Even without asking, it seemed like Hajoon’s mother.
Sometimes, the stories Jianne told about Yeonwoo came to mind, but it didn’t evoke any unpleasant or such emotions.
‘She seems warm and generous. She carried the words that Jianne liked.‘
Watching Hajoon and his parents heading to the funeral and Jianne’s figure, Danwoo’s view was fully captured.
As Jianne entered the funeral hall with Hajoon’s parents, Eunji’s forehead twitched.
Eunji looked uncomfortable, remembering the talk about Yeonwoo that Jianne occasionally shared, but it wasn’t unpleasant or anything.
‘She seems warm and generous. She carried the words that Jianne liked.‘
Jennis, who wiped her lips with a handkerchief, looked up at Eunji.
‘She’s probably Hajoon’s mother.‘
After finishing the incense, Yeonwoo, with a silent gesture, bowed her head towards Eunji.
The cold gaze that Eunji had encountered in the waiting room a long time ago came to mind. The gaze that had coldly observed the young Jianne was still the same.
However, Yeonwoo did not show any emotions and held Jianne’s hand, patting it awkwardly.
“Mom, even if it’s tough, make sure to eat regularly and take care of yourself while sending Dad off. Got it?”
“Yes.”
Yeonwoo swallowed the word “Mom” that was about to come out of her mouth, looking at Eunji. She let go of Jianne’s hand.
In the morning, when there were expected to be no visitors, Jianne’s acquaintances started coming one by one.
People from the publishing company she worked with, academy colleagues, and acquaintances from the volunteer organization she participated in. Even the broadcasting station officials she had met while following Jennis’s schedule visited.
Though Jayoon lived a dignified life with compliments attached, Eunji thought, ‘What’s so dignified? You should see Jianne better than Jennis.’
Eunji felt that the mourners for Jianne seemed more genuine than the acquaintances of those who had worked with her in a more formal setting.
As the afternoon approached, Jennis’s mourners began to gather.
Broadcasting and performance-related people, advertising agencies, and those who had a formal connection with Jennis came busily for their condolences, crowding the funeral hall filled with condolence wreaths.
With the condolences continuing into the night, Jennis’s sobbing also lessened, and Eunji, who had stood all day, was tired.
On that night, Mikyung, who had come with the customer support team from Play Round for condolences, returned with a surprised face.
“So, Jianne’s close sister is Jennis? Can I be more surprised?”
“Well, you know.”
Jianne mumbled and thought of Danwoo.
That might be the most surprising thing.
Fortunately, Danwoo wasn’t visible, so she could probably avoid uncomfortable rumors, but lying to Mikyung felt uncomfortable.
On the last night of the funeral, the funeral hall quieted down after midnight. As the mourners left, the funeral hall, which had been crowded, became incredibly quiet in the night.
After sending Tae-yoon, who was preparing for a business trip and promised to come to the memorial service in the morning, Yeonwoo fixed her gaze on the parking lot.
Hajoon, coming out to smoke, noticed Danwoo and stood beside him.
When Hajoon turned around, Danwoo looked at him again.
Tomorrow is the funeral, but Jianne still wasn’t crying.
Although she occasionally showed signs of sobbing, her eyes quickly became dim as if she had blocked them.
Hajoon, tapping the cigarette case, stared directly at Danwoo.
“Would you like a cigarette?”
“No.”
After a brief question and answer, silence followed again.
Danwoo, after the funeral, had to go on a postponed business trip to Jeju. When she suggested going together, Jianne immediately refused.
However, postponing the trip for another two days wasn’t an option, and he couldn’t tell his family that he would stay with them, so his thoughts were complicated.
There was a way to force her to go, but that didn’t seem right.
Hajoon hid his thumb among the other four fingers and extended his fist, showing it to Danwoo.
“Do you know what this means?”
Danwoo, after looking at Hajoon’s fist for a moment, raised his gaze, asking what it meant.
Jianne’s name flowed from Hajoon’s lips.
“It’s a habit Jianne has when she lies. She doesn’t clench her fist during funerals. Fortunately, she didn’t do it this time.”
Hajoon reminded Danwoo of his vow to be at least brave about the existence of Udannu and explained Jianne’s habit.
Then, thinking of Danwoo and Jianne who had fallen asleep leaning on each other, he smiled bitterly.
Danwoo sometimes remembered seeing Jianne clench her fist like that. Even on the night when she returned Jiyoon’s body, turning him around, she clenched her fist like that.
“I didn’t know.”
“We’re not likely to see each other often in the future. I think Jianne will hear a lot that she’s okay in the future. By the way, isn’t it a big deal?”
“Yes.”
Understanding the meaning of the question without a subject, Danwoo answered.
Even with him around, the person who would accept and mourn Jiyoon’s death was Jianne.
No matter how unhappy his past was, it was not the death of his mother, so he couldn’t feel the same loss as Jianne. It was something that couldn’t be said to be similar.
Whenever Danwoo saw Jianne looking so numb, he felt like one side of his heart was being cut by a sharp knife.
Danwoo and Hajoon silently watched the quiet parking lot as the night approached.
“Come in slowly.”
As Danwoo showed his back and entered, Hajoon, smoking a cigarette, exhaled smoke. With the scattering smoke, he muttered.
“Why aren’t you crying? It’s driving me crazy.”
The moment he read the obituary article, his heart was split in half, but more than that, he felt more heartbreaking for Jianne, who had to decide on the funeral procedure.
To avoid making Jianne regretful, he had solidified his heart.
Was it the right thing to do?
As Hajoon tapped his shortened cigarette, the parking lot he looked at was lonely and desolate, even in the spring breeze.
Dawn before the funeral.
Hajoon and Danwoo were leaning against the wall, eyes closed, at a distance.
Jianne stared at one wall and silently watched Jenice and Eunji, who were leaning on each other and sleeping in the mourning room. Even in her sleep, Jenice sniffled, seeming sad.
Jianne wanted to show Jiyoon that the family was together, so she sat next to Jenice, guarding the mourning room.
Suddenly, now that there was no father either, it seemed pointless and gloomy.
In a few hours, Jiyoon would become a handful of ashes.
She sighed deeply to calm her heart that sank deeply and began to chew her nails, resentful of the thought that Danwoo and Hajoon might not be able to sleep because of her.
And so, she spent the last night in the mourning room with a heavy heart, preventing the unrest of Danwoo and Hajoon.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
