Chapter 85
The car shot forward, tires screeching as my mother rged into traffic. Streetlights streaked past us in long blurs of white and yellow. My seatbelt dug into my shoulder as she swerved sharply into another lane.
I glanced back again.
He was still there.
My father’s car cut through traffic behind us, refusing to fall back.
“Mom…” my voice shook. “Why is Dad chasing us?”
She didn’t look at . Her grip on the steering wheel tightened.
“He wants to take you away from . He wants to steal you from .”
“What?” I stared at her. “Mom, please, don’t drive like this. You’re going too fast.”
“I can’t slow down. If I do, he’ll catch up.”
“Mom, please,” I said, panic creeping in. “This is dangerous. We should stop. We can talk it out with Dad—”
“No!”
The car swerved again, narrowly missing another vehicle. A horn blared loudly beside us.
“Mom!” I cried. “Please, stop! This isn’t right!”
“No!” Her voice cracked. “Why do you want to stop, Harin?” She finally glanced at , eyes wide and wild. “Do you want to go to him? Is that it? Do you want to leave ?”
“No!” I shook my head frantically. “That’s not what I ant! I’m just scared. This is dangerous!”
“Then why are you asking to stop? Do you not love ? Do you want to abandon too?”
My chest tightened. “No, Mom! I love you! I just don’t want anyone to get hurt!”
“There’s nothing to discuss. I won’t let him take you away from .”
The road ahead opened into a long, dark stretch. The sound of the ocean grew louder, waves crashing sowhere beyond the railing.
“Mom… this is the coast road.”
She didn’t answer.
Behind us, my father’s car accelerated, closing the distance. His headlights filled the rearview mirror.
Then—
Red and blue lights flashed ahead.
Two police cars appeared from the opposite direction, sirens wailing as they swerved across the road, blocking the lane completely.
“Mom!” I grabbed her arm. “The police—!”
She slamd the brakes.
The car screeched violently before jerking to a stop just a short distance from the police blockade, the edge of the coastal road visible beyond, waves crashing far below.
Her chest heaved as she sat frozen behind the wheel.
Then she scread.
A frustrated scream tore out of her, echoing inside the car as she slamd her palm against the steering wheel again and again. I flinched, my heart pounding so hard.
The driver’s door of the car behind us opened.
My father stepped out, his movents hurried, his face pale with worry.
“Harin!” he called out urgently, raising his hands slightly as he took a step forward. “Co out of the car.”
Before I could even react—
“Stay inside,” my mother said coldly.
Her voice was completely different now. Almost empty.
“Don’t listen to him.”
I turned to her, stunned. I didn’t understand what was happening anymore. Why did she look like this? Why did she sound like this?
Two police officers approached carefully from the front.
“Ma’am!” one of them shout, “please turn off the engine and step out of the vehicle.”
My mother let out a short laugh.
“No. I’m not going back there again.”
My heart skipped.
“Mom…?” My voice trembled. “What are you talking about?”
She ignored . Her hand suddenly moved toward the dashboard.
“Mom—!”
She opened the glove compartnt and pulled sothing out.
A knife.
My breath caught in my throat.
“M-Mom, what are you doing?” I cried, panic flooding . “Why do you have that?!”
“Shut up, Harin!”
I froze.
She pushed the door open and stepped out of the car, gripping the knife tightly. The cold tal glinted under the moonlight as she raised it, pointing it toward my father.
“Don’t co any closer,” she warned, her hand shaking but her grip firm. “Stay where you are.”
My father stopped imdiately, his face draining of color.
“Haneul… please. Put it down. You’re scaring Harin.”
But she didn’t lower the knife.
Instead, her eyes hardened as she stared straight at him.
“What are you doing here, Kang-min? You ca to take Harin away from , didn’t you?”
“Ma’am, stay where you are,” one of the police officer said firmly, raising his hand. “Please lower the weapon. No one here wants anyone hurt.”
Another officer slowly shifted position, trying to widen the angle between my parents. “We can talk this through. Just put the knife down on the ground.”
My mother laughed again and looked back at my father.
“This is what you want, right, Kang‑min? As if putting in that psychiatric ward wasn’t enough for you. Now you’re going to make suffer by taking Harin away from , right?”
“Haneul, I’m not here to take Harin. I swear.”
I couldn’t take it anymore.
I pushed the car door open and stumbled out.
“Mom, stop!” I cried, my voice shaking as I ran toward her. “Please… put the knife down.”
“Harin, don’t—!” my father shouted.
My mother turned sharply, eyes widening when she saw so close.
“Harin… why did you co out?” she said, panic flickering across her face for a split second.
“I’m right here,” I said, tears streaming down my face. “I’m not going anywhere. Please, Mom—drop it.”
Her breathing grew erratic. Her grip tightened.
And then—
She grabbed .
One arm wrapped tightly around my shoulders, pulling back against her chest. The cold edge of the knife pressed dangerously close to my neck.
Everything stopped.
“Haneul!” my father shouted, horror flooding his face. “Don’t do this. Please!”
The police froze instantly.
“Ma’am,” an officer said slowly, carefully, “please release the child. Let her go. No one is moving.”
My heart pounded so loudly I could barely hear anything else.
“Don’t co any closer!” my mother scread, backing away with still trapped in her arms. “If anyone moves, I swear—”
“Mom…” I sobbed, my hands trembling as they clutched her sleeve. “It’s . Harin. Please. I’m right here.”
Her breath was hot against my ear.
“I won’t let anyone take you,” she whispered, voice cracking. “You are all I have in this world, Harin.”
Tears stread down my face as we stood there, her arm locked tightly around , the knife still raised.
“Mom…” I choked. “Why are you doing this? Don’t you love anymore?”
She took another step backward, dragging with her. Her footing was unstable now, heels scraping against the rough pavent near the edge.
“I love you so much, Harin. That’s why I’m doing this… because I don’t want to lose you.”
She suddenly looked at my father.
“This is all your fault!” she scread at him. “Look at us! Look at what you did to our family!”
Her voice broke as she yelled, “Are you happy now? Would you be satisfied if we just die here?!”
“Dad—” I cried, my voice breaking as I looked at him through my tears.
My father dropped to his knees without hesitation.
“Haneul, please,” he begged, his hands shaking as he raised them. “Just take it out on . I’m right here. Do whatever you want to . Just don’t hurt our daughter. Please.”
“Hurt her? What are you talking about?” Her arm tightened around protectively. “I’m not hurting her. Can’t you see? Harin is safe. She’s safest with .”
“Ma’am, please stop this. There’s no need to go this far. Let the child go. We can resolve this peacefully.”
Her head snapped toward the police officers.
“You stay there!” she scread, the knife shaking in her hand. “Don’t co any closer!”
She took another step back.
The edge of the cliff was only a few steps away now, and beneath it, the sea roared violently. Heavy waves crashed against the rocks below.
“Mom—” I gasped, feeling the wind whip against my face.
“Haneul! What are you doing?!” my father scread, his voice breaking as he pushed forward before stopping himself, terrified to make her panic more. “What are you planning to do?!”
She laughed softly.
“What do you think I’m going to do? You’ve pushed this far, Kang-min. If I surrender… you’ll just take back to that hellhole, won’t you?”
The knife trembled as she gestured wildly.
“You’ll lock up again,” she continued, her voice rising. “You’ll tell them to keep watching , won’t you?”
She shook her head, her smile turning bitter.
“If I hadn’t run away from that hospital… you would’ve trapped there forever, right? You and them. All of you.”
I don’t understand what they an by that. Run away? My mom… ran away from the hospital?
“I had no choice, Haneul. You were sick. You kept threatening to hurt yourself every ti. That’s why we had to keep a close watch on you.”
My mother suddenly turned her body fully toward him.
“I’M NOT SICK! You’re the one who’s sick! All of you are! You locked up, injected and watched like an animal.”
She looked down at .
“If they take back… I’ll never get to see you again, Harin,” she whispered, then lifted her head to face my father once more.
“I’D RATHER DIE THAN GO BACK TO THAT PLACE!”
“Mom—please—”
“Harin,” she said urgently, her voice shaking as she stared at . “You love , right? We have no escape anymore. You understand , right? You want to stay with , right? You won’t leave , right?”
She took a step backward, closer to the edge.
“No!” my father scread.
“Just close your eyes, okay, Harin. Everything will be over in a second.”
“Mom…” I pleaded. “Please don’t do this.”
“Shhh… don’t be scared. Everything will be fine.”
Before she could take another step, there was sudden movent behind her.
In one swift motion, I saw her arm jerk upward. Soone’s hand gripping her wrist tightly.
“Harin—move!” a voice shouted.
The sudden force broke her hold on .
I stumbled backward, losing my balance and collapsing onto the ground. My palms scraped against the gravel as I caught myself. Heart pounding, I looked up.
“…Mr. Kim?”
Why… is Mr. Kim here?
My mother let out a furious scream.
“LET GO OF !”
“Haneul-ssi, please calm down. This isn’t worth it.”
“OUTSIDERS SHOULD NOT DDLE IN OUR BUSINESS!”
She thrashed violently, struggling against him at the very edge of the cliff. Mr. Kim held on with everything he had, his feet slipping on the gravel as the waves roared below.
Police officers rushed forward.
“Ma’am, stop resisting!”
But she kept pushing, her strength fueled by pure rage.
“SCREW ALL OF YOU!”
Then—
The ground gave away.
Their bodies disappeared over the edge, swallowed by the darkness and the roaring waves below.
“AHJUSSSIIIIIII!”
.
.
.
.
.
That night… how I wished I had listened to my father back then. If I had forgiven him, if I had believed what he said… I’m sure none of it would have happened.
Because of my stubbornness, an innocent life was lost. But why… why did it have to be this way?
.
Mr. Kim… you must be upset with , aren’t you?
I should be punished for my own foolishness. Don’t you think so?
I should have listened to what you were going to say to that night, before I left with my mother. If only I had stayed. If only I had listened.
It’s okay if you resent , Mr. Kim.
No…
You should resent .
Because I was the one who brought suffering upon your family.
But why…
Just why…
When you were about to fall that night…
Why did your face look so calm?
And why…
Why did you smile at ?
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