Embedded Files
Psst! We're moving!
After some time, Sehee stopped crying in Yeon-sook’s embrace. She didn’t think she had cried this much even in front of Kang-joon. But the warm consideration from the two had completely disarrayed her tightly held emotions. She felt embarrassed and ashamed for showing such a disheveled appearance. Did Yeon-sook read even that feeling? She broke the silence lightly with a bright voice.
“Sehee, instead of just being my daughter-in-law, do you want to be my daughter?”
Only then did Sehee cautiously raise her head.
“Sehee, looking at you, I understand what it’s like to raise a daughter. You stimulate such maternal instincts, it makes sense why parents might raise their sons as if they’re disowned, but raise their daughters delicately in their arms. It’s hard for me to have another daughter at this age, so Sehee, why don’t you be my daughter? Hmm?”
She felt a little sorry to Kang-joon, but Sehee couldn’t deny that she truly wanted to. At least at this moment.
“I also want to be your daughter, Mother, but...”
Sehee took out the 3D ultrasound photo she had prepared from her bag and handed it to the two of them.
“I’m currently pregnant with Kang-joon’s child. It’s just under 5 months, and the胎名 (taemyeong, prenatal nickname) is Pré. Kang-joon gave it to me as a gift, so that’s what we named it.”
The two of them silently stared at the photo Sehee handed them for a long time. After a long while, Yeon-sook asked,
“Our Pré. Is it a boy or a girl?”
“I don’t know yet. We postponed the hospital visit until next week because of Kang-joon’s business trip. I’ll call you.”
“No, we’re not curious at all! We’re just so happy and moved. The day I become a grandmother has actually come. Right, Father?”
“Indeed. I was worried that our Hanshin line might end with Kang-joon.”
As Sehee stopped crying, now Yeon-sook and Chairman Seo had tears welling up in their eyes.
“This is all thanks to our Sehee. If it weren’t for Sehee, would that irritating fellow have even thought about marriage? We were so anxious, unable to say anything, worried he might actually go through with his threat to get surgery if we forced him to marry.”
“Yes, indeed.”
Chairman Seo, wiping his moist eyes with a handkerchief, spoke to Sehee with a sincere voice.
“Thank you, child. I am truly grateful. You are the savior of our Hanshin family.”
“Father-in-law, don’t just say it.”
At Yeon-sook’s nudge, Chairman Seo cleared his throat and said,
“Do you remember what I said last time? That if you gave me a great-grandchild, I’d give you my private jet. The private jet is a gift to celebrate your pregnancy, and we must also give a gift to our granddaughter-in-law.”
Actually, before today’s meeting, Kang-joon had stopped by their main residence and hinted at it. He said that when Joo Sehee made up her mind to marry, they needed to firmly secure it. So, Chairman Seo and Yeon-sook had racked their brains for a day and came up with this method. If they gave her a lot of material things before the marriage, wouldn’t she be unlikely to back out?
“My child, there are many valuable companies in Hanshin. I’ll give you whatever you want, whether it’s management rights or shares, so pick one company you like. And pick one for our Pré too.”
Sehee’s eyes widened in surprise. But it was an expected reaction, so Chairman Seo continued calmly.
“Don’t be too disappointed that I’m only giving you one. After the wedding and Pré is born, I’ll gradually give you more things. Youngman, are you outside?”
A middle-aged man entered with a knock and handed Sehee two envelopes. It felt awkward to accept them, but also awkward not to. As Sehee took them bewilderedly, Yeon-sook, even more excited, explained.
“This envelope was prepared by your father-in-law, and it contains all the information on Hanshin Group’s affiliates. You should carefully review it and, if possible, choose a company with a bright future, shouldn’t you? You might become the CEO of that company.”
Sehee, I’m sorry, but what can I do? If it weren’t for you, we might have to see our son die alone as a bachelor, let alone have grandchildren. So we can never let you go.
“And this one is what Mom prepared. Mom is a novice in business, so I only have a lot of real estate and land. Pick one or two buildings you like. Or, should Mom give you some stocks too?”
“Excuse me, Mother, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed...”
Before she could finish her sentence, Yeon-sook cut her off with a stern expression.
“Sehee, I received even more from Father-in-law when I got married. This is already cut down to avoid burdening you. You can’t ignore the long-standing tradition of the Hanshin family just because you feel burdened, can you? Isn’t Mom right?”
Sehee was strong in real-life situations, but she was helpless in front of these two, whose scale was enormous. Not only because of the Hanshin family’s tradition, but also because she couldn’t ignore the sincerity of people who genuinely cherished her.
“Then, shamelessly, I will gratefully accept.”
Only after Sehee smiled sweetly and agreed did the late dinner begin. Thanks to the two of them, who treated her warmly like family, Sehee’s heart felt at ease. It felt as if she could let go of everything now. As if she could live a life just for herself, Pré, and Kang-joon. Perhaps it was because her heart was at ease, but her appetite returned after a long time. The moment her morning sickness, which had persisted even after entering the stable period, disappeared, Sehee’s chopsticks became busy. Throughout the meal, the atmosphere was harmonious, and conversations interspersed with laughter never ceased.
________________________________________
It was a weekend morning at home, but Sehee spent the entire morning working. It was a trade-off for her routine of taking full weekends off and leaving work precisely on time, but she had no complaints. After a light lunch, Sehee called Kang-joon before leaving for Hwasun. He hadn’t contacted her all day yesterday, and now he wasn’t answering her calls either.
“Is he very busy?”
As the business trip was sudden, it might be an urgent matter. It was the first time this had happened, and Sehee felt both bewildered and a little hurt.
“I just wanted to hear his voice.”
Since staying at Kang-joon’s house, she had heard his voice, seen his face, and been in his arms every day. But she never imagined she’d miss him and feel so anxious after just one day apart.
“To miss him so much after just one day apart.”
And yet, how could I have ever thought of not seeing him for the rest of my life? Sehee chuckled self-deprecatingly and started the car. The back seat was packed with gifts for Mija.
________________________________________
Yesterday, Kang-joon had his first vegetarian meal. Perhaps because of the peaceful and serene rural scenery, the food tasted good, and the ssamjang (Korean dipping sauce for wraps) that Mija made herself was delicious. When he offered to help with the field work again tomorrow if she let him stay the night, Mija gladly offered him a room. He fell asleep like that and woke up in the bluish light of dawn. Unlike exercise, labor makes muscles tense. Instead of the muscles that could easily withstand high-intensity training, his lower back, which had been bent all afternoon yesterday, ached. So he had no choice but to loosen his body by running. Kang-joon, drenched in sweat, returned to Mija’s house after jogging around the rural village. Mija casually spoke to Kang-joon, who had just roughly washed up.
“Eat.”
Kang-joon ate scorched rice with Mija, greeting the brightening morning together. After breakfast and tidying the yard, Mija handed Kang-joon some clothes.
“I borrowed these from Manho. You shouldn’t ruin your expensive clothes.”
Kang-joon accepted the wrinkled checkered shirt and work pants without showing any displeasure.
“I’ll go change.”
Mija’s gaze was content as she watched Kang-joon’s broad back turn away. He was a man of few words, solid, quick-witted, and seemed intelligent. He also said he earned well, and that he only had eyes for one woman? The claim about only seeing one woman might be a lie, but after living long enough, one develops an intuition. Unlike his radiant appearance, a weighty and extraordinary aura emanated from the young man. More than anything, Mija clearly remembered the first impression she had of that man, who was worse than an animal. He was slippery and talkative, but he also acted so prim and showed such obvious disdain because he had a little money. Unlike Mija, who barely resisted the urge to sprinkle salt on him, her innocent daughter fell deeply for the man from Seoul.
“But that young man seems quite decent. I wonder if our little puppy will like him too?”
________________________________________
From morning, the two moved diligently. They worked in the fields without a word, and at lunchtime, they returned home. They had a light lunch of boiled potatoes and corn with Mija, then headed back to the fields. With a bent back and limping legs, Mija worked without rest. Kang-joon also worked silently without complaint. It was late afternoon when the two returned home again. Seeing Kang-joon drenched in sweat, Mija spoke briefly.
“Want to rinse your back?”
“If you would.”
Kang-joon also answered briefly, then knelt at the outdoor faucet. Mija, limping, approached and wet Kang-joon’s back with her rough hands. Then she scooped water with a basin and poured it over his back. When the back-rinsing was finished, Kang-joon soaked his hair with the hose. In the meantime, Mija busily moved around the yard again. Kang-joon, who had roughly shaken the water from his hair, began to help Mija again. Especially when Mija tried to lift something heavy, he quickly approached and took it from her hands.
“Don’t lift heavy things, at least while I’m here. What if you hurt yourself?”
Mija didn’t refuse Kang-joon’s help. Just like yesterday, conversation between them was scarce, but there was no awkwardness or discomfort. The two sat side by side on the outdoor bench, enjoying a moment of leisure. The rural village, experienced for the first time in his life, was truly serene and peaceful. The occasional sound of a tiller and a dog barking were all that could be heard.
“Are you going back to Seoul tomorrow?”
“Yes, I should go now.”
To see my Joo Sehee, whom I haven’t seen for two days.
“Shall we have ssam again for dinner?”
Kang-joon chuckled at Mija’s pouty question. Two days of it would be a bit difficult. Perhaps sensing his thoughts, Mija continued.
“I’ll grill some meat for you today too.”
“Meat and ssam, sounds good.”
When Kang-joon grinned, Mija abruptly turned her head as if she had seen something she shouldn’t. A man’s smile shouldn’t be that beautiful.
“The old man next door will eat with us too, he grills meat incredibly well.”
But when Mija stood up, Kang-joon stood up with her. When Mija looked at him as if asking why he was standing, Kang-joon said,
“I’ll wash the ssam vegetables.”
After Mija nodded and left, Kang-joon fell into a brief contemplation.
“How much should I wash?”
But soon, he generously filled the basket with various types of ssam. As he was washing the ssam vegetables under running water at the faucet, he felt a presence behind him.
“Grandmother, for ssam, this much should be...”
It was the moment Kang-joon instinctively turned around, assuming it was Mija.
“Kang-joon, why are you here?”
Joo Sehee, wearing a loose white dress and her hair tied in an “apple” style, stood there. It was the Joo Sehee he had missed so terribly. But this time, he couldn’t greet her happily. Because it was the moment the surprise gift he had prepared for Joo Sehee flew out the window. Sehee slowly approached and stood in front of Kang-joon. She stopped two or three steps away, then stared up and down at Kang-joon with a bewildered expression. His shabby checkered shirt, black pants covered in dust, and even rubber boots. She let out a small sigh, then firmly crossed her arms over her chest and looked up at Kang-joon intently.
“Was the ‘urgent business trip’ to our grandmother’s house?”
“Where else could be more urgent than here?”
Sehee’s eyes narrowed cunningly, as if Kang-joon’s calm reply was outrageous. Seeing that look, he knew the serious interrogation was beginning.
“I told you I’d get the permission. Did you come down here because you didn’t trust me, by any chance?”
Her long eyelashes blinked rapidly, and she gasped for breath, indicating she was quite angry. So Kang-joon decided to confess honestly. Before a lightning bolt struck for hiding a surprise.
“You’ll get the marriage permission, Sehee. I came down here because I want to be a beloved grandson-in-law.”
Sehee seemed flustered by Kang-joon’s completely unexpected answer.
“There’s no rule that only you, Sehee, can be a beloved daughter-in-law to my family. I am also a man with desires.”
As much as he loved Joo Sehee, he wanted to be a son-in-law who received absolute trust and love from Mija, Joo Sehee’s only family.
“And also to reassure Grandmother that her granddaughter has met such a wonderful man and is receiving so much love, so she doesn’t have to worry anymore. As you can see, I’ve been diligently earning points.”
“...”
“Are you still not un-mad? Because I came down here without telling you, Sehee?”
Yet, Sehee remained silent. Concerned by her subtle silence, Kang-joon cautiously called her name.
“Sehee.”
“...”
“Joo Sehee.”
“...”
“Sehee.”
Sehee suddenly approached and wrapped her arms around Kang-joon’s neck. She looked up at him with incredibly loving eyes, then said with a hint of resentment,
“If you call me like that, I can’t be angry. You sound so sexy when you call my name.”
“...”
“I hadn’t seen you for two days, and Pré and I were dying to see you, and you weren’t even answering your phone. That’s why I was angry.”
What a seductive witch. Kang-joon embraced Sehee tightly, burying his face in her soft neck, and mumbled,
“I missed you more.”
It was then, as they embraced each other, soothing their pent-up longing.
“What in the world are you two doing?”
Mija and Manho stood at the entrance of the yard.
Google Sites
Report abuse