Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: Wojo
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“No, wait a second.”
Something suddenly came to mind, so I asked So-hee once again.
“Then, what about the money?”
“Huh?”
“Yang Hye-in’s salary is 500 million won a year. You said she gave you an advance payment, and she said it was her savings. That means she gave you nearly 1.5 billion won, which would have been almost all the money she had saved up until that point, right?”
“Well, yeah, that’s right.”
So-hee was caught off guard by the question, her face momentarily blank.
“But honestly, I don’t really know how she managed to get that money. Back then, it was senior who took care of everything.”
“……”
I placed my hand on my forehead again.
Then, I turned my head to look at the house we had eaten and slept in yesterday and today—Hye-in’s grandmother’s house.
Even if they rebuilt the house after it burned down in the forest fire, it looks way too new.
That was more than ten years ago, during Yang Hye-in’s childhood.
No matter how little she spent personally, only saving money…
If she had family, wouldn’t she have spent some of it to help them?
There’s no way she wouldn’t have given Grandmother even a penny from that large salary, right?
“……”
Or maybe…
No, come on.
That can’t be.
It couldn’t be.
*
But once a suspicion arises, it doesn’t easily go away.
“Sorry for disappearing and leaving just the guests since the morning. I just went out for a moment to gather some herbs nearby.”
“Oh, no. We were just waiting comfortably, so it’s fine.”
Thankfully, Ha-neul responded quickly, waving her hand in a flustered manner.
Otherwise, I would’ve had to answer, as I was sitting closer.
“……”
Yang Hye-in still didn’t say a word.
It was probably out of consideration for me.
She knew I felt extremely uncomfortable calling her “sister.”
No, if you think about it, maybe Yang Hye-in felt uncomfortable too.
Being told to drop the formal speech after years of using it.
Even if it’s in front of the only family she has left.
…Come to think of it, considering that Yang Hye-in hasn’t come down here in the past few years, it means she’s spent more time with me than with her grandmother.
Of course, not all of this was because of Sara.
She probably didn’t want to come back to this house full of painful memories, and a lot of things must have happened at the same time.
If one of those reasons was Choi Na-kyung…
……
“Come on, eat up. You must be hungry from this morning.”
As she said that, the table she set in front of us looked like it might collapse under the weight of all the food, just like yesterday.
*
“Guys, hold on a minute.”
After the meal, when Yang Hye-in and Grandmother got up to clear the table, I stopped them as they were about to head to the kitchen.
Of course, I am a person with a conscience.
Since we were treated to such a free meal, I felt the need to help.
So, I wanted to go into the kitchen by myself.
I had something to ask Hye-in’s grandmother.
“Would it be okay if I go in alone to help this time? You guys helped out yesterday.”
In fact, Ha-neul and Soo-ah helped after dinner yesterday.
Originally, we all tried to help, but even though she refused, we insisted because we felt guilty.
Since the kitchen was quite small, it would’ve been more of a hindrance if all four of us went in, so we drew lots, and Ha-neul and Soo-ah ended up going.
So even though we hadn’t set any strict turns, it made sense for So-hee and me to help this morning.
But what I wanted to ask was something rather personal.
…Even though it was related to So-hee as well, I didn’t want her to hear about it.
Maybe it was obvious from my expression, as the others exchanged glances and then nodded.
“Alright, then I’ll go in after lunch.”
So-hee said to me.
I nodded at So-hee and stood up.
The kitchen was right next to the living room where we were sitting, but it had a door, so our conversation wouldn’t be overheard if we closed it and spoke softly.
Especially with the noise of the dishes being washed in the background.
“Ma’am!”
I opened the door and spoke cheerfully.
“I’ll help out today!”
“Oh, there’s no need for that.”
Fortunately, Hye-in’s grandmother didn’t refuse as firmly as she did yesterday, probably because Ha-neul and Soo-ah had already helped her out before.
“No, I’ll help.”
I said as I picked up a rag to wipe down the still-unfolded table.
Since both her and Yang Hye-in were already at the sink, there was no room for me to help with the washing.
“……”
Yang Hye-in glanced at me from the corner of her eye, and our eyes met.
Without saying a word, she turned back to focus on the dishes.
…Hmm.
It’s a bit awkward to ask with Yang Hye-in here.
“So, her name is Sara?”
As I was wiping the table clean, Grandmother asked.
It seemed better to have some conversation than to stay silent awkwardly, so I quickly replied.
“Yes, it’s Ye Sara.”
“Ah, I see. You know, the older you get, the harder it is to remember names right away. Sorry about that~”
Grandmother stretched out her words a little, and I quickly shook my head.
“No, we showed up without notice.”
“Still, I’m happy to have guests after so long. It’s refreshing to have such lovely young ones around. Our Hye-in should hurry up and get married and bring kids over.”
Well, no matter how you look at it, the age gap between us and great-grandchildren is too small.
I guess she was just saying that, though.
“But, she doesn’t talk much, so I’m wondering, does our Hye-in have a boyfriend?”
“……”
“Uh……”
I was momentarily speechless.
Does she… have a boyfriend?
I was pretty sure, with almost 100 percent certainty, that she didn’t.
Yang Hye-in didn’t have time to date.
She was always on standby for my calls 24 hours a day, and unless it was an office romance, there was no way.
And I had already crushed any possibility of that office romance.
…Though, setting that aside, I didn’t think Yang Hye-in would be interested in romance.
But that might just be my biased view of her.
“Um…probably not, right?”
So, I ended up saying something awkward like that.
“Sister?”
And I accidentally used that title.
“……”
Oh.
It looked like Yang Hye-in paused for a moment.
But that moment was really brief.
She quickly resumed washing the dishes and answered.
“…I don’t have one.”
It was the first time I’d heard her speak informally.
“I see…”
I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or guilty at that response.
If she never had a boyfriend to begin with, at least I wasn’t the reason they broke up.
So, in that sense, I was relieved—
But if the reason she couldn’t date was because of her job, then it was my fault.
No, it must be my fault.
……
“Our Hye-in is so pretty, though…”
At least it’s undeniable that she’s pretty.
I imagine a lot of guys approached her during college.
“If you know any nice guys, introduce them to her. Didn’t you say Sara’s parents are higher-ups at the same company?”
“Grandmother.”
Though her words were meant as a joke, Yang Hye-in’s reaction was sharp.
“Oh dear, it was just a joke.”
Hye-in’s grandmother laughed, but her voice sounded slightly bitter.
“……”
Without a word, Yang Hye-in put down the dish she was holding.
It seemed like the dishes were almost done.
I quickly folded the now sparkling-clean table.
I had wiped down both tables, and while I was at it, I even cleaned the kitchen table.
“Grandmother, I’ll take out the trash.”
“Alright.”
Grandmother answered, a little flustered by Yang Hye-in’s words.
Though Yang Hye-in always seemed a bit sharp, her mood felt even more so after that conversation.
…Was it my fault?
No, it must be because of me.
I was the one who dragged her here and stuck myself into this situation, causing all these unpleasant conversations.
“Ah…”
But thanks to that, now that Yang Hye-in had left, I had a chance to talk to Grandmother alone.
“Ma’am.”
“Yes?”
Grandmother, still looking at the door with a regretful expression, turned to me as I asked my question.
“Does Hye-in take good care of you?”
It was a question that might be considered a little rude.