Since the relationship with my older sister was revealed, it feels like I’ve been meeting people non-stop.
Not just strangers, but even people I know have been coming to ask me about it, so there hasn’t been a day without chaos.
“It’s the first time seeing you since the wedding.”
“True.”
And today, I stopped by a café to meet Park Jae-seong and Yoo Na-yeon, the couple.
It feels a bit fresh to see them for the first time since the wedding, although nothing has really changed; it’s just that they’ve gone from being ordinary lovers to a married couple, and that’s been lingering in my mind.
“Hey, over here!”
As I was waiting for them, coffee already on the table and untouched, I raised my hand when a familiar figure burst through the large glass door.
Finally spotting us, Park Jae-seong and Yoo Na-yeon approached, with Yoo Na-yeon noticeably quickening her steps.
“Unnie!”
With a rush, she leaped into my older sister Seo-ha’s arms as if they were long-lost family members.
Gazing down at Yoo Na-yeon with a gentle smile, Seo-ha lovingly patted her head.
Honestly, I felt a bit envious.
“Did you have a good time?”
“We sure did! But unnie, do you know how surprised I was!?”
“Sorry about that. Let’s sit down and talk.”
Park Jae-seong, who arrived a bit late, sat down, apologizing with a face that looked like he wasn’t sorry at all.
As the four of us settled around the table, a moment of silence passed before Seo-ha broke it.
“Sorry for taking so long to meet. I’ve been busy visiting Uju’s family home and our house.”
“Hey, that’s okay. It’s only natural for the youngest daughter of Changseong Group to be busy!”
“I’m glad you think so.”
Seo-ha smiled faintly at Yoo Na-yeon’s completely non-sarcastic response, maybe worrying whether she felt neglected.
“Did you get to say your hellos?”
Knowing that I visited Seo-ha’s house just the other day, Park Jae-seong across from me asked about my latest news. He had shown concern about me before, so I could imagine how worried he was.
“Yeah. Everyone was really nice to me. I’m really thankful.”
“That’s a relief.”
Conversations between guys tend to be short, so we just brushed that off. But we exchanged all the necessary updates, so no one felt lacking.
“By the way! Unnie, there’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you!”
On the other side, it seemed like there was plenty to chat about, as Yoo Na-yeon showed no signs of running out of topics. It was mainly due to her signature excessive talking, of course.
“Yeah? What is it?”
“I was wondering if my scouting at Changseong Planning is thanks to you, unnie?”
Ah, I was curious about that too.
It struck me later that the day Seo-ha met Yoo Na-yeon and the timing of Na-yeon starting at Changseong Planning was too coincidental to ignore, but I had hesitated to ask.
But she was bold enough to ask such a sensitive question. Maybe, being the involved party, she could ask without much thought.
“Not really. It’s true I made a recommendation, but you being chosen was totally the HR’s decision.”
“Still, it’s because of you, right?”
“You can think that if you want, but I genuinely believe it was because they recognized Na-yeon’s abilities.”
Seo-ha probably emphasized that she hadn’t done much so that Yoo Na-yeon wouldn’t see her as just the beneficiary.
Honestly, it must be hard for anyone to believe that. It would be impossible for Changseong Planning to not utilize a direct recommendation from the youngest daughter of Changseong Group.
However, by downplaying her influence and highlighting Yoo Na-yeon’s skills, Seo-ha made her point more persuasive.
“So don’t go undervaluing yourself or thinking you’re just riding someone’s coattails; make sure to work hard. I hear your company evaluations have been excellent recently?”
“Wow! How did you know that?”
“I know quite a lot. Just do your best.”
Even as she wrapped up her words, Seo-ha reassured her that her influence on company evaluations would be negligible. Apparently, very few people know about the connection between Yoo Na-yeon and Seo-ha in those circles.
Just knowing that seemed to lighten Yoo Na-yeon’s mood as she struck a military salute pose and boldly declared, “I will bury myself in work!”
She took everything lightly, and that carefree attitude is definitely her strong suit.
After such an important topic, only light chatter followed. I was really grateful that these guys treated me as easily as before, despite knowing about my sister’s identity.
“By the way, I hear you’re going to the beach soon?”
“Yeah. Unnie said she has a villa in Busan, so she suggested we go just the two of us.”
“A villa…!? How romantic.”
As soon as the villa topic arose, Yoo Na-yeon sparkled and clasped her hands like she was praying.
At that moment, Seo-ha, who was sipping an Americano while watching, spoke up.
“If you’re okay with it, why don’t you both come along next time?”
“Us too?”
“Really, unnie…!?”
Park Jae-seong’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected offer, and Yoo Na-yeon’s expression was one of disbelief as if she wanted to leap into it immediately.
Seo-ha smiled and nodded her agreement. It seemed like there were no issues at all.
“Yeah, the family doesn’t use it much anymore. If it’s okay, let’s all go next summer.”
“Wow…! I really want to go!”
While Park Jae-seong hesitated, worried about imposing on Seo-ha, Yoo Na-yeon immediately exclaimed “OK!”—showing the contrast in their personalities.
Going together would definitely be fun; we could have BBQ parties and everything.
“In that case, here’s a gift.”
“Huh?”
As I was about to set down my empty coffee cup, Park Jae-seong unexpectedly placed a paper bag on the table.
What’s with this sudden gift?
“Just keep it. It’s nothing expensive.”
“Uh… thanks. I’ll take it, whatever it is.”
I couldn’t guess the contents, but knowing him, he wouldn’t just give me junk, so I decided to accept it gracefully.
I could just open it later when I get to the car.
“Oh, by the way, Na-yeon. You haven’t moved yet, right?”
“Right, I ran into some issues with the house contract. But I think I’ll move in with Jae-seong in about ten days.”
“And the household items?”
“Hehe, I… haven’t gotten around to that yet…”
Seeing Yoo Na-yeon scratch her cheek awkwardly, Seo-ha smiled knowingly and pulled something out of her pocket.
It was a typical lemon-colored notepad, which she handed to Yoo Na-yeon while speaking gently.
“Then when you have time this week, come here and pick out some useful things.”
“Huh? Where’s here?”
“It’s an electronics store run by Changseong Electronics. I’ll talk to the manager, so just take whatever you want.”
“Really take it?”
It’s not like she’s just saying I can buy it at a discount; she means take it! I never thought the gap in wording would hit me this hard.
“Yeah, no worries about the price. Just what you need for home. You understand?”
“Uh, unnie. But still…”
“Don’t worry about it. I wanted to give you something a bit more as a wedding gift, but I couldn’t. This is my way of making up for it.”
Ah, that’s what it was.
When they got married, Seo-ha’s identity hadn’t been revealed yet. To avoid suspicion, she must have deliberately kept the wedding gift modest.
In fact, when Jae-seong called me the day after the wedding and said, “Seo-ha put in too much!” it was all relative to her standard.
“Thank you so much… How can I repay you?”
“Oh come on, don’t cry over this. If there’s something you need that’s not there, just let me know, okay?”
Wiping away Yoo Na-yeon’s tears with her sleeve, Seo-ha gently patted her back.
Seriously, she takes good care of the people around her.
—
On the way home after our meeting at the café, once the car stopped at a red light, I suddenly became aware of the paper bag sitting in the back seat.
Park Jae-seong had given it to me with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, saying, “Those are things you’ll need.” That explanation still nagged at me. What on earth did he put in there?
“Unnie, could you pass me the paper bag in the back, please?”
“Sure.”
After receiving the paper bag from her, I heard some rustling inside.
The first thing that appeared was… sunscreen. Did he pack this stuff thinking we’d be going to the beach?
No wonder the bag felt light despite its size; it contained several useful items for the beach. Even some toys that would be fun to play with on the sand.
Not that we’re kids or anything, but what a random assortment he pulled together.
“Uju, what’s inside?”
“Nothing much. Just sunscreen, some toys, and stuff for the beach.”
“Looks like he packed this because we’re going to the beach.”
Right when I thought that, Seo-ha, curious herself, took the paper bag and started digging around again.
As I casually watched, since it was still not time to leave the red light…
Rustle.
“…Huh?”
“……!?”
When Seo-ha pulled out something tucked away in a corner, my eyes widened in disbelief.
A small box, palm-sized, boasting colors of purple, red, and gold.
I didn’t even need to look inside; the numbers like 002 on the box clearly revealed its identity.
What the hell did that crazy Park Jae-seong slip in there?
“Unnie, I’m really sorry. I’ll have a word with Park Jae-seong separately…”
In a panic, I snatched the box from her hand and stuffed it back into the bag, desperately trying to diffuse the awkward atmosphere.
“…I don’t need that.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Uh, never mind.”
As Seo-ha mumbled something under her breath barely loud enough to hear, her previously protruding lips snapped back to a neutral expression as she shook her head.
Was that a curt tone? Is she angry?
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