episode_0045

The moment you put your chopsticks forward to eat the meat.

The little girl next to me thrust a knife into my face.

“Okay. Okay!”

“Suddenly? Why?”

“My mom tells me to do this.”

“…..”

I don’t know what kind of education your mother gave you, but I guess it would be polite to put something in your mouth and eat it right away.

Sae-ah opened her mouth and put the wrap that her older sister offered into her mouth and chewed it.

“”Oh my.””

The mothers who saw that started to go overboard.

“No one can give my son to anyone until he becomes an adult!”

“Jaehoon’s mom. Then when you become an adult, will Jaehoon give it to you?”

“But there’s nothing I can do because she has to get married.”

“Then what about Saea?”

“Oh my. If it’s Sae-ah, it’ll pass.”

On one side, a strange conversation between mothers was unfolding.

“Oh my! Brother-in-law. Don’t just grill it, eat it.”

“Haha, yes. In-laws. It would be great if Jaehoon’s dad was my in-laws!”

On one hand, even the title has already been improved.

“Mom! Then what do I call Sae-ah?”

I gave up on thinking about it any further when I saw that even Ye-eun, whom I trusted, was trying to change her title.

I don’t want to break the good mood for no reason since everyone is laughing.

I should just eat meat.

I started eating meat quietly in an atmosphere where it seemed like everyone would be happy if I just sacrificed myself.

“Son-in-law! Don’t just eat pork, eat beef too.”

“Ah. Yes. Thank you.”

“Would you like to call me mother-in-law?”

“…..”

“Right? Jaehoon doesn’t like a mother-in-law like me, right?”

“…..”

“Oh my. I can’t even hear my mother-in-law’s voice from my son-in-law. I’m so sad. How should I live?”

“Haha. Eat a lot, mother-in-law.”

“Yeah! Son-in-law eats a lot too!”

The new father-in-law appeared after his mother-in-law, who seemed genuinely happy.

“Jaehoon! I’m also a master craftsman!”

“…..”

“Huh? Just say it once, you’re a master craftsman.”

“…..”

“Right? Jaehoon doesn’t like craftsmen like me, right?”

“Yes.”

“…..”

“…..”

“Just do it once, Jaehoon.”

“Yes. Master, please eat too.”

“Haha. Yes, son-in-law!”

I don’t think he’s shown any signs of genius for his age, and he hasn’t been kind to his older sister either, so I really don’t understand why people are like this.

I looked to the side and saw Sae-ah eating meat while smiling happily.

Yes. Sister Sae-ah, you need to laugh a lot and eat a lot to grow up pretty.

Perhaps today is a day where you give up a lot of things.

It was an incredible day when my mother-in-law and father-in-law came before my girlfriend.

***

This body.

As soon as 9 o’clock comes, my eyes open wide.

Looking to the side, I saw my father and father-in-law sleeping comfortably, snoring.

What a strange situation it is to have a mother-in-law and father-in-law without even a girlfriend.

When I think of my new sister from yesterday, smiling happily, I don’t know what on earth is going on.

Of course, when I look at it, it seems like if Sae-ah grows up like this, she’ll definitely become a beauty.

I really don’t know why you like me.

Even if I look at my face in the mirror, I’m not sure? I don’t know if it’s because I’m bigger, but one thing’s for sure, it’s not a face that you can fall in love with at first sight.

I came to my senses and left the room because it was a problem that had no answer even if I thought about it on my own.

“Oh! Son-in-law. You’re awake already?”

“Hello. Did you sleep well?”

“I slept well~ My son-in-law is really diligent.”

“Haha. Just open your eyes.”

After greeting my mother-in-law who was sitting in the living room of the pension, I left the pension to get some fresh air.

The weather is nice with a blue sky and the air is refreshing, perhaps because it is the countryside.

For some reason, I felt like walking, so I left the pension and started walking slowly. Then, I saw an old lady sitting on the rock where I had laid out a mat yesterday.

Strangely, I couldn’t take my eyes off it and found myself getting closer without realizing it.

At some point, I stopped and stood blankly next to my grandmother, and I felt a strange sensation that I had never felt before.

“An unknown soul.”

“Yes, sir.”

If it were normal, I would have called her grandmother, but I felt a sense of pressure that made me have no choice but to be as polite as possible.

“I happened to see it on the way and waited for it.”

“Are you talking about me?”

“Your soul is twisted.”

“…..”

“I couldn’t reincarnate and I couldn’t even find my place.”

“…..”

“Since I couldn’t reincarnate and couldn’t find my place, I ended up starting over in that state.”

“…..”

“So what about that body that can’t find its place?”

“…..”

“There were some souls like that in the past too.”

“…..”

“Some people were happy with their changed bodies. Some people were angry with their changed bodies. Some people despaired of their changed bodies. Some people resented their changed bodies.

“…..”

“Some lived in love, some lived according to their desires, some lived in boredom, and some lived in longing for relationships that could not be resumed.

“…..”

“Some tried to save, some tried to kill, some tried to hate, some tried to abhor.

“…..”

“You have escaped the cycle of reincarnation and entered it again through a different path, but you know that what happened was not what you wanted, so you are going to give yourself a first and last chance.

“…..”

“You can’t go back to your original place, but you can send it back to where it should have gone.”

“…..”

“Do you want to live like this or go back to where you were supposed to go?”

“…..”

“It is giving the soul a choice because something that should not have happened has happened.”

“Where was the place you were supposed to go originally?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“What happens to this body if it goes to the place it was supposed to go?”

“It will be erased. It will be forgotten, neither dead nor alive.”

“…..”

“There isn’t much time. I have to decide quickly.”

“I want to live like this.”

“Yes. I will respect your decision.”

“Thank you.”

After saying my thanks, the old lady in front of me disappeared as if she had never existed in the first place, and I just stood there blankly, watching the stream water flow by as if nothing had happened.

I always felt anxious because I knew that the reincarnation I was currently experiencing was not normal.

I was always afraid that something I didn’t want would happen or that something unexpected would happen.

But when I listened to what the person who just left said,

I guess it’s okay to just live.

Listening to what you said, it seems like it won’t be a problem if the future changes, and I can just live the way I want, so I don’t think I have to worry anymore.

I feel relieved and now I just need to change a few unfortunate futures and I’ll be happy.

“Son~! What are you doing there alone?”

“Huh? Are you just looking at the stream water?”

“But why are you smiling? You look happy?”

“Really? Are you just feeling good?”

“Son. Is that because you have a mother-in-law and father-in-law?”

“…..”

But why is this mom doing this when she’s in a good mood?

I was in a good mood and tried to forget about it, but it was my mother-in-law and father-in-law.

I should go and say hello to the craftsman in the morning.

It was a pleasant morning.

“Mom, let’s go in!”

“Yes, son!”

***

“Haha son-in-law! You woke up early!”

“Yes. I slept well. I hope your father-in-law slept well too?”

“Haha, that’s right. I slept really well, maybe because the air was good! But does your son-in-law look happy?”

“I just felt good.”

“That’s because you have a mother-in-law and father-in-law! I did the same thing when I got permission from my mother-in-law and father-in-law!”

“I see.”

“Haha. Right. By the way, what are you going to eat for breakfast?”

When I see the old man walking slowly while scratching his butt, I feel like I’m seeing my dad. Maybe it’s just my imagination.

It smelled delicious, so I went into the kitchen and saw something boiling in a large pot.

“Mom, what is that?”

“I’m making samgyetang.”

“Oh. The menu selection is good.”

“I decided before I came to play with my mom, Sae-ah!”

“Oh, my. In-laws! Sae-ah’s mom. In-laws. In-laws!”

“I’m not going to send Jaehoon yet?”

“Haha. I guess you’ll end up calling me in-laws?”

“They’re eight now. You know what?”

“Oh, my. In-laws. You’re being dishonest. You shouldn’t say things like that.”

Won’t there come a day soon when even the craftsman gets spanked on the back by his mother?

It seemed like they had become very close in just one day.

My dad, who was sitting in the living room with other adults and watching the news, started talking when the news mentioned economic trends.

“Son. You don’t invest in stocks these days?”

“Yeah. No. ”

“Why? You asked me to create an account like that?”

“It’s going downhill the whole time, so wouldn’t it be stupid to go in now?”

“Ahem. Really?”

“Did you get hurt?”

“…..”

The father, who had suffered a loss, exercised his right to remain silent, and then his father-in-law intervened.

“Jaehoon, do you also invest in stocks?”

“Oh my. I sang a song asking for a securities account earlier this year and they made it for me.”

“Hey. This must have been quite a difficult year, huh?”

“Jaehoon is better than his dad.”

“Really?”

“Whose son is he? He should do better than his dad. Hehe.”

“Hey, son-in-law! How much did you earn?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Why? I earned it?”

“I only talk about what I lost and keep it a secret.”

“Hey, but we’re family now?”

“…..”

“Then what percentage?”

“Forty percent.”

“Huh?”

“A little over forty.”

“Forty thousand won?”

“No. The rate of return is 40 percent.”

“How?”

“Mom’s early education?”

“Son-in-law! Let’s be friends!”

“…..”

I looked away from the craftsman who seemed to be seeing another version of my father.

When I see my mom talking about the Korean dictionary, I think she’s telling me a story about slush funds.

Judging from my mother-in-law’s expression, she was really enjoying listening, so I just kept my eyes fixed on the TV I was watching.

While I was watching TV, Sae-ah and Ye-eun woke up and the moms started setting the table in the kitchen as if the conversation was over.

I helped my moms set up the dishes.

When the fathers saw this, they came in to help, but were chased away by the mothers.

“Kids. Let’s eat. Dads, come too.”

Breakfast began with everyone sitting around a large table, each adult receiving a whole chicken in a bowl, and the children receiving half a chicken.

“”I’ll eat well.””

When I picked up my spoon to eat Samgyetang, the bird gave me its leg and took its wing away.

“….?”

I looked at Sae-ah, who was wondering what she was doing.

“Eating chicken wings makes you windy.”

“Who?”

“Dad.”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on the craftsman, and I had no choice but to ask him.

“Then if you eat the leg, it won’t run away?”

“…..”

The old man was quietly eating his samgyetang, exercising his right to remain silent.