Mrs. Go tapped gently on her daughter's door. From inside came Nau Rin's voice, soft but clear. "Come in."
Her mother leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed loosely over her chest. "You didn't forget anything, did you?"
Arim looked up from what she was doing. "Forget what?" she asked, her voice thoughtful, almost distant.
Mrs. Go smiled faintly. "We're supposed to buy your school uniform today."
"Oh, right." Arim sighed. "Do we have to go today?"
"Of course. You start school the day after tomorrow, and you still don't even have a uniform," her mother said, a hint of reproach in her tone. "Come on, get changed. We're leaving soon."
"Mom, what's the rush? It's still early. And I just finished cleaning my room," she said, her voice tinged with complaint.
"Arim." At the sound of her name, she turned. Her mother was watching her with a steady, serious gaze that seemed to see right through her.
"Okay, okay," Arim muttered, moving quickly to straighten up her things. "You go have some tea, I'll be down in a minute."
Mrs. Go gave her a single sharp look. "Don't take too long," she said before heading downstairs.
"Got it!" Arim called after her, already halfway to her closet.
She took a quick shower, then stood before her wardrobe, thinking for a moment before pulling out a soft, reddish-brown wool turtleneck sweater, a pair of wide blue jeans, and a matching blue cap. She slipped them on and added her round glasses—the ones that covered half her face.
When she went downstairs, her mother had already finished her tea and was sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine. Her hair was neatly twisted up and secured with a large black clip. The fitted brown blouse and long pleated skirt reaching her ankles made her look graceful and composed.
Seeing her daughter, Mrs. Go rose and walked toward the entryway. "All ready?" she asked.
Arim nodded. "Yeah," she said, reaching for her coat.
Her mother slipped into a belted brown coat and a pair of black heeled shoes with pointed toes. Arim put on a deep navy duffle coat and brown leather boots.
They left the house and got into a taxi, arriving a few blocks away at a shop that sold school uniforms.
The shop owner greeted them warmly and asked which school's uniform they were looking for.
Mrs. Go pointed to her daughter and asked politely, "Do you have the uniform for Sae Bom Girls' Middle School in her size?"
The owner looked Nau Rin up and down, gave an awkward smile, and then glanced at her mother. "What a tall child," he said. Turning back to Nau Rin, he added, "Go ahead and take off your coat so I can get a sense of the fit." After studying her for a moment, he asked, "By the way… how tall are you?"
"165 centimeters," Nau Rin replied, her voice calm and steady.
The owner nodded and disappeared into the back room. Moments later, he returned carrying two uniforms in sizes 95 and 100, showing her the fitting room.
The shop owner stepped closer to Mrs. Go, a polite smile on his face, his tone incredulous. "You're very open-minded," he said. "Allowing your child to dye her hair… I could never agree to that myself."
Before he could finish, Mrs. Go cut him off with a sharp tilt of her head. "Arim, are you all right?" she called to her daughter, shooting him a sharp glance, then stepped away a few paces, standing at a distance.
When Arim stepped out of the fitting room, her mother asked her what she thought.
"The size 100 is a little loose, but it fits comfortably. I don't like that it's fitted— isn't there a straight-cut blazer?" she said, glancing between the shop owner and her mother.
The owner shook his head firmly. "The cut is the same for all uniforms; only the colors differ," he explained.
Mrs. Go nodded decisively. "Then let's just take this one," she said, her tone sharp and clear.
As they left the uniform shop and headed toward a department store, Arim said, "We came out just to get the uniform, didn't we? Why are we going into the department store?"
Her mother kept walking straight ahead, not breaking her pace. "Since we're out, we might as well get you a bag, and maybe some clothes too," she replied.
Arim pouted. "I already have a bag," she protested.
Mrs. Go turned, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "The one you carry for practice?" she asked.
Arim, sounding a little annoyed, waved her hand. "Then let's just go in and get it over with. Sister-in-law, you always end up spending the whole day shopping," she reminded her.
While Mrs. Go picked up a rectangular leather bag to examine, a shop assistant approached. "You have a keen eye. This bag is a new design from 2012," she explained politely.
Mrs. Go glanced at Nau Rin with a questioning look. Nau Rin shook her head, but the sharp-eyed assistant noticed immediately. Quick to change the subject, he turned back to her. "If you're not interested in this bag, I can show you some other styles. We have a wide variety, and if you tell me what kind of bag you like, I'll be happy to help," he said, smiling warmly at Mrs. Go.
Nau Rin asked, "Do you have a plain black bag, with no decoration, no extra pockets, and roomy inside?"
"Yes, we do," the assistant replied. "Please wait a moment." He returned shortly with three bags from the back of the store.
Nau Rin didn't hesitate; she examined all three and immediately selected one, her choice confident and decisive.
Their shopping wasn't over yet. Mrs. Go tried showing Nau Rin a variety of dresses, but Nau Rin showed no interest at all. In the end, Mrs. Go seemed to give up.
"I don't think anything I pick will match your taste. Why don't you choose for yourself?" she said, sounding tired.
Nau Rin smirked "Alright," before walking toward the other end of the store. She addressed the shop assistant politely. "I'll take that one, and that one too," she said, pointing to a pair of brown straight polyester trousers and a black high-neck, half-zip wool sweater.
When they stood at the register to pay, Mrs. Go shook her head. "You know, you used to always wear dresses when you were little," she said.
Arim smiled. "Well, that's because you made me wear them. I guess I got tired of it after a while," she replied.
As they were leaving the department store, Arim said to her mother, "I wonder if this sweater will fit, as it seems a bit large."
Her mother said, "Well, you didn't try it, what can we do now? Shall we go back and check another size?"
Arim replied, "I guess so…"
"'I guess so'—what's that about? Come on, let's go back. It's only on the second floor," her mother said, leading the way.
At the entrance to the store, her mother said, "Go on ahead; I'll be right behind once I've used the restroom," and headed in the other direction. As Nau Rin was about to enter the store, she overheard the earlier conversation of the salesperson.
"Did you see the girl with dyed hair?" she asked the other salesperson.
"Yes, I've seen one or two kids dye their hair brown before, but this is the first time I've ever seen a child dye it such a bright, shocking color," she said, sounding both astonished and disgusted.
"And her mother doesn't even say anything, Look at how that girl talks to her — she's completely got the upper hand. No manners, no sense of decency. She's probably one of those kids who loiter around the streets all day," she said.
"Yeah, her mother seems like a well-educated, nice person, but inside… it's a completely different story," they murmured to each other.
Nau Rin stood silently by the door, listening. When she saw her mother approaching, she went over and, lightly resting her hand on her mother's back, gave a gentle push:
"No need to exchange it—it seems to fit after all," she said.
Her mother smiled warmly.
"Good. Then let's head home," she replied.
It was already three in the afternoon. In the kitchen, tea was boiling, and Mrs. Go arranging a fruit platter. Suddenly, Arim ran in, shouting,
"Mom! Mom!"
Startled, Mrs. Go hurriedly asked, "Is there a fire? What happened?"
But Arim, as if nothing had happened, said softly, "Aren't the fruit ready yet?"
Her mother frowned and waved the spoon she was holding. "You little rascal, you scared me for nothing," she said lightly.
Arim laughed joyfully, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Speaking softly,
"Mom…"
"Mhm," her mother replied, continuing to prepare the fruit.
Mrs. Go smiled. "Well, I'll do the same things I've always done—clean the house, cook, take care of you and your father."
Arim said, "Mom, I'm fourteen now. I'm grown up. You don't have to worry about me anymore. I can take care of myself," and a moment of silence followed. Her mother turned to look at her.
Arim looked straight into her mother's eyes and said seriously, "You don't need to stay at home anymore. You have things you want to do. What if you lived doing what you want from now on?
"What are you even talking about…" she muttered, unable to look her daughter in the eye, slicing the fruit she had just finished preparing once again.
Arim asked, "Mom, you were a wife, you were a mother… but were you ever Kim Hye-jin?"
Her mother flustered. "Arim… your mother is too old to start something new," she said, trying to look into her daughter's eyes to confirm her words.
In a soft voice, Arim said, "You just turned forty-four. Considering the average life expectancy in our country, you still have forty years ahead of you. What will you do with that time? Will you wait for Dad and me to come home?... Mom, you don't have to wait anymore. You don't have to stay in this house."
After a pause, she smiled and added, "I just wanted you to think about it."