A Morning Full of Smiles
“Good morning.”
The unusual greeting makes everyone turn and stare. It isn’t just empty words. Normally I drag myself to my desk with a half-dead expression, but today I actually woke up in a good mood. Even if my niece did scold me a little.
When I came to my senses, I realized I’d fallen asleep beside her again. If anyone found out—especially if it reached Min-a’s ears—it would be disastrous. The uncle crawling into his grown niece’s bed every night. I know it’s wrong. Forget being a nuisance; she’s a woman now, an adult. Having a grown man cling to her has to feel uncomfortable. But… I don’t want to let go of the warmth I’ve only just found. No matter how exhausting the day, I can sleep peacefully only when I’m next to her.
Yerin keeps complaining that she shouldn’t have to put her grown uncle to bed and threatens to start charging me lodging fees. It feels like the roles have reversed, yet I’m grateful she never wakes me. For the first time in ages, a smile spreads across my face. Ever since I lost my sister, I’ve lived without laughter. There was nothing to smile about, and I didn’t want to grin like an idiot. I just nodded along with a stiff face, saying “Yes, yes,” and lived each day however the world demanded.
Maybe my niece isn’t just similar to her mother in looks. Being near her brings the same sense of relief, the same peace my sister once gave me. Thanks to her, I keep acting spoiled. By a girl a whole head shorter than me.
I sit down and my phone vibrates.
[Have a good day. Not just “okay” or “fine”—actually good.]
A message from Yerin. Straightforward encouragement, just like her.
[You too. Don’t study too hard—just enough.]
[Isn’t a senior supposed to study hard? What kind of encouragement is that?]
[If you push too hard you’ll burn out. Just do what you need to. Enough so it doesn’t get in the way of what you want to do later. I don’t want to hover over your grades like some nagging uncle.]
[Then you should take it easy at work too. Don’t come home looking half-dead every day.]
[If Sungmo says anything, just ignore her.]
[What kind of uncle lets himself be treated like a servant?]
While I’m thinking of a reply, footsteps approach from across the office.
“Did the stock prices go up or something?”
I quickly hide my phone. Of course it’s Min-a, looking down at me. We didn’t talk about anything special, but getting caught would be trouble. I know her personality. I don’t want to start the day by getting nitpicked and fighting. Yerin told me to have a good day.
“No. I was just smiling at something on my phone. If you’ve got something good, share it with me too, Assistant Manager. Let’s both get rich.”
She already has plenty of money. Min-a keeps glancing at my phone, clearly unwilling to let it go until she gets a proper answer.
“I was only looking for a second.”
“And it was that entertaining?”
She keeps pressing. She wants to know who I was talking to.
“There was a video of a puppy being cute. It was really adorable.”
“Really? I didn’t know you liked puppies, Assistant Manager. Show me next time.”
The excuse works. Thank goodness we’re in the office with so many eyes around; otherwise she would’ve demanded I hand over the phone without argument.
“Min-a! Bring me those documents I mentioned earlier!”
“Yes, just a moment.”
Luckily, the representative calls her away. It feels wrong to feel relieved that my wife’s attention has been diverted, but I can’t help it. Otherwise she’d keep finding faults, sticking her nose into everything.
One person tormenting me is enough.
Once Min-a leaves, Assistant Manager Choi peeks over from the next desk.
“Did you go to the hospital or something? Your face looks so much better, Assistant Manager Kim.”
“Yeah. No one’s been bothering me.”
We both glance at the door to the representative’s office where Min-a disappeared, then continue the conversation. We don’t need to say her name; the culprit is obvious.
“If you two start living together, you’ll clash even more. How are you going to handle that? You’re already groaning as it is.”
“I’ll… think about it when the time comes.”
“Anyway, fighting. I’ll send you the finished drawings so you can check them.”
“Thanks.”
After a short chat, I get back to work—fixing what needs fixing, adding new details, copying and pasting anything usable from the old files. While I’m zoning out over the monitor, my phone buzzes again. Thinking it might be Yerin, I check right away.
[I’m bringing side dishes over.]
Unfortunately, it’s someone else. The nagging champion is marching on our house. Mom asks what time I’ll be done. She knows the password, so she could just drop them off, but that’s not her style. She’ll want to see how her son and granddaughter are living, and if anything displeases her, she’ll have plenty to say.
[If you’re taking the kid, make sure you eat properly. No instant food or delivery. You’ll ruin your health.]
[You have that induction stove you paid good money for. It’s not like you don’t have fire. Why do you keep ordering out?]
I already got an earful over the phone. It’s better that Mom nags me than Yerin, but it’s still exhausting. No matter how much I say I’ve got it under control, she doesn’t trust her son. I can’t blame her. Every time she visited, she saw stacks of delivery containers.
Min-a’s a lost cause, obviously.
Mom only knows her as the rich princess who’s never lifted a finger in the kitchen. Even when Mom offered to teach her to cook, Min-a just scoffed and said she’d hire someone.
Assistant Manager Choi worries about me and Min-a clashing, but the real problem is mother-in-law versus daughter-in-law. Both of them have to say their piece or they’ll explode.
[I’ll let you know when I’m finishing up. Probably the usual time.]
[Drive carefully. Don’t rush.]
Yerin hates being alone, so I’ve decided to come home as early as possible from now on. There’s always more work, but there’s no need to cling to it until late at night.
I’ve been pushing myself too hard.
Worried about what others would think. Because I had to play the role of son-in-law on top of being an employee. I was constantly pressured to deliver the best possible results. But it’s fine now. Yerin is waiting for me. I don’t need to force myself to take on extra work or do things that aren’t my responsibility. Just do what I can. Just what needs to be done.
Lunchtime arrives and people start leaving one by one. I switch my monitor to power-saving mode and stand up. Usually I’d go with the group, but today Min-a stops me.
“The representative wants to have lunch together.”
“The representative?”
“Yeah.”
Who actually enjoys eating with their boss? She’s surprisingly hands-off. Maybe Min-a put the idea in his head so she could bring up other things through him.
Come to think of it, Min-a nags just as much.
She acts exactly like Mom. The two of them don’t realize it, but I feel it keenly. Both of them aren’t speaking out of concern—they’re trying to reshape me into something that fits their tastes. If I listen with one ear, I have to plug the other just to survive. All of it.
“He probably wants to feed you because you work so hard every day. At least it’s not dinner. You need to go home and rest.”
“True.”
I don’t bother denying it. I’ve decided to be honest with my feelings from now on. I won’t go out of my way to cause problems, but I’m done forcing myself to endure things either.
“Though I’m still planning to torment you. After we put Yerin to bed, want to spend some time together, just the two of us?”
“I wouldn’t mind, but Mom’s coming over. She’s bringing side dishes.”
“Huh? Oh… Mother-in-law.”
Min-a’s expression sours. She doesn’t make it obvious, but her distaste for the intruder is clear.
“She’s not staying the night, right?”
“Who knows? I didn’t ask. Why? Don’t want to see her?”
“It’s not that… Anyway, fine.”
“If you’re coming, let me know in advance. I need to tell Mom and Yerin so no one gets surprised.”
The three of them gathered together would be quite a sight. Maybe I should pretend to work overtime and slip away? If I don’t want to get caught in the crossfire. I almost laugh at the thought of everyone sitting in awkward silence, waiting for me to return.
“You heard from Min-a, right? Let’s go, Assistant Manager Kim.”
The representative opens his door and steps out.
“I know you don’t want to eat with an old man, but think of it as volunteer work.”
“Not at all.”
“Min-a was so insistent. She said you’re all skin and bones and need a proper meal. Any food you like?”
“Anything’s fine. Whatever’s convenient for you, sir.”
“If the guest of honor backs out, what’s the point? At times like this, a man should make a firm decision.”
If I really got to choose, I’d rather postpone the meal and just fill up on water in the office. Eating while watching the father-daughter dynamic is far less appealing.
“Then treat Oppa to some meat. Remember that steak place we went to for Mom’s birthday?”
“Shall we go there? Assistant Manager Kim, you drive. It’ll be good practice before you get your own car.”
“Practice for what? If Dad just hands it over, Oppa will handle it fine on his own.”
“What are you talking about? We haven’t even discussed that yet. You just like riding in it.”
Min-a links her arm through mine and clings to my side. Even in front of her father, she shows no restraint.