Chapter 158:
Chapter 158
You can’t please everyone.
“Grandma, are you cold?”
“I’m fine.”
Park Seodam stuck close to Shin Soonja and took care of her. Ian and Jo Taewoong followed behind them.
“The air is nice. It’s good for healing.”
“Right?”
Ian looked around as if searching for something.
“What are you looking for?”
“No, is the market nearby?”
“Yeah, right ahead.”
Jo Taewoong pointed ahead with his hand. Not far away, a market was open. Because of the holiday, many villagers were shopping for food.
“But, didn’t you go to visit your relatives? The group chat was on fire, I thought Juyeong and Jinyeok hyung were having a recruitment war.”
“They all got excited when I said I was coming here.”
“That’s right, we can see our relatives on Chuseok.”
Park Seodam, who was walking ahead with grandma, turned her head and said. Shin Soonja also stopped and looked back. She had good ears.
“Oh my, where did you go?”
“No, it’s not that. The handsome guy behind me lives in America. So I invited everyone to his house.”
“America? Oh my, that’s far. You must miss it.”
“It’s okay.”
Ian made a wistful expression for some reason. Jo Taewoong, who saw his expression, felt curious but thought it was because it was his first time in the Korean countryside and didn’t make a big deal out of it.
“I also wanted to come here and see…”
Would that shabby wooden deck stage where he saw the diamond still be there?
Ian looked around. Being on the scene, he felt like his memories from that time were getting clearer.
“Grandma, is there anything you want to eat?”
“I’m fine.”
When the three handsome men who were not seen in this village entered the market with grandma as if guarding her, all the villagers’ eyes focused on them. Jo Taewoong reflexively lowered his head.
“…Are you okay? You’re not okay but you say you’re okay, you’ll get sick.”
“What are you talking about? I’m better than before.”
“Hey, wear this.”
Ian put the bucket hat he was wearing on Jo Taewoong’s head. Jo Taewoong frowned.
“You didn’t wash your hair.”
“Then when do you wear a hat if not when you don’t wash your hair?”
“Ew, gross.”
Jo Taewoong grumbled but didn’t take off the hat.
Ian snickered. He complains even when I care for him. But it was better than him being silent and spitting blood.
“Liar. You bought that yesterday.”
“Yeah? Then it’s fine.”
Jo Taewoong’s mouth stopped. Ian fixed his hair that was pressed by the hat.
After buying ingredients like eggs and noodles for the holiday food, they stopped by the vegetable store.
“Mrs. Shin! Welcome!”
“Do you have anything good?”
“I do, what should I give you?”
While Shin Soonja picked out vegetables, Park Seodam, Ian and Jo Taewoong stood a step behind and looked around.
“I’ll pay for it.”
“Oh no, why? Grandma will do it.”
“I brought a lot of people with me.”
Ian took out his wallet and handed over cash, and Mrs. Shin grabbed his hand and stopped him.
“Please pay with this.”
“Oh wow… he’s handsome…”
Ian smiled brightly at the store owner and handed him the money. At that moment, the store owner felt like his surroundings became bright and blankly took the money.
“Can you give me that? But we came from Seoul, can’t you give us more?”
“Oh my goodness, you came from far away. I’ll give you more~”
Park Seodam’s bargaining skill shone. The store owner laughed and gave them more things. The three of them happily carried their bags.
“But who is that behind?”
“They’re my grandchildren.”
“Who is that over there… Hyeun’s son?”
“Hello.”
Jo Taewoong smiled awkwardly and shook hands with the store owner. The store owner’s fuss attracted people nearby.
“Aren’t they the ones on TV?”
“That’s right.”
There were too many people crowded in the market, so Ian and Park Seodam stood in front of Jotaewoong as if to shield him. Ian smiled amiably.
“Yes, that’s right. Hello.”
“Oh my, oh my. Everyone, come and see!”
Ian glanced behind him and saw Jotaewoong’s expression stiffen.
[Hasn’t he been here for more than a month?]
‘That’s right.’
He must have not gone outside at all during the month he stayed here. Ian asked Shin Soonja with a smiling face.
“Grandma, did you buy all the ingredients?”
“Yes.”
“Then shall we go home?”
Shin Soonja held Jotaewoong’s hand tightly. Park Seodam hugged his arm and stuck to his side.
“Are you leaving already? Can you give me an autograph?”
“I’ll do it next time. I’m planning to stay for a few days.”
Ian said with a smile, but the atmosphere felt somewhat cold. The shop owner bid them farewell with a regretful expression.
Fortunately, unlike in the city, people didn’t cling to them even if they recognized them. At most, there were only people who took out their phone cameras and took pictures from afar when they heard they were celebrities.
“Hey, Minju, aren’t those the ones on your wall?”
“Why are they here in this backwater?”
“Look over there.”
Park Minju, who was sending a message full of complaints to her friend about how she had no data at her grandparents’ house, turned her head to where her mother was pointing.
“Wow…”
Park Minju suppressed the urge to scream and covered her mouth. She almost missed them because she was busy with her phone. She was glad she had put up posters in her room.
Ian came out of the shop and opened the way. Park Minju stomped her feet.
“What should I do?”
“Go and ask for a picture. Or an autograph.”
Park Minju’s mother poked her side. Park Minju hesitated. She wanted to say she was a fan and get an autograph and a selfie.
“Oh, Taewoong is there too…”
She gave up on that idea as soon as she saw Jotaewoong following Ian. Jotaewoong was wearing a bucket hat and walking with his head down. He didn’t even flinch at Park Seodam’s arm around him, when he usually would have complained that it was ticklish.
“Aren’t you going to get an autograph?”
“No.”
She had a different bias, but Jotaewoong was known as everyone’s darling for being friendly and funny.
Park Minju even saved some of the hate comments he received and sent them to his agency’s email. That’s why she felt like she shouldn’t approach him rashly. She just took a picture from afar.
‘But if I post this now, won’t the fans flock here?’
If they were sasaengs, they would definitely do that.
‘But I want to let them know how Taewoong is doing…’
There were no sightings of him anywhere, and even when the members came to the fan cafe, they only said things like ‘Taewoong is doing well~’. Jotaewoong’s fans wrote letters every day, and the fan masters edited old photos and posted them with messages of waiting.
She instinctively tried to upload the photo she took on SNS, but deleted it.
‘…Maybe it’ll be okay if I post it in a few weeks?’
Real fans were different.
***
“Wow, there are so many people.”
“They’re all here for the holiday.”
Ian looked back after getting out of the market safely. Park Seodam let go of his arm and checked Jotaewoong’s complexion.
“Are you okay, hyung?”
“Uh…”
Shin Soonja patted Jotaewoong’s back. She looked at Ian and Park Seodam with a worried face.
“Is he always like this?”
“…He can be like this sometimes. But don’t you think he’s better than last time? How do you feel?”
“Yeah? That’s right. There were people close by earlier, right? They were closer than at rehearsal.”
Jotaewoong stopped walking. He muttered blankly.
“That’s right…?”
Come to think of it, he was reluctant to go outside even a few weeks ago. He felt like everyone in the world was cursing him. But now he was able to go to the market naturally and endure it.
Ian tried to ease Shin Soonja’s worry by saying,
“He must be recovering well because he’s with grandma.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right. He seems much better.”
“That’s good then.”
Ian and Park Seodam cheered up Shin Soonja. Jotaewoong’s face also brightened up a bit as they got away from the crowded place.
As they were heading to Shin Soon-ja’s house, an old lady with a cane came from the opposite direction and called out to Shin Soon-ja.
“Are you on your way back from the market?”
“Long time no see.”
“Why don’t you come to the senior center?”
The old lady sounded prickly, as if her words had sharp thorns.
“Who is…”
“She’s the granny who lives over there.”
Over there? Where is that… No, don’t ask. Ian closed his mouth. Shin Soon-ja didn’t seem to greet her warmly either. They must have a distant relationship.
Ian and Park Seo-dam stepped back and stood next to Jo Tae-woong.
“Do you know that old lady?”
“Hmm… She looks familiar…”
Jo Tae-woong furrowed his brows. He felt like he had met her somewhere before. The old lady turned her head and spoke to the trio behind her.
“Are you the grandson who’s a celebrity?”
“Hello.”
Jo Tae-woong bowed politely as a greeting.
The old lady started to ask him questions, one after another. What do you do, an idol? Isn’t that just a waste of time? Ian answered her courteously, but she didn’t show much friendly reaction.
“Oh? I guess you’re not that famous if I don’t know you?”
[You see how she talks?]
‘She must be jealous.’
Honestly, he didn’t care much if someone in this rural area didn’t know him. Ian decided to let it go for Shin Soon-ja’s sake.
“Maybe you haven’t watched TV lately? Everyone knows him except you.”
“Where?”
“The market was in chaos when our grandkids came. Go and ask around.”
Shin Soon-ja’s counterattack began. The three behind her watched their verbal battle with interest.
“By the way, what about your grandson? Didn’t you say he was doing some business or something?”
“Ahem… He gave up his business and decided to prepare for the civil service exam.”
“Really? Isn’t that a long process? We have a grandson who bought us a refrigerator, you know?”
Second row, Ian and Park Seo-dam raised their fists and brought their thumbs near their mouths. Jo Tae-woong had never done that, but his face was half-hidden by his hat, so he didn’t stand out.
‘I didn’t know that. Mom must have taken care of it.’
Jo Tae-woong smiled softly.
“Oh, really? Good for you. I’m going to the market.”
“Yeah.”
The old lady passed them by and headed toward the market. Suddenly, Jo Tae-woong turned his head sharply. Her face showed signs of age, but it was similar to the person he remembered.
The person he met when he came to this neighborhood as a child, who badmouthed his grandmother behind her back. When she found out that Jo Tae-woong was Shin Soon-ja’s grandson, she shut her mouth and told him not to tell his grandmother… Jo Tae-woong stood next to Shin Soon-ja.
“…Grandma, isn’t she the one who insulted you?”
“She was.”
“But why are you friendly with her?”
“Friendly? I’m not friendly with her.”
You looked friendly though? Jo Tae-woong looked at Ian and Park Seo-dam. They didn’t know the details and asked silently, ‘What’s going on?’
“I’m just being nice to her.”
“But…”
“Not everyone has to like me.”
“…Still.”
“I don’t have to hate her just because she hates me. In the end, I’ll only burn myself with hatred.”
Jo Tae-woong tried to say something but closed his mouth.
“I don’t need to ruin my life because of someone who dislikes me.”
“…”
“I just need to do well. I have a good family and a good farm, so even that grumpy old lady can’t say anything.”
I’m enjoying my life these days. Thanks to my grandkids. Shin Soon-ja added with a warm smile.
“It all depends on how you think.”
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