The Heirs

Chapter 8

Tan storms over to Eun-sang at work to confess that he likes her, and will be getting personally involved in all her business at school from now on. What, like you weren’t before?

She brushes it off like he’s got nothing better to do with his time, but he wants an answer from her, right now. She looks up at him, conflicted… and she’s saved by the bell when he gets a call from Dad.

He ignores it, and then a second later, Eun-sang gets a call from his mother. He barks at her not to answer, but she says while he might have the choice to ignore his parents’ calls, she doesn’t. “That’s the difference between you and me, and I think that’s my answer.”

He yanks her phone away and tells his mother to call back later because they’re having an important conversation, and hangs up. Pfft. And then he orders Eun-sang to like him back, which I guess is supposed to be swoony, but mostly sounds like he’s being a petulant child.

She’s finally had enough and starts to cry as she tells him to give back her phone, saying that it’s expensive to her, and she needs it to text with Mom and hear from her part-time employers.

And then suddenly mid-fight, Tan asks, “If I want to hold you right now, am I crazy?” He pulls her close for a hug.

Tan: “Don’t cry. And don’t say that you dislike me. Say that you’ll think about it. I’m asking you.” Well that’s certainly an improvement from the last version. Good job. Eun-sang lets herself cry on his shoulder for just a moment.

Once they get home, Madam Han greets Tan with a barrage of questions, and he gives the excuse that he went to go see Eun-sang to request that she keep her mouth shut about him hitting someone at school today. Madam Han’s ridiculous first question: “Is he richer than us?”

Tan is the one to point out that her question should be whom and not how much he’s worth, and trudges off to see the chairman for his impending lecture. Madam Han tries to pry the information out of Eun-sang, who keeps her mouth shut per their cover story. Madam Han adds the petty gripe that Eun-sang shouldn’t be seen with Tan outside of this house, because What would people think? Blerg.

Chairman Dad already knows about the incident and asks Tan why he hit Young-do at school. Tan just points out the absurdity of his sudden interest in his life when he’s done far worse, but back then Dad was always too busy to care.

Dad says that he has to be busy for the company to go ’round, and Tan notes sardonically that due to Dad’s astounding work ethic, he and hyung will be bequeathed more of Dad’s inheritance than his interest. Snap.

Dad’s final warning is to keep from complicating his mother’s job at school, to which Tan says pointedly that his mother is Dad’s mistress. My, my, did someone have his Sassy Wheaties today?

He comes out to find Eun-sang on her way out from speaking to his mother, and she asks with a long sigh for him to leave her alone in this house. He follows her anyway like a yappy puppy, insisting on apologizing for his mother or doing something to cheer her up.

Eun-sang doesn’t want to be caught daring to speak to the young master in the house, and asks him to leave again, but he points out that it’s his house. She decides she’ll go then, and he says pretty much anywhere you go in his house, it’s his house.

And then he adds, “Do you know how glad I am that you’re in my house?” It doesn’t work to get her to stay, and he sighs as she heads to her room. He plops down on his bed and stares at a book of poems called Almost As If We’re Living Together.

Eun-sang decides to set her alarm for even earlier the next morning, determined to avoid going to school together. She notices a post online (lol, he still hasn’t logged out as her, lying liar) of the book cover in his hand, with “living” changed to “sleeping.” It makes her smile.