“Wait, are you… no? You’re not going to strange places because you need money, right?”
“I’m not that broke.”
After hearing Jaehee’s words, Youngjoo let out a relieved sigh. However, she still had doubts about Jaehee’s behavior. She was never the type of friend to spend money on herself.
“Aren’t you getting a phone call?”
Jaehee took out her phone from her coat pocket and checked the number, then she removed the battery.
“Tell Jaewon to stay at his friend’s house for a while. It’s better than our place in the winter.”
“You should stay here too. It’s so cold in your house.”
Normally, Jaehee would have declined, but she didn’t this time. She remained lying on the ground without even taking off her coat.
“By any chance…I’m just asking out of curiosity, but…did you get a boyfriend?”
“No.”
Her words were abruptly cut off. It felt forced, which made Youngjoo even more suspicious. The coat that Jaehee was wearing was worth more than 3 million won(approximately $2,500). Youngjoo didn’t even know what she was wearing. She considered asking Jaehee, who was lying there with a blank face, about it but decided against it.
If she had a boyfriend, they would have broken up by now.
They appeared to be separated now. Her hair had also been treated, and it looked nice even when it was scattered.
“Youngjoo, what should I do?”
“Why?”
“I had a really good dream.”
“If it was such a good dream, then why are you crying?”
*Drip, drip*
Tears formed in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Jaehee looked up at the ceiling, while she continued to smile, looking so pitiful that it was hard to watch.
“What kind of dream did you have?”
“I dreamt that I became a woman.”
“…You were originally a woman and a pretty good one at that.”
At that, she let out a small laugh. The laughter that broke out from Young-joo’s comfort did not subside, no matter how much she tried to smooth it out. She stretched out her rough hands, which became roughened even when she polished them, towards the ceiling.
“I didn’t know I was so greedy, and I don’t want to wake up.”
Jae-hee curled up her body into a ball. She crossed her hands and hugged her own body as if protecting herself from something.
“Then don’t wake up.”
Bringing the quilt that was pushed to the side, she covered Jae-hee’s body and said, “…Okay.”
Her eyes closed softly, like a person running away into their dream to avoid waking up from it.
That night, Jae-hee suffered from a high fever all night long.
****
The hanok in Sungbuk-dong still had its lights on even though it was late at night. The hanok stood tall on a plot of land that was over 800 square meters. The two detached houses on either side of the hanok were where the first and second sons and their wives lived. Only the Old lady lived in the main house. Her last name was Jang, but she had been called the old lady for some time. Even the daughters-in-law, who usually lived in the detached houses, were called to the main house late at night, along with the family members who had already gotten married.
[T/N: Sungbuk-dong- Seongbuk-dong is a village located in the north of Seoul, nestled in the hills overlooking the city. A large proportion of the residences are owned by wealthy households. It is also where many ambassadorial residences are located (among them, the residences of the Chinese, Australian, and Canadian ambassadors.
Hanok- Hanok refers to houses built in the traditional Korean style.
Source:https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/AKR/AK_ENG_2_4.jsp
Old lady- Female head of the house ]
“Mom, is it true that there’s a girl with Jung-hoo?”
First son Jung-soo and second son Jung-min were only watching their mother, the Old lady. The daughters-in-law wanted to somehow stop Jung-yeon, who was chatting away next to the old lady, but they couldn’t say anything because of the Old lady, who was tending to an orchid and kept her mouth shut.
Everyone knew that when the Old lady became lost in thought, she would trim the orchid.
There was a difference of over twenty years between Jung-hoo and his older brother Jung-su, making him closer to their father’s age than to that of a sibling. He was even more separated from Jung-yeon, who was ten years younger.
“I told him to bring her here immediately, but he said it’s impossible. Who does he think he is, running around with some girl? If he keeps this up, he’ll end up getting beaten to death by his older brother.”
The Old lady was strict about a spouse. It was not just the strictness that one should receive a good education in a good household, but she had her own standards. Her sons and Jung-yeon strictly followed it. Bringing a partner along to an unofficial gathering was an unspoken taboo unless they were a formal marriage partner.
The Old lady was strict about her children’s choice of partners. It wasn’t just a matter of coming from a good family and receiving a good education, she had her own standards. Her sons and Jung-yeon strictly followed the rule that they could not bring a partner who was not an official spouse to formal events.
“The manager said she’s just ordinary. Shouldn’t we meet her at least once?”
“You’re making a fuss.”
Translator’s note: Follow the link to discover more enthralling stories today.
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The next chapter will be updated on May 13, 2023, Saturday.
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