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Chapter 21
In the end, without having written a letter for Yido, Haena returned from kindergarten.
She tried to find a moment to write the letter at home, but with her packed tutoring schedule, that wasn’t easy either.
She considered asking her kindest English teacher, “It’s Parents’ Day, but I couldn’t write a letter to my dad,” but she was sure the teacher would say, “Then let’s try writing a letter in English! He’ll like it even more!” So she gave up on that idea.
And so.
Dinner time finally arrived.
*”Daaaamn it…”*
Normally, she would have thrown a tantrum saying she wanted to eat alone, but the K-Confucian girl inside Haena just wouldn’t let her.
*”How could I refuse to eat with Dad on Parents’ Day of all days! No matter how upset I am, you don’t get angry at the dinner table!”* — decades of family education kept kicking in.
Ah, Father, Mother.
Why did you raise me to be such a dutiful daughter? Thanks to you, I’m now being dutiful to someone else’s family.
Haena eventually trudged down the stairs, carrying one empty carnation letter meant for Hong Yido, one carnation letter for Chairman Hong, and one carnation brooch for Chairman Hong.
What about giving the brooch to Hong Yido instead since she couldn’t write the letter?
Unfortunately, on the long green ribbon of the carnation brooch, she had already written *”Grandfather”* and *”I love you”*…
She considered erasing the character for *”Grand”* with correction tape, but there was no way she had green correction tape on hand.
So, having become a filial brat who took care of Grandpa more dutifully than Dad, Haena entered the dining room.
Already seated at the lavishly set table were two men, looking grim.
“!”
The two men’s eyes went wide when they saw Haena enter, showing clear surprise.
Surprised, my foot.
No matter how angry I am at you both, I’m not the kind to forget the kindness of those who feed and shelter me.
*They must both have no work today, I guess?* Haena sat down, keeping the things she had prepared crumpled up in her pockets.
“Ahem. Ahem.”
Unable to bear the suffocating silence, Chairman Hong cleared his throat a few times, then scooped up some beef radish soup and put it in his mouth.
“Haena, did you have a good day at kindergarten?”
“…Yes.”
Haena answered without much energy and took a spoonful of rice herself. *This house really has great food, I must say.*
“Good. Nothing special happen today?”
“…”
*Now seems like the right time, doesn’t it?*
*To break this tense atmosphere, maybe I should casually hand it over?*
“Nothing… special happened.”
Haena scratched her head, got down from her chair, and walked straight to Chairman Hong.
“I made this at kindergarten…”
She took out the brooch first and pinned it on Chairman Hong’s chest. She was very careful, afraid he might get pricked by the pin and unleash a tremendous scolding.
“Ta-da!”
*Oops.* Without realizing it, she had used that cute 7-year-old tone again.
Haena let out an embarrassed cough. Using the speech habit she’d picked up at kindergarten here too. How shameful for a 32-year-old.
She glanced at Chairman Hong. Come to think of it, Chairman Hong didn’t seem like the type to like such childish things. He wouldn’t get angry, would he? *I haven’t just poured oil on an already tense fire, have I?* Haena waited nervously for Chairman Hong’s reaction.
“…”
Chairman Hong’s face was hardening to a truly frightening degree.
*Uh-oh. Oh no. Retreat, retreat…! Chairman Hong is angry…!*
“Hurrrrrrrrmph!!!”
“?”
“Huuuuuuurrrrrrrrmph…”
*What’s this?*
*His reaction is kind of strange?*
Haena, flustered, stopped trying to quickly back away and stood still beside Chairman Hong.
*Wait. Chairman Hong… his eyes are getting red, aren’t they?*
*His nose is getting red too, right? Huh? He’s raising his head? Anyone can see that’s the angle of someone holding back tears. Unless Chairman Hong has suddenly gone crazy and is trying to find his best angle, that posture looks like he’s raising his head to stop the liquid trying to escape from his tear ducts…*
“Ahem. Ahem. Wh-what is this?”
“Well… because it’s Parents’ Day… We made carnations at kindergarten. This is a brooch.”
“HURRRRRRRRRMPH!!!!!”
*G-grandfather. You’re going to choke holding back those tears.* Haena watched Chairman Hong with pity.
*No, why… why is he crying?*
*Did he get pricked by the pin?*
“So… you’re saying you made this carnation brooch… for me?”
“If… if you don’t like it… I can take it back…”
*I’ll just stick some green paper over the ‘Grand’ character and give it to Hong Yido…*
With an indifferent expression, Haena reached her hand toward the carnation brooch.
But.
*Grab.*
“?”
Chairman Hong, with a more resolute face than ever, grabbed Haena’s hand and shook his head.
Then he shouted.
“Manager Kim!!!!”
“?!”
At that roar, Manager Kim, who had been waiting outside, came rushing in and stood before Chairman Hong.
“Yes, Chairman! You called?”
Manager Kim also looked tense, as it was the first time Chairman Hong had called him out so loudly.
*I-I’m getting tense too…*
*Did he really get pricked by the pin…? Why is he acting like this?*
“Manager Kim, transfer one building in Cheongdam-dong to Haena. No, transfer two.”
*Excuse me?*
As Chairman Hong snorted and spoke, Manager Kim looked back and forth between Haena and Chairman Hong, as if trying to discern whether what he had just heard was a dream or reality.
But Haena was just as unable to tell if this was a dream or reality.
*How much are two buildings in Cheongdam-dong worth? Combined, isn’t that nearly 100 billion won?*
Suddenly becoming a nouveau riche (though she had always been one), Haena just blinked dumbly, unable to say a word. Normally, people can’t even handle winning the lottery once, but this was like winning the lottery a hundred times over.
Between the two normal people who had lost their composure—
“Calm down, Chairman.”
Hong Yido cut in.
“What?”
“How can you transfer assets so impulsively?”
*W-well, he’s not wrong… It’s not like it’s a small amount of money… Giving away buildings just because someone made you one carnation brooch is a bit much…*
For the first time in a while, Haena sulked because what Hong Yido said was right.
“I’ll do what I want with my own property, so why are you butting in—”
“You should at least consult with a tax accountant about the taxes first.”
*Huh?*
“…That’s a good point! Manager Kim! First thing tomorrow, schedule appointments with a lawyer and a tax accountant!”
“Yes, Chairman!”
*…I really can’t get used to this house…*
—
***
After the commotion over the sudden asset transfer (?) had passed, Chairman Hong was finally able to calm down.
Of course, he still had the carnation brooch pinned to his chest, and he was beaming with a face that said he was so happy he could die.
*…Wait, was that old man always this kind of character? I don’t think he was…*
At the burst of doting grandfather behavior, as if a seal had been broken, Haena scratched her head. *I haven’t even given him the carnation letter yet. Now I’m afraid to give it because I don’t know what will happen…*
*Surely he won’t try to give me the company this time, will he?*
*…Not bad?*
Haena quickly took out the hidden letter and handed it to Chairman Hong.
“Grandfather. I also wrote this.”
At those words, Chairman Hong’s eyes went even wider. *I didn’t think they could get bigger than before, but I was wrong. They can get bigger.*
Haena felt a little pressured.
“Ahem. What’s this?”
Whether he sensed Haena’s discomfort or not, Chairman Hong cleared his throat and received the letter.
“It’s a carnation letter!”
At that, Chairman Hong’s hand trembled.
“A letter?”
“Yes!”
“You can write in Korean? Is it because you’re gifted that you’re different?”
For a moment, her pride was wounded, but she held back, remembering that many children her age couldn’t write Korean.
“Yes!”
“The kindergarten makes you write letters with those little fern-frond hands? Aren’t most kids unable to write Korean properly?”
*Well, that’s true.* Most of them really did have trouble writing Korean. That’s why all they did was copy the phrases the teacher wrote on the whiteboard.
“We just copy what the teacher writes on the whiteboard!”
“Ah.”
A disappointed sigh escaped Chairman Hong, and Haena shook her head.
“But that’s the other kids. I wrote mine myself!”
“!”
At those words, Chairman Hong’s face rapidly brightened with joy.
