II - 70

The marketing department, to which I-ryeong belonged, was the first to notice the incident at the Gangnam branch.

Being a department highly sensitive to customer reactions, real-time monitoring was essential. While routinely searching social media, they stumbled upon a video that made them doubt their eyes.

It began with a clip titled, “Shop owner’s character revealed as she falsely accuses a customer of theft.”

The woman screaming and snatching a customer’s bag, then dumping its contents, was none other than the eldest daughter-in-law—someone most employees at headquarters would recognize. She had even worked briefly as a non-regular employee in the development team before her marriage.

Several team members paused their work, monitored the real-time reactions to the Gangnam branch incident, and started drafting a response list. Just as they were about to report to their manager, I-ryeong’s appearance in the footage prompted an emergency meeting.

Sensing this wasn’t an issue the department could handle alone, Hyun-wook reported to the manager and hurriedly went up to the vice president’s office.

“Please inform Vice President Lee that Marketing Team’s Baek Hyun-wook is here.”

“What is the purpose of your visit?”

The ever-smiling secretary’s demeanor suggested the vice president was unaware of the situation.

“Vice President Lee, it’s me, Baek Hyun-wook! Vice President!”

Brushing past the secretary, Hyun-wook knocked hard on the office door.

“Come in.”

At I-jun’s response, Hyun-wook entered immediately and thrust a tablet toward him.

“I thought you should see this. I’m sorry for the intrusion.”

“If you say I need to see it, then what…?”

Sensing something amiss from Hyun-wook’s grave expression, I-jun grabbed the tablet almost instinctively. He immediately sensed that something involving his wife had occurred.

As he scanned the screen, his gaze grew increasingly fierce. A crisis-level situation had arisen for the company, and his family was at the center of it.

“Damn it!”

His predatory eyes caught the latest video.

I-ryeong was sprawled on the floor.

“Huh.”

The title was even more provocative now: “Shop owner’s audacity in assaulting a headquarters employee.” He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

After several checks, there was no doubt—it was I-ryeong.

“Take a look.”

“What?”

“This video, Manager Baek, watch it too.”

On the tablet I-jun handed over, a new video was playing, and views were skyrocketing as more people showed interest.

“T-this is…!”

“First, I need to check on my wife.”

Bang. He rose so abruptly that his chair toppled backward.

“Post an official notice on the website stating we’re taking legal action to prevent further spread. And start tracking down the affected customer.”

“Understood. Any other instructions?”

Hyun-wook stepped back, awaiting further orders.

“How can I forgive anyone when my wife is hurt? I just hope she’s not badly injured.”

A feral glint flashed in his eyes, promising no mercy for whoever was responsible.

I-jun stormed out of the room.

“Vice President…”

“Have Manager Kim stand by. Immediately!”

He could have driven himself to find I-ryeong, but feared he might get into an accident in his agitated state.

“All schedules after this are canceled.”

“Understood.”

Manager Kim was visibly frightened by the ferocity in his boss’s eyes.

Ignoring the trembling secretary, I-jun descended to the lobby. Outside, Manager Kim was already waiting.

“Did you locate her?”

“She’s reportedly in a car parked near the store.”

Manager Kim had also seen the video.

“What about the hospital?”

“I’ve put her primary doctor on standby. Since she mentioned her shoulder was bothering her, I told her I’d come to pick her up.”

With that, the car carrying I-jun and Manager Kim sped toward the Gangnam branch.

Seated in the back, I-jun was consumed by anxiety. He desperately wanted to call I-ryeong and check on her condition but refrained. No, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

He had promised to protect her. Yet, she had been hurt, and he hadn’t even known about it.

“And, Vice President.”

“Speak.”

His voice was rough with anger.

“Before arriving at the store, Madam contacted me. She said she’d stop by the Gangnam branch and then head home.”

“To you?”

Why had she informed Manager Kim instead of him?

“After confirming, I learned Madam took half a day off in the afternoon. In my opinion, she may have anticipated trouble beforehand.”

Manager Kim’s words resonated. Knowing I-ryeong’s personality, it was entirely plausible.

She likely didn’t want to involve him, given the recent commotion caused by Kang Suk-tae’s couple. It seemed she had done her best to handle the situation herself, despite being unable to refuse.

He felt a pang of guilt.

“...Are we still far?”

“No, Vice President. We’ll arrive soon.”

Manager Kim, fully focused and driving as fast as safely possible, answered. Concerned for I-ryeong, he had pushed the speed to the limit while entering Gangnam.

---

I-ryeong sat in her car, clutching her throbbing shoulder as she stared at the video on her phone.

Though South Korea was known as an internet powerhouse, she hadn’t expected the incident to surface online so quickly.

“So, I’ve become the wicked mother-in-law, huh?”

Watching Yoo-jin’s actions in the video, she let out a bitter laugh.

In reality, she had never experienced or endured any mistreatment from her in-laws. But after today’s ordeal with Yoo-jin, it felt like this was the “mother-in-law abuse” she’d heard about online. The absurdity of it all kept making her chuckle hollowly.

“Ahh, ah...”

When she gently rotated her shoulder, a groan escaped involuntarily.

She hadn’t expected Yoo-jin to throw her so violently. Rolling up her sleeve slightly, she saw her shoulder was red and swollen.

More than the pain, I-ryeong worried whether he had seen the video.

“He must have seen it.”

From the contact she received from Manager Kim, I-ryeong sensed that I-jun already knew.

Her mind was a jumbled mess, unable to figure out how to untangle this suffocating situation. Just then—

“It’s me.”

After knocking on the passenger-side window, he opened the door and slid into the seat.

His expression alone conveyed his emotions entirely. Without words, his trembling gaze asked: Did I see the video? How badly are you hurt?

“I think a pain-relief patch will do the trick. Turns out I’m quite talented at breaking falls.”

Before he could even ask, I-ryeong confessed honestly. To prove she wasn’t seriously injured, she rotated her shoulder exaggeratedly and tried to downplay the pain.

“I-ryeong.”

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m really fine, I promise.”

He was worrying as if he himself were the one hurt.

“Still, let’s go to the hospital. I need to see with my own eyes that you’re okay.”

“I’m telling you, I’m fine!”

“I’m not fine with it.”

He insisted stubbornly.

“After the hospital, stay at your parents’ house for a week.”

“I-jun… staying at my parents’ place is…”

“Just for a week. Rest, and while you’re there, help your brother with his studies. Spend some time with them.”

He pleaded for just one week. He promised to bring her back to their sanctuary afterward, once things had settled.

“You’re really something.”

I-ryeong couldn’t refuse his request. She was weak—only to him, her husband.

Unable to resist his persistence, she went to the hospital for an examination. There were no fractures, just bruising, and the doctor said she’d only have some swelling for a few days.

After receiving medication and being advised to rest, she headed to her parents’ home.

“Are you worried about suddenly coming here?”

“Should I be?”

“Of course. They’re your parents—they’ll naturally worry. But you explain things well, alright?”

Her luggage would be sent later via Manager Kim.

“I’ll go now.”

She wanted to stay with I-jun longer, but she couldn’t keep him tied up when he was busy.

“Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“I’m really fine, I told you… Don’t worry about me.”

I-ryeong gently stroked his face, then forced herself to take the steps she didn’t want to, exiting the car.

“I’ll call you.”

“Don’t frown so much. I don’t like seeing wrinkles form on your face.”

She touched his face as he leaned out of the lowered car window.

“I won’t do anything you’d disapprove of. You don’t need to worry either.”

“Hurry and go. If you don’t leave soon, I’ll turn around first.”

She lacked the courage to leave him behind, especially with him rubbing his forehead against her fingers like a puppy. But knowing she couldn’t hold onto him forever, she firmly removed her hand first.

“I’ll go.”

“Mm.”

Without turning back, she acknowledged his farewell. Listening to the sound of the engine fading away, she pushed open the gate and stepped inside.

It felt like it had been a long time since she last visited her childhood home.

“Ah, so this is how it feels.”

Reflecting on it, she realized she hadn’t come by since moving to Dogok-dong.

“Why hasn’t the code been changed?”

The passcode on the gate lock was still the same.

Was it her imagination, or did her heart swell unexpectedly? Carefully massaging her sore shoulder, I-ryeong slowly wandered through the silent yard.

“Everything’s exactly the same.”

As she took in the sight of the garden, she felt an inexplicable sense of calm wash over her.

The trees and flowers she had planted as a child bloomed and wilted according to the seasons.

Now, in summer, climbing roses covered the walls. Thinking back, roses seemed to bloom every summer.

“That’s right…”

When she traced her memories, she remembered—it started after her stepmother, Cha Ji-hyun, came into their lives.

The garden wasn’t just filled with roses; a variety of flowers displayed their vibrant colors. These were likely the fruits of her stepmother’s efforts.

“Haa…”

Seeing the plants thriving brought back memories of her younger self, and a sigh escaped her lips.

Since her stepmother arrived, she always wore clothes that carried the fresh, powdery scent of detergent.

“Yes, that’s how it was.”

Thinking about all the quiet efforts her stepmother made to grow closer to her stirred a bittersweet ache in her heart.

Why hadn’t she ever tried to understand her stepmother’s feelings?

With these tangled emotions, I-ryeong entered the house. The silence inside enveloped her as she surveyed the familiar space anew.

“Jeong-min?”

Though she knew no one was home, she knocked and waited for a response.

As expected, only silence greeted her.

“I’m coming in.”

Carefully, she entered the room where she had stayed before leaving.

The room had completely changed.