Chapter 27
"Huh?"
"Misuk too. I thought she was a good daughter-in-law. Why'd she leave menstrual underwear here for you to wash?"
Choi Yeonok stared blankly at the underwear spread inside the basin.
The panties were made from a mix of bamboo fiber and cotton.
Misuk gave her new ones every year.
They were soft.
Absorbed sweat well.
Dried quickly.
Yeonok wore almost nothing else.
Unlike the large loose cotton underwear other grandmothers in the village wore, these fit closely to the body.
So that's why she mistook them for Misuk's.
Yeonok always dried her underwear secretly indoors rather than hanging it in the yard.
The misunderstanding made sense.
She didn't correct it.
"Yeah, Misuk seems capable, but she can be careless sometimes."
"Living alone as a widow isn't easy. Still, if she's comfortable enough to leave underwear for her mother-in-law, the two of you must be close. Don't just silently wash her underwear. Speak kindly to her. When you get older, your daughter-in-law will be the only one left to look after you."
"..."
It was a perspective Yeonok had never considered.
She raised her eyebrows.
"When I'm old, I'll take all my money and live in a nursing home by myself!"
"With your temper? What nursing home? Stop saying your daughter-in-law ate your son alive. What wife in the world wishes her husband dead?"
"Enough. Enough."
Yeonok shook her head.
"I'll handle my own life, so go mind yours!"
Should she tell Misuk about the bleeding?
Should she go to the small hospital in town?
Thinking about dead Mrs. Im suddenly filled her with fear.
Yeonok often talked about missing her husband and said she wouldn't mind joining her son.
But the truth was simple.
Choi Yeonok wanted to live.
News that Yeonok was going to a Seoul-area hospital circled the entire senior center within half a day.
She'd only said she'd visit her daughter-in-law in Gyeonggi Province for a few days.
Somehow, the word 'hospital' had attached itself to the story.
Go Mija slapped down a hwatu card and clicked her tongue.
"If Yeonok's going all the way to a Seoul hospital, maybe her time's coming too. Like Mrs. Im."
"Goodness. Don't say that."
"I'm only saying. Why would a healthy person go all the way to Seoul?"
The words circulated until they reached Yeonok that evening.
She exploded.
"I'm going to sell property!"
Only Grandmother Kang next door listened to her explanation.
The rumor didn't disappear.
A week passed.
Wednesday morning, Gain received a phone call.
"Doctor, this is Jeong Eunwoo. I was supposed to come in this week, but I have a student-council event and can't make it."
"Any pain?"
"No."
"Bleeding?"
"No. Oh, Doctor. Our school nurse might visit sometime soon too. I kept telling her over and over that you're really good. Please take care of her if she comes."
"All right."
"Wait, Doctor! Today's Wednesday. You're closed today, aren't you? Why did you answer the phone?!"
Only after checking the day did Eunwoo sound shocked.
Gain laughed.
"It's fine."
"No, no! I'm hanging up right now. Please rest!"
The short call left Gain feeling refreshed.
Then she heard someone outside the building.
There was only one expected visitor.
"You're here? I'll come down and open the door."
Gain removed her hands from her coat pockets and stood.
The woman from Happiness Real Estate supported a thin, tired-looking grandmother in her seventies as they climbed the stairs.
Choi Yeonok narrowed her eyes and inspected the inside of the clinic as she passed the reception desk.
At least she keeps it clean.
The walls had been given a fresh coat of white paint.
There wasn't any dust on the plant at the desk.
The young female director wore a neat coat.
The atmosphere was completely different from the OB-GYN clinic that had opened here briefly and failed before.
And unlike the previous director, this doctor was humble.
The way Gain immediately stood and bowed earned points in Yeonok's mind.
"Mother, welcome. You came a long way."
"Doctors usually stick their noses up into the sky, but you're a very proper young lady."
"Mother!"
Kim Misuk tugged hard on her mother-in-law's linked arm.
Yeonok sat in the chair Gain offered.
Something still felt wet between her thighs.
It had felt that way at yesterday's outdoor wash basin.
On the early-morning KTX seat.
Even while climbing the narrow stairs moments ago.
She wanted to check whether her underwear was wet.
But with Misuk's hand resting against her back, she couldn't.
...Uncomfortable.
The reddish basin water from last week and yesterday returned to her mind.
So did Mrs. Im's funeral portrait.
"Here's the contract."
Misuk opened her bag and spread the first-floor lease neatly across the desk.
Deposit: 150 million won.
Monthly rent: 3.5 million won.
Lease period: five years.
Security-insurance and facility-transfer terms clearly listed.
The signature and seal spaces remained blank.
"Mother, this is the same floor plan and facility report I sent home. Deposit and rent are exactly what we discussed."
"I know."
Choi Yeonok's hand trembled slightly.
She stared at the contract.
Then touched the small pouch containing her seal.
And stopped.
The other guy offering more money didn't even show his face.
In her mind, she placed the two tenants side by side.
He offered more money, sure.
But Yeonok had rented property for decades.
Someone who wouldn't even show their face and immediately threw extra money around would do anything later to recover it.
