Chapter 19
Grandfather, how are you feeling today?”
“Good. Very good.”
“How was the music I played for you before bed?”
“I fell asleep as soon as I heard it, so I don’t really remember.”
Chairman Han was taller and healthier than most people his age, but over the past few years he had been suffering from insomnia.
He had visited every reputed hospital and doctor, but the pattern never changed: if he took sleeping pills, he would pass out, and if he didn’t, he couldn’t sleep at all.
Since Bora ran a silver town, she knew that insomnia was one of the biggest worries among the elderly.
So as soon as she returned from her honeymoon, she volunteered to take charge of Chairman Han’s care, and the first thing she tried was helping him achieve “deep, natural sleep.”
“From now on, no phones or computers an hour before bedtime, okay?”
“Heh heh. All right. Health comes before work.”
“And you really need to cut back on caffeine and alcohol. You should also make sure to take a walk during the day.”
“My granddaughter-in-law is very strict. I might get worn out at this rate, heh heh.”
Though he joked, the corners of Chairman Han’s mouth twitched upward.
Aside from occasionally preparing herbal medicine or drawing bathwater, no one in the household had ever taken care of his health this closely.
People imagine that the head of a conglomerate receives the most advanced medical treatments, but in reality, being too busy to even schedule regular checkups was far more common.
Chairman Han looked at Bora, who had prepared a healthy breakfast, with proud eyes, saying that on mornings when he wasn’t busy, he wanted to personally cook for her as well.
“All my life, I’ve managed breakfast with sandwiches and green juice.”
“The sandwiches you eat are too high in calories and sugar. I know you like something quick and easy, but from now on, you really need to pay more attention to breakfast.”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
At his playful reply, Bora covered her mouth and laughed.
“Come on, let’s eat. My dear, has Kangmun still not come home?”
“He came back late last night and left at dawn saying he had work.”
“Tsk… even seeing each other’s faces is this hard for a family….”
As a rule, the family tried to eat breakfast together whenever possible.
However, after Kangyoon and Bora returned from their honeymoon and moved into the main house, Kangmun rarely joined breakfast.
Jin Hyunsook stared blankly at the dining table in response to Chairman Han’s scolding.
“Were you waiting for me? I got an urgent video call from Dubai. Sorry about that. Please, go ahead and eat.”
Kangyoon came down quickly from the second floor, pulled out a chair, and sat next to Bora.
“Good. Now, let’s try the breakfast our admirable granddaughter-in-law prepared.”
Chairman Han lifted his spoon and brought the perilla seed and dried radish leaf soup to his mouth.
It wasn’t salty at all—mild, nutty, and softly textured. He found it deeply satisfying.
“It’s been so long since I’ve had soup like this. My mother used to make it for me when I was young.”
“Does it suit your taste?”
“It’s excellent. Yes, this is how you should refresh your stomach in the morning.”
Starting with the soup, Chairman Han moved his chopsticks from side dish to side dish—seasoned vegetables, tofu, grilled fish—his face filled with contentment.
“Kangyoon, how about you? Does it taste okay?”
“It’s great. When did you even learn to cook?”
“My mom is terrible at cooking, so I’ve been preparing meals myself since high school. You know, right? Our mom feels very far from the kitchen.”
At Bora’s words, Kangyoon bit his lip and laughed.
“And does it suit your taste too, Aunt?”
Chairman Han and Kangyoon kept insisting it was delicious, so Bora needed someone who would give an honest opinion.
She watched Jin Hyunsook carefully as she sampled the food.
“Mm. It’s good. The seasoning is light—perfect for Father. You did well.”
“Really? Hearing you say that makes me feel so relieved.”
Only then did Bora finally pick up her spoon and eat comfortably.
Jin Hyunsook ate slowly, observing Bora and Kangyoon.
She had arranged Kangyoon’s position for him, but she never expected him to marry this quickly.
What’s more, Bora—whom she had once thought was far too mismatched to be Kangmun’s partner—became more appealing the more she looked at her.
Did I rush things too much? If Kangmun had married Bora, maybe with her support he would have pulled himself together.
Thinking that way made her regret pushing Kangyoon into marriage so hastily.
But regretting it now was pointless.
I should quickly find a match for Kangmun. But in this day and age, would there really be a woman who wakes up at dawn to prepare breakfast like this?
The more she thought about it, the harder it seemed to find another daughter-in-law like Bora, and Jin Hyunsook let out a quiet sigh.
“Aunt, are you feeling unwell? Or does the food not suit your taste?”
Bora, who had noticed Jin Hyunsook glancing at her repeatedly, asked gently.
“No, no. I ate well. I think my stomach’s a little off from taking sleeping pills last night.”
“Oh, you take sleeping pills too? Oh my… Then instead of those, I’ll give you some melatonin supplements. And it would be good if you soaked your feet before going to bed.”
“All right. Thank you for caring.”
At Bora’s worried gaze, Jin Hyunsook stood up, following Chairman Han as he rose.
“Thank you for the meal. You worked hard.”
“Oh, it was nothing at all. Have a nice day, Aunt.”
At Bora’s polite farewell, Jin Hyunsook smiled faintly and headed to her room.
Only after watching her back disappear did Bora finally let out a deeper breath and glance at Kangyoon, who was still eating.
“Kangyoon, your shirt and pants don’t match.”
“They’re a set.”
“That’s the problem. They’re a set, but they still don’t match. I think darker pants would be better.”
“Then pick them out for me.”
“Okay! Choosing my husband’s clothes—this really feels like newlywed life!”
At Bora’s words, Kangyoon smiled, gathered the dishes from the table, and carried them to the sink.
“Let the housekeeper handle the dishes. Bora, help me get ready for work first.”
“All right. I’ll just wipe the table.”
Bora headed to the table holding a cute yellow dishcloth embroidered with little ducks.
“Huh?”
Kangyoon snatched the cloth from her hand and, with his long arms, quickly wiped down the table before tossing the cloth into the sink.
“It’s faster if I do it.”
Bora grinned and lightly patted his backside with her hand.
“My goodness, whose husband is this—so affectionate.”
“Hey… patting the backside of a husband who’s like the sky above you, first thing in the morning….”
“What, you don’t like it?”
“…No. I don’t dislike it.”
Behind the couple, bright morning sunlight poured in.
“Hmm….”
After going straight into a morning meeting upon arriving at work, Kangyoon had another video conference with the Dubai manager.
After hours of consecutive meetings, he felt a little worn out—then remembered the thermos Bora had prepared for him.
“When work gets tiring, drink this. They say fatigue piles up like water, but loosens like a cup of tea.”
After dropping Bora off in front of the silver town and heading to work with the thermos in hand, the sight of himself really did feel like that of a married man, making him snort in quiet amusement.
“Smells nice.”
The deeply brewed chrysanthemum tea carried a gentle, sweet aroma.
As Bora’s soft voice echoed in his mind—telling him it was good for eye health, immunity, and relieving fatigue and stress—his mood lifted.
That was when it happened.
I met with Ms. Ahn Jihye’s distant relatives. They said she became pregnant at twenty and was kicked out of her home, and that the father was rumored to be a wealthy businessman. After that, she cut ties with her family and lived separately, so they didn’t know whether she was alive or dead. Tracing her address and several acquaintances, I managed to uncover one piece of information.
Below the message from Detective Gong Jinhwan—someone he hadn’t heard from in a while—were several unsettling photos.
The interior, clearly that of a shaman’s house, looked as though it had been secretly photographed, the focus oddly blurred.
“This person is….”
In the final photo, Ahn Jihye stood in a frame, dressed in mourning clothes.
As Kangyoon enlarged the image and stared at it, his eyes locked head-on with Ahn Jihye’s gaze in the photo—
and in that instant, her eyes flashed.
