Two days later, we set out to distribute the invitation cards, which could be said to be the highlight of our wedding preparations.
These days, many people send wedding invitations online, but my sister and I wanted to thank the people we were grateful for by meeting them in person.
Of course, the first person we met was none other than,
“Hey, it feels like it’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, right?”
“Indeed! How have you been?”
It was Park Jae-seong and Yoo Na-yeon.
We met at a nice Japanese restaurant for lunch and caught up. This was the same restaurant where we had received the invitation from Park Jae-seong.
I remembered that meeting just before going on vacation was the last time we met, so it had been about two or three months.
“How come you’re getting more beautiful by the day?”
“Come on, it’s tough keeping up with the beauty standards these days!”
“Come on, that’s just unfair! A person like you doesn’t even need to manage herself to look good. How unfair is that?”
“Anyway…”
I always feel amazed at how Yoo Na-yeon can approach my sister, who others find hard to get close to, with such ease.
Does she not have barriers between people?
Anyway, it seems like an impressive ability.
“Ah, by the way, I didn’t expect you to have a baby before me… It feels like a big step.”
Saying this as he exchanged greetings with older sister Seo-ha made both me and my sister smile bittersweetly.
I thought it was fine to feel a little regret about not having a baby yet, but showing a sense of defeat about it was unexpected.
“Heh, why are you being so competitive over something like this?”
“But…I’m trying my best with my husband every day, and yet it’s still not happening, so it’s a bit disappointing.”
Pfft!
Ah, damn it.
While drinking water, Park Jae-seong sprayed it all over me after hearing Yoo Na-yeon’s bombshell statement. Is this some kind of comedy skit?
“Hey, I’m so sorry! Na-yeon just said something crazy and surprised me…”
“…Since it’s Na-yeon’s fault this time, I’ll let it slide.”
“Thanks!”
After drying my face with a tissue from beside me, I took out a wet tissue from my sister’s bag and cleaned up again.
Thank goodness it didn’t splash on my sister.
“By the way, why would you say something like that in front of Seo-ha?”
“Why not? I want to have my little one too. In that sense, let’s eat something good today and get pumped up, okay, babe?”
Wink.
As Yoo Na-yeon winked at Park Jae-seong while placing an abalone on his plate, it seemed she really wanted a baby.
It’s a bit fascinating. I thought they might wait since they were still focused on work, but it seems like they have no intention of delaying at all.
“Hey, by the way, when I told you I was marrying Na-yeon, you suspected a rushed marriage… but look who’s in the same boat now?”
Ahem.
As Park Jae-seong confidently devoured the abalone that Na-yeon had offered, I awkwardly cleared my throat and looked away.
Hmm, did I? I can’t quite remember. Ahem.
“I told you to be careful and even packed things for you.”
“Shut up. I was embarrassed enough in front of my sister because of you.”
Even now, the memory of the condom box falling out in front of my sister is horrifying. I almost thought that trip was cancelled because of that.
Later, when I found out my sister had planned it all along, I felt embarrassed for making a fuss alone.
“Hey, just live well. It seems you must have saved the universe in your past life, so enjoy yourself in this life.”
“Yeah, thanks. I wouldn’t have made it this far without you.”
“Suddenly getting all sentimental over gratitude.”
Well, those aren’t really words that should be exchanged between us.
But today, I genuinely wanted to express my gratitude to Park Jae-seong.
If my sister was the one who pushed me forward, this guy was the one who held me back from falling into a pit. I can only be thankful for that.
I suppose that’s why Seo-ha is looking out for Jae-seong and Na-yeon in various ways.
“Oh, but sister. How many guests are you inviting?”
“I haven’t invited many. Just relatives, some of my parents’ acquaintances, and key people from the company.”
“So more of a minimal wedding vibe?”
“Not exactly… but I thought having too many guests would be exhausting. Greeting everyone is quite a job.”
Since she has experienced a wedding before, Na-yeon vigorously nodded in agreement.
Honestly, I thought there would be a lot of guests since I was marrying into such a prominent family. So it was surprising when my father-in-law and sister brought it up first.
It looked like they wanted to keep the list of guests to a minimum and only invite those who should be there for the occasion.
Still, the number of guests would be far larger than an ordinary wedding, but the important thing isn’t the count of people coming, but rather how genuine their congratulations are.
That was a perfectly reasonable argument, so I naturally agreed.
After all, besides a few acquaintances I made while streaming, I really don’t have many people to invite. It would likely just be my dad and a couple of my sister’s friends.
“Sister, you’re already glowing with excitement!”
“Did you catch me?”
As she counted the number of guests in her mind, my sister suddenly hugged my arm and smiled a genuine smile that only came out when she was happy.
“Honestly, I’m just so happy. Finally, the day has come when I can go out with Uju to hand out the invitations…”
Her sentiment matched mine so closely that I didn’t even need to add anything.
Nod.
I just nodded in agreement.
*
After eating dinner and enjoying a drink, Park Jae-seong suggested we part ways, but unfortunately, I had someone else to meet for dinner that night, so I had to take my leave.
The next time we have drinks together will likely be after the wedding.
Clatter.
“Oh, you’re here, brother.”
While I was thinking about that and waiting at the Korean restaurant I arrived at earlier, the sliding doors opened, and a couple walked in, prompting me to rise and greet them politely.
Indeed, one of the people I wanted to hand the invitation card directly to today was none other than Mr. Park Gun-ho, or ‘Exit.’
“Sorry to keep you waiting. The traffic was terrible…”
“Long time no see, Uju.”
“Yes, it’s been a while! I’m sorry I haven’t been able to greet you more often.”
“Oh please, there’s no need to say sorry. I’m sure everyone knows how successful you are these days.”
I felt a bit embarrassed by the lady’s words.
Of course, it was true my broadcasting career was picking up, but standing next to the person who was called the top influencer in the industry felt like a shrimp trying to argue with a whale.
“Brother, let me introduce you. This is my future wife, Ryu Seo-ha.”
Hiding my awkwardness, I introduced my sister standing next to me, who bowed politely as she greeted him.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Ryu Seo-ha. May I address you as brother-in-law?”
“I would appreciate that.”
Brother-in-law. It’s a term commonly used for the husband’s older brother.
It felt a bit strange for my sister to address Mr. Gun-ho that way, but since he accepted with a hearty laugh, I felt too awkward to add anything.
Having briefed on salutations and greetings, we returned to our seats.
“Brother, and about this… I know you’re busy, but I’d be really grateful if you could attend.”
“Of course, thank you. I’ll definitely be there no matter what.”
“Got it.”
After receiving the invitation, Mr. Park Gun-ho showed his determination to attend. It felt a bit surreal, like having a brother who appeared out of nowhere.
“By the way, when I first heard about it, I was quite surprised. I heard you’re the youngest daughter of Changseong Group?”
“Yes, brother-in-law.”
“I’ve wanted to meet you someday, and I’m glad the opportunity has finally come. I wish you a lifetime of happiness.”
“Thank you, brother-in-law.”
Since they were meeting for the first time, they seemed a bit stiff in their interactions, but oddly enough, there was hardly any awkwardness between them. Thus, we were relatively quickly able to continue our conversation in a relaxed atmosphere.
“Oh my, so are you expecting a child already?”
“Yes, that seems to be the case. But we haven’t announced it to the public since it might create misunderstandings.”
“That’s understandable. People love gossip…”
“Yes, it seems like there might be some who think we rushed into marriage because of the baby.”
While I was explaining the circumstances behind our marriage, Mrs. Park Gun-ho suddenly stared at her husband with a small laugh.
Why is that?
“By the way, Uju really resembles Yian a lot. I was surprised when I first heard about Seo-ha too, but how can they be so similar in every aspect…”
“What? Resemble in what way?”
When I blinked in confusion at her words, Mr. Park Gun-ho just chuckled and averted his gaze, as if he didn’t want to answer.
“Before I started dating Yian, I initially hid my identity and met him as a regular fan.”
“Your identity? If it’s not too much to ask, what did you do before, Mrs. Park?”
As Mrs. Park opened her mouth to speak, I carefully posed a question, sensing that it might sound familiar.
“Actually, my family operates a group called Oyang Steel.”
“What? Oyang Steel…?”
Oyang Steel is one of the top steel companies in South Korea, right?
So Mrs. Park is a member of that group?
“Oh, of course, I’ve had no interest in the business operations since I was young, so I distanced myself from it early. Thus, unlike Seo-ha, my face is not widely recognized in public.”
“I see…”
I felt as if I’d been hit on the back of the head with a brick due to the unexpected information.
So this means that Mrs. Park also hid her identity when she first got to know Mr. Park Gun-ho?
It seems our circumstances are quite similar.
“Moreover, the reason for our rushed marriage was that Yian started distancing himself when he learned that I was the daughter of Oyang Steel. It must’ve been overwhelming for him.”
“Not so much overwhelming, but more so, I felt guilty. At that time, I only had 400,000 won in my bank account, so I was quite broke.”
That part is a bit different from my situation. But I completely understand that feeling. Had I known my sister’s identity from the start, I’m not sure if I’d ever have gotten so close.
I would’ve thought the world was too different.
“So I thought I needed to grab this man before he left, and I ended up booking a pension in Gangwon-do for a two-night-and-three-day trip. That’s how our first child was conceived.”
“…What?”
I found myself unable to comprehend the sudden series of bombshells.
Wait, does that mean Mrs. Park, like Seo-ha, had planned to have a baby all along by taking a trip together? Is it really possible for that many coincidences to overlap?
“That’s why when I hear about you two, I can see so many similarities between us as a couple. I’m glad we finally had a chance to meet like this.”
“…”
No wonder Mr. Park Gun-ho always mentioned how his wife wanted to see Seo-ha when he contacted me. I thought it was just girl talk among women.
But I never imagined there was such a backstory behind it.
“I suppose you’re my life’s mentor.”
“Looks like it turned out that way.”
“I think I’ll have many questions in the future, if you wouldn’t mind sharing your contact information with me?”
“Oh, of course! It’s always delightful to talk to younger folks.”
While Seo-ha’s eyes sparkled as she exchanged contact details with Mrs. Park and continued their lively conversation, I remained in shock, unable to even manage a word.
“We’re really in deep now, aren’t we, Uju?”
“Yeah, if being this deep is the case, I welcome it any time.”
“Feeling the same.”
The men left behind just exchanged knowing smiles when our gazes met.
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