CHAPTER 30

The day began peacefully, as if nothing had happened. When Yeonseo woke up, Seungbin wasn’t at the Yongin house.

According to Yoonhae, Seungbin had left for work early in the morning due to some company matters.

Seungbin had several messages for her, but she didn’t bother to read them. Even her bag that Seungbin had returned to her was pushed to a corner, out of her sight.

She didn’t want to pay attention to it. If she could, she wished she could erase all memories related to Seungbin.

Director Woo visited yesterday, and since he had been with Mrs. Kang, she skipped reporting to him, but and she hadn’t heard from him too.

Yeonseo personally prepared Mrs. Kang’s breakfast and headed towards her bedside. Yoonhae also moved to eat with her.

But, Mrs. Kang, after a few bland swipes, pushed the bowl away. Yeonseo wished she would eat a little more…….

She was worried about Mrs. Kang, who was rather thin, but didn’t want her to be stressed so she refrained from asking. Yeonseo patted Mrs. Kang on the back and asked.

“Should I get you some water?”

“It’s okay. By the way, Yeonseo.”

As Yoonhae took care of the dishes and went outside, Mrs. Kang called for Yeonseo.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Is it true what happened yesterday?”

“What are you talking about?”

Yeonseo asked nervously, wondering if yesterday’s commotion had reached Mrs. Kang’s ears. Whether it was about Seungbin or Taeheon, Yeonseo was entangled in them both, so she had no words to defend herself with.

“Yeonseo, I heard that you’re dating Seungbin. But from what I can tell, it doesn’t seem like that’s the case.”

Director Woo had dropped a bomb at the dinner table yesterday, so it was only natural that it had reached Mrs. Kang’s ears.

“I’m sorry.”

Yeonseo lowered her head in apology. She felt like she was repaying kindness with ingratitude.

“Why are you apologizing? It’s because I couldn’t handle the situation properly that unnecessary sparks flew.”

“No, it’s not that. Why are you apologizing, ma’am?”

Yeonseo’s eye corners turned red.

“I shouldn’t have shown so much affection. Thanks to this old lady’s meddling, our Yeonseo has been struggling.”

Mrs. Kang’s face cast a wistful shadow, causing Yeonseo’s throat to tighten.

“Ma’am, please don’t say such things. Meeting you is the best thing that has ever happened to me, you’re not meddling. Please treat me even more kindly.”

“Don’t sweet-talk me like that, Yeonseo.”

With a sigh, Mrs. Kang gazed out of the window. The tree branches swaying and trembling in the rainstorm resembled Yeonseo. Frail, helpless, swept away by the circumstances.

“It’s probably because of the inheritance. Seungbin, that rascal, is probably bothering you because he’s determined that way.”

“Inheritance?”

“Yes, Seungbin is quite greedy. He thinks that if he gets involved with you and forms a relationship, he’ll get a share of the inheritance.”

Inheritance.

Yeonseo let out an exasperated breath at the absurdity of the situation. Then she smiled faintly.

“What does an inheritance have to do with me forming a relationship with him?”

“Didn’t you save my life once, and that’s why I’ve been enjoying my fortune for so long? If it were only my opinion alone, I’d give half of my fortune to you.”

“……”

“That sentiment is poison. My grandson knows that I want to give you a big share of the fortune, and he’s been eyeing you up, wanting a big chunk of it.”

“Why are you trying to give me such things? Please don’t.”

“Yeonseo, grandmother has been holding on to too much for too long. Even if I wanted to give, there’s no time left.”

Yeonseo stifled her sobs, grasping the situation. Now she understood why Seungbin had been fixating on her so abnormally. It was because of the inheritance.

That’s why he was so persistent…

Could it be the same for Taeheon?

As her thoughts reached that point, her vision blurred.

Was it ultimately all about that?

Were lust and attraction just convenient excuses?

Her heart sank as if she had been betrayed.

“Yeonseo, grandma knows that you have no feelings for that rascal Seungbin. You don’t need to force anything like this.”

“I apologize for causing concern. It’s true that Seungbin troubles me, but I’ll sort it out so you don’t have to worry.”

“I’m sorry Grandma is so weak, Yeonseo. I should be protecting you… I didn’t mean to get you involved in the Woo’s family quarrel.”

Yeonseo shook her head in disagreement.

“Don’t say that. It’s just that… I’m not clever enough.”

“So, what about Taeheon?”

At the sudden mention of Taeheon, Yeonseo’s face turned puzzled, not understanding the context.

“What do you mean… Taeheon?”

“Yeonseo, is your heart not with him?”

Yeonseo felt a tinge of fear at how much Mrs. Kang seemed to know. When Yeonseo didn’t answer, Mrs. Kang lowered her eyes.

“Do whatever you want, Yeonseo. If you need Grandma’s help, don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll support you to the best of my abilities.”

Yeonseo, who had done her many wrong things, couldn’t bring herself to accept her kindness.

“I’ve done something terribly wrong to you, ma’am.”

“Neither Seungbin nor Taeheon nor you are to blame. No one is holding any grudges. It’s all the fault of us adults.”

Yeonseo felt like crying. She felt as though she had received forgiveness from her, which was too embarrassing. Even staying here felt like deceiving her.

“In fact…”

Knock, knock.

There was a quick knock on the door, and before they could answer, it opened. It was Sieun.

Sieun had been noticeably moody since the morning. She complained that the soup and rice were too heavy for breakfast, and she was fussing over the side dishes that embarrassed Aunt Bok-hee.

After gulping down soufflé, cream cheese, and coffee, she announced that she was going to run on the treadmill, and dragged Aunt Youngrye and Yeonseo with her.

The two of them reluctantly jogged on the treadmill and later, when they were no drinks available, she had dispatched them to the downtown department store.

Yeonseo found Sieun’s antics amusing and couldn’t help but chuckle a few times. Rather than annoying, Sieun came across as cute.

It was nice to have some liveliness in the Yongin house, which had been eerily quiet. She wished she could infuse that vitality into Mrs. Kang as well.

But, Sieun kept calling Yeonseo and giving her various instructions. It seemed that bossing others around was something she was accustomed to.

“Unnie, are you here?”

“Yes. Do you have something to say?”

“You know it’s Raon Planning’s anniversary party today, right?”

Yeonseo maintained a smiling face and revealed that she didn’t know about it.

“Seungbin-oppa asked me to bring you, so hurry up, we don’t have much time.”

“What?”

“Grandma, I’m going to borrow unnie.”

Mrs. Kang patted Yeonseo’s panicked back.

“Yeonseo, put those guys in their place.”

“I’m supposed to be with you…”

“Go ahead. Grandma won’t die today.”

“Please don’t joke like that. Please.”

It was not Yeonseo’s place to go. It was unexpected and sudden, leaving her flustered. Especially the part about Seungbin calling her triggered a strong feeling of resistance.

Seeing Yeonseo on the verge of tears, Mrs. Kang burst out laughing. She looked healthy for the first time in a long time, and that made Yeonseo smiled weakly.

“I’d still rather stay here…….”

“Sort things out with Seungbin. Don’t be scared. As long as I’m alive, no one can touch you, Yeonseo. Not even that grandson of mine.”

Mrs. Kang’s insistence made it impossible for Yeonseo to resist any further. She reluctantly nodded her head.

“Yes. I’ll sort things out and come back.”

*

Dragged out of the Yongin house with half consent, Yeonseo had to spend the entire day being pestered by Sieun. Upon entering a beauty shop, the staff guided Yeonseo through various treatments without giving her any room to protest.

From massages to manicures, hair treatments, and makeup. She was swept through a series of processes as if in a stream of water. And by perpetually bewildered side, Sieun, was always present. She chattered nonstop.

The content of her chatter was mostly lighthearted and cute teasing.

“Oh my God, you don’t even take care of your nails?”

“Hey, unnie, let me groom you from head to toe. Do you think you’re pretty as long as you’re tall? “You’re crazy. What’s up with your taste in underwear?”

She was wearing the underwear Mrs. Kang had picked out…

When Sieun went on with her craziness, Yeonseo couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“It’s tacky, put that dress down! C-cup is a bit disappointing… Have you thought about surgery? Add two pads here! Did Seungbin-oppa change his preferences since he’s only meeting girls like you now?”

It went something along those lines.

So Yeonseo put on the dress and shoes that Sieun picked out for her. She felt like it was a waste of time to go to a party where she felt so out of place, but she had no choice.

The staff members were enthusiastic as well. She wasn’t sure how it was different from a little while ago, but they spared no effort in showing their sincerity to Yeonseo.

About 6 hours had passed since they entered the shop.

Sieun, wearing a short red dress, was the first to finish her makeup. Her eyes narrowed and meticulously chose a hairpin to fix in Yeonseo’s hair.

“Um… it’s a bit over the top. Don’t you have something new?”

At her single comment and gesture, Yeonseo noticed how the shop employees tensed up.

She gave her a look that told her to stop, but whether she didn’t know or was just pretending not to, Sieun was having none of it. Si-eun was unpredictable. With sparkling fingertips, she pointed to a hairpin on the tray.

“That one at the end, is it diamond?”

“Yes. That’s right.”

After the staff recited the names of the gemstone and the designer’s history attached to the hairpin, Sieun finally gave approved.

“Hey, that seems a bit excessive.”

Yeonseo, feeling frustrated, raised her hand to voice her opinion, but nobody paid attention, leaving her to dejectedly lower her arm.

Yeonseo had tried to voice her opinions somewhat assertively since a while ago. She said that the dress was too short, too daring, and too expensive, but her words fell on deaf ears. She never had the knack to handle Sieun, who took over 30 minutes to choose an inconspicuous hairpin as if she were choosing a lifeline.

“We’re all set. You’re done. You look truly stunning.”

The shop manager covered her mouth like she was offering a prayer, beaming with pride. Yeonseo asked with a weary tone.

“Are we really done?”

“Yes. What do you think?”

Sieun hummed for a moment, then cleared her throat and nodded.

“Well, it’s not bad. It’s a bit lacking in the chest area, so it’s a pity.”

Yeonseo’s shoulders sagged. For the first time in her life, she felt disheartened by something she hadn’t given much thought to.

Well, compared to the twists and turns of Sieun’s enthusiasm, her own opinions seemed quite insignificant. Still, she had never thought of herself so small…

“Why don’t you stand up once? You’ll like it even more when you see yourself in the mirror.”

The shop manager suggested cautiously. As Yeonseo reluctantly stood up, sighs of admiration could be heard here and there.

But in her exhaustion, she could only hear them faintly, like sounds out of water.