch which she had gotten from her mother, were either slaps or smacks. 

Eun-Sun almost retched the moment she walked into the living room, her stomach couldn't bear the pugent smell oozing out of it. Her was lying on the couch, completely stoned as usual. She sighed when she saw the state of the house, it looked it hasn't been cleaned in a while.

Eun-Sun picked up a quilt from the bedroom and put it over her mother, who slept on the couch. She crouched down next to her. Her hands slowly reached for her mother's hair, which she carefully brushed off her face. She stayed there for a couple of minutes just staring at her face. Eun-Sun's eyes turned misty when she observed how emaciated her mother was looking, it seems she hasn't been eating well, and she was definitely doing more drugs.

Eun-Sun's heart ached at the pitiful sight of her mother. If only things would simply turn around and stay on the bright side. A tear slipped down her cheek, she raised her hand to her face to stop it from dropping on her mother. Eun-Sun pressed a light kiss her her head before standing up to attend to the mess before her.

Eun-Sun spent the next two hours cleaning up the whole apartment. She got some groceries from the grocery shop and made a quick dinner for her mother. She the noise as minimal as possible, so as not to wake Song-Hee up.

She strolled over to the couch to wake her mother up for dinner, after setting the table.

"Mom, wake up" She said softly as she crouched down by the sofa.

"Leave me alone. I'm not your mother" Song-Hee mumbled out sleepily as she turned over and continued sleeping. Eun-Sun bit her lips tightly to stop the tears that were suddenly stinging her eyes after hearing Song-Hee's words.

"Mom wake up, dinner is ready" She repeated, this time a little louder than usual and her hands slightly nudging her, making Song-Hee jerk up from the couch. She thought she had dreamt about Eun-Sun, but she was really there.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice sounding stern and hoarse.

"I came to check up on you" Eun-Sun replied, rising to her feet. She knew what could result from such close proximity. It was better not to vex her mother.

"I didn't ask you to, you can leave" Song-Hee said in a dour manner as she turned her face away from Eun-Sun. Maybe she was disgusted by the sight of her.

Eun-Sun could tell her mother didn't want to behold her gaze, but there was no problem with that. She had had a good look at her while she slept and that was more than enough.

"Okay. I'll be leaving, but make sure you eat dinner. Here is some money for you, Please keep it" Eun-Sun placed some cash on the table before picking up her bag to leave.

"Take good care of yourself" Eun-Sun said before walking out of the house. She actually didn't feel like leaving. She'd love to stay a bit more, but that wouldn't be possible.

Song-Hee didn't spare a glance at her. She kept her gaze from the door till Eun-Sun walked out of the house.

"I didn't ask her to come" She sighed as she picked up the money Eun-Sun had dropped on the table.

"It seems she does have some use after all" What Song-Hee didn't know was that Eun-Sun was by the door, as if that really mattered to her.