The Art of Family (Book 2)

Chapter 3 The Great Negotiation

It would seem Eun Ae finally had a chance to play wingman for her brother and the cheeky girl was determined to make the most out of it.

Emptying her piggy bank next to his pile, Eun Ae turned to him with a big innocent smile on her face.

"Oppa, if I lend you this, you have to do my chores for a week, arasseo?" Eun Ae negotiated.

This was one easy negotiation since Jeong Eun was more than willing to do anything to get Tae Rin a pretty bouquet of flowers.

"Ne. I'll pay you back too! Appa said it's not nice to owe anyone money." Jeong Eun stated calmly.

Shaking on it, the siblings turned back to the pile and started counting the money.

Unfortunately, they were still short of money.

"Oh no...Ottoke?" Eun Ae was equally dejected now that their plan had fallen through.

For once, Jeong Eun didn't have an answer to a problem.

That night, Jeong Eun spent practically the whole time tossing and turning in his bed. Finally, just as the first signs of daylight drifted in through the windows, he had a new plan.

And Plan C included their mother and her beloved flower garden.

So that was how Jeong Eun found Ye Jin in the garden, just as she was watering them for the day. Their son had walked up to her quietly with the piggy bank in his hands and waited patiently for her to finish watering them before he spoke.

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Back to the present

"Did he now?"

Jeong Eun observed how his mother's eyes were wide with disbelief and confusion as she stared at him. Swallowing, Jeong Eun kept his eyes trained on his mother's and nodded his head slowly.

"Ne. Appa said if he paid for a bouquet, then that defeats the purpose."

"Ah, I see." Ye Jin nodded, finally understanding where Jeong Eun – and in some sense, her husband – was coming from.

Yet, Ye Jin recognised that there was more to this lesson her husband wanted to teach their son than what Jeong Eun had grasped.

As parents, it is incredibly important that the lessons they impart to their children do not contradict one another. This was why Ye Jin was especially careful whenever their children would mention something that her husband had taught them.

Like now.

Reaching out to run her thumb lightly on Jeong Eun's cheekbone, Ye Jin smiled gently. As some would say, this was a smile that held a mother's wisdom, one that the children often saw when Ye Jin would share a nugget of wisdom as someone who had been through what they did.

"Appa's right, you know? If he buys you those flowers, then it's not as meaningful. But." Ye Jin paused, checking that her son was absorbing what she said before she continued.

"What makes a gift meaningful isn't how much you spend on it nor is it because of the money. Remember, gifts are meaningful when they come from your heart." Ye Jin spoke softly, crossing her son's heart to prove her point.

Jeong Eun giggled slightly at that but understood what his mother was saying. "It's the thought that counts."

"That's right, sweetie. Tell you what, you know how I always give you and your sisters flowers before Christmas?" Ye Jin asked.

"Mmm, you give us two stalks every year!" Jeong Eun quipped.

Folding her arms over her knee, Ye Jin told him her plan. "Well, I'll give them to all of you early this year and you can choose what you want to do with yours."