Page 49 of The Way Back Home

I stare down at him. “You’re really going to act like this?”

“Like what?” He tips his head back against the couch cushion, looking up at the ceiling. “I’m letting you in my house, aren’t I?”

“You’re sitting on the floor.”

“My couch. My choice.”

I press my lips together and look down at the envelope again, running my thumb over the seal.

There’s nothing left to say about it, nothing that’ll change what we’re about to find out. I take the envelope and slip my finger beneath the seal, opening it cleanly. The paper inside rustles as I pull out the folded sheets, looking at Ryowoon. “You want to read it first, or should I?”

Ryowoon makes a go-ahead gesture, his hand flopping toward me lazily.

I unfold the first sheet and start reading. My eyes scan the lines once, then twice. I blink, the words not sinking in properly.

“What?” Ryowoon prompts.

I open my mouth. Read it again just to be sure. “She … she left us the store.”

Ryowoon jerks back like I just slapped him. “Let me see.”

He snatches the papers from my hand and starts reading, his eyes moving fast across the page. I stare blankly at the table, numb. The words keep echoing in my head but they won’t make sense. Mrs. Nam left us the store. Both of us. Together.

“What even…” Ryowoon shakes his head, still reading. “What does this all mean?”

I take the papers back, needing to see it myself again, to confirm I didn’t misread. The legal language is thick, formal, the kind that makes you have to reread sentences three times before they settle into your brain. And with each line it gets harder to believe.

I glance at Ryowoon. His face is pale, eyes locked on mine.

I start reading out loud. “‘The property located at 42 Haebyeon-ro, Haemok, Gyeongsang Province, including the attached residence and all fixtures therein, is hereby bequeathed in equal shares to Heo Seyeon and Cha Ryowoon. Ownership shall be held jointly, fifty percent to each party, with the following conditions…’”

I pause, swallowing hard, and keep going.

“‘Neither party may make alterations, sell, lease, or otherwise dispose of said property without the express written consent of the other party. Should both parties agree to dispose of the property, the transaction must be conducted in person by both parties together. No legal representative, agent, or proxy may act on behalf of either party in matters concerning this property. Both parties must be physically present at said property to execute any and all decisions regarding its future.’”

Ryowoon’s brow wrinkles. “And what the fuck does that all mean?”

I set the papers down on the table and run a hand through my hair, the lump in my throat making it hard to talk. “It means Mrs. Nam left the store to us equally. Fifty-fifty. And it comes with conditions that are … pretty rigid.”

“Like what?”

“Like we can’t do anything with it without the full consent of the other. And if we don’t want to maintain it, we have to sell it. Together. In person. Not through a lawyer or anyone else.”

Ryowoon gapes at me. “Does that mean what I think it means?”

I sigh and lean back against the couch cushions, staring at the ceiling. “It means we now somehow jointly own a business. And we can’t do anything with it without both of us physically stepping foot in it. Together.”

16 Years Old

Mrs. Nam stands in the doorway of the store with her arms folded, looking at us like she’s about to give us a military briefing. It’s barely past sunrise, the cool air making me rub at my arms through my t-shirt, beside me Ryowoon yawns so wide I can count his molars.

“You boys have been loitering around here since you were knee-high,” she says, tapping her cane against the doorframe. “Time you made yourselves useful.”

Ryowown blinks blearily at her. “Halme, we’ve been helping out for years.”

“Helping out,” she snorts, waving her hand dismissively. “That’s different from real work. You want real money? You do real work.”

I glance at Ryowoon. He looks more awake now, interest sparking in his eyes. Money means something different to him than it does to me. For me it’s college fund contributions and helping Mom with bills. For Ryowoon it’s survival.