Chapter 25

Chapter 25

I took the car driven by the chauffeur and headed home. I went straight to my grandfather’s room when I arrived.

“Grandfather, I’m back.”

“Come in.”

When I entered, my grandfather was playing Go by himself.

“Are you playing Go?”

“Yes. Playing alone is terribly boring.”

I would occasionally play Go with him. Whether it was tea or Go, we were quite in sync, like soulmates. But the Miss Yena doesn’t know how to play Go.

“Did your in-laws leave well?”

“Yes.”

“Do your best. This is your first real test.”

“Yes.”

“Now, go get some rest.”

“Goodnight.”

As I was about to get up, my grandfather raised his head and looked at me with a thoughtful gaze.

“Is there something you want to say?”

After watching me for a while, he finally spoke.

“Sometimes, when I look at you, I think of your sister-in-law.”

“Pardon?”

“Your behavior, your tone, the way you only say what’s necessary—it’s all starting to resemble her. Did you know that?”

I hadn’t expected that and felt like I’d been caught off guard, but I smiled calmly and said,

“I suppose I wanted to be like her. Even Jang said something similar—that I’ve changed and become more thoughtful.”

“You used to be a bit immature, but now you seem more reliable.”

“Thank you.”

“You had dinner with Jang, right?”

“Yes.”

“What do you think of him?”

“He’s a healthy person.”

“Healthy?”

“Yes. He’s someone with a sound mind. I think he’ll bring a fresh wind to MK.”

Satisfied, my grandfather smiled and told me I could go. I left his room and went into mine. After changing out of my clothes, I sat down for a moment to rest when something suddenly crossed my mind. I looked for a calendar.

“The memorial service…”

Tomorrow was the memorial service. In this family, we have thirteen services a year, all observed with strict formality. That meant we always worked ourselves to exhaustion preparing the food.

My mother-in-law used to say that sincerity was the key to a proper memorial service. She insisted that everything be done personally, without relying on others.

A smirk appeared on my lips. Now that I’m gone, who’s going to take care of the memorial services? This should be interesting.

As usual, I changed into my clothes and stepped outside at 4 a.m. sharp. The air was getting colder by the day. This morning, it was chilly enough to see my breath. It’ll be winter soon, and then snow will follow.

I walked slowly again today. My stamina wasn’t going to improve overnight, so I decided not to rush.

“Just the act of challenging yourself is meaningful in itself. Well done. I’ll be cheering you on.”

His kind words gave me confidence. I can do it. I will do it.

—

At breakfast, my mother-in-law called out to my sister-in-law.

“Dear, come here.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Today is the memorial service. Take the day off to prepare.”

“That’s going to be difficult, Mother.”

Everyone instantly looked at my sister-in-law. Especially my mother-in-law, whose expression hardened.

“What did you say?”

“I have an important meeting today.”

“Isn’t your presence unnecessary?”

“No, it’s not. Besides, I didn’t get married just to perform memorial services.”

Inside, I was cheering at my sister-in-law’s firm and confident stance. Yes, that’s how it should’ve been. I should have refused from the start, just like her. Lee Buyeon, you’ve been living like a fool. My mother-in-law trembled with rage.

“You are the only daughter-in-law of this family. Are you saying you won’t fulfill your duties?”

“Mother, you’re also a daughter-in-law, aren’t you? I think it would make sense for you to do it in my place, since I don’t have the time.”

I nearly burst out laughing. I quickly covered my mouth, but it was already too late. The laughter had escaped uncontrollably. My mother-in-law, who was glaring at me, spoke.

“Yena, you do it then.”

“Auntie, I’m afraid that’s not possible either. I’ve just started a project assigned by Grandfather. How about you handle the preparations yourself, as my sister-in-law suggested?”

Now pale and trembling, my mother-in-law was visibly shaken. At that moment, my grandfather intervened.

“Don’t think about making the girls do the work. From now on, you should take care of it yourself.”

“Father!”

Grandfather glared at her, his eyes stern.

“Buyeon handled it alone for ten years. From now on, it’s your responsibility.”

“How could I possibly do it?”

“Did Buyeon know how to do it from the start? Don’t delegate it to anyone. Handle everything with your own hands. A memorial service requires sincerity.”

I lowered my head, barely able to suppress my laughter. This was the relief I had been waiting for, the weight of ten years lifted off my shoulders.

Glancing at my mother-in-law, I saw her face turn pale, then flushed red. This was too satisfying. Memories of her standing over me, watching and criticizing every move as I prepared the food, flooded my mind. Her piercing gaze and sharp words had always left me feeling so small.

“Auntie, good luck. I’ll be heading out now.”

“I’ll come with you, sister. I have to leave early today as well. Goodbye.”

As my sister-in-law and I left the dining room, I could feel the piercing stares at my back, but it felt so liberating. I gave her a thumbs-up.

“That was amazing, sis,” I told her.

“It wasn’t really amazing. For some reason, I’m thinking of you today. If you had stood your ground from the beginning, how different would things have been?”

I swallowed a bitter smile. She was right. If I had done that from the start, things might have turned out differently. It was a morning filled with reflection. And right on time, Jang Doha arrived at 7 a.m., as usual. He looked at my face and asked,

“Did something good happen?”

“Does it look like it?”

“Yes, you look really happy.”

“It feels like a truly wonderful morning. Let’s go.”

To think I could start my day feeling this refreshed—it made me want to jump for joy.

Throughout the workday, I kept checking the time. By now, they’d be shopping for ingredients; by now, they’d be starting preparations. The thought of the memorial service wouldn’t leave my mind.

I felt a bit sorry for our housekeeper, who would likely have to endure all the stress from my mother-in-law. But I couldn’t help feeling delighted. Who knew there’d be such small pleasures in this second life of mine?

In the afternoon, workers came in to renovate the break room. We needed a space to prepare food, and the break room in the business department was ideal since it was spacious and met the security requirements.

Thankfully, the break room was large. With a few partitions, it would be the perfect space for my mother and me to work on our food research. Though there was constant noise from the construction, none of the employees seemed to mind.

My mother had also come to the office, and we began discussing the first dishes to start with.

“As you’ve chosen, I think it would be good to start with royal tteokbokki and japchae,” she said.

“The issue is that foreigners may find rice cakes unfamiliar as an ingredient,” I replied.

“Have you secured a supply route?”

“If the sample succeeds, I’ll personally go and secure the contract.”

“Which are you considering, meal kits or frozen meals?”

“I think frozen meals are more practical. If we go with meal kits, we’d need a factory, and we don’t have time for that. Once the frozen meals are successful, we can secure a factory then. It won’t be too late.”

“Using rice cakes to make frozen meals isn’t that hard. The challenge will be how much of the freshness and texture can be preserved after thawing. That’s the key, and it won’t be easy.”

“It seems like you’ve given this a lot of thought.”

My mom smiled gently. “It’s been a while since I felt excited. It’s been a long time since I took on a challenge,” she said.

“How is father-in-law doing?”

“He’s been getting better since he started something new.”

My mom softly held my hand as she spoke.

“Thank you, dear.”

“No, I’m the one who should be thankful.”

“When I look at you, I think of Buyeon.”

I quietly looked at my mom.

“Buyeon was calm and considerate, just like you.”

A sharp pain twinged in my chest.

“I thought enduring was the answer. I believed that was how to avoid conflict, so I raised her that way. That’s what I regret the most now. I should’ve told her to fight harder, not to hold back. That’s my biggest regret.”

At some point, my mother’s eyes had welled up with tears. The ache in my chest grew stronger.

“In the end, it was the life my sister chose. Don’t feel guilty.”

Just then, my mom’s phone, resting on the desk, vibrated. I glanced at the caller and was startled. It read “Mother-in-law.” My mother-in-law was calling my mom? Why?

“You should answer it.”

“No, I don’t need to.”

“Do you know why she’s calling?”

“She actually called this morning. She asked about the ancestral rites food. She was asking for advice, but in the end, she wanted me to come and help. I refused, but she keeps calling.”

I was furious. Heat rushed to my face. Is she insane? Asking the mother of her deceased daughter-in-law to help with ancestral rites? This was beyond anything a normal person could even consider.

“Don’t answer her calls. And don’t even think about helping.”

“I won’t. Buyeon suffered enough in that household.”

Anger boiled inside me. Now they want to use my mom too? I clenched my teeth but smiled at her. I wasn’t going to let this go.

Just as the end of the workday approached, I got a message from Director Jang.

[Shall we grab dinner? Let’s have tteokbokki today.]

[It’s the memorial service today. Let’s eat next time.]

I grabbed my bag and left the office. Some employees saw me and started whispering.

“Is something wrong with the Director?”

“Seems like it, right? I’ve never seen her look so fierce before.”

I heard their murmurs behind me as I walked out of the office. I was walking with the intensity of an enraged beast. I felt like flames were shooting out of my eyes.