Chapter 269: Main House
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 269: Main House
My first full day at the Main House began.
Since having breakfast together is a national rule in our family, I forced myself out of bed to join them.
Two things struck me as odd.
First, Big Hyung was nowhere to be seen.
At first, I thought he might be pulling an all-nighter at the office since he’s the Vice Chairman. But I later found out he had actually moved out and gotten his own place.
I wondered if he was living with the Big Sister-in-law, but that wasn't it.
Apparently, he moved out simply because they were worried his presence might stress out the Second Sister-in-law during her pregnancy.
Kicking out his own son for a grandchild.
Of course, Big Hyung probably found the arrangement more comfortable anyway.
The second odd thing was Choi Jin-ah’s presence at the breakfast table.
It was honestly impressive how she was still hanging around our house, refusing to leave.
"Tough bitch."
As I muttered that while sitting on the sofa, Choi Jin-ah flinched and shot a sideways glance at me.
"W-Were you talking to me?"
"Who else is here?"
"T-The Chairman and your mother said I could stay. On the condition that I... frequently play music for the mother-to-be..."
"Wow. Weren't you the one making a huge fuss on TV about being a world-class violinist? And a person like that is just on standby to play at our house?"
"E-Exactly. Isn't it amazing? You can't just buy tickets to my performances with money, you know."
"What's the point of saying that now? Does it even make a difference? Even if you're a great performer, isn't it the same as listening through a good speaker?"
One good thing about being home was the staff.
One of them approached me like a flight attendant and set down a cup of coffee.
"What?!"
Did I touch a sore spot?
Choi Jin-ah stood up abruptly, her fists clenched tight.
"Just you wait!"
She marched toward an empty room on the second floor. A moment later, she returned carrying what looked like a violin case.
Even the case looked like a high-end item I’d never seen before.
"This case was custom-made by an Italian master craftsman."
"Well, I'm a son custom-made by my mother."
Choi Jin-ah glared at me as if to ask what that had to do with anything, then pulled out her violin.
"Whew."
The performance began the moment she took a deep breath.
The music, a blend of freshness and vitality perfect for waking up the morning, seemed to give a boost of energy even to the busy staff members.
It was a performance by a world-class violinist, signaling the start of a peaceful day.
Before I knew it, the Second Sister-in-law had arrived, closing her eyes and immersing herself in the music.
She’s adjusted surprisingly well.
I had initially worried about whether my sister-in-law, a former famous personal broadcaster, would be able to handle living in our patriarchal household.
But looking at her now, she seemed quite comfortable. She had gained a bit of weight, and her skin looked radiant.
"Whew."
The performance eventually came to an end.
As the passing staff and the Second Sister-in-law clapped for her, Choi Jin-ah bowed gracefully.
She would have looked quite elegant if she hadn't been wearing pajamas.
I had no idea where she’d scavenged those rabbit pajamas from.
Were they hers?
"How was it?"
Choi Jin-ah looked smug.
If someone like me, who was practically a layman when it came to classical music, thought it sounded good, then Choi Jin-ah was definitely a skilled performer.
"It was impressive."
"Hmph."
When I gave her an honest compliment, Choi Jin-ah shrugged her shoulders.
I’d felt this since the last reunion, but it seemed like this woman’s emotions had become much more colorful.
"But it's a bit of a shame."
"...What?"
Choi Jin-ah’s smug expression froze.
"Personally, I'm not a big fan of classical music. I haven't listened to it much."
Isn't it true that rap or idol music is more deeply ingrained in our lives than classical?
"Can you do idol songs? Like Miloki's 'Sugar Love' or something."
"Oh, that sounds great! Young Master, you really know your idols, don't you?"
The Second Sister-in-law, who was sensitive to trends, caught on immediately. It was a song by a new girl group, and it was actually quite good.
"I don't really know much, but they kept popping up in my Neutube algorithm wearing swimsuits. So I watched."
"...Does she not say anything when you watch stuff like that?"
The Second Sister-in-law didn't explicitly mention who "she" was. She knew enough about my complicated love life.
"We watched it together."
But I am Kim Woo-jin.
The kind of person who leaps over common sense when someone brings it up.
"You watched it together?"
"Yeah, we just watched it together. I even asked her if she liked the swimsuits and if she'd want to wear something with that vibe the next time we go on vacation."
"...Young Master, you really are something else."
"It's fine as long as I'm watching for research purposes. As long as I don't look at them with lecherous eyes, it's okay."
"How can you be so shameless?"
In the middle of our high-class morning conversation, Choi Jin-ah suddenly rested the violin on her shoulder again.
She had a Bluetooth earbud in one ear, seemingly listening to something.
There was no hesitation.
The lively, bubbly melody of a girl group song began to burst forth—from a violin, no less.
"Yeah, this is more like it."
I enjoyed the performance, bobbing my shoulders, and the Second Sister-in-law next to me couldn't contain her excitement either.
"Ooh, look at me go. I haven't been able to listen to songs like this since I got here, but our Sturdy seems to take after his mom's taste. He loves it."
So the baby's nickname was Sturdy.
Anyway.
Seeing a pregnant woman grooving to a girl group song was pretty funny.
As a former personal broadcaster, the Second Sister-in-law probably preferred this kind of music much more.
She probably hadn't been able to listen to it because of Sturdy.
I wondered if this was some kind of weird hybrid, but in the end, if it sounds good, it's good.
The performance ended.
"Huff! Huff!"
Choi Jin-ah, breathing heavily, gave another graceful bow.
This time, the applause was even more enthusiastic, and the Second Sister-in-law gave a much better reaction than she had for the classical piece.
"Wow, I feel so energized. I could hardly stop my shoulders from dancing."
The Second Sister-in-law wasn't that old yet.
To be honest, she’d obviously prefer this kind of pop music over classical.
"H-How was it?"
"Can you do oldies too? Like 'Flying Turtle.' Can you do that? I'd love to hear it after so long."
"Do I look like an MP3 player to you?! I'm done!"
That’s a shame.
Choi Jin-ah put her violin away, declaring she was finished.
Well, that didn't really matter.
"More importantly, I've been wondering since earlier—what's with those pajamas?"
"..."
I couldn't contain my curiosity about where she’d gotten those rabbit pajamas and why she was wearing them.
"Oh, those are mine. I used to wear them often during my broadcasts, but Jin-ah didn't have anything to change into, so I lent them to her."
"I-I didn't want to wear this either."
Then you could just go home.
I wanted to say it, but I held back.
After all, her performance just now made her presence here a little more justifiable.
* * *
Time passed, and it was evening.
"I'm so bored."
It hadn't even been a full day since I started staying at the Main House.
From my perspective, having injured my right leg, it was certainly comfortable.
Meals were prepared for me, and I didn't have to do chores like laundry or dishes.
It felt like I just had to exist.
The problem was that I was incredibly bored.
I'm so damn bored.
I tried calling the girls, but they were all busy and couldn't talk for long.
Even if we had a long call, the boredom would just return once we hung up.
I’d asked to have a computer installed in my room like Seo Ye-rin suggested, but it looked like that wouldn't happen until tomorrow.
"I'm so boooored."
I was rolling around on my bed playing mobile games when...
Knock, knock.
"Woo-jin? The bathhouse is empty."
Choi Jin-ah poked her head in.
She seemed to have just finished bathing, as steam was rising from her body. She was still wearing the rabbit pajamas from this morning.
Maybe she actually liked them, despite pretending otherwise.
"The bathhouse is great, isn't it?"
When I asked as I got up from the bed, Choi Jin-ah replied with a warm smile.
"Yes, I had no idea there would be such a large bathhouse inside a house."
"You don't have one at your place?"
"We didn't. I think there's one at our villa, but I've never been."
Talking like this really made it sink in that we were a chaebol family.
Discussing whether or not there’s a bathhouse in the house.
I wouldn't be able to get into the tub because of my leg, but I decided to wash up in the bathhouse anyway just to get into the mood.
I had music playing on my phone when a call came in.
— Seo Ye-rin -
"Hello?"
— Woo-jin! What are you doing?!
She’d said she was filming earlier, so she must have just finished. Her excited voice made me smile.
"I'm washing up."
— A shower? How lewd!
"It's not particularly lewd."
— Wouldn't it be lewd if I said I was showering?
"...It would be."
— Hehe!
Imagining water running down the curve of her cleavage and over her hips made my lower half stir.
Luckily, I was alone.
— Ah, I haven't seen you for a day and I already miss you. It was so nice when we lived together.
"Yeah. I miss you too."
— Should we video call?
"I told you, I'm washing up."
— Hmm? That's why I'm suggesting it.
"..."
— Actually, never mind. If I see you, I feel like I'll run over there right now.
I decided to hold back because I felt like we’d cross a line if we switched to a video call.
— Did you talk to the other girls?
"Everyone's busy. We didn't talk for long."
Since I was in the middle of washing up, we couldn't talk for long. Besides, Seo Ye-rin was tired from just finishing work.
Regardless, it was a moment that added some flavor to a dull day.
As I walked out into the living room while drying my hair, the blast of the air conditioner greeted me first.
Father and Mother should have turned in by now.
The staff had also finished for the day.
I wondered who was in the living room, only to find the Second Sister-in-law, Choi Jin-ah, and Senior Ju-hee.
"Huh?"
What an unexpected combination.
The Second Sister-in-law was playing a game on a console connected to the large TV.
Senior Ju-hee and Choi Jin-ah were also holding gamepads, playing quite seriously.
"What are you guys doing?"
I never imagined I’d see a sight like this in our living room.
The Second Sister-in-law gave an awkward laugh as she explained.
"Oh, I used to sneak out here to play games sometimes after my parents-in-law went to sleep. Ju-hee joins me too."
Ju-hee?
"Ju-hee's the only bodyguard around my age, so we became friends."
"Ah, I see."
I was going to just let it go, but seeing the game made it look fun.
Plus, playing on such a huge TV was tempting.
Thinking about it, I also had something to say to Senior Ju-hee, so I naturally joined in.
"Being like this makes me feel like a college student again."
The Second Sister-in-law looked pleased as she reminisced about her college days.
Since there wasn't a huge age gap, it couldn't have been more than a few years ago.
"In my day, we’d get together and gossip like crazy. Is it still like that?"
"Well, it's pretty much the same, right?"
"I didn't go to university much."
Choi Jin-ah traveled so much that she probably didn't attend often. People like her usually have special arrangements to graduate anyway.
"It feels like we're on an MT! In my day, we’d drink and tell stories about our first loves. How about it? I want to hear everyone's first love stories!"
At the Second Sister-in-law’s bombshell remark—made in total ignorance—I felt Senior Ju-hee and Choi Jin-ah’s gazes snap toward me simultaneously.