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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Troublesome Mother and Daughter
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Hee-jin had come to the jewelry store to pick up the ring Sung-hoon specially ordered for their 20th wedding anniversary.
The staff member recognized Hee-jin at once and brought the ring over to show her.
“It turned out well. It’s so pretty.”
“Isn’t it? It’s the perfect ring for madam. Why don’t you try it on?”
“Show me that ring too.”
Just as Hee-jin was about to slip it on, a woman wedged herself between Hee-jin and the staff member.
It was Cho-hee’s mom. Standing beside her was Cho-hee.
She had brought an expensive designer bag to avoid looking ridiculous to the department store staff, but the tight-fitting clothes that clung to her figure were made of cheap fabric—so thin that they revealed every flaw without mercy.
It was more embarrassing than beautiful.
And yet, her gaze was haughty, as if she were the best.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry. This piece was specially custom-ordered.”
“Isn’t this a brand store? What, is this some custom boutique in Cheongdam-dong?”
“Our brand does accept custom orders. If you’d like a design in mind, you can place one too.”
“Really? Then let me see it. It’s not cheap—you have to try it on to see if it suits you.”
“We can help you try on other pieces.”
“No. That one.”
Cho-hee’s mom pointed at the ring Hee-jin was wearing.
“I’m sorry. That piece belongs to this customer who ordered it. If you’d like something similar, how about this?”
The staff member pulled out another piece and offered it to Cho-hee’s mom.
In response, Cho-hee’s mom irritably swatted the staff member’s hand away.
“You’re really pissing me off. When did I say I was taking it? I just want to try it on for a second.”
“Mom! Let’s just go. We’re not even buying anything.”
Cho-hee wasn’t surprised by her mom’s attitude anymore, but it was still embarrassing.
Especially in a department store.
“Of course we’re buying. We will buy it!”
The staff member’s irritation grew with Cho-hee’s mom’s unreasonable behavior.
They couldn’t keep a VIP like Hee-jin waiting for an unimportant customer.
“I’m sorry, but trying on that piece really isn’t possible. Please take your time browsing, and let us know if anything catches your eye.”
The staff member spoke to Cho-hee’s mom, then turned back to Hee-jin.
Her tone was a bit curt.
“You! Are you ignoring me right now?”
Cho-hee’s mom, outraged at being addressed informally, advanced on the staff member.
Hee-jin got pushed aside in the process.
“Ma’am.”
The staff member called out to Cho-hee’s mom with clear annoyance.
“Say that again! Ma’am? What kind of training do they give you people?”
Cho-hee’s mom kept hounding her, leaving the staff member at a loss.
In the end, Hee-jin stepped in.
“Go ahead and try it on.”
Hee-jin had a certain presence about her.
Despite her delicate appearance and calm demeanor, there was power in her elegant speech.
Cho-hee’s mom instinctively sensed that this woman was different from her.
But refusing to be intimidated, she raised her chin higher and mimicked Hee-jin’s refined tone.
“Thank you.”
It wasn’t pleasant handing over the ring her husband had specially made for another woman’s finger, but she pitied the staff member caught in this awkward situation.
It wouldn’t wear out from a quick try-on, so she handed it over willingly.
Cho-hee’s mom slipped on the ring as she wished and admired her hand under the lights with a satisfied smile.
It was so beautiful she wanted to just grab it and run.
Still, she couldn’t steal it, so she had to take it off.
“Looks good… Huh?”
But the ring wouldn’t come off.
“What’s wrong?”
The staff member asked as Cho-hee’s mom struggled and grunted to remove it.
“Why won’t this come off?”
“What do we do?”
Cho-hee’s mom scraped at the ring with her long nails, trying to pry it off.
“Ma’am, if you do that, it’ll get scratched.”
The staff member didn’t know what to do with herself, and Hee-jin finally regretted handing over the ring.
She felt sorry toward Sung-hoon.
“What do you want me to do? It won’t come off!”
Cho-hee’s mom grunted and yanked at the ring with all her strength.
Fortunately, it finally slipped off her finger.
But the ring flew out of Cho-hee’s mom’s hand and clattered onto the floor.
It bounced with a sharp ting on the glossy marble, rolled across the floor, and vanished into a gap under the display case.
“Ma’am!”
The staff member finally exploded and yelled at Cho-hee’s mom.
Hee-jin could only stare in disbelief at the absurdity unfolding before her eyes.
Cho-hee looked exhausted, dragged into this annoying mess.
“You just yelled at me?”
“Do you know how much that costs?”
“How much? It’s just a ring. What, two hundred thousand?”
“Two hundred thousand? That’s twenty million won. If it’s even slightly damaged, you’ll have to pay for it.”
Stunned by the unimaginable price, Cho-hee’s mom panicked.
The thought of having to pay made cold sweat pour down.
Her tantrum suddenly turned to regret.
“What do you mean a lousy ring costs twenty million? You’re trying to pin this on me, aren’t you?”
As the argument between the staff member and Cho-hee’s mom dragged on, Hee-jin finally intervened to mediate.
“That’s enough. I don’t think you should be yelling at the staff like that.”
Hee-jin’s voice was incredibly cold.
It was another side to the woman who seemed all kindness.
In tough situations, she turned cool-headed and rational—a trait very much like Jun-woo’s.
* * *
Jun-woo, riding in a taxi, checked if the necklace for A-jin was safely in his pocket.
Only after confirming it was there did he relax.
Traffic seemed worse than usual today.
Impatient to clasp the necklace around her neck soon, he grew restless.
Wondering where she might be, he called her.
But she didn’t pick up.
She couldn’t.
Unaware that her screen was cracked, he just worried she might be out of range.
Then, his phone rang.
Assuming it was A-jin, he answered without checking the caller ID.
“Hello.”
-Are you busy right now?
But it wasn’t A-jin—it was his dad.
He felt sorry toward his dad, but also disappointed.
“I’m on my way to meet a friend.”
-Sorry, but could you check on Mom? I’m in Gangwon-do for a seminar.
“What happened?”
-Mom seems to be in some trouble.
He had little time left before his appointment.
A-jin wasn’t answering.
Torn by his father’s request, Jun-woo hesitated.
* * *
The commotion drew a crowd around the jewelry store.
The staff member was in tears, while Hee-jin and Cho-hee’s mom argued.
Cho-hee just wanted to get out of there fast.
She chimed in to back her mom.
“Hey, lady! We didn’t take your ring—we can just call someone to fish it out.”
Hee-jin responded to Cho-hee in a scolding tone.
“Miss. It’s not about the ring. You saw it yourself—your mom was so rude. That’s what needs apologizing for.”
“What gives you the right to lecture my daughter?”
“Cho-hee.”
As Cho-hee’s mom jabbed a finger at Hee-jin, a man approached Cho-hee.
“Oppa.”
“What’s going on?”
“No idea. She’s throwing a fit over one stupid ring.”
“Miss! How can you talk like that?”
“What’s it to you, lady?”
The man scowled menacingly and shoved Hee-jin’s shoulder.
By then, security guards and the manager had arrived.
“What’s the problem here?”
“I just tried on a ring from the display, and they’re making this huge deal out of it.”
“Ma’am! It wasn’t on display—this customer already bought it!”
The teary staff member shouted in frustration.
“Look at her yelling. What kind of training do you give your people?”
“The ring’s fine, but this lady was so rude to the staff.”
“Lady! Mind your own business.”
As Hee-jin stepped forward, the man menaced her again.
“Mom!”
Just then, Jun-woo arrived after getting Sung-hoon’s call.
“Jun-woo.”
‘Jun-woo?’
Hearing the familiar name, Cho-hee whipped her head around in disbelief.
It was the Jun-woo she knew.
His unexpected appearance froze her solid.
‘This lady is Jun-woo’s mom?’
Unable to believe it, Cho-hee looked back and forth between Jun-woo and Hee-jin.
It was a shock.
She recalled everything she’d said to Hee-jin.
Not a shred of manners in any of it.
She wanted to escape before Jun-woo spotted her.
She backed away stealthily, trying to slip into the crowd, but Jun-woo saw her first.
“Why are you here?”
She wanted to say she was just passing by.
“Daughter, you know him?”
But Cho-hee’s mom wouldn’t let it go.
No escape.
In her daze, she spotted the man who’d pretended to know her.
The man with the tattoo on his arm.
The guy who’d locked A-jin in the studio.
Jun-woo couldn’t see him.
She signaled him urgently to get lost.
But Jun-woo spotted him first.
“You…”
Yeah, she could just say this guy was passing by too.
But things didn’t go her way.
“Cho-hee. Need anything else from oppa?”
Damn… It was over. Everything was ruined.
Fear filled her eyes.
“Ha! So you two do know each other?”
Jun-woo remembered the tattoo on his arm.
He’d seen the man hiding in the alley.
He knew Cho-hee was lying, but had no solid proof.
Now, with irrefutable evidence right before his eyes, a smile formed on Jun-woo’s lips.
That smile soon twisted into a sneer aimed at her.
“Jun-woo… that’s…”
Cho-hee’s face went pale.
She could barely breathe.
“You’re the guy who locked up A-jin, right?”
Jun-woo asked the tattooed man.
“A-jin?”
The tattooed man looked baffled at first, then remembered and panicked.
Jun-woo pulled out his phone and called the police.
“This is the police station, right?”
“Ch-Cho-hee, oppa’s outta here!”
As Jun-woo started reporting, the terrified tattooed man bolted.
“Sorry, I’ll call back.”
Jun-woo hung up first.
He didn’t rush to chase the man.
He could just ask Han Cho-hee where he went.
“Mom, let’s go.”
Cho-hee grabbed her mom.
“Why leave like that? We need an apology!”
“Just go! Please!”
Cho-hee yelled.
Her loud voice echoed through the department store before fading away.
* * *
Hee-jin, stunned that the Cho-hee mother-daughter duo left without a single apology, comforted the staff member.
“Are you okay? I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have handed over the ring.”
“No, I’m the one who’s so sorry.”
The staff member kept sobbing apologies.
Then the manager stepped in.
“We’ll replace it with a brand-new one. Truth is, that lady’s a known black consumer at our store. We’ve been gathering evidence to sue if it keeps up—sorry for the hassle.”
“No, just make sure the staff doesn’t suffer for it.”
As Hee-jin talked at length with the manager, her phone rang.
It was Cho-hee.
* * *
Cho-hee had called Jun-woo out behind the department store.
“What?”
He had a rough idea of what she wanted to say, but asked anyway.
She wanted him to look at her, right?
She’d always been so confident and bold.
But that girl was nowhere now—she was just trembling like a scared mouse, full of anxiety.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“I didn’t know she was your mom.”
“What if she wasn’t? Then it’d be okay?”
“That’s not what I… ”
“You didn’t call just to apologize for that.”
At his direct question, Cho-hee couldn’t respond easily.
Then, as if she’d made up her mind, determination filled her face.
And moments later, Cho-hee dropped to her knees before him.
