WEHP 09

Chapter 09

May 2, 2022

“Why should I do that?”

“Then who will? Me?”

“Of course you should, sister-in-law.”

Hyeonseo let out a crooked smile at Hyemi’s answer, as if she were dumbfounded.

“Of course I should? That’s funny. I knew you were shameless, but still.”

She had endured it all this time just to avoid fighting.

“Aren’t you the daughter-in-law? Can’t a daughter-in-law even prepare dinner for her parents-in-law once?”

“Ah, sister-in-law, I’m really bad at cooking. If I do it, it’ll take longer, and if I mess it up, I’ll just waste the ingredients.”

Cornered, Hyemi seemed to grow more stubborn, biting down harder.

“I’ll invite them properly next time and cook then, so couldn’t you do it today?”

“Why are you bad at cooking? Every time I cooked, you always said things like, ‘This needs more seasoning,’ or ‘It’d taste better if you added this,’ or ‘This is overcooked,’ acting like you knew everything.”

She’d gone on and on with detailed critiques, as if she were a judge on a cooking competition—utterly unbearable.

“So you were only an expert with your mouth?”

Hyeonseo threw another remark at Hyemi, staring at her like she was out of her mind.

“If your palate is so refined, then cook it yourself and serve them. Don’t just sit there and eat what others make. Got it?”

Hyemi froze, speechless. Leaving her like that, Hyeonseo turned away. Just as she was about to head upstairs, toward the stairs—

Juhyeok, who had been standing there blankly until then, suddenly seemed to remember something and shouted after her.

“Oh, sister-in-law! What about the car money? If you don’t send it, do you know how humiliating it is for me? It was only 200 million won, but my pride is in shambles—I can’t even hold my head up!”

His face twisted as if he’d suffered a great disgrace.

“Why should I pay for your family’s car? Did you ever entrust me with money?”

At Hyeonseo’s calm reply, Juhyeok stammered.

“Well, I mean… you’ve always paid until now. If not you, then who would?”

“Brother-in-law, you’re acting like it’s only natural for us to give you money. Do you know how hard your brother works to earn it? You’ve never even said thank you for everything we’ve done so far. It’s your car—why don’t you buy it with your own salary?”

“How can my salary compare to my brother’s? If Chairman Chae hadn’t cut my pay and shoved me into that lousy position, I could’ve bought it myself. I wouldn’t have had to beg like this.”

“Then go talk to the chairman. He’s all about merit. If you show ability, he won’t discriminate between biological sons or not—he’ll put you in the right position. So why are you complaining here?”

Pressed by her words, Juhyeok shut his mouth and looked to Hyemi for help. Hyemi immediately chimed in.

“Sister-in-law, this is really disappointing. Two hundred million is nothing to you and your husband. We’re family—can’t we help each other?”

Family. Since when had she ever treated Hyeonseo like family?

Always sitting beside the mother-in-law like a queen, whispering and taking everything for herself—was that family?

When had she ever truly thought of her as an older sister? She only called her that verbally while treating her like a servant.

“Hyemi, if we’re family, does that mean I have to give money no matter what? And if I don’t, I’m being heartless? Then why don’t you ask your own parents for it?”

“Why would my parents pay for our car?”

Hyemi stiffened the moment her parents were mentioned.

“Aren’t they the well-off family you always brag about? Then that amount should be pocket change, right? Wouldn’t it be natural to ask them? They’re your real family—blood relatives. You say 200 million is nothing, don’t you? That it’s not even money?”

“I already receive plenty from my parents as it is.”

At that, Hyeonseo smiled faintly, a meaningful curve of her lips as she stared Hyemi down.

“Really? Then why were you so desperate that you had to covet things from our house?”

“What? When did I ever covet your things?”

Hyemi jumped in alarm, but Hyeonseo merely kept smiling.

“Strange, isn’t it? Every item you said was ‘pretty’ mysteriously disappeared. Don’t you find that odd?”

“You’re saying I stole from you now? You’re turning me into a thief?”

Though she felt a stab of guilt, Hyemi pushed back harder—she couldn’t afford to appear weak.

“But what’s even stranger is that when I go to your house, the exact same items are there.”

“Sister-in-law! Just because you own something doesn’t mean others can’t! Lots of people have the same—”

Hyemi hadn’t expected Hyeonseo to be this blunt.

“Oh, don’t say you bought them. Later on, I even started marking the items you admired—small marks, and I took photos too. I remembered exactly where the scratches were and checked every time I visited your place.”

At those words, Hyemi lost her voice and looked to Yeongsuk. But Yeongsuk only pressed her lips together, blinking silently.

“Do you need evidence? I can’t list everything you took over the years, but should I name just one?”

Hyemi, increasingly cornered, kept pleading with Yeongsuk with her eyes.

“M-Mother…”

But before Yeongsuk could speak, Hyeonseo cut in.

“The Bone China Peter Rabbit teapot. Doha gave that to me as a gift. When you said it was pretty, I deliberately marked the bottom of the tray with a pen. Then it disappeared. When I went to your place, there it was—mark and all. You stole it.”

“Sister-in-law! Mother gave that to me as a gift! I didn’t know it was taken from your house!”

“How convenient—how could she bring you only the things you liked? Don’t hide behind your mother-in-law. Saying that just means you’re calling her a thief.”

She’d searched desperately for those missing items, and when she found them there, she’d doubted herself. But when it happened again and again, she gave up.

She knew Yeongsuk had taken them and given them away. But she couldn’t call her mother-in-law a thief—so she had no choice but to confront Hyemi.

As Hyeonseo spoke without restraint, all three fell silent.

Hyemi, who coveted her belongings.
Yeongsuk, who carried them away.
Juhyeok, who knew and did nothing.

None of them dared to speak.

Leaving the three of them frozen in the living room, Hyeonseo finally went upstairs.

Once she entered her room and closed the door, her eyes burned—and then tears spilled down. Yet from her lips burst loud laughter.

Feeling relieved by something like this made her sad, in a way.

Still… Lee Hyeonseo.
From now on, live like this.

For my baby’s sake, I have to be strong.

She gently stroked her lower abdomen, making that vow again and again.

Hyeonseo stared at the wedding ring on her finger for a long time before slowly removing it.

The ring sparkled in the morning sunlight, and somehow its beauty looked sad.

She closed her eyes tightly and cupped the ring in both hands, holding it close to her chest. The day she first put it on flashed before her eyes.

When she opened them again, her resolve seemed set. With a wistful look, she placed the ring neatly into the vanity drawer.

“This belongs here. Goodbye.”

She closed the drawer, deciding to leave her feelings for Doha there as well.

When she first received the ring, she’d been so happy—it felt as if the ring itself was his heart. From that day on, she’d never once taken it off.

It had been like part of her own body.

One suitcase, two, three, four…
The years she’d lived were undeniable.

She’d thought she had little to take. She’d thrown so much away, yet there were still countless memories she couldn’t discard. Those memories piled up as baggage.

“Hyeonseo.”

Perhaps his mind was unsettled as well—her husband had come home drunk the night before.

He’d told her to sleep comfortably in the master bedroom and taken the guest room himself. Now, freshly showered, he came out and saw the luggage stacked to one side, his face tightening.

“What’s all this?”

Doha looked at her, clearly expecting an explanation. The bags hadn’t been there when he came home.

Her clothes, too, were different from usual—a light outfit for going out.

The china-neck blouse and slacks made her look especially delicate today.

“I’m planning to leave once you go to work.”

Everything felt too sudden, suffocatingly so.

“Do you really have to leave this soon?”

He couldn’t believe what was happening between them—and yet she was already packing.

“If I’m leaving anyway, wouldn’t dragging it out be stranger?”

Doha fell silent, staring at her. He felt dizzy.

“Then… I’ll take you.”

“It’s okay. I can call a van.”

“If that’s uncomfortable, I’ll ask Driver Park.”

Before she could stop him, he’d already called Driver Park.

“For now, go to Seocho-dong. I told him to take you there.”

“……”

Hyeonseo only stared at him, giving no answer. Doha thought it would be best to let her go for now and talk again in the evening.

If she stayed in Seocho-dong, away from his parents, he might still have a chance to persuade her.

But whether yes or no, she said nothing.

Watching Driver Park carry out the luggage, Hyeonseo went downstairs and lightly knocked on the door of the study.

“Father, it’s me.”

Chairman Chae usually spent his time in the study when he was home. But unexpectedly, Yeongsuk’s voice came from inside.

“Your father has a breakfast meeting and left early. Don’t you even know when your father-in-law has a morning engagement?”

Her cold voice answered without opening the door.

“Then I’ll call Father later. Mother… goodbye.”

At Hyeonseo’s farewell from outside the door, Yeongsuk finally flung it open, her face suddenly struck by the realization that something was very wrong.