IMFOBO | CH 31 | He’s Just Too Much

Eun-cho abruptly stood up, ready to rush to her grandmother.

But then she realized what she looked like in her hospital gown and hesitated.

Her grandmother must have already been shocked by the sudden appearance of her “grandson-in-law”; she couldn’t cause her any more worry.

“Eat something first. It’ll look weird if you just show up like you were waiting for this.”

“It’s the room right next door, you know.”

Tae-san nonchalantly replied, putting the remaining shredded chicken from the drumstick into his mouth.

Goodness.

It broke her heart even more to think of her grandmother anxiously searching for her granddaughter, with only a wall separating them.

“It’s getting cold.”

“Why did you move my grandmother’s hospital room without permission?”

Eun-cho reacted sharply without realizing it.

She was the one who wanted to move her grandmother’s hospital the most, yet she couldn’t understand how this could happen without her knowledge as the guardian.

It wasn’t like she didn’t know about his tendency to act unilaterally, but she was still annoyed.

Maybe she just hated that her pathetic situation had been exposed.

Pretending not to know and bringing it to the surface were two completely different things.

“Isn’t it a good thing in the end?”

“There’s a process for everything. Besides, it’s too…”

“Too much again?”

Tae-san put down the chopsticks he was holding and met her gaze.

Everything he had given her was more than she deserved, from trivial things like clothes and shoes to the engagement ring and the private room.

“I think you’re mistaken about something. Who do you think you’re marrying, Lee Eun-cho?”

Until recently, he was a man who lived in a parallel universe, one that Lee Eun-cho could never reach.

She had never particularly admired that world, nor had she ever wanted to get involved, but somehow she had ended up here.

“…”

Everything Eun-cho found burdensome was just ordinary to him.

It was Eun-cho who was rejecting things that weren’t particularly special, using her pride as an excuse.

Looking at Tae-san’s calm, emotionless gaze, Eun-cho realized something.

She couldn’t bring him down to where she was; she had to rise to his level.

He didn’t seem like he would easily bend to her will.

Especially since, whatever else, there was justification for moving her grandmother’s hospital room.

“Were you going to let your grandmother die without proper treatment in that rural hospital?”

“That’s harsh, Ryu Tae-san.”

Still, it wasn’t wrong.

Juseong Hospital was Eun-cho’s first choice as well.

How much had she struggled to get her grandmother treated at this hospital?

She would have to wait over a year to see a famous professor, and there was no guarantee of starting full-scale chemotherapy.

Eun-cho recalled Tae-san reserving a VIP room with just one phone call last night.

She was sure that reserving her grandmother’s room and designating a doctor would have been easy for him as well.

An authoritative professor in the field of stomach cancer and a dedicated nurse would be assigned.

She could look forward to chemotherapy with the new drug she had wanted so badly and even surgery.

Besides, she had experienced firsthand just how comfortable the hospital’s VIP ward was in just one night.

“Is your grandmother supposed to miss out on this opportunity because of your petty pride?”

Petty pride.

Just like Ryu Tae-san said.

Once he started scratching, he was as vicious as any toxic person.

Moreover, he was relentless and cruel, only picking at the bullseye.

“I told you, people’s lives aren’t that strong.”

“…”

“Take it when you can get it.”

So focused on getting the old house back, she hadn’t anticipated that her grandmother’s treatment would be a perk that came with this marriage.

She didn’t want to receive even a penny from him other than what was strictly given and taken according to the contract, but already Ryu Tae-san’s traces were everywhere around her.

Eun-cho didn’t want to be indebted to him because she thought they would break up someday anyway.

She especially didn’t want to become pathetic because of money.

Even if it meant being someone with nothing who only valued her pride.

But her grandmother’s life was more important than her pride.

“I’ll pay you back.”

“Whatever.”

Tae-san’s left eyebrow twitched as he replied cynically.

Now she could roughly guess what he was thinking even when he had a blank expression.

Why are you so complicated?

His quiet eyes seemed to be saying.

Nevertheless, it was considerate of him not to crush Eun-cho’s pride until the very end.

“Eat some more. Do you know how hard it is to feed you?”

Eun-cho sat down, her anger fading, as if it had been all for nothing.

She ignored his blatant gaze that seemed to be watching her until she picked up her spoon and took a bite.

The slightly cooled broth slid smoothly down her throat as she argued with Tae-san.

Is this a Samgyetang restaurant?

It was as savory as the scorched rice her grandmother used to make in a cast-iron pot, and the chicken was tender and soft.

Chief Seon had gone out in the early morning to buy it, and the taste was worth the effort.

‘My grandmother likes chicken too…’

Eun-cho looked down and thought of her grandmother.

Even though it had only been two days since she had seen her face, she wanted to rush to her side right away at the thought that she was right next door.

“I got some for your grandmother too, so eat.”

“…Are you a mind reader?”

“Your expressions are pretty transparent, Lee Eun-cho.”

Eun-cho chewed the chicken again.

The more she chewed, the richer the subtle savoriness became.

Tae-san, who had been watching Eun-cho empty her bowl, looked bewildered.

As if she was truly unpredictable.

“You’re eating well.”

“The chicken is innocent.”

Her mouth felt dry because she had just been sick, but for some reason, she didn’t want to leave any behind.

It was a luxury that couldn’t be compared to the Samgyejuk she had bought alone at the porridge shop when she was sick.

The warmth of the food was too comforting to let it go with pointless stubbornness.

* * *

“Grandmother!”

“Grandmother!”

Tae-san watched Eun-cho trot off like a puppy.

She was all sharp edges and hostility with him, but in front of her grandmother, she wagged her tail like a Baekgu (dog) in the countryside.

He almost doubted if she was the same person.

They say a dog is kind and loyal to its owner but quite aggressive to outsiders, and she seemed to fit the Jindo breed pretty well.

“Do you know how surprised I was? Keeping such a handsome groom a secret, tricking your grandma like that! Why didn’t you tell me sooner!”

Her grandmother gestured towards Tae-san, who was standing firmly behind Eun-cho.

Tae-san responded with the most harmless expression in the world, a subtle smile.

It was an expression perfectly optimized to capture the hearts of grandmothers.

“Ryu Seobang, what am I going to do with this scatterbrain? I need to teach her a thing or two before I send her off to get married.”

“R-Ryu Seobang*?”

Euncho’s eyes widened as if she had just heard something utterly absurd.

Skipping right past fiancé and straight to husband? She looked completely dumbfounded.

TN: *(Seobang is a traditional Korean term for “husband” or “son-in-law.”)

You can bristle all you want, little Baekgu*, but it’s too late.

TN: *(Baekgu refers to a common name for white country dogs in Korea, often symbolizing loyalty.)

Your grandmother’s heart has belonged to me for a long time now.

“Groom Ryu put me in such a nice hospital room, and the doctor comes to check on me several times a day, you know?”

Her grandmother’s face looked excited as if she would get out of bed any minute.

More than anything, she seemed comforted by the fact that someone would be by her granddaughter’s side when she was gone.

“But I don’t know if I deserve to occupy this expensive room. A multi-bedroom would be more than enough.”

The face she made as she frowned in discomfort resembled Eun-cho.

Aside from their brief meeting when she was transferred, he hadn’t had much interaction with the elderly woman. Yet, she didn’t feel unfamiliar—perhaps because her gracefully aged features reminded him of Euncho.

Eun-cho’s expression was also dark as she looked down at her grandmother’s face, who looked like she was sitting on thorns.

Is it in the genes? Grandmother and Eun-cho looked even more alike when placed side by side.

Especially the way they were so concerned with propriety.

“Grandmother, you just need to focus on getting well.”

“Still, this is too luxurious.”

“Eun-cho is upset.”

Now it’s quite natural for Lee Eun-cho’s name to come up.

Eun-cho, who had been dropping her head to the floor as if she was embarrassed, whispered softly.

“Thank you.”

Faintly, in a voice too small to be heard.

“What?”

Even though he had heard everything, he playfully asked again, and Eun-cho’s face turned red like a tomato as she opened and closed her mouth.

She’s so quick to get angry, but she also makes sure to say thank you properly.

“Thank you. For taking care of my grandmother.”

Tae-san chuckled.

He didn’t know that such a simple word of gratitude could sound so good.

Her docile face, with all its wariness gone, was very pretty.

‘Was I this simple?’

It was all a calculated move.

His only blood relative that he could depend on was a woman, his grandmother.

It was only natural to expect that if he targeted her sick grandmother, Eun-cho would be moved and open her heart to him.

“If you’re thankful…”

Tae-san smiled slightly as he met Eun-cho’s eyes.

“Take out the spoon.”

A signal that only Lee Eun-cho could understand.

Eun-cho, realizing the meaning, awkwardly hardened her expression and blushed.

“You’re not supposed to be shy with your husband.”

That face was the only thing that made him do things he hadn’t planned.