＜Each person’s circumstances＞
The second aunt snorted.
“Bring Taesung Chemical to Honsoo? Does that make sense?”
“There is nothing that can’t be done.”
“By what means? Doesn’t that mean that since you can’t benefit from your parents, you will eventually benefit from your husband or your parents-in-law?”
The second aunt clicked her tongue.
“Dong-seo, don’t you think you’re going to give thanks to your child again this time?”
“Oh, no. something like that.”
“No, what is it? Just looking at it now, I think he would have secretly asked his father with his young child at the fore.”
“yes? That is a real misunderstanding.”
“Then, should I be mistaken for letting go of Woo-gwang’s marriage? Do you know how troubled the two families are because of one sister-in-law? How many businesses are involved, and how many people are involved.”
When the second aunt looked down, the mother bowed her head.
“I’m just going to have dinner or a meal with my family…”
“Dongseo is really good. Seongjun Even though Seobangnim is not around, my father steps in and takes care of me. I came with my father because I had no one to take care of me.”
“······sorry.”
I grabbed my mother’s trembling hand again.
“Mom, why are you bowing your head and apologizing when you haven’t committed any crimes? Raise your head.”
“Jung Hyuk.”
“What treason is eating a meal with my grandfather?”
I held my mother’s hand tightly.
“What’s it like to look after your husband and in-laws? I hope my mother only walks the flower path thanks to me.”
“Jeonghyuk-ah, stop it.”
“My mom doesn’t have to look so disapprovingly. Taesung Chemical, which was blown up because of us? Wouldn’t it be enough if we got it back?”
I also snorted.
“Let’s see. Will my mother bring Taesung Chemical back or not? Then we’ll go and check again.”
“I’m sorry, brother.”
Mother bowed her head.
“The kid is still young, so he doesn’t know what to do. I’ll scold you later.”
Mother held my hand tightly and shook her head slightly.
Seeing my mother’s embarrassed expression, I swallowed the words that rose to my throat.
Instead, he looked up at his grandfather and asked with his expression.
-Aren’t you going to crack down on the second daughter-in-law?
Grandpa sighed with a very perplexed expression.
“Everyone, stop. You are tired.”
I suddenly had a question.
I felt it when I ate tteokguk on the first day of last year, so why doesn’t the grandfather treat his two daughters-in-law harshly?
Because your love for your daughters-in-law is so deep?
Do you take care of your daughters-in-law’s right to speak, just like you take care of your children’s bowls?
“Do you think it’s such a big deal to have a meal together as a family?”
Grandpa patted me on the shoulder.
“Junghyuk, go in with Mom first. I have something to say to my in-laws for a moment.”
“Yeah, you go in first. Aren’t the kids hungry?”
The old gentleman raised his bowler hat and bowed politely.
“Even if you say something that hurts your heart, you are not a child who is heartbroken. As you know, it’s noisy inside and out these days, so it’s noisy inside. Please understand my in-laws.”
“father.”
“My child has been running around to get Taesung Chemical back these days. I wonder if I would have stepped out.”
“dad!”
“I know very well that Taesung Chemical is a company that my in-laws have worked hard to nurture for a long time. I know that it would be a waste to miss it and that if I don’t act now, I will lose it forever. That’s why I was very excited.”
The old gentleman laughed bitterly.
“Isn’t it family to help each other and depend on each other in difficult times? I don’t know anything else, but if it’s to get Taesung Chemical back, I’ll have to be willing to lend a hand.”
“No, in-law. Taesung Chemical is…”
The grandfather expressed disapproval and kept his mouth shut.
It seemed like he was trying to figure out how much to say.
“Thank you for your words, but if it is Taesung Chemical, you really don’t have to worry. Just like Jeonghyeok said…”
with my daughter
The restaurant door opened.
He was a tall, model-like man wearing a long black coat and a gray scarf.
“dad!”
“senior?”
My father found us and smiled broadly.
“Jung Hyuk. Sujin.”
My father strode forward, closing the distance in an instant with his long legs.
“Father, in-laws, elder sister-in-law, and nieces and nephews are also together.”
Father hugged me tightly.
I was startled and hugged my father tightly.
The voice of my father, who laughed softly, passed my ears.
“Forgive me for being late. Did everyone enjoy their meal?”
“We were about to eat, and the second four are not yet.”
When the grandfather answered, the father took out his wallet.
“Nephews, your uncle will take care of dinner tonight, so order as many things as you want to eat. Understand?”
“yes!”
“Uncle, no, little daddy! Can I order cider too?”
“My mom keeps telling me I can’t eat it because my bones are dying.”
“Well, I can do the calculations for you, but even my uncle isn’t confident about getting permission from his sister-in-law.”
My father took out the entire bill from his wallet and put it in his cousin’s hand.
“Calculate with this, and you guys do the rest.”
“nice!”
“Uncle, the best!”
“Because I’m a little dad!”
My cousins were happy to punch the air.
“Why do you count that? Of course I have to do the math! It’s about feeding my babies!”
Grandpa also opened his wallet.
“I have more money than you!”
“Father, please yield to me this time. I’m also going to get some points from my sister-in-law right now.”
“What’s wrong with you getting points from your second child?”
“I would like to ask you to take a good look at this person in the future.”
“You mean a bribe?”
“What are all the bribes between family members?”
“If money and valuables are exchanged, it is a bribe. Is the bribe worth it?”
“Then it’s a bribe.”
He smiled as he held me with one arm and hugged my mother gently with the other.
“It’s just buying dinner for my nephews and sister-in-law, but I wonder if it’s meaningful to consider whether it’s a gift or a bribe.”
My father kissed me on the cheek so that I could hear it.
“Jeonghyuk-ah, did you eat well?”
“yes.”
“Then why were you frowning so much? Are you feeling unwell? Can Daddy buy some digestive medicine?”
“I’m not pretending.”
“Then did you have a fever?”
My father put his forehead on mine.
Then he rubbed his forehead and smiled.
“I’m sleepy, but?”
At the same time, I could feel the eyes of my cousins sticking to me.
Envy and surprise, and a bit of sullenness and bitterness.
Shin-hyeok, the youngest of the three brothers, lowered his eyes and said, ‘Jin-hyeok would be nice.’ and murmured softly.
The eldest, Ye-hyuk, hit the youngest with an elbow and said, ‘It’s not Jin-hyuk, it’s Jung-hyuk.’ he whispered.
“I thought the in-laws were wooden stones that couldn’t even go through a needle, but I guess I was wrong all along.”
The old gentleman, who had been staring at the three of us, gave a warm smile mixed with a bitter smile.
“It is very nice to see the family together. Heh heh heh.”
The second aunt looked at the father with a strange expression.
“Bocchan, no, Seobang-nim, don’t you feel unfair?”
“unfair? What?”
Father turned to us.
“Ah, it’s a bit unfair that I was separated from Sujin and Junghyuk. The time that has passed is too precious.”
Father laughed embarrassedly.
“If you said something about Taesung Chemical, it was entirely my fault, so I’m just sorry.”
“Nonsense! Are you the CEO of Taesung Group? I am the one who decided to hand it over to Wu Guang!”
Grandpa pushed Father and Mother on their backs.
“You must be tired, but stop going in. Don’t go far.”
“Okay, then let’s go in first.”
“I will go first. See you next time.”
As I nodded and turned around, my father suddenly stopped and looked back at my mother.
“wait for a sec.”
The father untied the gray scarf from around his neck and put it around Mother’s neck.
After closing it tightly to keep out the cold wind, he took my mother’s hand and put it in my pocket.
“It’s cold outside. catch a cold.”
Mother gave a small smile at the kind words.
“Jung Hyuk is…”
“Then I am Daddy’s scarf!”
I hugged my father tightly.
A sophisticated and heavy men’s perfume flowed in.
What was caught in the shaky sight over my father’s shoulder was my second aunt, who was standing there like a manger seat, silently looking at us.
It was a complex expression.
with my daughter
We walked out of the restaurant like that.
The midwinter night wind blew coldly at the tip of his nose.
After being in a warm place, I trembled without realizing it because of the severe frost.
It seems that the mother was the same.
“Look at that. You said it was cold.”
“I never imagined it would be this cold as the inside of the restaurant was warm.”
“Let’s go. I’ll turn the heater on full blast.”
How many steps did you have to walk to the parking lot?
I bumped into two people getting out of a luxury sedan.
“Shh.”
My second uncle put up a finger and covered my lips.
He was hugging a young woman with long straight hair, heavily made up.
“Let’s just go to the hotel restaurant. Are you sure it tastes better than Taesung Hotel steak?”
Disorganized clothes, lipstick marks on crumpled shirts, torn stockings.
A strong smell of cheap women’s perfume wafted in the wind from afar.
Suddenly, information that had been processed in one line in the Taesung Group report came to mind.
＜Cha Ki-joon, the 2nd head of Taesung Group, is known to have a discord in his family due to his chaotic personal life, but…＞
* * *
The inside of the car was warm with the heater on.
After warming up my back and feeling full, I unknowingly sat in the back seat and started dozing off.
“Senior, how did you get there?”
“I think Secretary Kim contacted me, but I was out at the scene at the time, so it was a bit late to check.”
The voices of father and mother sounded like a lullaby.
“What happened? I suddenly finished having dinner with my father.”
“Iknow, right. I don’t even know how it came to be.”
Mother said, wiggling her hands.
“My father apologized.”
“hmm?”
He began to talk softly about what had happened to his mother.
It sounded like a song with occasional laughter mixed in.
“cool. I don’t think I’ve ever thought of it as disappointing. As I was listening to what my father had to say, tears welled up without my knowledge.”
“Is it?”
“My father said he would visit my parents, ask for forgiveness, and persuade them. It’s our marriage.”
“Forgiveness, I must beg. I’ll get the persuasion and marriage permission.”
Mother said in a whisper, holding her hands tightly.
“When I ran out of the house. For the first time in my life, I challenged my parents.”
“you?”
“yes. He said that he wouldn’t want to see my daughter’s life ruined like this, so I’d rather get rid of him. I said that even if I die, my child will not give up.”
“…”
“I was told to call a senior right away, but I couldn’t.”
Father groaned lowly.
“You shouldn’t have called me. I would have run barefoot.”
“I heard it when I received the money envelope. The senior said he was engaged to the daughter of Wookwang Group. If the marriage is broken, the partnership will also fight. Stop causing trouble in other people’s families and ask them to leave.”
“I didn’t say that. directly by looking at my face. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“So I secretly went there.”
A thin trembling breath.
A more trembling voice.
“Daily. I waited all day going back and forth from school to my senior’s house.”
“······I did not know. at all.”
“I found out later. My senior went to the army.”
“Ah, I voluntarily enlisted in a hurry to avoid the engagement ceremony. I left a letter, did you not receive it?”
“letter?”
“You didn’t get it.”
A moment of silence passed.
“I thought the senior was avoiding me on purpose. Then I found out.”
because of morning sickness.
It was what my mother added.
“A girl who has never been married is going to take her to the hospital right away because she is having a baby. I was so surprised that I ran out in sweats.”
Father held the steering wheel with his left hand, and his right hand held tightly to the trembling mother’s hand.
“Behind my back, ‘Soojin, don’t go!’ Even though my mother calls, and my younger brother cries while holding on to my father’s trouser leg, I avoid my father who comes running and catch a taxi…”
Suddenly, the mother’s voice was watery.
“I don’t regret it, though. Even if I throw away everything, I wanted to protect it, my child.”
＜Each person’s circumstances＞ End