SMW 37

I leaned my back further into the surprisingly plush pillar, continuing the call in a comfortable position.

“That sounds great. I think overseas family trips during the holidays are quite trendy these days. I’m sure Grandma and Grandpa will be happy to see my aunts and uncles getting along and traveling together.”

• You brat. Thanks for understanding.

“Aw, I should be the one thanking you. My mom hasn’t even been able to travel properly because of her job, so please show her plenty of nice places. Where are you going? Southeast Asia? Europe? By the way, can’t I tag along?”

My maternal uncle only laughed. Well, as they say, a bridge too far—it wouldn’t look right for a nephew to crash a siblings’ trip. I’m jealous; I want to go too. I suddenly felt sorry for my life, having never even boarded a plane because I was too busy just getting through each day.

“So, when are you leaving?”

Feeling regretful, I grabbed the hand in my sight and started fiddling with it. Despite being large and firm, the skin was soft, looking like a well-maintained hand. The fingers were long, and the nails were even pretty. Come to think of it, it felt similar to the hand of a senior I dated briefly before. This one was more masculine, but I used to play and joke around while touching their hand like this back then.

• That’s why I decided to strike while the iron is hot and go starting this time.

“That’s a good idea. Starting this time… .”

Huh? Wait a minute. Something is strange.

There were many things to focus on, but the first [Read on Read BL Novels]thing that caught my eye was the [visit our site]hand I had been fiddling with.

Why is this hand here?

Only then did I recall how that hand had entered my field of vision. I didn’t have to think long. As soon as I began exploring my surroundings, I realized.

The part I had been comfortably resting my head on while talking was the other person’s shoulder, and the place I had leaned my back against to avoid strain was the other person’s broad chest. And that place was not a pillar of the wooden veranda, but Choi Seol’s embrace. As I slowly tilted my head back, I finally met a pair of black eyes that were staring at me, as dark as a pitch-black void without a sliver of light.

In that moment, I realized once again. The place I had voluntarily crawled into was a tiger’s den. As soon as I grasped the situation, my mouth fell wide open. I had intended to scream, but before I could, the fingers I had been fiddling with gently descended upon my lips.

“Shh.”

With a single whisper from Choi Seol, I found myself unable to utter a word, let alone a scream.

• I’m truly grateful that you understand. I was worried since this is the last ancestral rite, but since it’s a ritual table prepared by the grandson, Grandma and Grandpa will be pleased.

My lips, already blocked, snapped shut at my uncle’s words. I managed to escape Choi Seol’s gaze—which felt as if it might devour me, yet I couldn’t bring myself to avoid—and looked straight ahead.

Even so, the person I wanted to confront was likely sitting in an office in some building in Gangnam, Seoul, but I felt like I could at least scream into the receiver. I probably would have done so already if Choi Seol hadn’t stopped me.

“Uncle. I don’t quite understand what you just said. So, does that mean no one is coming this holiday?”

• That’s likely the case once we leave for the trip.

“Then what about the ancestral rites? You said visit our siteearlier that you’d stolen contentkeep Read on Read BL Novelsthem until this Chuseok.”

• Can’t the person at home just handle it?

Wait. Who was at home?

I didn’t have to think long. It’s me!

“You’re not suggesting that I perform the rites, are you?”

• Of course not. That’s what I’ve been talking about this whole time.

What? Just in case, I checked the phone screen. It was definitely my uncle’s call, so why did I feel like I’d fallen for a new kind of scam?

“So, you’re saying that since all the maternal relatives are going on a trip, I should perform the final ancestral rites alone?”

• Exactly. You finally understand. As expected of the Choi bloodline.

Only when it’s something like this! Only then!

I tried to bolt upright from my seat. However, a hand that had wrapped around my waist at some point hindered my movement. Come to think of it, I was still in this guy’s arms. But since a much bigger problem was looming before me, the fact that Choi Seol was hugging me didn’t feel particularly important. I focused back on the call with my uncle.

“You called me an outsider. You said you couldn’t stand the sight of the Han family, so why are you suddenly talking about bloodlines?”

• Well, I only said that once because I was angry that your father ruined his business and made my sister suffer. Have you ever seen a family let someone else’s child stay for free in such an expensive traditional house?

It was a petty threat. Even so, I couldn’t back down like this.

“Anyway, I don’t want to. How visit our sitecan I perform the rites alone? I saw earlier that there [Read on Read BL Novels]are ingredients that haven’t even been prepped yet.”

• Just do it all. Oh, I heard the seasoned vegetables spoil if you make them too early, so you have to mix them the day before and put them in the fridge.

“Are you seriously telling me to do that too? I don’t even know how to season vegetables!”

• You’re a grown man; what have you been doing all your life without seasoning vegetables even once?

At my uncle’s genuinely pathetic reaction, I almost started blaming myself for a life spent without ever seasoning vegetables.

“What about you, Uncle? I only lack the ‘vegetables,’ but you’ve never seasoned ‘anything’ in your life.”

• I’ve done it. I prepared seaweed soup and a birthday table for your aunt this year. Everything comes up when you search the internet.

“No, what’s so proud about your aunt receiving a meager birthday table at her age? It’s only a point of pride if you take a diamond ring to an expensive hotel restaurant and get down on one knee.”

• Hey, I did that too. The table was just for breakfast!

Seeing him snap told me that the cooking had indeed been a failure.

• The recipes are all on the internet, so just make it look decent. It’s all going into your mouth anyway, so don’t worry about the taste.

“My mouth is precious too! No, in the first place, why! Of all times! Why are you going on a trip now?”

• We didn’t know it would turn out like this at first. But what can we do? We won the lottery for a Chuseok package, and the travel agency says they can’t change the dates. Your mother was so happy that I couldn’t cancel it.

In that instant, all the complaints swirling in my head stopped abruptly.

“Mom liked it that much?”

• Yes, she did. Besides, it’s Europe, the place your mother always wanted to visit. Europe.

She definitely did. Ever since I was a kid, she always made sure to watch European travel programs whenever they aired on TV. Knowing that, I couldn’t possibly stand in the way, let alone be the one to send her myself. It seemed I had no choice but to accept reality.

“Fine. All I have to do for the cooking is season the vegetables, right?”

• You’ll have to boil the soup too. I sent the ingredients, so just follow the internet. Oh, and boil the octopus and pork belly.

“…And?”

• Everything else is already finished. You just have to heat them up. Oh, there’s fish, but that’s simple since you just steam it in a steamer. As for the fruit… I sent apples and pears, but you have to go to our mountain, pick the persimmons and chestnuts yourself, and put them on the table. That’s how it’s always been done. You know where they are since you’ve been there with me, right?

Should I just flip the table?

As the workload continued to increase, I seriously considered withdrawing my compromise, but a straight finger lightly touched the space between my brows. Only then did I realize I was tensing my face. I had become quite serious.

Glancing back, I saw Choi Seol giving me a soft smile. I was in hell, but he looked as if he’d just returned from heaven; he seemed to be in a very good mood. I wondered what could be so great when he doesn’t even know what hardships lie ahead of us. Yet, perhaps I had been infected by his mood, as my heart began to soften.

“Alright, just have a good trip. Take good care of my mom too.”

It can’t be helped. I’ll just think of it as expressing gratitude to the homeowners for letting me live in such a wonderful house for free. I’ll let Grandma have a grandson serve her a meal for the first and last time. Thanks to this, I’m also having a deep reunion with my unforgettable first love.

• Send a video when you perform the rites. I’ll send you some money.

And I’ll get money too.

Wait, what? Money?

“Huh? What did you just say… You’ll send me money?”

I didn’t mishear, did I? I dropped the phone from my ear and [Read on Read BL Novels]stared at the screen. I was visit our sitedefinitely visit our sitetalking to my uncle. I quickly pressed the record button and turned on the speakerphone.

“Are you really going to give me money?”

• Yes. It’s a gift to ensure you take good care of Grandma and Grandpa for the last time.

Suddenly, my heart started pounding at a level similar to when I first met my first love.

“Really? This isn’t a joke, right?”

• Hah, what do you take Lawyer Choi for? Shall I write you a contract? No, record this. That will be sufficient evidence.

I already pressed it. Just in case, I checked again to make sure the call was being recorded properly.

“Aw, would our Lawyer Choi Jeong-jin possibly lie to his nephew Han Yeo-reum? So, what’s the date today? Let’s see, September… Oh, today is Monday? Awesome, this holiday break is going to be incredibly long. But what time is it now… Hahaha, ayy. Our Lawyer Choi taught me that these things must be made explicit. So, Uncle, how much are you thinking of giving your nephew who will suffer while preparing the ritual table?”

I exerted maximum concentration, listening to my uncle’s next words. As I chewed over the exact number I heard, my back straightened up instantly.

“Customer, please leave it to me. I shall serve the Choi ancestors with all my heart and soul.”

“Three hundred thousand won?”

“Yeah, amazing, right?”

How amazing? It was a level of greatness that made me miss visit our sitethe mountain unauthorized copythat had become my enemy due to the weeding.

As a result, Choi Seol and I were climbing the mountain again, carrying poles and buckets to pick the persimmons and chestnuts for the ritual table. Only a few hours ago, it was a path I didn’t even want to look back at due to irritation, sorrow, and exhaustion, but now, I could only smile.

“He said if I prepare the ritual table well and send a video, he’ll wire the money to my account immediately.”

“….”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

I looked at him because there was no response, and the look in his eyes was quite peculiar. It felt like he was pitying me.

“Nothing. Anyway, both of you are quite thorough. One asks for a video, and the other makes evidence with a recording.”

Was I imagining it?

“I learned it all from my uncle. He’s a lawyer. So whenever we meet, he gives me great legal advice. Of course, he also demonstrates it personally and lets me experience it.”

“What experience?”

“I signed a contract a long time ago. Oh, here’s a chestnut.”

I spotted a half-open chestnut burr and leaned down.

“I gave you my phone earlier, right? I’ll pick the chestnuts, so film it for me.”

“Don’t you only need to film the ritual table?”

“Proof of origin. He said to make sure only things grown here are put on the table. Hurry up and film, my back hurts.”

To be honest, while I felt good, climbing the mountain again was quite grueling. However, there was news of a typhoon starting tomorrow, and even without that, there was a mountain of work to do, from deep-cleaning the house to preparing food, so there was no time to dawdle. As I held my back and urged him, Choi Seol finally lifted the phone.