Part 26

“Oh my, young master, it’s you.”

Soon-ja ran out barefoot and grabbed Jiwook’s hand.

Even though she had quit working more than ten years ago, her face, filled with the marks of time, seemed as familiar as if he had seen her just yesterday.

Jiwook wrapped his hand around Soon-ja’s.

“Have you been well?”

“Oh, I have been well indeed. I had a good dream the other day, perhaps it was because you were coming.”

She was so pleased to see him. He should have visited earlier.

Seeing Soon-ja so happy, as if she was seeing her own grandson, Jiwook felt somewhat guilty.

“Come inside, will you? It’s a bit shabby. It’s just an old person living alone.”

Soon-ja quickly led the way and tidied up the house.

Due to Jiwook’s tall stature, his head nearly touched the low ceiling. The small house was full of human warmth.

It was a comforting feeling.

As Jiwook awkwardly stood in the living room, Soon-ja brought out a golden cushion and placed it in front of him.

“Please sit down.”

“Grandma, drop your formalities with me now.”

“It’s become a habit.”

Soon-ja smiled sheepishly. Although she was well over sixty, she still spoke to Jiwook in honorifics, just as she had when she was raising him.

“Shall I get you something? You’ve enjoyed the sweet rice drink I’ve been making for you. If I knew you were coming, I should have made some.”

At that moment, Cheol-hoon came in late and set down a bunch of things in the living room of Soon-ja’s house. It was a gift Jiwook had prepared for her. Seeing it, Soon-ja’s eyes widened.

Even though she had raised the K-group grandson, her house seemed too humble.

“What’s all this?”

“I brought some things you might need. I’ll visit more often.”

“Oh, my, why all this trouble? Just seeing your face is enough for me.”

“I’ll also move you to a new house.”

“No, no, no, that’s not necessary.”

Soon-ja jumped up, waving her hands in the air.

Jiwook knew she had raised him as if he were her own grandchild.

At that, he felt grateful, ever so grateful.

He had heard that she had to quit her job due to her physical ailments, and indeed, Soon-ja’s knees did not look very good.

It made Jiwook feel uneasy.

“I’ll bring some juice at least. Or have you eaten? Can I prepare some food for you?”

“No need to trouble yourself, juice will be enough.”

“But you’ve come all this way. I want to feed you something.”

Tears welled up in Soon-ja’s eyes as she looked at JiwookMoved by her expression, Jiwook felt a heavy lump in his chest.

***

“Sigh.”

A sigh escaped his lips. Jiwook leaned his head against the headrest and closed his eyes.

‘Yoon-rim was so sweet and gentle that I took her in like a daughter, but she came out crying that day. Fortunately, nothing serious happened. Since then, I’ve been purposely keeping her close to me. I could not leave and bring her with me and refuse to take care of the son of Chairman Kwon, so it was best to keep her close.’

Should I be relieved by this?

He was sick to his stomach over his father’s despicable actions.

‘But eventually, the madam found out and was so harsh on Yoon-rim, trying to kick her out. It’s a good thing you intervened to clear her name from those false charges.’

Jiwook’s sure Myeong-hye knows that nothing happened.

Yet she lashed out at an innocent person and lied to sabotage his marriage with Seowoo. A severe headache began to set in.

If something had really happened between Hyeong-gyeong and Yoon-rim…

The thought alone was nauseating. However, verifying the truth himself had finally eased the discomfort he’d felt all this while.

Jiwook picked up his phone and dialed Myeong-hye’s number.

“Hello.”

• Yes, my son.

Her voice was smooth.

Hearing her shameless tone suddenly made his chest tighten. Jiwook loosened his tie and even unbuttoned his shirt.

“The wedding will proceed as planned. I called to tell you this.”

• Are you serious?

Her voice was incredulous.

Yet, Jiwook’s face showed no concern.

“So, I would appreciate it if you didn’t oppose it anymore, Mother.”

• As if my opposition would stop anything! Really?

“And…I would also prefer it if you don’t mention the thing you said back then anymore.”

• How could you do this after how much I suffered because of your father, to even consider having that woman’s child as my daughter-in-law?!

Has my mother always been like this?

With his wedding approaching, he felt like he was seeing new sides of Myeong-hye every day. He had thought she was just like any other parent, terrible at loving her children.

The more he experienced and reflected on her actions, the more shockingly disappointed he became.

Jiwook spoke in a flat, emotionless tone.

“I won’t be going to the meeting tomorrow. Please pass that on.”

• What will I tell the chairman?!

A shrill scream pierced his ear. Jiwook briefly pulled the phone away from his ear, suppressing his anger.

They were simply not communicating.

“I didn’t call to ask for your permission, mother. Goodbye.”

• Hello, hello. Jiwook! Jiwook……!

Jiwook frowned and ended the call amidst her noisy protests.

The reason he had even gone all the way to Busan amidst his busy schedule was because of Myeong-hye’s incessant provocations about the past. He feared that telling his mother about confirming the truth could endanger Soon-ja.

It was done anyway.

In fact, he trusted Soon-ja’s words more than Hyeong-gyeong’s.

“Sigh.”

Jiwook exhaled deeply and turned his gaze out the window. Now that he had resolved the issues that had been troubling him for days, he finally felt a bit more at ease.

‘Aren’t you getting married, young master?’

‘…Marriage?’

‘You should marry a good and kind girl. Make sure you treat her well and take good care of her.’

It was a sincere advice.

Marriage…

He wondered what Yoon Seowoo was doing at this moment.

Jiwook’s eyes dimmed as he mulled over Soon-ja’s words.

****

As soon as Seowoo arrived home, she immediately took another test. Moments later, she checked the test device, and her face was overcome with despair.

Two lines.

A result that could only mean one thing: pregnancy.

“What do I do?”

Seowoo sat on the sofa, burying her face in her hands. It felt as if the world was crumbling around her. Meanwhile, her phone vibrated.

She picked it up from beside her and checked it.

“Yes.”

• Where are you?

“…”

Hearing Jiwook’s voice made her emotions surge unexpectedly.

It felt like she was thrown back to the situation right before their marriage, even though it had already been five years, the memory felt as fresh as if it were just yesterday.

• Seowoo.

“At home.”

• I’m just leaving work now. Can I see you?

If anything had changed, it was that he seemed a little kinder.

Was it only my imagination? 

After all the emotional turmoil, it was pathetic how she was still hoping for something from him.

• I’ll be there soon.

“I…”

Before she could respond, the call ended. Seowoo sighed as she stared at the ended call.

She didn’t want to see him today. She didn’t have the courage to face him with her feelings like this.

She tried to calm her complicated emotions, but they would not settle.

Soon, she heard the sound of the front door opening.

“What are you doing?”

Jiwook asked her as he walked into the living room. His presence was so natural, that she almost mistook it for them still being a couple.

Seowoo watched Jiwook silently.

She wondered if it would have been better if she and Jiwook had split up from his family and lived alone together.

Maybe things would have been better between them then.

There was no point in regretting what had already happened, but Seowoo suddenly found herself thinking about it.

“What’s wrong?”

Jiwook asked, setting down his jacket on the sofa as Seowoo forced a smile and shook her head.

Yet, Jiwook still looked at her suspiciously.

“I listened to the radio.”

“Oh, you did?”

Had he ever kept track of my schedule like this?

He was usually so busy that even seeing his face was difficult.

She had thought he was just being a bit more affectionate, but it seemed like he was genuinely making an effort.

“Have you had dinner?”

“Not yet.”

He picked up the shopping bag he’d set aside and gave her a small smile. Come to think of it, she hadn’t eaten since she found out she was pregnant, she was too freaked out to eat anything.

Just a few bottles of water.

The mention of food suddenly made her feel hungry.

The surprising thing this time around with the pregnancy was that she actually had an appetite for food. Last time, she felt too nauseous to even drink water…

“I bought this so we could eat together.”

“What is it?”

“Come here.”

Jiwook picked up the bag and headed to the kitchen. Seowoo rose from the sofa and followed him. He silently began laying out the contents of the shopping bag on the dining table. When Seowoo moved to help, he stopped her and gestured towards a chair.

“Just sit and eat.”

“…”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because …… You seem like a different person.”