episode_0180

There were some incidents, but anyway, the ancestral rites must have ended. It was time for everyone to start dispersing as they had to go back to their own homes.

“Well, it’s a shame. Sir… no, now it’s Miss. Anyway, I wanted to hear a bit about your daily life.”

The eldest sister-in-law said. Well, to be honest, there might not be much to talk about in terms of daily life, but the daily life of someone who has changed genders could be an interesting episode from another person’s perspective.

“Oh, this person. Why do you care about that?”

“Well, I might just be curious.”

“It’s okay, sir. It’s nothing special.”

As I accepted it as if it were insignificant, Woohyun awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“Well, anyway. It was nice to see you after a long time.”

“Yeah. Seeing Doyeon living well like this puts my mind at ease.”

“Thank you, Donghyun.”

“Auntie, can I come to Auntie’s house next time?”

Dasol asked.

“Of course. You can come anytime.”

“Hehe, great. Dayoung, let me know when the clothes you ordered arrive. I want to see Auntie wearing them in person.”

“Sure.”

I wanted to say that I’m not your dress-up doll… but I just smiled and let it go, grateful for their consideration.

“Then I’ll prepare some side dishes for Dasol to take home. Miss.”

“Huh? You don’t have to go through the trouble…”

“Oh, it’s just my heart, so just accept it.”

With conversations like this, the big uncle’s family and the little uncle’s family left, looking forward to the next meeting.

And shortly after, only our family remained in the lively place, enjoying the lingering atmosphere for a moment before starting to clean up.

Since there were many people enjoying the gathering, it was a bit too much for Mom to clean up alone, and even if Mom said she would do it alone, it wasn’t like Nana and Suyeon would just sit and watch. So, with the father, whose back was hurting, looking after Suyeon’s children, the rest of us all pitched in to clean up.

So, Mom, me, Suyeon, Sangki, Dayoung, and Davin all worked together to clean up, and it was finished sooner than expected.

“Phew, it ended faster than I thought.”

“Yeah, right. Oh, by the way, what was that earlier? Why did you suddenly ask Park Seobang about false testimony or something?”

After finishing cleaning, Suyeon suddenly asked about what happened at the PC room earlier, and I briefly explained it to her.

“What? No way, there are people like that who talk nonsense?”

“Hey, hey. The kids might hear.”

Of course, the kids in the annex wouldn’t hear what we were talking about while cleaning up, but it’s better to be careful if we can.

“And since it was resolved well, let’s just move on. It’s nothing special, and you meet all kinds of people in life, right?”

“Tsk, whether you’re calm or indifferent. The kids must have been surprised.”

“Still, I held back because of the kids. You explain it well to Park Seobang later.”

After that conversation, we finished cleaning and returned to the main house, where everyone was already sitting and eating fruit.

“Are you coming now? Come and eat some fruit quickly.”

“What about Father?”

“I gave your father a plate too. He’s eating with Jinwoo and Jinseo.”

With that assurance, we also sat down.

We sat there and chatted leisurely. It was the kind of conversation that could have been shared over dinner yesterday, but now we had to catch up on recent events and various stories due to Father’s back issues.

Or stories about Suyeon’s children.

“Oh, Jinwoo had a school performance at kindergarten recently. Do you want to see the photos?”

“Oh my, who is this? Haha. Is this our Jinwoo? He’s so cute.”

Suyeon’s current situation.

“How’s your store doing these days? The economy isn’t great, but do you have some customers?”

“We have a few customers, but well, compared to other industries, it’s not that difficult to make a living. Haha.”

“Really? Anyway, it’s fortunate. Well, having Park Seobang makes it feel reliable.”

“Oh, stop it. Haha. I’m just an ordinary employee.”

Still, seeing her not losing her smile, it seemed like there weren’t major economic difficulties. Well, the legal profession doesn’t seem to be affected by the economy, but still.

“How about you, Doyeon?”

Suddenly, the conversation turned to me.

“Well, I mentioned about my promotion. The project is in its final stages… and I’m living without any major issues.”

As I was about to finish speaking after mentioning the things that came to mind, Dayoung chimed in.

“Oh, Grandma. Mom’s company decided to use me as a model for their new product.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Oh, that… ”

I briefly summarized how I became a model and the reasons behind it.

“Oh my, really? Are you okay with it?”

“Well… it’s a bit burdensome. Since the modeling fee is what it is, it’s a bit difficult to refuse.”

“How much is it?”

I showed her one finger.

“Wow! T-ten million won? Oh, then you should do it. Just a few photos for ten million won.”

Actually, the modeling fee doesn’t just end with taking photos. It includes maintaining dignity, continuous after-service, and various other issues related to the product. I didn’t know much about it until I encountered it and looked into it, so it wasn’t difficult to think that way.

“Grandma, it’s not ten million won, it’s one hundred million won.”

As Davin said that, she looked a bit puzzled.

“W-what? One, one hundred million?”

As expected, Mom was very surprised, and Suyeon was also shocked. Park Seobang seemed to have some knowledge about this side of things, as he nodded as if he expected it.

“If it was ten million won, I might have thought about it, but since it’s one hundred million won, I just asked. When would I ever receive such a large sum of money and work?”

“That’s right. You did well. Such a big opportunity doesn’t come often.”

Suyeon nodded with a twinkle in her eye.

“Oh… I don’t know if I should be happy about this.”

Mom furrowed her brow as if she was more worried.

“No, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, so if you’re receiving one hundred million won, it’s probably not just about taking a few photos. I feel like there’s something to worry about, dear.”

Well, that could be one way to think about it. Especially in the eyes of the elderly, there would naturally be more worries.

As I mentioned earlier, the modeling fee isn’t just about taking a few photos in exchange. There are many conditions that come with it, and although I haven’t signed a contract yet, there would surely be many restrictions written in the contract.

For example, if I model for a product and then promote a competitor’s product, or make morally questionable statements or actions, it could severely damage the image of the promotional material. So, it’s only natural that I would be subject to as many restrictions as the money I receive.

“When you were a fitness center model before, why were you so happy then?”

Suyeon asked her mom.

“Girl, the amount is different, the amount! It’s not a few hundred won less, but a hundred million!”

As expected, Mom was very surprised, and Suyeon was also shocked. Park Seobang seemed to have some knowledge about this side of things, as he nodded as if he expected it.

“Back then, the amount wasn’t as high, it wasn’t a hundred million! It wasn’t a few hundred won less, but a hundred million!”

As expected, Mom was very surprised, and Suyeon was also shocked. Park Seobang seemed to have some knowledge about this side of things, as he nodded as if he expected it.

“Hmm… Well, I guess that’s true. Anyway, my real brother is really amazing. But, what about that Manager Yook? Shouldn’t we at least show some gratitude to him, or something, as a sign of respect?”

“Yeah, he’s a grateful person.”

Haha… Well, it’s true that I’m grateful for his help with the model project this time, but… It’s not easy to just offer a meal to Manager Yook, considering the image I’ve seen of him so far. Of course, he won’t overstep his boundaries, but who knows how many favors he’ll ask for in return.

Without saying it outright, let’s express this awkwardness.

“Brother, when you’re stuck like this, why not just buy a Hanwoo gift set or something?”

“Yeah, if it’s uncomfortable to be alone with him, you could just give a gift. Why are you so stiff?”

“Haha, I see.”

It’s true that I haven’t thought of a suitable gift. Being an elderly man living alone, even if I were to give a Hanwoo gift set, I wonder if he could eat it all. It might be better to give something more practical…

Oh, and now that I think about it, that animation that Manager Yook always talks about. Was it Macross? It might be okay to give a gift related to that animation. Roughly speaking, the price range of a Hanwoo gift set or a figure should be similar.

“Oh, a good gift idea just came to mind. But since we haven’t written the contract yet, it might be better to do that after writing the contract and finishing the project, right?”

“Yeah, that seems like the right order.”

He nodded in agreement with my suggestion.

“Well, anyway. You seem to have it under control, but remember, a favor is a favor, so make sure to take care of something. People may forget their enemies, but they should never forget a favor.”

“Got it.”

Of course, I had no intention of just letting it go. At least in front of my children, I was trying to live as an upright parent, and in order to do that, I had to set an example.

“But mom, what’s the gift you remembered?”

“It’s a secret.”

“No, seriously, what kind of secret gift are you giving to a boss who often makes suggestive comments?”

Despite Da-young’s probing, I didn’t reveal the answer.

Hmm, to remain a role model for my children, this is the right thing to do.

To be a parent who gives a suggestive gift to a boss, how unbecoming would that be? That’s what I thought.