By Zephyria 
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“I know what you mean. I do, but I don’t think we necessarily need to take this so heavily. We don’t even know each other well yet. Since this is a coalition between two families, we’re essentially pushing the process of getting to know one another and figuring out if we actually like each other until after the wedding. Honestly, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be thinking seriously about right now. If you want me to approach the marriage seriously rather than the ‘business’ of it, then shouldn’t we avoid an arranged marriage in the first place?”
A brief silence settled over the living room following Cha Se-jin’s bluntness. Having been hit right where it hurt, Cha Se-gyu drank his tea with an expressionless face, while Yoo Tae-ra looked slightly uncomfortable. In that stiff atmosphere, Eun-won habitually bit the inside of his cheek as he observed the Chairman, who was simply staring at Cha Se-jin.
“It seems you’ve been outdone by Se-jin this time, Father. He’s not wrong. The important part of an arranged marriage is the ‘arrangement,’ not the marriage itself. I think it’s greedy of you to hope that they move beyond that.”
At Cha Se-gyu’s words, the father looked at him with a face that seemed to have a lot to say. A significant part of the reason he nagged Cha Se-jin was because of Cha Se-gyu. He knew all too well how dry and desolate Cha Se-gyu’s married life was, having given up on love or romantic feelings to choose a partner who would be most helpful to him professionally.
Cha Se-gyu had made no effort to get close to Yoo Tae-ra, treating her merely as a business partner, and it was evident that Yoo Tae-ra viewed him as little more than a roommate she worked with.
The hope that they might grow fond of each other and grow closer by living together had been completely misplaced. While he felt he had no choice but to accept it, as he couldn’t recklessly interfere in the private lives of his grown son and daughter-in-law, it was true that he worried Cha Se-jin might follow the same path.
He had threatened to force an arranged marriage—half for the purpose of discipline and half out of anger—after yet another absurd and messy scandal broke out, but seeing how easily Se-jin had accepted it and come to this point, his worries only grew.
Moreover, it was even more concerning because the partner wasn’t an adult like Yoo Tae-ra, who had been educated since childhood to make marriage decisions based on calculated profit, but Eun-won—who had just become an adult, knew nothing of this world, and was still very much like a boy.
“Please don’t worry too much, Father. The young master is different from Se-gyu. Just looking at how he treats Eun-won, I think it’ll be different for them.”
“Right, Dad. Little brother almost never says anything right, but I think he’s right this time. It’s a bit much to be looking for love when they’re getting married right after meeting.”
With Cha Se-gyu, Yoo Tae-ra, and even Cha Se-na siding with Cha Se-jin, Eun-won looked at the Chairman’s face again. His expression was so blank that it was hard to tell at a glance whether he was angry or not.
“…If only you all could keep your mouths shut.”
Ultimately, Cha Se-jin’s father let out a sigh and shook his head. Cha Se-jin grinned and ruffled the long hair of Cha Se-na, who was sitting next to him.
“Hey, what do you mean I almost never say anything right?”
“Ah, stop it. Do you want to keep doing this even after you bring your spouse home? He’s probably already lost all interest in you after seeing your true colors. You’re in trouble now, Oppa. I’m going to tell him everything you’ve done.”
“Go ahead. I’ll do the same when you get married.”
“I’m not inviting Little Oppa to the formal family meeting.”
“I’ll be the first one there waiting.”
Sighing at the sight of Cha Se-jin and Cha Se-na—who were either playing childishly or bickering—Cha Se-gyu comforted Cha Se-na. Although the two had similar personalities, if one had to be calmed down to make them stop, it was always easier to soothe Cha Se-na.
“Se-na, stop. Just bear with him.”
Only then did Cha Se-na calm down and give Eun-won a bright, apologetic smile. Eun-won responded with a slight nod, indicating he was fine.
“Regardless of the form of the marriage, the fact remains that Eun-won will become part of our family, so make sure you take good care of him. We will as well, but you’ll be the closest person to him, so you must do your part.”
“I will.”
“And…”
Cha Tae-jun had much more he wanted to say, but swallowing words that wouldn’t be appropriate to bring up in front of Eun-won, he cleared his throat and shifted his gaze from Cha Se-jin to Eun-won.
Beyond the fact that he was young, the Chairman was honestly more worried because he knew the behind-the-scenes story of how Eun-won had been thrown into this world’s marriage market.
Whether the boy could handle his son—who was, to put it kindly, skilled, and to put it bluntly, worn-out at dealing with people—and whether he would end up getting hurt… there were more than a few things to worry about.
He was pushing for the marriage because Se-jin was actively pursuing him, it would be helpful professionally, and there was a hope that his behavior might improve once he was married; however, the weight of a scandal while single was entirely different from a scandal while married.
Right now, Se-jin was acting affectionate, calling him “Darling, Darling,” captivated by Eun-won’s exceptional beauty that anyone would admire, but there was no telling how long that would last. Se-jin’s likes changed easily, and he wasn’t the type to find joy in doing anything with steady persistence.
Unlike Cha Se-gyu, who knew how to take responsibility for his actions, Cha Se-jin was the type of person to snap back and ask why he should have to take responsibility for something that had already happened, which made him untrustworthy.
[Exclusive] Sewon Group’s Cha Se-jin, now committing adultery! If an article like that were to be published…
Imagining such a horrific headline, Cha Tae-jun felt a wave of dread and shook his head. A belated thought crossed his mind that perhaps it would have been better to leave him unmarried.
Am I just ruining that child’s life…?
But seeing Eun-won sitting there quietly, oblivious to everything, he felt sinful for even thinking such things. Forcing the thought away, Cha Tae-jun watched Cha Se-jin playfully poking the back of Eun-won’s hand, which was resting gently on his lap.
He desperately hoped that this interest would grow beyond simple curiosity into a heavy emotion, and that it would transcend the arrangement to eventually become love. He prayed that it would.
* * *
Everyone had been welcoming, but after meeting Cha Se-jin’s family, who possessed an extraordinary sense of intimidation, Eun-won began to believe to some extent that Cha Se-jin was the gentlest person in that house. It wasn’t that the other family members weren’t gentle, but perhaps because Cha Se-jin had personally looked after him and he had relied on him so much throughout the day, it just felt that way.
Still, after visiting Cha Se-jin’s home, much of the anxiety about having to live in an unfamiliar place vanished. It was because he had seen and felt for himself that they were all good people.
He enjoyed talking with them until nearly 10 PM, and he truly loved strolling through the cool garden where the heat of summer had mostly faded. Above all, the words Cha Se-jin’s mother had said while holding his hand as they exchanged farewells because it was late remained most vivid in his memory.
‘Thank you for becoming part of our family.’
Those words lodged themselves deep in Eun-won’s heart, growing larger every day and consuming his anxiety. His heart fluttered again, just as it had on that day not long ago when he felt overwhelmed by the idea of having a family once more. Though it was still awkward, he felt that he wanted to do his best.
After the visit to Cha Se-jin’s house, the wedding preparations proceeded in earnest. They had their formal attire made and chose their wedding rings together. Since Eun-won was in the middle of the semester and it was difficult to find time for a honeymoon, they decided to postpone the official trip until the vacation.
Instead, they agreed to stay at a hotel from the end of the ceremony on Saturday until Monday morning. In a marriage like this, a honeymoon wasn’t particularly important anyway, but they decided to follow the elders’ opinion that they should maintain the appearances of a wedding.
As the days flew by in a blur, ten days before the wedding, Cha Se-jin visited Eun-won’s house for the first time. Yeo Hee-jin, who had been subtly pressuring Eun-won to ask when Cha Se-jin would come to greet them, found it resentful that he only showed up as the wedding approached. However, since she was in a position where she had to make a good impression to ensure the marriage was successfully completed, she prepared a lavish meal.
“Honey, you mustn’t make a mistake. You know to endure it even if something makes you angry, right?”
While watching Yeo Hee-jin adjust his father’s clothes and give him warnings, Eun-won heard Butler Kang’s announcement that the car had arrived. He stepped out of the house to greet Cha Se-jin as he stepped out of the car.