Chapter 125

Chapter 125

Declaration of War

I was sitting sullenly with arms crossed.

The underworld messenger who was living hugging the television excited saying Saturday clicked his tongue.

[Stop shaking the legs a bit. Fortune falls.]

‘Certain fortune falls? A matter officially notarized in the underworld?’

[What notarizing again. Just the words are so.]

‘Then superstition, idiom?’

[Just the mind is noisy··· No, why handling so sharply today?]

‘Who picking a fight with a person already heated?’

[Ha······!]

The underworld messenger refused even the television and sat turning abruptly with legs crossed.

[Giving mountain-like assignments to the tutor teachers, pushing all kinds of miscellaneous work to the executives, even postponing even picking anchovy shit to Yu Jong-tae······.]

The underworld messenger hit the floor with a bang bang and said.

[Sit here. Let’s talk a bit.]

‘Because irritated, can refrain from girlfriend-like remarks? What is there to cuddle looking at each other amicably among us.’

[Why handling unlike yourself?]

The underworld messenger twitched the brows.

[If usual, a matter that would have already finished organizing long ago.]

‘That’s so.’

Acknowledge.

‘What to say. This is a problem experiencing for the first time in life so unfamiliar?’

[What? A problem experiencing for the first time in life? If you, would have seen and lived all ordinary dirty appearances?]

Yes, I am a person who received heavenly punishment in the previous life!

Thanks to someone opening eyes round here!

Betrayal, sowing discord, hitting the back of the head, retaliation, grudge, murder threats, fraud, scam etc. nothing not experienced.

But speaking.

‘Have to have had family to know what.’

[What?]

‘If another person, a matter that would have finished up to plan, conception, execution long ago whether digging, stabbing, beating, covering! Cleanly and simply even cleanup end.’

[Then do so. Plan, conceive, execute right away.]

‘Saying family. Really can stab, beat, cover, dig? In my style?’

[Th, that······.]

The underworld messenger rolled eyes as if troubled.

[Seems a bit of a problem.]

‘See. So I’m doing this now.’

The more speaking, the deeper the furrow of the brows.

‘Did I have parents, did I have siblings? Of course relatives taking care even a woman promised marriage at least didn’t have.’

[······So.]

‘Only people who lit eyes trying to tear me a lot, so the words of returning more than received without seeing circumstances enough? Human relationships themselves were simple.’

[······So.]

‘But saying family. Different from people who if something wrong, cut ties and never see again. A relationship that even if fought yesterday, eat rice together today and have to gather and hold ancestral rites tomorrow.’

[Ahem.]

‘How much to see moderately. Up to where to see. How much to endure, until when to see.’

I shook my head.

‘Huu, difficult, difficult!’

Wonder if there is a more difficult problem than this.

[But seems there was something called family for you too?]

‘Ah, Kang-u?’

[Yes, the adopted son you picked up and raised. Would have lived rubbing with that guy. Wouldn’t it be good to ponder comparing that experience?]

‘Kang-u is a bit different case.’

I shook my head this time too.

‘Kang-u unconditionally prostrated flat and was flustered to me. Behaved like a person who owed a life debt.’

A seven-year-old kid was wandering the streets in underwear at midnight in midwinter unable to endure hunger.

Followed Kang-u and entered the house and saw, whether lived together with the dead parents’ corpses for several days, the house inside appearance was really spectacular.

Did the cleanup, and raised putting on my household registration with a pitiful heart was Kang-u.

‘Kang-u never even tried talking back, never revealed negative emotions like anger or resentment or sadness to me. Just the words of happy, thank you.’

Thank you for raising, thank you for taking care, happy for playing, excited receiving pocket money etc.

Only positive feedback came back.

Can even this be called a proper family relationship?

‘I thought like a real son but Kang-u seemed not. Up to that I can’t help.’

The formal meeting floated up.

What the woman saying will marry wanted was an 80-pyeong apartment located in Gangnam, so not something I couldn’t do.

Kang-u refused the bankbook and Han River view penthouse I prepared saying grateful just for raising and made the marriage fall through.

The reason Kang-u returned to the formal meeting seat was only to take the dead real mother’s bankbook.

‘A good son, a kind son.’

So more pitiful, my aching finger.

‘Untangling a once twisted human relationship thread is really difficult. But leaving it, only unknown wounds piled up. So reflected. If insides that will fester and burst anyway, better to cut even one day earlier.’

If I also let go of hands, our mother will continue doing daughter-in-law life like this!

Every time seeing bowing without even making a sound saying older sister-in-law, dying from frustration!

[Actually family is nothing special.]

‘Hmm?’

[Think won’t betray, won’t sow discord, won’t hit the back of the head just because connected by blood ties?]

‘······Eh?’

[Human relationships are all the same, would family be different. How did you handle the company family in the days of being the private loan king?]

Instantly lightning flashed in the head.

I grinned.

‘Oho, in short the problem is hierarchy organization and drawing lines, this?’

[······Eh?]

‘Simple?’

I stood up from the seat with a whoosh.

‘Hey, guardian deity. Thank you.’

Whether the underworld messenger opened eyes round or not.

Whether shouting ‘Seems the conclusion came a bit strangely, let’s talk a bit more······!’ or not.

I picked up the coat and burst out of the room door.

Plan, conception finished so from now the turn to execute.

“Today is the day going to grandfather’s house right? Will go!”

“Jeong-hyeok, wait a moment! Your shoes are mismatched!”

Whether someone called from behind or not.

“Team Leader Yu, please.”

“Yes, please entrust to me Yu Jong-tae!”

Yu Jong-tae who is a quick-witted security guard and claims to be my hands and feet the self-proclaimed number two was already running holding the coat and car key.

* * *

Bang!

“Grandfather!”

“Aigo, surprised! My child came?”

Grandfather was sitting on the main room tea table chair looking at the newspaper.

Put down the newspaper and magnifying glasses and laughed heartily.

“Came running in one breath? Grandfather so wanted to see? Or as expected business······.”

“What business freezing to death business? Now the time to leisurely talk business?”

“Hmm?”

“I came today to see grandfather’s face directly and argue.”

“······Let’s talk sitting first. Want to drink double flower tea, want to drink honey water?”

“Double flower tea. Floating two egg yolks.”

Grandmother who was trimming nails stood up with a whoosh.

“Chairman, I will bring.”

Grandmother muttered small “Our Jeong-hyeok double flower tea. Floating two egg yolks. Memo.”

“Bring snacks worth accompanying with double flower tea too!”

“If snacks, chocolate cookies and butter cookies would be good?”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“With puffed rice or white rice cake. If none, no need.”

“No none. There is! Unconditionally there is! Puffed rice, white rice cake. Memo······.”

Grandmother went out of the room fluttering the skirt.

‘Wow, the room inside is all gold color.’

The living room or kitchen etc. where many people come and go are sophisticated and splendid chaebol house itself, but the main room interior style was a bit very different.

Of course furniture and bedding even ordinary props all flashing golden light.

Even large gold beads hanging on the curtain decorations, and large jewels stuck colorfully flashily in the middle, all said.

‘This is completely my style?’

Most people were startled and ran away looking at my taste.

Looking into, even this taste was family tradition.

I sat down flop on the gold color tea table chair.

“Saying will argue. What’s the problem?”

“Grandfather’s handling.”

“Hmm? My handling?”

“Not stopping the daughters-in-law’s fight, keep laying the fight place.”

“I?”

Irritated, but can’t curse.

I panted and puffed my cheeks.

“Thinking of grandfather’s face, not wanting to redden faces among family, endured and endured until now. Now not intending to endure.”

“So specifically what’s the dissatisfaction?”

“The two eldest aunts. From the beginning making a fuss unable to eat our mom? Very openly scolding and speaking.”

“That······ common spirit fight among daughters-in-law······.”

The sound of hierarchy struggle.

“Grandfather should have properly done traffic control as the adult of this family.”

“So blocked so as not to spread to a big fight.”

“Fight is not stopping, blocking the things to fight first. Not leaving whether dog fight or not saying hierarchy organization but establishing rules and catching discipline first.”

I snorted.

“The daughters-in-law not knowing the father-in-law is scary and saying all wanted words in front?”

“I’m not some dictator······.”

“Who says anything about speaking honestly to the father-in-law? The problem is trying to catch the younger sister-in-law like catching a mouse. Giving wounds as is and then only making the appearance of stopping late saying ‘dig only up to there.’ is the end?”

Grandfather coughed hollowly.

“I said? Household registration cleanup is not all. Wounds made with words also fester and rot if left. That goes for life.”

“Ahem! I will scold sharply later······.”

“Later when? Up to where how to endure? After our mom’s festered wound bursts? I will decline first from my side.”

Grandfather had a troubled expression.

“Know grandfather has position in his own way, and has circumstances.”

“Ahem!”

“Not all, but seems can roughly guess the reason watching the daughters-in-law’s eyes too.”

“Yes. All because I raised the children wrong.”

“Then have to call the wrongly raised children and torment, why leaving our mom to be tormented?”

“······.”

I said cutting sharply.

“Like if the police can’t properly do 12-lane traffic control, leads to traffic congestion and frequent accidents, if grandfather the big adult of this family can’t properly do family cleanup, spreads to family fight.”

“Jeong-hyeok, each house has its own circumstances···.”

“Each house’s fight should have ended there. Why living watching eyes in others’ house fight when the whole family gathered, us innocent?”

“Because family, understand each other a bit······.”

“That damn family! Then is our family not family? Then why is no one trying to understand our mom’s position?”

“Ahem, that also I know so······.”

“Want to say ‘ah, even this house became a big problem!’ only after causing family fight, sibling fight in our house too?”

“······.”

“Bluntly whether the eldest uncle’s divorces or not, what relation to us? If the inside is noisy because the family is noisy, venting anger on our easy mom is innocent, this?”

Seeing the water jug, poured cold water and drank in one go with a gulp gulp.

The inside burns!

“Draw the line properly. Control the children properly.”

I put down the water cup on the tea table making a tak sound.

“If real family, think have to be able to scold wrong points cutting sharply.”

The reason decided to open the mouth bearing reddening faces with grandfather.

“Don’t use the name family recklessly anywhere. Even if family, if keep touching our mom, I really won’t endure now.”

“So the sound of fighting with the eldest uncle’s family?”

“If necessary.”

I’m the principle of not avoiding fights that come.

“Since grandfather ignores, can’t help. Our family I have to protect.”

I jumped down from the chair with a hop.

“Think well. Not all receiving ooh ooh saying pitiful is the ability.”

The words I had to say were up to here.

‘Huu.’

Grandfather might think I am too harsh.

Still can’t help!

Our mom who raised me with difficulty first rather than the eldest uncle’s family seeing for the first time in life.

‘Seems to know why father made such an expression then.’

Suddenly the thought of father who firmly opposed saying can’t abandon mother and me came.

Was father’s heart then the same as me now?

Bang!

“Jeong-hyeok’s words are all right! Not one wrong word!”

It was grandmother.

“Think I endured the temper biting the teeth hearing stepmother sound until now to see such an appearance?”

Grandmother entered the room panting.

Put the tray with double flower tea and puffed rice on the tea table making a tak sound.

“Think someone gave ooh ooh until now because couldn’t make the daughters-in-law do daughter-in-law life? These really looking and looking!”

Grandmother exploded.

“Summon the whole family right away this evening!”

“······!”

“I can’t see the appearance of my daughter-in-law being bullied!”

“Honey, wife!”

“Don’t stop! Have I ever said anything to the chairman with outside matters until now? This is strictly a family matter, know that from now on my jurisdiction!”

Grandmother struck the tea table making a bang sound.

“The years I entered this family and lived are 29 years! Even such me staying still, at best lived together for ten-odd years and putting on daughter-in-law airs and doing territoriality?”

Grandfather twitched, and grandmother panted.

“Heard this fuss because of Taeseong Chemicals? Taeseong Chemicals? What amount is such a thing! Think someone lives shutting the mouth because no money? These knowing money will solve!”

Grandmother snorted.

“If going to chatter money, money like that, let’s argue how much my share in Taeseong family shares first! According to our maternal family rules, average annual interest 67.8%, 30 years compound interest let’s hit the calculator once?”

Somehow a very familiar calculation method popped out.