By Zephyria 
“I’m not really sure. Once you actually wear it, being big isn’t necessarily good. My finger feels heavy, and it’s uncomfortable whenever I move. But since it’ll make a loud noise if it falls, I probably won’t lose it. Other than that one good thing, well…”
Even as I said that, I rotated my hand to show off the ring, and my sister-in-law’s eyes, fixed on my hand, sparkled in tandem.
“Father, do you want to see? I wonder if Father has seen many of these.”
I stretched out my hand toward my Omega Father, but my gaze was fixed on my Alpha Father. My Alpha Father’s gaze, fixed on my finger with a dissatisfied expression, seemed to be gauging whether the gem was real or not.
He’s not a gemologist; would he be able to tell if it’s real just by looking? Suppressing a laugh, I kept a polite face and just wiggled my finger.
“The cutting is clean.”
It wasn’t a face of admiration or envy. My Omega Father’s usually expressionless gaze looked at the ring once and then moved to my face.
“What do I know? He just put it on me, so I wore it. He apparently intended to give this as a gift and then get couple rings, but he’s very sulky because it ended up being the engagement gift first.”
Is this really that great? I can’t tell.
Muttering indifferently, I propped my chin up with the hand wearing the ring and munched on my food. Seeing that the gathered gazes wouldn’t budge, even forgetting to eat, it felt worth it to have worn this heavy ring.
“He’s coming to greet you at eight. Let’s see. One hour left. Please eat, brush your teeth, and dress up a bit. It’s a first meeting, so it’s not good to be looked down upon. Don’t you like wearing your best clothes and dressing flashily to intimidate others?”
“We don’t even know which family he’s from, and you’re just letting him come for a greeting?”
“Won’t that be the first thing you ask after seeing his face? I didn’t tell you beforehand because I thought you wouldn’t have anything to ask if I gave the answer early.”
The things people say when being introduced are always the same. When I went to a gathering with my eldest brother, or when I went to greet Kwon Yi-kang’s father, the first question was always which family they belonged to. Would my house be any different?
“Which family did you say he’s from?”
“What does he do, Brother-in-law? Seeing that ring, he must be incredibly wealthy.”
My sister-in-law, suddenly motivated, asked at the same time as my Alpha Father. She always acted like a member of a different household, but today she seemed unusually interested, as if we were one family.
“He works at a company. It seems to be his father’s company. I didn’t ask what kind of company it is.”
“It’s obvious since he didn’t say it first. It’s probably some small-to-medium enterprise that any random person could start, and it’s likely not even in the ranks of companies that have a clue when they’ll go bankrupt.”
I guess adults all have the same repertoire. Kwon Yi-kang’s father spoke in a similar way. Did he call it a common hospital? A common hospital and a company any random person could start. They’re both about the same, so I don’t know why they act so superior to each other.
“I agree. I don’t know when it’ll go bankrupt, but seeing him give a ring like this, don’t you think it won’t go under in a year or two? If you’re really curious, you can ask him when he arrives.”
I said this pointedly, moving the finger with the ring. Diamonds really are great. No matter what fault they find, they seem to overlook it once they see a diamond ring. Seeing this, I wonder if Kwon Yi-kang has some kind of foresight.
“Father. I’ll get up first. I haven’t washed since I went out. I need to change my clothes…”
“What kind of great man is he that you need to prepare? Just eat.”
“Oh, come on. Still. It’s more embarrassing to look shabby. I’ll get ready quickly and come back down on time.”
Normally, she wouldn’t have said such things to my Alpha Father, but for some reason, my sister-in-law stood up in the middle of the meal and scurried out of the dining room. My Omega Father glanced at my Alpha Father.
“What? What? You’re going to go get ready too?”
“Is there anything for me to prepare? I can just meet him as I am. We come to greet each other to see our usual selves.”
“Forget it. I don’t want to hear it, so just eat.”
It felt quite good to see my Alpha Father filled with irritation for some reason. The reason he wasn’t raising his voice now was probably to save his energy to go all out on Kwon Yi-kang, who would arrive shortly.
Even without seeing or hearing it, my father’s inner thoughts were obvious.
After eating leisurely, brushing my teeth, and changing into suitable clothes, the phone rang as if on cue. It was Kwon Yi-kang. I had given him the address before he came, and seeing that there were only a few minutes left until the time he said he’d arrive, it seemed he had reached the house.
“Oh, you’re here?”
—I’ve arrived.
“Wait a moment. I’ll come out.”
—Stay inside. The wind is cold.
“Still, I should be by your side. I’ve come down to the first floor. I’ll open the gate.”
As I practically ran down the stairs while on the phone, my sister-in-law, who had been pacing in the living room, asked with a bright face, “Is he here?”
“Yes. I’ll bring him in now.”
“Father. He’s arrived to greet you.”
He’s not her lover, but mine; I don’t know why she’s so excited. Watching my sister-in-law call out to my fathers and go to fetch my eldest brother, I remembered Kwon Yi-kang, whom I had briefly forgotten, and opened the gate.
As I rushed out the front door, I saw Kwon Yi-kang slowly walking up the stairs. I scurried over and waited for him.
“You’re going to get torn apart today.”
“I should be prepared for that much. I’m taking a precious child from someone else’s house.”
“I’m not exactly a precious child. Anyway, I’ve suffered enough from your father, so you should be prepared to suffer that much too.”
“From my memory, I don’t think you just took it quietly? Didn’t my father almost end up in the hospital that day?”
I poked Kwon Yi-kang in the side, saying it wasn’t that bad. He let out a small laugh, pulled me into a hug by the shoulder, and gently rubbed my clothes with his palm.
“Why did you come out? You should have stayed inside. You should have worn something over your clothes since it’s cold.”
“Rather than welcoming you with my family inside, I thought it’d be better if we went in as allies so you wouldn’t feel lonely.”
“Our baby is so kind.”
“If you keep calling me baby, I’ll call you Ajusshi.”
“Why Ajusshi of all things?”
“I can’t exactly call you Father.”
He looked genuinely displeased, which made me want to tease him more. When I called him “Ajusshi,” Kwon Yi-kang’s brow twitched.
“If it gets to the point where you can’t stand it, just flip the table like I did. That’s the only way to feel at peace.”
“I have to endure whatever scolding comes my way to take our Soo-kyung.”
“Ah, and there’s something I might be sorry about. I always complained about why people ask which family someone is from when they meet, and why that’s so important. It seems my parents are among those kinds of people.”
“Any parents would be like that. Marriage is not just a union between two people, but also between families, so it’s natural for them to be curious. I’ll handle it, so don’t worry.”
Kwon Yi-kang pulled my shoulder and kissed my forehead before standing in front of the entrance. Feeling nervous, I took a deep breath and opened the front door.
As I led Kwon Yi-kang inside, I saw the family lined up, starting from the employees. Only my Alpha Father didn’t seem to be trying to act expensive.
“You’ve arri—”
My sister-in-law, who had been approaching with a wide smile, unlike the face she usually made when looking at me, froze. Her face stiffened visibly. Her skin turned pale. My eldest brother, standing beside her, held her up as she swayed as if she were about to lose her balance.
What is this chilling atmosphere?
I slowly scanned the lined-up employees, the family, and Kwon Yi-kang’s face standing beside me. I felt somewhat relieved to confirm that not only my sister-in-law, but also my Omega Father and eldest brother’s expressions were not good.
If only my sister-in-law’s face had been strange, I might have suspected a past between Kwon Yi-kang and her. While it wasn’t great that the family’s expressions were all crumpled, it was better than doubting Kwon Yi-kang’s past.
“Are you making those faces from the entrance just because he’s an uninvited guest?”
At my question, my Omega Father approached with a reluctant smile. If he was going to smile like that, it would be better not to smile at all.
“Welcome. Was it difficult getting here?”
My Omega Father, who had approached to a distance of three or four steps, asked Kwon Yi-kang while maintaining a proper distance.
“Thank you. Thanks to your concern, I arrived comfortably.”
“I heard you were coming an hour ago. It happened to be mealtime. We’ll have a meal together next time; I think we should have tea today, is that alright?”
“Yes, that is fine.”
“Alright. Don’t just stand there, come inside.”
My Omega Father told the employees to prepare tea and dismissed them. My Omega Father’s expression as he guided Kwon Yi-kang to the living room sofa was pale, like someone with indigestion.
My Alpha Father, sitting in the seat of honor on the sofa, was expressing his dissatisfaction fully with his stiff back. How can even a single strand of hair look so displeased? That’s a talent in its own right.
With Father at the center, my Omega Father, eldest brother, and sister-in-law sat on one side. On the opposite side, Kwon Yi-kang and I stood side by side.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Kwon Yi-kang.”
My Alpha Father’s expression, which had been deeply frowned, became strange. On Father’s face as he looked up at Kwon Yi-kang, dissatisfaction, bewilderment, and other ambiguous emotions were mixed and revealed.
Why is he looking at Kwon Yi-kang with that face?
From the moment Kwon Yi-kang entered the front door, the family’s expressions were so ambiguously difficult to explain that it was hard to grasp how the situation was unfolding.
“Sit. Why are you standing? Sit down first.”
I sat close to Father, and I sat Kwon Yi-kang next to me. The family’s gazes followed Kwon Yi-kang as he took his seat.
“I feel like I know you, or am I mistaken?”
“This is the first time we’ve formally met, but we might have passed each other in passing.”
Kwon Yi-kang replied smoothly to the eldest brother’s suggestive question.
“Right? Hwang Seong.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Were the two of them acquainted? Why does it feel like they’re exchanging a code that only I don’t know? Am I the only one feeling alienated right now?