Chapter 608: Vegetable Garden
Chapter 608: Vegetable Garden
Why does heaven always see fit to test me?
Maybe I should take up a religion, Oh Yun-ji wondered quite seriously. No matter how twisted a person’s life could get, was it really possible for it to be this tangled?
If you’re going to twist it, at least do it in moderation.
Just when she thought things were finally settling down, this trial had dropped out of the blue.
She wanted to let out a heavy sigh, but even that felt like a tactical move in a battle of wits, so she simply kept her mouth shut.
Please don't come in. Please.
Chairman Kim was outside tending to the garden. It was a bit ridiculous to be sitting on the sofa in the Chairman’s own house thinking such things, but Yun-ji was dead serious.
Please, don't come in.
Just leave me alone.
It’s uncomfortable for you too, isn't it?
But as always, Chairman Kim was not the type of person to care about what others thought. Especially not in his own home.
Slide.
The balcony door opened, and Chairman Kim stepped inside. He walked past Yun-ji with a stoic expression, going about his business.
I’m going to lose my mind, seriously.
Was gravity five times stronger in this specific spot? She hadn't even done anything wrong. If anything, she was the victim here.
Unable to bear the suffocating atmosphere any longer, Yun-ji was the first to stand up. She followed Chairman Kim back out to the garden and asked, "Um, is there anything I can help you with?"
"..."
Chairman Kim didn't show much of a reaction. He didn't look surprised, nor did he frown. He simply stood up slowly, holding a hand hoe, and looked at Yun-ji.
"..."
"..."
A brief silence followed. It was a moment where her back felt as prickly as the warm sunlight beating down on her.
Should I not have said anything? Should I have just stayed in the living room?
While Yun-ji was agonizing over her choice, Chairman Kim pointed toward a shed at the corner of the garden.
"Go change your clothes in there and bring a hoe. We’re going to dig up the lettuce patch and plant something else."
For a moment, Yun-ji stared at him blankly. She hadn't actually expected him to give her a task. A flash of regret washed over her, but she had brought this on herself.
Yun-ji nodded and headed toward the tool shed.
A short while later.
When Yun-ji emerged from the shed, her fashion had undergone a significant transformation. She was wearing green overalls that looked like they belonged in a mudflat, a straw hat on her head, and white gloves. In her hand, she gripped a hoe.
"...It suits you."
Yun-ji frowned at the Chairman’s offhand remark. "Excuse me?!"
Chairman Kim didn't answer. He just silently went back to his work. Yun-ji grumbled under her breath but crouched down in the garden plot anyway. Since she already knew what to do, she started working without another word.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Watching Yun-ji work with surprising proficiency, Chairman Kim spoke up tonelessly. "You're better at this than I expected."
"Well, my mom grows a garden at home. She lives in the countryside, so I used to help her whenever I visited."
For the record, Oh Yun-ji’s mother was currently living near Yun-ji’s office. Yun-ji had offered to live together, but her mother had declined with a considerate remark, asking how long she planned on living with her mother.
"I see."
That was it. Chairman Kim didn't ask anything more. Did he just think he’d gained a useful laborer? Yun-ji couldn't help but feel a bit disgruntled, but she continued to help. After all, he was her father-in-law.
An awkward silence settled over the garden once more.
Man, I miss Seo Ye-rin.
She never imagined a day would come in her life when she’d actually miss Seo Ye-rin. Yun-ji knew this stifling feeling wasn't just because of the heat.
I’d rather just have a conversation.
With that thought, Yun-ji asked while vigorously hoeing the dirt, "By the way, Father-in-law, what are you planning to plant instead of lettuce?"
"...Father-in-law."
For the first time, Chairman Kim wore a complicated expression—like an office worker whose project, which they’d poured immense effort into, had just been scrapped. Seeing that look of existential doubt, Yun-ji pouted and nodded.
"Yes, Father-in-law."
"Sigh."
A short sigh escaped him. However, his reply was surprisingly sincere.
"I haven't decided yet."
Perfect.
Thinking she could keep the conversation going with this, Yun-ji offered her opinion. "How about perilla leaves? Chicory or crown daisies are also pretty easy to grow."
"I'm already growing all of those."
"..."
She glanced around at the rest of the garden. To be honest, it was far too large to be called a mere "plot." It would have been more surprising if the lush green plants she just mentioned weren't there.
"Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers—"
"Growing them all."
"Radishes, carrots—"
"Growing them all."
"How about basil or rosemary? The scent is—"
"Growing them all."
"Are you running a commercial farm, Father-in-law?"
"..."
Chairman Kim looked at Yun-ji again at her irritated question. Yun-ji, realizing she’d let her temper slip, quickly apologized.
"Ahem, I'm sorry. It’s just... you're growing everything already. Weren't you supposed to be resting?"
"My body stiffens up if I just sit still at home."
"...You should think about your age."
"Staying still is harder for me."
"Ah, I can actually relate to that."
Should she call it being a workaholic? Both Yun-ji and Chairman Kim were the same in that regard. The discipline required of those responsible for a company was strict, and they were even stricter with themselves.
It was no different even after retirement. Chairman Kim grew plants as if he were handling a business project. Sometimes his wife would tease him, saying, "You couldn't raise your kids, so now you're working so hard to raise plants," but it wasn't like that.
To Chairman Kim, this was a type of work—the driving force that allowed him to live a productive life.
"I can't stay still either. I always try to find work to do. I even go out of my way to find more."
"I know."
"...What? You know?"
The answer was not what Yun-ji had expected. Chairman Kim wasn't the type of man to bluff or lie. If he said he knew, it wasn't just a vague "I have an idea."
"When you and Woo-jin grew apart... how you spent your time, how you worked, how you grew your company... did you really think I was just sitting back and waiting?"
"Then—"
"I was receiving reports on everything. You didn't know, but there were times I intentionally created crises for you."
"...What?!"
This was even more shocking than the idea that he’d just been watching. Yun-ji stared at him, dumbfounded.
When? Which ones?
To the bewildered woman, Chairman Kim explained calmly as he moved his hoe. "It was when you were about to sign a contract with a famous YouTuber. Didn't that YouTuber suddenly get indicted for a crypto investment fraud?"
"...Huh? Ah! Aaaaah!" Yun-ji shouted, her eyes widening. "That—that was your doing, Father-in-law?! That broke right before the contract was signed, and I barely managed to clean up the mess!"
At the time, the public sentiment in the comments was brutal, questioning if her company, Star Studio, was also involved. She had only found out right before the signing and managed to shake it off by hurriedly canceling the contract.
Then, a thought occurred to her. Yun-ji found a subtle contradiction in Chairman Kim’s words.
"...But Father-in-law, if you had let the news break after I signed the contract, wouldn't that have finished me off completely?"
"I suppose it would have."
Chairman Kim remained stoic even after his contradiction was pointed out. While Yun-ji wondered if he had actually been protecting her, the Chairman added, "Don't think for a second that I cared about such trivial details."
"..."
The meaning behind those words was simple. Why would he need to be meticulous just to take down someone like Oh Yun-ji? He had simply thrown a bomb, and it just so happened that the timing was lucky enough for Yun-ji not to die. That was all.
Yun-ji stared at Chairman Kim for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "It was a gesture of consideration. If you had just said it like that, I might have seen you in a different light."
"You are not a person of enough consequence to make me resort to lies."
Grit.
Yun-ji clenched her teeth. This man, who kept getting under her skin while still focusing solely on his garden... her father-in-law was starting to... no, he had been incredibly annoying for a while now.
"Do you still not acknowledge me?"
At Yun-ji’s question, Chairman Kim slowly stood up. He looked her straight in the eye and replied, "He made me acknowledge you. That boy, Woo-jin."
"..."
Those words weren't pleasant to hear at all. In the end, it meant that if it hadn't been for Kim Woo-jin, she would never have been acknowledged on her own merits.
"As I told you before, do not expect an apology. An apology is something offered by those who feel regret."
And Chairman Kim would act the exact same way even if he went back in time. Because that was his way of protecting the company.
"...You really say whatever you want, don't you?"
"Don't forget whose son my boy is."
Grit.
Seriously, he always had to have the last word. Yun-ji, her anger rising, put her hands on her hips and asked, "Then did you know he would end up with six wives?"
Silence.
For the first time, Chairman Kim was at a loss for words. Or rather, it was more accurate to say he had nothing to say. Who could possibly answer that question? Even Kim Woo-jin hadn't seen that coming.
Seeing her chance, Yun-ji pressed her advantage with renewed vigor. "Wouldn't it have been much cleaner if you had just accepted me from the start? How about it? Do you not regret that?"
"I do not."
"...!"
An unexpected affirmation. Even Yun-ji, who had asked the question, was taken aback, but Chairman Kim continued.
"Because thanks to that, Yuna, Seo-woo, and Chae-rin came into my life."
"Ah."
For the first time, a smile touched the corners of Chairman Kim’s mouth. It wasn't the cold expression of a chairman that Yun-ji knew, but literally the look of a grandfather thinking of his grandchildren.
Yun-ji stood there as if she’d been struck in the head, then asked cautiously, "If..."
"..."
"If I have a child too... will you love my child just as much?"
She was afraid to hear the answer. But she had to hear it. Depending on this one answer, Yun-ji might have even considered not having children at all.
But without a single change in his tone, Chairman Kim spoke.
"If it's a boy, Yun-ho or Hyeon-woo."
He revealed names he had clearly been contemplating for a long time, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"If it's a girl, Yu-jin or Ha-rin. I think those would be good."
"..."
Looking at Chairman Kim, who had already named the grandchildren that would be born between her and Kim Woo-jin, Yun-ji wore a dazed expression. Then, the moment she snapped out of it, she let out a small chuckle and replied, "Your taste in names is surprisingly trendy, Father-in-law."