“How is it, son?”
Jung Im posed like a model with her handbag over her shoulder.
“Wow, mom really looks young. Feels like mom is the one getting married.”
To Woo Jin, who was giving a thumbs up, Jung Im rolled her eyes beautifully.
“Really, are you teasing your mom?”
The luxury store clerk chimed in.
“Usually, this model is preferred by younger customers, but it’s perfect for you. How do you manage to pull off everything you try?”
Receiving the compliment, Jung Im’s face beamed with pride. But apparently that wasn’t enough, as her eyes were prodding Si Hyun as well. Her eyes seemed to be urging for some praise. Forced, Si Hyun said a few words.
“It suits you well, mom.”
Feeling the lack of enthusiasm in her response, Jung Im looked at her with dissatisfaction.
“Anyway, young people these days lack any sense of affection.”
Si Hyun was barely holding back a scream. For the past three hours, Jung Im had been dragging her from store to store, trying on all sorts of bags, and each time, insisting that she say they were pretty and suited her well. Si Hyun didn’t have any energy for affection in the first place, and if she had, it would have been exhausted by now.
“So, mom, are you going to go with this one?”
“Isn’t it too expensive? My goodness, a bag this small costs nearly ten million won.”
Now, Jung Im pretended to decline.
“No, do I have two or three moms? I only have one mom, and when I’m sending off my youngest son to get married, of course she should receive this much.”
As if she were delighted, Jung Im pinched the cheek of her 35yearold youngest son.
“I feel so happy today. Having raised a good son, I can even afford to get such an expensive bag!”
She said as if forgetting that the money came from Si Hyun.

What began as shopping for a bridal bag worth two million won ended with the purchase of a bag worth nearly ten million won.

Si Hyun was so tired, all she could think of was wanting to end this, whether it cost ten million or twenty million.
“We are currently out of stock, and we expect to have more at the beginning of next month. We will call you then, so you can come in and pay.”
Remembering that she hadn’t yet received the severance paybacked loan she had applied for at the company, Si Hyun asked,
“Do I need to pay in advance?”
“We don’t require a prepayment. Just pay at the time of purchase. However, if there is a price increase in the meantime, we would ask you to pay the increased price.”

“Si Hyun had never bought a handbag worth five hundred thousand won before. The idea of taking out a loan to buy a luxury handbag worth ten million won for her motherinlaw did not sit well with her.
“Then please call me.”
Leaving her phone number at the shop, Si Hyun gently touched her old handbag she had been using since she started working. She bought it on sale for about two hundred thousand won, she recalled.

Woo Jin was up front, arm in arm with Jung Im, talking affectionately.
“Mom, now that you’ve received a good dowry bag, you’ll also provide good dowry for Si Hyun, right?”
“Already looking out for your bride, huh. Got it, boy.”

The day’s schedule had not ended even after leaving the department store. Jung Im brought Si Hyun home and pulled out a box wrapped in golden cloth from a deep place in her wardrobe.
“Here, this is your dowry.”
Jung Im pushed the box towards Si Hyun, still wrapped in cloth.

Si Hyun carefully unwrapped the cloth. She hadn’t expected much, but was surprised by what came out.

Inside the large box, several small boxes for storing jewelry came out. Various types of gems were stored in sets.

Jung Im spoke as if she was a lady of a prestigious family.
“These are the treasures I’ve collected all my life. I should give them to my daughterinlaw now, what’s the use of an old woman like me wearing diamonds?”
Ruby set, sapphire set, pearl set, diamond set. Each set came complete with earrings, a necklace, and a ring.

The designs were all oldfashioned and seemed unsuitable for the young Si Hyun, but the size of each gem was substantial. Particularly, the diamond set’s ring looked like it was at least 2 carats at a glance.
“My goodness, how much is all this? Our Si Hyun has struck it rich!”
At Woo Jin’s fuss, Jung Im shushed him by placing a finger to her lips as if she was afraid someone would hear.
“Don’t say anything to your older siblings because I didn’t give them anything like this. Otherwise, they would resent me for favoring the youngest daughterinlaw. This is in lieu of the house price that I didn’t increase for you two.”
Jung Im wrapped the box tightly in the cloth again and handed it back.
“Now, keep it safe and pass it down to your daughterinlaw.”
Her fatigue and disappointment seemed to lighten a bit.

It wasn’t because she received valuable items or loved jewelry, but because she felt that Jung Im was not as harsh as she had seemed. She realized that her motherinlaw had her own considerations.
“Thank you, mother.”

Si Hyun felt a glimmer of hope in her married life.