The Witches' Hour (30)
Changhee, who had already finished her call, came over to my side. Sensing her approach, I paused the video.
Just like before, Changhee pressed her hips against the chair where I was sitting. I made room for her to sit and wrapped my arms around her.
"Did the talk go well? It sounded like you hung up on your sister-in-law earlier, but then you called back?"
"Ah, that... Mira said she'd talk to her sister-in-law first, so in the meantime I called Mom. Mom kept saying how sorry she was to you and could barely speak properly. Hehe..."
A self-mocking smile spread across her tear-filled face. I hugged her tighter and squeezed her hand firmly.
"I don't know exactly how much living expenses we'll need, but Mira decided to meet her sister-in-law first and talk things through. Just like you told me, I said we'd be sending the living expenses ourselves from now on, so Mom doesn't need to send anything anymore."
"You did well. Our company is doing okay for now, so we can manage that much. That's a relief."
"Thank you, Unni. I don't know how to repay you..."
Changhee looked like she was about to cry again. I quickly put on a stern expression. Her lips twitched as she forced a smile. But she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Still, I held her close and waited for the tears to subside.
"What kind of person is your sister-in-law? She seems to be holding up really well even in a situation like this..."
Until right before Changhee and I got married, none of us had really talked much about family matters. We never asked about each other's pasts or asked to see old photos. It wasn't out of indifference. We were simply too busy living without letting anyone interfere with our love.
"It's embarrassing, but the truth is we haven't kept in touch much, and we haven't really had many conversations. Everyone was busy carving out their own paths. We only occasionally called or texted each other as siblings to check in..."
"Didn't you say your sister-in-law works too?"
"From what Mira said earlier, she's still breastfeeding. I heard she plans to go back to work after weaning the baby, but it seems it's not that easy."
"What does she do? Is it physical labor?"
Changhee hesitated for a moment before nodding. I felt bad, like I kept poking at her sore spots.
"I believe she does garment sewing. I'm sorry. Thinking about it now, I realize I've been far too indifferent to my brother's family all this time..."
Changhee's voice trembled again. I quickly patted her back and spoke in a bright tone.
"Hey, that's perfect! Since Jeongsook's father is in the clothing business, it might be good to look for a position through that connection!"
Even if it wouldn't be a huge help, I wanted to give her some hope in life. I wanted to lift her above the surface somehow so she wouldn't sink into the despair of thinking she had no one by her side. I wanted to be her buoyancy.
With no idea what to do about Gukhwa right now, I thought this was the least I could do.
It was Monday morning, and Jeongsook seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood.
"What's up? Did you eat something weird?"
"No, I just feel really good. After getting the call yesterday that everything with Penny was completely settled, I had intense sex with Unni. Maybe that's why? Hohoho... Or perhaps it's all thanks to my mistress. Hohoho..."
"What are you talking about?"
I had already heard that Jeongsook was planning to divorce her husband, Kim Han-cheol, but I was surprised that things had been wrapped up faster than expected. I wondered why she had dragged out something she could have cut off cleanly. Maybe she still had lingering feelings about marriage, about having decided to live as one man's wife.
But seeing how bright she looked now, I didn't want to bring up such gloomy topics.
"I don't know. It's hard to explain. I'm just happy. Hohoho..."
"You've really gone mad. Getting tied up tight and beaten makes life worth living? Unbelievable..."
"Oh my, are you watching our love games too?"
"Of course. I'm the mistress of your mistress, after all. Hehe..."
"Aigoo, I was so happy I completely forgot about that. I'm sorry, Mistress. Hohoho..."
Jeongsook acted cute with a nasal voice and bowed at the waist in greeting.
"Why are you acting like this here? In front of the employees."
"Don't worry about that, Mistress. Those friends all know how close we are. Hohohoho..."
I was so dumbfounded I could only laugh.
"When you put it that way, I have nothing to say. Hehe... Then, as the mistress of your mistress, let me ask you one favor."
"A favor? Please give me an order. I will do whatever you command."
Huh? The loud laughter from Jeongsook suddenly vanished. Seeing her suddenly clasp both hands together and bow deeply like a department store clerk, doing it all very 'properly,' gave me goosebumps. I still didn't know what the Magic Word was, but somehow Jeongsook had slipped into 'maid' mode!
As I stared at her in blank amazement, Jeongsook suddenly burst into giggles. Startled, I dropped the cigarette I had just taken out.
"Got you good, didn't I? Hohohoho... Oh, this is fun. You have no idea how much becoming another personality like this helps with stress relief, do you? Hohohoho..."
"You crazy bitch! You really scared me!"
With the tension released, I unintentionally shouted.
"Sorry. I just wanted to show you how much richer my life has become in the last two weeks. Hehe... Anyway, what was the favor?"
Wiping away the tears that had come from laughing so hard, Jeongsook asked.
"Actually, it's a favor for your dad. Can you see if he can create one sewing job? For someone with experience. It might be tough since the economy is bad and he might complain, but I really need to get this person a job."
"Hmm... It's hard to promise anything. When did Dad's factory move to China? If it's something in Korea, it might be difficult, but I'll ask around. What? Right now? Jeez, you're really in a hurry..."
With that, Jeongsook took out her phone.
Since it seemed like personal matters would come up, I left the office planning to go up to the rooftop for a smoke. I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing, but I believed it would help Changhee, Mira, and maybe even Gukhwa. I wanted to believe that once things stabilized even a little, Gukhwa could return to being Lee Chang-guk that much sooner.
When I had almost finished my cigarette, Jeongsook came up to the roof. Knowing I was curious about the outcome, she first took out a cigarette and lit it. I waited until she sat beside me and exhaled the smoke.
"Whose job did you ask for? Can't you tell me first?"
"A mere maid being so nosy. Hehe..."
Jeongsook stuck her tongue out playfully and laughed along.
"I'll keep it simple. I asked for a job for Changhee's sister-in-law. She's been doing it since before she got married, but she took a long break after having the baby. She's thinking of going back to work, but it seems the place where she used to work has already hired someone."
"You really are such a busybody. Do you have to worry about things like that too?"
"Look who's talking about meddling in other people's family affairs. Have you already forgotten how you used to throw money at your husband?"
"That was because he was my husband. But you're doing this for your in-laws' distant relative."
"Hey, don't say that. If it makes Changhee happy, why would I refuse?"
"Oh my, how impressive! So the reason Mistress is cool is because the mistress of Mistress is cool. Hohoho..."
With that, Jeongsook suddenly pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. I was startled but let her do as she pleased. Her mischievous behavior reminded me of our school days when we used to play around together after so long.
"Dad said he'd look for something better. Apparently there's a clothing atelier he was asked to help with. It's a place with over fifty employees in the handmade production team, and it seems they need someone in that department right now. I don't know about the salary though."
"Oh, really? Hey, that's great! If she gets the job, dinner's on me."
"Really? Then instead of treating me... could you grant me a request instead?"
"What? You have a favor to ask me too? What is it?"
"Hehe... I'll tell you after things work out well."
With that, she stubbed out her cigarette and held out her hand. When I took it, she pulled me up from my seat. We left the rooftop hand in hand, affectionately.
Not long after finishing lunch, a call came from Jeongsook's father. Jeongsook covered the receiver and asked if an interview was possible as early as tomorrow. I told her to say we'd call back, then hurriedly contacted Mira.
Mira said she would reach out to Changhee's sister-in-law, but I asked for her phone number instead. I thought it would be faster if I did it directly. Mira gave me the number and said she would send a text first to let her know.
I waited a bit while drinking coffee, then called the number Mira had given me. As soon as I introduced myself, the conversation flowed smoothly. When I mentioned the interview, she told me a good time and added words of gratitude.
"You probably don't have anyone to leave your nephew with on such short notice, so please bring him along. I'll watch him while you have the interview."
When the word 'nephew' came out of my mouth, Jeongsook, who was listening nearby, widened her eyes in surprise. I waved my hand, telling her not to joke around.
"It's nothing. Changhee's nephew is practically my own nephew, so please don't think anything of it. I also feel sorry for not keeping in touch all this time, so if it's alright with you, I'd like to have a meal together tomorrow and catch up. Actually, I have more to tell you."
While we were setting up the appointment, Jeongsook called her father and arranged the interview for tomorrow. We hung up almost at the same time. Jeongsook gave me a thumbs-up.