Chapter 60
- The Bride is Prettier
2023.06.29.
Han So-eun and Tae-joon had breakfast together at a restaurant famous for its soft tofu.
A seafood hot pot and a bowl filled with plain, fluffy soft tofu were served. Tae-joon ladled the seafood hot pot and soft tofu separately into a bowl for So-eun before filling his own.
So-eun watched Tae-joon carefully and poured the soft tofu into her hot pot bowl, just as he had done. The white tofu was tinged with color. As soon as she put it in her mouth, it melted away, warming her insides with its gentle heat and softness. Her body quickly relaxed.
"Should we go to the hotel and get some rest after eating?"
He asked, his tone gentle.
It was unclear what kind of "rest" he meant. However, she decided that even if he came on to her, she would fend him off and get him to sleep first. He had driven all the way to Gangneung straight after returning from his business trip, so he must be tired.
"Why are you young people so quiet? Did you have a fight?"
Before she could answer, the owner lady interrupted, placing a plate of blanched squid on the table.
Tae-joon replied, "We didn't fight."
"Then why? Is the food not good?"
"It's delicious."
"Good. Even couples who come here fighting leave holding hands. Enjoy your meal. You can have more rice if you want. The squid is on the house."
"Yes, thank you."
"Are you from Seoul?"
"Yes."
"Ah, I can tell."
After Tae-joon exchanged a few words, the owner felt more at ease. She tilted her head, admiring Tae-joon's face, and then said to So-eun with a sly grin, "Oh my, your husband is so handsome. You must be happy."
"The bride is prettier," Tae-joon retorted smoothly.
"That's right. Now that I look at it, she is prettier. Oh my, you two look so good together."
The owner corrected herself as if it were obvious, and the corners of Tae-joon's lips curved like boiled squid legs. The embarrassment was So-eun's burden.
\
After arriving at the hotel, So-eun and Tae-joon took turns showering and lay down on the bed. So-eun had steeled herself, thinking that Tae-joon might come on to her, but to her surprise, Tae-joon immediately turned off the room lights.
"Good night."
Then, rustle. She heard the sound of him wrapping himself in the blanket.
He had diligently requested one blanket each when checking in.
If he had been cold all this time, he should have told her. Instead of just covering her with a blanket, he should have covered himself too. Feeling sorry for Tae-joon, So-eun gave him half of her blanket and turned over.
'He must be very tired.'
She regretted having harbored a little expectation and tension. So-eun closed her eyes, hoping she wouldn't snore so that Tae-joon could sleep soundly.
Seven hours later, So-eun was the one who woke up later again. After sleeping soundly in the same position, So-eun checked the empty space next to her and left the bedroom. Tae-joon was nowhere to be found in the living room or the bathroom.
When she opened the curtains, she saw a vast sea with a dreary rain falling. The dark gray sky felt like a different world from before she went to sleep. So-eun went out to the terrace and quietly watched the raindrops drawing lines across the sky.
There was a traditional Korean house nearby that was said to be beautiful in the summer. She had heard that there were performances on sunny Saturdays at the beach. She had also noticed a tandem bike rental shop near the lake plaza. If it rained, they wouldn't be able to do any of those things. It was a good thing they had seen the sunrise.
If they had left today as Tae-joon had suggested yesterday, they might have given up on seeing the sunrise from the start. Since it was raining in Seoul too, they might not have even left. Thinking about it, she felt that it was all fate. She had wanted to do many things, but in fact, it was fine even if they did nothing.
Not long after she sat on the terrace, the room door opened. So-eun came inside.
Tae-joon stood in front of the entrance, drenched in sweat.
"I went for a workout," Tae-joon reported before she could ask where he had been.
"Ah, okay."
So-eun admired Tae-joon. He had said he didn't exercise much, that doing pull-ups for 10 or 15 minutes was all he did, but it was amazing that he was so diligent even in Gangneung.
"You don't skip it even when you're away from home. Pull-ups."
"No. I've been doing various things lately. If I only do pull-ups, it feels like I can only do pull-ups."
He was already good enough with just pull-ups. He already had such great muscles, how much healthier and more beautiful was he trying to become?
"Director, you really live diligently."
"Can Han So-eun say the same?" Tae-joon retorted jokingly. So-eun didn't understand what he meant. Before Tae-joon went to wash up, he asked So-eun, "What should we do now?"
"It's raining a lot, so we probably can't go far."
While Tae-joon nodded, So-eun's eyes sparkled.
"There's a swimming pool upstairs. They say you can enter for free if you stay in a suite."
"You really like swimming pools, don't you?"
So-eun couldn't say anything to Tae-joon's reply and just smiled.
\
Madam Kim Mal-hee's only pride was her son, Hee-wook. He had caused a few incidents while attending law school, so it was difficult to support him, but his law license made her forget all the hardships and worries. She thought she would only be happy, but then illness suddenly struck.
The doctor who diagnosed her with cancer said that receiving a liver transplant was the best option. Madam Kim Mal-hee, who had always sacrificed for her family, believed that her family would all take care of her. That her children would eagerly offer to donate to their precious mother.
However, Hee-wook made the excuse that their blood types were different, and her daughter, Heejin, who even had the same blood type, made up a story about having anemia. Her husband had been diagnosed with fatty liver early on.
She thought she was doomed to die. In the midst of all this, Hee-wook brought a girlfriend. That was Han So-eun.
Hee-wook, who had decided to marry So-eun, soon told Mal-hee openly. To be good to So-eun. That she was someone who could cure his mother's illness. That she was an orphan with no parents or wealth, but she was kind and good-natured, and she would surely repay them as much as they treated her well.
In fact, Mal-hee also didn't want to prolong her life by injuring a member of her own family. So she followed Hee-wook's wishes. The whole family participated in this. Hee-wook's family, who had concealed Mal-hee's illness, treated So-eun more warmly than real family, and as a result, they were able to receive a promise of liver donation from So-eun eight months later.
After the surgery, as her body recovered, her mind changed. Liver donation was only a temporary pain, but her son's marriage was for life, and she felt that the math didn't add up. She became cold to So-eun without realizing it. Now, she sometimes regrets treating her so badly back then, but if she hadn't done so, her son wouldn't have had the chance to choose a better match and change his fate.
Madam Kim Mal-hee does not regret it. But the problem was her son.
"I'm so upset because of our Hee-wook, really," Mal-hee confided in her daughter, Heejin, who called her almost every day after being introduced to coin.
[Why, what about Hee-wook?]
"It's because of that Han So-eun."
[Why? Is Han So-eun asking for alimony now?]
"No, Hee-wook says Han So-eun has a boyfriend."
[Oh my, so he's jealous? Does he still have feelings for her? Oh my, Yang Hee-wook is such an idiot. A moron, a super moron.]
"No. Is your brother someone who's lacking? Han So-eun is the one tormenting our Hee-wook."
[How could she possibly torment him?]
"That Han So-eun isn't just any ordinary person. She's so ruthless, that's why she gave me her liver."
"……."
"It seems she went to see our Hee-wook and compared and bragged a lot. So our Hee-wook is so discouraged. That steadfast child hasn't been himself for the past few days. What if something happens to our Hee-wook and he can't even get married? What will we do then? Huh?"
Heejin, who had initially shown a lukewarm reaction, changed her mind only after hearing Mal-hee's complaints to that extent.
[Hoo. I didn't like that Han So-eun from the beginning. I just tolerated her because she said she would donate to Mom. But she gave us a lousy one, and Mom had to be hospitalized for months. And the way she acted like she had done something great, hoo…….]
Heejin's rough sigh was transmitted over the receiver. This was what a family community was all about. Mal-hee felt relieved, as if she had halved her worries.
[Okay, Mom. I'll take care of this, so don't worry and just stay put. I'll make sure Han So-eun never shows her face in front of our Hee-wook again. I'll teach her a lesson. Just you watch. I'll make sure she can't even work at her company.]
*
The three days and two nights passed quickly.
So-eun enjoyed swimming in the pool on both Saturday and Sunday and was able to learn various swimming strokes from Tae-joon. After checking out of the hotel, the weather cleared up, so they visited the traditional Korean house that So-eun had wanted to go to and explored every corner of it. It was the perfect date that So-eun had only dreamed of.
However, So-eun was bothered by the fact that Tae-joon's expression occasionally darkened. Tae-joon would follow So-eun's lead and smile, but he would quickly erase his expression or quietly turn his gaze away, as if he were preoccupied with something else. He wasn't usually a very lively person, but it felt like he had become even more taciturn.
Meanwhile, he was working out so diligently. On Sunday morning as well, Tae-joon woke up early and went to the fitness center alone. So-eun woke up after Tae-joon left and timed it, and it took him a full two hours to return to the room.
So-eun thought that Tae-joon had changed in some way, but she tried to dismiss it, thinking that he was just worried because of his heavy workload. However, by Sunday afternoon, she began to recognize that it was more than just strange, it was suspicious.
'He only slept!'
They had been together for three days and two nights, lying next to each other and just sleeping.
The man who had been chasing after her and tormenting her until dawn just a week ago had suddenly become like a monk, not even sending signals of seduction and keeping his chastity. What was going on?
Had he been living too tired, causing problems with some functions?
No, then he should rest, so why is he working out so hard?
Or was he just tired of her now? Had he been living such a stimulating life that he quickly became bored?
Or had he perhaps had a phone call with Yang Hee-wook? Did he find out about her surgery? Was that why he was wary of her body?
If not that, then did he have another woman in America……? No, that couldn't be.
So-eun's heart became restless.
"I'll drive you home since you must be tired," Tae-joon said in the car on the way back. He was reminding her that this week's date was over and that they would be parting ways in front of her house.
"I have something I'm curious about, Director," So-eun couldn't hold back.
It's not like I really want to do it or anything.
But I want to know the reason anyway.
"Yes. Tell me."
"Why don't you do it these days?"
I'm a person with desires too.
