Three days have passed since that hectic day, and today has finally arrived. Seo-ha and I were busily preparing to visit our family home as promised.
Initially, we had plans to visit the Chairman first, but Seo-ha had contacted him separately, giving him the unilateral notice that we would go to our house first.
Surprisingly, the Chairman responded coolly, saying, “Oh, I didn’t think of that,” and agreed without hesitation, which was quite bewildering. Anyway, the schedule was set.
“Uju, how about this? Do you think it’ll look good to Mom and Dad?”
The real issue was that while other preparations were done, Seo-ha was still struggling to pick an outfit.
With that face, she can still ponder what to wear. Guess talented people put in more effort. Isn’t that how it goes? Life is so unfair.
“You’d look pretty in anything!”
As Seo-ha’s urgent tone urged her to choose, I threw in a sincere compliment.
“Oh come on, don’t flatter me.”
Seo-ha, thinking I was just being polite, pretended to grumble while trying to hide her flushed cheeks.
She’s surprisingly weak to compliments. That’s kind of cute, though.
“How about this? It looks neat and seems to suit you well.”
Thinking we might be late if we lingered longer, I quickly scanned through the clothes and picked up a sky-blue blouse that seemed very suitable for the weather.
“Shall we go with that? Then I should pair it with a white skirt.”
“Oh, nice! I think it’ll look refreshing!”
Buoyed by my choice, Seo-ha showcased a slightly flared white skirt she had picked up from somewhere.
It was just slightly flared, so it didn’t seem like it would reveal too much. Besides, Mom and Dad wouldn’t mind; they’re not the type to fuss over such things.
While killing time outside admiring Seo-ha’s home, which had the same structure as ours but a different vibe—
Creak.
“Uju, I’m all changed!”
“Wow….”
As the door swung open, I couldn’t help but marvel at Seo-ha’s appearance.
Dressed in summery colors, her bright smile and neat, pure vibe matched her perfectly.
To think this person is my girlfriend—it fills me with so much emotion.
“How do I look?”
“Very pretty! Honestly, you never have an off day in the looks department.”
Thinking it would be rude not to throw out some cheesy lines for having such a girlfriend, I let cloying words spill from my mouth.
Seo-ha giggled softly and stepped closer to me.
“Hehe, I feel the same. Our Uju is never not handsome, so I’m happy every day.”
Smack.
And without hesitation, she rose onto her tiptoes and planted a kiss on my lips.
Ever since our first kiss on the day we started dating, it feels like we kiss ten times a day. They say the first is the hardest, but after that, it’s smooth sailing.
“Shall we go? Secretary Kim is waiting downstairs.”
As she lifted the bags she could carry and walked towards the entrance, I watched her for a moment. Suddenly, the mention of Secretary Kim snapped me back to reality, bringing to mind something I heard not long ago.
“Speaking of which, Secretary Kim is…”
“Yup, that’s right. You know him very well.”
Wink.
Following behind the winking Seo-ha as she walked ahead, carrying the bags, I chased after her.
—
“I’m truly delighted to greet you all over again.”
As we piled our bags into the car and got in, I couldn’t hide my wry smile when I caught sight of a familiar face in the rearview mirror.
Yes, the identity of Secretary Kim, who had been looking after Seo-ha all this time, turned out to be none other than our CEO of Aiver Entertainment.
Wow, I feel like I’m caught in some Truman Show.
“I apologize for the unintended deception. The Director likely had no ill intentions either.”
“It’s fine. I was just a bit surprised; I’m not holding onto any grudges.”
“I’m relieved to hear that. The Director was quite anxious about it…”
With a smile that seemed to tease Seo-ha, the CEO, or rather, Secretary Kim, spoke.
Standing with her arms crossed, Seo-ha showed discomfort as she tapped her fingers on one arm, speaking up in a sharp tone.
“…Secretary Kim, let’s focus on driving instead of unnecessary chatter. It’s your responsibility today since Driver Park isn’t here.”
“Yes, understood.”
Indeed, the hierarchy is well established. Who knew words could suppress so easily?
“By the way, do you have a driver?”
“Yup, it’s common to have separate secretaries and drivers. Most people do it this way.”
“Oooh…”
Seo-ha said this as though it was obvious, but I found this newfound knowledge about the upper class quite fascinating.
“Ha, found that fascinating? Your neck can’t seem to stay still.”
Seo-ha, noticing me staring in awe at the luxurious interior of the limousine, threw me a teasing remark, making me scratch my head awkwardly.
“Ah, sorry. Did I come off as too rustic?”
“Rustic? I just thought it was cute. Most people would hide their amazement even if they found it fascinating.”
“Come on, if it’s fascinating, it should be okay to show it.”
“Not everyone is like you. I’ve seen plenty of people act all pretentious, pretending to be accustomed to it.”
What a tough world for those folks. To me, it’s hard to understand what they gain by boasting over such trivialities. Is it to avoid being looked down upon, perhaps?
“Honestly, just from how you project on-screen, Uju, you seem very simple-minded.”
“W-Who are you calling simple-minded? Just call me Uju comfortably.”
Honestly, I’ve been called Mr. Cosmo often, but it felt so awkward hearing my name with such extreme honorifics.
I can’t relate to being simple-minded either. Maybe I look different to others.
“If my calling you that made you uncomfortable, I apologize. So how should I address you comfortably?”
“Just call me Uju, or since you’re older than me, please treat me easily…”
“Can’t do that. I can’t be on first-name terms with my boss’s spouse.”
Wow, he’s strict about that. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting him to grant it, but…
“Just call me Uju, Secretary Kim. When we get married, we can settle on titles later.”
“I’ll do that.”
“…….”
Wow, that marriage talk just slipped out so casually.
At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if Seo-ha had everything planned out regarding the venue and the date. Of course, that’s just wishful thinking.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Ah, speaking of which, I forgot to grab a drink earlier. My throat’s a bit dry. But asking to stop in the middle of the road would be ridiculous…
I guess I’ll just have to wait.
Just as I was clearing my throat to ease my parched mouth.
“Uju, are you thirsty?”
Once again, Seo-ha read my mind incredibly accurately and blinked at me.
At this rate, it feels like she has superpowers.
“Ah, yeah. A little… I forgot to grab something to drink on the way.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? I would have given you some.”
“Wait, what do you mean by gave?”
Ah, did she bring something to drink? I didn’t see any of that… Maybe she slipped it in her bag when I wasn’t looking.
Just as I was touched by her thoughtful gesture—
Creak.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, Seo-ha reached for a black box tucked away in the corner of the limousine and opened it up.
What’s that? A fridge?
“Here, I have some light refreshments and drinks, so let me know if you need any, okay?”
“……”
Realizing the limousine’s class that a wealthy daughter travels in was on another level, I dumbly accepted the water she handed me. She even opened the lid for me.
Gulp. Gulp.
As I drank the cold water, almost painfully refreshing, it erased the dryness in my mouth.
Thanks to that, my brain seemed to be functioning again, stirring a question I had earlier completely forgotten about—the mysterious objects I’d seen in the trunk earlier.
“Right! Seo-ha, what were those things in the trunk?”
“Huh? The trunk?”
“Yeah, when we loaded the bags, there were a lot of them.”
The packaging on those things was too extravagant for just something she’d carry around for use. I think it had patterns too.
As I described what I had seen specifically, Seo-ha blinked before suddenly exclaiming, “Ah!” and casually replied.
“That? Those are gifts I prepared to bring for you today.”
“…Gifts?”
I didn’t ask a silly question like ‘What gifts?’ However, considering where we were going today, I could easily guess who the recipients might be.
What amplified my fear was the sheer number of things that filled the trunk.
What on earth did she prepare?
“Yup, some good items came into stock, so I wanted to give them to your parents.”
“…If it’s not rude to ask, what exactly are the gifts?”
Feeling a bit uneasy about the specifics, I prompted for details as Seo-ha pondered for a moment with her finger on her chin before launching into her response.
“Um, a few roots of wild ginseng, some simple meat or seafood for snacking, and some clothes that your parents can wear? I thought if I prepared too extravagantly, they might feel burdened, so I kept it simple.”
Hmm, somehow, there seems to be nearly 100,000 light-years of difference between her ‘keeping it simple’ and my idea of simplicity.
“Oh, and I brought a few new watches and bags in case they like those. I wonder if they’ll fit their taste; I’m a little worried.”
“…Right.”
Nodding with a sense of resignation, I gazed out into the distance.
My worries leaned more towards whether my Dad and Mom would faint after receiving such gifts rather than if they would like them.
Still, Seo-ha had mentioned she had brought gifts before, so I guess they wouldn’t pass out. That was my only solace.
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