Chapter 345 – Lunar New Year Holiday (2)
After the ancestral rites, a table full of New Year’s food was served.
Seo Ju-hwan took a spoonful of rice cake dumpling soup. He tore the outer side and kimchi all the way and ate it together, and his taste buds turned round.
However, he had too many people interested in him to continue his meal comfortably. All eyes of his relatives were focused on him.
Before the adults even opened their mouths, Seo Mi-jin, who will be in her third year of middle school this year, spoke to her first her. She was the youngest child in the Seo family, where women were precious.
“Joohwan oppa, please take a picture with me.”
“Photo?”
“Yes. This model is your brother, right?”
When Seo Mi-jin saw the phone she held out, her sense of deja vu came to mind. Woo Seo-yoon, holding out his phone asking if this is you in the car the other day, overlapped.
“I am right. By the way, Mijin, do people your age buy clothes at Swan?”
“Yeah, the clothes are pretty. All my friends buy clothes here these days. Did you buy the clothes I’m wearing right now from Swann?”
“Oh, is it real?”
Recently, I haven’t paid attention to Swan, but it seems that there are more users than I thought. Somehow, the points kept coming in.
“I went to the site and there was my brother’s face. Are you surprised? At first I thought you weren’t my brother.”
“It’s okay with makeup. Make-up, make-up.”
“Is it? I don’t think so. Oh, more than that, is that real? I heard you were cast as an actor in React while filming a fitting? That’s right, take a picture of me, quickly.”
The story of whether there are so many things to be curious about was Jung-gu Heating.
Seo Joo-hwan calmed her sister as she leaned forward from behind her statue of her. Then scold the adults.
“I was offered, but I turned it down. And let’s eat and take pictures. I’m not running away yes?”
It was time to calm down her youngest child and try to eat a spoonful of rice again. This time the adults spoke up. Looking at it now, it seems that everyone was just looking for a chance to get involved in the story.
“Didn’t Joo-hwan say you were a writer? Did you model for a shopping mall?”
“What do you mean by casting actors?”
“Hwan-ah, you know that your novel has been made into a webtoon. Master of Ice. Isn’t the person who draws it, Mr. Kang Pilchun? Why, he used the pen name of martial arts in the past.”
“Yeah, I was curious about that too. Is the narrator a martial artist?”
“Hyung, do you do internet broadcasting these days? I also sponsored a while ago. Can you teach me how to dance?”
“I saw the article. I heard you’re running a business, so let me know if you need any help. I don’t know about web novels, but basic advice…….”
Before I could finish one question, another question arrived. It’s not bad to be the center of attention, but it’s to the point where you can’t eat. I sent a look of salvation to my parents, but the two of them were just smiling happily as if they were proud of their son. Seo Joo-hee is sticking out her tongue as if she is a teacher.
Just then, I heard the sound of putting the spoon down. Seo Man-shik is the eldest. He frowned his white eyebrows and brushed his left.
“What are you doing in front of the dinner table? The kid hasn’t even eaten yet. I’ll be sick of all I see.”
It was over with those words. The young students as well as the adults were absorbed in the meal with a shy expression on their lips.
Seo Joo-hwan sighed and slightly bowed his head to his grandfather. Seo Man-shik nodded his head heavily and said.
He said, “Ilgeuncheonhanounsa (一勤天下無難事). It means that there is nothing difficult in the world if you are diligent. Whatever it is, work hard.”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
“I’m having fun watching it too.”
“… Yes?”
Seo Joo-hwan looked at his grandfather with slightly surprised eyes. Could it be that my grandfather, who is over seventy years old, read what I wrote?
As he didn’t say anything, Seo Jae-pil, who was next to him, tapped his arm. Only then did Seo Joo-hwan quickly lower his head.
“Thank you, Grandpa. I will write hard.”
“Okay.”
Meals continued.
*
Father, Jaepil Seo said.
“You pretend to be polite, but in fact your grandfather will be your favorite.”
“My novel?”
“Okay. Last Chuseok, he asked me how I could read your novel. He bought all the books on the spot.”
“You should have told me. I had something left at home then.”
“I have spoken too. But you refused Since it was written by my grandson, he must have wanted to buy it himself.”
Seo Joo-hwan made a mysterious expression. Come to think of it, I hadn’t had much conversation with his grandfather. Until now, his grandfather had been just a difficult adult in the family.
Jaepil Seo smiled. It was a smile that resembled Seo Joo-hwan.
“My grandfather used to write.”
“Really? It’s the first time I’ve heard of it.”
“I don’t know either. This is what I heard from your late grandmother. When I was born, he was already working in a factory to support his family.”
“Then my father must have never seen my grandfather write?”
“Okay. Well, it seems that you still have regrets.”
“How do you know?”
“Don’t you think that just by looking at my name?”
“Ah.”
Rewrite. A person who writes letters or sentences wittily.
It occurred to me that the name of his father, Seo Jae-pil, might contain some of his grandfather’s wishes.
“Well, I also like reading books, so I had no complaints. Rather, it was a pity that I did not have the talent to write differently from my name.”
Certainly, Seo Jae-pil’s talents were not related to writing. The same goes for his grandfather his, Seo Man-sik. It was common for him to have mismatches between what he wanted to do and his talents.
Jaepil Seo looked at his son with admiration and said,
“From the perspective of such a grandfather, how good it must have been for you, the grandson, to become a famous writer. I don’t know, but my grandfather must have been happier than me.”
“I really must have.”
“So… You should talk to your grandfather. You’ll love it more than talking to me. It’s okay sometimes.”
Seo Joo-hwan nodded his head.
“I’ll go now.”
“Thank you, son.”
“I am truly grateful.”
“Yes?”
“When I was 20, you supported my writing.”
Twenty. It was the time when I took a leave of absence right away, saying that I would write even after passing the university. A decision that doesn’t look good from the parent’s point of view. Naturally, his mother was against taking a leave of absence, but for some reason Seo Jae-pil supported his decision.
It seems that now I know why.
*
Seo Joo-hwan left the room without being able to hide his grin. He had been talking with Seo Man-sik for about three hours.
‘I didn’t expect grandfather to have such a cute side.’
Before he returned, he thought that he was just a strict and respectful person. However, when the grandfather, who had a proper conversation, came up with an interest in books, he pretended not to be, but continued the conversation happily. It was the first time I had heard him speak at such a length other than a sermon using old sayings.
‘I must get Mr. Kim’s autograph.’
He was so surprised when he told me that he had met writer Kim Hyun-young a while ago. He subtly asked if he wanted an autograph, and he could n’t hide his smile.
Seo Joo-hwan found Seo Jae-pil, who was talking to his relatives in another room.
“Father.”
“Are you coming out now? It took longer than expected.”
“Because we talk. Instead, get your father and grandfather a smartphone.”
“Smartphone? Did your grandpa buy it for you? He obviously said he didn’t want to use it because it was complicated.”
“I heard that you can read novels on your phone, so you wanted to have them. So when I pushed to buy it, I was kicked out saying it was okay.”
“It’s worth knowing.”
Jaepil Seo let out a chuckle between his teeth.
No matter how well he made money, it seems that he did not want to receive money from his grandchildren. His father his, like all old people, had a strange stubbornness.
At that time, Seo Jeong-ho, who was sitting on one side, suddenly interrupted.
“Hyung, if that’s the case, I think a tablet would be better than a smartphone, right? Or an e-book reader. That makes it much easier to see.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea. I just need to buy both a phone and a tablet. Father, I will give you the money.”
“Done. I don’t know.”
Jaepil Seo shook his hand and entered the room where his grandfather was.
Seo Joo-hwan looked at his father’s back and then turned to Seo Jeong-ho. Seo Jeong-ho was still politely sitting upright, taking care of himself next to his little mother who was full. He looked just like the little father next to him.
“It’s Jeong-ho.”
“Uh?”
“Let’s talk to your brother. Little mother, can I borrow Jung-ho for a moment?”
Kim Soon-ae glanced at Seo Jeong-ho and nodded her head. She said as she pulled her husband’s arm beside her.
“Yes, Joo-hwan. It’s okay because my husband is here today. Is it not?”
At that question, the little father also smiled awkwardly and shook his head.
“… Jeong-ho, go.”
It’s a very awkward call to see that he called his son’s name. Seo Jung-ho, who was called by name, greeted him with a very awkward face.
“I-I’ll go.”
Seo Joo-hwan looked at the three people with strange eyes and smiled a little. It seems to be getting better though. He put his arm around the shoulder of Seo Jeong-ho who came closer and said.
“Should I check today?”
It was while fiddling with the smoking cessation tester in his pocket. Seo Jeong-ho promised to quit smoking with him last Chuseok.
‘Son, if you hadn’t quit smoking, you wouldn’t have any pocket money.’
*
If one red line appears on the tester, it is positive, and if two lines appear, it is negative. Soon after, Seo Jeong-ho went to the bathroom and confidently held out the tester.
Two dark red lines. It was a voice
Seo Joo-hwan grinned and patted Seo Jeong-ho on the back.
“Damn it, it must have been hard, but you worked hard?”
“Of course. You can’t smell cigarettes next to a pregnant woman.”
“I heard you gained some weight before.”
“Yeah, I didn’t know then. It’s four months, but I didn’t know that only that belly came out.”
“Was it 4 months instead of 3?”
“Uh. It’s 35 weeks now.”
At 35 weeks, full term is approaching. It was a time when my stomach was so full that it was difficult to move around.
“Is it okay to be here, little mother? Why did you have a hard time just staying at home? No one would have said anything.”
“Well, my father came with me today. That’s why you came here on purpose. I want to show my relatives that I am okay.”
“Ah. Because of it.”
Seo Jeong-ho’s family was in a precarious atmosphere until a few years ago. It started when his father, who was very ill, was fired and the family became difficult. Even though his father had surgery, he lived on alcohol because of intermittent pain, and with an increasingly impoverished spirit, he poured out unspeakable words to his wife and son. One time, Seo Jeong-ho tried to come to his senses, but he was stabbed in the hand.
The home environment is important for growing children. At the time, Seo Jeong-ho was in a sensitive state because of the icy family atmosphere, and even a small conflict caused friction with his peers.
“You don’t beat kids these days, do you?”
At that question, Seo Jeong-ho waved his hand with a frightened face.
“Ah, brother. Didn’t I originally bully the kids? It’s only with the guys who fight first. They said they were all playful people. And I don’t want to fight either, but they keep coming…….”
Fighting in school is not easy to stop once it starts. In particular, it was difficult to get out of the way when I got tangled up with the gangsters called Iljin.
Seo Ju-hwan giggled and tousled Seo Jeong-ho’s hair. Last Chuseok, her bright yellow hair her was black.
“Why did you start when you can’t even fight?”
“OMG. Have you ever heard that I can’t fight anywhere? Even now, if you don’t know my name at my school, you are a spy.”
“I’m proud of you, kid.”
Bang, he slapped Seo Jeong-ho on the back of the head. Seo Jeong-ho, who grabbed the back of his head with a sigh, looked up at him with a sad look.
Seo Joo-hwan smiled and took out several 50,000 won bills from his wallet. Seo Jeong-ho, who was a dead man, said as he politely put his hands together with a wide smile on his face.
“Brother, you know how much I respect you, right?”
“Honey, you respect me, not money, right?”
“Then. I respect my older brother more than my father.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. The allowance is given because I succeeded in quitting smoking. You’ll soon have a younger brother, so don’t smoke in the future.”
“Of course. I quit while struggling for something.”
After accepting the allowance, Seo Jeong-ho counted his banknotes with exasperation. The amount was larger than expected, and soon I heard a surprised sound.
“Can I give you this much?”
“You make good money.”
“Yeah you know. But that… I heard you sent money to my mother the other day.”
“… Did you know?”
“My mother told me He said that his father and mother also helped him separately. In fact, if I hadn’t heard that, I wouldn’t have quit smoking. Thanks bro.”
The man looked at me with burdensome, teary-eyed eyes.
Seo Joo-hwan was embarrassed and scratched the corners of his eyes, then patted Seo Jeong-ho on the back.
“I have nothing to be thankful for. In the past, your mother and father helped out when our family was having a hard time.”
“Still.”
“If you’re grateful, be good to your little mother. Even to my little father.”
“… I’m trying. My father and I are fine these days. Talking about it, it’s been a few years since I quit drinking and smoking.”
“Yeah, it looked a lot better.”
This is Seo Jeong-ho, who referred to ‘father’ as ‘that person’ on Chuseok last year. Thinking back to that time, it was a great improvement.
“Didn’t you say the baby’s birth name was Happiness?”
“Yes. I built it.”
“Okay? What did you mean?”
“It’s a bit embarrassing to talk about.”
Seo Jeong-ho averted his eyes as if he was embarrassed.
Seo Joo-hwan giggled and said.
“More than the last time I was caught getting beaten during Chuseok?”
“Ah, brother!”
“I know. So what do you mean?”
“Well, I will make you happy. Happiness is when there are only happy things without unhappiness.”
“Did you say sister? You have to work hard to be a good older brother.”
“Yes. And there is one more meaning.”
“What?”
Seo Jeong-ho said while scratching his head as if he was embarrassed.
“The child who brought happiness. Thanks to our youngest, the family is happy again. It was all thanks to the maknae that I was able to properly talk with my mom and dad. So happy Because it brought happiness to our family.”
Aira who brought happiness.
“It makes sense and it’s good.”
“Is it not?”
Seo Jeong-ho smiled widely. The shade and miasma of the past were invisible faces.
