The elderly woman looked at me and smiled weakly.
She said something in Korean.
Emily translated.
"She says welcome. She's very happy you came."
I nodded, trying to hold back my tears.
Then I noticed the kitchen.
There were dishes waiting to be washed.
A small basket of laundry sat near the hallway.
A child's schoolbag rested beside the sofa.
The apartment was clean, but it was clear that Emily was taking care of a great deal.
I looked at my daughter.
"Where is Min-jun?"
Her expression changed.
She looked toward the kitchen.
"He's at work. He'll be home soon."
"Does he still work in engineering?"
Emily nodded.
"Yes, but he works longer hours now."
I looked at the elderly woman again.
"Is she sick?"
Emily took a deep breath.
"She had a stroke three years ago. She needs help with almost everything."
I felt something heavy settle in my chest.
My daughter had a husband, a child, and an elderly mother-in-law to care for.
And I had spent twelve years assuming she was living a carefree, luxurious life.
Chapter 9: The Secret Behind the Eighty Thousand Dollars
That evening, Min-jun returned home.
He stopped when he saw me.
For a moment, he looked completely surprised.
Then he bowed.
"Mother. Welcome."
His English was better than I remembered.
He took my suitcase and placed it near the bedroom.
Emily prepared dinner.
We sat around the small table.
There was soup, rice, vegetables, and grilled fish.
It was a simple meal.
But the way Min-jun looked at Emily made me realize that something was different from what I had imagined.
He was not distant.
He was attentive.
He helped his mother eat.
He served Emily before himself.
He checked whether I needed more tea.
After dinner, I finally asked the question that had been troubling me.
"Emily, why haven't you come home in twelve years?"
The room became quiet.
Min-jun looked down.
Emily placed her spoon on the table.
"Mom, I wanted to come."
"Then why didn't you?"
She looked at me for a long time.
"Because every time I thought about coming home, I remembered what you said before my wedding."
My heart sank.
She continued.
"You told me not to come back if things went wrong."
I remembered those words immediately.
I had said them in anger.
But she had remembered them for twelve years.
"I didn't mean it," I whispered.
"I know you were angry. But I was twenty-one. I was scared. I was leaving everything I knew."
She wiped her eyes.
"When I arrived here, I was lonely. I didn't speak Korean very well. I didn't understand the customs. I missed you every day."
I reached for her hand.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She gave a sad smile.
"Because I didn't want you to think you were right about my marriage."
That answer hurt more than I expected.
Then she continued.
"Min-jun and I had difficult years. We worked hard. We had financial problems. His father passed away. His mother became ill. We had Sophie. Life became complicated."
I looked at her.
"Then the money?"
Emily hesitated.
"Which money?"
"The eighty thousand dollars you send every Christmas."
She looked at Min-jun.
He closed his eyes briefly.
Then Emily said something I would never forget.
"Mom, I have never been wealthy."
I stared at her.
"What?"
"The money I send you comes from our savings and investments. We planned it years ago. We wanted you to have a comfortable life."
I felt confused.
"But why eighty thousand?"
Emily looked down.
"Because I wanted to give you something I thought would make you happy."
I looked around the apartment.
The furniture was modest.
Her clothes were simple.
The house was small.
I suddenly wondered how much of her own comfort she had sacrificed to send me that money.
Chapter 10: The Truth I Had Never Asked About
Min-jun finally spoke.
"Your daughter works very hard."
He explained that Emily had worked in international business for several years.
She had started with a modest position, gradually learned Korean, and eventually secured a better-paying job.
They saved carefully.
They invested.
They avoided unnecessary spending.
When Sophie was born, Emily took time away from work.
Later, when Min-jun's mother suffered a stroke, their responsibilities increased.
They hired help when they could afford it, but Emily also spent many hours caring for her.
Min-jun worked long hours to support the family.
Neither of them lived extravagantly.
I looked at Emily.
"Why did you never tell me all this?"
She smiled sadly.
"Because whenever we spoke, you asked whether I was happy, whether Min-jun was successful, and whether we had enough money."
I lowered my eyes.
"I didn't know."
"You never asked what my days were like."
That sentence stayed with me.
I had been so focused on the amount arriving in my bank account that I had stopped asking about the person sending it.
I knew how much money she transferred.
I knew the dates.
I knew when the bank confirmed the payment.
But I did not know that her husband had been working long hours.
I did not know that her mother-in-law needed constant care.
I did not know that my granddaughter was growing up without ever meeting me.
I had received her money.
But I had not received her life.
Chapter 11: The Granddaughter I Had Never Met
The next morning, I heard footsteps running through the apartment.
A little girl appeared in the doorway.
She had dark hair, bright eyes, and a shy smile.
"Mom?"
Emily introduced us.
"Sophie, this is your grandmother."
The girl looked at me.
"Grandma?"
I nodded.
"Yes, sweetheart."
She approached slowly.
I opened my arms.
She hugged me.
I began crying immediately.
I had imagined this moment for years without knowing whether it would ever happen.
She sat beside me on the sofa.
Her English was good, although she occasionally switched to Korean.
She showed me her school photographs.
She told me about her favorite subjects, her friends, and a dance performance she had participated in.
Then she asked a question that broke my heart.
"Grandma, why haven't you visited us before?"
I looked at Emily.
My daughter remained silent.
I could not blame anyone but myself.
"I should have come sooner," I said.
Sophie tilted her head.
"Will you stay for Christmas?"
I smiled through my tears.
"If your mother says yes."
She immediately turned toward Emily.
"Please let Grandma stay!"
Emily laughed.
For the first time since I arrived, I heard the laughter I remembered from her childhood.
It sounded different.
But it was still hers.
Chapter 12: The Photograph Behind the Christmas Tree
Later that afternoon, Emily showed me the apartment.
There were family photographs everywhere.
Some showed Min-jun as a young man.
Others showed Sophie growing up.
There were pictures of birthdays, school events, holidays, and ordinary family moments.
Then I noticed a photograph behind the Christmas tree.
It was a picture of me.
I was holding Emily when she was about five years old.
My hair was shorter, and I was smiling.
The photograph had been placed inside a simple wooden frame.
I touched it.
"You kept this?"
Emily nodded.
"I've had it since I moved here."