New Normal - Chapter 57

When Grandma Gwak snorted in amusement, Mikyung chuckled and shook her head. Jisoo, cheeks still warm, rubbed them with the back of her hand and looked away.

“Hey. If you wanna keep it a secret, at least do it properly. How many times has a mystery car shown up on the intercom lately?”

Jisoo flinched and glanced up at her grandma. Grandma Gwak smirked, pushed herself up with a grunt, and stood.

“What? You guilty or something? Relax, you’re doing fine. I’ve told you a hundred times—love’s not something you put on pause just because you’re older. Life’s too short.”

“…You should be the one dating a lot, then.”

Jisoo muttered under her breath, but Grandma Gwak just gave her a proud once-over.

“Oh, I already am. You know I go to line dancing on Tuesdays and Thursdays, right? There’s this old guy who slicks his hair back—good-looking for his age. I’m thinking I should ask him out for coffee after class.”

Jisoo couldn’t help but laugh. The way her grandma seemed ready to flirt with every grandpa at the community center was both ridiculous and impressive.

“What about the gold shop grandpa?”

“I’ll see them both. It’s not like I’ve got decades left to waste.”

Grandma’s breezy answer made Jisoo shake her head, but before she could say more, her grandma leaned in with a sly expression.

“Listen, men aren’t about grand gestures. The only thing that matters is if they make you feel at ease. People get greedy and start wanting everything—but trust me, the best man is the one who keeps your heart and mind calm for the long haul.”

It was advice soaked in a lifetime of hard experiences. Hearing it, Jisoo suddenly thought… maybe she could be like her grandma—someone who’d lived with everything she had. And at the end of that thought, standing there in her mind, was Chae Juwon.

…But wait. I’m getting way ahead of myself here.

The realization made her feel awkward, almost embarrassed. She sniffled softly, and Grandma Gwak must have picked up on it because she clicked her tongue.

“Look at you. You’ve fallen hard, haven’t you? But remember this—no matter how much you like him, don’t ever end up supporting him financially. Any guy who leeches off a woman before marriage isn’t worth the trouble. Find a man who keeps your heart and your body at ease. Got it?”

Jisoo gave a sheepish smile and nodded. Right then, her phone started buzzing again.

Ah, seriously… Chae Juwon, this guy… Now’s not the time.

She thought about ignoring it, but the vibration didn’t stop.

“Go on, answer it. Your boyfriend’s probably dying over there.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!”

She snapped back, checking the caller ID with a reluctant look. Her face darkened in a way that didn’t go unnoticed. The phone kept buzzing.

“Why aren’t you picking up?”

“Oh, um…”

Before Grandma could peek, Jisoo quickly hid the phone. She bit her lip, lost in thought, and the strange atmosphere made Grandma Gwak and Mikyung exchange glances.

“Mikyung, what’s with her? She’s always spacing out lately.”

“No idea, Mom. She’s been like this a lot these days. Kinda… off.”

“Ugh. In this family, the moment a man shows up, everyone loses their mind. Must be genetic.”

“Oh, come on! Don’t start that again. Just leave her be.”

While her mom and grandma bickered in the background, Jisoo suddenly stood up. Both women jumped in surprise.

“Whoa, you scared me…”

“Grandma, Mom—I’m going out for a bit.”

Before they could ask anything, Jisoo headed straight for the door. Grandma’s eyes followed her to the entryway before she shook her head in disbelief.

“What kind of phone call makes her rush out like that? With a face like she’s going to a fight?”

“Just let her go. Must be urgent.”

Grandma tsked, unconvinced.

***
Later that night, the moonlight was faint but soft over the quiet neighborhood.

After the memorial service, Jisoo had claimed she wasn’t feeling well and gone to bed early—but she lay there wide awake, tossing and turning.

Outside her room, relatives were still chatting over leftover food and drinks.

“My Jeonggil was born in the year of the snake, month of the snake, day of the snake… but because his birth time was off, he became a dragon that could never ascend.”

“That was because Kim Sunja messed it up on purpose. Shouldn’t have gone to that midwife. My life’s been cursed, so my kids’ lives are a mess too.”

It was her grandma’s familiar drunken lament—a routine that always came out after a few bottles.

“Mom, you’ve had enough. Please stop drinking.”

Her uncle’s tired voice was met with her grandma’s sniffles.

Jisoo shut her eyes in the dark. Every time she heard that voice—half bitterness, half sorrow—something in her chest ached. Sometimes it felt like those words were aimed directly at her.

She curled up under the blanket, replaying the phone call from earlier over and over. The caller had been… her father.

“Sent you this month’s money. What? Just take it—it’s no big deal. Oh? Today’s your grandfather’s memorial? …I see.”

Awkward silences would stretch whenever an uncomfortable subject came up, leaving an empty ache behind. Jisoo closed her eyes tighter.

After every monthly call with him, insomnia and chills would hit. That’s why she’d canceled her plans with Chae Juwon earlier—she was in no state to meet him.

“I heard you quit your job. I know I haven’t been there for you… but don’t carry it all alone. If you need something, say it. I mean it.”

Even divorced, her father always tried to put on the act of a caring dad. But his “check-in” calls—really just to confirm his bank transfer—always left her shaken, as if she’d swallowed something she couldn’t digest.

“I know it hasn’t been easy for you since I remarried. But you’re still my daughter, and you always will be. Can’t you try to live a little more comfortably?”

Whether he knew how his new wife treated Jisoo or just pretended not to, she could never tell.

Her father, a former member of the National Assembly, was a public figure. When it came to her, he always seemed to want to keep things hidden, handling most interactions remotely.

Sometimes, looking at him, Jisoo felt like she was nothing more than a mistake from his reckless youth.

She pulled the blanket over her head, but the chill wouldn’t go away.

Her mind wandered to the day her uncle, Jeonggil, had fallen victim to a voice phishing scam—his hands shaking as he spoke.

“Jisoo, I just got a weird call… and now money’s gone from my account. Is this a scam? What am I gonna do?”

To her, her uncle had always been more of a father than her actual dad.

Her parents divorced when she was four, and she grew up with her mom. For half a year after the split, her mom hadn’t told anyone in the family. Then one day, her grandma and uncle showed up at their tiny, rundown one-room apartment.

Her father’s mother had disliked her mom and had made things worse, so they’d gotten nothing in the divorce—not even proper alimony. Her mom had been drowning in alcohol, while Jisoo had been left to fend for herself. Her grandma and uncle had cried when they saw them like that.

From then on, they supported the two of them in every way they could. Even though they didn’t live together, her mom recovered her health with her family’s help, and Jisoo grew up with her uncle, who was like a dad, and her grandma, who was more of a mom than her own.

But Jisoo always knew her grandma carried heavy feelings—seeing both her son widowed young and her daughter divorced had left deep marks.

When Jisoo started elementary school, her mom got her real estate license. She looked like she’d moved on, but she wasn’t a strong person. She couldn’t give Jisoo the kind of tough love a parent sometimes needed—only support, no matter what she did.

Still, Jisoo understood. That was the best her mom could do. She reached for her earbuds, wanting to shut out the voices outside, and played a familiar song.

Even in the dark without light, we can find each other… even the smallest movement can be felt…

The music she always turned to when her mind was heavy filled her ears. She buried her face into the pillow and took a slow, steady breath.