MM 116

“What’s going on?”

Do-won spoke coldly, not showing any sign of backing down, as he glared directly at the woman. In response, she narrowed her eyes fiercely at him. Yu-young’s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden argument. It hadn’t even been five minutes since they sat down, and this was happening already.

‘What’s going on? Why is this happening all of a sudden…!’

Caught between their glaring eyes, Yu-young held his breath, glancing back and forth between the two. The tension in the air felt as thin as ice, and he knew he had to do something to calm it down, but he couldn’t find the right moment to intervene.

Just moments ago, Lee had been mockingly relaxed, but now, it seemed she was completely stirred up by Do-won’s words. She raised her voice, speaking in a highly agitated tone.

“Who do you think you are to call yourself an adult? You’re so concerned about your partner’s feelings, but you think it’s a joke that I’ve been treated like this by you?”

“Mother.”

“Mother, huh? Have you ever truly thought of me as your mother?”

Despite the heightened tone of Lee’s voice, Do-won stared at her coldly, responding in a low, calm tone.

“I came because you called me. But I don’t understand why you’re suddenly acting like this. Have I ever defied you? Apart from my marriage, I’ve never gone against your or Father’s wishes.”

“Don’t make me laugh. You’ve always treated me like this, ever since you were a little brat!”

Perhaps because her husband wasn’t around, Lee seemed to be especially intent today. As the atmosphere grew more heated, Yu-young had no idea what to do. He felt he needed to stop them, but now it seemed like the right time had passed.

Just as Yu-young grabbed Do-won’s arm and opened his mouth, Lee, filled with rage, yelled at him.

“Ever since your mother died and I came into this house, you’ve treated me like this! And you’re still taking those damn photos?”

“What do photos have to do with you, Mother?”

“They have everything to do with me! When I told you I found it disgusting, you started looking at me with those eyes, didn’t you?”

When the topic of photos and his mother came up, Do-won’s expression stiffened. But Lee’s voice continued unabated, ignoring his discomfort.

“Even though I hated it, you stubbornly went on taking photos secretly, didn’t you? You’re just taking worthless photos to win awards and recognition.”

“Mother!”

A voice, filled with intense anger, shouted loudly. Everyone was momentarily stunned into silence. But the one who shouted wasn’t Do-won—it was Yu-young.

He couldn’t take it anymore. The rational part of him, which had been hesitant and nervous, disappeared. After hearing Lee’s words that crushed Do-won so brutally, something inside him snapped. Unable to control his explosive emotions, Yu-young shouted without thinking.

“Mother! I’ve had enough of listening to this. I don’t know about other things, and it’s not my place to speak, but….”

His chest heaved as he breathed heavily. With a flushed face, Yu-young glared at her, while Do-won and Mrs. Lee now stared at him in shock.

“Please stop treating Team Leader like this. Let’s stop talking about his deceased mother. I don’t know why you’re treating him this way, but seeing Team Leader being constantly humiliated by you breaks my heart. So, please, I hope you’ll stop now.”

After finishing, Yu-young closed his mouth. Silence took over the table. It felt like a bucket of hot water had been poured over the cold ice. A few seconds passed before Yu-young realized the gravity of his outburst.

‘…I really messed up.’

It dawned on him how serious the situation was. Despite the insults Mrs. Lee had thrown at him and the times she had made him uncomfortable, he had endured it. But now, in front of Do-won, during a meal, he had confronted her.

But Yu-young had no regrets. If he could go back 10 seconds ago, he was sure he would have said the same thing. He couldn’t stand seeing Mrs. Lee disrespecting Do-won like this, especially not in front of Do-won, during his birthday dinner.

Mrs. Lee, who had been staring at Yu-young in silence, suddenly yelled out in a furious voice.

“Who do you think you are, speaking to me like that? Are you crazy?”

“I’m not crazy, Mother. And now that we’re here, I’d like to say one more thing.”

Though his heart was pounding, threatening to burst, Yu-young took a deep breath, trying to keep his composure. He steeled himself, preparing for whatever might come next.

“Please stop calling Team Leader’s photos worthless.”

“…What?!”

“I was so moved by the wave photo that I couldn’t even speak. It was truly an excellent and beautiful photo. That’s probably why it won an award.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

Mrs. Lee’s eyes widened to their limit. Her face, now completely flushed, seemed about to explode.

She stood up from her seat with a furious expression, and without hesitation, she stormed over to Yu-young. She raised her hand high.

“Shut your disrespectful mouth! Who do you think you are, speaking out of turn like this…!”

Yu-young instinctively knew what was coming as he looked at her raised hand.

‘This is it.’

He had grown up in a family where he had never been hit, so this was his first time experiencing it. He squeezed his eyes shut and hunched his shoulders.

He had said it knowing he might get hit, so he had no regrets. However, the fierce slap he expected didn’t come, no matter how long he waited.

When he cautiously opened his eyes, he saw Do-won gripping her wrist, his face showing an anger he had never seen before.

“Mother!”

Up until now, no matter how many insults Mrs. Lee had thrown at him, Do-won had always remained calm when dealing with her. But now, he was glaring at her with an intense fury, shouting loudly.

Yu-young, shocked by the anger in Do-won’s voice, involuntarily flinched. Mrs. Lee, too, froze, clearly startled by the fierce tone from Do-won.

“Isn’t this going too far? Where do you think you’re putting your hands?!”

“What?!”

Mrs. Lee, her anger reaching its peak, yelled at Do-won, still held by his grip on her arm.

“Choi Do-won, are you defying me?! How dare you!”

“Get up, Han Yu-young.”

No matter how much Mrs. Lee shouted, Do-won, his face calm yet seething with anger, spoke to Yu-young in a low voice.

Yu-young, bewildered, looked up at him with wide eyes.

“W-what?”

“Get up. You don’t need to be treated like this any longer. Let’s go.”

Without waiting, Do-won extended his hand towards him. It was the same warm hand that had always brought him comfort. One of the parts of his body that Yu-young liked the most. Just seeing it made him feel safe and trusted, making him want to lean on him.

“You two, get up now. I won’t let you stay here!”

Mrs. Lee, nearly at her breaking point, screamed, but Yu-young’s gaze alternated between her and Do-won’s extended hand. He silently made up his mind. What to choose had already been clear from the start, so it wasn’t difficult.

He took the big, warm hand that was offered to him. Then, following Do-won’s lead, he stood up from his seat.

Ignoring Mrs. Lee furious shouts, Yu-young tightly gripped Do-won’s hand as they walked out of the dining room. A servant passing by looked at them with a shocked expression.

“Ah, no! I just got a call saying the CEO is coming…”

“I’ll contact Father myself.”

Do-won responded indifferently as he grabbed Yu-young’s arm, guiding him toward the front door. Mrs. Lee, still shouting from behind, continued to scream, but Do-won slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

As they crossed the garden, Yu-young bit his lip.

‘…It’s ruined.’

Not just ruined, but ruined catastrophically. How could the situation have escalated to this point? Where did everything go wrong? His head spun, and he couldn’t even bring himself to reflect on what had just happened.

Of course, it was Mrs. Lee who had started the trouble. But no matter how much she provoked him, Do-won had always responded calmly. If this had been their usual dynamic, perhaps the situation could have been quietly handled. But had he not interfered, making the problem snowball?

‘I’m losing it.’

Yu-young covered his face with both hands. A wave of regret hit him late, and once it began, it quickly overwhelmed his heart.

He didn’t regret siding with Do-won. It was hard to bear hearing Mrs. Lee constantly insult him. However, the timing was all wrong. It was their first meal together since their marriage, and there was an important task he had planned to do afterward.

He had ruined everything. There was no way he could have said that kind of thing in this atmosphere. Actually, considering the situation, Do-won might even be a little tired of him after witnessing him shout back at his mother and pour cold water on the atmosphere. No matter what, he had defied his parents and disturbed the mood. There was a chance that instead of confessing his feelings, Do-won might scold him for what he did.