Chapter 44
“When you take over the ancestral rites later, you’ll need to do at least this much to maintain the family’s dignity.”
“I’m not planning to inherit them.”
“What?”
“I’m passing on the ancestral rites.”
There was a moment’s silence at the bluntness of Baek Sa-eon’s words.
“What do you mean by that? If you don’t take on the ancestral rites, then who will? You’re the only son of the eldest brother. Of course, it’s your duty as the eldest grandson!”
Although Heeju felt like an outsider, she wasn’t excluded from any of the conversations. The relatives were determined to involve her somehow.
“If you want the inheritance, you must take the rites too!”
“Then, you take them, Uncle.”
“What?”
“If it’s passed to me, I might abolish it in my generation.”
“What nonsense…”
“Whoever desires that role can take it.”
Baek Sa-eon looked around at his dumbfounded relatives and declared like an auctioneer.
A chilling silence settled over the mansion. But Heeju’s mother-in-law watched the incident like a passerby.
“Why would my wife do something even I don’t want to do? I didn’t marry her so she could cook for the dead.”
“……!”
“Those who wish to reap benefits without effort will not receive the ancestors’ blessings.”
His sharp words made Heeju feel awkward. The tension in the room was palpable, prickling her skin like static electricity.
“What? The dead?!”
His uncle’s face reddened with anger as his voice grew louder.
“This disrespectful brat! Without father’s influence, everyone here would’ve taken ten more years to get promotions or win elections!”
“Yes, it certainly seems that way.”
“And yet you call him the dead?!”
“I don’t think he’s among the living.”
Baek Sa-eon’s pale face remained expressionless.
“Having respect for ancestors and exploiting one’s wife are two entirely different matters. I won’t engage in such nonsense.”
“You…you…!”
“At a time when I should be feeding my wife well, you think I would let her…”
He clicked his tongue sharply.
His hands, intertwined like chains, were heavy. Heeju’s heart was pounding for her husband, who fought for her.
“If you want this family to grow stronger than it is now, start managing your own children properly. I’ve been hearing all about the mess they’ve been creating.”
“Unbelievable…!”
Unable to overpower Sa-eon with words, the focus shifted to Heeju.
“That’s why it’s important to have the right person marry into the family…”
Baek Sa-eon chuckled.
“For someone who values ancestral rites so much, why did you evaluate your sons’ marriage prospects based on their in-laws’ wealth? If their brides were destined to prepare offerings for the dead, you might as well have married them to shamans.”
“You insolent…!”
His uncle’s double chin quivered in fury.
Heeju, unable to watch anymore, pulled on her husband’s hand. He raised an eyebrow but finally shut his mouth.
“Dear.”
At that moment, her mother-in-law’s soft voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
“Do you see my bag on the table over there? Can you put it in the study?”
Their eyes met briefly, and her warm smile prompted Sa-eon to let go of Heeju’s hand.
‘My heart nearly jumped out of my chest…’
Heeju darted upstairs as though fleeing. The living room she glanced back at still felt precariously tense, the atmosphere utterly shattered by Baek Sa-eon.
***
The study was quiet, unlike downstairs. Surrounded by books on all sides, her stiff shoulders relaxed naturally.
Heeju put the bag on the chair.
‘Ah….!’
Her eyes drifted to the desk. There were a few old frames; wedding photos, family portraits, award ceremonies— among them, her eyes were drawn to a chubby baby photo of Baek Sa-eon from his first birthday.
Biting her lip, she picked up the frame.
‘This baby grew up to be…’
She shivered involuntarily.
Dressed in a traditional colorful hanbok, the baby tightly held something in both hands, as if participating in a doljabi ceremony.
Looking closely, she saw that the baby had grabbed a bulky first-generation mobile phone that could only be owned by the wealthy in 1988 and a toy hammer.
‘Wow…’
It struck her as oddly prophetic.
Heeju put the frame down and avoided it like some secret she shouldn’t have stumbled upon.
She was about to leave the room.
‘Huh?’
She frowned, noticing a document among the neatly arranged papers.
Amid the neatly stacked documents, the bold, tidy lettering caught her eye. It was an enrollment form for a funeral service package— covering funeral supplies, transportation, and staff assistance.
‘Why would this be here?’
Tilting her head in puzzlement, Heeju eventually left the study. The fleeting question faded from her mind.
***
The fragrance of incense filled the air.
While the elders of the family bowed, Heeju sat in the drawing room, watching the scene unfold.
Her mother-in-law, who had smelled faintly of food earlier, had changed into a purple dress and was now offering a drink to the late Baek Jang-ho. Tears welled in her eyes as she gazed up at her deceased father-in-law’s photo but were quickly wiped away as she turned toward Heeju.
“Why don’t you all go ahead and eat first?”
Seated in the drawing room were direct daughters-in-law, more distant relatives’ wives, and sisters-in-law. Among them, Heeju couldn’t even lean against the chair properly. She was feeling far from comfortable.
“Sister-in-law, what exactly did Sa-eon eat to grow so tall?”
“My father-in-law was the same height in his youth.”
Standing at about 188 cm, Baek Sa-eon was the only one of his stature among his relatives. Even in a crowd, he stood out unmistakably.
Hearing his name mentioned, Heeju’s attention was drawn back to him.
“He used to be so lively and talkative. Who’d have thought he would become so reserved?”
“Sa-eon? Really?”
The aunt looked surprised.
“He was brimming with energy back then.”
But the Baek Sa-eon Heeju remembered was sharp and precarious, a boy who felt almost fragile.
Perhaps it was her intense first impression of him that made it difficult to reconcile with what she was hearing now.
The younger aunt clicked her tongue.
“You cherished him like a precious gem, sister-in-law. As the eldest grandson, he was rarely allowed to play outside as a child. To be honest, aside from his doljabi grab ceremony, I don’t have many memories of young Sa-eon.”
“Given that he’s the eldest son, it was natural for him to be raised with extra care. The responsibility is considerable.”
“But perhaps he was overprotected…”
“No, that was Father-in-law’s doing,” Shim Gyu-jin interjected with a faint smile.
“Worried about criticism, he oversaw every detail of Sa-eon’s upbringing and education himself. My father-in-law showed me great kindness, and I owe him a lot for that.”
Heeju found these details oddly unfamiliar, prompting her to straighten up despite the stiffness creeping into her back. The effort sent a dull ache through her shoulders, and as she dropped her gaze to knead away the tension, she unexpectedly locked eyes with her mother-in-law.
“Child, if you’re tired, go upstairs and rest,” Shim Gyu-jin said gently.
“…”
Heeju felt all eyes on her. The conversation had shifted to the presidential election, but now she felt the weight of everyone’s gaze. She nervously moved her fingers and shook her head, trying to indicate that she was fine.
“You’ve just been discharged and haven’t fully recovered yet. You should rest.”
“She doesn’t need to be here anyway,” someone muttered.
Whispers drifted to Heeju’s ears as she surveyed her surroundings, “Ah, so that’s her? The one who can’t speak…”
The sensation of being an ugly duckling among swans struck her hard. She stood up slowly, feeling a pang of awkwardness.
Previously, with Baek Sa-eon firmly by her side, shielding her from everything, she was unaware of these glances.
Now, walking alone toward the staircase, she unconsciously kept replaying the scene in her mind of him defending her.
‘He really does care for me… doesn’t he?’
***
Creak!
The rusty hinges creaked, their sound echoing as if the room hadn’t been opened for years.
Heeju felt nervous while entering her husband’s room. Perhaps it was because the atmosphere in the room felt as though Baek Sa-eon’s presence had been left imprinted on every wall and floorboard.
A room devoid of warmth.
Heeju ran her palm over the walls, which felt cold and unyielding, like cement, as she stepped cautiously forward.
‘So this is the room Baek Sa-eon used since he was young.’
The unused furniture, draped with white sheets, gave the space an eerie feel. But since he had moved out as soon as he entered his twenties, this place had probably been used as a storage room more than anything else.
Heeju sat down on the bed, the musty smell of dust filling her nose.
“Huh…?”
She blinked and stared out the window.
‘…I can see my room from here?’
When she pressed her face close to the glass, her sharp nose flattened against the pane.
From his room, the house next door was visible. Specifically, Chairman Hong’s house. To be more precise, the small room on the second floor.
That small space, wedged between the window and the wall, was where she had placed a tiny desk and practiced sign language all night.
Caught up in a strange wave of nostalgia, Heeju gazed at her former room.
Learning her first language had been difficult, and her mother’s piercing eyes had locked her young lips shut like a padlock.
Fueled by an unquenchable desire for love, little Heeju retreated to a corner, her hands tirelessly moving until dawn.
‘Did he see me practicing back then?’
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the door suddenly burst open.
“Hong Heeju.”
“…!”
Ignoring the lack of light, he moved through the room with confident strides. In the darkness, his eyes caught hers, glinting with unmistakable intensity.
