Chapter 125: The Step-Grandmother’s Wrath

I sat with my arms crossed, sulking.

The Grim Reaper, who usually spent Saturdays glued to the television, clicked his tongue in disapproval.

[Stop shaking your leg. You’ll shake all your luck away.]

‘Are you sure luck actually gets shaken away? Is that something officially certified in the afterlife?’

[Why do you have to bring up certification? It’s just a saying, that’s all.]

‘So is it just a superstition, or an idiom?’

[It just means you’re making me nervous... No, really, why are you so prickly today?]

‘Who wants to pick a fight with someone already pissed off?’

[Hmph...!]

The Grim Reaper turned off the television, crossed his legs, and spun around to face me.

[You dump a mountain of assignments on the tutors, shove every menial task onto the staff, even made Yoo Jong-tae pick out the anchovy guts for you...]

He slapped the floor with his hand as he spoke.

[Come here. We need to talk.]

‘I’m annoyed, so could you not talk to me like a girlfriend? What do we have to gain from sitting around having a heart-to-heart?’

[Why are you acting so out of character?]

He scrunched up his brow.

[Usually, you’d have sorted this out by now.]

‘That’s true.’

Admitted.

‘How should I put it. Maybe it’s just that this is the first time in my life I’ve had to deal with something like this. It’s unfamiliar.’

[What? The first time in your life? I thought you’d seen just about every dirty trick there is?]

Yeah, in my past life, I was someone who got struck down by divine punishment!

All thanks to a certain someone staring at me wide-eyed right now!

Betrayal, backstabbing, rumors, threats, revenge, murder threats, scheming, fraud—there’s nothing I haven’t been through.

But still.

‘What would I know about family if I’ve never had one?’

[What?]

‘If it were anyone else, I’d have already pried, stabbed, crushed, or steamrolled my way through by now! Planned, devised, executed—problem solved, clean and simple.’

[So just do that. Plan, devise, and execute right now.]

‘But they’re family. Can I really poke, crush, steamroll, or interrogate them—my way?’

[W-well... that’s...]

The Grim Reaper’s eyes darted around awkwardly.

[That... might be a problem.]

‘See? That’s why I’m like this right now.’

The more I spoke, the deeper the frown on my forehead grew.

‘Did I ever have parents, siblings? Never had any caring relatives, let alone a woman I promised to marry.’

[...That’s true.]

‘The only people who ever approached me just wanted to bleed me dry, so I’d just pay them back double, no mercy. Human relationships used to be so simple.’

[...Yeah.]

‘But these are family. They’re not like people you can just cut ties with and never see again. You might fight yesterday, but you have to eat together today and gather for ancestral rites tomorrow.’

[Ahem.]

‘So how much do I let slide? Where do I draw the line? How much do I endure, and for how long?’

I shook my head.

‘Hoo, it’s hard, really hard!’

I couldn’t imagine a problem harder than this.

[But didn’t you have someone you could call family too?]

‘Oh, Kang-woo?’

[Yeah, your adopted son that you took in. Didn’t you two live together, rough and tumble? Maybe you can use that experience as a reference?]

‘Kang-woo’s case was different.’

Again, I shook my head.

‘Kang-woo always bowed to me, utterly submissive. He acted like someone who owed his life.’

At seven years old, the poor kid was wandering the streets in nothing but his thermals, starving in the dead of winter.

When I followed Kang-woo home, the sight was a mess—he’d been living for days with the corpses of his dead parents.

I cleaned up, felt sorry for him, and put him on my family registry, raising him as my own.

‘Kang-woo never talked back, never got angry, never showed me any negative emotions like resentment or sadness. All he ever said was that he was happy or grateful.’

Thank you for raising me, thank you for looking after me, I’m happy you played with me, I’m excited to get pocket money, and so on.

Nothing but positive feedback.

Could that even be called a real family relationship?

‘I considered him my own son, but I guess Kang-woo didn’t feel the same. There was nothing I could do about that.’

I remembered the formal meeting with the in-laws.

The woman I was supposed to marry wanted a luxury 80-pyeong apartment in Gangnam, and it wasn’t like I couldn’t provide it.

But Kang-woo, just grateful for having been raised, refused the bankbook and Han River view penthouse I’d prepared and called off the wedding.

The only reason Kang-woo returned to that meeting was to retrieve his late mother’s bankbook.

‘He was a good son, a kind son.’

That’s why I felt even more sorry for him—he was my wounded finger.

‘Untangling a twisted relationship is really difficult. But just leaving it alone, the invisible scars keep piling up. So I reflected. If it’s going to fester anyway, it’s better to cut it open sooner rather than later.’

If I let go too, my mother will just keep suffering like this at her in-laws’!

Every time I see her bow her head, unable to say a word in front of her in-laws, it’s enough to suffocate me!

[Honestly, family isn’t all that special.]

‘Hm?’

[You think being related by blood means there’s no betrayal, no backstabbing, no scheming?]

‘...What?’

[Relationships are all the same, whether it’s family or not. When you were the Loan Shark King, how did you handle your company staff?]

A bolt of lightning flashed through my mind.

I grinned.

‘Aha, so the real issue is sorting out the hierarchy and setting boundaries, huh?’

[...What?]

‘Simple, really.’

I shot to my feet.

‘Hey, Guardian Spirit. Thanks.’

Whether the Grim Reaper gawked or not.

Whether he shouted, ‘Something’s not right with this conclusion, can’t we talk more...!’ or not.

I grabbed my coat and threw open the door.

Now that planning and strategizing are done, it’s time for action.

“Today’s the day we visit Grandpa’s place, right? I’ll be back!”

“Junghyuk, wait! Your shoes don’t match!”

Whoever called out from behind didn’t matter.

“Manager Yoo, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes, leave it to Yoo Jong-tae!”

My sharp-witted bodyguard, who considered himself my number two, was already running off with my coat and car keys in hand.

---

Crash!

“Grandpa!”

“Whoa, you startled me! My precious boy, you’re here?”

Grandpa was sitting at the table in the master bedroom, reading the newspaper.

He set down his paper and glasses, chuckling heartily.

“Did you run all the way here? Were you that eager to see your old man? Or is it about business...”

“What business? Forget business! This isn’t the time to talk about such things, is it?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m here to see you in person today—to have it out.”

“...Let’s sit down and talk. Do you want ssanghwa tea or honey water?”

“Ssanghwa tea, please. With two egg yolks floating in it.”

Grandma, who had been doing her nails, jumped up.

“Chairman, I’ll bring it out.”

Grandma muttered under her breath, “Our Junghyuk wants ssanghwa tea. With two egg yolks. Note to self.”

“And bring some snacks to go with the tea!”

“If it’s snacks, then choco cookies and butter cookies would be good, right?”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“Puffed rice cakes or baekseolgi, if we have them. Otherwise, forget it.”

“Of course we have them! Always do! Puffed rice, baekseolgi. Note to self...”

Grandma bustled out of the room, skirt fluttering.

‘Wow, the whole room is golden.’

While the living room and kitchen—places where lots of people come and go—were sleek and extravagant like a typical chaebol mansion, the master bedroom was a whole different style.

From furniture to bedding to even the smallest trinkets, everything gleamed gold.

There were big golden beads even on the curtain trim, and huge, colorful jewels were embedded here and there—enough said.

‘This is exactly my style.’

Most people freak out and run away when they see my taste.

Turns out even my taste is part of the family tradition.

I flopped into a golden chair by the tea table.

“So, what’s your grievance?”

“Grandpa, it’s your behavior.”

“Hm? My behavior?”

“You don’t stop the daughter-in-law fights—worse, you practically set the stage for them.”

“Me?”

Annoyed, but unable to curse at him.

I puffed out my cheeks.

“I put up with it for your sake, didn’t want to make a scene in front of family, but I’m not going to hold back anymore.”

“So what exactly are you unhappy about?”

“The two aunts. From the start, they’ve been making my mom’s life hell—insulting her right to her face.”

“Well... that’s just the usual power struggle between daughters-in-law...”

So it’s all about ranking, huh.

“As the head of the family, you should’ve sorted things out properly.”

“I’ve kept things from blowing up into a huge fight, haven’t I?”

“Stopping a fight isn’t enough. You should be preventing fights in the first place. Instead of letting chaos break out under the excuse of hierarchy sorting, you need to set rules and discipline.”

I snorted.

“The daughters-in-law act like they’re not the least bit afraid of their father-in-law, saying whatever they please right in front of you.”

“I’m not some dictator, you know...”

“Who’s saying you should be a dictator just because daughters-in-law talk honestly to their father-in-law? The problem is when they try to bully those below them, causing wounds, then you just pretend to stop them after the fact. Does it end there?”

Grandpa cleared his throat.

“I told you before, sorting out the family registry isn’t everything. If you let verbal wounds fester, they rot. That pain lasts a lifetime.”

“Ahem! I was going to give them a stern warning later...”

“When, exactly? How long are we supposed to endure this? Are you waiting for Mom’s festering wounds to burst first? Well, I’m not.”

Grandpa looked troubled.

“I know you have your own position and circumstances, Grandpa.”

“Ahem!”

“I don’t know everything, but I can guess why you keep an eye on the daughters-in-law.”

“Yes. It’s all my fault for not raising my children right.”

“Then you should call in those children and discipline them. Why leave Mom to get punished instead?”

“...”

I said it flatly.

“If the traffic police can’t manage a 12-lane intersection, it turns into chaos and constant accidents. Just like that, if you, the elder of the family, can’t keep things in order, family feuds will keep breaking out.”

“Junghyuk, every family has its own situation—”

“Family fights should’ve been ended at home. Why do the rest of us have to live on edge at family gatherings because of someone else’s fight?”

“Because we’re family, we should try to understand each other...”

“That ‘family’ talk! Then isn’t our family family too? So why does no one care about Mom’s feelings?”

“Ahem, I know that too...”

“Are you going to realize, ‘Oh no, even our family’s in trouble now!’ only after our house breaks out in fights too?”

“...”

“Seriously, why should we care if Uncle’s family gets divorced? If there’s trouble at home, why is it okay to vent on my poor mom?”

I spotted the water jug and poured myself a cold glass, gulping it down.

I was burning up inside!

“Draw the line clearly. Keep your children in check.”

I set the cup down on the table with a sharp clack.

“If we’re really family, we should be able to correct each other’s mistakes firmly.”

That’s why I was willing to risk a quarrel with Grandpa and speak my mind.

“Don’t just use the word ‘family’ whenever it’s convenient. No matter how close we are, if anyone keeps messing with my mom, I won’t tolerate it anymore.”

“So, you’re saying you’ll fight with your uncle’s family?”

“If necessary.”

I’m not the type to avoid a fight that comes my way.

“If you turn a blind eye, Grandpa, then I have no choice. I’ll protect my own family.”

I hopped down from the chair.

“Think about it. Just spoiling them out of pity isn’t always the right answer.”

That was all I had to say.

‘Hoo.’

Maybe Grandpa will think I’m being too harsh.

But I can’t help it!

My mother, who raised me with so much difficulty, comes first—certainly before relatives I’ve never even seen before.

‘Now I think I understand why Father had that expression then.’

Suddenly, I remembered my father, standing firm and refusing to abandon my mother and me.

Was his heart the same as mine now?

Crash!

“Everything Junghyuk said is right! Not a single word out of place!”

It was Grandma.

“Do you know how hard I’ve held my tongue, all these years called a stepmother, just to see this day?”

Grandma stormed into the room, cheeks puffed.

She set down the tray of ssanghwa tea and puffed rice cakes on the table with a loud clack.

“You think I haven’t made my daughters-in-law suffer, all these years? I’ve let them off easy and now they take me for a fool! Just look at them!”

Grandma exploded.

“Family meeting tonight! Everyone’s to gather!”

“...!”

“I won’t stand by while my daughter-in-law is mistreated!”

“Dear, honey!”

“Don’t stop me! Have I ever interfered in your outside business? This is clearly a family matter, and from now on, it’s my jurisdiction—so stay out of it!”

Grandma slapped the table for emphasis.

“I’ve lived in this house for 29 years! And I’ve stayed quiet all this time, but now these women act all high and mighty after barely a decade together?”

Grandpa flinched, Grandma was furious.

“I heard all this started because of Taesung Chemicals? Taesung Chemicals? How much is that, anyway! Do they think they’re the only ones with money? As if everything’s about money!”

Grandma snorted.

“If it’s all about money, let’s calculate how much of the Taesung shares are rightfully mine! According to my family’s rules, an annual rate of 67.8%, compounded for 30 years—let’s run the numbers right now!”

For some reason, that calculation sounded all too familiar.