Chapter 159: Responsibility (2)

 

Time flew by quickly, and it was already December, with the end of the university semester approaching.

 

It had been three months since Eun-ha and I became husband and wife legally.

 

Given our current situation, a wedding ceremony seemed impossible, so we settled for registering our marriage.

 

The image of Eun-ha’s joyful expression at the district office when we filed our marriage registration still lingered vividly in my mind.

 

She had smiled happily all day, her face glowing with joy, though I wasn’t sure what exactly made her so delighted.

 

University studies, preparations for childbirth, work, and studying for the second stage of the tax accountant exam.

 

For the past three months, I had been juggling all of this without letting anything slip through the cracks.

 

Since I couldn’t afford to neglect any of it, I pushed myself relentlessly, as if carving away at my very bones.

 

From Monday to Friday, my mornings were filled with first-period classes.

 

In the afternoons, I worked at my mother-in-law’s company from 2:00 PM to 6:30 PM.

 

Initially, I considered tutoring or finding another job, but my mother-in-law offered me a convenient position and promised to compensate me generously.

 

It was probably because I was her son-in-law, which made me feel a little guilty, but this wasn’t the time to be picky.

 

Although I could rely on financial support from my parents for now, I knew that once the baby arrived, our expenses would undoubtedly increase significantly.

 

I had no prior experience with parenting, even in my previous life.

 

Faced with such uncertainty, I needed to save as much as possible to reduce the unknowns.

 

Eun-ha also took on some simple video editing work while I was busy with my job.

 

I was strongly against it at first, but she assured me it was just a few hours a day to pass the time and told me not to worry.

 

After observing her for a few days, I saw that she only took on minor tasks, so I reluctantly agreed.

 

Still, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy, so I threw myself even harder into my studies and work.

 

“Phew… All done.”

 

After finishing my tasks, I quickly prepared to leave.

 

Since I usually left the office about 30 minutes after everyone else, I turned off the office lights and stepped out of the building.

 

Taking the subway straight home, I was greeted at the door by Eun-ha, standing with her arms wide open, waiting for me.

 

“Darling~ You’re back?”

 

“I’m home~”

 

Eun-ha smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around me.

 

This moment, coming home to her after a long day, was the happiest part of my day.

 

“How’s our little Haet doing~?”

 

“Hehe. The baby’s movements are much stronger now. She’s growing well.”

 

Legally, doctors couldn’t reveal the baby’s gender before 32 weeks, but from the ultrasound, we figured out it was a girl.

 

Thinking about a daughter who would take after Eun-ha filled me with an endless supply of energy.

 

“Eun-ha, shall we start making dinner now?”

 

Every evening, Eun-ha and I cooked dinner together.

 

Since we only got to spend time together during lunch breaks and after work, cooking dinner together was our way of catching up.

 

It was also a rare time for us to have deeper conversations.

 

“You’re calling me Eun-ha again~”

 

Eun-ha poked my cheek playfully.

 

Since our marriage, we’d decided to address each other as “darling” or “honey,” but I wasn’t used to it yet.

 

Honestly, calling her “honey” still felt a little embarrassing, so I rarely said it.

 

“D-Darling…! Shall we make dinner now?”

 

“Hehe. Honestly, I’m more comfortable with you calling me Eun-ha too. But now that we’re married, we should get used to it, right? Don’t you think, Haet’s daddy?”

 

“I’m trying! Are you hungry? Let’s hurry up and make dinner. Our Haet must be hungry too.”

 

“Yeah, let’s do it together.”

 

“Let me change out of these clothes first~”

 

“Okay, go ahead!”

 

When I came out of the room after changing, Eun-ha was standing there, smiling at me.

 

As I walked over, she quickly placed an apron around my neck and tied the strings.

 

“You seem really happy~”

 

“Hehe. It’s because I love you so much. Can I hug you one more time?”

 

“Come here~”

 

“Yes~”

 

As I spread my arms wide, Eun-ha snuggled into my embrace.

 

“Darling. Darling. Darling.”

 

“Yes, honey?”

 

“Oh? You’re calling me ‘honey’ now~?”

 

“I told you I’m trying!”

 

“Was today’s work tough?”

 

Without hesitation, I shook my head in response to Eun-ha’s question.

 

“Not at all.”

 

“But you’re studying and working at the same time, even on weekends. You told me not to overwork myself, but aren’t you the one pushing too hard?”

 

“Oh, come on~ I’m totally fine. I’m still full of energy!”

 

“Still~ I wish you could take at least one weekday off to rest properly. Can I make dinner alone tomorrow?”

 

“Nope, not a chance.”

 

“Why not~”

 

When I refused without hesitation, Eun-ha nuzzled her face into my chest.

 

“Because I want to spend time with you~ Is that so bad?”

 

“No, I’m happy too, but I’m worried you’re overworking yourself.”

 

“I’m really not tired~ Besides, you always make lunch by yourself, don’t you?”

 

“That’s just heating up leftovers from the fridge!”

 

Seeing that she wasn’t going to back down, I gently stroked her head and asked:

 

“Do I look worn out these days?”

 

“A little? That’s why I want to help you more.”

 

“Really, I’m fine~ Thinking about you and our daughter gives me strength I didn’t know I had. So don’t worry too much. But you’re not overdoing it, right?”

 

At my question, Eun-ha immediately lifted her head and responded:

 

“Of course not! Thinking about you also gives me so much energy!”

 

“Okay, then. Let’s make dinner now. I’m starving~”

 

“Alright. But remember, if you ever feel tired, you can lean on me. We’re family.”

 

“Got it. You’re the best support I could ask for.”

 

Eun-ha and I always remained humble about our own efforts while respecting and appreciating each other’s.

 

Perhaps that’s the secret to why we haven’t had a single argument as a couple yet.

 

****

 

The Next Day:

 

As usual, I had lunch with Eun-ha before heading to work.

 

Since I needed to study for the tax accountant exam over the weekend, I planned to finish all my tasks perfectly by the end of the day.

 

I’d never made a mistake before, but I wasn’t about to take my work lightly just because I was the son-in-law.

 

“Hello, I’m here for work.”

 

“Oh, Han-gyeol, you’re here. I reviewed the report you submitted yesterday and sent it out this morning.”

 

Huh? Then… does that mean I have nothing to do today?

 

“Thank you. Were there any issues with it?”

 

“None at all~ There’s no urgent work today, so take it easy.”

 

“Can I do that? Everyone else is working hard, so I should too.”

 

Hearing my reply, my team leader smiled warmly.

 

I sat down at my desk, turned on my computer, and began my daily tasks.

 

I reviewed the schedule, recorded updates, and made notes on anything unusual.

 

“Huh.”

 

That’s when I realized—it had been two weeks since the tax accountant second exam results were released.

 

I’d been so busy that I hadn’t even thought to check.

 

Well, I was sure I didn’t pass, but I might as well look up my candidate number.

 

I logged into the results page and pulled up the list of successful candidates’ numbers.

 

Pressing Ctrl+F, I typed in my candidate number.

 

Click-click-

 

My number appeared with “1/1” in the search bar.

 

“Huh?”

 

I rubbed my eyes and checked my number again.

 

Then I erased the digits in the search bar and re-entered them, meticulously double-checking every digit as I typed.

 

Even after that, my number still showed up among the successful candidates.

 

“Huh…? W-Why is this…?”

 

I pinched my cheek and rubbed my eyes, but the number didn’t change—it was undeniably mine.

 

As the shock of reality sank in, my pupils widened.

 

Forgetting I was in the office, I suddenly leaped up and shouted.

 

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!!”

 

“What’s going on? Did something happen?! Which client?!”

 

My team leader stood up, startled.

 

I needed to explain the situation, but words wouldn’t come out right.

 

“I-I passed!”

 

“Passed? Passed what?”

 

“The tax accountant exam!”

 

When I whispered my response, my team members were all taken aback.

 

A brief silence hung in the air before everyone started congratulating me.

 

“Wow! Really? Didn’t you say you were preparing for next year’s exam?”

 

“I didn’t think I’d pass either… I still can’t believe it. Why did I pass?”

 

“Still, congratulations!”

 

“Han-gyeol, congrats! Eun-ha and the CEO will be thrilled!”

 

“Too bad the CEO’s at a meeting—oh, wait! She’s back! CEO!”

 

Right at that moment, my mother-in-law walked into the office.

 

“What’s all the commotion? What happened?”

 

“Mother-in-law!”

 

As soon as I saw her, I greeted her with a bright smile.

 

“This is the office, so shouldn’t you be using a different title?”

 

“Oh—! I’m sorry. I got too excited.”

 

“No matter how good the news, it’s ‘CEO’ in the office, understand?”

 

“Yes, understood.”

 

“So, what’s the news?”

 

“I passed the tax accountant exam!”

 

When I said it confidently, my mother-in-law—no, the CEO—looked at me with wide eyes.

 

“You passed the second exam too?!”

 

“Yes! I’ve checked multiple times, and it’s confirmed!”

 

Her jaw dropped, but she quickly broke into a beaming smile.

 

“Really?! Oh, our son-in-law is amazing!”

 

“Thank you! I just found out myself!”

 

“We can’t waste time. Han-gyeol, go home immediately. You need to share the news with Eun-ha too.”

 

“Yes! I’ll do that! Thank you all for the congratulations—see you tomorrow!”

 

“Hurry! Take a taxi and be careful on the road!”

 

“Yes—thank you!”

 

I couldn’t wait a second longer to share the news with Eun-ha.

 

As soon as I left the office, I hailed a taxi and headed straight home.

 

Sitting in the backseat, I tapped my feet anxiously until we arrived.

 

I quickly paid the fare, dashed up the stairs, and stood in front of our door.

 

Ding-dong!

 

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I rang the doorbell carefully, not wanting to startle Eun-ha or our little Haet.

 

-Who is it?

 

“It’s me, Eun-ha.”

 

-Oh, honey?!

 

Her voice grew louder as she neared the door, and soon it swung open.

 

“Honey?! What are you doing home so early?!”

 

“Darling, I passed the tax accountant exam! I passed the second exam this year!”

 

“What—?! Seriously?! But you said you were sure you failed!”

 

“But I passed! I came running to tell you right away.”

 

“That’s amazing! You worked so hard for this—it’s really well-deserved!”

 

Eun-ha beamed with genuine pride, her eyes welling up as she looked at me.

 

“Eun-ha.”

 

“Yes…?”

 

“I’m home, so you need to hug me now. Come on—hurry, with Haet too.”

 

I opened my arms wide, and Eun-ha jumped right into them.

 

“Honey, you’ve worked so hard…! I felt so bad seeing you push yourself so much…”

 

“Oh, come on—what’s there to feel bad about? I promised to make you happy, didn’t I? I’m so happy right now! I love you, Eun-ha, and I love Haet so much!”

 

“Me too! I love you so much! Seeing you happy makes me happy too!”

 

“Let’s have a special dinner tonight!”

 

“Okay! I’ll cook something amazing for you! What do you want?”

 

I smiled brightly and replied,

 

“Pork bulgogi!”

--- The End OF The Chapter --

 

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