"Alright, alright, I'm coming. What are you yelling for? Honestly."
Despite her complaints, Yoo Mi-kyung scurried back to the Audi's trunk to help. She had no choice; her husband's prestigious Director title had become the new foundation of their family's status and her own pride. The household power dynamics had decisively shifted in his favor.
Even as she was summoned, Mi-kyung couldn't resist turning for a final, condescending parting shot at Eun-woo.
"Your Uncle Joo just bought this new Audi A6. Some clients even gave us some premium rice and gifts, so I have to help him unload. Let me tell you, this car is expensive—hundreds of millions of won! If you study hard and work hard, maybe by the time you're your Uncle Joo's age, you'll have saved up enough for one too."
Her expression was a perfect blend of fake mentorship and naked boastfulness. It was baffling where she drew such confidence.
Eun-woo simply smiled and shook his head, refusing to engage with the petty ajumma. He casually raised his hand and clicked the key fob for the Range Rover.
Beep-beep.
The sleek, black SUV parked behind him flashed its lights in response.
Yoo Mi-kyung, already at the trunk, didn't see this. Hearing the sound, she turned her head in confusion. "Huh? What was that? Yeobo, did you hear that? Yeobo… why is your face so pale?"
She looked at her husband and saw his complexion had turned a blotchy red and white. Concerned, she leaned closer.
But Joo Dae-sik was deaf to her. His gaze was locked on the imposing Range Rover, his expression a complex stew of humiliation, resentment, and dread.
Mi-kyung hadn't seen the small interaction, but he had. He'd watched Eun-woo raise his hand and the luxury SUV acknowledge its owner. More importantly, due to his former job and his own obsession with status symbols, Joo Dae-sik was well-versed in luxury cars. This wasn't just any SUV; it was a Range Rover SVAutobiography. Even base-model, it was a 500 million won vehicle.
The scale of that number was staggering. His newly purchased second-hand Audi A6? You could buy twenty of them for that price.
And the cruelest irony was that his wife had just been preening over their "expensive" Audi in front of the boy who owned the half-billion-won behemoth. It was like proudly displaying a toy car next to a tank.
If a chasm had opened in the pavement before him, Joo Dae-sik would have gladly thrown himself into it.
As for whether the car was really Eun-woo's—he was 100% certain. The car was fresh from the dealership. The boy had just come into 500 million won yesterday. The math was brutally simple.
"Yeobo, what are you staring at?" Mi-kyung followed his gaze. "Omo, that's a big SUV. Is it a Land Rover? Like our CEO's car! I know this one—it's a Discovery, right? Our CEO said it costs over 100 million! Whose car is this? I've never seen it in the complex before."
Her ignorant chatter made Dae-sik's face burn hotter. Discovery? Your whole family is a Discovery! He wanted to scream.
Before he could shut her up, she continued, musing to herself, "Must be a visitor. Huh. I never thought anyone in our neighborhood would have relatives on the same level as my husband."
"Are you done?!" Dae-sik finally snapped, his voice strangled. "No one will think you've lost your voice if you stop talking for a minute!"
Overwhelmed by shame, he bent over and shoved half his body into the trunk, grappling with a heavy sack of rice.
Mi-kyung pouted. "So mean. All you know is how to be mean to me."
Eun-woo listened to the exchange, shaking his head with a final, pitying smile. He turned to head towards his building's entrance.
He had no intention of speaking, but Mi-kyung's sharp eyes caught his movement.
"Ya! Eun-woo! Wait, wait a second!" she called out. "Your Uncle Joo has a bad back. You're young and strong—come help us carry this."
Eun-woo paused, then turned back. A faint, unreadable smile played on his lips. "Sure. No problem."
Regardless of their character, they were neighbors and technically elders. More importantly, they were in the middle of the communal parking lot with potential onlookers. A flat refusal would only fuel gossip about the Song family's son being rude.
Joo Dae-sik, however, who was halfway inside the trunk, nearly brained himself on the lid when he heard his wife's request.
"Yoo Mi-kyung! Have you lost your mind?! Why are you asking Eun-woo to do that?!" he hissed, scrambling upright.
He turned to Eun-woo, who was already walking over. Swallowing his pride, he forced a stiff, pained smile. "It's fine, Eun-woo. Don't listen to your Aunt. No need to help. The Suneung is the day after tomorrow, right? You should go home and study."
While he held no goodwill for the boy, surface courtesy was a necessity. The power dynamic had irrevocably shifted, and the boy held his secret.
"It's nothing, just a small thing," Eun-woo said amiably, stepping forward. In one smooth motion, he hefted the 20kg sack of rice from the trunk onto his shoulder. "I haven't had a chance to thank you for yesterday, actually."
His gratitude was genuine, in its own way. Without the 5 million won from the 'car deal,' he wouldn't have had the 'broken' Porsche to reconstruct into this Range Rover.
To Joo Dae-sik, however, the words were like a dagger to the heart.
Yoo Mi-kyung, standing beside them, blinked in confusion. She looked at her husband's agonized expression, then at Eun-woo's calm face.
Thank him? According to the boy, her husband helped him yesterday? He hadn't mentioned a word of it last night! This foolish man, she thought, a spark of opportunity igniting. Why didn't he tell me? I could have made Song Mi-kyung owe me a favor!
"No, no! Really, Eun-woo, just leave it!" Joo Dae-sik pleaded, panic edging his voice. "I can manage, really!"
Seeing her husband's strange desperation, Mi-kyung tutted. "Aish, yeobo. Your back is bad. What's the harm in Eun-woo helping with one sack? Besides," she said, turning a suddenly sweet smile on Eun-woo, "from what he's saying, you helped him out yesterday. It's only right he returns the favor, isn't it?"
[To be continued…]