Chapter 126: The 29-Year Silence

Grandmother rolled up her sleeves.

“I’m going to teach these kids some manners…!”

“Honey, dear! What are you planning to do?”

“I’ve held back as much as I can. Until now, all this time, always, forever!”

“I know! And that’s why I’m always grateful to you. Really.”

“Then, Chairman, please step aside! From today onward, I’d like you to leave the family affairs in my hands.”

Grandmother spun around sharply.

“Everything Jeong-hyuk said was right.”

When the couple’s eyes met, Grandfather flinched and avoided her gaze.

“It’s not all solved just by sorting out the family register. Words can wound too, and if you let those wounds fester, they rot. And those wounds last a lifetime—none of that’s wrong!”

Grandmother’s eyes glinted with a fierce resolve.

“I’m the one who’s been directly affected, right here.”

She poked her own chest with her index finger.

“After coming into this family, I spent 29 years watching the kids’ moods, unable to call my husband ‘husband,’ and never once hearing anyone call me ‘Mother.’”

“T-That’s…”

“After I saw their mother die before my very eyes, I decided to just look the other way for the sake of the poor kids who nearly stopped breathing in their sleep every night. I pitied them, trembling in fear of losing even their father, so I…”

“Dear…”

“That’s why I called you ‘Chairman,’ and put up with the children calling me ‘Mrs. Jeong.’ How long am I supposed to keep waiting?”

Grandmother trembled with emotion.

“How much longer am I supposed to tiptoe around kids who are now in their thirties and forties?”

It was as if nearly thirty years of pent-up frustration were bursting forth.

“I was wrong. I thought one day they’d open their hearts to me, that right now, their pain should come first, and so the years just passed by in a blur.”

“They were young. They lost their mother, right before their eyes…”

“I know. Of course I know why Chairman has always felt especially sorry for the eldest. How could I not?”

“I appreciate that.”

“But that’s not right either.”

Grandmother shook her head.

“I thought I hadn’t been too greedy. I thought it was enough if the half-siblings just accepted each other and got along, but…”

“The siblings are doing okay, aren’t they?”

“I thought it was okay because the kids said they were fine. But it wasn’t.”

She let out a long sigh.

“Why am I still ‘Mrs. Jeong,’ and why are you still ‘Chairman’? Why is it that I’ve never once been able to show my face at the New Year’s table for rice cake soup?”

Grandfather’s lips snapped shut like a clam.

“This isn’t normal.”

“Dear…”

“I’m okay. But my kids shouldn’t have to go through this.”

Grandmother pointed at me.

“It’s gotten so bad, even an eight-year-old comes up to say this. Telling the adults to get their act together, saying that if Grandfather won’t protect his family, then he’ll protect them himself. Aren’t you even embarrassed?”

“Ahem.”

“That’s why I can’t take it anymore. No, I won’t take it anymore.”

Grandfather tried to hold her back, but Grandmother turned her back to him.

“Didn’t Jeong-hyuk say it? If you’re real family, you have to be able to sternly correct what’s wrong. Just letting things slide out of pity isn’t the answer.”

Grandmother let out a deep sigh.

“I think it’s time for me to keep my wits about me and summon up some courage.”

“Dear.”

“I should’ve done this ages ago. The wounds we tried to hush up and cover over have now festered and burst open. Like this.”

Grandmother fired off her words.

“You don’t stop fights by breaking them up. You prevent the reasons for fighting in the first place, and instead of letting chaos reign in the name of hierarchy, you set rules and discipline from the beginning. I completely agree.”

Grandmother spoke decisively.

“Not just Jeong-hyuk, I too have been enduring for the Chairman’s dignity, not wanting family strife, holding back until my insides were churning. I’m saying I won’t hold back anymore.”

“Mal-sook!”

“So from now on, I’m going to take charge and put things in order.”

Grandmother smiled, looking relieved.

“Sorting out the pecking order? Daughter-in-law acting high and mighty? Power struggles? From now on, let’s do all that with me first. That’s the proper sequence, isn’t it?”

With Grandmother resolved, Grandfather swallowed dryly.

“Before worrying about the daughters-in-law, you should call in your poorly-raised children and give them a real scolding.”

“…”

“What? A stepmother can’t scold the kids?”

“…No. Why wouldn’t you have the right?”

Grandfather shook his head.

“After thirty years of being their mother, you have every right.”

“Then you just step quietly aside.”

“…What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to deal with this my way now.”

“How exactly?”

Grandfather looked around nervously.

“You’re not saying you’ll use your family’s rules, are you?”

“Come on, we’re family—do you really think I’d drag the kids off to the basement or a mountain trail?”

Huh?

A suspiciously familiar location suddenly popped up.

“If I were following my family’s rules, I’d get out the hand axe and sledgehammer, the duct tape and shovel first. Would I really chop off the kids’ hands just to make them speak properly?”

So familiar, those tools, so natural, that way of talking.

“And it’s not like I’d shove a loan contract at them and make them do rounds at every affiliate stamping promissory notes, right?”

Grandmother let out a wicked “Uhuhu!” laugh.

“So it’s fine to just pull out a few teeth, fingernails, or some hair, right?”

“No!”

Grandfather frantically shook his head.

“Then how about making them kneel, gagging them, and locking them in the basement?”

“That’s out of the question!”

Grandfather shook his head even more desperately.

“Whew, then I’ll compromise with a kimchi slap or a water slap.”

“Don’t do it!”

Grandfather clutched the back of his neck.

“It’s because you’re so aggressive that people tell you not to be so hands-on with the kids!”

“But I absolutely won’t give up on overturning the dinner table.”

Grandmother puffed out her cheeks with a pouty, dissatisfied look.

“Or should I storm into the kids’ in-laws and grab them by the collar?”

“Let’s just flip the table! That’s good!”

“Deal.”

It was a dramatic moment of compromise.

“Chairman, tell the kids to leave their children at home tonight. We have to protect their innocence.”

“Okay.”

Grandfather massaged his brow, looking exhausted.

Regardless, Grandmother winked at me.

“Jeong-hyuk, you trust Grandma, right?”

I gave Grandma a solid thumbs-up.

“Good, then. Uhuhu!”

“Uhuhu!”

Grandmother and I grinned at each other.

Just hearing her words, I couldn’t feel more reassured!

Grandma, I think you’re my style!

---

At Chairman Cha’s summons, the eldest daughter-in-law rushed to the master bedroom.

Slap!

“Argh!”

Cha Dae-jun, woken by a hard smack on the back, leaped up.

“What? What’s going on? Why are you doing this so early in the morning?”

“Early morning? It’s already past 4 p.m.!”

“It’s the weekend. I don’t have to go to work.”

“Ugh, you reek of alcohol!”

“My stomach’s killing me. Get me some dried pollack soup…”

“Pollack soup, my foot!”

Slap!

His wife landed a full swing across his back.

The eldest, Cha Dae-jun, twisted around like a squid, groaning in pain.

With every breath, the stench of alcohol poured out.

“You idiot! Why do you drink until dawn every single day?”

“Ahem, business dinners are always like this.”

“Are you a low-level salesman? Let the executives handle the drinking!”

“This is still proper company business… Ow!”

As his wife came at him, fists raised, Cha Dae-jun twisted away and thumped down to the floor under the bed.

His wife looked down at him in disgust, clicking her tongue.

“Enough nonsense, get up now. The main house has summoned us.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“I don’t know. They suddenly called and said we should have dinner together tonight.”

“Then maybe I should call Dad’s place and ask him to make some dried pollack soup…”

“You’re unbelievable! While the second son’s family is running themselves ragged trying to get the chemical and auto companies!”

“Oh, really? Ha ha ha. Kijun’s always quick to move.”

“How can you laugh? You should be angry that he’s trying to snatch your share!”

“Angry? Why? It’s all for Taeseong’s sake… Ack! That hurts! Stop hitting me!”

Wham! Wham! Wham!

“It’s because you keep losing yourself in drink that people call you incompetent! Aren’t you going to secure the construction equipment and automobile divisions?”

“Father will surely take care of it…”

“Do you think Father gives things away for nothing? Unless you have something to show for yourself, who’ll recognize your worth? All you do is drink and dawdle—nobody cares! I can’t live like this!”

Wham! Wham! Wham!

That’s how the eldest couple ended up fighting.

---

At Chairman Cha’s summons, the third daughter, Cha Man-young, was annoyed.

“Dinner? All of a sudden?”

“Yes.”

She was in the middle of getting a massage at the new skincare salon in Taeseong Department Store.

“For what?”

“I don’t know. It’s a summons from Mrs. Jeong.”

“Mrs. Jeong? Not my father?”

“Yes.”

“That’s strange. She’s never done this before. She usually drops off some side dishes and slips away.”

When Aunt Cha Man-young tried to get up, the staff member doing her nails gasped in alarm.

“You can’t move yet! The manicure isn’t dry!”

“I can just repaint it. Is that important now?”

“If you layer it, it won’t look pretty.”

“Then you should’ve told me sooner! Hmph.”

Handing her hands back, Cha Man-young only turned her head.

“I guess I’ll have to shop for the kids. Director Kim, get ready.”

“Well… They specifically said to leave the kids out and only gather the adults.”

“No way?”

When Cha Man-young tilted her head, the towel on her head slipped off.

Her straight bob fell gracefully.

“Mrs. Jeong is always dying to feed the kids anything. It doesn’t add up.”

“The atmosphere didn’t seem ordinary.”

“Is there a problem?”

“I’m not sure, but from what I heard…”

Director Kim from Taeseong Department Store bent low and whispered in Cha Man-young’s ear.

Her eyebrows rose ever higher.

“What? Who bullied who? What about Taeseong Chemical in front of our Jeong-hyuk?”

Cha Man-young irritably got up.

Thanks to that, the manicure became crooked, but she didn’t care.

She gathered up her robe and flipped her bobbed hair back.

“This won’t do.”

“Madam, if you keep moving, your nails…”

“Are nails important now? My youngest nephew was in tears!”

“…You never said he cried.”

“If someone embarrassed his mother in front of him, wouldn’t any kid cry?”

Cha Man-young irritably shoved her feet into her slippers.

Though her nails were still wet, she tossed her head towel aside and headed to the changing room.

“What on earth did Father do in front of the child? I really can’t take this!”

That’s how the third daughter resolved to answer the summons from the main house, burning with indignation.

---

At Chairman Cha’s summons, the second daughter-in-law was as cold as ice.

“Tell Kijun to come home immediately.”

Secretary Yang kept her lips tightly shut.

“I’m not asking which tramp he’s with or where he’s rolling around.”

“…”

“The main house has called. Dinner.”

“…I’ll relay the message later.”

“Not later—right now! It’s urgent business to discuss…”

“I’ll hear the details directly from Secretary Kim. Excuse me.”

“So you can ignore me, but you can’t ignore a summons from the main house? Won’t listen to me, but you’ll check with Secretary Kim?”

The second daughter-in-law glared at Secretary Yang.

“The head of the family is gathering everyone, excluding the kids, for a major announcement.”

“Yes.”

“You really don’t get it? If there’s a sudden summons for a major announcement right after a luncheon at the Blue House, there’s only one reason.”

“The disposition of the U-gwang affiliates… is it?”

“Now we can finally have a real conversation.”

The second daughter-in-law sat at her vanity and fixed her makeup.

She applied a thick red lipstick.

“It means now’s not the time for us to be fighting each other.”

Spritz. Spritz.

She doused herself in a strong perfume.

“Steel, automobiles, heavy equipment, chemicals. Shouldn’t we try to get at least two big ones?”

She opened her jewelry box and took out the largest, most expensive earrings and put them on.

A major announcement scheduled out of nowhere, right after Father-in-law had a private meeting with her own father.

The thought made her heart pound with excitement and anticipation.

“Tell them I’ve set aside select items from the gallery.”

“Madam?”

“Chemicals and autos. Wouldn’t you want them?”

“Hmm.”

“Then right now, I’m probably the help you need most, aren’t I?”

Secretary Yang flinched.

The second daughter-in-law’s smile only deepened.

A cold smile.

“There’s no time. Tell him to come running right away.”

“Yes!”

Secretary Yang hurried off without looking back.

Watching her reflection in the mirror, the second daughter-in-law tidied her hair.

“Now that Father’s agreed to help, if things go well, the chemical and auto divisions might land in my lap?”

The head of Taeseong Group always rewards merit.

She couldn’t help but hum a tune.