CRC 02

Chapter 2

Late at night, a Seoul taxi stopped in front of Jinhwa Funeral Hall.

There was only one funeral being held in the small countryside building.
Yeon-eum looked up at the electronic sign. Under “Name of the Deceased,” three characters appeared.

Jeong Hae-ju.

Her mother’s name.

Holding her shaking chest, Yeon-eum slowly walked inside.

“Yeon-eum.”

Seok-jung, the chief worker at Jeongju Brewery—whom Yeon-eum had called “uncle” since childhood—was wearing mourning clothes and standing in for the family. He hurried over to her.

Among the white chrysanthemums, she saw her mother’s memorial photo, smiling brightly.

It was real.

Her heart felt like it dropped.

“She waited for you for a long time, but she finally fell asleep a little while ago. Go in.”

Creeeak.

Her grandfather, Jeong Geum-ho, was sleeping on bedding laid out in one corner of the family room.

Yeon-eum quietly sat down and gently held his hand, which was sticking out from the blanket.
The hand that once felt big and strong now felt tired with age.

“Grandpa… I’m here….”

Her grandfather had spent his whole life making alcohol at Jeongju Brewery.
When her mother returned home as a single mother, he accepted her without a word.
He became a strong shield for Yeon-eum, who was born without a father.

Now, he had dementia.

And the mother who told Yeon-eum that news was gone.

Yeon-eum realized that she now had to become her grandfather’s shield.
She wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand and hardened her resolve.

She mechanically changed into mourning clothes and tied her long hair neatly back.

When she stepped outside, she saw Seok-jung sitting at the mourner’s seat, looking exhausted.

“You must be tired, Uncle. I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner.”

She was deeply grateful to him for taking care of her grandfather and handling the funeral.

“I’m the one who’s sorry…. It’s fine. Don’t say that. Where’s your luggage?”

“I came in a hurry…. It’s fine even if my suitcase is gone.”

“Right. You can always buy clothes again.”

Seok-jung forced a tired smile and patted her shoulder.
His wife, Mi-eun, also came over with an empty look on her face.

“Yeon-eum, I still can’t believe this. Your mom was such a strong person. Who knew she’d go like this?”

“Auntie….”

Yeon-eum looked around the quiet funeral hall.

“But why is it so empty?”

Jeongju Brewery had been around for a long time, and the family knew many people in town.
Most employees were from nearby villages, and they had dozens of business partners across the country.

“Huh? Well… look at the time. And today is already the second day. Everyone already came and left.”

Seok-jung explained awkwardly. It felt strange, but he looked too tired to question further.

“You and Auntie must have worked so hard. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank us. The funeral service company handled most of it. We told the staff to rest in shifts. If you need anything, call us. We’ll be in the other room.”

“Okay. You two should rest too. I’ll stay here now….”

As Yeon-eum gently pushed them toward the room, sharp footsteps echoed down the quiet hallway.

A woman, her face mostly hidden, looked around the empty hall and smirked as she took off her sunglasses.

“You know who I am, right?”

Her biological father’s wife.

Park So-jeong.

Someone tied to her by a cruel connection she never wanted.

So-jeong walked into the funeral room without even taking off her shoes.
Yeon-eum’s eyes fell on the shiny luxury heels.

“The chief mourner doesn’t even greet guests?”

She tilted her head and looked down arrogantly.

“You don’t look like someone who came to pay respects.”

“Whatever. I didn’t come because I wanted to. I came to see with my own eyes if she was really dead.”

Hot anger surged in Yeon-eum’s chest. She wanted to throw the woman out, but she held back.

“Please leave if you’re not here to pay respects.”

Ignoring her, So-jeong grabbed a chrysanthemum and threw it onto the altar.

“People should live well while they’re alive. No one even comes when they die. How lonely. If she was going anyway, it would’ve been better to take her daughter with her too. What a shame.”

She was ruining Yeon-eum’s final goodbye with her mother.
Yeon-eum clenched her teeth and swallowed her rage.

This is Mom’s funeral. Endure it.

“Please go.”

“Like I want to stay in a dump like this.”

So-jeong sneered.

“You really look just like your mother.”

Probably implying she didn’t resemble her father.
That was fine. Yeon-eum didn’t want to either.

“Live quietly. Don’t contact us again unless you’re dead.”

So-jeong turned away with a mocking laugh.

As Yeon-eum stood there with her head lowered, Seok-jung stepped forward.

“Hey. What do you think you’re doing? Who asked you to come? Does it feel good to hurt grieving family members?”

“Uncle, stop.”

Yeon-eum stopped him.

So-jeong half-put on her sunglasses and glared sideways.

“Watch your mouth. If nonsense comes out, I won’t stay quiet.”

“Nonsense? Like how your husband dumped the woman he was with for years and has no loyalty? Or how our Yeon-eum—”

“Uncle!”

At Yeon-eum’s broken scream, Seok-jung swallowed his words.

“So low-class. You can’t even have a proper conversation.”

So-jeong turned away, then opened her bag like she remembered something.

“Oh, this.”

She handed over a white envelope.

Yeon-eum couldn’t even laugh.

So-jeong walked closer and forced the envelope into her hand.

Slip.

Bills fell out—50,000-won notes.

About twenty of them.

Not even worth one of So-jeong’s shoes.

After she left, Seok-jung and Mi-eun quietly picked up the money.

“Just leave it.”

“Money isn’t guilty. Even a little helps.”

Mi-eun said sharply, and Yeon-eum snapped.

“We lived just fine without her money! What’s the point of sending this now after pretending we didn’t exist?”

“Yeon-eum, I know how you feel, but….”

Seok-jung spoke heavily.

“I know this isn’t the time, but… we may have to close the brewery.”

“What do you mean?”

Yeon-eum’s eyes widened.

He explained that the brewery had problems, business partners cut ties, wages were delayed, and employees all quit.

Yeon-eum had heard none of this while she was overseas.

“So that’s why the funeral hall was so empty.”

What had happened for even family-like employees to leave?

“The owner is gone, and your grandfather isn’t well. Who can run the brewery?”

Seok-jung sighed deeply.

“You’re here, Uncle.”

Yeon-eum said firmly. Mi-eun added quietly,

“He’s just an employee. The brewery isn’t even ours. It’s full of debt. How can he run it alone?”

They had worked like family, but in truth, Seok-jung was still an employee.

As Yeon-eum stood speechless, Seok-jung carefully spoke again.

“Even without this, it would’ve been hard to keep the brewery going.”

He said Daebok Group had sent people to build a traditional liquor factory and tourist complex in Cheonghyang Village.

The county mayor, also from the village, supported it fully.
With generous land prices and compensation, the village elders agreed.

“Why build that in our village? Build it somewhere else. I don’t want it.”

Yeon-eum couldn’t believe the village where she grew up would disappear.

“Everyone else already signed. Only Jeongju Brewery is left.”

Seok-jung sighed again.

Our brewery… is disappearing?

Too many unbearable things came crashing down at once.

It felt like the thin thread holding her together finally snapped.