My Ex-Boyfriend is Sold Out

Chapter 23: The Ex-Girlfriend Faces Her Past

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Cock-a-doodle-doo!

The morning arrived with the loud crowing of roosters. Si-hyun, still half-asleep, rubbed his disheveled hair and struggled to open his bleary eyes.

“Grandma’s place has that familiar smell…”

There was a certain nostalgic scent—a unique fragrance of the countryside, though hard to describe, comforting in a way.

Lost in that scent, Si-hyun was about to get up when—

“Mmm… Si-hyun-ah…”

He realized belatedly that he was tangled up in Yerin’s arms and legs.

Any attempt to free himself only tightened her grip, so he sighed and resigned himself to his situation.

“I should’ve seen this coming…”

His lower body was pinned by her legs, his right arm under her head as a pillow. The only free part was his left arm.

In the past, he would’ve woken her up and slipped away with his free hand, but for some reason, he didn’t feel like doing that now.

“Staying like this isn’t so bad…”

Si-hyun smiled faintly, brushing Yerin’s hair back from her face. He poked her soft cheeks, playfully watching as her brow furrowed slightly.

“Too cute.”

“Mmm-hmm…”

As if responding to his compliment, Yerin let out a sleepy chuckle. For a second, he feared she was waking up, but thankfully, it was just a mumble in her sleep.

“Phew…”

Relieved, Si-hyun gazed at her face and noticed a speck of dust in her hair.

Just as he reached out to remove it—

The door burst open.

“Kids, it’s almost time for breakfast, so—”

Grandma walked in, catching him in a suspicious-looking pose over her granddaughter. Covering her mouth as if hiding a smirk, she spoke with amusement.

“I’ll be making some stamina-boosting food, so take your time and enjoy yourselves~”

“Grandma!?”

Smiling with a knowing glint, she closed the door. Startled, Si-hyun quickly sat up, causing Yerin, who’d been using his arm as a pillow, to bump her head against the blanket.

“Si-hyun… what’s going on…?”

In her half-awake daze, Yerin blinked at him with confusion, but Si-hyun could only rush out of the room without answering.

He hurried to Grandma, trying to explain it was all a misunderstanding, but she simply nodded and gave him a meaningful, teasing look.

“Sigh… It really wasn’t like that…”

Feeling drained before the day had even started, Si-hyun began breakfast with a weary sigh, weakly picking up his chopsticks. The meal consisted of seafood, supposedly for stamina, just like yesterday. Somehow, he felt no appetite.

Mental note: Avoid these types of dishes.

While he mostly stuck to kimchi and rice, Grandma, smiling warmly, spoke to Yerin.

“Yerin, you remember Bok-soon, right?”

“Of course, Grandma! There’s no way I’d forget the lady from next door.”

Nodding, Grandma continued.

“She’s been feeling poorly lately and hasn’t been able to get around. Why don’t you stop by? She missed you so much while you were away.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me sooner…”

Yerin nodded and started eating faster. With cheeks puffed out like she was storing sunflower seeds, she hurried out of the house.

“Si-hyun, you can come along with me.”

“Yes, Grandma.”

After finishing breakfast and helping with the dishes, Si-hyun followed her outside.

What are we doing today?

He expected they’d ride the tractor to the fields like yesterday, but instead, Grandma simply strolled along the path by the sea.

Walking in silence behind her, Si-hyun grew slightly uncomfortable with the quiet, so he broke the ice.

“Grandma, where are we going?”

“Nowhere in particular. Just a little stroll.”

“Ah…?”

Grandma looked out at the sea as she spoke.

“The truth is, I didn’t call you here because I needed help with anything. Yerin kept bringing you up, so I thought it’d be nice to chat with you a bit.”

The unexpected revelation left Si-hyun speechless. Was that why Grandma had sent Yerin off somewhere else? Maybe she wanted to have a serious conversation with him.

Not knowing what to expect, Si-hyun braced himself, listening intently. After a long silence, Grandma finally spoke, without even turning to face him.

“Our Yerin… she grew up so beautifully, didn’t she?”

“Yes, she’s not only beautiful but has a wonderful personality, too—just like you, Grandma.”

Grandma let out a hearty laugh but then fell quiet again. Scratching the back of his head, Si-hyun continued.

“Yesterday, I saw how much the villagers love her. I think her constant cheerfulness is thanks to all the affection they’ve shown her…”

He trailed off as Grandma stopped walking and turned to look at him with a wistful gaze.

Her lips opened, closed, then opened again, as if hesitating, before she finally spoke with a soft sigh.

“Yes, I suppose so. Since she didn’t receive any love from her parents, it’s a blessing that she grew up surrounded by the love of the village… That’s what I think, at least.”

“What…?”

Si-hyun froze, hardly able to believe his ears. The mystery surrounding Yerin’s parents was about to be revealed.

***

Meanwhile, at Chae-yeon’s house:

“Here, honey. The pancake turned out well; try some.”

“Thank you, dear.”

Soo-yeon placed a piece of pancake on Dong-hoon’s plate, and he accepted it with a pleased smile. Perhaps it was her newfound honesty with her feelings, but Soo-yeon’s lips had hardly lowered from a smile since this morning.

Why… Why is it only Mom who’s healed?

Chae-yeon knew that these feelings were irrational, but watching Soo-yeon act lovingly toward Dong-hoon made her stomach churn.

Her mother, who had drilled such painful ideas into her mind, had simply slipped out of her own toxic mindset, leaving Chae-yeon alone to struggle.

Resentment and a sense of betrayal grew in Chae-yeon’s heart.

“Chae-yeon, why are you just sitting there? Is something wrong with the food?”

“I… I’m eating.”

The meal continued in silence. As always, her mother’s cooking was delicious, but the affectionate gestures unfolding in front of her spoiled everything.

Crunch.

Biting down hard with a glare fixed on her mother, Chae-yeon’s gaze turned icy.

***

The next day.

After Dong-hoon left for work, Chae-yeon, who hadn’t slept a wink, approached Soo-yeon, who was folding laundry.

“Mom.”

“Yes?”

“Why are you suddenly being so nice to Dad?”

Just lasting until her father left had exhausted her patience, and she no longer cared to hide her frustration. So she confronted Soo-yeon head-on, without preamble.

Hearing this, Soo-yeon’s hands froze mid-fold.

“What… what brought this on?”

“You always said… that I should never let a man see how much I love him. That if I ever relied on someone or devoted myself, he’d leave me!”

Tears brimmed in Chae-yeon’s eyes, and her fists trembled with anger. Seeing her daughter’s fierce reaction, Soo-yeon let the towel fall from her hands and struggled to meet Chae-yeon’s resentful gaze.

And Chae-yeon continued in a voice full of raw emotion.

“You brainwashed me with all that, but then you turn around and act the complete opposite and just… get to be happy? I couldn’t even tell my boyfriend I liked him because of you… Do you know how much I suffered because of that?”

Unable to contain her rage, Chae-yeon poured out all the feelings she’d been holding back.

Rage. Resentment. Bitterness. She forced all her hurt feelings outward, and facing this, Soo-yeon clutched her chest and asked in a weak voice:

“A boyfriend… Chae-yeon, you were in a relationship?”

Chae-yeon had hidden her relationship from her mother, fearing interference. But now that it was out, she continued bluntly.

“I dated a college classmate for over a year, but we broke up. He loved me just like Dad loves you, but I couldn’t even tell him I liked him.”

She hugged her arms around herself and sank to the floor, trembling.

“Every time I tried to say I liked him, your words came flooding back. I kept seeing myself becoming like you—broken, empty—and I couldn’t bring myself to show any affection. So we broke up without me ever telling him how I felt!”

Soo-yeon realized, in shock, that her daughter’s struggles were much like her own.

For the first time, Soo-yeon was confronted with her daughter’s intense resentment, leaving her breathless and mentally reeling.

“I… I’m so sorry, Chae-yeon…”

All Soo-yeon could do was tearfully apologize. Knowing her daughter had suffered because of her, she felt too ashamed to lift her head.

Choking back tears, Soo-yeon continued in a wavering voice.

“I… I thought that was the right way… But a few months ago, Dong-hoon said he wanted a divorce, and that’s when I finally realized how wrong I’d been. That’s why I started going to therapy…”

Learning this reason behind her mother’s counseling, Chae-yeon bit her lip, unable to respond.

Soo-yeon’s trembling hand touched Chae-yeon’s cheek, and her voice, filled with remorse, continued.

“My poor daughter… I didn’t even realize you were suffering this much. What have I done…”

Racked with guilt, Soo-yeon hit her chest in despair. Watching her mother sob, Chae-yeon was struck with confusion and guilt, fearing she’d broken her mother all over again.

If this keeps up…

Chae-yeon feared her mother might fall back into her old ways, convinced she didn’t deserve happiness and abandoning her therapy.

Anxious at the thought of her family breaking apart and her mother returning to her hollow self, Chae-yeon took a step back.

But just then—

As Chae-yeon tried to retreat, Soo-yeon grabbed her wrist. On her knees, she looked up at her daughter.

“I’m so sorry, Chae-yeon… This is all my fault, and I’ll fix it somehow.”

With continued pleas for forgiveness, Soo-yeon took the still-crying Chae-yeon to a counseling center.

With her mother, the very source of her trauma, supporting her recovery, Chae-yeon’s condition began to improve rapidly.

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