"What are you two doing in there dawdling? Get out here and eat this instant!"
Just as father and son were deeply engrossed in the ceramic fragments, 'Empress' Song Mi-kyung's thunderous roar echoed from the living room, jolting them both.
They exchanged a wide-eyed, panicked glance before scrambling to comply, nearly colliding with Mi-kyung as she marched towards the room.
Are you kidding? The Suneung was the day after tomorrow. If their mother caught Eun-woo fiddling with pottery shards instead of his books, a slipper-beating was guaranteed. And Father? He'd be lucky to escape with just a night on the sofa. It was a clear demonstration of the household hierarchy.
At the dinner table, father and son shared another covert look, this one of shared, relieved survival.
"What kind of shady business were you two up to?" Mi-kyung asked, her sharp eyes missing nothing. The air at the table grew instantly tense.
Fortunately, Song Min-soo's reflexes were sharp. He immediately turned a stern gaze on his son. "You! Out with it! Did you cause trouble again? When your mother and I came home, all the neighbors were looking at us strangely, whispering. Confess now, and we'll go easy on you!"
Hearing his father's words and seeing the grave expression, Eun-woo rolled his eyes inwardly. Wow. Throwing your own son under the bus to save yourself? Smooth move, Abeoji.
They say 'the devil is one foot tall, the righteous man ten.' His father had just performed a masterful Great Shift of Blame. But Eun-woo was skeptical. With such an awkward pivot, there was no way 'Empress' Mi-kyung would be fooled. Since his father had betrayed him first, all bets were off.
Hmph. I'll just tell Mother you were trying to teach me about antiques with a pile of broken pottery. Let's see which of us ends up on the sofa tonight.
But just as Eun-woo was formulating his counter-attack, his mother's laser-focused gaze pinned him in place. "Your eyes are shifting all over. Speak up. Don't even think about lying."
While the couple had heard 'congratulations,' their parental instincts, honed by years of their son's mischief, told them to investigate. Past experience showed that under pressure, their son usually cracked.
Hearing this, Eun-woo was stunned. An unjust accusation! I've been a model citizen lately!
"Uh… no, seriously, what's going on?? I haven't done anything. It's about the potte—"
"Potte what? Don't you dare change the subject!" his father cut in swiftly, shooting him a warning glare. "Your mother and I discussed it at length in the kitchen. We're certain you've done something. The neighbors' looks said it all. No arguments. We're reasonable people. Just confess so we can eat in peace."
A father knows his son. The moment Eun-woo said 'potte,' Min-soo knew danger was imminent and had to interrupt. The look in his eyes was a clear, desperate message: Take the hit for the team!
Eun-woo, fluent in years of paternal non-verbal cues, understood perfectly. But he felt genuinely wronged, especially upon hearing 'we're reasonable people.' His backside twitched in phantom pain.
Reasonable? Sure. Mother's version of 'reasoning' usually involves her hands… And honestly, he had no idea what was up with the neighbors. Had Yoo Mi-kyung been spreading gossip? But that didn't make sense. He'd given both her and her husband plenty of face downstairs. Even when she'd mocked him, he hadn't retaliated.
Having stayed in his room, Eun-woo had missed Joo Dae-sik's public announcement about the 500-million-won antique sale and the half-billion-won Range Rover.
Scrambling for an explanation, a thought struck him. Could word have spread about him turning down the principal's KAIST recommendation? But how? Even if there were classmates in the complex, gossip couldn't travel that fast, could it?
Besides that, he truly couldn't think of anything his parents would consider a 'mistake.'
"Ahem. Okay, look, I really haven't done anything wrong," Eun-woo began cautiously, studying his mother's face. "You're not talking about… the thing at school, are you? Because that's not what you think. I only did it because I was confident!"
Finally taking the bait, Empress Mi-kyung and Song Min-soo exchanged a significant glance and nodded in unison. Bingo.
Adopting her most severe expression, Mi-kyung commanded, "Explain. From the beginning. In detail."
A son knows his mother. Eun-woo immediately realized this wasn't the issue she'd originally suspected. If she'd known about the school matter, she wouldn't be asking for an explanation—she'd already be reaching for a slipper. And his father would have mysteriously vanished to 'brew tea.'
But since he'd brought it up, he might as well come clean. Especially since his academic abilities were now beyond reproach. He was confident his parents would support his decision once they understood.
Straightening his posture, he cleared his throat with a hint of theatrical pride.
"Ahem. Well, the situation is this. This morning, our principal called me into his office for a… chat."
He'd barely begun when SMACK! Mi-woo's hand hit the table, making both men jump.
"What?! The principal summoned you? You wretched boy, what colossal trouble did you cause?!"
Seeing his mother's eyes widen in fury, Eun-woo instinctively shrank back. For all his confidence outside, in front of the 'Empress,' he was still a subject.
But this time was different. He was in the right. He had nothing to fear.
"Whoa, whoa, Eomma, hear me out first! I didn't cause trouble! The principal called me in because my performance was… exceptionally outstanding. He insisted on giving me our school's only special recommendation slot for KAIST."
He paused for effect, puffing out his chest slightly. "When I heard that, I thought, Come on. With my abilities, they offer me just KAIST? So your son, me, I just waved my hand like this," he demonstrated a grand, dismissive gesture, "and I turned him down flat! I said, 'Gyosunim, save that slot for someone who needs it. I'll get in on my own merit!'"
He finished with a flourish, expecting looks of awe.
Instead, his mother pushed back her chair and stood up, her expression unreadable.
"Eomma? Hey, I'm not finished…"
"I'm going to get the rolling pin."
[To be continued…]