AAE -- For Better For Worse

Part 3 -- Chapter 37

by LoveCR2

edited by All-About-AAE

 

 

Sitting in the back seat of the black Mercedes limousine, Sun-Mi fidgets with the bojaji-wrapped gift in her lap for the third time in ten minutes. Her peach pink Prada suit, with a fitted jacket and a knee-length pleated skirt, is immaculate, but she smooths the fabric anyway. She glances down, at her feet. The black Prada slingbacks suddenly feels mismatched to the colorful suit -- too overly formal and heavy.

 

"Maybe I should've worn the gray suit," she murmurs.

 

Hyung-Chul looks over at her. "Nervous?"

 

"Yes," she admits. "But we did part amicably that day. And... I’m happy you've decided to reconcile with your step-mother now."

 

He nods. "I carried that grudge for too long. It's time to set things right between us."

 

 

The limo rolls smoothly down the narrow Seongbuk-dong lane. As they approach the house, the chauffeur slows for the security gate to swing open with automatic precision. He wheels the car around the courtyard and eases to a stop beneath the entrance canopy.

 

Attentive staff immediately open both rear doors. Sun-Mi steps out and waits for Hyung-Chul to come around the car. The white-gloved driver presents the Seollal household gift -- a package of Cheong Kwan Jang red ginseng -- with both hands. Hyung-Chul accepts it with a polite nod.

 

They walk slowly to the entrance, Sun-Mi's heels tapping a steady, solemn rhythm across the charcoal gray brick pavers. The heavy oak door swings open just as they reach it.

 

The doorman steps aside and bows deeply. "Welcome, Director Yoon, Announcer Jin. Allow me to escort you."

 

Sun-Mi glances at Hyung-Chul, then they step inside, the polished marble entryway gleaming under their feet.

 

He leads them to the living room, where Yoon Hoe-Jang sits on the couch beside his wife Kim Eun-Ok. Hyung-Chul and Sun-Mi stand side-by-side before them, gifts set at their feet.

 

Together, they lower themselves into a formal sebae bow.

 

"Father, Mother," Hyung-Chul says, his tone formal. "We've come to pay our respects together. We sincerely apologize for visiting so late this year."

 

Sun-Mi adds warmly, "Mother, we're very happy to see you. We hope the new year brings you many blessings."

 

 

"You've come a long way," Hoe-Jang replies. "Rise. What matters is that you're here."

 

Eun-Ok smiles gently."Yes, it is wonderful to see you both. Come in and make yourselves comfortable. Hyung-Chul, you look well."

 

 

Once they stand again, Hyung-Chul presents his gift with both hands. "A small token of respect, Mother. We hope you'll enjoy it."

 

"You shouldn't have gone to such expense," she replies, passing the package to a waiting housekeeper.

 

 

Hoe-Jang steps forward to shake Hyung-Chul's hand. "Where are the children?"

 

"We left them with Sun-Mi's family. After we're settled here, I'll bring them to greet you."

 

 

Sun-Mi turns to Eun-Ok. "Mother, while Father and Hyung-Chul talk, I wanted to give you this personally."

 

She presents her gift with both hands. "I heard that the winter air has been especially dry, so I chose this Sulwhasso skincare that I thought would suit you. I hope it keeps you healthy and vibrant through the spring."

 

"Oh, you shouldn't have troubled yourself," Eun-Ok responds. "Your heart is more than enough. I will use it well, thank you." She hands the gift to another housekeeper.

 

The housekeepers bow and carry the gifts away.

 

"Come," Eun-Ok says, gesturing toward the dining room. "Let's sit and have some tteokguk."

 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

After the meal, Hoe-Jang and Hyung-Chul withdraw to the study.

 

Eun-Ok rises and beckons to Sun-Mi. "Come with me."

 

Sun-Mi follows her into a wide, softly lit corridor.

 

"While the men talk business, let me show you around," Eun-Ok says.

 

"Hyung-Chul's grandfather had this house built for his daughter's marriage, and it was designed entirely to her tastes and exacting standards. You've already seen the main living and dining areas, and the spa and recreational facilities downstairs, on your previous visit."

 

"Yes," Sun-Mi nods.

 

"The house also has two accommodation wings," Eun-Ok continues, "One for immediate family, the other for guests and visiting relatives. Cha Mi-Ra expected to have many children, and for their parents to visit often and stay for extended periods."

 

 

They pass a staircase and step into a small foyer lined with several doors.

 

"Upstairs are five bedrooms with baths, and a play area for the children. This level has the main bedroom suite, a private sitting room with a wet bar, and a room that can be fitted out as a nursery." She motions toward a pair of doors.

 

They walk through a third doorway, into a spacious room centered around a king-sized bed.

 

"This is the main suite. It has separate dressing rooms and baths. Let's take a look."

 

She opens a door. To one side, an open door reveals the bathroom, tiled in a soft neutral gray, with a freestanding tub and walk-in shower. To the other side lies the dressing room.

 

Sun-Mi gasps. It is more than twice the size of the dressing room she had installed in their Mayfair apartment, with polished maple cabinetry, long banks of shelving for shoes, bags, and accessories, dedicated stations for hair and makeup, and multiple sets of full-length mirrors. The space is illuminated by the subdued wash of indirect lamps, with focused spotlights highlighting key areas.

 

Eun-Ok smiles. "I hope you'll find the accommodations adequate."

 

"Yes, of course. They're lovely -- we're very fortunate to stay in them," Sun-Mi replies. "But if this is how you house guests, what is the family wing like?"

 

Eun-Ok's smile deepens. "Perhaps I wasn't clear. These are the family quarters."

 

Sun-Mi steps back. "The family wing? But... what about you and Father? Where will you stay?"

 

"I've already moved our things into the guest quarters."

 

"You didn't have to do that."

 

"Didn't you know?" Eun-Ok asks tiredly. "Hyung-Chul's mother stipulated in her will that the house be held in trust until her son married. Now that you returned to Seoul, this is your new home."

 

Sun-Mi swallows. "Our new home?"

 

"We'll stay here only until our new residence is ready."

 

"But I never meant to put you out," Sun-Mi insists, her cheeks reddening.

 

"I have no resentment. I've lived in Cha Mi-Ra's shadow for many years, managing her home. This is all yours now, Mother."

 

"Mother?" Sun-Mi echoes, staring at Eun-Ok.

 

"Yes. You are the new anjuin. As the mistress of the house, you're the keeper of this family's legacy within these walls."

 

"But..."

 

"It's your time now," Eun-Ok says, her tone firm. "I'll be happy to help you understand the house staffing and the seasonal affairs as you settle in."

 

"That's very gracious of you, but it isn't necessary."

 

"I think you'll need all the help you can get," Eun-Ok replies gravely.

 

She directs her gaze around the room she had occupied since its former owner passed.

 

"If a place can hold the essence of a person, their soul, this house is it. Every nook and cranny retains a memory of Mi-Ra's presence -- like a ghost -- lingering, judging, whispering that I could never measure up. As an outsider, I tried to put my own mark on things, remodeling the bathroom and dressing room you saw, but it was as if the house itself was resisting me."

 

A chill prickles down Sun-Mi's spine.

 

Eun-Ok reaches for her hand. "It was suffocating. A prison. Now, finally, I can have my own life with my husband and son. I hope you'll live here better than I could. I truly wish you the best."

 

"Thank you," Sun-Mi says quietly, her voice flat.

 

"I'll leave you to look around." Eun-Ok releases Sun-Mi's hand. "Take your time. I'll be in the living room when you're finished."

 

She turns and walks out.

 

Sun-Mi strides out to the private sitting room and plops on the couch. Arms crossed, she presses her lips into a thin, hard line.

 

"How could you do this to me, Senior?" she grumbles, her voice low, taut. "Make me a laughingstock in front of your family!"

 

She raises a fist, eyes narrowing. "Just wait until we're alone -- I'm going to punish you. Big time!"

 

 

Eun-Ok's words echo through her mind: Mi-Ra's presence -- like a ghost -- lingering, judging, whispering that I could never measure up.

 

She looks around the room. Heavy velvet drapes close off the light. Gilt-framed French impressionist reproductions line the walls. Traditional Korean inlaid furniture sits beside dark-framed, overstuffed Western pieces. The preserved taste of another era. Another woman. Bars of a gilded cage that threatens to entrap her, too.

 

A cold shiver crawls down Sun-Mi's spine. She clenches her fist again, sets her jaw. "I won't raise my children here," she vows. "Not like this."

 

Standing, she turns toward the door -- then stops. Lifting her eyes, she prays, "Lord... if this is Your will, give me a spirit of peace."

 

She closes her eyes. Waits.

 

Warmth surges up from her belly, loosening the tightness in her chest, relaxing her shoulders, flushing her skin with radiating comfort. Her breath slows, steadies. Her fist eases, fingers opening, then curling with new resolve.

 

Turning back, Sun-Mi steps to the windows and pulls the drapes aside. Sunlight floods in. Outside, delicate white plum blossoms, bright pink camellias, and vibrant yellow winter jasmine brighten the madang. She throws open the sashes, letting the fresh fragrance of Spring sweep into the room.

 

Facing the windows, Sun-Mi lowers herself to her knees. She bows deeply, forehead touching the hand-knotted Persian carpet.

 

"Mother -- it's Jin Sun-Mi," she says softly. "It's been a long time since I asked for your blessing to marry your son. I can't say I always kept my promise to be a filial daughter-in-law or a good Catholic. But we survived -- for better, for worse -- with the Lord's help. I have always respected you, and loved your son."

 

She pauses to inhale a steadying breath.

 

"I'm asking for your blessing again in this New Year. Now that Kim Eun-Ok is leaving, I hope that you may find rest in the Lord's arms. I'll do my best to carry on here, without your guidance. And just as you tried when you were alive, like the prophet Joshua wrote: As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

 

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The taxi trundles away from the house, accelerating smoothly into the narrow rain-slick lane. The silence in the back seat -- dense, stifling -- swallows the soft hiss of tires on wet asphalt.

 

Sun-Mi presses herself into the corner, her knees drawn tight against the door. Her black Chanel Mini Flap handbag rests square in the center of the seat, just as she placed it. She stares out the window, light from the streetlamps flickering over her face.

 

Hyung-Chul gazes at her, weary. "What is it now?"

 

"You really don't know... Director Yoon? And you want to start working for a woman?"

 

 His jaw tightens. "All right. Out with it."

 

"About the house stipulation -- it was all planned. Right?" her voice is sharp. "Why was I the only person in that room who didn't know?"

 

"I thought if you saw how much my father wanted us there, it would be easier to accept," he replies, leaning across the seat to gently grasp her hand.

 

She throws his hand off. "Easier to accept? When your stepmother was the one to tell me?"

 

He exhales, long and slow. "I just didn't want you to worry about the changes until after the holiday. I wanted us to have one peaceful day..."

 

"Don't use 'peace' as an excuse for silence." Her voice rises. "You know how I hate being the last to know! You didn't hide it to protect my feelings! You hid it so I wouldn't have the chance to say no before it was settled!"

 

 

The taxi driver flicks his eyes up to the rearview mirror.

 

Heat floods her cheeks. Sun-Mi clamps a hand over her mouth.

 

 

Hyung-Chul slides closer, earnest. "It’s my home. The home you deserve now -- our home."

 

Her eyes blaze. "It’s MY LIFE, and you treated me like a spectator in it," she mutters, keeping her voice low. "After all we've been through, you still think I’m too fragile to handle the truth?"

 

Hyung-Chul lowers his gaze. "No."

 

"Then why?"

 

"I was concerned, if you knew about having to manage the house, and the burden it could be, it might affect your decision to return to work. I wanted you to decide on the merits alone."

 

Sun-Mi looks away, but a guilty smile plays on her lips.

 

"Senior?"

 

"Hmmm?"

 

"Why do you always let me rant on like that?"

 

He shrugs. "This way, if you let your steam off first, I only have to endure it for a moment."

 

She turns toward him, eyes moist, pummeling him lightly with her fist, murmuring, "Idiot!"

 

 

Hyung-Chul casually slips his arm around her shoulders. "I became an idiot the day I fell in love with you."

 

She leans into him, her voice soft. "You're always like this -- saying in a few words, exactly what I need to hear."

 

He smiles. "It's easy, because it's you."

 

"Then..." She rests her hand on his knee. "You won't mind if I redecorate the house? According to Kim Eun-Ok, nothing's changed since your mother left us."

 

His brow creases. "Well..."

 

A ringtone cuts him off. Hyung-Chul slips his mobile from his pocket and flips it open.

 

He frowns as he read the message.

 

"What is it, Senior?"

 

"Father has to meet GM Kim tomorrow. He won't be there when we bring over the kids."

 

"Does it have to do with his retiring?"

 

"He didn't say. But Kim must be scheming something." He closes his phone and returns it to his pocket. "You don't need to worry -- it won't affect the Company's offer."

 

She looks down and purses her lips. "That is... if I decide to go back. You really don't mind?"

 

"As a businessman, I'd snap you up in a heartbeat, thinking of the profits we'd rake in. But as a husband and father..."

 

He raises her chin with his fingers, until their eyes connect. "It's your call. But that's for another day. Now -- what were we talking about? Redecorating?"

 

Sun-Mi smiles. "With the children, the house needs brightening up, starting with the drapes. I already spoke to your mother. I think she'd approve."

 

He nods. "Why not? It's a new year, and a new beginning. Time for a change."