175 — Everything Happens for a Reason III

Eun Ha's POV:

She padded downstairs barefoot.

The living room came into view slowly. Jae-il sat on the arm of the couch. Mia was cross-legged on the floor, leaning back against his legs. Su Ah was curled in the big armchair, knees drawn up, phone balanced on one thigh.

All three of them were looking at something on Jae-il's laptop.

Su Ah looked up first and frowned. Mia followed her gaze. Jae-il turned. They were suddenly silent, the video muted, their heads swinging her way, every gaze fixated, as if she had done something entirely unexpected.

"... is something the matter?"

"Why aren't you resting?" Jae-il asked, gently nudging Mia to give him space to get to his feet.

"Umh..." Eun Ha paused to think for a moment, considering how to answer that question. Jae-il's soft gaze painfully reminded her of what she'd done back in the bathroom.

She shimmied on the spot for a moment. Did she even consider what she'd say or do once she saw him? Did she expect him not to be home yet?

The thoughts, the desires and the actions themselves seemed so utterly absurd now—as if the person who did such a thing couldn't possibly be her, an uptight mom and a faithful wife, a reserved and introverted middle-aged woman.

Someone had possessed her. Surely that was the only explanation, the only plausible reason. Someone, some demon had done unspeakable things in the tub and called it 'relieving stress.'

Not that it didn't do her a modicum of good, but that was neither here or there.

Mental recrimination was doing its job well. And when her voice was uncharacteristically frail, her expression weary, and her usual poise lacking... her words had even a ring of truth. Then again, who could possibly suspect anything, lest of all, their own mother?

"I was bored... besides, I'm feeling better now, just a little sore."

"Are you sure?" Jae-il came closer. Eun Ha unconsciously took a step back, then another, until her back hit the wall and her retreat was stopped.

Oh, so she'd gone full-on horror movie victim here, hadn't she? What a disaster.

"... uh huh."

"You look kind of pale."

She did feel a little faint, but that was mostly the embarrassment and shame, she wasn't about to admit to that, though.

"Just a little tired, really." She mumbled. "So, umh... did you have fun?" She asked, directing her attention to the rest of her children, trying to deflect.

Jae-il's eyebrows furrowed. His hand reached out to her, but Eun Ha deftly avoided it by sliding away from the wall and approaching her daughter on the armchair.

"What are you watching?"

"A football game." Mia answered, eyes tracking the woman as she sat next to her.

"I see." Eun Ha gave a small nod, looking at the screen, which was showing the replay of a goal.

"Jae-il was showing us what's the competition going to be like in the World Cup." Su Ah added. "Looks like it's going to be tougher than the Asian Games."

Eun Ha hummed, but said nothing.

"Do you want me to heat up some leftover soup?" Jae-il suggested, his deep voice pulling her attention towards him.

She gave a slight shake of her head. "Nah, I'm fine. Don't worry." Then she realized that being so twitchy and jumpy and avoiding him like he was the plague would certainly not help matters, and her next words came out in a rush. "But, uhm... if you're going to the kitchen, could you maybe get me some juice? Or something else to drink? I'm feeling a little thirsty, you see."

"Sure, no problem."

Eun Ha let out a sigh as Jae-il's tall figure disappeared into the kitchen.

Mia and Su Ah's eyes were still on her.

A minute later, her son came back, a glass of juice in his hand.

"Here, this should help." He handed her the drink.

Eun Ha took it gratefully and gulped down a mouthful, trying to keep her gaze locked on the laptop. "Thanks, sweetheart." She muttered, giving the cup a small swirl.

Jae-il sat on the other side of the couch, an unconvinced raised eyebrow was directed her way. "Anyway, as Su Ah Noona said, the World Cup is going to be a whole different beast." He said to his sisters, picking up the conversation where he'd left it. "The level of competition is completely different. The European and South American teams are way more competitive."

Mia stared at the screen─now on her lap─and tilted her head, eyes wrinkled. "Still, you're going to win it, right?"

Eun Ha laso stared at him.

Jae-il shrugged, and for the first time in a long while, didn't seem as confident as usual. "We'll try, but honestly, winning isn't guaranteed."

Eun Ha, Mia, and Su Ah sported surprised expressions. With Jae-il tearing through his competition at every level so far, hearing him sound uncertain about anything was shocking.

"What do you mean? Aren't you the best player ever?" Mia asked, looking up at him, her face scrunched up in a frown. "Like, how are you not guaranteed the win?"

Eun Ha was also wondering the same thing. Her knowledge of the sport and the wider world was next to none; she followed it because of Jae-il, but only if and when Jae-il was playing.

Beyond that, she never bothered looking up what his competition across the continents might've been like. She assumed that, since Jae-il was dominating locally, he could do the same everywhere.

Jae-il gave her a soft smile and shook his head.

"Oh, c'mon!" Mia huffed.

"I'm not a god, you know. I'm not superhuman, I'm not infallible." Jae-il explained.

"I know that..."

"And I can't beat a whole team alone, no matter how good I am."

"I know, Jae-il. It's not like we're blind."

"And it's not just me, the team has to click."

"So, why are you talking like this is a lost cause? You'll be fine!" Mia crossed her arms.

"I'm not saying we're not going to make it there, I'm just telling you not to expect miracles, or a straight-up victory, just because the scorelines we've gotten lately have been lopsided." Jae-il explained as he placed the laptop back on his legs, resuming the video they had been playing. "For example, look. This is the Brazil that'll be participating—look at them, Noona. They're being called the 'Geração dos Deus', basically the Generation of Gods of Brazilian football. It's crazy. They're fucking stacked. They've been dominating their league, just like us... but unlike our own little league, which is filled with mediocre, over-the-hill players, theirs is filled with young, talented players. There's a massive difference between being the top here, and being the top there." There was a contemplative, borderline concerned expression on his face. "Articles say that there hasn't been such a massive influx of talents like this in nearly fifty years. Fifty..."

"Huh." Mia and Su Ah mumbled.

Eun Ha quietly leaned forward to take a look. She couldn't really understand any of it, but she still paid attention.

"And this isn't taking into account the other giants like Germany, Spain, Italy or England, or France." Jae-il continued, rubbing his mouth. "These are the powerhouses that have dominated world football for decades. These are the countries that produce the most professional and talented players. And this time, they're going to prove to be a challenge unlike any other. People are already speculating that we're about to enter the Golden Era of football. Talents are sprouting everywhere like weed. So, if we do make it to the final, and play one of these teams, or any other of the ones that have been performing at a consistently high level, then we might just lose. We're the underdogs. The Cinderella story. The one that could happen, but is far from a guaranteed thing. It's... not going to be easy."

"Well..." Mia's expression shifted into a pout. "If you put it that way, I guess we can't really be disappointed if you don't win, huh? Still... I have full confidence in you, little bro. You'll make those miracles happen, I'm sure of it."

Su Ah also nodded, smiling at him. "I think you'll manage to surprise everyone. And whether you win or lose, we'll be rooting for you all the way. Just do your best."

Eun Ha nodded as well, albeit more hesitantly. "I agree with them, sweetheart. We'll be rooting for you no matter what. You're still so young and you have so much time ahead of you, it's not like you're going to retire tomorrow. So, no matter the result, I'm sure the country will support you regardless."

"Thanks, guys." Jae-il chuckled. "You're really putting a lot of pressure on me."

"Sorry." The three women said in unison.

"Nah, it's fine. I appreciate the confidence." He smiled brightly, slowly closing the laptop's lid shut. "Anyway, no more depressing talk. The World Cup is still a few months away, and we'll deal with it when the time comes."

Eun Ha returned her son's smile, her mind drifting somewhere else.

In the end, her son was still the same as he'd always been.

Looking around her, Eun Ha saw how... happy they seemed to be.

All of them.

Jae-il's return had definitely changed a few things.

Her daughters were no longer sullen, their gazes no longer as lifeless and cold.

They seemed almost... normal, now. Which was crazy, considering how distant they'd been with her.

It was strange.

So, was Eun Ha herself the one not normal, right now?