Together Forever | LK

18.2 - What Life Looks Like

Chaeyoung was determined to go abroad, so naturally she did not put much heed on her internship. After she had had her parents find a court to affix a stamp of verification on an internship evaluation form, she had begun enjoying a well-nurtured life during this fourth year of university, all the while spending it in Incheon, where she kept her boyfriend company.

Lisa had not expected that when she told Chaeyoung about her fracture, Chaeyoung's first reaction had been to guffaw. "Finally, I have an excuse to go to Busan to meet my future father-in-law and mother-in-law!" And then shortly after the winter break had begun, she had hustled straight to Busan.

After ten days passed, she finally managed, before the start of the Lunar New Year celebrations, to make a visit to see Lisa.

"Have a bit of sympathy, okay?" Lisa lay belly-down on the couch, aimlessly flipping through television programs. "I've been recuperating for nearly a month. When I sit on a chair to eat, I need to put three or four foam seat cushions down, and it still hurts. You don't even think about comforting me; all you know is to use me as an excuse."

Chaeyoung crouched beside the couch and peeled a mandarin orange for her. "Come wintertime, do you Busan people just eat oranges, peanuts, and melon seeds? When I'm with Chanyeol, no matter whose house we drop in on to visit, there are always these things."

"It seems so." Lisa thought about this for a moment. "But it seems not quite right, either."

"Do you know that he told me to wash dishes in his home and tidy up the place? He said it was to leave a good impression with his dad and mom ..." Being the delicate and helpless young Seoul girl that she was, this form of torture had left Chaeyoung feeling very defeated. "You know my family has a housekeeper who does all that stuff. He said that most families don't hire a housekeeper, especially in Busan, where the girl does the housework and takes care of the entire family, old and young alike."

Giving an "mm-hmm" in response, Lisa took a segment of orange from her. "It's the custom of the North. Did you think everyone was like your mom, everyday just going shopping and chatting with people and stuff? You didn't even find yourself a guy from the Northeast... Just be content."

"Well, what about you and Great Beauty Jeon?" Chaeyoung laid her head down beside Lisa's face and looked at her.

"I do the cooking, I do the laundry." Lisa mulled this over and discovered that she truly did meet the requirements. "It seems I do the majority of things."

"Then you should just be a full-time wife. Hasn't he already taken a job out in the real world? After a few years, when he's gotten by well and has become one of the big bosses, do you think he's even going to care about your puny salary?"

Sprawled on her stomach, Lisa also looked at her. It felt as if they had returned to the times when they were still in school and the two of them would squeeze onto the same bed together, whispering face to face to one another. "My wish is that I can provide for him, to allow him to just stay home and read, or if he wants to, he can go teach a couple of classes at a school and that's it."

Chaeyoung gawked wide-eyed at her. "You're really going to keep him like he's a beauty?"

"I'm just worried that he won't let me keep and provide for him." Lisa sighed, "I'll tell you something honest. His health is actually not very good. Back when he was doctor, he got sick because he was trying to save people, and that left some side effects. That's why it's not really suitable for him to get too tired out."

This was the first time she had ever mentioned this to Chaeyoung. Perhaps it had simply been too long and she needed a place to let it all out, like a tree hollow that she could talk into, to just voice out everything in a jumble.