# Chapter 150
“You know that? How do you know? Isn’t a painkiller just a painkiller?”
Tae Hyunseok asked with wide eyes before laughing awkwardly. Mo Eunje completely sympathized with Tae Hyunseok’s reaction. Logically, even for family members, how would anyone know which painkiller works best for someone else?
When someone is very young, it might be possible, but how many parents know the personal physical constitution of their adult children? Honestly, not many people distinguish between painkiller ingredients, and most would just go to the pharmacy and say, “Give me a painkiller.” However, since Han Seola’s profession was a doctor, Mo Eunje accepted the contextless question. Feeling like he should use this opportunity to make an appeal, he didn’t miss the timing and spoke up.
“Igyeol also responds best to the dexibuprofen family. He’s so healthy that he rarely needs painkillers, but when he occasionally gets headaches, dexibuprofen has worked best for him.”
“No, actually, all medications have similar, minimal effects on me, but I pretended dexibuprofen worked better because I wanted to have one more thing in common with Eunje. I like Eunje so much that I even want to be similar in this way.”
Mo Eunje stared at Tae Igyeol with disbelieving eyes. He understood wanting to have things in common with someone you like, but it was ridiculous and absurd to try to create commonality with painkillers rather than hobbies or preferences.
Besides which painkiller worked best, there were other commonalities. They both loved meat, and loved meat, and loved meat… but was there nothing else in common…?
Mo Eunje rolled his eyes in confusion as he thought. Suddenly, a flood of their differences came to mind. When eating sweet and sour pork, Mo Eunje preferred it with sauce already on it, while Tae Igyeol liked to dip it; Mo Eunje enjoyed spicy food to the point of tongue numbness, but Tae Igyeol couldn’t eat anything even slightly spicy. Also, Mo Eunje preferred fatty and tender meat like chicken legs or skin, while Tae Igyeol liked dry, lean meat like chicken breast; Mo Eunje was crazy about desserts, but Tae Igyeol wouldn’t touch anything even slightly sweet. Just considering food preferences, they were so different that it was amazing they had never had a single conflict when eating meals together.
“So you’re saying that no matter what we say, you can’t give up these feelings?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
When Han Seola asked firmly, Mo Eunje and Tae Igyeol answered with certainty, without the slightest hesitation. After answering so resolutely, Mo Eunje found himself checking Han Seola’s reaction again, worried that their response might have hurt her. His hand, clasped with Tae Igyeol’s, was becoming sweaty.
“Mo Eunje. You wrote such a lengthy letter, so why are you being so cautious now? Even if your love isn’t conventional, it’s not a crime, so at least don’t be so careful around us. You two have only been around for 26 years, but we’ve been like family for 36 years. That means we won’t easily fall out just because you two date or break up.”
Ah…
As soon as Han Seola finished speaking, the tension drained from Mo Eunje so completely that he almost collapsed. If he hadn’t been holding Tae Igyeol’s hand firmly, he would certainly have fallen embarrassingly. He suddenly felt dizzy as his mind went blank. As he’d written extensively in his letter, he’d worried that the adults’ relationships would be strained because of him, and Han Seola had immediately soothed that concern.
“So even if you break up later, we’ve decided to accept that silently as well.”
“We’re never breaking up. I’ll die if I break up with Eunje, Uncle. I could even die for Eunje.”
As soon as Mo Yeongwoo finished his last sentence, Tae Igyeol, who was sitting next to him, firmly asserted his opinion. But one word caught Mo Eunje’s ear, and he unconsciously turned his head and glared at Tae Igyeol.
“You idiot, why would you talk about dying in front of adults? Are you in your right mind?”
“Ah. I’m sorry. But you just called me an idiot in front of the adults.”
“Ah. I’m sorry. And… thank you for giving us your permission.”
As Mo Eunje bowed politely, the person he thought would join him remained stiff with his back straight, staring blankly. Finally, Mo Eunje let go of his hand and pressed the back of Tae Igyeol’s head to make him bow too. Then Tae Igyeol unexpectedly said something sensible.
“We’ll date well. Aunt, Uncle. I’ll cherish and treat Eunje very preciously.”
“You two handle that yourselves. Let’s stop here, as even saying ‘date well’ might burden you if it comes from us.”
“Haah… I can finally breathe a little easier. Is everyone hungry? Shall we eat something? I’ve been struggling because delicious smells keep coming while we’re in this serious mood.”
After Mo Yeongwoo wrapped up the overall situation, Tae Hyunseok lightened the atmosphere by rubbing his stomach. Song Yeonhwa, who stood up first, hugged Mo Eunje.
“Aigoo. Who did you take after to be this good? If you had just been honest with me instead of testing your aunt, I would have taken your side right away. You’ve been through a lot.”
“Aunt, thank you.”
“Console your mother well.”
The whispered words echoed in his ear. Song Yeonhwa soon went into the kitchen, and Mo Yeongwoo and Tae Hyunseok grabbed cigarettes and went outside. Left alone, Han Seola rubbed her neck and stood up.
“I’m awkward and don’t know how to treat Igyeol now.”
“Please treat me the same as before, Aunt. Nothing has changed.”
“But you might really become my son-in-… how can nothing have changed?”
“Before, we were like close family, and now we’re just a slightly different kind of close family. And I’ll be your daughter-in-law, not son-in-law.”
“Awesome! Then I’ll be the son-in-law. Hey, you’re so good with words, why did you go into sciences? Mom, doesn’t Igyeol speak so well? How do you like your sharp daughter-in-law?”
“Who did you take after to still be this immature!”
“Oof!”
The moment he clung to Han Seola’s arm and acted cute, Mo Eunje received a slap on his back. The slap was so loud that both Tae Igyeol and Han Seola who hit him looked surprised, but the person who was hit didn’t feel the pain. Having lifted a burden from his heart, he had perhaps lost his sense of pain and felt only happiness.
“Mom. Thank you. I’ll be filial to you when I grow up.”
“What do you mean ‘when you grow up’? I’ll take care of myself, so don’t talk about being filial and just take good care of yourself.”
He had overcome the crisis more smoothly than he had worried. Perhaps it was possible because everyone was together and this was Grandmother’s house. Grandmother’s intervention had been the biggest factor. If this had been in Korea, it would have been horrifying and overwhelming to think about how the two of them would have had to navigate this.
Grandmother was right. The time when you only worry is the most frightening and scary. If I had just kept running away until the end, I would have lived missing out on the happiness I could have experienced.
“I baked castella, your favorite, my cutie. Come and eat.”
Grandmother, who came out from the kitchen, patted Mo Eunje’s bottom. Mo Eunje hugged her, smiling more happily than anyone in the world. Tae Igyeol joined in, embracing them both.
“Grandmother, I really, really, really love you.”
“Grandma loves our cutie too. And loves our pretty one too.”
“I want to eat Grandmother’s gumbo. I want to eat gumbo with castella.”
“Is that so? Then Grandma will have to make gumbo after a long time.”
The storm in a teacup caused by the two men had passed smoothly and safely. Mo Eunje’s eyes welled up with tears because he couldn’t contain the fullness of happiness.
&
It was late at night. Mo Eunje was sitting side by side with Tae Igyeol on the patio, drinking canned beer. The soft lighting gently caressed the two men. Until yesterday, everyone had been drinking various alcohols together—vodka, whiskey, beer, liquor, wine—and playing until late at night, but today the adults had said goodnight and gone to their rooms before 11 o’clock.
“I wonder if the adults went to bed early because they felt awkward because of us?”
“What awkwardness? Didn’t you see my father making in-law jokes during dinner?”
During dinner, the conversation kept breaking off, creating a subtly awkward atmosphere. It was evidence that everyone was intensely conscious of the situation while pretending not to care. Only Grandmother and Tae Igyeol were calm, and even Grandfather would make throat-clearing sounds like “hmm, hmm…” whenever the silence lasted too long.
“Sa-do-on, my son doesn’t have any particular skills, but he has a lot of money. He can at least let Eunje live comfortably without working.”
Since Tae Hyunseok brought up the word “in-law” in a playful voice, the atmosphere gradually loosened. The adults chuckled, and the stifling air softened, returning to normal. If it weren’t for Tae Hyunseok, Mo Eunje would have certainly choked despite receiving permission.
Afterward, as Tae Hyunseok kept mentioning “in-law” at the end of his sentences—and not just “in-law” but drawing it out in a sly “sa-do-on”—Song Yeonhwa scolded him not to get ahead of himself. But when Han Seola bluntly asked what else you’d call an in-law if not an in-law, everyone burst into laughter.
“But wasn’t my mom’s reaction really unexpected? I thought she’d be serious and ask what kind of nonsense that was, but she responded best to Uncle’s jokes.”
“Aunt is the type who pushes forward without looking back once she makes a decision. So, do you feel more at ease now?”
“Yeah. I’m really so happy. I can’t believe such a day has come in my life…”
Mo Eunje took a sip of the cool beer and grinned. It didn’t feel real that both families had given their approval. There had been minor twists and turns, but he hadn’t expected them to give permission so quickly, in just half a day. He had anticipated ruining the rest of the vacation and continuing to face opposition even after returning to Korea, enduring painful and agonizing days, so it was hard to believe that they were now acknowledged by the adults and could love each other with dignity.
