The Blood Test
Time flew by quickly. The warm sunlight of September had cooled slightly by the time October arrived, and by November, the autumn had reached full ripeness, colorful and vibrant. As the leaves began to turn, autumn settled over the garden as well.
The bright red persimmons that Tae-yeon had bought stood out on the table, drawing Yoon-woo’s gaze. Now a child who could walk with ease on the walker, he had toddled close to the table. He pointed at the persimmons with his small hand. The walker he had started using around the one-hundred-day mark was now quite solid, and Yoon-woo moved quickly with it.
“A… mm… ah.”
The sound was not precise, but it was clear enough that it might be “Mom.” It was baby talk, of course, yet to Tae-yeon’s ears it sounded unmistakably like a call to her.
“Shall I give you one of these persimmons, our Yoon-woo?”
Tae-yeon held out the bright red fruit in front of him. Yoon-woo’s mouth watered instantly. So much drool fell onto the bib that she had to change it several times a day.
“They say babies who drool a lot have good digestive systems, Lady Seo.”
Icheon-daek’s words made Tae-yeon nod.
“Everyone says the same thing. The internet even says drooling isn’t bad. I worry about his chin cracking from it.”
She wiped his lips with a wet cloth while Yoon-woo reached for the persimmon with both hands. The fruit looked irresistibly delicious to him. Tae-yeon peeled it and spooned a small piece into his mouth.
His eyes sparkled with delight after he tasted it, so beautiful that she asked Icheon-daek for help and recorded a video. Ever since Yoon-woo was born, she had taken special moments like this and saved them all.
She sent the clip straight to Hyun-seo. No matter whether he replied or not, she always sent anything special. These days he sometimes answered.
[Persimmons look delicious.]
His reply said nothing about Yoon-woo drooling and reaching out, only that the fruit was ripe. The man was blunt, that was for sure. Yet sometimes she caught glimpses of tenderness and delicacy in him, even if he never expressed them gracefully.
Was it an innate trait, or had he been trained that way later?
Tae-yeon answered.
[The speed on the walker is impressive. You could hold a walker racing competition.]
Hyun-seo smiled when he saw the message. This woman was both diligent and deeply loving. With Yoon-woo she was even more so. She loved him so completely that it was almost impossible to explain. It was more than just affection.
And he found that side of her utterly charming. The way she smiled brightly at Yoon-woo, the way she held and cooed to the baby, was lovely. When she did that to him, his body tingled and warmed.
Their bodies fit so perfectly. He wanted her constantly.
Yet even that was hard to put into words. When had he ever become this obsessed with sex? He had once thought he could manage fine without a woman if he just relaxed or exercised more. Now he had sold his body enough that his account balance had grown quite fat.
He knew it was absurd, but five thousand won every time still felt pretty good. Sometimes he checked his bank app and laughed. Of course he never spent a single won.
How much would that money keep growing? Frugal little Min Tae-yeon. That was why she was still only a manager. Only when he offered five thousand won did she become “Director.” In other words, she was only Director in bed.
Hyun-seo matched her energy.
[Manager. Then I’ll hold a competition. Gather all the clumsy ones and run a walker race. Prize money, a trophy, everything.]
[If you wish, Director, I’ll do it. There are no such events yet. But the other kids might feel bad. They’ll say you’re forcing competition by putting the slower ones on the walker.]
[Then we’ll skip the negative side. I hate anything that sounds negative.]
She had not sent that video to Hyun-seo alone. She kept sending clips to the chairman as well. Hyun-seo wanted to raise Yoon-woo as the perfect heir to the Miwoo Group.
From what she could see, Hyun-seo showed little open affection toward Yoon-woo, yet once she had overheard him speaking to the child on a quiet evening.
Yoon-woo’s door had been ajar. It was already late at night, and the boy was asleep. Hyun-seo stood beside the crib, staring down for a long time. Then he murmured softly.
“Come on, grow up, Choi Yoon-woo. Grow fast and take everything you deserve. Take all of Miwoo Group.”
Tae-yeon had understood then how much he loved the child. He might not show it, but he wanted to give him everything he owned.
Most fathers felt competitive toward their sons. Hyun-seo wanted to give his entire world to his boy. The expectations he placed on the tiny child were already enormous, as if he had thought even about retirement. So it was only fair that Tae-yeon raise Yoon-woo and fill his heart with love.
The chairman called the moment he saw the video of Yoon-woo drooling over the persimmons.
—Hey! He’s adorable. So has our Yoon-woo been eating a lot of persimmons?
“Yes, Father. He ate one entire large persimmon.”
—If our Yoon-woo loves persimmons that much, why would I withhold them? You said he likes meat too, didn’t you? I’ll send some meat and persimmons.
“It’s fine, Father.”
—It’s fine? You’ll feed him well, of course, but sometimes I want to be a grandfather and send him things he likes. How happy will that make me feel?
“Yes. Thank you.”
Soon after, persimmons and meat arrived at the house. The marble-patterned meat from the department store looked almost artistic. The family had sent a full set of different cuts, as if expecting the baby to eat as much as he wanted.
“I’ll eat it all.”
Tae-yeon smiled. She opened the large persimmon box. Seeing the mountain of fruit inside, Icheon-daek’s eyes widened.
—Aigo, if our Yoon-woo eats all these persimmons he won’t even be able to poop. Persimmons cause constipation if you eat too many.
“You can’t feed him that much. Let’s eat them together. You sent so much because you wanted us to have them.”
Now she and Icheon-daek got along perfectly. She cooked rice porridge with sticky rice and regular rice, adding fermented bean paste. Yoon-woo loved it.
“Our Yoon-woo must have pure Korean blood.”
Icheon-daek watched him eat the bean-paste porridge with delight. Tae-yeon nodded.
“Hyun-seo seems to prefer Western food.”
“I’m sure he does. Director takes after Lady Seo, while our Yoon-woo takes after the chairman. The chairman loves bean soup.”
—Then he really is like the grandfather. I don’t like bean soup much either.
“I know. Lady Seo prefers sweet-and-sour salads.”
“Yes. Our Yoon-woo must have taken after the grandfather for the same reason he loves being loved.”
Yoon-woo happily finished his porridge. His good appetite and gentle nature always made Tae-yeon’s heart swell with pride. He was growing bigger than the other children his age, taller and heavier.
“You’re going to be so handsome when you grow up, our Yoon-woo.”
Icheon-daek’s words filled Tae-yeon with pride. Her job was meaningful, even if it lacked certain rights. She did not see her in-laws every day, but Yoon-woo grew bigger every day. The sight of him growing and following her like a little shadow made her chest ache with joy.
It was not bad to be chased every day by a man she loved.
But sometimes… she felt an unbearable emptiness. Like a plant that had never taken root, the distance that never closed between them left her hollow no matter how many nights they spent together.
***
A few days later, Oh Jin-hee sent a car because she wanted Tae-yeon to see the birth of a child. They were to spend the afternoon in Cheongdam-dong.
The chairman and Oh Jin-hee’s love for Yoon-woo had grown deeper. Whenever they went to Cheongdam-dong, they insisted on taking the baby first.
“Our Yoon-woo. Grandpa can give you anything you want.”
Chairman Choi lifted the boy high and carried him to the window. Looking at the wide lawn of the garden, he began to coo.
“Yoon-woo, does Grandpa like you? Grandpa thinks our Yoon-woo is the best.”
Oh Jin-hee reached for the toys and shook them in front of him.
“Our Yoon-woo. You have the blood of the Choi family after all. Look at that handsome face. You really can’t fool me.”
When Oh Jin-hee said she adored him, the chairman laughed.
“Then let’s do a paternity test. We’ll confirm you’re truly a Choi. We’ll keep you safe. Let the whole family join in.”
Tae-yeon was startled. A paternity test? Her too?
Her heart began to race madly.