8 – The Twelfth Meeting

It had already been several weeks since he comforted the shocked Yi-jin and sent him off with Driver Yoon. So what happened after that? As always, Seo-woon lived without incident. The freelance work he started as a side income was taking more effort than expected, but this much was nothing.

Again, there were no incidents for Seo-woon himself. The incidents involved Seo-woon’s acquaintances. And those effects came back to Seo-woon, having a tremendous impact on him. While Seo-woon himself had no incidents, he ended up living a more tumultuous daily life than anyone else due to external circumstances.

First, Min-young failed the college entrance exam. She hadn’t come out of her room since exam day and had been holed up for days already. The family atmosphere had reached its worst point, and seeing her struggle this much for the first time was deeply worrying.

This alone was enough of a headache, but it didn’t end there. His uncle had completed the bicycle order. As previously discussed, instead of 5,000 bicycles worth tens of millions each, they decided to proceed with 1,000 bicycles worth one million each. This seemed to greatly reduce the transaction scale, but the total sales still amounted to one billion won. It might be fortunate that the first digit was reduced, but he couldn’t easily agree.

One billion won being fortunate, what world was this? Thanks to this, Seo-woon was busy wracking his brains. Between Yi-jin’s family who kept proposing deals with reduced unit prices and quantities, and Seo-woon’s family who had moved one step away from their dream model but were still business-tempted to refuse outright, Seo-woon was caught in the middle.
That’s what makes it even more maddening. It might be different if Seo-woon were the one directly involved, but with this ambiguous connection, he can only worry without being able to interfere. Is this what hope torture feels like? He’s anxious on one hand but can’t do anything about it, while everyone around him is busy updating him on the situation. Even Yi-jin, whose position was similar to Seo-woon’s, didn’t understand Seo-woon at all. Instead, he spouted nonsense like asking if Seo-woon preferred the previous model. Seo-woon had no allies anywhere.

This wasn’t the end of it. Next week, there’s his aunt’s birthday party. This year, there’s even a special invited guest—Yi-jin’s aunt, a new connection formed through Seo-woon’s marriage. Yi-jin can’t come because he’s still on his business trip. Even thinking about it again is absurd.

While Seo-woon is spending his days more than ever by family, for family, and of family, today was an exception. He had been excited for days about the college reunion scheduled for this evening. Just thinking about having a change of pace for once made his love for his classmates bubble up naturally.

“…Min-young hit Yeong-min?”

If it weren’t for his uncle’s call that came in the morning, he would have remained comfortably immersed in love for his classmates and country. His uncle’s voice, delivering the news of the incident, was pathetically cracked.

– Yeah. And he hit the kid’s face too, nearly caused a big problem. Min-young’s mom is still at the hospital with Yeong-min, and I stopped by the house to pack some things. I wonder if Min-young even went to school properly…

The situation was more serious than expected. The area around his eye was torn and required two stitches, but fortunately there was no damage to the eye itself. A silver lining in the misfortune.

– Min-young didn’t say anything to you?

“Not at all.”

– …Seo-woon, he didn’t contact you?

“No. I’m hearing about this for the first time.”

Even checking his phone again, there was no contact from Min-young. His uncle was also silent for a moment, perhaps having assumed Min-young would naturally have contacted Seo-woon.

“Then Min-young was alone all night?”

– That, would be the case. He had to go to school, so we sent him back home…

Min-young isn’t an elementary school student and could certainly go home alone, but he’s still only nineteen. If his eye area was torn, there must have been a lot of blood—had he ever seen another person’s blood in his life? Especially since the victim was his much younger sibling, he must have been very shocked even after hitting him.

“If you had contacted me, I would have stayed with him.”

– No. It’s not a good thing… If you carelessly let people into a newlywed home, the luck goes away.

He’d definitely heard that saying before. But he couldn’t agree with it. In the beautiful newlywed home that anyone would envy, Seo-woon was alone again today. Tomorrow, the day after—he’d continue to be alone. Going to his family home was also an option, but this too had been rejected.

– With Yi-jin away, what’s the point if you leave the house empty too? Since he didn’t contact you, that’s fine. Nothing wrong with Yi-jin’s family and the in-laws, right?

“Well, nothing much…”

– Good. That’s welcome news to hear. What’s the point of just having money? The family needs to be peaceful.

…What if you have both money and a peaceful family? Given who we’re talking about, even routine pleasantries don’t fit easily.

– I sent a truck in the morning, so it should arrive today. I’ve told the in-laws’ secretary the details, so there shouldn’t be anything more for you to worry about, Seo-woon. You’ve worked hard all this time.

Transactions between in-laws aren’t illegal, and if both parties agree, there’s no reason not to do it. Especially if they get along well with each other.

“Not at all. You’ve worked harder, uncle. I’ll contact Min-young separately. Don’t worry too much.”

But why did he still feel uncomfortable? Seo-woon returned a bright voice, conscious of his uncle who was trying to reassure him until the end.

– …Thank you for saying that. When did you grow up so much, Seo-woon…

“Ha ha, well. About 10 years ago?”

– Never gave me a single worry and grew up all on your own… Now you’re all grown up, married, starting a family… When I was raising you, this never happened…

Last night’s incident must have been quite a shock. His uncle’s voice quickly became moist. Even during Min-young’s adolescence, when his uncle suffered from male pattern baldness and Seo-woon from stress-induced gastritis, although Yeong-min and Min-young fought constantly, they never drew blood. Even during what could be called a dramatic adolescence, they’d never fought to this extent.

Whatever the case, it was time to try making contact somehow. Throughout the journey to the meeting place, all of Seo-woon’s attention was focused on his phone. Since the timing didn’t work out with Yi-jin, they had exchanged brief messages instead of a video call. Now Min-young was the only person left who might contact him, but his phone remained quiet.

Seo-woon entered the restaurant with quite a heavy heart. Since this was the first gathering after his marriage, he absolutely couldn’t skip it. After handing out wedding invitations, not showing up to the next meeting would easily lead to misunderstandings about taking the money and running. Despite the external pressure, there was exactly one reason Seo-woon had been looking forward to today’s gathering.

A change of pace—for this time at least, he wanted to stop thinking about family. Seo-woon entered the meeting place with quick steps.

“The groom appears!”

“Hey, the newlywed!”

“Wow, your face looks too good, doesn’t it?”

“It’s not just me who looks good. You all look good too. It’s been a month. How has everyone been?”

Familiar voices greeting him from all around carried heartfelt warmth. Indeed, there’s a reason these college reunions have continued despite everything. Whether you meet after a long time or see each other often, it’s always pleasant. Since Seo-woon’s sudden marriage had caused them to gather twice in a short period, he was naturally the center of conversation.

“How’s married life? Good?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Ah, I want to go back to my newlywed days too.”

“What’s it like living with a handsome husband…?”

Between light pleasantries, unfiltered sincerity slipped out. At the completely serious expression without a trace of laughter, everyone burst out laughing as if on cue. Right, these were the kind of people they were. They hadn’t spent their college years together for nothing. The atmosphere became much more comfortable, and as the ordered food arrived, the drinking session gradually warmed up. Just when he thought he might finally escape from family matters, as expected, questions about Yi-jin and Chairman Ahn Yi-sun became the main topic. Fortunately, since he had somewhat anticipated this, it wasn’t too surprising.

“So even chaebol families have arranged meetings.”

“Right. I naturally assumed they’d all marry among themselves. Like, the second daughter of this family with the second son of that family.”

This was actually true, but Seo-woon didn’t bother to correct them. Only Seo-woon’s close acquaintances knew that he and Yi-jin had mistaken each other for someone else at their first meeting. Depending on perspective, this story could be either destiny or an uncomfortable truth—Seo-woon hadn’t yet decided on the genre. What was certain was that he didn’t want to become a third-rate movie protagonist with lines like “That’s how we could meet, right? Otherwise, how could it have been possible?”

“Maybe I should start accepting those arranged meeting offers too. I shouldn’t have rejected them.”

“You get arranged meeting offers too? Isn’t your older brother still unmarried?”

“They say order doesn’t matter, so whoever wants to should go first. I’d prefer if my brother went first, but it doesn’t look like he’s seeing anyone. Seo-woon, did you know everything from the beginning?”

“Know what?”

Seo-woon, who had been looking at his phone for a moment, belatedly looked up. In that brief moment, everyone’s attention had focused on him. There was still no contact from Min-young.

“Well, about Mr. Jini’s family background… or photos…”

“Ah.”

“Mr. Jini also knew everything when he came out to meet you, right?”

“About my family background and my photos, things like that?”

“Yeah, well. Right?”
He was momentarily speechless. As lies beget lies, the boundaries of what needed to be fabricated had become blurred. Seo-woon’s friends might not know, but the matchmaking meeting where Yi-jin appeared wasn’t an ordinary one. It was a secret social gathering to perpetuate each other’s wealth, their own world. In that place, Seo-woon was practically a stranger. Perhaps he didn’t even exist there from the beginning.

If Seo-woon’s family had been a bank president’s household, would Yi-jin’s family have pushed the deal this hard? Wouldn’t their way of expressing goodwill toward each other have been much more equal than now? The uncomfortable truth that Seo-woon had been pretending not to know finally raised its head.

“…Well. I’m not sure.”
“Huh?”
“They asked about children plans as soon as we met, so I haven’t really thought about that stuff. I didn’t have time for it.”

Even so, he absolutely didn’t want to show it. Seo-woon naturally changed the subject.

“Children plans? On the first meeting?”
“Wow, must have been love at first sight.”
“Hey… that doesn’t seem like just being smitten, does it? Jini is something else.”

Love at first sight, that couldn’t be it. Seo-woon was confident of that. In reality, Yi-jin had cited shared values as his reason for deciding to marry Seo-woon. It was an extremely safe answer, not particularly moving, but no real complaints either. Even now, when he had given part of his heart to the uncomfortable truth that had finally raised its head, it was the same. Because.

The crumpled Post-it notes with footprints and ink stains spreading here and there, the cool ice water and iced lattes that followed Seo-woon around regardless of weather or time, the clumsy consideration prepared only for him, he didn’t dislike it. No, he liked it.

Yi-jin’s sudden return home, which was already several weeks ago, had given Seo-woon confidence in his own feelings. He didn’t want to let go of this excitement that had come after so long. He wanted to try something with Yi-jin. He wanted to start something. Not because he trusted Yi-jin, but because he trusted himself for having these feelings. So from the beginning, Yi-jin’s answer hadn’t been that important. What mattered was how his heart felt. Although it might not be a grand love story worth bragging about to others, Seo-woon was still okay with it. He definitely thought so.

“Ah, so when are you having the housewarming party? Since we’re all here, let’s set the date for the next gathering too.”
“Good! Everyone, stop leaving messages on read, seriously.”
“So next time we’re meeting at Seo-woon’s place?”
“Oh, you’re really having a housewarming party?”
“…Well. I’ll ask my husband first.”

Since it wasn’t a house he lived in alone, he’d have to ask Yi-jin’s opinion, but if it was Yi-jin, he’d ultimately do whatever Seo-woon wanted.

“What? Where does that exist in today’s world!”

One of his friends suddenly raised her voice at Seo-woon’s answer.

“If you want to do it, you do it! He’s not giving you attitude about it, is he?”
“Attitude? What attitude?”
“I didn’t think Jini was like that, but that’s too much. Money isn’t everything!”

It seemed like there was a serious misunderstanding. Seo-woon had instantly become a husband oppressed by lack of money.

“Hey, hey. Talk sense. Jini seemed like a good person, why are you suddenly like this?”
“Aren’t you guys bothered? He’s showing off to Seo-woon just because he has money!”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Oh my, what do we do with him. He said he was going to run wild as soon as he got here. Someone take his glass away.”

Even though it was under the influence of alcohol, Seo-woon felt a bit bitter about what kind of thoughts people could have about this marriage. Fortunately, thanks to other friends mediating, the situation seemed to settle down.

“A housewarming party isn’t the issue right now. It’s on a different level from us. Did you see the article about bicycle welfare benefits? The class of suddenly distributing a thousand bicycles on just any day! I want to get one too. If you sell it, it’s pure profit.”

The disturbance on the calm surface happened in an instant. Huh…? Surprised, Seo-woon froze in the position of holding his glass. Even so, he didn’t look much different from usual on the outside, so no one noticed.

“Oh, oh. I saw it. Total jackpot! The secondhand market is going to explode.”
“Hey, how can you sell that?”
“Why can’t you sell it?”
“The article already came out, try posting it on the secondhand market. ‘I work at XX Food!’ It’s identity verification.”
“An article came out? What do you mean?”
“Huh? You didn’t know?”

A counter-question came back to Seo-woon’s question. “What, what is it!”, “I don’t know either.”, “Me too!”, “What are you talking about?” Several friends expressed confusion along with Seo-woon, so it wasn’t just her who didn’t know.

“You all should watch the news sometimes. An article came out earlier. They’re distributing bicycles to a thousand employees as some kind of good company that cares about employee health.”
“What’s good about that? Giving bicycles is being good?”
“The bicycles are just a backdrop, it’s about ‘look how much we care about our employees’ health.’ It was an article about corporate benefits.”
“Geez, what… They really care. If they cared about health, they should reduce overtime, not give bicycles. It’s not child’s play.”
“No, there were other things too… I can’t remember. What was it?”
“Bicycles are pretty striking. They were getting cursed out a lot anyway. You know that blogger who quit XX Food because of the crazy overtime posted a criticism article and it caused a stir. This is to cover that up. All the comments are curses.”
“Right, why bicycles of all things.”
“Ah!”

At someone’s casual question, one friend exclaimed. Then he pointed straight at Seo-woon and spoke. Thanks to that, everyone’s attention focused on Seo-woon.

“Seo-woon’s family runs a bicycle shop!”
“What?”
“Really?”
“Seo-woon, is it true?”
“…Oh my….”

He thought it was okay… but was it really okay? It would certainly be difficult to perceive a major corporation, which was practically a proper noun, as a friend’s family business. Even Seo-woon, the person involved, was still adjusting, so how much more so for others? He knew this fact, but his heart couldn’t help but sink. Under the gazes of her friends pouring onto him, Seo-woon felt a little, just a little shabby.

When Seo-woon, who had been responding calmly to any question, suddenly closed his mouth, his friends finally started reading his mood. Since they had hit exactly the right spot, he didn’t know what to say or how to say it. Probably even if he told them the truth, no one would believe him. Absurdly, all of this started with three containers of kimchi.

Thinking about it again, it wasn’t common sense. Not only giving back this much money for receiving some kimchi, but not missing the opportunity to use it for corporate promotion. Was this how it always was? Because they were people living in a different world from his? Even Yi-jin felt no doubts about this deal. Neither Yi-jin’s family who proposed the unreasonable deal like charity, nor Seo-woon’s family who ultimately accepted the deal. Only Seo-woon had stayed up nights with anxiety and worry, and no one understood Seo-woon’s feelings.

Did Yi-jin know about the article too? Maybe he knew from the beginning. Even so, he didn’t tell Seo-woon because there was no need to. Yi-jin answered questions well, but never told him things first before Seo-woon asked. Was that all, he didn’t even express his own emotions. In reality, Seo-woon had never heard any expression about himself from Yi-jin.

He could tell he at least didn’t dislike him, but that wasn’t enough. Even when he cited shared values as his reason for deciding to marry Seo-woon, he didn’t say it was because he liked him. He had never heard anything like that.

He didn’t know how he left the restaurant. His friends, belatedly recognizing the situation, apologized, but Seo-woon’s hardened expression wouldn’t soften, and like a lie, Min-young called. What a good excuse, Seo-woon said he had family matters and got up from his seat first. In the end, he seemed to have smiled appropriately and given his friends a bitter word about their rudeness, but he didn’t remember well.

Seo-woon got out of the taxi. Min-young was sitting alone on a playground swing.

“Min-young!”
Min-young’s face looking at Seo-woon was a mess. Both her eyelids and face were swollen. The chubby cheeks that had filled out from receiving special treatment as a test-taker had disappeared without a trace. When Seo-woon approached, Min-young burst into tears she’d been holding back. The teardrops falling in rapid succession were almost refreshing to see.

It had always been like this. Min-young had no qualms about showing her emotions. The complete opposite of Seo-woon. Min-young came into his arms familiarly. This made her seem just like when she was little. Min-young cried just like back then, when she couldn’t easily accept her younger sibling’s existence and threw tantrums every day.

“Yeo, Yeong-min kept asking me to go catch Po-pokémon with him, and I said no, but he kept being annoying, sob, so I told him to go away and swung my bag, hiccup, but the keychain came off, hiccup!”

“Min-young, it’s okay. Stop talking. Breathe. Okay?”

“There was bl-blood, but sob, mom didn’t get angry. Even though I did that, she didn’t say anything, sob, brother, what should I do? I can’t retake the exam, I really can’t do well on the college entrance exam, waaaah…”

“It’s okay. It’s okay, Min-young.”

“She went to pray every morning, went to the temple too, came to pick me up at the study room every day, made everything I wanted to eat, what should I do? I feel so sorry, I really can’t retake the exam. I don’t want to go to some weird university either… I’m the biggest idiot, sob, brother… Why am I like this? Why am I like this? It’s all because of me… Yeong-min got hurt… because of me… because of me…”

Waaaaaaah! Min-young cries. She cries pitifully. Min-young, whom Seo-woon once hated, whom Seo-woon once feared, is crying. Holding that small body close, Seo-woon kept repeating the same words. That it’s okay, that he’s sorry. That if she wants to cry, she should cry to her heart’s content.

Seo-woon’s clothes became wet. His damp chest made Seo-woon want to cry too. As always, no tears came.

“Deep house!”

He had brought Min-young straight home. The sniffly kid who had stopped crying pointed at Seo-woon’s house and spoke. After clinging to Seo-woon and crying her heart out, her mood seemed much better.

“What did you say?”

“Brother has deep house vibes!”

What on earth is this kid saying? Deciding to think about it later, he brought him inside first. Since Yi-jin went straight on his business trip, this was the first time bringing Min-young or any other person into the house. They hadn’t even had a housewarming yet.

“Brother, do you really live here…?”

“Yeah. I guess so…?”

“Crazy… So awesome…”

Seo-woon’s newlywed home was a two-story detached house with gardens in the front and back, and an open terrace above that was practically like a third floor. The proper house tour hadn’t even started yet, but Min-young already seemed impressed.

Today Min-young would sleep over at Seo-woon’s house. He had contacted his uncle and aunt separately. Putting off the rest of the house tour for later, he first put Min-young in the bathroom. People are simpler than you think—if you lie them down somewhere warm with a full belly, they naturally become reasonably optimistic on their own.

“Wash up first. Let’s eat.”

“What are we eating?”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Chicken!”

“BBQ?”

“Yeah!”

Just when he thought Min-young would go wash up, she stuck his face out of the bathroom door.

“Brother, I also want chicken feet…”

“Got it. Don’t I need to order Yeopdduk too?”

“What! Order it, order it! Add bacon and cheese and glass noodles!”

It was too much food for two people, but it didn’t matter right now. As Seo-woon was carefully checking restaurant reviews, Min-young stuck her face out of the bathroom again.

“Is there no cleansing oil in the house?”

“Cleansing oil?”

“Cleansing oil! Cleansing water is fine too.”

“There isn’t any… Are you wearing makeup?”

“No? I just put on BB cream?”

…Right, of course. Seo-woon rummaged through the bathroom storage and found cleansing samples he’d received from the makeup shop on his wedding day. While he was at it, he also brought out bath salts he’d bought during his honeymoon but had never had occasion to use. Min-young had no intention of coming out of the bathroom. The camera shutter sounds from inside were endless.

By the time Min-young came out again, even the chicken feet she’d ordered last had all arrived. Perhaps not really expecting everything to be ordered, Min-young seemed inwardly sorry as she sat down. The sight of her not taking Seo-woon’s kindness for granted made him realize how much time had passed. Just when he thought she was still a baby, she had grown up after all. Seo-woon exercised adult wisdom with a sense of novelty.

“It’s spicy, so eat the glass noodles first.”

“Yes, yes! Thank you for the food! Brother, you eat quickly too!”

The start was grand but the finish was modest. Perhaps finding the spicy food hard to handle after a long time, Min-young’s chopstick movements visibly slowed down. It showed she’d been skipping meals irregularly.

“Ow, ah! It’s spicy! Damn, was this always this spicy?”

“Min-young. Worry when your belly is full and your back is warm.”

What was I like at nineteen? Now even the memory is distant. Seo-woon handed Juicy Cool to his little brother who was growing up bit by bit like this.

“Don’t trust thoughts you have when you’re cold and hungry.”

“……”

“I might not be much help… but I have enough money to buy you what you want to eat, so let’s eat our fill first and worry together… Min-young?”

Sob, sob, waaaah… Min-young, who had cooled her mouth with Juicy Cool, suddenly started crying while tearing apart chicken feet. She needed to eat, but tears were coming, and she needed to eat one more bite while it was hot, but her stomach was shrinking. There were overflowing reasons to be miserable. Min-young cried while eating chicken feet. That place must be a chicken feet restaurant. Seo-woon had that thought in the midst of it all.

“I’m never, hiccup, going to starve again. It’s annoying… I need to eat while it’s warm… Thanks, brother… And I’m sorry…”

“It’s okay, so don’t worry about it and eat slowly. Should I give you more Juicy Cool?”

“No. I’ll get water bloat… sob…”

Sniffle, sniffle. Min-young kept shedding tears but didn’t stop her mouth and hands. With one cheek stuffed with intestines, Min-young quickly grabbed new chicken and mumbled in a tearful voice.

“Mom told me not to bother you… She said you have your own family now, so I can’t contact you carelessly like before…”

“My family, my family.” Somehow he found herself mulling over those words again and again. The lingering impression of the phrase “my family” wasn’t something that would easily fade, so Seo-woon had to remain immersed in that feeling for a long time. Even while comforting the crying Min-young, feeding her dinner, and safely sending her home, it was the same.

Seo-woon had long dreamed of his own family. Perhaps more desperately than others, perhaps as ordinarily as others, he wanted to form his own family. The process of becoming family with another person wouldn’t be entirely smooth, but he hadn’t entered marriage without at least that much resolve. There was one fact that Seo-woon had overlooked here.

– I see.

He never dreamed he’d get this kind of husband.

“…Is that all?”
– Of course not.

He answered well. Up to this point, the atmosphere wasn’t particularly bad.

– If it were me, I would have released the article faster. It’s best to cover issues with issues.
“Huh?”
– The platform too. If it were me, I would have posted the article first on the portal site where that blogger is. And buried it completely. This is much more efficient than taking down search terms and postings that have already become topics of discussion.

Yi-jin was talking about something completely different. While Seo-woon had indeed brought up the bicycle article as a topic, this wasn’t the kind of story he wanted to hear. If it had been, he wouldn’t have brought up the anecdote with his friends. Seo-woon tried hard to explain the bewildered and shabby feelings he had experienced in a more direct way.

“Um, Yi-jin-ssi. That’s not what I meant…”
– Yes, Seo-woon-ssi.
“So…”
– Yes.
“…I…”

This was strange. Really strange. Was this something that needed this kind of explanation? Somehow he felt blocked by a wall. He had felt similarly when first talking about bicycles with Yi-jin.

– Seo-woon-ssi, if it’s not impolite, may I speak first?
“Ah, yes. What is it?”
– About the bicycles. How about setting up a logistics center under your father-in-law’s name while we’re at it? Considering the volume of bicycles, it seems we should have at least one logistics center.
“…What? What kind of center?”
– A logistics center. I happen to have a site I’ve been looking at.

Yi-jin spoke seriously. Seo-woon was genuinely dumbfounded.

– Ah, no.

Right? Even you think that’s nonsense, don’t you? Of course, Seo-woon’s hopes were dashed.

– Considering taxes, it might be better to put it under your mother-in-law’s name. I’ll introduce you to a tax accountant as soon as morning comes…
“Wait, wait. What are you talking about? Why is the conversation going that way?”
– What do you mean?

Yi-jin asked. He even tilted his head as if asking why he was saying such things, and questioned Seo-woon.

– Are the conditions not good enough?
– If there’s a more efficient method for bicycle transportation, please feel free to tell me. You must have more expertise in the bicycle business than I do, so please speak comfortably.
– When learning is needed, there’s no more efficient method than having someone more capable educate and train someone lacking.

Ah, I see. The moment of realization came naturally. As the difference in views with Yi-jin reached its peak, everything finally became clear. Yi-jin was in a completely different world from Seo-woon. Even now, at this moment after having had their wedding ceremony and completed their marriage registration, the two people were living in different worlds. Since they were literally on different continents, it wasn’t just a metaphorical expression.

How had he thought he could have a conversation with someone like this? Seo-woon was genuinely amazed. What aspect of this person had I been looking at? At the same time, she felt empty.

“Mr. Yi-jin, listen carefully.”

Yes, Yi-jin answered. He’d thought this before, but he was damn good at answering.

“From now on, when you talk with me, don’t think efficiently.”
– What does that mean?
“Just what I said. It’s not business, so how can you calculate efficiency in a marital relationship? Look at now too. We’re not on the same wavelength.”
– Is that so?
“Of course. We’re married.”

Seo-woon answered confidently. He might not know about other things, but he could be confident about this much. Because the two of them were married, because they were family, because they were people who would build their family together. Seo-woon was someone with much greater affection for family than he himself thought. He came to know this fact purely thanks to Yi-jin.

– But I thought from the beginning that marriage with Seo-woon-ssi would be the most efficient.

…Huh? Seo-woon asked in a dumb voice. What did I just hear? Seo-woon definitely thought he must have heard wrong.

– Until now, I traveled frequently for business trips, so living in hotels was sufficient, but after the long-term assignment, it doesn’t look like I’ll have business trips for a while, so I needed more stable accommodation. The newlywed house interior was nearing completion, but I couldn’t live there alone. Newlyweds should live in a newlywed house.

In the newlywed house where newlyweds should live, Seo-woon had been living alone for over a month already. This wasn’t the only nonsense, but he had no idea where to start or how to respond. Yi-jin’s nonsense was racing toward its climax.

– That’s when I decided to get married. If I had to settle on accommodation anyway, it would be more efficient to just get married. Marriage was within my capability, so there was nothing I couldn’t accomplish. The problem was finding a person. It wasn’t easy to find someone with similar values to mine.

Values – a word quite familiar to Seo-woon too. The only reason Yi-jin decided to marry Seo-woon: values. “Yes, that’s right.” Whether Seo-woon had muttered aloud without realizing it, Yi-jin didn’t miss it and readily agreed.

– It was difficult to find someone who was willing to marry but had no immediate plans for children and could manage well on their own. Usually people have negative views about spending time alone. It was quite troublesome.

Seo-woon tried to pull herself together several times. That person babbling about stories he didn’t know in a familiar voice was definitely the same person Seo-woon knew. What aspect of that person had I been looking at? Seo-woon’s heart pounded unpleasantly.

– That’s when I met Seo-woon-ssi. You were the only person with similar values to mine.

Most unbelievable of all was that Yi-jin was sincere. He was sincere. He was sincerely telling Seo-woon his true feelings.

“He seems like someone whose outside matches his inside.”
“He seems genuine.”
Indeed, Seo-woon’s instincts hadn’t been wrong. Just as Seo-woon had once said, Yi-jin really was that kind of person. Seo-woon had thought that Yi-jin didn’t dislike him. That even if he was a bit clumsy, he was someone who always tried his best—that’s what he had thought.

– The truth is, it wasn’t just that business trips decreased; overtime was confirmed until I could fully establish myself at the Korean branch. Seo-woon-ssi seemed like he would manage well on his own, so I had confidence in that. In fact, he’s been handling this part very well even now. My prediction hit the mark exactly.

What the hell had we been doing all this time? Seo-woon found Yi-jin, who was proudly boasting about his accomplishments, extremely unfamiliar. The conversations with Yi-jin that had been enjoyable to Seo-woon, even if they might seem strange to others—the relationship with Yi-jin that was clumsy and awkward but that he believed without doubt they were progressing together—turned out to be a sandcastle that only Seo-woon had built up. No matter how firmly you pack the sand, a sandcastle collapses with a single wave, and Seo-woon had seen that in Hawaii. The sandcastle the two of them had built together disappeared like that too. It vanished without a trace.

– Not only that, but since there were no immediate plans for children, Seo-woon-ssi was the most suitable in many ways. The timing was perfect too.

Come to think of it, Seo-woon had heard similar words from Yi-jin on the airplane to their honeymoon. Yi-jin had used the expression “appropriate person” to describe Seo-woon. It was never a pleasant expression, but he never dreamed it had this kind of backstory.

So it was from that time. Love was never important to this person from the beginning. Seo-woon finally reached the end of the story.

– Of course, I didn’t know the situation would align this perfectly either… but still, since I… recognized… even though you said it was a mistake…

After that, Yi-jin’s bullshit continued. Seo-woon couldn’t hear it, but it probably went on like that. On this day, Seo-woon experienced firsthand that when a person is too shocked, they can’t hear anything. However, everyone expresses shock differently.

“…Hey.”

– Keeping appointments is basic for social life… Did you call me?

Seo-woon muttered something. His wavering pupils found their place again, and his pale face regained its original color. Therefore, Seo-woon was in a very rational state right now.

“Hey, you son of a bitch. Do you call that talking?”

He was rationally fucking furious. Seo-woon faithfully expressed his anger.

“Are you human? Are you a person?!”

– I am human and I am a person. Are you perhaps angry at me?

“If you’re a person, you should speak like a person, so why do you keep talking bullshit!”

– What exactly is the precise standard for bullsh…

“Aaaahhh!”

You should be grateful you’re inside a phone right now. Seo-woon threw his phone just like that. Even in this situation, he found himself both pathetic and admirable for not even thinking of throwing it on the floor. The phone installment wasn’t finished yet. Seo-woon was someone who knew the value of money better than anyone. Wounds heal, but money thrown away doesn’t come back.

– S-Seo-woon! What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Right now to the hospital, a doctor, Seo-woon, Seo-woon-ssi? Seo-woon-ssi!

Seo-woon’s phone, having landed comfortably on the bed, properly malfunctioned. Regardless, Seo-woon hurriedly prepared to leave. His destination was 25-3 Yangjae-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, namely the Seoul Family Court.

– Seo-woon-ssi? Can you hear me? Seo-woon-ssi!

It was the couple’s third divorce crisis.

* * *

Life is all about timing.

Seo-woon was experiencing the power of these words more than ever. On the day Seo-woon faced his third crisis, it happened to be a public holiday, making divorce filing impossible. He was semi-forcibly given two days of reprieve. During that time, Min-young had his first serious conversation with his parents after the college entrance exam, and on Sunday, Seo-woon also joined in looking into cram schools for Min-young’s exam retake. On Monday, his uncle’s bicycle arrived and they conducted a final inspection. He secretly worried whether they might publish a follow-up article using this as an excuse, but that didn’t happen.

The next day, Yeong-min had his stitches removed. Fortunately, they said there wouldn’t be much of a scar left. The day after that, a revision request came. ‘_REV_9′ Seo-woon silently corrected the file name. It was the ninth revision. Fine, let’s see how far this goes! Now even Seo-woon was getting stubborn.

Then the weekend arrived quickly. The couple’s divorce was naturally postponed. After repeating this pattern several times, Yi-jin’s return to Korea was approaching.

– Seo-woon-ssi.

When his name was called, Seo-woon looked at Yi-jin listlessly. To be precise, he was looking at Yi-jin in the video call on his phone screen. The two were still in a cold war.

– Did you have a good day today as well?

Yi-jin politely offered his greetings. Since the day Seo-woon cursed at Yi-jin, Yi-jin’s attitude had become even more respectful. That day had really been something, Seo-woon recalled the memory again.

– I’m sorry.

The first thing Yi-jin did when he finally got in touch with Seo-woon after a long time was apologize. His expressionless face remained the same, but with a pale complexion, Yi-jin repeatedly apologized to Seo-woon. Seo-woon looked at Yi-jin without any response. Yi-jin’s obsession with video calls knew no time or place.

– I’m truly sorry, Seo-woon-ssi. If I did anything wrong, please tell me without hesitation. I’ll correct it immediately.

“You don’t need to.”

– No. Wrongs should be properly corrected. If you tell me what was wrong, I’ll fix it right away…

“It’s not necessary.”

– …Could you, could you say that once more?

“Yeah. I said it’s not necessary.”

It was right after Seo-woon’s trip to court had been blocked by the public holiday. Seo-woon genuinely felt Yi-jin’s apology was unnecessary. Yi-jin wouldn’t think his actions were wrong anyway. In the world he lives in, that would be the natural order, so he could continue living that way. There was no need to understand the logic of this world.

– Seo-woon-ssi, when it comes to things I’m doing for the first time, it takes me longer than others.

Seo-woon was planning to hang up the phone immediately. He would have done so without hesitation if Yi-jin hadn’t shown strange behavior.

– What should I do in situations like this? Please teach me just once.
– If you could just teach me once…
– Seo-woon-ssi.
– Seo-woon-ssi…
– …Seo-woon-ssi, please…

It was strange. Yi-jin was really strange. The man who decided to marry because Seo-woon was the most efficient sometimes acted as if he was so fond of Seo-woon he didn’t know what to do with himself. Would it be a big problem if he got divorced? Even when he tried to think that way, it didn’t add up when he actually thought about his family background.

In reality, divorce and remarriage weren’t that uncommon in Yi-jin’s family. Most importantly, Seo-woon and Yi-jin’s marriage hadn’t even been announced to the media. It wasn’t planned to be in the future either.

– From now on, I won’t think efficiently when talking with Seo-woon-ssi.
– I won’t bring up the logistics center story ever again either.
– Are there any other requests?

Strange person. To Seo-woon, Yi-jin was still an unpredictable person. Just as he never dreamed Yi-jin was thinking such things, Seo-woon hadn’t expected him to apologize this much. If this was how it was going to be, why did he say it in the first place? Anyone with common sense wouldn’t spout such nonsense to someone’s face.

– …Did I perhaps behave like a dog? If that’s why you called me a bastard…

Ah, right. This guy has no common sense. Looking at Yi-jin seriously spouting nonsense, Seo-woon actually became calmer. It was the relative Yi-jin effect.

The effect lasted longer than expected. The timing was good too. As busy days followed as if they had been waiting, Seo-woon’s troubled mind also settled down. He could have gone to family court anytime if he put his mind to it, but Seo-woon no longer did so. Not because it didn’t matter, but because Yi-jin wasn’t in Korea anyway, so there was nothing he could do right away.

Worrying about things I can’t do is just waste and energy consumption. Thinking that way, Seo-woon became reasonably okay. It was one of the few advantages of being an adult. Not that it didn’t matter, but the recovery speed became relatively faster. Of course, there was definitely a price to pay.

“The schedule got moved up?”
– Yes, that’s right.
“……”
– Seo-woon-ssi?
“Yeah.”
– The return schedule got moved…
“Oh, I heard.”

Seo-woon became indifferent. He no longer cared about the big and small excitements that had briefly made Seo-woon flutter. He tried not to. He no longer waited for the video calls that came every night like before. He didn’t actively lead conversations or keep calls going long. Seo-woon treated Yi-jin with appropriate boundaries.

Still, this was somewhat unexpected. The schedule got moved up? So he was coming back sooner? Maybe he had adjusted his schedule to match his aunt’s birthday party for Seo-woon’s sake. Seo-woon quietly stared at the monitor, then subtly moved his mouse to bring up the calendar. He happened to be at the computer waiting for contact from the freelance coordinator. Seo-woon asked, pretending to be casual.

“So when are you coming?”
– I arrive Friday at 5:10 PM.
“…Wasn’t it originally Friday arrival anyway?”
– In terms of the day, yes. The Friday arrival is the same, but the time is different. I plan to depart 2 hours and 45 minutes earlier than scheduled.

Are you kidding me? Seo-woon mercilessly closed the computer calendar. Of course, what was I expecting anyway? There was no way the person who valued efficiency most in the world would adjust his schedule just for family matters. Seo-woon felt a bit self-deprecating and erased all remaining expectations. He hadn’t had many expectations to begin with, but if he had expected even a little more here, the disappointment would have only grown.

Of course, Yi-jin didn’t seem to think so. While waiting for Seo-woon’s answer, he was much more restless than usual, with expectant eyes. What did he think he had done so well to act like that? Of course, his face was always doing well.

“Ah, 2 hours and 45 minutes. Wow, that’s really moved up.”

Seo-woon said dryly. He didn’t do it on purpose, that kind of voice just came out naturally. Indeed, coughs, love, and annoyance can’t be hidden. Even if you want to hide them, they won’t be hidden.

– That’s right! I think so too.
“Ah, yes.”
– …….
“……”
– …But.
“Yeah.”
– Seo-woon-ssi…

Yi-jin spoke carefully, reading Seo-woon’s mood.

– …doesn’t seem to think so.

Correct answer. He had definitely gotten much better at reading situations than at first. Even so, Seo-woon lied without batting an eye.

“I don’t think so.”

Something was strange. Yi-jin’s wavering eyes were saying so. Just listening to the story, it couldn’t be more positive than this, but what was visible was not like that at all, so there seemed to be an error in synchronization. Seo-woon silently watched such Yi-jin. He didn’t mention anything about actually thinking Yi-jin would come earlier out of consideration for Seo-woon. He just watched this situation from afar as if it were someone else’s business.

– Mother-in-law’s birthday party… I’m sorry. This won’t happen again in the future.

After thinking for a moment, Yi-jin presented his own answer. It was a wrong answer, but surprisingly not very different from the correct one. If there was one thing Yi-jin missed, it was just one thing: the diversity of interpretation. Rather than wanting Yi-jin to attend his aunt’s birthday party, he probably wanted to see Yi-jin endure inefficient situations for his sake. In that sense, Yi-jin’s non-attendance was rather a good thing. When it wasn’t enough to just show good sides, he didn’t want to show this kind of behavior to his family. Seo-woon said casually.

“It’s not like you’re deliberately not coming. It’s okay.”
– …Is that so.
“Yeah.”
– …Seo-woon-ssi.
“What?”
– Are you perhaps angry at me…
“That topic is over now! Let’s stop.”
– …I understand.

Even during the phone call with Yi-jin, there was still no contact from the outsourcing manager. This was already the 13th final version. Today should be the day for confirmation… They looked down on it too much because the amount was small. The pens and notebooks went into production after 9 tries, but the flyer still hadn’t been confirmed.

Of all things, the client was also a cram school for exam retakers. With college entrance exam scores being announced soon, it was indeed peak season timing-wise. Maybe they’d give Min-young a discount when he enrolled later. Seo-woon had such trivial thoughts while pressing refresh. There were still no new emails. Instead, the messenger window blinked. He was still on a call with Yi-jin.

– What kind of gifts does your mother-in-law like?

Do they all receive group training somewhere? The managers never make revision requests via email. Do they think that saying it through personal messenger makes a revision request not a revision request? It had been long past regular work hours, but except for the boss, everyone was working overtime anyway, so Seo-woon sent a fairly friendly reply. Of course, his face showed nothing of the sort. It looked like he’d end up making the 14th final version.

– Seo-woon-ssi?
“Ah, I just got a revision request. What did you just say?”
– I was being a distraction. I’m sorry. You can hang up right now if you want. Would you like to hang up first?

Without time to respond, the blinking messenger window beckoned to Seo-woon again. Unfortunately, it was time to part ways. Seo-woon wanted to wrap up the call at this point.

“Then I’ll hang up.”
– Yes, don’t worry about me. Sorry for disturbing you while you’re working.

Seo-woon hesitated just as he was about to hang up the phone. Anyway, he had no common sense but was unnecessarily polite. Seo-woon hesitated for a moment, then followed Yi-jin’s lead in offering empty pleasantries. Since he had some conscience, he added just a little sincerity. Really.

“…Work well today too. And, please eat your meals properly. Stop eating just toast.”

Though it didn’t seem like much was said, Yi-jin suddenly closed his mouth. Since he was silently staring at Seo-woon, Seo-woon had to receive Yi-jin’s gaze completely. He was always handsome, but it was difficult to read emotions from his expressionless face that never laughed out loud or frowned. After a brief silence, Yi-jin spoke first.

– Thank you for the advice. I’ll pay attention to my diet from now on.
“No, it’s not really advice…”
– Should I show you with photos?

Was he going to take aerial shots of food and send them? Sorry to Yi-jin, but it really didn’t seem like he’d take good photos. Seo-woon smiled slightly at the clumsy food photos he could already picture. Then, as if waiting for this, Yi-jin’s gaze followed. Yi-jin was staring intently at Seo-woon again.

“…Why?”
– What do you mean?

Since Yi-jin asked back instead, the conversation ended pointlessly, but it was from that day. Though short, Yi-jin’s intense photo attack began. Until Yi-jin returned to Korea, Seo-woon would receive ultra-high-definition food photos every morning. The resolution was so good that he could even see the germs of unknown grains in the muesli.

D-1 until Yi-jin’s return to Korea, Seo-woon started another morning with Yi-jin’s photos. The first thing he saw was a photo of fruit and a protein shake. Was he kidding? Could that even count as a meal? He said he ate as simply as possible because he didn’t have time, but what was the point of money if he ate like that? Still, he listened well and didn’t eat toast as instructed.

If he was going to eat like that, toast might actually be better. Seo-woon drowsily checked the photo and put down his phone. Today was the long-awaited day of his aunt’s birthday party.

“I looked into several restaurants.”
– Oh my, really?
“They all have good reviews, so let’s go wherever you’d like, aunt. Please take a look and let me know.”

If his aunt wanted, he was even willing to go to a place as nice as the restaurant where they had the formal meeting between families. Seo-woon prepared for his aunt’s birthday party quite solemnly. Thanks to Yi-jin covering more than 90% of the total cost, there was quite a bit left over from the wedding funds, so he could afford it.

Seo-woon, after browsing through the links Seo-woon had sent for a while, his aunt called him.
– They’re all expensive places, aren’t they?
“No. That much is fine…”
– We don’t need to go to such expensive places.
“…It’s really okay. I earn that much.”
– I’m not saying you don’t earn enough. I can’t eat such expensive food.
“But you ate well during the formal meeting…”
– That was that and this is this. A sparrow should live like a sparrow. If you try to follow storks, there’s no end to it, you know? You’ll just tear your perfectly good pants.

Ah. Seo-woon silently bowed his head. It seemed like his constant awareness of the class difference between him and Yi-jin showed at times like this.

Thanks to that, his aunt’s birthday party, which Seo-woon had solemnly prepared while even checking his bank balance, would be held just like before his marriage. If there was anything different from before marriage, it was that they’d be traveling in the car sent by Driver Yoon from Yi-jin’s aunt. “…Money is nice though.” His aunt whispered quietly. With her naturally loud voice, it didn’t seem very effective. With everyone nodding in agreement, Seo-woon’s family arrived at the restaurant without incident.

When they entered the reserved room, Yi-jin’s aunt was already there early. In her hands, claiming she had just arrived, was an XX Electronics tablet PC that looked very familiar. Except for the face, he thought she didn’t resemble Yi-jin at all, but there were some similarities. Seo-woon sat down thinking of Yi-jin, who would return tomorrow.

“Thank you for inviting me like this.”
“Oh, what are you saying. I’m honored that you made time for me.”

It was quite a harmonious start. His uncle still seemed unable to adapt, flinching every time Yi-jin’s aunt spoke to him. Why is dad acting like that? Min-young giggled openly and got his thigh pinched by his aunt.

“This is a gift.”
“What? I told you to come empty-handed!”
“This is empty-handed. It’s nothing grand, just a dining membership card for our affiliated companies. It gives discounts not just for food but also for marts and electronics, so use this to pay when you need anything.”
“Can you really give us something like this?”
“Of course. I’m just giving you something I have at home, so don’t feel burdened and please make sure to use it. The premium restaurants that opened recently are quite good.”
“Wow. Can we use it at Black Steak too?”
Min-young’s eyes sparkled as he joined the adults’ conversation. Yi-jin’s aunt answered with a cheerful laugh.
“Of course. That place gives 80% off, so make sure to use this card there.”
“Awesome! Mom, mom! Let’s go tomorrow!”

That card… it doesn’t look like a membership card but just a regular credit card…? The card that Yi-jin’s aunt handed over, calling it a membership card, had the same color as the one Yi-jin had given to Seo-woon. It would be fortunate if only the color was the same, but the logo position and design that were glimpsed also looked almost identical. The food hadn’t even arrived yet, but he was already feeling indigestion. Seo-woon calmly drank some cold water.

“When is our in-law’s birthday?”
“M-me?”
“It’s in May. You were born on a perfect day for cycling, right?”
“Oh my, that’s really true. If you invite me in May too, I’ll prepare a gift for our in-law then!”
Wink! Yi-jin’s aunt suddenly winked. “Cough, cough! Th-thank you…” As if he’d been waiting for it, his uncle started choking. It seemed Seo-woon’s adaptability resembled his aunt’s. Getting choked up easily, that he inherited from his uncle.

“Oh my, when is it going to come out? This place is always like this. I don’t know why they even take reservations if this is how it’s going to be.”

The side dishes had long since run out and the food still hadn’t arrived. “I’ll go check and come back,” Seo-woon got up from his seat. Since it was a house converted from a traditional Korean house, even the doors were sliding doors. It was the moment he pushed open the sliding door, leaving behind the cheerful voices.

“Ah, this is the right room. Thank you for guiding me.”
“Oh my, don’t mention it. Such a handsome young man speaks so nicely too.”

…Why are you here? Seo-woon doubted his eyes for a moment. Just his eyes? He doubted his ears too. That man he’d seen often, encountered more frequently on is phone than in real meetings, was right in front of Seo-woon. The sound was even vivid.

“Seo-woon-ssi.”

Yi-jin called Seo-woon’s name. “Ah,” Seo-woon sighed softly as if responding. When Yi-jin called his name from a distance where he could reach him by stretching out his hand, no thoughts came to mind. Why was Yi-jin here? Wasn’t the scheduled day tomorrow? Such questions might have been reasonable, but for now instinct preceded reason. Yi-jin was in front of him. Yi-jin had come. Yi-jin had returned. Yi-jin… His head was completely full of Yi-jin.

“…It’s been a while.”

The real Yi-jin had come.

“Seo-woon…”

Thud! Flustered, Seo-woon unconsciously closed the door. As the sliding door closed, Yi-jin’s flustered voice could be heard through the flimsy paper screen.

“…ssi?”

What a shock. For a moment he thought he’d cursed. Of all places for it to cut off, why there? Even while thinking that, Seo-woon had no intention of opening the door. It would be more accurate to say he couldn’t. An unexpected meeting, a reunion after a long time, and a long coat. The heart that had been forcibly kept at a distance found its place again in an instant.

Crazy long coat! Seo-woon’s instinct cried out. Yi-jin was wearing a long coat. The family members watching were as flustered as Yi-jin, who had the sliding door closed in front of him. The family whispered behind him.

“Isn’t brother-in-law outside?”
“Seo-woon…?”

The husband who left home came back wearing a long coat! He couldn’t tell anyone, and only Seo-woon felt frustrated. Huh! After taking a short deep breath, Seo-woon vigorously opened the sliding door. He could see his husband wearing a long coat, whom he saw after a long time, whom he saw on a monthly cycle. The food they’d been waiting for had also arrived.

“Sorry for being late.”

Sorry, my foot. According to the original plan, Yi-jin was supposed to enter the country on Friday at 5:10 PM, 2 hours and 45 minutes earlier than the original schedule. But why was he here now?

After finishing his apologetic bow, Yi-jin handed a large bouquet to his aunt. The bouquet, gorgeously decorated with abundant flowers, had slightly crumpled edges.

“Happy birthday.”
“Oh my, what’s this? Is this a surprise?”
“I picked out the gift on my own, so if you don’t like it, you can go to the store and exchange it yourself.”

Then Yi-jin held out a small box. It was a product from a brand especially famous for watches. Unlike his aunt who had subtly given cash as a gift, Yi-jin had blatantly chosen an expensive brand product. Even the gift was very Yi-jin-like.

“What, what! You said brother-in-law couldn’t come!”
“Huh? Yeah. That’s… what I thought…”
“Is it a surprise? Amazing!”

He knew nothing about the sudden return or his aunt’s gift. Yi-jin exchanging pleasantries with his family and taking care of his aunt’s birthday felt overly unreal.

“Seo-woon-ssi.”

But it was reality. “Huh, huh?” Just having his name called, Seo-woon was startled and responded. This was all because of the long coat.

“Where is Seo-woon-ssi’s seat?”
“Th-that, between aunt and Min-young…”

Before Seo-woon could finish her answer, Yi-jin quickly looked around the seats. “Excuse me for a moment.” Then he squeezed himself next to Min-young. He adjusted his long coat to the fullest, then crumpled his large shoulders and stubbornly wedged himself into that gap. Yi-jin’s thighs, feet, arms, his whole body overflowed outside the dining table. Why was he doing that? He looked like a pheasant hiding its head.

“Brother-in-law, what are you doing?”

Min-young, who feared nothing in life except college, asked directly. Yi-jin’s aunt also seemed inwardly curious.

“I sat down.”
“But why are you doing that there? It’s spacious over there.”

Yi-jin didn’t answer. Instead, he answered with action. Yi-jin’s gaze turned to Seo-woon, who was standing there dumbfounded. There was no clearer expression of intent than this.

…Wow… Min-young was openly displeased, while his aunt and Yi-jin’s aunt forced themselves to hold back laughter. His uncle twitched the corners of his mouth while pretending not to notice. Seo-woon’s face turned red with embarrassment. Looking at it again, Seo-woon’s husband really had no tact.

“Youngmin should sit at the corner. Min-young, come to Youngmin’s seat.”
“…Okay. I’ll go right away.”
“No! I want to sit next to hyung too!”

Youngmin, who was about to lose his seat overnight, openly threw a tantrum. What’s he saying? With a scornful face, Min-young lifted up her much younger brother and personally moved him to a different seat. “Wahhh, no! Next to hyung!” Youngmin was thoroughly upset, but it was useless. The appearance of a new baby offset Youngmin’s tantrum.

“Seo-woon-ssi, please come quickly.”

The big baby who had finally claimed the seat next to Seo-woon was excitedly calling for Seo-woon. Youngmin was glaring at him resentfully. “Ha, haha…” Seo-woon laughed awkwardly.

Yi-jin had returned.
The wait was worth it. The nurungji chicken soup was still delicious. While all the family members were enthusiastically using their spoons, Seo-woon was quietly picking at the chicken soup by himself without being obvious about it. It tasted good in his mouth, but he somehow didn’t feel like eating.

The cause was just one thing. It was because of that husband sitting next to Seo-woon. Despite all his resolutions, when he actually saw Yi-jin, he shamelessly felt happy to see him. Really shameless—Yi-jin’s surprise appearance had unnecessarily improved the atmosphere even more. Using the excuse of having one more mouth to feed, they even ordered mung bean pancakes.

“Could we have one bottle of rice wine, please?”

Aunt quickly pressed the call button, saying that taking a bite of the freshly grilled pancake naturally made her think of rice wine.

“Ah, is one bottle enough? You two will drink too, right?”

“You two”—now being called together with Yi-jin wasn’t particularly awkward anymore. Seo-woon, who was in charge of reason among the “you two,” answered.

“I have a health check-up tomorrow. What about you, Mr. Yi-jin?”

“I had mine before the meal. The general check-up cycle is once every two years, so my next check-up would be in one year and nine months.”

Did I ask like an idiot, or did you understand like an idiot? Seo-woon had a moment of self-reflection after a long time. When Seo-woon remained silent, Yi-jin, misinterpreting this in his own way, immediately began self-promotion. Opportunity comes to those who are prepared.

“It’s fine if you don’t remember. I’ll remember for you.”

“What’s this about now…”

“My health check-up date. When Seo-woon-ssi requested the marriage certificate, health check-up certificate, criminal record certificate, and credit verification, I received them in advance…”

“Two bottles! Let’s order two bottles! Could we have two bottles of rice wine, please!”

He’d been fooled. No, he’d let his guard down. With so many recent updates, he’d forgotten this guy was originally like this. Seo-woon actively ordered alcohol he couldn’t even drink to cut off Yi-jin’s words. Receiving Yi-jin’s documents was still one of the things he thought he’d done well, but it wasn’t a story to chatter about in front of other people, especially the elders of both families.

“Yes. Two bottles of rice wine.”

“Yes, yes. It’s already making me salivate, right?”

So I wish you’d just shut up. When he unnecessarily joked around to shake off the aftermath of the criminal record certificate, Yi-jin’s face became deliberately serious.

“No, Seo-woon-ssi. You must avoid drinking before your check-up.”

Huh? Seo-woon instantly became a drunkard. When he stared at Yi-jin blankly, wondering what this meant, Yi-jin suddenly avoided his gaze.

“Even if you look at me like that, you can’t.”

“What?”

“…Alcohol is absolutely forbidden!”

Yi-jin shouted toward empty space. He could even feel the silent determination not to turn his head toward where Seo-woon was. Why is he acting like this again? Seo-woon seriously examined Yi-jin’s complexion. Yi-jin was still maintaining his profile view. He really didn’t know why he was acting like that.

“It’s no use looking at me like that. You must avoid alcohol and greasy foods starting 2-3 days before the check-up.”

“I also know…”

“Starting at 9 PM today, you must fast.”

“I also know…”

“During fasting, you can’t have water, gum, or candy either.”

I know that too, you bastard. Seo-woon said this, but since there were many eyes watching, he had no choice but to say it only in his mind. Seo-woon’s lips moved regretfully.

“Oh my, oh my. Look at him taking care of his husband. Yi-jin takes good care of our Seo-woon.”

What? This? Aunt beamed and specifically praised Yi-jin. Since Seo-woon, who had always been in the position of taking care of his younger siblings, was now in the opposite position, it seemed quite fascinating to her. Praise makes even Yi-jin dance. Due to the narrow seating, Yi-jin’s shoulders had been completely hunched, but now they couldn’t be more triumphant. Yi-jin’s confidence doubled.

“Listen to Yi-jin. What’s a kid who has a health check-up tomorrow doing trying to drink alcohol?”

“Right, Seo-woon. You’ll have to hold back today. How about we order some cider instead?”

But I wasn’t planning to drink anyway. Aunt and uncle seriously discouraged Seo-woon.

“Whoa. Brother really can’t drink. I don’t know about other things, but alcohol is absolutely forbidden.”

“What’s ‘forbidden’?”

“…What ‘forbidden’ means is…”

Min-young, who seemed to have done a search in the meantime, had a serious expression. In the midst of this, Seo-woon had to explain the meaning of words at Yeong-min’s eye level. “…It means you absolutely can’t do it.” When he briefly explained the meaning, cutting out everything else, Yeong-min’s eyes widened instead.

“But why is hyung trying to do it?”

“…No, I won’t. I won’t drink. I’m not drinking.”

“Oh, good boy. Then should we toast with cider together, our Woony?”

Yi-jin’s aunt provided the grand finale. “Who’s Woony?” The audience stirred. “It’s a nickname for Seo-woon-ssi.” This time Yi-jin stepped forward to explain.

“Why is hyung Woony? Don’t tell me you took the last part of his name? Seo-woon’s ‘woo’ became ‘Woony’?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Wow, what’s that? Who came up with it? Totally no sens…”

“Our family members came up with it.”

“…e came back to life! I, I should call you that from now on too! Wooni, Wooni, Jeong Seo-wooni! Seo-wooni feeling sad-wooni!”

Family—the unspoken existence that should never be touched in Korean society. Min-young, faced with the danger of indirect impiety, desperately began artificial resuscitation. The elementary school lower-grader, who loved wordplay second only to poop jokes, got excited along with him.

“Sad-wooni! Sad-wooni!”
Young-min excitedly joined his sister in the chorus. “Seo-woon is feeling seowooon (sad)!” Seo-woon had been hearing this since elementary school. He couldn’t believe that nonsense still worked. Indeed, clichés are eternal.

Ah, he was tired. He hadn’t even gone to work but wanted to get off. Seo-woon suddenly became exhausted. If he had known Yi-jin was coming today, he wouldn’t have scheduled his health checkup for tomorrow morning. Then he wouldn’t have had to endure this humiliation.

Ah, no wait. He was the one who kept postponing the checkup to tomorrow in the first place. But Yi-jin was largely to blame for this too. If it weren’t for Yi-jin’s sudden return home in the middle (written as “return” but read as “sex”), Seo-woon wouldn’t have needed to postpone the checkup.

But the sex was good. It was the best. Well, that was enough then. Seo-woon stopped thinking further. It wasn’t appropriate to think about in front of his minor cousins on his aunt’s birthday, who was like a real mother to him.

“May I pour you a drink?”
“Oh my, of course!”

Meanwhile, the drinks they ordered had arrived. His uncle and aunt received alcohol from their son-in-law for the first time. Unlike his aunt who was thoroughly excited, his uncle’s eyes became moist as he looked at Seo-woon and Yi-jin. “Seo-woon…, when did our Seo-woon become like this…” The rest of his words never came, but it was obvious what he would say. Although Yi-jin urged him with “Please, go ahead and speak,” as always, it was nothing special. The accident happened after that.

“Brother-in-law, what are you doing right now?”

Rarely, Min-young looked serious. Seo-woon, who had been talking with the adults, was startled and looked at both of them. Min-young was glaring at Yi-jin with a completely hardened face. More precisely, she was looking at Yi-jin’s hand. Only Seo-woon’s cup was filled, but the soda bottle in Yi-jin’s hand was already showing its bottom. The situation was much more serious than expected.

“How can you give it all to oppa!”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you drank it too, Min-young.”
“Me too! I want to drink it too!”

Young-min didn’t back down and fumed. A situation where three people had to share one bottle of soda – Yi-jin, who belatedly realized the seriousness of the situation, tried to solve it in his own way.

“Then let me order one more bottle…”
“No. We don’t need two bottles.”

Finally, Seo-woon joined the battle.

“The first sip of soda is the most delicious anyway.”
“Exactly! The first sip of soda is the most delicious!”
“Delicious!”

It would probably be difficult to accept all at once. Only those who know, know this. Leaving the confused-looking Yi-jin alone, Seo-woon brought Min-young and Young-min’s cups and divided his share of soda among them. His movements were more careful than ever as he poured the soda bit by bit for precise three-way division. Min-young and Young-min watching this had lowered their bodies and were already half-lying on the dining table.

“I see. Now I understand.”
“What now?”
“You wanted to talk about moderation, didn’t you.”
“When did I?”
“You just did.”

It seemed Seo-woon had given Yi-jin a life lesson. It happened regardless of Seo-woon’s intentions.

“As expected, Seo-woon-ssi is amazing. To gain such enlightenment from soda. It’s really wonderful.”

Yi-jin clapped his hands in admiration. Again, he clapped. At the sudden sound of applause, the adults who had been conversing looked at the two of them. Perhaps because he was no longer alone, even though he was receiving everyone’s attention, it wasn’t particularly embarrassing.

“Is there something fun happening?”
“It’s nothing.”
“But Yi-jin is clapping?”
“Yes, well… it’s a hobby.”

That absolutely didn’t mean he wanted to be embarrassed. Seo-woon smiled casually and reached down again. He intended to make Yi-jin stop clapping, no, to make him stop. He swore there was no other intention.

Whatever his intention, Seo-woon succeeded in grabbing Yi-jin again. And he was shocked. Both the grabber and the grabbed were shocked. The two were speechless for a moment. Due to the unexpected accident, they couldn’t even look at each other and just stared stiffly ahead.

In front of them was Young-min. Young-min kept tilting his head as if Yi-jin, who had frozen in the position of clapping, seemed strange.

“Come on, Yi-jin, have a drink too.”

Hisl uncle offered Yi-jin alcohol. While his dream of drinking with his son-in-law was about to be realized, Yi-jin remained unmoved.

“Yi-jin?”
“……”
“Yi-jin…?”
“We-we didn’t do anything!”
“……”
“I-it’s really true!”

It seemed having a good voice ran in the family. His volume was so good that Seo-woon momentarily thought of Yi-jin’s father.

This resounding confession that no one had asked for brought silence all around. Silence came to the dining table where the sound of utensils had been constant. “Ah…!” Someone sighed briefly. He couldn’t tell who it was, but he could roughly guess what they were thinking.

Saying they didn’t do anything could only sound like they had been doing something until just now. Of course, it wasn’t that they did nothing, but that was definitely an accident. Who in their right mind would intentionally touch his husband’s penis at a gathering of both families’ elders?

So what now. The deed was already done. Seo-woon had started the fire, and Yi-jin had quickly poured oil on it. It was a fantastic combination in many ways.

“Oh my.”

A single exclamation full of many meanings broke the silence. The protagonist was none other than Yi-jin’s aunt.

“How sweet. Our Jini and Wooni are newlyweds, aren’t they?”

Ominous premonitions never miss their mark. Seo-woon’s face turned bright red at the symbolic meaning of being newlyweds. It was worse because he had committed a sin. Yi-jin’s penis that he had been holding just moments ago came vividly back to life under his palm.

“Yes, that’s right. While people have different opinions about the criteria for being newlyweds, we are undoubtedly clear newlyweds without any doubt. Seo-woon-ssi, are you hot? Please let me know if you need ice water.”

The owner of the penis attentively took care of Seo-woon. He was grateful, really grateful, but he wished he would shut up. When Yi-jin took care of Seo-woon, Young-min also tried to take care of Seo-woon, not to be outdone.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?”
“Huh, huh?”
“Your face is red.”
“Is-is it?”
“Hyung, are you embarrassed?”
“Hey, eat this instead.”
“Wow! Chicken leg!”
Min-young tactfully handled Yeong-min. Nineteen really was different, he thought. Feeling inwardly grateful, he hurriedly gulped down some water when Min-young muttered to herself.

“…I wish it were a girl.”

Gasp! Seo-woon choked after a long time. “Are you alright?” Yi-jin’s voice from beside him sounded like a dream.

“Oh my, oh my. Goodness, goodness!”

This has to be a dream. Someone please tell me this is a dream. Breaking the long silence, his aunt burst into laughter. His uncle was gulping down rice wine all by himself. If he does that, he’ll choke… With his own nose three feet long, Seo-woon worried about his uncle’s airway. It was a completely unnecessary worry.

“Oh, how cute. Right, right. It’s been a while since you two saw each other, hasn’t it? I was being thoughtless, keeping a newlywed couple here.”

“No, no. It’s not like that, aunt.”

“Oh, come on. You don’t need to hide it. Good marital harmony—does that last a lifetime? Once we finish eating, I’ll kick you out even if you want to stay longer, so hold hands later and eat first.”

We weren’t holding hands. I was holding a pepper. Seo-woon wanted to disappear into the Earth’s inner core right then.

“This is all good for your health, so let’s eat first. Yi-jin, eat a lot too. You need to eat a lot to have good stam…”

“……”

“…ina…”

It was as natural as breathing sexual innuendo. He seemed completely unprepared for it himself. Perhaps not intending it that way, his aunt never finished the sentence. Cough, cough! His uncle choked as expected. Oh my, Yi-jin’s aunt added an embarrassed interjection.

“Yes, I’m listening. Please continue.”

In the midst of this, Yi-jin was politely urging his aunt on, damn it. Even if he had to disappear, it seemed like he’d need to take this guy with him. Seo-woon tactfully sent a signal to Yi-jin. Since he might suddenly grab a pepper like before, he lightly tapped Yi-jin’s thigh with his finger.

The reaction came immediately. Flinch! Yi-jin was visibly startled and then stiffened completely. His mouth stiffened too. This is it! I should use this often from now on. Seo-woon thus acquired a faulty algorithm.

“To celebrate Mi-sook’s birthday! Everyone, cheers!”

The atmosphere heated up from the unintended sexual innuendo. Starting with Yi-jin’s aunt’s lead, glasses clinked cheerfully together. Sweet rice wine scent wafted from all directions. There was a brief incident in between, but for some reason today even Yi-jin accepted a drink.

Yi-jin had a track record of refusing alcohol early on during their first time having sex. Even during their honeymoon, he never had even the common half-glass accompaniment. Whatever else might be true, it was certain that Yi-jin didn’t enjoy alcohol.

“You don’t have to drink all of it.”

When Seo-woon whispered secretly from the adults, Yi-jin politely shook his head.

“It’s fine. Up to three sips is safe.”

“What do you mean safe?”

“The legal drunk driving enforcement standard starts at 0.03% blood alcohol content, so this much is below the threshold. I checked the alcohol content too.”

Ah, right. This was the kind of person he was. He’d forgotten about the blood alcohol content incident at the college reunion. Based on past experience, Seo-woon took it upon himself to handle the situation.

“Did you bring your car, Mr. Yi-jin?”

When he deliberately spoke clearly, the family’s gazes focused on Yi-jin. “Yes, that’s correct.” Not knowing any better, Yi-jin answered honestly, and the situation flowed smoothly.

“If you brought your car, you shouldn’t drink. People say you can call a designated driver, but you shouldn’t entrust the steering wheel to others.”

“Yes, I understand.”

At his uncle’s principle, Yi-jin obediently put down his glass. If he’d brought a car, there was no need to accept a glass in the first place, Seo-woon whispered quietly enough for only Yi-jin to hear.

“Our family doesn’t force drinks, so you don’t need to push yourself.”

This confirmed that Seo-woon had no backbone whatsoever. Yi-jin stared intently at such a Seo-woon.

“Why again?”

Then without responding, he tapped Seo-woon’s thigh. Not a touch, but tapping Seo-woon’s thigh with his fingertips. It was the same motion Seo-woon had just done to Yi-jin.

…Did I say something I shouldn’t have? He briefly thought so, but didn’t attach much meaning to it. As mentioned before, Seo-woon no longer got easily flustered by most things. This much couldn’t capture Seo-woon’s attention. Afterward, talk naturally began about Yi-jin’s surprise visit.

“So you came straight from the airport?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Oh my, how tired you must be.”

“No, I’m fine. I arrived at the airport as scheduled, but there was heavy traffic. I’m sorry for being late.”

“As scheduled? Wasn’t your arrival tomorrow at 5 PM?”

That’s why he’d scheduled the health check-up for tomorrow morning. He’d deliberately timed it thinking Yi-jin would arrive home in the early evening, so what was this about?

“Goodness, our Jini planned a surprise…!”

“No. That’s not correct.”

At his aunt’s moved voice, Yi-jin forcefully refuted the surprise suspicion.

“Although the schedule was somewhat urgently moved up, I clearly notified Seo-woon-ssi in advance.”

“Huh? When? I’m hearing this for the first time.”

“I sent a message around 3 AM Korean time. Did you perhaps not receive it?”

When Seo-woon took out his phone, Yi-jin nervously glanced over with a tense expression. Just when he thought he’d never received such contact, indeed there was a message sent at 3 AM as Yi-jin said. It was the same message thread as the protein shake photo Seo-woon had seen that morning. Looking at it again with a clear mind, there was text scattered below the ultra-high-definition food photo. Looking at the content…

“…Right. You did mention it.”

“Correct. I did not engage in behavior that would violate the Surprise Ban Treaty.”

What was this about now? “Noona, what’s a treaty?” Yeong-min asked Min-young. “What are you talking about?” Seo-woon asked Yi-jin. At Seo-woon’s question, Yi-jin took out his phone as if he’d expected this.

“As expected, I knew Seo-woon-ssi wouldn’t remember.”

“What?”

“You must have known this would happen and recorded video evidence in advance. Truly remarkable. This is nothing short of genuine foresight.”

Was this an insult or praise? This was husband material. Fluffy rabbit ears briefly flashed across Yi-jin’s phone screen.

“You’ll remember immediately once you see it.”

Yi-jin immediately pressed play. It was that video where Seo-woon had endlessly listed the minimum courtesies couples should observe and what Seo-woon wanted from Yi-jin (while Yi-jin wanted nothing from Seo-woon). The Surprise Ban Treaty had emerged from here too. The filming location was Hawaii.

– Hey, what are you doing? Look ahead.

Seo-woon had no chance to stop him. The video played. Seo-woon, equipped with large rabbit ears and pink blush, was alive and breathing in the video.

– Excuse me, I said look ahead, not at me.
– Seo-woon-ssi, the rabbit ears suit you very well.
– I know. It’s no joke.
– Yes, it’s no joke.

Is today my day of shame? This was supposed to be a gathering to celebrate his aunt’s birthday, but the meaning seemed to be gradually changing. Seo-woon immediately snatched the phone. Yi-jin’s protest that the fifth treaty started at 3 minutes and 18 seconds was cleanly ignored.
“Oh my, why are you being like that? Show us more. You’re playing so cutely together.”
“Damn, oppa is acting all cute. No wonder he’s called Wooni. Look at Wooni’s class.”

There was nowhere left to retreat. It didn’t seem like it could get any more embarrassing than this. This place with Yi-jin was the very core of the Earth.

“What perfect timing to meet!”

Despite all that commotion, the food still went down. After finishing their meal to some extent and using the bathroom as an excuse to settle the bill, on the way back to the room, Yi-jin’s aunt, who had been on a phone call outside, brightened up and greeted them.

“I was waiting to say hello to our Wooni.”

The call wasn’t urgent, so it ended quickly. Seeing his with a phone in one hand and a tablet in her arms, he looked ready to leave at any moment.

“Are you leaving already?”

Seo-woon asked politely. Since this was the first time having a conversation alone with Yi-jin’s family like this, Seo-woon unconsciously became slightly nervous.

“Unfortunately, I think I need to get going first. Thank you for inviting me today.”
“Don’t mention it. Thank you for making time when you must be busy. My aunt was really happy.”
“What about Wooni?”
“Pardon?”
“How was it for Wooni?”

It would be better if it were noisier around them, but today was exceptionally quiet. He couldn’t ignore Yi-jin’s aunt who was waiting for Seo-woon’s answer with a face that was both flustered and excited by the sudden affectionate offensive.

“…Of course it was good. Thank you for coming, aunt. It’s even better seeing you separately like this.”
“Oh my… so sweet…”

Jung Seo-woon, dominant omega, 32 years old, 6 years of work experience. This much was a piece of cake. Seo-woon did business without even wetting her lips. There was some exaggeration, but well, it wasn’t a lie. When dealing with Yi-jin’s family, it was usually many-against-one, so he didn’t realize, but one-on-one like this was much less burdensome.

…or so he thought, but Yi-jin’s aunt suddenly grabbed his hands.

“You don’t know how fortunate it is that our Jini has someone like Wooni. Moreover, to have similar values…”

Seo-woon became very displeased at the aunt’s comment. It was humiliating to be misunderstood as having similar values to Yi-jin, but remembering the reason Yi-jin decided to marry him made him angry all over again.

“It’s really wonderful!”
“…That is?”
“Of course! You can only know if your values are similar by having conversations with each other!”

They did have them, but he wasn’t sure if that could really be called conversation. He didn’t even know what they had been doing all this time. When Seo-woon hesitated to answer, Yi-jin’s aunt tightened her grip on the hands she was holding.

“Our Jini is a bit lacking in expression, isn’t he?”
“…There’s no one with clearer expression of intent than Mr. Yi-jin.”
“…His expression of intent is indeed quite clear.”

Nod nod, Seo-woon nodded his head vigorously. “Hmm hmm,” Yi-jin’s aunt continued the conversation.

“Even though he’s a bit awkward with social interactions, he’s absolutely not the type to deceive others or have ulterior motives…”
“…A bit?”
“…A bit a lot?”
“……”
“……”

So that word “a bit” seems to be the problem. Seo-woon’s reproachful gaze continued for a moment. What came back was an unexpected reaction.

“It’s all our fault.”
“Pardon?”
“If we had listened to the child a bit more and paid attention to the child’s growth, he would have been much more efficient than now…”

Wait, hold on. Efficient? Efficient? In the increasingly serious atmosphere, Seo-woon, who had been seriously listening to the aunt’s words, reflexively grimaced first. Efficiency – now just hearing it made her teeth chatter. Noticing this, Yi-jin’s aunt immediately expressed doubt.

“What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”
“…No. It’s nothing.”
“Hmm.”
“……”
“……”
“…It’s really nothing, but I’m just being overly concerned. Thank you for caring.”

Seo-woon gave an appropriately evasive answer while being appropriately honest, and remained polite to the end. That made her more certain. It must be because of Jini, it must definitely be because of Jini. Yi-jin’s aunt easily deduced the situation.

“If it’s because of Jini, I’ll apologize on his behalf.”
“No. It’s not like that…”
“Of course Jini did something wrong. It couldn’t be Wooni’s fault.”

Was that really the case? Seo-woon suddenly felt everything become distant. What if I really made the wrong choice? What if that were the case? Looking at Yi-jin’s aunt who naturally took his side, Seo-woon faced herself for the first time.

“…Why did you approve of this marriage, aunt?”

He had been vaguely curious, but he never thought the day would come when he’d ask the person directly. Seo-woon found this change very surprising, while inwardly trembling with anxiety not knowing what answer would come back.

“Why, you ask.”

The question that didn’t fit the context might have been bewildering, but Yi-jin’s aunt opened her mouth without hesitation. Her unhesitating response showed that she was more sincere than anyone.

“Because it was efficient.”

Even so, he didn’t expect efficiency talk to extend all the way here. Twitch, for a moment Seo-woon’s lips moved greatly before barely finding their place again. If his hands hadn’t been held by Yi-jin’s aunt, he might have unconsciously uttered harsh words. For the whole family to say the same thing, the power of genetics was amazing.

“A fateful meeting with circumstances that align well, and even good communication, what better conditions could there be?”

What kind of existence was efficiency to the Ahn family? It seemed like this family had genetic problems with word selection. He almost concluded that if Yi-jin’s aunt hadn’t added a wink.

“Of course, that’s not all there is to it.”
“…How could a person be more efficient than this.”
“Hmm? Didn’t you hear it from Jini?”
“I heard plenty about the efficiency I possess.”
“Did he only say that?”
“Of course?”

When Seo-woon asked back, Yi-jin’s aunt immediately looked troubled.

“…That Jini, really. To leave out such important talk…”
An affectionate sigh followed, as if she couldn’t help it. He wanted to ask what she meant right away, but Yi-jin’s aunt was faster.

“As much as I’d like to explain on his behalf, Jini isn’t a child anymore. It might take him longer than others, but I believe he’ll manage on his own.”

“When it comes to things I’m doing for the first time, it takes me longer than others.”

Family really was family, it seemed. Yi-jin’s aunt said similar things to Yi-jin. Those words that had seemed so strange when heard from Yi-jin now sounded so warm coming from her. Yi-jin’s aunt continued her explanation.

“Jini was late with everything. He was late to speak, and learned how to communicate with others way too late. As you can see, there’s quite an age gap between Jini and the rest of us, right? Embarrassingly, we were all so busy back then that we couldn’t pay much attention to Jini. I wonder what we were so busy with back then…”

There was a somewhat resentful tone to it. “…Who can we blame at this point?” Yi-jin’s aunt smiled bitterly. Ah, Seo-woon somehow felt like comforting her. The fault was Yi-jin’s, not his aunt’s. That’s how Seo-woon came to step forward and praise Yi-jin.

“Mr. Yi-jin is amazing. Being slower than others is proof that he worked harder than others.”

When he thought about it, these weren’t entirely insincere words. Hearing this story, he did feel somewhat different about Yi-jin.

“Oh my… You are so sweet…”

Fortunately, it was effective. Maybe too effective. “Mm, right. It’s not that we don’t trust Jini, but if we miss this opportunity, we’d be at a loss…” Yi-jin’s aunt, who had been muttering to herself, suddenly changed her tone and said something incomprehensible.

“There have been exactly two times when Jini expressed his own will about something he wanted to do for the family. Do you know what those were, Woony?”

How would I know that? Instead of telling the truth, Seo-woon awkwardly shook his head.

“One was studying abroad. Jini went abroad to study when he was fifteen. At first, everyone was happy thinking he finally had something he wanted to do, but it turned out he had voluntarily entered the successor course thinking he’d caused massive damage to the company. He gained notoriety, but it wasn’t actually that big a loss…”

If it was notoriety, it must be that story. The first in chaebol history to be ousted from the chairman position, the collapse of XX Group that completely ruined an entire subsidiary. Even for Seo-woon, who didn’t know the detailed circumstances, it wasn’t an unfamiliar topic. There was once a time when Chairman Ahn Yi-sun’s story was all over television.

“If there was any fault, it was ours. Family members who had rarely come home claiming to be busy suddenly started following only me around, and the news kept talking about downfall and whatnot—of course Jini would be confused.”

Ah… Seo-woon sighed quietly. Everyone in the world has their story, but he’d thought Yi-jin would be an exception. He never dreamed something like this had happened.

I really don’t know this person at all. Seo-woon’s confusion about whether Yi-jin was the same person he’d known was understandable in a way. Seo-woon didn’t know Yi-jin. Not in a negative sense, but as a simple fact.

The same would be true for Yi-jin. Just as Seo-woon didn’t know Yi-jin, Yi-jin didn’t really know Seo-woon either. The two had never properly had a conversation, and there hadn’t even been time for that.

“I talked too much by myself. You weren’t surprised, were you?”

“…A little.”

Is this why Yi-jin’s aunt had also answered “a little”? At Seo-woon’s answer, which contained many meanings, Yi-jin’s aunt smiled gently. She seemed particularly pleased with Seo-woon’s tendency to be sparing with words.

“Then there’s one more left, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

What was important started now. Yi-jin’s aunt was saying this with her whole body. Seo-woon waited for her to continue, feeling inwardly tense.

“As you probably know, our Jini has no likes or dislikes regardless of the subject. Heartbreakingly, whether it’s due to aftereffects, he’s dull to all sensations. For such a child to have something he wants to do is both our joy and everyone’s wish. For us to oppose it? That couldn’t be possible, right?”

Aftereffects? It was difficult to follow the conversation due to the incomprehensible words. Perhaps she hadn’t intended to explain everything from the start—even knowing that Seo-woon was confused, Yi-jin’s aunt naturally moved on to the next topic. The conversation with his aunt was reaching its climax.

“Moreover, what we couldn’t teach him in a lifetime, at first sight… ah, sorry. Excuse me for a moment.”

To be precise, she stopped mid-sentence. When had she grabbed his hand, and now Yi-jin’s aunt suddenly let go of the hand she’d been holding while speaking. After checking the XX Electronics watch on her wrist once, she alternately took out the tablet PC and phone from her embrace—the sight somehow familiar.

After quickly scanning the tablet PC, Yi-jin’s aunt immediately made a phone call somewhere. She was still facing Seo-woon from outside. At some point, she seemed completely unconcerned that the conversation had been cut off midway.

“It’s me. I’ve confirmed it, so go ahead with the report. Yes, right now.”

Hidden behind the large reactions reminiscent of a musical actor and the affectionate way of speaking, he hadn’t noticed. The two were alike. Yi-jin’s family member, who he’d thought had nothing in common with Yi-jin except appearance because their atmosphere was completely different, Yi-jin’s aunt now resembled Yi-jin more than anyone. The face that looked endlessly cold without a smile was natural, and even the way she quickly focused on work anytime, anywhere resembled Yi-jin.

That’s what family is like. They inevitably influence each other. Both in good ways and bad ways. Just as there’s no one in the world without a story, ultimately Yi-jin wasn’t an exception either. Whether you have a lot of money or little, no one can be completely free from family.

Until now, he’d vaguely thought they were a family that didn’t resemble each other, but maybe it was the opposite. It wasn’t that Yi-jin didn’t resemble his family, but that he simply didn’t resemble their current appearance. A child is a mirror of adults—you could tell just by looking at Yeong-min, the youngest.

The conversation with his aunt ended like that. Looking at Yi-jin’s aunt leaving due to company business despite everything, Seo-woon became genuinely curious. If it was like this even now, what must it have been like in the past? Though he didn’t know for sure, thinking of the current Yi-jin, he could roughly imagine.

Seo-woon returned to the room while mulling over the conversation with his aunt. Then an unprecedented scene was waiting for him.

“…What are you two doing?”
Yi-jin and Min-young were cozily putting their heads together. They even seemed to be concentrating. “Did you return?” Yi-jin brightened at Seo-woon’s appearance, but Seo-woon’s attention was elsewhere.

A blue bird visible on the phone screen—the Twitter application was being installed on Yi-jin’s phone. The source was obvious.

“Yeo Min-young, what are you trying to do again…!”

“What! Why! I’m not doing anything like that! Brother-in-law asked me to teach him first!”

“That’s correct. I asked him to teach me.”

Yi-jin sided with Min-young. “See! I told you so!” Min-young, backed by Yi-jin, became triumphant. But they were both the same anyway. Seo-woon asked suspiciously.

“Why Twitter?”

“Brother-in-law still hasn’t gotten his community rank restored. I just told him Twitter doesn’t need that kind of thing. If brother-in-law switches to Twitter now, he’ll never be able to use communities again, right? No rank-ups needed and no announcements.”

“I see. This is my first time operating one directly, so I’m nervous.”

How fun for them. So this is what they were doing while Seo-woon was away.

“What are you getting convinced about? Yeo Min-young, don’t teach weird things to a kid.”

“What did I do!”

“I’m not a kid.”

“Right! Why would brother-in-law be a kid!”

“I think so too.”

Oops. My inner thoughts slipped out without realizing. It would be better if you were a kid. He only said that to himself. Looking at the two guys getting triumphant in a two-against-one situation made him childishly competitive. Damn, I want to win. Blinded by competitiveness, Seo-woon pulled out a killer move optimized for Korean society.

“Anyone younger than me is a kid, why.”

“Wow, seriously?”

“……”

“Age superiority complex for real?”

“Oh my, you three get along so well?”

The aunt, misunderstanding the three people’s childish quarrel, put down her rice wine glass and spoke.

“Since Seo-woon’s here, everyone get up. Min-young, you too, stop bothering your brother-in-law and get up quickly.”

“When did I! Brother-in-law asked me to teach him first!”

What looked like Dumb and Dumber to Seo-woon apparently looked like Min-young’s one-sided pestering to the aunt. When the aunt didn’t even listen and got up to gather her things, Yi-jin tried to defend Min-young again. Or tried to.

“You two are going straight home, right?”

“Aunt… we don’t have to go straight home like that.”

Whatever she imagined, Seo-woon’s face was red as he answered. Yi-jin had already quietly shut his mouth and was attentively listening to the aunt. The alliance with Min-young seemed completely forgotten.

“Oh my, this child. A couple should stay together to be a couple. It’s not good to get used to being apart from the beginning. Min-young, aren’t you getting up quickly?”

“You speak wisely. Ms. Min-young, please get up quickly.”

“…What the hell? What’s this? Did I just get abandoned?”

“…Min-young, watch your language…”

“Oppa, what does ‘wisely’ mean?”

Min-young and Yi-jin’s shallow friendship ended just like that. Yi-jin took the lead and walked out of the restaurant door. “Oh my, it’s killing me with cuteness.” The aunt laughed teasingly while watching the large figure rapidly moving away. Seo-woon was smiling silently, neither entirely happy nor displeased. His forcibly hardened heart felt ticklish.