Chapter 007
I Became the Daughter-in-Law of a Murim Family
Early in the morning, after having a light meal, I finished getting ready to go out in a simple outfit that would not attract much attention.
Bingbing, who seemed even more excited than I was, suddenly clapped her hands as if she had just remembered something.
“Ah, I need to bring your outer robe, too!”
As I watched her hurriedly return to the room, Chimhyang asked worriedly,
“Wouldn’t it be better if I went with you after all?”
“It’s fine. Bingbing can do enough—”
Before I could finish speaking, a loud crash came from far away.
I did my best to defend the clumsy maid.
“She’ll do well. She’s just making mistakes because she’s so eager.”
“I’m worried that if she keeps making mistakes like that, she might cause trouble for you even while you are outside.”
“I said it’s fine.”
If I brought the meticulous Chimhyang with me, there was no doubt I would return to the Hwangbo Family without even getting a chance to make my escape.
“What big trouble could happen during a short outing?”
If I wanted to escape, I had to run as far away as possible in a short amount of time. Naturally, the more careless the people watching over me were, the better.
I defended the clumsy maid once again.
“Everyone has a first time. Bingbing will surely do her part well.”
“My lady…”
Bingbing returned with my outer robe and looked at me with her hand over her mouth, seemingly moved.
Then she added in a trembling voice,
“I’ll really do my very best!”
I gently nodded, and Chimhyang, who was fixing my clothes for the last time, let out a deep sigh.
“You are too soft on that girl, my lady.”
“Everyone is clumsy when they are inexperienced. I was like that, too.”
“Well, with Leader Bang here, even if something happens, he can take care of it right away.”
My gaze turned toward the man dressed in black standing in one corner of the garden.
Right. That man was here.
How am I supposed to shake off that leech?
I shook my head, trying to push away my troubled thoughts.
No. He’s a human, too. There must be some opening I can exploit.
“Where’s my money pouch?”
“Oh, here it is.”
Bingbing handed me the heavy pouch.
I quickly took it and checked inside.
When I saw the coins rattling inside, I felt a strange ache in my heart.
The seventy nyang in this pouch was the beginning of everything, and it was currently my entire fortune.
I carefully put it inside my clothes and was about to move when—
“Ahem. Ahem.”
Along with an extremely deliberate cough, an old man appeared, slowly walking with his hands behind his back.
His awkward expression looked somewhat familiar.
‘Ah.’
He was the old man who had been beside the Family Head on my first day at the Hwangbo Family, nitpicking everything I did.
“What brings you all the way here?”
“Are you saying this is somewhere I cannot come?”
“That’s not what I meant. I was actually just about to go out. I thought that if our paths had crossed, you might have come here for nothing. So I’m glad I hadn’t left yet.”
What a temper.
Even while grumbling inwardly, I answered politely with a smile.
Anyone with some position in the Hwangbo Family was probably an elder from my husband’s family.
If I made some unnecessary mistake here, I might lose this hard-earned chance to go outside.
The old man clicked his tongue.
“Elder? Who taught you to call me that? I am Woon-gyu’s second grandaunt’s husband. You should call me ‘Second Grandaunt’s Husband.’”
“Yes, Second Grandaunt’s Husband.”
With dull eyes, I repeated his words like a parrot.
Whether he was my second grandaunt’s husband or some other relative, was that really important?
There were elders from my husband’s family everywhere in this clan anyway.
I would probably die before I managed to memorize all those countless titles.
The old man continued to look at me with displeasure before snorting and tossing something at me.
With a clinking sound, a heavy red pouch landed at my feet.
“A bride’s wedding gifts do not have to be extremely luxurious, but they should contain the giver’s feelings. What kind of wedding gift can you prepare with a mere seventy nyang of silver?”
Bingbing looked inside and whispered excitedly,
“They’re gold ingots, my lady. I think you could buy an entire mansion with a large estate for this much.”
“A mansion?”
At my bewildered gaze, the old man raised his chin proudly and added,
“You need at least that much to buy something worthwhile.”
Indeed, the scale of wedding gifts exchanged by a powerful Murim family was on another level.
But no matter how much it was worth, I felt nothing.
‘It’s not like I can take it and run away with it.’
They had found me only a week after my family heirloom appeared on the market.
If I spent those gold ingots, they would track me down in no time.
“I am grateful for your feelings, Second Grandaunt’s Husband. Since I am already receiving the Hwangbo Family’s help with everything from my residence to my daily necessities, I cannot ask for even more when it comes to wedding gifts. Even if it is insignificant, these seventy nyang are enough for me.”
As soon as I finished speaking, he suddenly rushed right in front of me.
“That Woon-gyu! He really chose a foolish girl exactly like me!”
Good grief.
I shrank back at his booming voice, and his face became even more distorted.
“If an elder gives you something, just accept it and use it! Instead, you’re worrying about your conscience and talking about feelings and sincerity. Who in this world lives so foolishly, insisting on following every single bit of etiquette like you people do?”
Why are you shouting?
Rubbing my ringing ears, I carefully added,
“This is simply too much money for me.”
Even if I took it with me, it would only become baggage. It would just be heavy to carry around.
The old man suddenly frowned deeply, rummaged through his clothes, and handed me a blue pouch.
“It’s pocket money I saved little by little. It’s not enough to call excessive. It’s only a few nyang of silver, so stop saying that it’s too much of a burden.”
This one was pretty heavy, too.
I carefully peeked inside from the corner of my eye and saw silver coins shining brightly.
Surely this would be harder to trace, right? They were just silver coins.
Before I could say anything, the old man quickly turned around and left the estate.
Chimhyang smiled as she watched him.
“That Elder really is something. He’s so bad at being honest. I suppose what happened the last time, when he raised his voice in front of you, was bothering him.”
“……”
“You should just accept it. If you refuse this as well, considering his personality, he will keep coming back until you accept it.”
I quietly looked down at the smooth blue pouch before putting it inside my clothes.
Seeing how worn out the string used to tie the pouch was, it seemed that his claim about having carefully saved the money himself was not a lie.
“My lady?”
“It’s nothing. I just feel a little strange.”
Of course, for someone who had reached the position of an Elder, this amount of money probably meant nothing.
Still, for him, it must have been pocket money he had carefully saved over quite a long time.
It felt strange to receive someone’s personal savings.
‘Even when I wanted something like this so badly, I never received it even once.’
In Gye Na-ri’s life, the adults she had known were only people who ran away because they did not want to take responsibility for the child they had brought into the world, employers who ruthlessly exploited her labor, or creditors who demanded money from her.
I stared blankly at the heavy pouch before coming back to my senses at the curious looks around me.
“It’s nothing. Bingbing, put this pouch away. And let’s check one more time to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything.”
“Yes!”
There was only one thing I needed to think about right now.
I had to seize this priceless opportunity and escape from this place.
As I passed through the inner gate and headed toward the carriage, I stopped after spotting an unexpected person.
A gentle smile spread across the face of the Grand Madam when she saw me.
“How did you come all the way here?”
“Since this is your first outing in a while, I thought I would come to see you off.”
She reached out and gently tucked my hair behind my ear.
I stood still and blankly looked at the old woman as she carefully checked my appearance once more.
“I heard from the Second Elder. He said you refused the allowance he gave you.”
Already?
It had only been a few minutes since I parted from the old man.
I shook my head in confusion.
“No. I accepted it.”
“He kept complaining about how you could possibly refuse the gold ingots and be satisfied with just a few silver coins. He said that although you were born and raised outside, you had far too small a heart. My ears hurt, so I ran away.”
“It’s because I’m not worthy of having a bigger heart.”
If I could have, I would have taken it with me.
With those gold ingots, I could probably live comfortably for the rest of my life without ever worrying about money.
I was the one who felt bitter about losing my dream of becoming a landlord, a dream I had never achieved in my previous life either.
The old woman smiled warmly.
“Not worthy? Look at the faces of the people around you. They truly serve you from their hearts.”
Bingbing nodded so hard that her head nearly fell off.
“What a good girl.”
The Grand Madam gently patted my cheek before adding,
“Come back before sunset. I have recommended several shops to Leader Bang that you might enjoy visiting.”
“Yes.”
“Let’s have dinner together. There are still many people I need to introduce you to.”
With her soft voice, the Grand Madam gently stroked my head.
“Have a good time. My dear.”
At her casual words, ‘Come back safely,’ my feet suddenly stopped.
For a moment, I could not speak.
Then I finally managed to squeeze out a reply.
“Yes. I’ll come back.”
Through the carriage window, I could see the Grand Madam smiling warmly and waving her hand.
As the carriage started moving and she grew farther away, Leader Bang spoke to me.
“You do not look well. If your stomach is uncomfortable or you are not feeling well, you should rest today and choose another day to go out.”
“No. You don’t have to.”
“But…”
“It’s just a little strange.”
After being unable to continue for a moment, I gave a hollow laugh and added,
“This is the first time someone has ever seen me off.”
“……”
“So this is what it feels like.”
To know that someone is waiting for you to come back.
‘I actually told her I would come back.’
After spending my childhood desperately trying to survive without even having a place to rely on, I eventually grew up alone.
At some point, I had even forgotten what loneliness felt like.
“Are you all right, my lady?”
I nodded at Bingbing’s worried question and smiled.
“I’m fine.”
I still had to leave somehow.
Before I developed unnecessary attachment and made this situation even more complicated.
