“What’s this smell?”

As soon as the front door opened, a savory aroma stung the nose. Seo Ha quickly realized what it was and clapped her hands.

“Pajeon! Today we’re having pajeon!”

On the table she rushed to, seafood pajeon made with generous ingredients and doenjang stew were giving off wonderful smells. With the addition of glistening white rice, there was nothing more to desire.

“It rained today, didn’t it? You know mom’s skill at making jeon, right?”

“I know, I know. I also know mom’s pajeon skills.”

Seung Oh smiled broadly as he sniffed the pajeon.

“Is pajeon the only thing that’s great? I’ve become so picky about food because of our mother’s cooking that it’s hard to even eat out. Take responsibility.”

Seo Ha’s somewhat boisterous praise was sincere.

“I’m always grateful that you enjoy the food. Here, Seo Ha. Try this before it gets cold.”

Ok Soon tore off a crispy edge of the pajeon and dipped it in soy sauce with floating green chili peppers before holding it out. Seeing Seo Ha quickly take and eat it, Seung Oh’s face stiffened slightly.

“Does mom have to feed you for you to eat it?”

“I can feed you too, can’t I? Here, mother. Say ah~”

Ok Soon also ate the pajeon that Seo Ha tore off for her deliciously. Still, the three wrinkles on Seung Oh’s brow showed no sign of fading.

“Ah, I’m choking.”

Thanks to Seung Oh blatantly showing his discomfort at the dinner table, Seo Ha felt like the food she had just eaten would give her indigestion and patted her chest a few times.

“Oh my, look at me. I didn’t even bring water.”

“It’s fine. Mom, stay seated.”

As Ok Soon hurriedly stood up, Seung Oh pulled her back down and then put a glass of water in front of Seo Ha with a thud.

“You can get water by yourself, can’t you?”

“When did I ask you to bring—”

—Ding dong, ding dong.

Just as a small argument was about to start, the doorbell rang at the perfect moment. The conversation was cut off and gazes turned towards the entrance.

“Who could it be? We’re not expecting anyone.”

“I’ll go check, mother.”

“Don’t bother. Seung Oh, since you’re already up, go see who it is.”

Ok Soon grabbed Seo Ha’s hand to sit her down and gestured. Seung Oh had a rather reluctant expression.

“I’m the son-in-law of this house, right? They say a son-in-law is a guest for a hundred years, so isn’t it strange for a guest to go answer the door?”

Seung Oh often said nonsensical things like this that he must have learned from somewhere. It wasn’t a big problem since it could be ignored with the power of love.

“This kid. Mom lives in this house, so how are you a guest for a hundred years? This is your wife’s family home and in-laws’ house, that’s how it is.”

In the midst of the mother and son’s light bickering, Seo Ha just got up and went herself. It’s not like the entrance was 500 meters away, isn’t it much easier to go check than waste time like this?

“… Who is it?”

The young woman peering at the intercom screen was someone Seo Ha didn’t know at all. Her somewhat shabby jacket and tightly tied hair were far from a religious solicitor or door-to-door salesperson.

—Ding dong, ding dong.

The doorbell rang again. Only then did Ok Soon walk out and ask,

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know. It’s a young woman.”

“A woman? Ah, it must be Ji Soo. You can open the door.”

“Ji Soo?”

“Your aunt Nanjoo’s daughter, Lee Ji Soo. She must have come not knowing your mom isn’t here today.”

When she pressed the button, the woman bowed politely on the screen. Soon after, faint footsteps crossing the garden grew closer and stopped in front of the door.

—Knock knock.

“Come in, Ji Soo. The door’s open.”

The front door opened cautiously. As if timed perfectly to that moment, Seung Oh, who had been in the kitchen, crossed the living room and came to the entrance.

“Why aren’t you coming in? The food will get cold.”

“Ah, hello.”

Seung Oh’s grumbling and the woman’s awkward greeting happened almost simultaneously. In that brief instant, Seo Ha felt that Seung Oh and the woman called “Ji Soo” locked eyes precisely.

It was not a particularly pleasant coincidence.

“Did you come to see your mom? Oh no, your mom has the day off today. Didn’t she tell you?”

Ok Soon spoke warmly in the somewhat awkward atmosphere.

“Ah, that’s… I didn’t come to see mom.”

Lee Ji Soo hesitantly held out an old paper bag with a chicken restaurant logo and a black plastic bag.

“The clothes you lent me last time. I brought those back and some bindaetteok. Since it’s raining, I thought you could eat it with the lady of the house…”

“Pfft!”

Suddenly, a loud laugh burst out. It was the loudest sound Seo Ha had heard from Seung Oh in days.

“Why are you laughing, honey?”

“Pft, puhuhuh.”

Still chuckling without answering, Seung Oh strode up to Lee Ji Soo.

“You said your name was Ji Soo, right?”

“Huh? Ah, yes.”

Lee Ji Soo’s nape had somehow turned pink as she hastily nodded.

“Is the ‘lady of the house’ you’re thinking of who I think it is? The mistress of this house?”

“…”

Lee Ji Soo lowered her gaze as if embarrassed. Her bright red earlobe peeked out from between her hair loosely tied with a yellow rubber band.

“Stop it, honey. It’s rude to someone you’ve just met.”

Feeling strangely irritated, Seo Ha gently pushed Seung Oh aside and almost snatched the shopping bag and plastic bag from Lee Ji Soo’s hands.

“I’m sorry. My husband is still immature.”

Lee Ji Soo slowly raised her head. Was it just an illusion that her naive-looking brown eyes seemed to very quickly scan Seo Ha from head to toe?

“Ah, hello… nice to meet you.”

She was an ordinary woman you might pass on the street about three times a day. Her skin was dry, and there were oil stains on the front of her worn tracksuit. Rainwater dripped from her rusted two-tier checkered umbrella, dirtying the area around her shabby slippers.

“Give me your umbrella. I’ll put it away.”

Seo Ha, concerned about the marble floor that the staff would have to clean again, kindly held out her hand.

“Ah, no! I’m, I’m sorry! Here, I…”

“You can put it there. By the door.”

Ok Soon pointed to the umbrella stand where Seung Oh’s umbrella was. Lee Ji Soo stuffed her umbrella in next to it, then turned around and apologized repeatedly while bowing.

“I’m, I’m sorry, miss. I’ll clean the floor myself. Where’s the mop…”

It wasn’t a pleasant sight to see a mousy woman so intimidated in front of another woman her age dressed in an elegant dress.

It looks like I’m the one bullying her.

When Seo Ha was young, if she got angry at a child from a slightly poorer family, she would be branded as the bad child. Even if that child was at fault when examining right and wrong, criticism was unavoidable. So Seo Ha learned early on how to hide her displeasure and act in a way that looked good to others.

“Don’t worry about the floor. It’s Lee Ji Soo, right? I’m Yoon Seo Ha, the daughter of this house. This is my husband Lee Seung Oh, son of our mother Kim Ok Soon. Nice to meet you.”

Lee Ji Soo was about to take Seo Ha’s hand, which was extended with a friendly smile, but hesitated and rubbed her palms on her pants.

“I’m sorry. My, my hands are dirty. I was afraid you might find them dirty…”

Seo Ha looked at Lee Ji Soo in disbelief. Watching Lee Ji Soo bow and rub her hands as if possessed by a commoner meeting a Joseon Dynasty princess, only one thought came to mind.

‘What is she doing?’

Whether aware of such thoughts or not, Lee Ji Soo finally lightly grasped and shook the tips of Seo Ha’s fingers after diligently wiping her hands. Then Seung Oh abruptly held out his hand.

“I’m Lee Seung Oh. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Lee Ji Soo hurriedly rubbed her already wiped hands again and then firmly grasped Seung Oh’s hand.

“I’m, I’m Lee Ji Soo. My, my mother is Park Nan Joo. Um, she always says the lady of the house treats her well… I mean, not the lady of the house…”

“Puhahaha!”

Seung Oh, whose lips had been twitching, finally burst into loud laughter.

Was he someone who could laugh so loudly? Seo Ha felt an unfamiliar sense of dissonance from Lee Seung Oh, whom she had loved all her life.

“You can just call her ma’am. Didn’t mom tell you that?”

“Your mother-in-law just laughed too, so I left it alone wondering how long she’d keep calling her that.”

As Ok Soon giggled along, Lee Ji Soo’s face turned a shy peach color.

“Then, I’ll be going now. It’s almost time for my bus.”

“Wait a moment, Ji Soo. Have you had dinner?”

Lee Ji Soo shook her head at Ok Soon’s question.

“That’s perfect. You said you brought bindaetteok, right? We’re just about to have dinner, so eat with us and add the bindaetteok. Seo Ha, Seung Oh. Is that okay?”

“Mother, I—”

“Of course it’s okay!”

Seo Ha’s attempt to say she was uncomfortable was drowned out by Seung Oh’s booming voice. When Seo Ha glared slightly, Seung Oh, uncharacteristically, even made excuses.

“The table is already set, let’s just add one more spoon. Sending someone away hungry on a rainy day is heartless. Don’t you think?”

The atmosphere was such that if she said she was uncomfortable, she would instantly become a heartless person.

“Of course. Turning away someone at mealtime shows a lack of affection. Come in, Ji Soo. We’ve just set the table.”

Ok Soon went a step further and pulled on Lee Ji Soo’s arm. A shy smile formed on Lee Ji Soo’s lips as she took off her shoes, seemingly unable to refuse.

Right. She can have one meal.

Seo Ha tried to swallow her discomfort and turned towards the kitchen. As she did so, the paper bag she was holding caught on a flower pot, causing the handle to snap and the contents to spill out.

“Ah!”

Seo Ha bent down to pick up the clothes. A dress with exotic embroidery on the smooth nude-toned fabric came up with her elegantly manicured fingertips.

That embroidery looked familiar. Seo Ha’s expression turned cold as she held the dress with both hands and spread it out.

“… This is my dress?”

It was a handcrafted dress sold by a flea market vendor in a small European town. There was no way the exact same dress could exist in Korea. No, even if there was, it was impossible for it to have the exact same part of the embroidery that Seo Ha had accidentally cut with a lint remover.

“Ms. Lee Ji Soo.”

Seo Ha strode into the kitchen and thrust out the dress.

“Where did you get this?”

“That? That…”

Lee Ji Soo blinked her wide eyes.

“I, I was doing the dishes and accidentally spilled some water. Aunt Soon gave it to me to wear, but…”

Her eyes quickly turned red and became moist, looking like tears were about to spill over at any moment. Seung Oh’s expression, glimpsed briefly, was slightly furrowed as if something was very displeasing.

“Oh my, child. That is indeed what I lent her!”

Ok Soon waved her hand as if it were no big deal.

“The other day, one of our commuting housekeepers had an emergency. This child came to work in place of her mother who was struggling. She worked so hard, this girl the same age as you, that her clothes were ruined, so I took out one of the dresses you had thrown away and gave it to her. She could have just kept it, but look how she washed and brought it back. Isn’t she so sweet?”

A tear finally rolled down Lee Ji Soo’s cheek. For Seo Ha, it was nothing short of having her patience tested in staccato. Who should be crying right now? Who should be the one wanting to cry?