Episode 8
Arim came home after being thoroughly humiliated by Jaekyung and collapsed onto the living room floor, sobbing.
“This is so infuriating! Why do I have to suffer this kind of humiliation?!”
Even as she lamented her situation, she didn’t forget to hurl anything within reach—her handbag, a cushion, even the remote control.
Arim had recently been indicted without detention for workplace harassment and defamation. Her case had been forwarded from the police to the prosecutor’s office.
After quitting her job, she’d been holed up at home for weeks. When she finally went out to lift her spirits with a little shopping, she’d only managed to make her mood worse. Seeing Yeongin—now the daughter-in-law of SL Group—with her own eyes left Arim feeling even more bitter about her own circumstances.
Hearing her wails that seemed loud enough to shake the house, Mr. Chae, Mrs. Kwak, and Beomjun came out to the living room and gathered around her.
Beomjun glanced down at his sister and snapped brusquely.
“What the hell are you bawling about this time?”
Given that he himself was facing charges of sexual assault, his situation wasn’t much better than hers. He felt like crying too, but hearing his sister sob at all hours only irritated him further.
“Hey! And you call yourself my brother?!”
The diffuser bottle Arim hurled at him missed and struck Mrs. Kwak, who was standing nearby, squarely on the thigh before clattering to the floor.
“Ahh!”
Finally losing patience with her daughter’s increasingly violent tantrums, Mrs. Kwak screamed.
“Chae Arim! You think you’re the only one suffering? You think you’re the only one in pain? No one in this house is having an easy time! So knock it off already!”
Arim’s face turned icy.
“You’re not suffering, Mom.”
“…What?”
“What exactly are you going through, Mom? Have you been sued? Have you been indicted? Are you the one facing trial?”
“…”
Mrs. Kwak bit her lip as if her daughter’s words had driven a knife straight through her heart. No matter how much she loved her daughter, she felt her affection draining away completely.
“This is unbearable. Absolutely unbearable.”
Letting out a long sigh, Mr. Chae walked toward the front door.
After the emergency shareholder meeting, he had stepped down from his position as CEO, and the company entered a new phase under professional management.
Meanwhile, the tax audit by the National Tax Service was still ongoing. Though the investigation hadn’t yet concluded, those in the know were expecting a massive back tax bill.
Mr. Chae had been indicted without detention for embezzlement and breach of trust, and his first trial was scheduled in a few days.
With three out of the four family members either already indicted or about to be, the household was in complete chaos. The family relationships had collapsed beyond repair.
It was, in every sense, a family in ruins.
Perhaps this was karma.
Friday evening.
Yeongin had just returned from work and was monitoring a drama when she got a call from Yeonhong.
“Yes, Yeonhong.”
— Sis, where are you right now?
“At home.”
— What about my brother?
“He’s still at work. He probably won’t be back early tonight either. He hasn’t come home before midnight even once this week.”
Through the phone, Yeongin faintly heard an excited “Oh yes!”
— You must be bored alone. Should I come over and keep you company?
Yeongin decided to play along with her sister-in-law’s enthusiasm.
“Actually, I was getting a little bored. Why don’t you come over?”
Because Seonghyeok had been so busy, they hadn’t been able to host a proper housewarming. She assumed her sister-in-law wanted to visit since she hadn’t seen the house yet.
Maybe because Yeonhong had been warm and supportive from the very beginning, Yeongin couldn’t help finding her endearing no matter what she did.
— Okay! I’m on my way!
Leaving that boisterous reply, Yeonhong hung up. It took her less than thirty minutes to arrive.
Yeongin stood at the door, smiling as she greeted her.
“Welcome, Yeonhong.”
Yeonhong grinned and handed over a shopping bag. From the shape of it, it was obvious what was inside.
“Is this wine?”
“Yes. I don’t know much about wine, so I asked the shop staff for a recommendation.”
“You really didn’t need to bring anything.”
“My mom always says you shouldn’t visit someone’s home empty-handed.”
“This isn’t someone else’s home. It’s your brother’s house.”
“Not much of a difference. Honestly, it feels more like a stranger’s place to me.”
Yeongin chuckled. Watching her husband and sister bicker whenever they met was oddly heartwarming.
If only I had a sibling I could share my heart with, she thought wistfully.
“Don’t just stand there—come in.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
As she led Yeonhong into the living room, Yeongin asked,
“How is it possible you’ve never once visited your brother’s place until now?”
Yeonhong blinked as if she couldn’t understand the question.
“I never really had a reason to come before.”
Yeongin laughed softly and decided to give her sister-in-law a quick tour of the house.
When they reached the master bedroom, Yeonhong looked around in admiration.
“Wow, this room is huge.”
“Technically, this is your brother’s room.”
“…Meaning you have a separate room?”
“Yes.”
Yeonhong’s expression darkened suddenly.
“You and my brother… things are okay, right?”
The idea of newlyweds sleeping in separate rooms, combined with the fact that her brother had been coming home past midnight all week, made her uneasy.
Noticing her sister-in-law’s worry, Yeongin smiled gently.
“I just thought it would be nice for each of us to have our own space, so I set up a separate room. But we’ve never actually slept apart—not even once. And I doubt we ever will.”
Yeonhong’s face instantly brightened with relief.
“Sis, can I stay over tonight?”
“Sure. But there’s nothing wrong, is there?”
“I had a fight with Mom. I don’t feel like going home.”
The truth was, she’d been teasing her mother and gotten a flick on the forehead in return. It was the first time since becoming an adult that she’d been scolded like that, and in a fit of childish indignation, she’d stormed out.
“Did you at least tell your mom you’re coming here?”
“Nope.”
“Then I’m putting the sleepover on hold for now.”
“Oh, come on, Sis…”
“I’ll let you stay if you agree to let me call your mom and tell her you’re here. Deal?”
It wasn’t even asking her to call directly, so Yeonhong readily agreed.
“Okay, deal.”
The two of them reached a quick agreement.
Later, when Yeongin called her mother-in-law and learned about the flick-on-the-forehead incident, she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing out loud.
After the tour, Yeonhong hinted that they should have a little wine. Yeongin opened the bottle she’d brought.
Just as they’d finished about half a glass each, Seonghyeok called.
“Yes, I understand. I figured you’d be late.”
Yeongin told him not to worry about her since Yeonhong was staying over, and hung up.
Almost instantly, Yeonhong leaned in eagerly.
“Is he going to be late?”
“Yes, probably past midnight again.”
A sly grin spread across Yeonhong’s face, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Sis, let’s go out.”
“Right now?”
Yeongin’s eyes widened. It was past 9 p.m.—where on earth did she want to go?
“Let’s hit a club.”
“A club?”
It wasn’t what Yeongin expected, but at that hour, it did make sense.
“There’s this super-hot place called The New Palace. Let’s check it out.”
“Oh, The New Palace…”
Yeongin trailed off, looking unsure.
“Why? You’ve been there before?”
“Not for fun. I had to go a few times for… unavoidable reasons.”
“Even better then! You’ll know the place!”
Yeongin didn’t exactly agree with that sentiment, but seeing her sister-in-law so excited, she couldn’t bring herself to rain on her parade.
“You know, I’ve never been to a big club like that before,” Yeonhong admitted sheepishly. “Smaller clubs, sure. But the big ones seem intimidating. I’m a bit of a scaredy-cat.”
Yeongin smiled gently at her sister-in-law’s earnest eyes.
“Alright, but just for an hour. Okay?”
She figured it was safer to go somewhere familiar, so long as they didn’t run into certain people—Chae Beomjun and Oh Changgeun.
But one of them was awaiting trial, and the other was in detention, so the odds were slim.
“Perfect. I didn’t plan to stay long anyway. I just want to get a feel for the place.”
“Then let’s make it quick.”
Yeongin got up decisively.
“Since we’ve been drinking, we’ll need a cab. Could you call one, Yeonhong?”
“Sure!”
Humming a cheerful tune, Yeonhong reached for her phone.
“Welcome!”
At the club entrance, a massive bouncer greeted them with a booming voice. Startled, Yeonhong instinctively moved closer to Yeongin.
Are bouncers at big clubs always this ridiculously polite? she wondered. Of course, that wasn’t it.
“Hello,” Yeongin replied.
The bouncer recognized her as the woman he’d escorted to her car on Seonghyeok’s orders the night they reunited after three years.
“Do you have any open tables?”
“If not, I’ll make one for you. This way, please.”
Thanks to Seonghyeok, Yeongin was treated like VIP. She led a wide-eyed Yeonhong inside.
The club was packed, with men and women reveling in a wild night. On the stage in front of the DJ booth, there wasn’t even room to set foot.
They were shown to a table with a clear view of the stage.
As they ordered drinks and snacks, Yeongin glanced fondly at her sister-in-law, who couldn’t take her eyes off the stage.
“If you want to dance, go ahead.”
“Maybe in a bit.”
Just as the two were settling in, trouble arrived.
Sensing someone nearby, Yeongin turned her head to find a man grinning lecherously as he slid into the seat next to her.
“You two came alone?”
“No.”
Unfazed by her curt reply, the man kept smiling.
“Come on, I’ve been watching you for a while. Don’t lie.”
“We’re with someone.”
“Forget that and have some fun with—ugh!”
The man groaned suddenly as a hand shot out from behind the sofa and shoved his face aside with force.
As his head snapped back into place, a low voice growled in his ear.
“Who told you to shove that greasy face over here?”
Startled, the man leapt to his feet and shouted.
“Who the hell are you?!”
“Her husband.”
Standing there in a black suit, slightly cocky, was Seonghyeok.
(Continued…)
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