Hmm.
This is the most uncomfortable atmosphere I’ve felt in my life.
“……”
“……”
Did my parents come back from somewhere and eat a whole pot of honey together? It’s making me anxious just watching them maintain silence in front of me for almost 10 minutes.
“I brought some fruits.”
As I was pondering what to say, my older sister approached with a white plate full of fruits towards the living room.
“What’s up? Why is everyone so quiet? Did you all eat honey together or something?”
Then, looking around at us while maintaining the silence, she snickered, revealing the thought I was having in my mind.
It was the first time I noticed a halo around my sister today.
“Uh, um…. Yeah, you said Seo-ha, right?”
“Yes, Father.”
Despite hearing that, Dad was too awkward to stay silent, so he finally spoke up.
Asking for her name at this point felt pointless, but I didn’t bother to point it out. After all, thanks to Dad, the conversation was finally flowing.
“I heard you’re thinking of marrying our son?”
“Yes, that’s right. If you give me your blessing, I’ll be living as if I wouldn’t let Uju lift even a drop of water.”
Somehow it feels like roles have reversed. Usually, such lines are meant to be said by the man when visiting his future father-in-law and mother-in-law, right? Though gender roles don’t mean much these days, I can’t help but sense a huge disconnect.
And to hear those words from no one other than my sister, it sounds sincere and not just empty promises. Is this the significance of the speaker?
“Hmm… I understand your feelings, but since you haven’t been dating long, it’s important to take things slow…”
“However, Uju is already so precious to me. I want to get married as soon as possible and become a couple.”
“Oh, I see. Then I have nothing more to say….”
Clearing his throat again, Dad gestured towards Mom sitting next to him. It seemed like he was silently saying, ‘You should say something.’
“Uju, still, you’re both young, so there’s no need to rush, right? There are many things you want to do while you’re young…”
“What I want most right now is to become Uju’s wife and have a child that looks like him. Thank you for your words, but there’s nothing more important to me than this.”
“Well, in that case…?”
It’s a rare sight to see my parents unable to say much and kind of sinking into the conversation, so I made sure to commit it to memory, not taking my eyes off them.
It’s truly a sight to behold.
“What do you think, Uju?”
“Me?”
While I was busy munching on the fruits, my sister suddenly asked me for my opinion.
“Yeah, since Seo-ha said all that, if your opinion is different, it wouldn’t matter.”
“I don’t really differ much from Seo-ha. Of course, I was a bit surprised that marriage was being mentioned this early… but I’ve always thought about wanting to marry early.”
I was just surprised by how abruptly it came up, but the desire to marry early is also something I share.
Above all, if this continues, there might be times when both my sister and I are too busy to even meet, so it would be nice to rely on each other as a couple during those times.
Also, while Seo-ha mentioned wanting to see a child that looks like me, I definitely want to have a daughter who looks like Seo-ha as soon as possible.
They say marrying young comes with its own struggles, but I’ve heard from people in similar situations that getting married early can actually be better.
Most say it’s nice to not have a big generational gap with your children, helping you play and understand each other better.
Hearing that made a lot of sense to me, and I was inclined to marry sooner rather than later.
From my perspective, the real issue was what Seo-ha thought about it.
“Is that so? That’s a relief. If both of your opinions align, then that’s good.”
My answer seemed to satisfy her, as she smiled faintly and took a bite of a watermelon.
“Thank you, Uju. I’m glad you think that way…”
“Thanks, I’m just grateful you feel the same way.”
On the other hand, Seo-ha looked genuinely touched, forgetting we were in front of our parents, she hugged me and rubbed my head.
Seeing that, my parents exchanged looks, mouths agape, as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have.
Maybe they can’t believe they’re seeing their son being all lovey-dovey when they have always been curious about his romantic ventures. Or maybe it’s because the other party is the daughter of a corporate giant.
Or maybe it’s both.
“Ahem! Anyway, if you two are happy, we have no intention of interfering. Right, dear?”
“Of course. How could parents stop their children when they’re happy?”
Eventually, my parents seemed to declare a truce, nodding to show they would fully support this side’s opinion.
At that, Seo-ha’s face lit up with joy.
“Really!? Thank you, Father, Mother. I’ll make sure to treat Uju like a new bride for the rest of my life.”
“No, sister. Treating like what?”
I interjected, but it seemed that my words didn’t register at all with her spirited demeanor.
She looked so happy with a giant grin on her face that it seemed unbelievable.
“By the way, sister, have you asked your family for permission?”
“No, I plan to briefly meet with only Father this time. I thought it would be better to greet you two first before that.”
“Ah….”
At her answer, Mom let out a small sigh, looking at me with a face full of words she wanted to say before finally turning her gaze away.
I know what you want to say, Mom. Honestly, I’m already nervous. How can you not be nervous when you’re going to greet the number one conglomerate family in the country?
Still, I promised myself to show my best self and return.
Anyway, with the main topic wrapped up, the tension in the atmosphere eased, and conversation flowed smoothly afterward. It seemed my parents were also feeling more comfortable with Seo-ha now.
“Oh, by the way, I almost forgot. I brought a few things I’d like to give you.”
“Hmm?”
At that moment, as Seo-ha moved towards a mountain of packages piled up behind her, my parents’ eyes widened.
“Uju, can you help me for a second?”
“Of course.”
Ignoring anything else, we started to unpack the parcels one by one. The first item was none other than naturally-grown ginseng.
“W-What is all this?”
“Did you really need to bring all this…?”
Mom’s jaw almost dropped as she examined the contents.
Meanwhile, Seo-ha maintained a calm expression, carefully presenting the basket of ginseng with a gentle smile.
“Actually, I came across some good ginseng this time. I thought it would be perfect for keeping your health in check, so I brought it along.”
“This isn’t just any ginseng or deer antler ginseng… you’re talking about wild ginseng?”
“Yes, Father.”
The precious natural wild ginseng – hearing it’s 15-year-old ginseng made my parents speechless for a while, finally realizing Seo-ha’s background.
“I heard you two have struggled a lot taking care of Uju when he was young since you were both working. I thought something like this might help… do you not like it?”
It wasn’t some random extravagant gift; she brought it knowing my parents’ situation, which made both of them quickly shake their heads in disbelief.
How could they refuse such a generous gift in front of a prospective daughter-in-law?
“Well, that’s not it! We just hadn’t expected to receive something so precious, that’s all. Right, dear?”
“Of course, I never imagined I’d be eating something like this in my lifetime.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Oh, and besides this….”
After a couple of claps, my sister retrieved something else from behind.
From starting with ginseng to Korean beef, fresh seafood packed in an icebox, and even high-quality clothes that looked luxurious.
“……”
“New, New Daughter-in-Law?”
Mom called out to Seo-ha in a bewildered voice at the mountain of gifts filling the living room, but Seo-ha only continued to pull out more presents.
“Ah, I’m sorry, Mother. There are still a few things left. I just wanted to share these with you first….”
“Oh, no! This is already more than enough, so please sit down and eat the fruits. They’ll go bad.”
Is it possible for fruits to “go bad”? Maybe she had microwaved them or something without me knowing.
Regardless of Mom’s flustered protests, Seo-ha happily sat down without hesitation, smiling.
It seemed like Mom really found receiving it all stressful. But at the same time, she couldn’t dismiss the sincerity that Seo-ha had put into bringing her gifts.
“By the way, Mom, where will we be sleeping?”
Finally deciding to change the subject, my first words caught Mom off guard, blinking blankly.
Seriously, if she knew I was coming today, at least she should’ve prepared a place for us to sleep!
“Uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that. I guess you’ll just have to sleep in the living room…”
“…Alright. I’ll just lay down a blanket or something.”
A night of discomfort isn’t a big deal once in a while, so I was nodding at Mom’s words when,
“Uju, you don’t need to do that.”
My sister seized my arm, beaming at me.
What does she mean we don’t need to do that? If she’s suggesting we sleep in the living room together, there’s no way I can allow that.
“We can sleep together!”
“…Huh?”
Just as my curiosity peaked about what her plan was, she accompanied her unexpected suggestion with a grin that transformed her eyes into crescent moons, glistening as if she had spotted her prey.
Sister, wait a second. Let’s talk this over.
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