This Time, You'll Be My Shield
“Brother-in-law. How has your wife been doing lately?”
“My wife?”
“Yes. Hasn’t she been finding things rather uncomfortable these days?”
“Why are you worrying about my wife?”
Lee Sang-jong couldn’t figure out what Kim Seong-ho was scheming, inviting him out for dinner only to start talking about his wife.
Kim Seong-ho offered a light smile toward the frowning Lee Sang-jong and spoke.
“They say a wife usually hates it most when her husband is just lounging around at home.”
“So what you’re saying is that since I’m unemployed and hanging around the house, my wife must be uncomfortable? Is that it? You dragged me all the way here just to tell me that?”
Bang!
Lee Sang-jong slammed his palm down on the table.
The waiter who was just opening the door with a plate of sashimi froze in surprise at the sound of the slam.
Kim Seong-ho smiled and gestured toward the waiter.
“It’s fine. Come on in.”
At Kim Seong-ho’s words, the waiter carefully entered with his head bowed.
Then he quickly set the plate he was carrying down on the table and left the room.
Kim Seong-ho picked up his chopsticks and held them out to Lee Sang-jong.
“Brother-in-law. Red grouper is in season in the summer, so it tastes excellent. Try some. They say these were just caught this morning in Goheung.”
“Red grouper or whatever grouper, cut the nonsense and just say what you have to say. So what? Did you call me here because you’re curious whether my wife is feeling stifled or not?”
Kim Seong-ho set the chopsticks down in front of Lee Sang-jong and spoke.
“Gyeong-eun and I plan to leave Pyeongchang-dong.”
“What?”
He picked up a piece of red grouper sashimi, dipped it in soy sauce, tasted it, and smiled.
But unlike Kim Seong-ho, Lee Sang-jong still didn’t pick up his chopsticks, staring at him.
“Leaving Pyeongchang-dong? What do you mean by that?”
Kim Seong-ho savored the firm texture lingering in his mouth, then lifted his teacup to rinse before finally setting down his chopsticks.
“I was going to talk while we ate… but I suppose we can eat after we finish talking.”
“Just spit it out. So you’re saying you’re leaving Pyeongchang-dong?”
Seeing Lee Sang-jong take interest at the mere mention of leaving Pyeongchang-dong, Kim Seong-ho said with a light smile.
“You know as well as I do, Brother-in-law. That Mother doesn’t particularly like me.”
“I’m the same. Big Brother and Jeong-eun too… Who likes you, really?”
“I thought at least you liked me, Brother-in-law… I’m disappointed.”
Kim Seong-ho joked, but Lee Sang-jong didn’t so much as twitch an eyebrow.
Kim Seong-ho gave an awkward smile at that and continued.
“Anyway… so Gyeong-eun’s been having a hard time. I have too, for that matter.”
“So you’re leaving Pyeongchang-dong?”
“Yes. That’s the plan.”
Kim Seong-ho didn’t beat around the bush or invent other reasons.
He simply said he was leaving Pyeongchang-dong because Chu Suk-ja hated him.
Lee Sang-jong stared at Kim Seong-ho for a moment, speechless, and Kim Seong-ho began the real conversation.
“But when I actually thought about leaving Pyeongchang-dong, I started worrying about the two of them.”
“Why worry about Mother and Father?”
“Because they’ll be lonely.”
“Lonely? With how many servants working in that house, what’s there to be lonely about?”
“People you hire for money are different from family, aren’t they?”
Lee Sang-jong nearly snapped that Seong-ho himself was no different from a hired hand, but he barely held it back.
Then he tugged the corner of his mouth into a twitch and asked Kim Seong-ho.
“So what you’re saying is you want me to move into Pyeongchang-dong?”
“To put it simply, yes.”
“Why should I?”
Lee Sang-jong didn’t hide his uncomfortable expression, as if recalling the past.
“I did everything I could to get out of there, so why would I go back in?”
“Because you have to go in if you want to leave the house.”
“I have to go into Pyeongchang-dong to leave Pyeongchang-dong? What does that mean?”
“Brother-in-law.”
Kim Seong-ho looked Lee Sang-jong straight in the eye and said.
“Do you plan to just keep staying home like this? Are you going to spend all your time doing nothing, just sitting around the house?”
Lee Sang-jong’s expression hardened.
It looked like he might overturn the table any second.
If someone else—especially someone who knew Lee Sang-jong well—had seen this, they might have tried to calm him down.
But Kim Seong-ho was different.
Having experienced Lee Sang-jong’s reactions countless times in his past life, he could remain unfazed even by this.
Rather, from Lee Sang-jong’s reaction, Kim Seong-ho could feel that his words were landing well.
“Eventually, as time passes, the Chairman will call you back to the company. But do you plan to just wait endlessly until he does?”
“Get to the point!”
Lee Sang-jong was gripping the edge of the table, his anger at its peak.
It was clear on his face that if the next words didn’t sit right, he would flip the table and thrash Kim Seong-ho.
Kim Seong-ho still spoke to him in a calm voice.
“Move into Pyeongchang-dong and face the Chairman every day. And show Mother that you’re home every day as well. Then what would take a year to call you back, he might call in half a year, or even three months.”
At Kim Seong-ho’s words, the strength in Lee Sang-jong’s hand eased slightly.
But his gaze on Kim Seong-ho didn’t drop.
“You’re saying Father will bring me back to the company because he finds me pitiful?”
“That’s not it. Why do you think so lowly of yourself, Brother-in-law?”
“What? I’m looking down on myself?”
“Yes.”
Kim Seong-ho put on a serious expression toward Lee Sang-jong and said.
“If the Chairman sees you every day, why don’t you think he’ll notice your good points? And why don’t you think that once he discovers them, he’ll call you back to the company? Brother-in-law. Show him your true worth.”
“My true worth…”
Lee Sang-jong, now calm, looked as if he were deep in thought at Kim Seong-ho’s words.
“If you’re apart, it takes that much longer to recognize someone’s true nature. So let the Chairman notice your real self from a little closer. Then you’ll be able to return to the company that much faster.”
“Hmm…”
Lee Sang-jong let out a short hum and slowly nodded.
It seemed he thought Kim Seong-ho’s words made sense.
“Does anyone else know that you’re planning to leave Pyeongchang-dong?”
At Lee Sang-jong’s question, Kim Seong-ho smiled at the corners of his mouth and answered.
“No one but Gyeong-eun and me. Of course the Chairman and Mother don’t know either. You’re the first I’ve told, Brother-in-law.”
“…Why tell me first? If you’d told Big Brother or Chang-jong the same thing, they would’ve been thrilled. And since Jeong-eun also needs to return to the company, she would’ve packed her bags and moved into Pyeongchang-dong before you even left.”
“Sister-in-law… you know how she is, don’t you? I just wanted to talk first to someone who would understand my feelings.”
“You mean you wanted to tell it to someone who would be grateful?”
Seeing Lee Sang-jong grasp his meaning right away, Kim Seong-ho nodded.
“I won’t deny it. Even though I’m leaving Pyeongchang-dong of my own will, I don’t want to just leave.”
“Fine. Tell me what you want.”
“I want your support, Brother-in-law.”
“My support? Support for what? I haven’t even returned to the company yet, and even if I make a promise, it’ll only be after I’ve gone back and secured my position again.”
“Yes. I’m not asking for anything right now. Just support me after you’ve returned to the company and settled in. And the reason… as you know, Brother-in-law, when you do restructuring…”
As Kim Seong-ho trailed off, Lee Sang-jong finally seemed to get it and burst into a big laugh.
“Hahaha. I get what you’re saying. Yeah… that makes sense.”
Lee Sang-jong felt that everything was finally clear.
“I’ve felt uneasy talking with you this whole time, but yeah. Now I understand why you told me first and want my support. Hahaha.”
Lee Sang-jong laughed in good spirits and picked up his chopsticks.
“Let’s eat.”
When Kim Seong-ho had suggested talking while eating, Lee Sang-jong hadn’t even glanced at the sashimi in front of him, but now he was the one picking up chopsticks first and offering the fish.
Then he put a piece in his mouth and twitched the corner of his mouth.
“It’s good.”
“I’m glad you like it. Shall I have the rest of the food brought in as well?”
“Yeah.”
When Lee Sang-jong nodded, Kim Seong-ho instructed the waiter waiting outside to bring in the remaining dishes.
Once the waiter left the room after receiving the order, Lee Sang-jong picked up the liquor bottle.
“Good sashimi needs liquor, of course.”
Kim Seong-ho lifted his glass and received the liquor from the bottle Lee Sang-jong offered.
Lee Sang-jong filled Kim Seong-ho’s glass to the brim as he spoke.
“Don’t worry. As we carry out the restructuring, I’ll clear up all the misunderstandings people have piled up against you. It’ll be better if I step up, since I’ve been a step removed from the restructuring. Better than Big Brother or the younger ones, that is.”
At Lee Sang-jong’s words, Kim Seong-ho beamed.
“I was worried that even though I carried out the restructuring all for the company, a lot of people would hold bad feelings toward me. But if you’re going to step in yourself, Brother-in-law, I can finally set that worry aside a bit.”
“Hahaha. Yeah. Just trust me and work comfortably from now on. Have another drink… This is great. The food here is so good I’ll have to come often.”
Lee Sang-jong kept offering Kim Seong-ho sashimi, in high spirits.
Anyone who didn’t know the previous conversation and only saw this scene would think Lee Sang-jong was the one who had called Kim Seong-ho out on business.
That’s how satisfied Lee Sang-jong was with the current situation.
Yeah. This time, you’ll have to be my shield.
Thinking of Lee Sang-jong, who would stand out in front in his place, Kim Seong-ho downed his drink in one go.
At the weekend family meal, Lee Gyeong-eun dropped a bombshell.
“We’re going to move out and live on our own now.”
“What?”
“What did you say? Move out?”
“Move out? What do you mean?”
Lee Mun-jong and the others looked at Lee Gyeong-eun in shock.
Only Lee Sang-jong and his wife, who had already heard from Kim Seong-ho, showed no reaction.
“Move out? Why all of a sudden?”
Bang Hyeon-ju, Lee Mun-jong’s wife and the eldest daughter-in-law, asked Lee Gyeong-eun.
Lee Gyeong-eun looked around at the family present and spoke.
“Honestly, why did we live in Pyeongchang-dong in the first place? Wasn’t it because you didn’t trust Seong-ho, so you wanted us to live together and keep an eye on him?”
“That talk…”
Bang Hyeon-ju glanced at Kim Seong-ho and tried to stop Lee Gyeong-eun.
It was uncomfortable to bring up the conversation they’d had among themselves before the marriage right in front of the person involved, Kim Seong-ho.
But Lee Gyeong-eun, who had brought it up, spoke as if it were nothing.
“It’s fine. Seong-ho knows all about it.”
“No. Even so…”
Bang Hyeon-ju still looked uncomfortable, but Lee Gyeong-eun pretended not to notice and continued.
“We’ve checked him out enough by now, right? And we all agree there’s nothing wrong, don’t we? Right?”
Lee Gyeong-eun looked around at the people present with a gaze that said, isn’t that so?
The family members who met her eyes said nothing and watched Lee Tak-hyeon’s reaction.
Whatever it was, the final decision-maker in the Ilhyeon family was Lee Tak-hyeon, so everyone’s eyes gathered on him to see what he would decide.
But this time, Lee Gyeong-eun was ahead of Lee Tak-hyeon.
“I was worried that if we left, only Mom and Dad would be left in this big house, but fortunately Second Brother said he’d move in.”
“What? Sang-jong?”
“When did you talk with Second Brother?”
Lee Mun-jong and Lee Jeong-eun asked Lee Gyeong-eun with surprised faces.
Then Oh Min-yeong, Lee Sang-jong’s wife, stepped forward.
“Mother. Don’t worry. We’ll move in and take care of you.”
When Oh Min-yeong finished speaking, Lee Gyeong-eun spoke again to the people present.
“Since Second Brother is moving in, we can leave with peace of mind too. Dad, Mom. We’re going to live on our own. That’s okay, right?”
When Lee Gyeong-eun finished, Lee Mun-jong and the others felt as if they’d been struck on the back of the head.
But even if the opportunity came to them, it wasn’t an easy decision to make lightly.
Moving into Pyeongchang-dong meant losing as much as you gained.
But the fact that the opportunity hadn’t even come to them left them flustered.
Lee Mun-jong and the others at the table watched Lee Tak-hyeon’s expression, holding their breath as they waited to see what decision he would make.