Chapter 19
Unwelcomed guests
A couple’s fight was about cutting water with a knife when water was still liquid.
On days when the water froze and became cold ice, trying to cut the hard ice with a knife could lead to disappointment.
The tip of the knife might slip on the ice and hurt an unexpected place, or it might completely shatter or break if the force went into the tip of the knife incorrectly.
In addition, the water that had boiled too hot became shapeless vapor and disappeared into the sky.
Maintaining the right temperature so that water could remain liquid was the key to marital relations, but it was by no means easy.
The two had to stay apart for a while before the frozen relationship between Minju and Sang-yeon could warm up. This was because Sang-yeon had to go on a business trip to Germany to record an album, with a schedule of 6 days and 5 nights.
The recording was the sixth of the contract signed by Deutsche Grammophon (DG) label and Seoul Metropolitan Government to release ten albums for five years.
Deutsche Grammophon was a German classical music company with a yellow label attached to the image of an album that often came to mind when thinking of classical albums, and it was truly a legend of the classical music industry, boasting more than 120 years of history.
Releasing an international album at DG headquarters was like proving that Seoul had a high-quality orchestra with the capability to release on the international stage.
All of this was a remarkable achievement since Park Sang-yeon took office as an art director and standing conductor for Seoul.
For the record work with the world’s best Tonmeister at the best studio in Germany, Sang-yeon had been working quite hard on preparations.
From selecting a song that was moderately popular and could show the characteristics of Seoul, to putting his own color to it, Park Sang-yeon struggled day and night to find a creative interpretation of the song.
The reason why Sang-yeon, a perfectionist, made such efforts was also because of the pressure that the album should be a relief pitcher to avoid the deficit of the trial price.
So, for this business trip, a very tight schedule was waiting for Sang-yeon, who was not only recording but also doing interviews with various media for the promotion of the album.
Sang-yeon, who had said that he was a player who could look for anything, eventually failed to bring Jerry back to Minju’s arms.
It was not known whether he really did his best to find Jerry, but Minju could know that it would be difficult to restore her relationship with Sang-yeon if she continued to ask about Jerry.
For Minju, who was killing time alone in the large house without Jerry, Sang-yeon’s business trip was a welcome event.
It was a perfect chance to show her good sense with a perfectly prepared business trip bag. And if he stayed away for a while, he might feel affectionate and help change the current cold atmosphere.
As she packed underwear and socks and chose Sang-yeon’s clothes to wear every day, she felt like she was really his wife now.
After wrapping each day’s clothes, including socks and watches, in line with the carefully coordinated top and bottom, Minju also slightly hid the first gift she prepared for Sang-yeon in the travel bag.
“Thank you for the bag.”
After checking the well-packed bag, Sang-yeon said.
“Do you know how bored I was when I came to this house like a travel bag?”
Her answer to his thanks was a little out of the blue. The awkward relationship between the two became even more awkward.
“I’m not complaining because I’m bored… It was nice to be able to do something for Sang-yeon-ssi. I want to do more for you from now on.”
Fortunately, the misunderstanding was resolved thanks to Minju’s hasty excuse.
“I see. Can you really stay alone?”
“Don’t worry about me. I won’t run away anywhere, but I’ll stick close to the house and keep it safe.”
It was a blatant lie.
Since Jerry disappeared, Minju has not been able to go out for a while because she had been more wary of Sang-yeon.
The real reason why she was glad to hear about his business trip was that she could go out freely without asking permission for a while. The absence of Sang-yeon meant freedom to Minju.
“Or how about coming on the next flight? You have never been to Germany, have you?”
Did what she said to reassure him stimulate him more? Sang-yeon suddenly began to look for a plane ticket for Minju on his cell phone.
“I… I want to go, but I’ve never been abroad, so I actually don’t have a passport. And I can’t speak German. What would I do alone while you’re recording and working? It would be the same for me here at home or at a hotel in Germany. Next time, if you’re not working, we could travel together.”
He never thought that she could not have a passport.
In the end, Sang-yeon gave up buying another plane ticket and held Minju in his arms after a very long time.
“Let’s go to Europe together next time. To truly feel classical music, you need to understand the culture.”
“I’m excited just by hearing about it.”
Sang-yeon kissed Minju’s head affectionately.
“Promise me you won’t go out while I’m away. Paparazzi are everywhere these days.”
Sang-yeon’s eyes, who wanted Minju’s definite answer, trembled nervously.
It was an excuse to worry about Minju who would stay alone. The anxiety of not being able to control her out of his sight dried up Sang-yeon’s blood.
“I’ll be careful of pictures. I’m not going anywhere and I’ll be waiting for you to return home, so go and record well. But you have to come quickly.”
Minju smiled pretentiously for a promise that she had no intention to keeping.
The smile was very suspicious, but there was nothing Sang-yeon could do about it. He could not pack Minju in a bag and take her with him.
“Oh, and one more thing! No matter who comes, never open the door. Okay?”
Minju took Sang-yeon’s last request as an extension of her willingness to hide herself thoroughly and regarded it as insignificant.
And even if Seo Hye-ryeong returned, Minju also had no intention of opening the door, so she was confident in this matter.
When Sang-yeon was away from home, she felt liberated even if she was in the same space.
Minju also recommended her helper to take a vacation for a week from tomorrow.
The lady jumped up and down saying that it would be a big trouble if the conductor knew, but when Minju mentioned a paid vacation, saying it was a secret only between the two, she accepted the offer as if her troubles had evaporated.
Minju enjoyed a leisurely bath while the help was making food for a week. When she played the music loudly and shoved her nose in the fragrant foam, she felt like her stress was running away.
Minju fell asleep briefly in the bathtub after a glass of wine she drank in the warm water. She wished she could have closed her eyes a little more if it was not for the sound of the doorbell in her sleep…
The ringing doorbell sound was heard continuously from behind the music.
Minju, who was not sure about the sound she was hearing because there was no one to visit and she had had a series of hallucinations and tinnitus, just turned off her mind and closed her eyes again.
However, the noise that started with the doorbell gradually increased and came closer.
Turning off the music and listening, it was a human voice. It was clear that someone had entered the house.
Suddenly, an ominous scenario was written in Minju’s head. What if Seo Hye-ryeong, the unwelcome woman, returned home? How should she explain herself?
Minju came out to the living room in a shower gown, thinking tens of thousands of things at a time.
There were unwelcomed guests in the living room. She wanted to scold the helper who opened the door without permission, but first of all, sending those people back was the priority.
“Before that, the second son of PK Group lived here alone, so its condition is A-class. The highlight of this house is this large living room window. The scenery that changes throughout the four seasons depending on the weather is like a painting. It’s aesthetically good enough not to hang a picture on the wall separately. If you want, the people who live now said that they would hand over furniture and home appliances as they are. Take a look at it.”
They were real estate agents and customers who came to see the house.
At first, Minju wondered if Sang-yeon had moved out of the house without her knowing, but that did not make sense. Was he not the one who urged her to never open the door no matter who came?
“How did you get in here?”
Minju asked the unwelcome guests.
“Oh, it’s the real estate agency. We came to see the house. The wife said she wanted to deal with the sale quickly.”
The real estate agent looked up and down at Minju in a shower gown.
‘Apparently, you’re this kind of girl. But what should I do about it? Guess you’ll have to leave this house now? Your good days are over.’
The agent had so blatantly looked at her with contempt that only an idiot would not understand the meaning of that look at once.
He was looking at Minju as if she were Sang-yeon’s mistress, or an escort from an entertainment establishment that stayed overnight.
“You must have made a mistake. Ma’am, please see them off quickly.”
“Mistake? I registered this house when the wife lived here. What are you talking about?”
The thick-faced agent showed his true colors and spoke informally.
“I’m the wife of this house you mentioned, but I’ve never heard of this before.”
She was so angry at the rude attitude of the agent that Minju revealed her existence. It violated the first of the three promises she had made to become Sang-yeon’s wife.
“I’ll call my husband and check.”
“Whatever.”
Minju called Sang-yeon on his cell phone before remembering that he was on a plane right now and could therefore not answer his phone.
When the call with Sang-yeon failed, the real estate agent fired back at Minju with a more confident attitude.
“What? You can’t reach him? Huh. Is there anything wrong with talking on the phone when the owner of this house is not a nobleman?”
“We’ll get going now. Thank you for showing us the house.”
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Perhaps the fight between Minju and the agent was uncomfortable, so the guests stopped watching and headed to the front door. The agent hurriedly followed the customers and carefully packed his shoes.
“The documents of the house are very clean. There aren’t any mortgage loans. When she bought this house to the second son of PK Group, the wife just paid for the house in cash. The interior was also renovated. It’s a really good item, so I’m only showing it to you. You can take your time and look around for a longer time.”
After being swayed by useless people and losing energy, she had no energy to blame the helper. However, she was curious about the identity of the wife who wanted to take care of the house quickly with the sudden sale.
Minju read a copy of the register on the Internet without changing her clothes. The wife, who was the real owner of this house according to the real estate agent, was Seo Hye-ryeong as Minju expected.
Seo Hye-ryeong, she slowly began to act.