It’s quite a drive from Seoul to this house, so it took a bit of time to get here.
“Wow, so this is Uju’s house….”
As soon as we got out of the car, Seo-ha, my older sister, muttered while staring at the incredibly ordinary house. Her sparkling eyes looked like they could pop out stars at any moment.
Meanwhile, Secretary Kim was struggling in the back, trying to unload the bags from the trunk.
“I’ll help you out.”
“Thank you.”
I’m not such a useless guy that I could just stand around, so I immediately ran to the trunk to help Secretary Kim. Honestly, the amount of stuff we brought is crazy; at this point, we might as well be getting a cart to haul it all.
With three of us, it looks like we might not have enough hands to move everything.
“Uju!”
“…Huh?”
While contemplating how to carry things one by one to the door, I heard a familiar voice from somewhere.
Turning around, I saw my older sister waving innocently with her back to the wide-open front door.
What’s up? Why is she here?
“Sis, weren’t you overseas?”
“Eh, I just wrapped up a tight schedule and rushed back. I couldn’t just stay put knowing my little brother is bringing his girlfriend!”
“…….”
Seeing my sister smile with her cheekbones popping, it made my head feel a bit fuzzy.
I was already a nervous wreck just thinking about seeing my parents, and now my sister showed up too. I must have picked the wrong day for this.
“By the way, I figured as much! You came with Seo-ha, right?”
My sister, who had been watching me unload, shifted her gaze to Seo-ha and eagerly extended her hand. It seems she’s the only one in the family who knew about Seo-ha, so she wasn’t too surprised.
Come to think of it, they even talked casually when they first met. That’s some serious charisma from my sis. I wish I could learn a thing or two from her.
“Hello, Yeon-joo. It’s been a while since we last met.”
“Yeah, it’s been a while! Looks like things are going well between you and my little brother?”
Hearing that made Seo-ha’s face turn bright red.
“Yes, thank you for all the kind words back then.”
“No need to be so stiff! We’re practically sisters now, right?”
“Eek! That makes me so happy!”
It seems like these two have zero sense of order. I wouldn’t be surprised if their minds are already visualizing my wedding with Seo-ha.
“Hey, Sis, if you’re here, let’s carry this stuff together. I was just wondering how to move it all.”
“What the heck is all this? Isn’t this way more than a two-day trip’s worth of stuff?”
My sister seemed confused as she picked up a pretty heavy bag, thinking it was our stuff.
“Seo-ha brought gifts for mom and dad.”
“What? Then where’s my gift?”
“Of course, there isn’t one. After not contacting anyone and just showing up, who do you think you are to ask for gifts?”
I waved my hand at her like chasing off an annoying merchant.
Just then,
“No way! Of course, I brought something for you too!”
“…Huh?”
“Really!?”
At Seo-ha’s words, pointing to a box tucked in the corner of the trunk, our reactions went upside down.
She actually brought something for me?
“I know Yeon-joo takes great care of Uju, so I thought I’d bring something since I figured you’d be here.”
“Whoa…! Our sister-in-law is so thoughtful!”
My sister was so overwhelmed by Seo-ha’s kindness that she instantly hugged her tightly, her model-height self sweeping up someone else’s girlfriend.
Why does the embarrassment always fall on me?
“Uju, you know you gotta hold on to a girlfriend like this, right? Take this advice from your older sister.”
“Even if you didn’t say that, I’d definitely hold on to her! Now let’s move these bags!”
I scolded Secretary Kim, who had become the solo porter due to our chatter, and my sister quickly realized her mistake and hurried to grab a box with her free hand.
After sighing at that scene, I was about to carry things too.
“Uju, really?”
“Uh? What? What is it?”
Suddenly, Seo-ha got really close, almost our faces were touching, tilting her head with a cute expression, asking me about what I said.
What did I even say?
“You just said you’re definitely going to hold on to her.”
“Ah… Of course! I know she’s more than I deserve.”
Even if Seo-ha decided she was tired of me and tried to leave, I’d grab onto her pants like a child, even if it’s somewhat pitiful.
Honestly, just how precious she is to me is something I can’t even begin to express. I’d put up with being pitiful in a heartbeat.
“Hehe, what do I do? I’m so happy.”
Chirp.
With my heartfelt response brightening her mood, Seo-ha pecked my cheek and dashed off with a bag toward the house.
I simply cannot believe she’s older but so cute like this.
“Dad! Come out and help me carry this stuff!”
As we got closer to the front door, I spotted my sister shouting loudly towards inside.
“What do you mean carry…? Hmm!?”
Answering her call, Dad lumbered down the hallway and froze when he saw the pile of bags at the door.
Then it seemed he finally noticed Seo-ha, standing still like a statue.
“Hello, sir! I’m Ryu Seo-ha, Uju’s girlfriend.”
In front of my stunned dad, Seo-ha bowed with grace and greeted him warmly.
Well, looking back, it’s actually pretty weird that Seo-ha, who must have met all sorts of big shots, gets flustered just meeting our parents.
“….”
“Dad, what are you doing? The future daughter-in-law is greeting you; you have to respond.”
“Uh! Right, right!”
My dad seemed to take too long just staring, and after Seo-ha gently nudged him in the side, he finally snapped back to reality.
I don’t even know if he got shocked because Seo-ha was so beautiful, or if it was the mountain of unidentifiable bags, or maybe it was because the business tycoon’s daughter was standing right in front of him.
Oh well, it could be all three. No need to overthink it.
“Uh, welcome. I’m Uju’s dad, Kang Jin-seop. Sorry for being a bit silly since such a precious guest came.”
“Please lower your speech, sir. I’m here today not as the Changseong Group’s youngest daughter, but as Uju’s girlfriend.”
“Y-Yes, that’s right. I will do that.”
Snort.
Hearing him sound like he got a mission from some FPS game almost made me burst out laughing. It was just so refreshing seeing my normally stoic dad act like that.
Wow, life sure is full of surprises.
“Dear, it seems Yeon-joo is calling for you! What are you—huh!?”
Meanwhile, in a twist of fate, our mom, Lee Eun-hee, who was crossing the hallway, was equally surprised to see the group gathered by the front door.
Wow, I didn’t know my family had such impressive reactions. Learning something new today!
“Ah, you must be the mother! It’s a pleasure to meet you; I’m Ryu Seo-ha, Uju’s girlfriend.”
Even though it was in the awkward setting by the front door, Seo-ha bowing calmly like it was no big deal showed her composure.
Our mom, just like Dad moments ago, stood there for a while pointing shakily at my sister, then glanced at me as if to ask what was going on, before finally speaking up.
“A-Are you really Ryu Seo-ha…? The CEO of Changseong Corporation?”
“Yes, ma’am. Please feel free to speak comfortably.”
“Y-Yeah… I’ll do that.”
Wow, her reaction is just like Dad’s. I now realize my parents are quite the perfect match.
“I hope I’m not imposing by dropping in so suddenly… I hope it’s not too much of a hassle for you two….”
“Oh, not at all! We’re just fine. If anything, I hope we didn’t annoy you too much with our worries about bothering our new daughter-in-law.”
Thanks to the preemptive title arrangements through the call, Mom managed to stammer in her excitement and even used the term “new daughter-in-law.”
Seo-ha seemed very pleased with that and smiled brightly, shaking her head.
“No, not at all! If anything, it’s probably startling for you two that I’m here!”
“Ah, no. I’m not startled at all.”
Mom shook her head fiercely, but I thought she was being pretty shameless.
Wasn’t it just the other day she was yelling for me like I was about to grow horns? Now, she’s as calm as can be in front of her son’s girlfriend.
“By the way, isn’t your work hectic? I hope you didn’t come all this way just to visit us….”
“Actually, don’t worry about that. I didn’t just come here to confirm my identity.”
Huh?
At that, I tilted my head, catching her words as I grew curious.
Aren’t my parents having a hard time believing that Seo-ha is my girlfriend? That’s what I assumed.
But was there a different reason for her visit that I didn’t know about?
“Actually, I’m here today to ask for your blessing for our marriage.”
Despite us having just started dating less than a week ago, she casually brought up marriage in front of my parents, making my mind go blank.
…Come on, you could have at least tipped me off about this!
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