Chapter 181
Chapter 181
"No, wait a second."
Something suddenly came to mind, so I asked So-hee again.
"Then what about the money?"
"Huh?"
"Yang Hye-in's salary is 500 million won a year. You said she gave you that advance from her own savings. That means she helped you out with the money she'd saved. If we're talking nearly 1.5 billion won, wouldn't that be basically everything she'd saved up until then?"
"Th—that's right, isn't it?"
So-hee looked baffled, as if the thought had never occurred to her.
"Honestly, I don't really know how she came up with that money either. She handled everything herself back then."
"......."
I put a hand to my forehead again.
Then I turned to look up at the grandmother's house where we'd eaten and slept yesterday and today.
Even if they'd rebuilt after the wildfire, it looked far too clean. Yang Hye-in's childhood would have been over ten years ago, after all.
No matter how frugally she lived, even if she saved every scrap...
When you have family, wouldn't you normally spend it to help them...?
She couldn't possibly have never given her grandmother a single won from that huge salary, could she?
"......."
Or maybe......
Nah, no way. That can't be it.
It can't be.
*
But once a suspicion takes root, it doesn't fade easily.
"Sorry for leaving you guests on your own all morning. I just stepped out front to pick some wild greens."
"Oh, no, please don't apologize. We were just waiting comfortably."
I was glad Ha-neul hurriedly waved her hands and answered. If she hadn't, I would've had to answer, since I was sitting even closer.
"......."
Yang Hye-in still didn't say a word.
She was probably being considerate of me. She'd know how uncomfortable I would be if I had to call her 'big sister.'
Or, for that matter, maybe Yang Hye-in was uncomfortable too. For the past few years, I'd always spoken formally to her, and now she was being told to drop the formality.
Even if it was in front of her one remaining family member.
......Come to think of it, since Yang Hye-in hadn't come down here in several years, she'd probably seen me more often than her grandmother during that time.
Of course, that wasn't entirely because of Sara. She probably hadn't wanted to return to a house full of painful memories, and various things had piled up to keep her away.
But if I thought about it, one of those causes was probably Choi Na-kyung.......
.......
"Alright, alright, let's eat. You must be hungry after all morning, right?"
Saying that, she laid out the table in front of us, and just like yesterday, it looked ready to collapse under all the food.
*
"Guys, hold on."
After the meal, when Yang Hye-in and her grandmother got up to clear the table, I stopped the others from following them.
I at least have a conscience. I knew that after eating for free like this, I ought to help.
Which is exactly why I wanted to be the only one in the kitchen.
Because I had something I wanted to ask the grandmother.
"Could you let me go help them by myself this time? You two already helped yesterday."
In fact, Ha-neul and Su-a had both helped after dinner last night.
Originally, we'd all tried to help, and the grandmother had tried to refuse, but our guilt won out, and we practically insisted. The kitchen was pretty small, so all four of us crowding in would've been a nuisance. We'd drawn lots, and the two of them were chosen.
So even though we hadn't set a formal rotation, strictly speaking it was right that So-hee and I go in this morning.
But what I wanted to ask was a little...... personal.
......Strictly speaking, it did involve So-hee, but I didn't want her to hear this.
Maybe that thought showed on my face. The girls looked at each other, then nodded.
"Okay. Then I'll go in after lunch."
So-hee said. I nodded back to her and stood up.
The kitchen was right next to the living room where we were sitting, but it had a door, almost like a separate room. As long as we closed the door and spoke quietly, the conversation wouldn't carry outside, especially with the sound of dishwashing to cover it.
"Grandmother!"
I opened the door and went in, speaking in a bright voice.
"Let me help you today!"
"Goodness, there's really no need."
Fortunately, she didn't refuse adamantly the way she had yesterday. Ha-neul and Su-a had already worn her down.
"No, please, let me."
I picked up a dishcloth to wipe the still-open table. Both the grandmother and Yang Hye-in were already occupying the sink, so there was no room for me to wash dishes.
"......."
Yang Hye-in glanced sidelong at me, and our eyes met. Without a word, she turned back to the dishes.
......Hm.
Having Yang Hye-in here makes it a bit awkward to ask.
"So, you're Sara, then?"
While I was polishing the table until it shone, the grandmother asked. Figuring it was better than an awkward silence, I answered quickly.
"Yes, I'm Ye Sa-ra."
"Is that so. When you get old, you can't keep track of so many things at once. Sorry about that."
She drew out the end of her words a little, and I quickly shook my head.
"No, not at all. We're the ones who showed up unannounced."
"Still, it's so nice to have guests after such a long time. It's bright and cheerful with so many pretty young things around. Our Hye-in should hurry up and get married and bring children home too."
Ma'am, no matter how you look at it, the age gap is way too small to compare us to great-grandchildren.
Well, I suppose she was just talking.
"This one never says a word about it, so—by any chance, does our Hye-in have a boyfriend?"
"......."
"Uh......."
I was momentarily speechless.
Did she have...... a boyfriend?
I'm almost one hundred percent certain she doesn't. Yang Hye-in simply doesn't have the time to date anyone. She's on call twenty-four hours a day for me; if she had a relationship, it could only be an office one.
And I'd just gone and shattered any possibility of an office relationship for her.
......That aside, I honestly can't picture Yang Hye-in dating anyway, but that might just be my own prejudice from only seeing one side of her.
"I, uh...... don't think so? No."
In the end, that awkward answer came out.
"......Big sister?"
I'd even accidentally called her that.
"......."
Ah.
I think Yang Hye-in froze for a split second just now.
But it was literally just a split second. She moved her hands again and answered immediately.
"......No, I don't."
It was the first time I'd ever heard informal speech from Yang Hye-in.
"......Is that so......?"
I couldn't tell whether I should be relieved or sorry to hear that answer.
If she'd never had a boyfriend to begin with, then at least I wasn't the reason she broke up with anyone. That part was a relief—
But if the reason Yang Hye-in can't date is purely because of her 'job,' then that would be my fault.
Or rather, of course it's my fault.
.......
"Our Hye-in is so pretty, too......."
At the very least, the "pretty" part was an undeniable fact.
She must have had plenty of guys approach her back in college.
"If you find a good man, you should introduce him. Aren't Sara's parents her superiors at the company?"
"Grandmother."
The grandmother seemed to say it as a joke, but Yang Hye-in's reaction was razor-sharp.
"Oh dear, it's a joke, just a joke."
She said it with a laugh, but her voice sounded a little bitter.
"......."
Yang Hye-in set down the plate she was holding without a word. It looked like the dishes were nearly done.
I quickly folded up the table; it was clean enough to practically sparkle. I'd already wiped down both tables and, while I was at it, had even wiped the kitchen table.
"Grandmother, I'll take out the trash."
"Alright."
At Yang Hye-in's words, the grandmother answered, sounding a little flustered.
Yang Hye-in's image was normally a bit sharp, but it felt like the conversation just now had made her even sharper.
......Is that my fault?
No, of course it's my fault. I was the one who dragged her here against her will, and I was the one who stuck around and set off this whole unpleasant conversation.
"Oh dear......."
The grandmother let out a regretful sigh and said,
"I'm sorry. She's not usually like that......."
"I know how she usually is, so it's fine."
Seeing how anxious the grandmother looked, I said that first to reassure her.
......Come to think of it, I'd been introduced as the boss's daughter.
From the grandmother's point of view, it was understandable to be worried. She might be thinking that if Yang Hye-in treats me badly, I'll go tell my parents.
......Not that Sara's one adoptive mother has anything like a normal relationship with her.
"......Ah."
Still, thanks to that, Yang Hye-in had left the room, and I now had a chance to be alone with the grandmother.
"Excuse me, Grandmother."
"Hm?"
She was still gazing sadly at the door Yang Hye-in had walked out of. I asked her a question.
"Is Hye-in, by any chance, treating you well?"
A question that might be a little rude.