The In-Laws' House
In a quiet rural village on the outskirts of Seoul, the couple Kim Sekyeong and Jo Yeojin finally arrived in front of a handsome two-story country home whose yard opened up with refreshing spaciousness.
Even after driving the considerable distance from Seoul, Sekyeong’s face remained clouded with exhaustion and worry. A luxury foreign car sat parked in a place that felt entirely too grand for the sleepy countryside, and though they stood before a house that could have been plucked from a drama or film, Sekyeong still hesitated to step inside.
“Oppa, we’re here now. Let’s go in.”
Yeojin took his hand, speaking with gentle care.
Sekyeong let out a heavy sigh and opened the car door.
“Yeojin, you go in first and talk to them. I… I’ll come inside in a little while.”
“Are you all right? I know you feel uneasy around Father, but… this may be our last chance. Let’s hold on just a little longer, okay?”
Sekyeong had no reply. Given their circumstances, the time for indulging his own feelings had passed. He steeled himself and walked toward the front door, pressing the doorbell on the ornate gate.
Ding-dong.
The crisp chime echoed through the still country air.
Moments later the door opened, revealing a woman whose beauty and toned figure made her early fifties impossible to believe. Oh Na-ho, Sekyeong’s mother, carried herself with refined elegance that spoke of meticulous care.
She beamed the instant she saw the couple.
“Aigoo! My son! Come here! I’ve missed you so much~ And our sweet daughter-in-law Yeojin! How long has it been!”
Na-ho welcomed them warmly, pulling Yeojin into a tight embrace.
“Mother, it’s been too long. Have you been well?”
Yeojin greeted her mother-in-law with genuine affection. To her, Na-ho had always been kind and warm.
“Been a while, Mom.”
Sekyeong smiled, but the greeting felt stiff on his tongue; his heart was in turmoil.
It had been nearly three years since the wedding, so Na-ho made no effort to hide her joy.
“You haven’t shown your faces once since the wedding. Is something wrong? Come in, come in.”
She ushered them inside and guided them to the living room.
The moment he stepped into the living room, Sekyeong looked for his father.
“Mom, where’s Father? I called ahead.”
“He’s still out in the fields. It’s harvest season, so he’s been swamped. He said he’d finish up quickly once he heard you were coming.”
Na-ho settled Yeojin on the sofa, then turned to her son.
“Sekyeong, go fetch your father. Just head straight back through the fields and you’ll see him.”
Though reluctant, Sekyeong could not refuse. He followed his mother’s directions toward the farmland behind the house. A tidy kitchen garden gave way to wide, open rice paddies where several older farmers worked diligently. At the center of them stood his father.
“Father!”
Kim Dae-geun turned at his son’s voice. Despite being in his early sixties, the sun had burnished his powerful muscles and sturdy frame. He had always valued self-discipline, and years of steady farm work had kept him in excellent health. A man of strong responsibility, he had built a successful business from nothing, then handed it to his eldest son and a friend after Sekyeong’s marriage. He had moved to the countryside to farm as a hobby, and that too had flourished, leaving him comfortably wealthy.
A bright smile spread across Dae-geun’s face at the sight of his son.
“Oh, my boy! You’re finally here! How long has it been!”
He peeled off his dirt-stained gloves and strode over.
“Father… have you been well?”
Sekyeong felt an instinctive pressure from the older man’s massive build as he greeted him.
“Haha, as you can see. Farming agrees with me, so I’m healthy and strong. Didn’t your wife come?”
“She did. She’s inside with Mother.”
“Good. Since you’ve come all this way, rest properly before you leave. Come on, let’s head in. You must be tired.”
Dae-geun clapped a hand on Sekyeong’s shoulder. The grip carried surprising strength, far more than one would expect from a man his age. Sekyeong felt his shoulder flinch but kept his expression neutral.
The whole family gathered in the living room. Sekyeong and Yeojin sat across from Dae-geun and Na-ho.
“After the wedding it’s been like trying to catch stars in the sky just to see your faces. I’ve been lonely,” Dae-geun said with a chuckle, though clear disappointment threaded his voice.
Sekyeong felt too awkward to answer and could only glance at Yeojin.
Dae-geun’s smile faded into seriousness.
“So, what brings you all the way out here? This isn’t a simple visit, is it?”
Sekyeong stayed silent for a long moment before he finally spoke. He explained the situation as concisely as he could: the bankruptcy of his company, the loans and stock investments that followed, and the crushing mountain of debt that had become impossible to manage.
While he spoke, Yeojin held her husband’s hand tightly, head bowed in guilt and remorse. Dae-geun and Na-ho listened with grave expressions. Na-ho in particular watched the young couple with pity in her eyes.
After a long silence, Dae-geun thought carefully and then spoke.
“The debt. I’ll pay it off. That’s why you came, isn’t it?”
At his decisive words, both Sekyeong and Yeojin widened their eyes. Relief washed over them. Yeojin looked at her father-in-law with tears shimmering in her eyes.
“Father! Truly… thank you so much. I don’t even know how to express my gratitude…”
“No need for thanks. It’s only natural for a parent to help their child. But nothing in this world is free.”
Dae-geun cut her off.
“There are conditions.”
Sekyeong instinctively sensed the conditions would not be easy.
Dae-geun laid them out clearly.
“First, the two of you will live in this house together for the time being. Since your own home is mortgaged and gone, that’s only reasonable.”
“Second, Sekyeong, you will start at the very bottom of the company I founded years ago—now run by my friend. You will learn the business from the ground up and stay there until you can stand on your own two feet. I will be watching.”
“Third, daughter-in-law. You will help me with the farming and the household chores. Na-ho has been handling everything alone and it’s become too much. It won’t be difficult work, so don’t worry.”
“Finally, the debt I clear for you will be repaid gradually with money you earn yourselves. I won’t set interest or a deadline. I simply want to see you work to pay it back on your own strength.”
Sekyeong disliked every single condition. The thought of starting as a low-level employee in his father’s old company and leaving his wife under his father’s roof made him deeply uncomfortable. Yet their survival was at stake.
Yeojin responded with far more resolve than her husband. She stood up at once and bowed deeply to Dae-geun.
“Yes, Father! We accept every condition. We’re already so grateful that you’re willing to help us at all.”
Sekyeong stared at his wife in shock, but Yeojin met his gaze with a look that asked for his agreement. Dae-geun smiled, satisfied.
“Good. I can feel your sincerity. Daughter-in-law, it seems you may be the one who finally helps Sekyeong come to his senses.”
He added one last remark.
“I’ll prepare the contract tomorrow morning. You will sign it. A transaction of this size cannot be done with mere words.”
Sekyeong burst out, agitated.
“Father, do we really have to go that far between family?!”
Dae-geun looked at him with solemn eyes.
“That’s exactly how the world works, you fool. I want to teach you properly as you begin again. Never treat any contract lightly, and never trust verbal agreements. Especially with family, money matters must be handled even more carefully. And I want you never to forget the weight of the debt you brought upon yourself.”
It was the truth, so Sekyeong had no rebuttal.
Dae-geun declared the family meeting over and told them to rest well tonight; tomorrow they would begin in earnest.
That evening the family shared a meal together for the first time in years. Afterward Dae-geun brought out a bottle of his treasured fine wine. They drank and talked late into the night. The warm food and alcohol after days of hardship brought Sekyeong a rare sense of peace. He was the first to succumb to the drink and fall asleep.
“Aigoo, Sekyeong has always been weak with alcohol, just like his father,” Na-ho laughed.
“He’s been through so much lately, both physically and mentally,” Yeojin said.
“Mother, I’ll take him to bed.”
“Yes, you should rest as well.”
“I will.”
Once Yeojin had helped her husband away, Dae-geun gave Na-ho a meaningful look. She seemed to understand at once; a faintly excited gleam entered her eyes as she began tidying up.
Yeojin, slightly tipsy herself, supported Sekyeong to the guest room and laid him down. She stretched out beside him.
Lying there, she sank into deep thought about everything that had happened that day. Relief that the debt had been resolved, pride in herself for deciding to accept any condition for her husband’s sake, and a vague anxiety about the future that now lay before them at the in-laws’ house—all of it swirled together. Eventually, exhausted by her racing thoughts, Yeojin drifted off to sleep.
Some time later she woke with a dry throat. She rose quietly, went out to drink some water, and was about to return to the room when she heard a faint noise from the second floor.
Swish… swish…
Then, very softly, a trembling, sensual moan.
“Haaung…♡”
Yeojin’s heart began to beat faster. It was late enough that everyone should have been asleep. Drawn by the sound, she moved silently toward the staircase leading to the second floor.
Halfway up, she saw a soft pink glow leaking from the master bedroom at the end of the hallway. Along with it came clearer voices.
“Aang~! Right there… hah! Darling…♥”
Yeojin’s breath caught in her throat. The voice moaning so shamelessly belonged to none other than her mother-in-law.
She crept all the way up the stairs and peered cautiously through the narrow gap where light spilled from the bedroom door.
Her eyes flew wide open.
A chill swept through her entire body.
The scene inside shattered every notion of common sense and morality she possessed.
Oh Na-ho—her mother-in-law—hung suspended from the ceiling, wrists bound tightly with ropes. Her breasts were even more voluptuous than Yeojin’s own, her body firm and lusciously curved, entirely naked. And Kim Dae-geun, also completely nude, stood behind her, his large hand delivering sharp, rhythmic smacks to her ample backside.
The sight was shockingly obscene, yet at the same time something hot and nameless surged upward from the deepest part of Yeojin’s core.
