Episode 21

“Oh my, my little ones have arrived. Come in, come in!”

The sight of the adults warmly welcoming Yeon-woo and his family brought a smile to Yeon-woo’s face as well. According to his father, their oldest uncle and his wife had praised Yeon-woo and So-hyeon since they were young, saying they ate heartily.

“Wow, is this really Yeon-woo? Of course, I’ve seen you on TV.”

“Hello. Have you been well?”

Amidst the bustling noise, the oldest brother’s wife emerged from the kitchen, clapping her hands and greeting Yeon-woo and So-hyeon. Yeon-woo also greeted her naturally and then headed into the living room.

“Oh my, Hyung. You’ve already started cooking, even though you’re still recovering from your shoulder surgery?”

As soon as Yeon-woo’s mother arrived, she set down her bags and started rolling up her sleeves from her arms.

“Oh, just take a break for a bit. We’ve just arrived, and there’s plenty of time.”

“You know my personality. It’s better to finish things quickly.”

As the grandmother and mother went into the kitchen, Yeon-woo greeted the adults who had arrived earlier and rolled up his sleeves before entering the kitchen.

“So-hyeon, come along. I’ll help with the cooking.”

“Got it.”

Upon seeing Yeon-woo, his uncle, whispered to Ryu Cheol-yung.

“How did he change so much? He’s really grown up.”

“Hyung, kids change quickly as they grow up. Hahaha.”

Praising his grown-up son with pride caused the older brothers to shrug his shoulders.

Subsequently, other relatives arrived, and the family atmosphere centered around Yeon-woo.

In the Ryu family, as soon as someone recognizable came out, the elders took out their smartphones and awkwardly posed for photos. The cousins, meanwhile, perked up at just a word from Yeon-woo.

The festive atmosphere continued, until the arrival of the villain of the Ryu family, the younger uncle, and his wife.

Ryu Jeong-yung was Ryu Cheol-yung’s youngest brother. Unlike his older brothers who were generally good at studying from a young age, he engaged in shady activities while wandering around until he reached his forties. He eventually started a successful clothing wholesale business in Dongdaemun by chance, making a significant amount of money.

However, his late mother always prioritized his elder brother, a government worker, saying, “You work hard for the country,” when looking at him, and she made sure to take care of him first.

‘Why does Cheol-yung always get all the attention when I spend the most on household matters? Working for the country is nonsense. Who do you think you are, a president? You’re just an ordinary government worker, not some national hero.’

As time passed after his mother’s passing, resentment grew, and Ryu Jeong-yung vented his frustration in unexpected ways.

His timid son would act clueless, not even properly greeting others during holidays. In contrast, his own daughter was well-behaved and received praise from the adults.

Not content with that, during the Lunar New Year’s and Chuseok holidays, he would pester Cheol-yung’s son, Yeon-woo, to lose weight and learn proper manners, releasing his stress on his older brother.

Surprisingly, Ryu Jeong-yung’s family arrived when dinner was nearly over. However, the relatives gathered at the Ryu family home didn’t show any displeasure and welcomed them. After all, it was a holiday.

“Here, take this gift set, Hyung. Ah, hey you. That’s a good brand, so handle it carefully. How much did it cost? Be careful.”

As soon as he walked in, Ryu Jeong-yung started criticizing his brother’s second son, Ryu Jin-woo, who was rushing to accept the gift, worried that it might be heavy. Ryu Jin-woo’s face changed, as if he didn’t like what he was hearing.

At that moment, So-hyeon, who had been observing the situation from the side, spoke up.

“Uncle, the term ‘Jongjong’ is incorrect. It means a remnant of Japan. The teacher said it should be written as ‘Cheongju’.”

“…. What? Whether it’s Jongjong or Cheongju.”

Ryu Jeong-yung’s wife, Yeom Suk-gyeong, glared at So-hyeon and helped her husband.

Anyway, the Ryu family… was what Ryu Jeong-yung mumbled, entering the living room and looking around.

“Where’s Yeon-woo? He was asked to come home earlier because of the TV appearance, but he’s not even coming out to greet?”

While Ryu Jeong-yung seemed to consider it a joke and laughed, the relatives gathered there didn’t like hearing it. The kitchen door opened, and the oldest aunt emerged, rubbing her sore arms.

“Hey, you. Are you causing trouble again, they are coming here early and helping with the cooking? And now he is in the veranda, removing oil?”

she scolded Ryu Jeong-yung, and his wife while glaring at them, avoiding eye contact.

“Oh my, sister-in-law. Are you busy with work that you’re going to say something like that?”

“Eh, you useless brat. I came into the Ryu family, married, and raised you by taking care of you.”

As the older mother looked at Yeon-woo with warm eyes, she stuck out her tongue in contrast.

“Again, you’re talking about that?”

Shaking his head, Ryu Jeong-yung turned towards the veranda.

“Hey, that worthless jerk! Anyway, why are all the Ryu family men so weak in character, falling for that guy and leaving him like that?”

As the oldest brother’s wife stared lasers at the Ryu brothers sitting on the couch, they pretended not to hear and turned their heads away.

Meanwhile, on the veranda, Yeon-woo was removing the oil stains from the fan and washing them with a scrubbing pad. When the veranda door opened, he looked towards it.

‘That person was probably my little uncle. According to So-hyeon, that person isn’t very good.’

Thinking of the face from the photo he had reviewed yesterday, Yeon-woo greeted him.

“Hello, uncle.”

‘Oh, he looks completely different from before. I can’t recognize him.’

Jeong-yung looked up and down, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy.

“Clearly, your mother must have influenced oldest brother’s wife to scold my wife. Coming late. While cooking, you must have heard too, right?”

“…Yes?”

Whether it was because he had a cramp in his leg or not, they hadn’t mentioned his uncle and his wife at all while eating, but Jeong-yung had made a wild guess, and looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“And when adults come in, you should quickly come out and greet them. Anyway, at least show some manners.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I was so focused on doing the dishes, I didn’t realize you had come.”

“Didn’t know, huh? Pretending not to know.”

After being reborn into a new body, perhaps due to his attractive appearance, everyone had been kind to Yeon-woo. So, it was refreshing to openly express his hostility with absurd remarks like these.

“Hey, why is this guy glaring at his uncle? Does he need a punch like last year to toughen him up?”

In response to the absurd situation, Yeon-woo smirked. It seemed that the relationship between his uncle and Ryu Yeon-woo was more one-sided than So-hyeon knew.

Taking off his rubber gloves, Yeon-woo stood up.

“What are you talking about?”

Feeling unexplained hostility for the first time in a while, Yeon-woo looked at Ryu Jeong-yung with eyes like a battle-hardened warrior, his gaze unyielding and focused.

This was different from the anger he had displayed during his acting test with Jung Cheol-min. It was a different kind of intensity, like a fierce dog showing up and even the fiercest dogs in the neighborhood feeling intimidated – the aura of someone with a wealth of experience.

“Euh, euhak!”

Suddenly overwhelmed by fear, Ryu Jeong-yung stumbled back a step, stepping on his anger and falling backward.

Bang!

“Well, are you alright, uncle?”

Staring at that sight, Yeon-woo asked with an unfazed tone.

As Ryu Jeong-yung fell and made a commotion on the veranda, all the adults gathered around.

“What is it? Why are you going out to the veranda and falling by yourself? Are you hurt?”

Yeon-woo’s father, Ryu Cheol-yung, scolded his younger brother.

At that moment, the oldest aunt rushed onto the veranda, her face red with anger, and started berating him.

“You bastard! After all this time, you even broke my most cherished plant?! That pot has been in the family for over 40 years, ever since I brought it home as a bride. Do you want to have a fight with me today?”

“N-No. It was just Yeon-woo.”

Ryu Jeong-yung pointed at Yeon-woo with an unjust look. Even as he spoke, he couldn’t find the right words.

Yeon-woo had simply stood up and greeted him.

“You rotten good-for-nothing! I’ve been keeping an eye on you, wondering what kind of trouble you’ll cause to Yeon-woo again. Where did you come up with this Yeon-woo excuse again?”

Enraged, the oldest aunt grabbed a broom from the veranda with her sore arm, and the other adults rushed to calm the situation.

After knocking over the plant, a frustrated Ryu Jeong-yung headed out with his wife, having to bathe and change clothes. They returned the next morning, quietly.

Ignoring the situation, Yeon-woo simply performed the ritual and hurriedly left. He distributed envelopes containing money to the elder relatives.

Seeing their son giving money to the elders, Yeon-woo’s parents quietly shed tears in a corner, moved by how much their son had grown.

 

*********

 

The first day of March.

It’s Korea’s Independence Movement Day and also a special day for Yeon-woo personally.

It’s the day of the final episode of ‘Summer Promise’, which has been airing since January 3rd.

Yeon-woo had heard in advance about attending the final episode event and since tomorrow was the first day of school, he had informed the school as well, as it seemed like attending both might be a bit much.

Around 2 o’clock, Van arrived in front of the house to pick up Yeon-woo.

After a long time, Yeon-woo left home to fulfill his official schedule.

As Yeon-woo stepped out of the apartment building’s entrance and approached the car, van door opened.

“Hello.”

“Ah, hello, Actor Ryu Yeon-woo. Starting today, I’ll be your manager, Kim Min-soo.”

Yeon-woo looked at the rearview mirror and greeted him confidently.

“Nice to meet you, Min-soo Hyung. Feel free to speak comfortably.”

“Well, if you’re okay with it, I prefer to speak a bit louder…”

Yeon-woo nodded understandingly at Minsoo’s words.

Everyone has their own style.

“Ah, I see. Then, please feel free to do so.”

“Yes, understood. For now, let’s head to Seoul and stop by the shop.”

“Sounds good!”

Driving smoothly, Kim Min-soo asked Yeon-woo as they traveled on the central expressway.