Page 94 of Perfect Happiness
Eun-ho’s hand, which had been drying his hair, stopped suddenly.He was already aware that Yuna’s ex-husband had disappeared.Could his disappearance have something to do with Noah’s death?In Eun-ho’s mind two pictures—one of Jiyoo and her biological father, and one of Eun-ho and Noah—were overlapping.
But he felt uneasy.Min-young must want something in return for offering information about Noah’s death.She would demand something of equal value.But what that was, he didn’t know.Try as he might, he couldn’t think of anything he had that she could want.
He hesitated for a moment before accepting.He was grasping at straws, but it didn’t matter.The enemy of my enemy is my friend.And even if this woman wasn’t his friend, she might be able to show him the way.If she really was the sister of Yuna’s ex-husband, he doubted she would be colluding with Wife, especially if she knew about the divorce.
Min-young must have already decided she was going to meet Eun-ho, no matter what.She gave him the address of the café she was waiting at, which was nearby, and told him what she was wearing.
“I’m at a café called Mojo.You know it, right?My hair is tied, and I’m wearing a black dress.You’ll know when you see me.I look just like Jiyoo.”
The café was on the forested road behind the townhouse.Eun-ho often stopped there with Yuna on their walks after dinner.This made Eun-ho feel somewhat uneasy, but he decided not to ask if they could meet somewhere else.After all, it wasn’t like they were having an affair.And what were the chances Wife would go there in the morning?
“You’re going out?”Wife asked as Eun-ho got dressed.He nodded as he headed for the front door.
“Where?”
“To meet a lawyer.”He hadn’t prepared this lie; it came out automatically, as though he were becoming a compulsive liar.
“When did you get a lawyer?And why are you meeting in the morning on the weekend?”Wife was out of breath as she intercepted him just before the front door.
“We’ll get the autopsy results any day now,” Eun-ho said.“I need to prepare myself legally.”
“Prepare yourself legally?How?”Yuna looked genuinely curious.
“That’s what I need to figure out.”
“Just wait a minute.I’ll go with you,” Yuna said as she placed her hand on his arm.“I’ll get dressed immediately and be right out.”
Eun-ho hadn’t expected her to go this far.Hoping that his surprise wasn’t showing on his face, he removed her hand from his arm.
“Maybe next time.I want to go alone today.”
“You shouldn’t go alone.You need someone else there.Someone who can give an objective account of what happened…”
“I know how to talk for myself.I have my own mouth,” Eun-ho said with a serious look on his face as he cut her off.To prevent her from saying anything more, in a cold voice he added, “You just worry about Jiyoo.”
Eun-ho didn’t look to see Yuna’s facial expression after saying this.He didn’t even look back after putting on his shoes and walking out the door.As he walked toward his car, he could feel Wife staring out at him from the window.
After parking his car outside the café, Eun-ho took out his cellphone.He put it in airplane mode and turned on the recorder.When he entered the café, he immediately made eye contact with a woman seated near the window in the corner, dressed in a black dress.She watched him walk over to her.Her eyes were intelligent and cunning.But unlike what she had claimed, she looked nothing like Jiyoo.The only thing they shared was a last name.
“Are you Min-young Seo?”
Min-young got up from her seat with a faint smile on her face.
“I think I know Yuna’s type now,” she said.
Eun-ho didn’t know what she meant by this, but he didn’t think it appropriate for a first greeting.He lowered his eyes and looked at the table.On it was a single cup of coffee.Eun-ho went over to the counter and ordered himself a coffee.By the time he returned to their table, five minutes had passed.Eun-ho wanted to get this out of the way so they wouldn’t have to pause in the middle of their conversation.
After he sat down, neither of them bothered with banal greetings.Min-young just stared at him, as though she were studying him.Her eyes were impatient.
“My condolences,” she said.“About your son.”
Eun-ho didn’t react to this.Instead, he just took a sip of coffee.As he did this, he was hit by the absurdity of the situation.He was sitting across from the sister of his wife’s ex-husband; she was the last person he thought he would ever meet for coffee.What could she possibly want from him?
“I would like you to tell me everything that happened that day.”
Eun-ho had no desire to do this.He had already told the police the story a million times.He didn’t want to have to recount it again.Especially to some woman he had just met.
“I think you owe me an explanation first.”
