THE TRUTH MANSION'S
Chapter 14's
Jin-kyeong and Do-kyeong arrived at Saha Mansion three years ago.
On the way back home— drunk, as usual Jin-kyeong's father was robbed, beaten almost to death, and ended up in a state of complete paralysis. Jin-kyeong's mother, who had run away from her husband twice, took care of her husband and served as the backbone of the family with great devotion.
Each house has a unique atmosphere that is formed from the families that live in it. Jin-kyeong's house has an atmosphere formed from his father lying like a corpse, spikes protruding and bent, flickering neon lights, a spider's nest in the corner of the room, and the cold air from the empty fridge is leaping. One day, unable to bear the gloomy and somber atmosphere, young Jin-kyeong tells his mother that he wishes his father had died. His mother was not surprised and not angry, only asked his reason in a flat voice.
“Whatever Mother herself never thought like that?” Jin-kyeong asks back.
“Never. I just hope your father lives like this.”
“Why?”
Each time the slang is tucked into a small hole in his neck, Jin-kyeong's father, who has been lying stiff, will be wide-eyed and jerked, as if he wanted to prove that he was alive. Jin-kyeong's mother then muttered softly, “I'm the one who sinned. Therefore I knelt before the Lord and begged for mercy, begging to be saved.” Jinkyeong's mother was not a religious person, but she had heard many hymns because she used to attend a Catholic school. Seeing his mother helping his father rise up to sit up, patting his father on the back, cleaning his father's body, and cleaning the medical equipment connected to various parts of his father's body, Jin-kyeong wants to ask, What are the sins of Mother? Why do you have to kneel? Why should you apologize?
Jin-kyeong's father lived like that for six years, until he died in the spring when Jin-kyeong was seventeen.
At that time, Jin-kyeong's mother worked in a moving company and was in charge of wrapping kitchen utensils, such as plates, pans, and so on, as well as children's clothes and toys. The day after Jin-kyeong's father's funeral, his mother left for work at seven in the morning as usual to pack the belongings of a family with lots of books and toys, then move it to a house with a large yard. He wrapped each glassware in a bubble wrap, carefully loaded it into the box, loaded the boxes onto the truck, traveled for two hours to the new house, unloaded the items, he said, put it in the right place, clean a new house, and just go home after his own children eat instant noodles. The next day, and the next day again, Jin-kyeong's mother tells Jin-kyeong to look after her sister before leaving for work in the morning.
The day was the same. Mom touches Jin-kyeong's shoulder gently and says, “Mother go first.” That's all he said. His expression was the same as early in the morning. He did not hesitate or look back. His co-workers at a moving services company, who came to offer their condolences, also said the same thing. That Jin-kyeong's mother looks mediocre. He only drank another cup of coffee in the middle of the day complaining of being tired, humming quietly throughout the day, and spending his lunch. Then, while she was tidying up the laundry basket and detergent on the balcony of the client's apartment on the tenth floor, Jin-kyeong's mother suddenly fell onto a flower bed on the ground floor.