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Good Tidings
~Reckless Noona~
That Chairman Kang loved his granddaughter-in-law, was an understatement. The man was incredibly fond of her. The chairman was older now, and even though he was still of robust health, he – like any old man – liked being pampered by his children, and Ha-ri had been the loveliest presence in the house after she married his grandson.
This lovely child had refused to move out with Tae-moo to live separately after the wedding, saying that she was comforted by having his grandfather around, and it would be too lonely alone, especially with all the frequent trips Tae-moo had to go on.
The grandfather, too, was often apologetic about how busy Kang Tae moo was, and offered to keep her company as they watched the 345th episode of ‘Be Strong, Shin Geum Hui’ together. They both loved it, and she had taken a liking to his favorite hobby of fishing. Occasionally, while Chairman would be sitting around the house reading his spoilers about his favorite dramas, he would hear her hum some of his favorites as she did her chores – they had similar taste in music.
What comforted this old man the most of all was that he had never seen Tae-moo laugh so much. Shin Ha-ri was precious, and Chairman Kang would do everything in his power to see her live healthily, and happily with his good-for-nothing grandson.
One day, however, while she was having a meal, she suddenly got up. “I don’t feel well, so I will go to the restroom for a bit.”
What could it be? After grandfather’s health scare, Tae-moo made sure that everyone in the family got regular medical checkups. Grandpa Kang thought for a second, and then his eyes lit up, and as soon as she disappeared around the corner, he exclaimed. “She’s pregnant, right!”
"You always think the weirdest things, old man,” Tae-moo replied. “You have watched too many dramas”
"No, I'm sure – it is a classic symptom. Feeling nauseous - going running to the toilet!" Grandpa had seen that happen in at least thirty-seven dramas so far.
Tae-moo slammed his chopsticks down – like a total killjoy. "Please can you stop bothering her? You are putting too much pressure on her!”
"What pressure? I never said anything to her,” he retorted – in his mind, it must be his grandson’s fault if Ha-ri thinks that they are not ready to have a family together. In his eyes, his wonderful granddaughter can do nothing wrong whatsoever.
However, something told him he was right. He continued - “Call it an old man's intuition, but there is definitely some good news!"
"Come on, grandpa - last week when you got a bad stomach after drinking all that cold latte, were you pregnant?"
Grandpa’s nostrils flared. "You have become so rude!” He exclaimed, holding his walking stick up. “You need a good beating! Come here!”
Tae-moo got up and ran, hiding behind Ha-ri, who had just strolled back to the dining table.
“How dare you talk to your grandpa like that!” The man ran after him – his health was even better than before, and he could give Tae-moo a chase around a room, at least.
Tae-moo, still hiding behind Ha-ri, brazenly declared. “Don’t irritate my wife like that!”
With grandpa threatening Tae-moo with his stick in front of her and Tae-moo wiggling around her back, Ha-ri felt immensely annoyed.
“Can you two please stop?” She said in a clear pissed-off voice, surprising the two of them.
“What?” The grandpa muttered, looking sideways guiltily. He had rarely seen her angry, and she could be scary if she wanted. However, it was mainly Tae-moo who was the subject of all this anger, never him.
“I am just an old man...” He still persisted. “How are you feeling? Should we get a check-up? “
"Stop it, grandpa,” Tae-moo replied, his hands on Ha-ri's shoulders. “You just want to know if she's pregnant or not! Stop bothering her!!”
"You don't understand an old man’s feelings!!" Grandpa shouted again, raising his walking stick.
"Please shut up, you two!!!” Shin Ha-ri screeched - making everyone, including the housekeeper in the background, pause.
She turned towards the grandpa. After taking a deep breath, she finally replied; “yes, grandpa, you are right.”
Before grandpa could react, Tae-moo squeaked in surprise. She turned around.
“Now you know, I guess,” she smiled nervously. She tried looking at her husband's face, trying to make out his expression since this was definitely not the confession she had planned on. She was unable to, however, because he immediately enveloped her in a hug. It pleased her to notice that his heart was beating a little too fast, and he held her for a long, long time. She had planned to tell him on a long walk after dinner, or an evening out. As she felt his arms around her, though - the chaos of this family that she had come to call her own seemed ever so delightful, and this timing seemed as good as any other.
On the other hand, grandpa sensed it was time to leave them alone for a bit. He was great (he thought) at creating romantic situations (like he had seen in dramas) and running away (which made his scheming quite apparent to the couple) by now, in hopes of welcoming a great-grandchild soon, and that’s what he did. Seeing his grandson make a family of his own fulfilled the biggest wish he had ever had.
It was reported by the media that by the time the baby arrived, Chairman Kang had already fully stocked the house with baby products – booked the best kindergarten in South Korea, hired the best interior designer to decorate a nursery and a playroom, and the baby had the biggest collection of designer-clothing a newborn could need for the next fifty years.