Chapter 22
“Grandpa, please give me just one move.”
“No.”
“I’m way worse than you. This isn’t fun if it’s like this. Just one move, please?”
As Kang-yoon stepped into the house, he turned his head toward the living room, where Bora’s whiny voice was coming from.
“Ahem. Fine. Just one move. But no more after this.”
“Whew… okay, then I’ll place it here….”
Bora, who was sitting across the sofa table wrestling over a large Go board, looked up and met Kang-yoon’s eyes.
“Oh, Kang-yoon! You’re back?”
“Yes. Grandpa, I’m home.”
“Oh, good. I’m in the middle of a match with my granddaughter-in-law, but she’s been whining nonstop.”
“Aww, Grandpa! Whining? It’s called acting cute, okay? Here—right here.”
“What? I let you off the hook for one move, and now you attack like this?”
“Hehe. That was my strategy!”
At Bora’s giggling laughter, Chairman Han burst into hearty laughter as well.
“Good grief, you’re impossible. Just impossible. I’ll let it go for today. Next time, not a chance!”
Chuckling, Chairman Han began putting away the Go board.
“Go upstairs and take care of Kang-yoon. I’ll handle this.”
“Yes. Good night, Grandpa. Tomorrow morning it’s taro soup and stir-fried zucchini with pollock roe. Sounds good, right?”
“My mouth’s already watering. I should go to bed early so morning comes faster.”
At his response, Bora beamed, said goodbye, and went upstairs to the second floor.
“You’re home early today?”
Used to Kang-yoon coming back after ten every night, Bora chatted as she took his suit jacket.
“Most of the urgent work is wrapping up. I’ll probably head to Dubai early next month.”
“Then shouldn’t you start packing?”
“There’s not much to pack. I can buy clothes there… Oh, I should bring some emergency medicine. Foreign meds really don’t agree with me.”
“Okay. I’ll pack emergency medicine and some basic necessities, just in case.”
“Thanks.”
“But, Kang-yoon….”
As Kang-yoon headed for the bathroom, his steps stopped at Bora’s call.
“Did something bad happen? You don’t look so good today.”
“I’m not sure. Nothing in particular… maybe I’m just tired.”
“That’s a relief. Go wash up. I prepared something.”
“Oh? Finally my wife is planning some sexy nighttime action—”
“Nope. Go wash.”
At Bora’s serious face, Kang-yoon chuckled and headed into the bathroom. When the sound of running water started, Bora finally let the smile slip from her face.
‘Something feels off. But surely… after I told her that, Mom wouldn’t have said something harsh to Kang-yoon… right?’
Earlier that day, her mother had shown up at the silver town out of nowhere, saying she needed money.
“Bora, what did you even gain from marrying into that rich family? In the end, it’s money, isn’t it? I’m in a hurry right now. Give me fifty million won.”
“Mom. It’s not five thousand won—it’s fifty million. How am I supposed to hand that over immediately? And Kang-yoon already paid off the urgent interest on Dad’s company loans.”
“That’s separate. They say if a wife is pretty, her husband bows even to the post in her in-laws’ yard. Huh? Are you saying Kang Seo-bang can’t even spare that much for you?”
“That much? Mom, have you ever earned fifty million won in your life?”
“What? Yoon Bora, why are you talking to your mother like that? Are you looking down on me for not working?”
Her mother’s meticulously drawn eyeliner shot sharply upward at the corners.
Looking at her unmoving forehead, Bora thought, She got Botox again.
“That’s not what I mean. I’m not a bank—how am I supposed to solve everything the moment you ask? What do you even need it for?”
“No, listen. Our golf group is going somewhere in the Pacific islands for winter vacation, right? You know President Jung? The one who hit it big with stocks and rebuilt an entire building? One of his acquaintances stayed there and said it’s pure paradise. So we decided to all go together. With airfare included, it’s about twenty million per person. We need to book quickly, but you know our card limits were reduced. I’ll pay it back. I will. Just hurry and help me.”
“You’re spending fifty million just to go on a trip? And wait—if it’s twenty per person, that’s forty million. Why are you asking for fifty?”
“Oh my. We’ll shop there, and before the trip we need to go to the dermatologist, buy resort outfits… honestly.”
Bora couldn’t even sigh as she looked at her mother’s overly plumped cherry-colored lips.
Her mother seemed completely unaware of her own situation—or Bora’s.
Or maybe she simply didn’t want to know.
Like a queen who had lived that way her whole life, she seemed intent on continuing the same.
The problem was, to maintain that queenly lifestyle, she would inevitably demand money from Bora.
They had just barely put out the fire at the silver town and returned to zero.
Bora herself had to cling desperately and start over.
There was no way she had spare money—yet her mother cheerfully demanded it as if it were already set aside.
“Mom. I’m starting over too. Will you die if you don’t go on a winter vacation? Do you really need to spend tens of millions just because others are going?”
“Oh my, Bora. Is that how I raised you? I let you do everything others did—and even what they couldn’t! Who do you think made you grow up so well and marry into a prestigious chaebol family? Who? Say it. Me! It was me! And now I can’t even ask you for a little allowance?”
What kind of allowance costs fifty million won?”
“Fine. If you won’t give it to me, I’ll ask Han Seo-bang instead. Surely he wouldn’t ignore his mother-in-law asking for a little spending money?”
“What? Hey—wait. Don’t tell Kang-yoon. I’ll try to figure something out. Just… please don’t tell him. Okay?”
“You should’ve said that from the start. Honestly, you stingy thing. Then I’ll expect it by next week. If we’re the only ones who can’t go, people will definitely talk about how we’re too poor. I’d rather bite my tongue and die than see that happen. You know that, right?”
As if she’d never been angry, her mother smiled brightly and handed Bora a lipstick, saying she bought it while shopping and thought of her.
“Nude shades make you look older. Wear bright colors while you’re still young and pretty. When it comes to makeup, listen to your mom no matter what, okay?”
“Got it. Now go home. And don’t wander off shopping again on the way.”
“Oh please. Do you think I shop every day?”
With a haughty flip of her hair, her mother blew an air kiss and disappeared.
Bora’s head began to throb.
Just how much money had her mother been spending all this time?
“She’s probably going to latch onto Kang-yoon next… what do I do?”
Sighing, Bora decided to first think about how to come up with the fifty million.
“Maybe I’ll stall and say it’s impossible. If we miss the booking window, they won’t be able to go anyway. Yeah… that’s better. Even if I get cursed at. Fifty million is absurd.”
“What are you thinking about?”
“Huh? Oh—yes?”
“I told you to wash up, and now you’re ignoring me even after I came out?”
Kang-yoon, wearing a bathrobe, stood beside her smiling as he dried his hair.
“Ah… I was just thinking about something….”
“About what?”
“Um… by any chance… did my mom contact you?”
“Your mother-in-law? Me?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Really?”
“Why? Did she have something to say to me?”
“No! No, not at all. I was just wondering if she’d checked in or something….”
“I should be the one to reach out. I’ve been too busy lately. I’ll give her a call tomorrow.”
“Oh—no. Please. Absolutely not. Kang-yoon, if possible, please contact my parents through me. Okay?”
Because Bora sounded so desperate, Kang-yoon nodded.
“By the way, what did you say you prepared for me?”
“Oh. Since my husband’s been working so hard, I thought I’d—”
Bora grabbed the waist of Kang-yoon, who was applying toner to his face, pulled him toward the bed, and whispered,
“I’m going to give my husband a nice, hot massage.”
