The Spicy Taste of Living with the In-Laws
Leaving Jia aside for a moment, he finished his thoughts and spoke. "I don't think this is a matter we can decide right now."
Even if it were, there was still the issue of her parents. He hadn't mentioned it, but while she didn't have to deal with the traditional "mother-in-law" stress, he had felt the bone-deep agony of living under the thumb of his in-laws. The marriage itself had been an incredibly difficult process to navigate. He had begged and pleaded to get it moving after they initially rejected him, claiming they felt burdened by the fact that he was the son of a conglomerate family. But once they visited after the wedding, he was shocked to find that this place was practically the pinnacle of what it meant to be a kkondae—an arrogant, condescending elder.
He drifted back to the past for a moment. He returned to the Lunar New Year of two years ago, the first one they spent together right after the wedding.
"Hmm, right. You're here."
After driving from their newlywed home across the Hannam Bridge, taking the Riverside Expressway, switching to the Inner Ring Road, and passing Seoul Arts High School, you enter the alleyway that leads to her parents' house—his in-laws' home. It was a place you had to walk deep into the alley after passing a brand-name cafe. He only did that the first time; later, he just parked the car on the main road and walked.
The living room was visible the moment the front door opened, and her father was sitting on the sofa next to it, asking if he had arrived. He was reminded of his own parents, who would have already left the front door open waiting for him. In contrast, he felt that this place was rather oppressive. That was the impression he got when he first stepped into his in-laws' house.
"I had no choice but to approve the marriage because my daughter said she liked you, but I will continue to watch you."
The conversation was incredibly stiff, with no sign of loosening up. He felt like he was sitting on a bed of thorns, shifting his hips ever so slightly, suppressing his discomfort.
"In this world, having a lot of money doesn't solve everything. You know that, too."
"I only allowed this marriage because my daughter wanted it so much, not because I was looking at your family's status or money."
Ah, for the record, up until this point, he hadn't said a single word other than his initial greeting. He hadn't even said anything yet, and he was already hearing this.
"....Yes, I will keep that in mind."
He finally said one word.
"I feel like I'm beating around the bush, so it might be hard to understand, but to put it bluntly, I don't want you to look down on people with money just because my daughter doesn't have much, or because she's relatively lacking."
"That's why I said I'd keep an eye on you. I'm worried. I'm sure you'll handle things on your own, but as a parent with a daughter, please understand."
"And...."
Yes. And that part was the problem.
"I know you have a strong desire to marry my daughter, so I'll tell you this out of concern,"
"I hope you don't mention divorce like young kids these days just because something doesn't fit. A wedding is such a grand celebration for the family; even if my daughter is a bit lacking, you must endure and bear it. That's what a man does."
"Yes. I will do so."
He wondered if that was why he had slapped her. It was a huge shock that he had resorted to physical violence, but looking back, it made sense. He had thought that if his son-in-law was dissatisfied, he would turn his daughter into a divorcee, but it turned out that his own daughter had been the one to turn someone else's son into a divorcee for all sorts of absurd reasons.
Immediately after that, the requests were endless.
"Right. Our family holds ancestral rites, so I'd like you to attend them. What do you think?"
"Yes, I will attend the rites as well."
"Do you intend to visit your own parents first on holidays?"
"Ah, no. I will discuss it and visit you and Mother-in-law first sometimes."
"I haven't acknowledged you as my son-in-law yet, though."
....? No, you told me to come to the rites and we held the ceremony, so what—
"...Ah, I apologize."
"I'll acknowledge you as my son-in-law after watching you for a while after the marriage, so don't be in a hurry."
"I will do so."
"You know my daughter loves her work, right?"
"Yes! That's right. Always on the news..."
"I hope you don't stop her from working just because you're married. Even after marriage, I want my daughter's life to be respected."
"Ah, ...yes. I will do so."
He cut him off.
"It's fine to have grandchildren late, so have children when my daughter permits it. If I see you pestering her to have children beforehand, I think I'll be very angry. Do you understand?"
"...Yes, I will do so."
At this point, if I were to defend her father, he was simply trying to protect his daughter, who he feared might face harsh treatment as a daughter-in-law in a wealthy family. That was why he hadn't even offered him a cup of tea and had spoken like that the moment he walked in. Perhaps her father, too, would judge the situation as incredibly rude and lacking in manners if he were to look back on it now. However, it was uncertain whether he would like it even if he said such things now.
Before entering his in-laws' house, he had thought he had prepared his heart quite firmly. Of course, it wasn't that he didn't have any resentment toward this marriage that she had forced through when he didn't want it right away, but since he was going to do it anyway, he had done it with the mindset of just getting it over with. So, he didn't have much complaint even when her father gave him this scolding sermon. No, even so, wasn't this too much?
When he turned his head to the side, his wife at the time, Seo Jia, was sitting next to him without even looking at him, just watching him get lectured. During the long conversation, she hadn't said a word, and she had even fewer opportunities to express his opinion to her father. If the situation had been reversed and this had happened at his house—that is, her in-laws' house—he could have ended the situation immediately by saying to his father:
"Father, if you do this, the daughter-in-law will run away. Please, stop it."
"If you keep doing this, your son will become a divorcee."
But she, for whatever reason, hadn't said a single word. He had heard so much about how "living with in-laws is like living in a doghouse" that he had tried his best not to feel that way, but he never expected to suffer it himself under the name of "living with in-laws." At the time, he was so flustered that he became a machine that just listened to what her father said and answered, without even giving her a glance.
— "...What are you doing?"
"I was just thinking about the past for a moment. I have something to ask you."
"Yes, Master."
As he returned to reality after reflecting on the past, the word "Master" coming out of her mouth sounded quite strange. To think that such a woman would end up like that.
"Do you remember the first time we visited my in-laws?"
"Hmm... ah, on the holiday. Yes, I remember."
"...Back then, I was being scolded and all that."
"....Ah...."
Jia seemed to remember that time, too.
"...."
"If it were me, I would have at least helped you. Why were you just watching?"
"...I'm sorry, it must have been hard for you," and then Jia said, "Father... told me before he came."
"What did he say?"
"Well, he said... if you don't seize control from the start, you'll end up being a wife who is always controlled... so you have to show them who's boss so they'll be afraid of the in-laws..."
What kind of, "No, why should I be afraid of my in-laws?"
"...That's true."
"Then you just listened to that?"
"...Back then, I didn't have the presence of mind."
"What do you mean you didn't have the presence of mind, hey. Seo Jia, are you afraid of my parents?"
"Ah...! They are, they are good people. I'm always grateful to them.... ....Ah...."
"Why aren't you afraid of them?"
"That's... true..."
It was just the situation, and since her father had said it like that, she had nothing to refute, so she stayed quiet. You could say it wasn't wrong if you looked at it closely, but he—
"Seo Jia, do we hold ancestral rites at my house?"
"No, you're non-religious, so there's nothing like rites..."
"...But you told me to hold them?"
"I'm sorry."
"Have you ever looked down on someone because of money, or not?"
"...Th-that is..."
"...Right, Jia did that. You looked down on me like that?"
"I was... wrong."
"Have I ever asked for a divorce, or not?"
"You haven't... hmm..."
"Then who asked for a divorce, which led us to this point?"
"...Master, I was wrong, so... please? Please, forgive me..."
Now that I think about it, this is ridiculous. He had been trained by someone else, but in reality, his own daughter was the one who caused all the problems. So that's why there hadn't been a single contact until now. Even I wouldn't be able to reach out because I'd be too embarrassed. He must have thought he could live in peace if he assumed his daughter was perfect and thoroughly crushed the person who came as his son-in-law—he thought.
"So, what does your father-in-law... no, what does your father say?"
"...He isn't even contacting me."
"Did you go to the house?"
"No, after... after he said that, Father left the house, and Mother followed him out... and then I came straight here to apologize to you, Master."
"...Hmm. And then you ended up staying here."