chan is not an idiot . he might be a little soft , and lack a little bit of common sense at times , but he knows how his parents ( particularly his mom ) feel about winona . his mom was an academic – she knew about five languages and in the throngs of learning a sixth , she held two phd’s and would probably get a third if she wasn’t jetting around the world for conferences , but she liked gossiping with other aunties if given the opportunity . she’d never do it around his father , though , as the conversations at the dinner table were more about what they saw in a new york times article or on cnn earlier in the day . as she comes into the mansion , chan’s hand scratches at the back of freshly dyed blonde hair and bows as well , hoping that his mother didn’t have ulterior motives .
his mother comes around the corner as if she’d been eavesdropping . on the campus of stanford , his mother is usually dressed in a sharp dress or suit that showed she meant business . however , when she was at home , the academic lets her hair down and skirts around the house in a linen mansur gavriel dress and a pair of slippers. ‘ eomma , ’ chan speaks softly when she comes into view , and a cheshire grin appears on the woman’s face . ‘ oh , miss rhee , ’ nina speaks , and chan tunes her out almost immediately . she’s using the voice she always put on when she’s speaking to someone she doesn’t particularly … like . ‘ it’s so NICE of you to join us . dongwook should be home soon . ’
it’s like his parents are oddly in sync with one another as he hears the door leading out to the garage opens , signaling the return of his father . ‘ jesus christ , ’ chan mutters to himself and passes off the flowers to his mom in hopes that she’ll go get a vase to put them in and get distracted with her husband’s affection . thankfully , that’s exactly what happens and chan snaps out of his trance to pull winona into one of the rooms futher away from the kitchen . his feet drag and he catches his mother’s sharp tongue as he releases a pent up breath . ‘ what – what do you mean she invited you , win ? ’ god he sounds so fucking stupid , but he can’t help it . ‘ do i have to call the cops to keep you two from killing each other ? ’
IN THE FUTURE , winona would like for people to remember her for the fact that she never flinched in front of nina park . her soul may have been ripped out of her body but winona never even twitched . nina was ... terrifying . intensely smart , insanely beautiful ( especially for having a fully grown son ) , and cultured , the woman was the meat of her nightmares . but she was also who she wanted to be like when she grew up . if , of course , you ignored the fact that she was fully grown . and it deeply bothers her that the woman hates her . objectively , winona knows how she looks on the surface : pristine , beautiful , and calm with the bearing of a princess . but she gets the oddest feeling that nina can sense the depth of her self - loathing and narcissistic tendencies . that she can see past every single wall that she has built up . and she finds her lacking . hell , she finds her more than lacking . and winona hates her for it . it makes her feel like she's standing naked in their foyer , the eyes of millions on her pale , unscathed skin . not only that but winona can remember the time when she argued about certain tenants of catholicism while tipsy and she knows that her relationship with nina and dongwook never recovered .
despite her lack of an outward reaction , winona is already deeply regretting this decision . especially as nina park glides into the room looking fabulous . and also like she has already plotted winona's death and prepared invitations to her funeral . she doesn't give her the satisfaction of frowning . she knows that would only be gossip material for the aunties . instead , she pastes the sweetest smile on her face before bowing respectfully . her mother would have been proud of her . she shudders to think of them meeting , honestly . her mother may have seemed soft on the outside . but the woman had built her two children's careers up from nothing . and she had managed to strike fear into the hearts of hollywood executives while doing it . winona is suddenly ( viciously ) glad that they had never met . ❛ your house is as lovely as i remember and i'm so glad to be here , ma'am . thank you for inviting me over . ❜ it's a perfectly respectable response . one that she hates , considering that she's just dying to be petty .
as the door to the garage opens , winona is extremely grateful that it signals dongwook's return and the subsequent distraction of his wife . she blinks up at chan as she is pulled into another room by her wrist . then , the brunette lets out a snort of laughter as she realizes that he's concerned . ❛ do you think she's planning on murdering me , chan ? ❜ while she wouldn't put it past nina , she's gathered that she's meant to be a reassuring presence . she reaches out to touch the hand that's on top of her wrist and : ❛ honestly , if i had known that i was coming to my funeral , i would have worn something else . ❜ her lips twitch into a smile before she pulls away , shoving her hands into the pockets of her burberry shirt dress . ❛ i didn't come here to fight . i came because she called and asked if i would join you and i didn't want to turn her down . also , you haven't been answering your phone and i wanted to see you . if you think me being here is a bad idea , i can go . ❜ she leans forward , that same smile still playing on her lips . ❛ if you want to escape with me , i told the driver to wait around the corner . i think that it's only forty steps between us and salvation . actually , i know it’s only forty . i counted . ❜
