Page 3 of Perfect Happiness
Again, she thought she heard a yes, but she couldn’t be sure.The whirring continued.Jiyoo flipped the switch on the wall.The lights came on and showered the room in white light.She couldn’t help but shield her eyes.When she opened her eyes again, she almost screamed.She was so startled that she forgot how to breathe for a moment.
Sitting on the couch was a person—a woman, naked and hunched over with long black hair draped over her face.The whirring sound Jiyoo had heard wasn’t from a vacuum.It was a hair dryer, which the woman held in her pale white hand and slowly swung back and forth.Jiyoo could feel her throat finally start to open as the words she had been holding back came out.
“Mother!”
The whirring stopped.The hand holding the dryer paused.The woman tilted her head to the side and looked out at Jiyoo through dangling locks of hair.Jiyoo felt her stiff knees begin to loosen.It was Mother.Jiyoo hadn’t called out “Mother” because she thought the woman was her mother.“Mother!”was just what she screamed when she was frightened.
“Mother—”
It took some time for Jiyoo to accept this unfamiliar-looking woman as her mother.Mother explained that she had just taken a shower and was drying her hair, but it took time for Jiyoo to accept this.Eventually, Jiyoo realized Father was missing, as were his bag and padded jacket, which had been draped over the sofa armrest.
Jiyoo looked back at the front door.Father’s sneakers were also missing.It wasn’t the dream that had disappeared, but Father and all his stuff.It was as if he had never been here at all.
Father had left.Jiyoo turned her eyes to the patio, trying not to show disappointment.A thick blackout curtain was covering the glass sliding door.
“Why are you glancing around like that?”Mother asked.
Startled, Jiyoo turned to look at Mother.When their eyes met, Jiyoo shook her head.
“Didn’t I tell you not to speak with your head?You’re not some neanderthal.”
Mother’s voice was high and thin, like the chirping of a bird.It was so quiet that Jiyoo almost had to lean in with her ear to catch it.When Mother’s voice was high-pitched and shook nervously like this, Jiyoo had to be quick on her feet.It was a sign that Jiyoo was annoying Mother.Just like she was right now.
Jiyoo went over to Mother.She brought her toes flush with the front of the sofa:
“Good morning, Mother.”
Mother brushed the left side of her hair to the side and tucked it behind her ear.
“Did you sleep well?”Mother asked.
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
The corners of Mother’s mouth were quivering, just like her voice.Jiyoo could feel herself withering.She wouldn’t have come into the living room had she known Mother was in a bad mood.
“Because my dream didn’t disappear.”
Jiyoo felt her body tremble as she said this.A scene from her dream was replaying itself in her head.Why hadn’t the dream disappeared after waking up?Jiyoo wanted to ask Mother, but she resisted the urge.She didn’t think it would be wise to ask.But she didn’t know why she felt this way.It was just a feeling.
“What do you remember?”Mother asked.
Jiyoo didn’t answer.She was suddenly distracted by Mother’s right hand, which was still holding the hair dryer.Bandages were wrapped around her wrist all the way to the first joint of each finger.And blood was staining the parts on her thumb and the edge of her hand.No, “staining” wasn’t the right word.The bandages were completely soaked, as though droplets of blood would fall from the bandages at any moment.Mother seemed to be unaware of this, and Jiyoo thought she should tell her immediately.Without warning, she grabbed Mother’s hand and yelled out, “Mother!Your hand is bleeding—”
“Eek!”Mother shrieked in pain.Her shriek was so piercing and terrifying that Jiyoo went rigid, Mother’s hand still in hers.
“Go away.”Mother brandished her elbow and shoved Jiyoo aside.As she did this, the hair dryer hit Jiyoo on the chin and fell to the ground with a crash.The nozzle on the hair dryer broke off and skidded across the floor.Jiyoo stumbled back two steps but caught herself before falling.
“Why would you do that?”Mother said.
Jiyoo cupped her chin in her palm and stepped back.Her chin was throbbing from being hit with the hair dryer.And her cheeks were blushing from being scolded.Jiyoo’s vision became watery as something hot started to well up in the back of her throat.
Jiyoo dropped her head.Afraid that she might start to cry, she clenched her jaw and swallowed hard.A terrifying long silence followed.The only thing that could be heard was Mother’s irregular breathing.
“Jiyoo,” she finally said, “come here.”
Jiyoo batted her eyes as she finally let the tears flow.She wasn’t sure if she believed her ears.Had Mother really just said, “Come here”?At times like this, “Come here” was more terrifying than “Go away.”
