episode_0094

The start of the school year is approaching.

It was the first day of school since I entered middle school, but for me it was just another day of going to school.

Always the same routine.

A daily routine of going to school, practicing meditation, eating with my older sister’s friends, and going home.

But even in such a daily life, the economic crisis continued to deepen, and the United States nationalized the companies that issued half of the mortgage bonds and injected public funds.

I knew the fires would continue to spread rapidly until December.

Of course I knew that, but it didn’t really have anything to do with me right now, and the biggest problem I had right now was the annoying school.

I tried to keep a positive mindset and went to school thinking that I only had three more years left of this life, and before I knew it, the Chuseok holiday was approaching.

It was a day when I could skip school and make a lot of money, so I happily got out of bed and started getting ready to go to my grandfather’s house.

“Son~ Huh? You dressed up nicely?”

“You usually wear it a lot on holidays.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Don’t just wear sportswear like you normally do.”

“The only thing I have to do is go to the gym, so I only have days when I have to wear gym clothes?”

“Oh, that’s true.”

After finishing the light makeup, the family all got into the car and headed to grandfather’s house.

***

Unlike Chuseok, which is always the same every year, there were passengers who arrived before us.

Isn’t that the most unpleasant passenger to see?

“Why did you come here on a holiday?”

“Should I ask my brother for permission to go to my dad’s house?”

“Oh, okay. ”

My second aunt who answers even simple questions rudely.

“”Hello.””

Our family naturally ignored my second aunt and greeted my grandparents.

“The grandchildren and daughter-in-law are here.”

My grandfather, who always greeted me with a smile, looked unhappy today.

In a situation where even grandma just quietly welcomes what happened.

“Father, what did Eugene say again?”

“Sit down first. Why are you standing so hard?”

As the whole family sat down on the sofa as the grandfather had said, the grandfather continued speaking.

“Eugene suffered a big loss this time.”

“Dad! Why are you telling me that!”

My second aunt is a grandfather who doesn’t even look at me.

“What damage did you suffer again?”

“They say he invested here and there and lost money.”

“But why is that? If you suffered a loss, isn’t it over after suffering the loss?”

“I guess he borrowed money from here and there and invested it.”

“Hey. Seo Yu-jin. Where did you invest?”

“I did it here and there in the stock market.”

“Does your brother-in-law know?”

“I know. We did it together.”

My second aunt is like that, and I was thinking that if my second uncle is like that, then I guess I have nothing to say, and then my story came up.

“No. My son is doing well. Why are you like that?”

“How much does he earn?”

“My son is a kid who has only earned and never lost.”

My second aunt suddenly glared at me. She was someone I couldn’t help but fight with even if I didn’t want to.

“So you lost money, what are you doing here?”

“I’m going to borrow some money from Dad!”

“You will pay me back well. And why are you doing this on a holiday?”

“Your husband and daughter came to greet you too?”

“Where are you?”

“In the guest room.”

To my second uncle, whom I have seen three times since I was born. To my cousin, who is one year younger than me, whom I met once a few years ago.

Although they were practically relatives who rarely attended family events, their relationship was worse than that of others.

“But why are your brother-in-law and nephew in the room and you are alone here?”

“Then, in front of the child, you ask Dad to lend you money?”

Dad, who was speechless at the right words. Dad, who had poor eloquence, always ended up losing like that.

“Anyway, I don’t have any money to lend you. Go to your in-laws and ask them to lend you some.”

“That’s because they don’t even treat your husband like that.”

If I acted like a second aunt, wouldn’t they treat me like that?

My second aunt glared at me again as I nodded to myself, thinking that my second uncle’s family was also a very wise family.

“Why do you keep staring at me like that? It’s scary.”

“Why are you nodding by yourself?”

“I was bored when I was just sitting still, so I did some neck exercises.”

“…..”

My second aunt just stared at me silently when I told her that I did some neck exercises on my own because I couldn’t ask her out in front of my grandparents.

“Why are you doing that to my son again? If you’re going to do that, just take your brother-in-law and nephew and go.”

My second aunt glared at me even more fiercely as I nodded again to my father’s correct words after a long time.

I feel this every time, but my second aunt had a great sense of hitting.

“Anyway, I don’t have any money to give you, so just eat and go.”

Grandfather gets up from his seat and heads to the kitchen, with grandma following him.

Our family also followed my grandfather into the kitchen.

As I was sitting at the table, my second aunt came into the kitchen with my uncle and cousin.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you and your wife.”

“Hello.”

My second uncle and my cousin greeted my parents and us and sat down, and my grandfather began eating with his spoon.

A quiet and awkward meal, not typical of a holiday.

“Son-in-law. I don’t have any money to lend you. Ask your in-laws to lend you money.”

The old man who seemed to have no intention of lending me real money.

My uncle looked at our parents’ faces and then answered.

“Our main business is exports. This time, the chaos in the US has caused our family company to be in bad shape.”

“What are we not affected by? It’s not just our relatives who are exporting.”

“Dad! But our house wasn’t hit that hard.”

“What is this, our house? Even outsiders don’t know? Your in-laws’ house is your house!”

My second aunt glared at me again as I nodded to my grandfather’s correct words.

“No! Miss! Why do you keep staring at our son!”

My mother couldn’t hold back her anger at my second aunt who kept glaring at me.

“The kid keeps nodding his head!”

“No. Did your father say something wrong? Since you said something right, the child might nod his head a little!”

“I’m the daughter of this house?”

“I’m a daughter-in-law!”

As the situation became increasingly chaotic, the grandfather and grandmother began to frown, and the father, unable to stand by any longer, stepped in.

“Just go home! Why are you causing such a fuss on a holiday!”

“No! You can’t even lend money to your daughter? How much does that cost!”

“You don’t have that much money, so you even took out a loan? That’s why you keep making investments that won’t pay off!”

“What? Do you think I’m just saying that?”

“Yeah! If I had given that money to my son, I would have been rich a long time ago! ”

Why does Dad keep dragging me in? This time, my second aunt glared at me and Dad alternately.

“After…”

A single sigh from the grandfather caused everyone to look around and the meal was quiet.

Finally, after the quiet meal was over and we were all sitting on the living room sofa, my grandfather spoke to me.

“Our eldest grandson almost always gets full marks even after entering middle school?”

“Yes. Well. You know I’m good at studying.”

“Haha. So how was high school?”

Unable to answer, I looked at my mother’s expression and she continued speaking.

“I heard he’s going to Sae-A-Rang, so I have to do as my son wants.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re smart so you can go early, so there’s no need to go late.”

“Even if a kid in middle school is smart, he’s still a middle school student.”

My second aunt ruins the pleasant conversation again.

“Miss. Do you think Minhee is good at studying?”

“She’s my daughter, of course she’ll do well.”

“How many points do you think he got? My son always got perfect scores in elementary school. ”

“Well. There are also full marks.”

“I guess not all of them are like that since there are some that got full marks. My son got full marks on all of them.”

“…..”

As expected, career positions cannot be ignored. My mother was a few steps ahead of me in bragging about her son.

“Chunsu keeps nagging you to get Jangson engaged, but you don’t have any plans to get engaged?”

“My son is now in the first year of middle school, what kind of engagement is this?”

“That’s right.”

“Niece. Are you meeting Uncle Chunsu’s granddaughter? Which child is she?”

“You don’t know.”

The second aunt who is ignored in front of her children and the uncle who is still watching out for them.

My second aunt’s face was red in the eyes of everyone, perhaps because she was ignored in front of her children.

“Yulim-ah. So when are you going home?”

“What does it matter to you, oppa?”

“If you go, let’s go then.”

“Why do you keep interfering when you’re going to inherit the company!”

“Why is it a bother to ask me to go with you?”

“…..”

Dad, who threw a counter. It was an exciting fight.

“Dad! Let’s talk for a bit.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Dad!!”

“Why!! I told you I don’t have any money to give you. Why do you keep saying that! Just go!”

My second aunt is now in tears.

“No. Seriously, why are you guys doing this to me!”

“You have children and nephews by your side. Why are you doing this to me!!”

Now, the grandfather responds appropriately to his second aunt’s tantrums.

“I can’t go until you lend me money.”

It was my second aunt who would do things that even Ye-eun wouldn’t do.

“Ye-eun, you shouldn’t learn from that? You’re in big trouble?”

“Yeah.”

It was my second aunt who glared at me as if she had heard me whispering.

“Oh my. Honey. Kids. Let’s go to sleep too!”

“”…..””

I heard the sound of my sister-in-law, who had come up from the countryside in the evening, wailing, wondering why that gentleman was acting like that.

I couldn’t bring myself to say no in front of my grandfather, so I kept my mouth shut.

If it were the original Chuseok, it would be time to bow and receive pocket money, but the adults are sitting on the sofa in silence.

My father was bored so he started picking on my second aunt.

“So where did you invest that it ended up like that?

“You don’t have to know.”

“No. I’m just curious.”

“Car side.”

“Isn’t the biggest hit right now the automobile industry?”

“Uh.”

“You should learn some stocks from our son.”

“…..”

My second aunt once again glared at my father and me in turn.

“So how much money does he make from stocks that he keeps saying that?”

“He always wins when he buys stocks. He was lucky, so he sold everything and that’s when chaos broke out.”

My dad keeps track of my stock accounts. I’m so glad I didn’t invest in stocks.

“Haha. Yes, for men, skill is important, but luck is the most important!”

“Dad, only kids without any skills can find luck.”

“Are you so good that you’re asking to borrow money?”

“No. I said that the staff would be laid off and the price would definitely go up because a new car was about to be released!”

“Who?”

“At an American securities firm!”

“Why is a company that is going well laying off employees? And if the price goes up unconditionally, why are you saying that I will buy it from you instead of you? Think about it! ”

As I was nodding my head to my grandfather’s correct words, he looked at me.

“Jangson also understood what I was saying. You are the one who fell down like this because you don’t know your age!”

“Why do you keep comparing him to me!”

“Then who are you comparing me to? Who are you comparing me to? Please grow up! Grow up! Why would I say something like this to you in front of my grandchildren!!”

“Yes. Eugene! How could your father do this to you, his daughter! Please come to your senses!”

“Okay. I don’t need it. I’m going!”

“Okay. Please go away!”

My second aunt got up from her seat and left after my grandfather continued to bully her, and my grandmother, who had been just watching, said something.

My uncle and cousin also saw my aunt like that, got up from their seats, greeted her, and started to hurriedly follow her out.

“Oh my. How long is he going to be like that?”

“But the other younger siblings are all doing well.”

“That’s right. If only he did well, it would be perfect. Oh my, I’m going crazy.”

The grandfather’s lament continued for thirty minutes, and finally the time for bowing arrived.

Ye-eun and I bowed deeply to our grandparents with the utmost respect, and this year, we also received a white envelope.

My father looked at me with a sly look as I was satisfied with the thickness of a brick.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Son. But when I checked my bankbook, it seems like it’s been a while since I deposited money. Where’s the rest of the money?”

“…..”

How could my father be so sharp that he noticed something that even my mother didn’t?

“Son? Really?”

A situation where even my mother had to hear about it.

“Mom. Are you going to use it when I’m strict? Keep it safe.”

My mom stared at me intently. After watching me for a while.

“Yeah. A smart son will do well.”

Fortunately, thanks to my mom who believed in me, I was able to let it go quietly without having to explain myself.

As I was calming my trembling heart, the family was preparing to go home.

Fortunately, it seems like Sae-ah, who came up from the countryside, won’t have to cry.