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She’s so sweet. I wipe the tears gathering at the corners of my eyes. “What about ASAP? Have you thought about whether you want to stay?”
“I don’t know...” She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I miss performing. This whole week, I’ve wanted to be on stage with the other members, but I don’t want to be a burden to them either.”
I frown, remembering something that Sun Ye said last night. “When Sun Ye and the others were here, did she talk about an announcement regarding ASAP?”
“She did, though she was pretty cryptic about it.”
“If you want to stay in the group, you should stay. The other members also want that. Let’s trust in our CEO, Hyemi. She’ll make things right.”
She beams. “Okay, Eonni.”
“Hyemi-yah!” Youngmin stands in the doorway holding a humungous bouquet of pink roses.
“Youngmin-ah! Are those for me?”
“Oh, these? They’re for the halmeoni two doors down. Of course they’re for you!”
He flounces over and she laughs.
I leave the two of them, stepping outside the door. My mother waits on one of the benches opposite the room.
I take a seat beside her. I’m still shocked about what happened at the house with my father. “Did you really mean it?” I ask quietly. “About not breaking up with Nathaniel.”
She leans back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. “Whatever your father says, I always want to do the opposite. It worked out for you, in this case.”
“Eomma... are you making a joke?”
She laughs, a bright sound. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Don’t worry. I will support you. Looking at the security camera footage—which, by the way, I’m going to cut your father’s access to—from these past weeks really helped me to see. I mean, I’m not pleased that you lied to me and invited Nathaniel to stay with you, even with Ajumma around. But watching those videos made me remember what matters most, what has always mattered most. Your happiness.”
She sighs, but not with distress. With relief. “I’m going to divorce your father.”
“But...” I’m so shocked that I say the first thing that comes to mind. “What about the shares?”
Her eyes widen. “You thought I was staying with your father because of the shares?”
“Yes?”
“No, Sori-yah, I stayed with himfor you. I wanted you to have a family, something I, as an orphan, couldn’t give you. But then I realized, you already have a family. Me. And Ajumma. But also Nathaniel and the other XOXO members. Joah is your family.”
“But the house.”
“Sori-yah, it’smyhouse.”
“Yes, but Abeoji bought it for you.”
“Exactly. He bought me the house as a condition that I didn’t leave him after his first affair went public. It’s not a gift unless the receiverownsthe house. I made him buy it in my name.”
The house doesn’t belong to my father.It belongs to my mother.
“It’s true that I signed a prenuptial agreement, but I don’t want your father’s money. I don’t need it.”
“And—and the company?” I’m a little breathless with all the revelations. “I saw the papers in your drawer, that you were selling the company to KS.”
“Oh, Sori. You must have been so stressed. Is that why you were dating CEO Cha’s nephew?”
She shakes her head. “I’ll admit, I did... waver, but I never truly considered the offer. The papers were drawn up by KS’s lawyers.
“Since it’s worrying you, I can tell you I took out a loan. The company will be fine. Every day presents new challenges, but I’ll work together with my team to face them. I toed the line before, bringing Hyemi into ASAP in exchange for her father’s money, but I’ve decided to stick to my principles from now on.
