Devil’s Music

As the clock struck 6 in the evening,

The savory aroma of Yeongha's bulgogi cooking in the kitchen filled the house.

Shihwa, finishing her report to Juhee, felt pleased with the praise and hummed a tune, seated at Yeongha's vanity table, opening and closing the powder case. Seeing this, Geon asked, "What's up? Why bother being here if you're not going to use it?"

While inspecting her face in the mirror inside the powder case, Shihwa replied, "It's a waste. I don't need to put it on now since I'm not going out. Hehe."

Geon turned his head sideways toward the kitchen when he heard the sound of the front door unlocking. His body stiffened as he thought it might be Taewoo.

Shihwa, at the vanity, swiftly hid the powder and held her breath.

Upon seeing Geon, who Taewoo was facing after taking off his shoes at the entrance, he asked, "Didn't you go to the study room today?"

Geon hesitated slightly before replying, "Yes, Dad. Since the exams ended not too long ago, I thought of taking a break today."

Taewoo, taking off his coat and hanging it on the dining chair, spoke to Yeongha, who was cooking, "That smells delicious. Is it bulgogi?"

Yeongha, tying her apron, turned around and said, "Yes, I cooked something special today since something good happened."

Taewoo chuckled, then smiled slightly, saying, "Something good? What's that? I have good news too."

Shihwa, who had been hiding, perked up and asked eagerly, "Dad, what's the good news?"

Taewoo sat down at the table and said, "Darlings, I feel really sorry for venting my frustration about not adjusting well to life in Seoul to the family. I regretted it instantly, always thinking I shouldn't have, but couldn't control my anger at the moment. Especially, I feel very sorry towards Geon."

Geon was slightly surprised by Taewoo's unexpected words.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Yeongha, who was cooking, also sat at the table.

"What happened, dear?" Taewoo smiled and said, "I rented an office."

"Sang-gil has a real estate agent license, so I thought I could work in collaboration with him. There are many apartment complexes near Gwangjang-dong, and across the street, there's a studio apartment village. From big properties to smaller ones, there seem to be various options. Real estate can bring in a decent income, even if a few lease contracts are signed each month. If I work hard, it won't affect our family's livelihood."

Yeongha exclaimed in surprise, "To rent an office, you must have invested some money. Where did you get it? You didn't take a loan, did you?"

Taewoo chuckled, shaking his head, "No, I didn't. Since Sang-gil will handle most of the real estate matters, I thought my negotiation skills from my previous job would come in handy here. I'm going in without a single penny, and for every contract I secure, I'll take 8, and Sang-gil will take 2."

Finally, Yeongha clapped her hands, smiling, "Oh my, dear. That's wonderful! It's just the beginning, but you can do it well. Even though we had a humble start with 500,000 won when we first got married, now, things seem stable. If you apply the same skill you had when negotiating, you'll do great. Oh, my, I'm burning the bulgogi! Let's all sit down and eat."

After a long time, the family gathered, laughing and enjoying the meal together. Geon, enjoying the cheerful atmosphere that hadn't been there for years, saw Yeongha gesturing and quickly took out an envelope from his pocket.

"Dad, this..."

Taewoo, receiving the envelope with a puzzled expression, looked inside, surprised, and asked, "Where did this money come from? Did you work part-time without studying?"

With a concerned expression, Shihwa said, "Dad, Geon is already the top student. What more studying does he need? I'm barely in the top 20 in the class, and we're from the same womb! Why is this happening? It's unfair!"

The three burst into laughter at Shihwa's grumble.

Taewoo, looking at Geon again, smiled and asked silently.

"Actually, I sang a song through an acquaintance this time. Luckily, the broadcasting station accepted the song I sang as a drama OST, and this money is from that. If the song does well in the future, there might be additional income. If I earn money, I'll contribute to the household."

Seeing Taewoo's surprised expression at the unexpected drama OST story, Geon looked at Yeongha, who nodded in confirmation.

"They say the drama will premiere tomorrow. Let's watch it together. From what I researched, the drama seems quite interesting."

Taewoo looked at the three smiling faces and joined in, "Really? Our son was always amazing at singing since he was young. Is this how we get two celebrity sons? That's not the plan! I need to call Sang-gil and brag about this, hahaha!"

Watching Taewoo rush to the veranda with the cordless phone, the whole family chuckled happily.

Geon felt his eyes warm at his dad's cheerful demeanor, not regretting spending most of the earned money on the family. It felt gratifying to have spent it in meaningful ways, and that night, Geon fell into a deep and peaceful sleep, a rarity lately.