Episode 9
“Mom…”
Before Sunhwa could even ask, Hyesoo buried her face in her mom’s arms.
Sunhwa was surprised when her daughter suddenly hugged her like that. But when she saw Hyesoo crying, she instinctively began to pat her back gently.
“Mom… Mom…”
Hyesoo kept calling for her mother, over and over.
She had grown up too fast and stopped acting like a child long ago. Since middle school, she took care of herself, never asking for help.
“She must be having a hard time finding a job.”
That’s what Sunhwa thought, seeing her daughter acting so emotional all of a sudden.
Hyesoo had always been smart. She could have gone to a top university, but she chose a junior college so she could graduate early and start working.
Even then, Sunhwa couldn’t afford her tuition. She was still paying off the debt her husband left when he died ten years ago. She could barely afford food, let alone tuition.
So Hyesoo worked part-time jobs to pay for her school and living costs—all by herself. But she never once complained.
“Our family is struggling… Hyesoo has to take care of herself.”
That’s what Sunhwa told herself—until she realized that wasn’t fair.
“I shouldn’t see her hard work as something expected.”
Hyesoo had always tried to make things easier for her mom. Sunhwa knew she should be thankful for such a responsible daughter, but life was just too hard. Even paying rent for their basement apartment made her heart race with anxiety.
Sunhwa thought about her late husband, Junseong, who left them with nothing but debt.
“That selfish man… even in death, he’s ruining his daughter’s future.”
Whenever she thought about him, she could only curse.
Trying to forget him, she gently patted Hyesoo again and said,
“Hyesoo, I’m so proud of you.”
She had never said those words before—always too busy, too tired.
“You’ve always made me proud. You never chased silly dreams like your dad did. You’re smart and realistic.”
When Sunhwa said this, Hyesoo flinched. But Sunhwa didn’t notice and kept patting her back.
“Only my daughter thinks about me like this.”
But Hyesoo’s face darkened as she stayed in her mom’s arms.
“Mom…”
Sunhwa didn’t support Hyesoo’s love for music. She wasn’t just against it—she hated the idea.
That was because of her late husband, who had loved music deeply. Hyesoo inherited her talent from him.
He could write songs, sing, and compose well. But in his time, music wasn’t a job—it was a dream. No one wanted to hear his songs, and he was often tricked by scammers.
He ended up in massive debt, from thousands to millions. But even then, he clung to his dream.
“This song… if just one hits, I’ll be rich!”
He kept saying that—but he never got rich. Just more debt.
Feeling useless, he took his own life when Hyesoo was 13.
Sunhwa had to carry all that burden alone.
That’s why she hated music so much.
Even though Hyesoo was gifted, Sunhwa strongly opposed her pursuing it.
But in her past life, Hyesoo still dreamed. She secretly worked as a demo singer to let that hidden passion out.
Now, Hyesoo pulled away slightly and looked at her mom’s hand that had been patting her back.
Her mom worked two jobs—washing dishes at a restaurant and working as a scrubber at a public bathhouse. Her hands were always wrinkled.
Hyesoo gently touched those hands, then rested her head on her mom’s shoulder.
“Still acting like a baby?”
Sunhwa teased lightly.
But even as she said that, she kept patting her daughter’s back.
“Mom… just once, let me go against you.”
Hyesoo said silently to herself.
“But I promise, I’ll make you proud. I’ll make you happy.”
She made up her mind while remembering her past life—how she was used and betrayed by Sea-Ah and Jaeho, how she lived like a puppet.
The more she thought about it, the more awful it felt.
Hyesoo bit her lip.
“Not again. Never again.”
She had been given a second chance—and she wouldn’t waste it.
She suddenly remembered what Danwoo had once asked her:
“Why do you do everything for Lee Sea-Ah, not for Ji Hyesoo?”
Even though she was Ji Hyesoo, she lived only to serve Sea-Ah.
But that life was over.
Now, she was ready to live for herself.
Meanwhile…
Danwoo felt like he was lost in a fog. He couldn’t see anything clearly.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
“Are you still writing songs?”
He saw two women—one with long hair and one with short hair—sitting at a café.
It was the same dream he’d had before.
The short-haired woman, Hyesoo, smiled and answered,
“It’s just a hobby. I only write when I feel like it.”
Sea-Ah, the woman with long hair, looked confused.
“But why? You’re so talented! It’s a waste!”
Hyesoo smiled faintly and replied,
“Because my mom doesn’t want me doing music.”
As soon as Hyesoo said that, the dream turned blurry again.
Now the scene changed.
Danwoo saw a younger Hyesoo, wearing a school uniform and holding a notebook close to her chest.
“Ji Hyesoo.”
A cold voice called her name.
“M-Mom.”
The woman who looked just like her was her mother.
Hyesoo looked at her with pleading eyes, still hugging the notebook tightly.
You could tell how important that notebook was to her.
But her mom didn’t look pleased.
“Give it to me.”
Her voice was sharp.
Hyesoo shook her head, about to cry.
After staring at her for a moment, her mom asked,
“Do you want to sing?”
Hyesoo nodded desperately, like she was clinging to her last hope.
Danwoo could feel her pain just watching her.
But her mother didn’t soften.
“I see.”
She turned around and left.
When she came back, she was holding a sharp knife.
“M-Mom!”
Shocked, Hyesoo tried to stop her.
Then, her mother pointed the blade at her own neck.
“You want to sing?”
“M-Mom, please stop…”
“Then do it after I’m dead.”
