Chapter 28

It was around the time the little fruits hanging in clusters from the garden crabapple tree were ripening red.

With Chuseok approaching, Seoyun began to feel restless.

“Ah, Chuseok…. We spend the holiday in the inner quarters. Relatives from the whole family gather that day, so there will probably be many guests.”

“Ah……”

“You’ll only need to greet them briefly, so don’t worry too much.”

It was at breakfast, before he left for work.

When Seoyun asked where everyone gathered for Chuseok, Ijun answered dryly as he scooped up a spoonful of clam chowder.

Originally, they should have gathered at the house of Chairman Suung.

But this place had once been the home where Myeonguk had lived while attending to Suung.

It had already been more than ten years since Suung built a hanok so grand it seemed ready to fly away at the foot of Suraksan and moved there.

The reason had been a difference in views regarding management policy, along with conflict between father and son because of Ganguk.

Suung had moved residences, but holidays continued to be held at this house just as they had been before.

Since Myeonguk was the eldest son, there was no reason for him to hand over such a major family event.

Seoyun did not understand what Ijun meant.

If many people were gathering, that meant there would be all the more to prepare.

Of course, the work itself would all be professionally handled by employees, but the one who directed the entire event was the mistress of the house.

No matter how separately they usually lived, wasn’t it only natural for a daughter-in-law to help at times like this.

Especially since it was also her first holiday after getting married.

But Ijun’s words sounded as though Seoyun had nothing to do at all but show her face for a moment.

“Won’t Mother have a hard time doing it all alone? Shouldn’t I help anyway?”

“It’s fine. It’s not as if Mother does the work herself.”

“Still, she must have a lot to keep track of.”

“The people here have all worked in this house for a long time, so even without being told, they know what to do. It’s a holiday they go through twice every year. And I’ll tell you in advance, the people in our family don’t particularly welcome holidays, so just know that.”

“Ah….”

Seoyun had never spent a holiday bustling with people, so she could not really sympathize with Ijun’s words.

Still, she thought that if a large crowd gathered at the house every time, that might be exhausting in its own way, so she simply nodded.

Just as on any other day, Ijun kissed Seoyun on the cheek before leaving for work.

To Ijun, it seemed to be as natural a routine as getting up in the morning and washing his face, but every single time, Seoyun’s heart trembled and she felt shy.

At moments like that, it truly felt as though they had become a tender and loving married couple.

Of course, Ijun was a generous husband who never showed irritation or acted as though Seoyun were a bother, not even when he was terribly tired.

But there was always some unnamed sense of regret.

A feeling as though something was missing from a complete marital relationship.

It was probably because of things like today.

A holiday in which there was no need for a daughter-in-law.

Even so, the thought that she would get to experience for the first time the kind of holiday she had only ever seen in television dramas made her feel excited too.

Jiho came to mind all of a sudden.

Thinking of Jiho spending the holiday alone in the United States made her heart ache.

Jiho called once a week.

For the first few calls his voice had sounded depressed, but now he seemed to have adjusted somewhat to life there, and his mood was much better.

Thanks to the time difference with California, his calls always came around two or three in the afternoon, and since that was the hour when she often felt drowsy and bored with nothing to do, Seoyun welcomed those conversations with Jiho all the more.

He had called the day before as well, with Chuseok approaching.

‘It’s Chuseok. How are you going to be all alone in America.’

―What was so special about Chuseok anyway. I’m fine.

Last year’s holiday had been the first Chuseok Seoyun and Jihun spent without their father Jeonghun, so they had both felt quite down.

To begin with, they were two people who had no family to visit for the holiday even if it was a holiday.

Jiho at least had relatives on his father’s side, but apparently because Jeonghun had married Seoyun’s mother, a divorcée, those ties had almost been cut off.

When Jeonghun was still alive, the three of them would sometimes go on trips nearby or go camping together.

Thinking that Jiho, already lonely in a distant place, had to spend the holiday by himself made her feel as though she might cry.

―Are you…. all right, Noona?

‘Yeah. Even though it’s a holiday, there are still people working, so apparently there isn’t much for me to do. It sounds like some guests will be coming, but since it’s my first holiday after getting married, I should greet everyone properly.’

―……..

Whenever the subject of Seoyun’s married life came up, Jiho would sometimes fall silent like that.

That weighed on Seoyun’s mind.

She had gotten married without properly being able to tell Jiho everything, and he had left for America before he had even had the chance to grow close to Ijun, so perhaps he felt left behind all on his own.

―Does that man…. treat you well?

‘What do you mean, that man. You’ve never once called him your brother-in-law. Well, of course he treats me well. He’s a kind and good person. When you come back, get close to him then. Even if he doesn’t say it, he’s quietly paying attention to you.’

―Ha…. Right. Noona, I told you, didn’t I? You have me, so if you ever feel like you can’t stand it in that house even a little, don’t worry about anything and tell me.

‘You little brat, what are you saying. Haven’t you been watching too many dramas? I’m really doing well.’

Jiho still looked like a little child in Seoyun’s eyes.

For some reason, Seoyun felt a lump rise in her throat, so she forced herself to laugh brightly.

‘You’re going to school properly, right? Is studying too hard? Have you made lots of friends?’

―Studying is nothing.

‘Still, it’s Stanford. Have you made friends?’

―Yeah, Noona. I have to hang up now. Have a good Chuseok, and I’ll call again.

‘Oh, oh…. All right. Jiho. Make sure you eat properly……’

The call cut off before Seoyun could finish speaking.

Her calls with Jiho were always like this.

He had said he was sharing a room with several other people, so she thought maybe that made it difficult for him to talk on the phone.

Whenever she heard Jiho’s voice like this, her heart would remain achingly tender for a long while.

The call from the previous day felt even more so because Chuseok was just ahead.

***

At last, the day of Chuseok.

Until the day before, Seoyun had kept watching the inner quarters from the garden, hoping perhaps someone might call for her, but still no one came looking for her.

Seoyun rose early in the morning and put on the hanbok that Mrs. Ahn had brought for her.

Once she was fully dressed, from the underskirt and underjacket all the way to the durumagi, it finally felt real that she was a new bride welcoming the holiday.

Mrs. Ahn, who had been helping her dress, smiled in admiration.

“Oh my, how pretty. You look as though you might float away. The elders will be so pleased when they see you.”

“D-do you think so?”

“Of course. Elders like all kinds of things, but above all they love a daughter-in-law who smiles sweetly, so smile.”

The greeting she had not even been able to offer her parents-in-law after returning from the honeymoon, she would only now, on Chuseok, be giving before the gathered elders of the entire family.

Her heart pounded half with nerves and half with excitement.

In truth, even at the wedding she had not been introduced to the elder relatives of the family.

Things like the pyebaek had been omitted because of Ijun’s busy schedule.

Chairman Cha Suung, Ijun’s grandfather, his younger sisters who were her grandaunts by marriage, and Myeonguk’s siblings too.

All this time, she had felt as though she had not been acknowledged as part of this family, but today would surely let her cast off that sense of isolation.

She stood in the living room and waited for Ijun.

A little while later, Ijun emerged from the dressing room wearing hanbok.

How could hanbok in shades of gray and black suit him so well.

Seoyun felt oddly proud and smiled brightly.

Ijun looked at Seoyun with sunken eyes.

Normally, he would have said at least one word, that her hanbok was pretty or that it suited her well.

But one eyebrow was twisted, as though he had a headache.

As though he were facing something deeply unpleasant.

“Um…. Shall we go now?”

At the dark shadow in that expression, Seoyun could not bring herself even to say that his hanbok looked handsome.

Ijun pressed his lips tightly together and put on his shoes.

Crossing the garden, it was only a few minutes to the main house.

Though it was this close, this was Seoyun’s first time entering the main house since the day they returned from their honeymoon.