Same Side
Right beside Oh Jin-hee, who was rubbing her back, Min Tae-yeon finally found her voice. She didn’t know about the rest, but she prided herself on always hitting the perfect timing. Especially with Hyun-seo here, now was the moment to say what she had been holding back.
“Mother, you must be so disappointed. I really did try my hardest. I wanted to make you happy.”
Her voice trembled with emotion. Oh Jin-hee’s eyes narrowed sharply, drilling into her.
“That’s why your effort isn’t pleasing me.”
The words sliced like a cold needle, yet Tae-yeon didn’t flinch. She simply dodged the pain, absorbing it without complaint. If she had access to the internal energy techniques from those wuxia films, she would have used it right then to shield her heart. With a sorrowful expression, she asked gently.
“Mother… then what would make you happy? You know our family can’t change things overnight, and I certainly can’t suddenly switch to medical school or law, either.”
Oh Jin-hee’s mouth fell open. She had suspected Tae-yeon had hidden depths before, but she had never imagined her daughter-in-law would dare to speak so openly.
“What on earth are you doing? Those… those—”
“Mother.”
“Be quiet. If you can’t speak nicely, at least stop acting pitiful.”
“Mother, I’m not pitiful at all. I have a husband, a child, and even my own mother. And my mother’s health has improved a lot lately. She’s even traveling now, so I’m really happy. No matter how much you scold me, I’ll just be grateful and keep going.”
“Tsk. Good for you.”
Choi Hyun-seo, watching silently from beside her, smiled with satisfaction. It seemed his wife wouldn’t suffer any real injustice.
“Tae-yeon-ah, bring me something to drink.”
“Yes, sir. Just a moment.”
With Oh Jin-hee standing right in front of them, Hyun-seo and Tae-yeon exchanged a few words before she stood up and headed to the kitchen.
The moment she left, Hyun-seo stepped right up to his mother.
“Mother, have you finished eating my little rabbit of a wife?”
Oh Jin-hee fixed him with a stern gaze.
“What exactly is your relationship? I can’t understand it at all. You’re treating her like this and then saying it’s nothing?”
“It really is nothing. I have the money and the power. If my wife wants to buy an apartment, I can just tell her to go buy one.”
“Then you should have gone too.”
“I did come, didn’t I? I haven’t moved all my things yet, so I still have to come back here later. Why would I move my own things?”
The way she spoke so casually made Oh Jin-hee let out a sigh.
“You really plan to move back in?”
“What’s there to be worried about?”
Hyun-seo’s words pressed Oh Jin-hee into silence for a moment.
“This time I bought Jeju Island land in Tae-yeon’s name. I won’t let you transfer any assets to her name unless you’re actually living properly.”
Of course he would think that. Oh Jin-hee had always been obsessed with names on documents. She had lived her whole life believing nothing should be in her son’s name unless it was already there. Becoming a mother-in-law didn’t mean everything would suddenly change.
Hyun-seo knew all of that. And that was precisely why it had always been choking him. The mother who had stolen every single name from his older brother and even thrown him out of the house. And the reason? Always Choi Hyun-seo. Him.
“Mother, no matter whose name it’s under, it’s still my money.”
“What? You earned it all yourself?”
“Yes. It’s my money. So Mother has nothing to say. I can give anything to the woman I love—why can’t I say it? Aren’t men supposed to do things like that anyway?”
Oh Jin-hee shook her head. She truly couldn’t believe her son was saying such things. He had been raised to never give his heart or his money to anyone, and now he was saying exactly that.
“Did I teach you to talk like that?”
“No. This is instinct. The instinct of a man who would give his liver and gallbladder to the woman he loves.”
Tae-yeon, who had been stepping closer to ask what he wanted to drink, froze at those words.
The main dish should have gone to a man like that. Or at least he was award-winning material.
Staring in a daze, Hyun-seo’s words felt completely sincere. The man who never gave an inch of his heart was saying he would give his liver and gallbladder. A helpless laugh escaped her as Hyun-seo shot her a sharp glare.
“What are you doing? You just asked her to bring something to drink a minute ago.”
“Yes, Mother. I came back to ask what she’d like to drink.”
Hyun-seo nodded approvingly.
“Just as I thought—only my wife.”
With a warm smile, he wrapped his arm around Tae-yeon’s shoulders.
“For now, I’ll have some makgeolli.”
Oh Jin-hee beside them scoffed.
“When did you ever have makgeolli?”
“We do. Mother, I have some makgeolli at home. Would you like some?”
The makgeolli story had been told just yesterday. Hyun-seo had called and said Icheon-daek had made some excellent makgeolli, but lately he couldn’t drink any. Tae-yeon had gone with Icheon-daek to brew it. She hadn’t even expected Hyun-seo to have it.
How odd. He had sounded so meaningful when he spoke to her yesterday. Hyun-seo continued slowly, eyes locked on Oh Jin-hee.
“Mother, it really isn’t anything. See? You even know what’s in the fridge.”
Oh Jin-hee tilted her head and let out a soft sigh.
“That’s true. But it’s still strange. When you lived in our house you didn’t know what was in the fridge.”
“Of course not. That’s exactly why you should get married. I’ll have two dried persimmons.”
Tae-yeon carefully placed the dried persimmons she had prepared and poured the makgeolli.
“So Mother’s curiosity is satisfied?”
Oh Jin-hee was already at her wit’s end with this couple.
“Hurry up and bring it! What are you doing living somewhere else? And you—were you so heartbroken you couldn’t live in an apartment? Why would you leave your husband alone to buy one!”
The self-satisfied expression on Oh Jin-hee’s face made Tae-yeon answer calmly.
“Yes, Mother.”
“What? You’re saying you went crazy because you couldn’t live in an apartment?”
Oh Jin-hee was stunned, but Tae-yeon replied steadily.
“Yes. I couldn’t live in that apartment. Before I came here I lived in a roof-top room because I was poor.”
“Proud of it, are you? Are all the kids these days like you? Or is it just you who’s strange? How did you survive while trying to fight me? Well, today my son is here, so I’ve finally caught you.”
“It’s not exactly something to be proud of, but it’s not embarrassing either. Even if I worked hard, I couldn’t escape the roof-top room.”
“Sigh. What am I supposed to say to these children? I’m leaving.”
The moment Oh Jin-hee turned and walked away, every last bit of tension drained from Tae-yeon. Icheon-daek cautiously stepped out from the kitchen.
“Aigoo. I knew she would be like that. A house with a garden is perfect for raising children….”
Tae-yeon said nothing. The moment she heard Yun-woo’s voice from the living room, Icheon-daek hurried over to him.
She looked at Hyun-seo beside her and asked,
“What should we do?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think she noticed something?”
“If she had noticed, she wouldn’t have left like that. You know how our mother is. So don’t do anything rash if she tells you to sign something.”
“I know that too. I’ve been working in society for a few years.”
Her confident stance as she straightened her shoulders looked adorable. But the world didn’t let cuteness slide.
“You do know. Never sign anything rashly. Absolutely never. Even if it means cutting off my fingers…”
Tae-yeon’s eyes widened at the exaggerated words.
“You can’t be serious. You’d cut off my fingers and have me press fingerprints and sign a contract with some mafia family?”
Hyun-seo tilted his head at her rabbit-like expression.
“Well, I wouldn’t go that far. But maybe I could.”
He chuckled. Having someone on his side created a strange sense of unity. It felt good. Tae-yeon on his side.
“Should I go back to the company now?”
He nodded.
“Thank you.”
“How formal of you. You’ve already heard everything. I’m here right now, tomorrow as well.”
“I know. I know you’re the vice president’s secretary. But you helped me in a difficult situation. You even came all the way here on purpose.”
Tae-yeon was still acting with perfect courtesy toward her superior. Hyun-seo suddenly placed his hand on his temple, looking like he was in the middle of a crisis.