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It’s because your back is turned from me, that I lie to you, I want to say, but I’ve never spoken like that to my father.
“Sori-abeoji,” my mother chides. “What is this all about? So our daughter had a boy over to the house. This is the twenty-first century. Do your constituents know you’re so close-minded?”
My stomach sinks. She doesn’t know that Nathaniel’s been living here. My father’s face hardens. Does he know?
“Follow me.”
Without explanation, he heads into the media room, turning on the television. He presses a button, and the feed from the external video surveillance cameras around the house appear on the screen. He highlights one of the cameras labeled “Front Gate.” Rewinding to last night, he plays it backward.
I watch, numb, as on the screen the car service pulls up outside the gate. I see myself climb out and hurry to open the door while Nathaniel pays, then we’re passing through the gate together.
My father rewinds it to earlier this week, and I feel a sharp pain at the memory of that night. I see myself stop outside the gate by the vine-covered wall. When I start to cry, Nathaniel rushes back to embrace me. He leaves a few minutes later, and I drop to the ground, breaking down in tears.
My father clicks his tongue in disgust, pressing the button to rewind. I glance at my mother, wondering what she thinks of all this, but her expression is carefully blank, the only evidence that she feelssomethingis the slight trembling of her hands.
On and on my father rewinds, showing with irrefutable proof that Nathaniel had been living at the house with me.
Nearly every day for two weeks we’re shown walking up to the house, usually at the same time.
And in every video, we’re laughing.
I don’t know what my father expects me to see watching all this back, but it only serves to remind me of how happy I was those weeks with Nathaniel. Not only were my days filled with hard, satisfying work—training with Hyemi, being a part of ASAP’s team under Director Ryu’s leadership—but my nights were filled with laughter and love.
My father turns off the television.
“You were living with a boy,” he seethes, “undermyroof. One you specifically told me you weren’t seeing. Was meeting with CEO Cha’s nephew a lie as well? How am I supposed to believe anything you say?” He swipes his hand down his face. “Do you think, after you’ve shown how irresponsible you are, that I’ll give my shares to you?”
“What do you mean?” my mother asks sharply.
My father blinks, having apparently forgotten she’s in the room.
“Sori,” my mother says, frowning, “were you meeting with CEO Cha’s nephew in exchange for your father’s shares of Joah?”
“Never mind that,” my father interrupts before I can answer. “I’m disappointed in you, Sori. I thought you were like me, but you’re not. You’re weak-minded and lack discipline. You betrayed my trust. But you can make up for it, prove to me that you’reserious, by breaking up with that boy. Maybe then I’ll consider giving you the shares.”
He’s giving me an ultimatum: either choose Nathaniel or save the company.
“Don’t,” my mother says.
There’s a sharp silence.
“Don’t break up with Nathaniel.”
I gape at my mother. “That is,” she says, “you don’t have to break up with him, if you don’t want to.”
She turns to my father, her eyes flashing. “I can endure you speaking down to me—I care so little of your opinion, it hardly matters—but not to my daughter,neverto Sori.”
I’ve never seen her stand up to him, not like this. “Get out of my house.”
My father’s face turns a curious shade of red. “You’re both ungrateful, after all I’ve done for you... Let’s see if you can survive on your own.”
He begins to walk from the room, stopping in front of me. “It’s not too late, Sori. Come with me now and I’ll forgive you. I might even forgive your mother, in time.”
I take a deep breath, meeting his gaze. “You say I betrayed your trust, but I think it’s the other way around.”
He bristles. “How dare you speak to me like that. You’re my daughter.”
“I don’t feel like I am. If love is conditional between us, mine is that you respect and love me without conditions.”
