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To Mija’s blunt question, Kang-joon answered briefly.
“I work at a car company.”
“Do you earn a lot of money?”
“Among my friends, I earn the most.”
“Girlfriend?”
“None. And I don’t plan to have one. I’m thinking of skipping dating and going straight to marriage.”
Perhaps pleased with Kang-joon’s answer, Mija’s lips twitched.
“They say young people these days are so fickle, they need to meet many to not feel cheated, don’t they?”
“One woman is enough in my life.”
Right, your granddaughter, Grandmother. As Kang-joon stared at her intently, Mija abruptly turned her head and walked back towards the porch. She threw something, and he caught it reflexively; it was a straw hat and a towel.
“Follow me.”
Mija trudged out into the yard. A faint smile spread across Kang-joon’s lips as he followed behind her.
________________________________________
Arriving at the chili pepper field, Mija silently began picking chilies. Kang-joon knew that Mija’s disregard, treating him like he was invisible, was a test. So, Kang-joon initially just watched Mija quietly. He observed what shape and color of chilies Mija picked, how large they needed to be, and how she twisted them off. After watching for a few minutes, Kang-joon got the hang of it, picked up a blue basket lying in the field, and began picking chilies. He didn’t try any tricks, he just diligently picked, stooping under the hot sun.
“You pick well without being taught. Quite impressive.”
Mija had quietly approached and was standing behind Kang-joon. They moved to several more fields, the last one being a field where green vegetables sprouted freshly. Perhaps Kang-joon, working diligently without tricks, had made her feel more comfortable? Or perhaps she just liked him? Mija, who had been quiet in the chili field, now spoke.
“Everything in this field is for ssam (wrap) vegetables. My granddaughter loves eating ssam so much, so I have to grow them without pesticides, what choice do I have?”
Kang-joon suddenly recalled Joo Sehee, who particularly loved vegetables in restaurants. The way she ate, chewing with her plump lips, was as cute as a little rabbit.
“Because we were struggling financially, I kept feeding my child only greens. But she never once said she wanted to eat meat. That’s why, though she acts tough on the outside, she’s actually very soft-hearted.”
Kang-joon sympathized with her profound sigh and lament. He knew how capable Joo Sehee was, but also how delicate and kind she was on the inside.
“In today’s world, women need to be capable too. Especially Seoul, how harsh a place is it? It would be good if she married soon before I die. She thinks too much to be able to properly catch a man, I wonder.”
Kang-joon could feel Mija staring at him, but he calmly pretended not to notice and replied.
“Having many thoughts means being prudent and cautious. Such a granddaughter will choose carefully and bring home an excellent grandson-in-law, so please wait with peace of mind.”
That night, when Sehee agreed to marry him, Kang-joon had thought about it all night. And the moment he woke up, he came to a clear conclusion. There was a shortcut to advance the wedding right in front of them, so there was no reason to go the long way around. He would move the wedding up and become a beloved grandson-in-law. Even if Joo Sehee got the marriage permission, she couldn’t replace him in becoming a beloved grandson-in-law. So he had no choice but to act personally. One day was spent planning, and the next day he rushed through his busy schedule to carve out two days. That’s how Kang-joon finally came down to Hwasun. Of course, he had made an excuse to Joo Sehee that he had an urgent business trip. While Joo Sehee met his family in Seoul, Kang-joon wanted to persuade Mija. Manho, Mija’s next-door neighbor, had already been persuaded by Kang-joon and was on his side. Even part-time workers who would make him look good had come down with him. Now all that was left was to spend two intimate days with Mija and receive her approval as a grandson-in-law.
“Do you like eating ssam, young man?”
“I can’t get enough of it.”
Mija plucked the ssam vegetables with casual movements and spoke again.
“I couldn’t give you a proper snack, but you can take some dinner with you.”
“I eat quite a lot, would that be okay?”
Only then did Mija turn her head and look at Kang-joon for a long time.
“Well, there’s plenty of ssam. And for rice, even if you eat a lot, one full pot should be enough, shouldn’t it? Right?”
“It should.” While answering readily, Kang-joon’s hands were busy harvesting the ssam vegetables that would go into his stomach today. It might be funny for a carnivore to imitate a herbivore, but for Joo Sehee, he would do it. Even lions sometimes chew on grass, they say. Kang-joon’s plan this time was simple. While Joo Sehee was wooing his family in Seoul, he would woo Joo Sehee’s grandmother here.
________________________________________
The place Chairwoman Jo woke up in was a spacious, clean, and entirely white room. It was clearly a VIP hospital room. Perhaps the general anesthesia hadn’t worn off completely, as her body felt languid and her eyelids heavy. Chairwoman Jo closed her eyes again and thought quietly. Why was she lying here? Then it came to her.
“I had a gastroscopy.”
Outwardly, she had voluntarily resigned from her position as Chairwoman of Gayang Hospital. But the truth was, she had been forced to step down after all her last-ditch efforts failed. Throughout her life, she had only ever been the one to abuse power; this was the first time she had been so utterly defeated by someone. And by that vulgar creature, no less. The extreme stress made her destroy whatever she could get her hands on, but it still didn’t ease her anger. She was so exhausted from vomiting repeatedly, even without having eaten, that she collapsed several times a day. Her pathetic husband, who usually yelled at her asking if she was crazy, seemed to have his heart drop at the sight of her. He quickly became subservient again, as if he had never been angry. Concerned about her stomach, he suggested a gastroscopy under sedation. He said they should first check her health, then calmly plan for the future. He gently coaxed her, asking why she was acting as if her life was over when her husband was still the Vice Chairman. Yes, I can’t be defeated like this by that vulgar creature. She recalled the implicit agreement they had made, holding each other’s weaknesses. Though frustrating, that agreement still provided her with immense wealth. So, she just needed to seize another opportunity. She would somehow push that thing back into the gutter and make it grovel at her feet again.
“That bitch, she’s not satisfying even if I chew her up.”
Recalling that cunning thing, her drowsy sleepiness instantly vanished, and her eyes shot open. First, she needed to contact Director Jung. But no matter how she searched, her phone was nowhere to be found. Chairwoman Jo, wearing slippers, got up from the bed and headed for the door. But no matter how hard she tried, the doorknob wouldn’t turn. Like a broken door. No, like a door firmly locked from the outside. A chilling sensation belatedly pierced her body. Even the pleasant air of the hospital room seemed to constrict her breathing.
“You brats, open the door! Open the door!”
She screamed hysterically, shaking the doorknob, but it was useless. Chairwoman Jo glared at the unyielding door and surveyed her surroundings with wide, wild eyes. In her surging fury, she wanted to smash something, but there wasn’t even furniture for that in the room. A bed, a humidifier, a sofa. And a CCTV camera on the ceiling, presumably to monitor Chairwoman Jo in real-time. Surely not... no, it can’t be. Yes, it can’t be. That timid man wouldn’t dare... No, he would. That son of a bitch, Yoo Youngguk, he completely fooled and betrayed me, siding with Joo Sehee. Chairwoman Jo muttered with a dazed expression.
“You shouldn’t have done this to me. Who do you think made you Vice Chairman? That bitch hates you just as much as she hates me. But how... how could you do this to me?”
Chairwoman Jo tore at her hair and let out a sharp scream.
“Aaaaaah!”
She didn’t want to believe it. This situation, this reality, this place. But this was a prison without bars, a mental hospital.
________________________________________
[Aaaaaah!]
Sitting in her office, Sehee was watching it all live on her phone. Chairwoman Jo, confined in the mental hospital, her eyes, expression, actions, and voice after waking from anesthesia. All of this was thanks to Youngguk. Not only did he trick Chairwoman Jo into a private mental hospital, but he also made it possible to monitor her in real-time.
“This is all Aunt’s karma.”
Muttering softly, Sehee’s expression was emotionless as she turned off her phone screen. The place Chairwoman Jo was admitted to was a private mental hospital, but it was well-designed, like a nursing home. Spacious and comfortable rooms, balanced meals. Located in an isolated area, she could even stroll in the outdoor garden accompanied by a nurse. That was Sehee’s last consideration for Chairwoman Jo. Being someone who hated being indebted more than anything, it was perhaps her final gesture of sincerity for introducing her to Kang-joon. Sehee called Mija. It was a phone call that usually took several attempts because Mija was hard of hearing, but this time, she answered immediately.
“What’s the occasion? You answered right away.”
[The young man who’s with me brought me the phone, saying you called.]
“...A young man?”
[Some young people came to our village for farm work. So Manho sent the hardest-working young man to Grandma. I’m about to make him dinner after making him work hard.]
The village where her grandmother lived didn’t have many large-scale farms. So, for farm volunteers to come... Something felt off, but Sehee decided to say what she needed to first.
“Grandma, I’m going down to Hwasun tomorrow.”
[Sehee, why don’t you come down here tomorrow?]
But Mija also said it at the same time. What on earth was going on? Knowing her granddaughter was busy, Mija was someone who wouldn’t even say she missed her, let alone tell her to come down for fear of inconveniencing her. Sehee, who had told her she would come down tomorrow and hung up the phone, left her company. Tonight, she would finally meet Chairman Seo and Yeon-sook. She planned to get permission from both sets of elders while Kang-joon was away on his business trip. After he returned, she wanted to tell him as a surprise gift. That I, Joo Sehee, had received permission for our marriage.
________________________________________
A restaurant built in the traditional Korean hanok style. Guided by an employee, Sehee crossed the serene courtyard and stopped in front of a sliding door.
“I’ll open it and go in.”
After the employee left, Sehee took a deep breath. Thinking about Chairman Seo and Yeon-sook being behind that door made her strangely nervous. She already knew they would genuinely accept her. But why was her heart trembling so much? After several long deep breaths, she opened the sliding door and saw Chairman Seo and Yeon-sook, who had already arrived. Yeon-sook, seeing Sehee, immediately stood up and kindly took her hand. Chairman Seo was the first to speak to Sehee, who knelt demurely, unable to meet their eyes.
“Child, you’re here.”
She knew it was a consideration for her, who found it difficult to utter the first word. Knowing that, Sehee’s eyes reddened, and she kept lowering her head. Kang-joon and Kang-joon’s family... Why were they so good to her? Who am I, I haven’t done anything for them.
“Hello, Chairman.”
She wanted to say her first words neatly and politely. But the single word that barely escaped her lips was awkwardly trembling.
“Chairman? You should call me Grandfather.”
At Chairman Seo’s gentle yet stern voice, Sehee cautiously raised her head. Chairman Seo was looking at Sehee with unchangingly warm eyes.
“Then I’ll grant you permission to marry right away.”
She had thought about, organized, and carefully chosen countless things to say at this meeting, but Chairman Seo’s single, smiling remark completely blanked Sehee’s mind. She felt grateful, sorry, and also ashamed towards the two of them. So, Yeon-sook gently urged Sehee, who couldn’t bring herself to speak.
“Sehee, please say it once, and let’s have a delicious dinner. We have your favorite braised short ribs and seasoned vegetables on the table. Father-in-law, you must be getting impatient.”
Just like her warm voice and gaze, Yeon-sook’s hand, tightly held under the table, was warm. It was the moment all the elaborate excuses and explanations she had prepared became useless. Just as it had been with Kang-joon. The moment that one word spilled from her choked throat.
“...Grandfather.”
And the moment Chairman Seo answered affectionately.
“Yes, my child.”
What was so special about that one word? Tears suddenly burst from Sehee’s eyes. She felt so sorry and ashamed towards the two of them. The unconditional, warm welcome she was receiving for the first time was overwhelming, to the point of pain.
“Thank you... Grandfather. And Mother... Thank you very much.”
Yeon-sook’s eyes also welled up as she looked at Sehee, who kept muttering, her cheeks wet with hot tears. Knowing Sehee’s situation well, she felt she could understand the pain and confusion Sehee had endured and overcome alone. And so, she felt sorry for her, again and again. It was Chairman Seo who was flustered by Sehee’s tears. He had tried his best to act as a generous grandfather, as Yeon-sook had instructed, which was against his nature. With a benevolent smile, a gentle gaze, and a soft tone. But he couldn’t understand what he had said to make her cry.
“No, I...”
He was about to say, “I didn’t say much,” but Chairman Seo quickly closed his mouth. Yeon-sook, pressing her index finger to her lips as if telling him to just stay quiet, hugged Sehee as if comforting her. To Yeon-sook, this child, who nestled into her arms like a baby bird as if she had been waiting, felt like a daughter. Yeon-sook mouthed words to Chairman Seo, who was still looking at Sehee worriedly, as if speaking in ventriloquism: Pregnant women are sensitive and cry a lot.
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