Chapter 3.3

“Young Madam. You’re finally coming out. I’ve been waiting for you to come out.”

She had intended to call a taxi and go.

But in front of the house, there was already a waiting vehicle and driver. It seemed like Madam Shin had probably sent them.

Normally, it would be time for her to go to the shop, but since she didn’t appear, Madam Shin must have noticed.

“I’m more comfortable with a taxi.”

She would never have to ride in that vehicle again, so she had said those words. The driver’s face turned pale.

“I’m sorry, but she told me I must bring you, Young Madam. If I can’t do that, I’ll be fired. I’m really sorry, but could you please consider my situation?”

The driver, who was old enough to be her father, bowed deeply before her. She also knew about Madam Shin’s difficult temperament, frequently changing vehicle drivers.

She had no choice but to decide to get in the vehicle.

“You shouldn’t bow too deeply. Mother actually dislikes it when it looks like obvious flattery.”

“Ah, is that so? Yes. I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.”

She, sitting in the back seat, gave advice within reasonable limits.

It seemed like the driver had difficulty finding this job, so she hoped he could work for a long time. To do that, it was important to know Madam Shin’s personality.

Three years ago, she had been the same way. She had observed Madam Shin diligently and listened earnestly to whatever she said. It wasn’t because she liked Madam Shin, but because she didn’t want to be disliked by her husband’s mother.

Actually, she had had a feeling from the first time she saw Madam Shin. She hadn’t liked her from the beginning. Of course, it was the same now and would be in the future.

It was the same for her as well. Like water and fire that couldn’t coexist, she had instinctively known they could never mix no matter how hard they tried.

She had only tried to hide her true nature to make a good impression on Madam Shin because of her feelings for her husband.

When she entered the house, the housekeeper asked her to take off her coat. When she entered in lighter clothing, she was guided to the terrace.

Madam Shin, who was sitting wrapped in a fur coat drinking tea, gestured toward the seat in front of her.

“I’m sorry. I’m a little late.”

As she sat quietly, Madam Shin, who had finished her tea, slowly raised her head. Though expressionless, she couldn’t help but notice the contemptuous light in those eyes.

“Ah-jin. Are you pregnant?”

“No.”

“Then have you made a great contribution to Jin-wook’s business?”

“That’s impossible.”

“Then why don’t you walk out on your own feet?”

The gentle tone didn’t sound as cold as before. Madam Shin had never directly mentioned divorce. She had spoken in such roundabout ways, and those words had hurt her even more.

“Surely you must have a conscience.”

Her husband wouldn’t know, but the more her husband’s company increased its annual revenue, the more coldly Madam Shin had treated her. At the time, she had simply thought Madam Shin didn’t like her as a person, but that wasn’t it.

Even though Madam Shin had been pushed out of the succession order at DH Corporation, she lived thinking of herself as the face of DH Corporation.

Chairman Shin Ji-cheol of DH Corporation, Madam Shin’s father, cherished his daughter, but there were four older brothers above her. Because of the age gap between them, the eldest son’s first child was about the same age as Madam Shin.

Chairman Shin would grant his daughter anything she wanted to do and let her have it, but he had never intended to pass the business to her from the beginning.

That was understandable since the shares for his sons and their children’s portions alone weren’t enough.

When Madam Shin’s husband was alive, she could at least be involved in company affairs, but after her husband died, even that became impossible.

So Choi Jin-wook becoming the president of DH Department Store was entirely due to his ability and effort. Fortunately, Chairman Shin was performance-oriented, so he entrusted the department store to his grandson.

Excluding the major ones, it was the most useful among what remained, but it wasn’t much to look at.

It was Choi Jin-wook who had built it up to its current position. After marrying her, as much as he had devoted himself only to work, it had become known as one of the top 5 department stores in Korea.

“As you know, the situation is different from three years ago.”

So from Madam Shin’s perspective, she couldn’t help but calculate. She was finally driving home the point that he wasn’t someone the likes of her could have dared to marry.

“I also agree with what you’re saying, Mother.”

At the time of marriage, the gap between her husband and her hadn’t widened as much as it had now. Though her father’s company might have been small in scale, it was a sound enterprise with annual revenue of 20 billion won.

Only Madam Shin herself kept overlooking the fact that she herself was nothing in DH Corporation.

“But Mother, you’re not DH Corporation.”

“You…”

At the words that hit the mark, Madam Shin’s lips stiffened slightly. The fingers holding the teacup trembled finely. It was understandable since it was a remark that touched her pride.

“I’m sorry if I upset you. Since I’m walking out on my own feet anyway, I wanted to point that out.”

“Finally, those words come out of your mouth. Yes. From the beginning, our Jin-wook was someone you could never have dreamed of. Even if you leave, others will probably come trying to marry him. So, from now on, you need to try harder…”

“I thought Jin-wook would have the same thoughts as you, Mother. But he doesn’t.”

“What?”

She continued pulling the trigger while she was at it. It was quite a sight to see Madam Shin’s complexion changing dramatically each time her words ended.

“Even when I ask for a divorce, he refuses. What should I do, Mother?”

As if truly troubled beyond measure, she let her eyes droop pitifully. Madam Shin, who had been blinking, clenched her fist tightly.

“Jin-wook said… that?”

Madam Shin was on the verge of having her blood pressure rise. Every time she heard words coming from that tiny daughter-in-law’s mouth, her head spun.

As always, she had expected Ah-jin to come out humbly saying she had done wrong. Then she had planned to scold her in a cultured manner. She had also intended to give advice, suggesting it might be good to try having a child.

But it was absurd. Instead, Ah-jin was asking for help to get divorced. Madam Shin was so flabbergasted that words wouldn’t come out.

“I’m sorry. I forgot to give you the heart-calming pills first.”

“You, you.”

“Please persuade Jin-wook, Mother. I’m planning to leave the house first until then.”

“Hey, Ah-jin!”

“Oh right. When you bring in someone after me, you’ll need to lower your standards. You’ll probably bring someone from a good family like the older brothers’ wives, but they won’t be able to please you like I did. If you want to control them to your taste, it might be faster to give up on background altogether. Well then, I’ll get up now.”

Ah-jin finished what she had to say and stood up from her seat.

She felt refreshed inside. After letting out the words she had kept bottled up, she finally felt like she could breathe. For the first time, she smiled brightly in front of Madam Shin before turning around and leaving.

Madam Shin had three sons, so including her, there were three daughters-in-law.

The eldest had delayed marriage, making excuses about work, so the second and third sons married first. Both daughters-in-law had come from distinguished families, which made them difficult for Madam Shin to manage at will.

Perhaps because of that, she had interfered more with her. She hadn’t avoided contact, and when called, she had gone whenever summoned.

But now Ah-jin refused such treatment. She could hear the housekeeper trying to stop her from behind, but there was no reason for her steps to halt.