Chapter 240: The First Snowfall (4)

“Hmm… where should I start?”

Ms. Cynthia took a cube of yokan with a fork and chewed it slowly. I watched subtly and offered,

“If my presence makes you uncomfortable, I can step out.”

“Please, don’t worry. If it were anyone else, maybe… but if it’s you listening, Mr. Kang Geom-Ma, I’m grateful.”

“Ah… I see.”

“I live alone, so I rarely get the chance to talk. It’s hard to speak sometimes. I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable.”

She treated me with extreme politeness—so much so that it felt overwhelming.

‘I knew this world had a strong sense of hierarchy, but being in a situation like this really makes it awkward.’

Ryozo speaks to me casually, but her mother treats me with deference. It’s strange for an outsider like me, but in this world, it’s normal.

Still, this peculiar situation was twisting my stomach. That the woman—Cynthia—who looked just like Ryozo acted this way made it even more uncomfortable.

‘Ryozo only got Kojima’s eyes and hair. Everything else came from her mother.’

No wonder she didn’t resemble her half-sister, Saki Hina. Apparently, the Korean bloodline was stronger in Ryozo.

Thinking that, I warmed my hands on the teacup. The heat melted away my frozen fingers.

Then, Ms. Cynthia began to speak.

“If I’m going to tell you why I left, Ryozo, I have to start with your father, Saki Kojima. You can criticize me after that, all right?”

“…”

At that name, Ryozo’s face subtly tensed. Her mother gave her a soft flick on the forehead.

“I know your father is a difficult man, but don’t make that face in front of Mr. Kang Geom-Ma.”

Then, with hands on her hips, she scolded her daughter.

“How is it that you’re the same age and yet not half as composed as he is? You act mature, but you’re still a child inside. You should try to be more like him!”

Ryozo rubbed her forehead, muttering.

“He was the one who kicked you out… because of me. Do you know what he said? That you left on your own. But I knew! I knew you didn’t abandon me of your own free will…”

“Your father was right. I left the Saki family of my own accord.”

“What…?”

Ryozo’s eyes shook violently. Her mother’s eyes were calm and firm.

“Why? Why did you leave, Mom? Why did you abandon me?”

Ryozo stammered. Cynthia smiled sadly.

“I know you’ll hate me for what I’m about to say. But—”

Before continuing, she looked at me and smiled faintly, as if implying something.

“Maybe now that you’re older, you can understand a little how I felt.”

“How can you expect me to understand someone who abandoned her child?”

“Are we already starting with blame? I expected it, but it still stings to hear it so directly.”

Ryozo suddenly stood up from the sofa.

“Honestly, I thought the first thing you’d say would be ‘I’m sorry.’ Even if it was just an excuse, I was willing to forgive you if you showed even a little remorse.”

“Excuses are meaningless. One has to be honest. That’s the only way words truly reach someone. Didn’t I tell you that often when you were little?”

“And now! You just compared me to Kang Geom-Ma! What right do you have to lecture me?”

“I was correcting you as a conversational partner, not as a mother. You were straying off-topic.”

Ryozo frowned furiously, while her mother responded calmly. It was like watching any mother-daughter spat.

‘Wow.’

I chuckled inwardly. They say no parent can win against their kid, hence the term “spoiled parent.” But these two broke that mold completely.

“Mom, you’re always like this. No matter what happens to me, you’re always scolding me!”

“You can’t convince anyone just by whining, Ryozo. And when children present weak arguments, it’s a parent’s duty to correct them.”

Despite her daughter’s reproach, Cynthia stood firm and logical—countering emotion with reason.

“Still pretending to be a mom after ten years!”

“Then shall we talk as complete strangers, with full formality? Sa-ki-Ryo-zo-ssi. I think I’d prefer that.”

Ms. Cynthia wasn’t a doting mother. She was a sharp one.

Stuck between them, I had no idea what to do. I stayed silent, sipping my tea with an awkward look. If I tried to step in, I’d probably end up getting caught in the crossfire. I couldn’t very well draw my sashimi blade and growl at them to calm down. That thing only bares its teeth at the wicked.

‘Still, she’s amazing too. She hasn’t lost a single word to Ryozo.’

She was a remarkable speaker. Even the top student’s rhetorical skills wouldn’t surpass hers. The more they argued, the more cornered Ryozo became.

Ryozo huffed in frustration and finally slumped onto the sofa. Her mother smiled, popping another yokan in her mouth. Her smile was sweet.

“That’s why I said we should talk over a snack. No one knows my daughter’s temperament better than I do.”

Ryozo turned toward the window. Noticing that I was still there, she flushed with embarrassment.

“Well then, now that you’ve let it out, may I tell my side?”

“Do whatever you want.”

Her mother shrugged and resumed.

“I admit it. I was selfish to leave my daughter behind. There’s no excuse for that. I’ll regret it for the rest of my life, but I won’t ask for forgiveness. I don’t want to be an even more selfish mother.”

A mother self-reflecting.

“But, you know, Ryozo? I think back then, I was just too immature to be a parent. More than a mother, I saw myself as a woman.”

The room grew quiet.

“This might embarrass you, but I really did love your father.”

“……!”

Ryozo’s eyes went wide. Her face screamed disbelief.

“That Saki Kojima? Are you serious? Are you sure you weren’t under a spell?”

Ryozo practically shrieked. She looked ready to grab her mother by the collar and shake her.

“You sure don’t hold back, do you? Feelings can’t be explained by logic. That’s why people get stubborn.”

“Even so. That man’s had so many wives!”

“That doesn’t matter. In the hero society, polygamy is common.”

Wow… she said it so casually. Even after two years in this world, I still wasn’t used to such feudal thinking.

“I know your father is a control freak and pretty twisted. He doesn’t care about family either. Other than his first wife, Lady Ironheart, no one really matters to him.”

Even Cynthia calmly criticized the man in a razor-sharp tone.

“But what could I do? It was love at first sight. Maybe I had a thing for ‘bad boys.’ And while our marriage was arranged, Kojima’s ability to juggle wives is almost a talent. Sure, he has power, but more than that—it’s his looks.”

“That doesn’t justify anything. No matter how handsome he is, that man isn’t a ‘bad boy,’ he’s a total—!”

Ryozo stopped short just before cursing and looked at me.

‘What? Why are you looking at me right before you call him a bastard?’

Ms. Cynthia muttered as she watched us,

“Seems my daughter inherited a little too much from me. Even the bad parts.”

***

Cynthia’s story continued for nearly two hours.

“I truly loved your father, Kojima. Even knowing it was a hopeless love.”

In her early twenties, Cynthia had simply followed her heart as a young bride.

But Kojima—chaotic in personality—soon disappointed her. He wasn’t cruel, but he treated her with complete indifference. The passion Cynthia felt gradually cooled. One-sided love has its limits.

Years passed.

Noticing Ryozo’s exceptional talent, Kojima began pushing her away from her mother. It was an unspoken warning stay away from Saki Ryozo.

“By then, I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Cynthia left on her own. It was an act of rebellion. She wanted Kojima to regret it when he saw her walk away.

“Remember this, Ryozo. I didn’t leave because of Saki Kojima. I chose to leave.”

Cynthia was a woman of Busan—free-spirited like the sea.

She had strong character and integrity. Loving Kojima, and then leaving him, were her decisions. And decisions come with consequences. The guilt of abandoning her daughter was a debt she’d carry forever.

And Kojima—did he regret it?

Of course not. He was Kojima, through and through. He didn’t stop her.

Though as a gesture of “consideration,” he offered her a luxury mansion in central Tokyo worth hundreds of millions.

“We weren’t even divorced. He just saw it as some kind of compensation.”

Cynthia rejected it all. She returned to Korea and started over.

‘I knew that guy was unhinged, but this this is another level.’

In the end, there wasn’t an ounce of depth to him. Kojima was trash. So thoroughly trash it almost felt honest—in the worst way.

‘How much did he love his first wife?’

People say circumstances explain everything. But so what? Everyone has their own baggage. After dealing with thousands of lunatics in my life, I can say this with certainty.

Kojima is just a goddamn madman. Period.

‘Next time, I’ll stick the sashimi right in his neck.’

Last time I aimed for his thigh because of diplomatic constraints. But now that I know the rot inside him, I won’t hold back. If I ever see that piece of garbage again, I’ll take care of it myself—even if I have to fight all of Japan.

An invasion with sashimi.

“Collapse of Japan.” Sounds like a decent title.

Thus ended the story of Cynthia and Saki Kojima.

I looked to the side and saw Ryozo, her expression still confused. She was wavering between seeing Cynthia as a woman and as a mother. Though her eyes still held some resentment.

‘Of course. You can’t unravel ten years of resentment in a single conversation.’

That only happens in dramas. Reality isn’t so poetic. It leaves a bitter aftertaste.

“Oh, look at the time! I’m so sorry, Mr. Kang Geom-Ma. I’ve kept you too long.”

“Don’t worry. Since I used a spatial gate, it’s no trouble returning.”

“Still, someone as important as you shouldn’t be away from the academy for so long. Come on, Ryozo, up you get. Whatever’s left, we can talk about another day.”

“Ah… yeah.”

We left the apartment.

Ms. Cynthia walked us to the entrance of the building. Just before we departed, she said to me,

“I know I have no right to ask, but please take care of my daughter. She worries me because she’s just like me—moody and all.”

She gave a slight bow. I responded with a soft smile.

“Ryozo does just fine at the academy without me. She has plenty of friends.”

“Friends, you say…?”

She opened her mouth a few times, then sighed.

“I guess my daughter’s not into bad boys… but the type who doesn’t get a thing.”

“…Excuse me?”

I blinked, confused. Ryozo quickly cut in.

“W-What are you saying, Mom?! Let’s go already!”

She grabbed my sleeve and yanked. As I was being dragged off, I waved back at Ms. Cynthia. Despite the cold, she stayed there for a long while.

Step by step, we left the apartment building and approached the coastal highway. The salty smell of the sea grew stronger. That’s when I said,

“Wait a sec. We need to grab a taxi to the gate terminal.”

“Let’s take the express bus instead.”

“You know that’ll take over five hours, right? Maybe more with weekend traffic.”

“I know. But I still prefer the bus. The gate makes me queasy.”

Even though she didn’t show any symptoms earlier.

“And using a gate for personal stuff… feels like abuse of power.”

“…Alright, let’s take the bus.”

“And I want to walk to the terminal. My head’s overheated. I need the sea breeze to cool off.”

Ryozo blew her nose and spoke softly. Seeing her like that, I stepped in front of her and adjusted her scarf gently.

“Don’t say stuff like that if you’re shivering.”

“……”

Ryozo looked between my face and hands. Her face turned so red it seemed ready to burst.

“Hey… I…”

Her lips moved slightly. And then—

Shff.

A single white flake landed on her scarf.

We both looked up at the same time. The gray sky, the greenish-blue sea, and in between—snow falling gently.

Like paint dissolving in water, the scene melted into perfect harmony.

“This is…”

The first snowfall.