Ch.166166. If You’re Going to Do It, Do It Right

Marriage, come to think of it, Hwa Nabi’s father said something similar. That day when we unexpectedly ended up having lunch together. While chatting in the bathroom, he asked me when I was going to set a date.

At the time, I thought he was just joking and didn’t take it seriously… but now it seems that wasn’t the case. How do I know? Because my father’s eyes right now look similar to Hwa Nabi’s father’s eyes back then.

“……”

If I had known this would happen, I should have given a better answer. That regret came too late, but what’s done is done. Better to focus on the present.

Noticing that I was struggling with my answer, Hwa Nabi’s hand, which I was holding, squirmed slightly. I gently stroked the back of her hand with my thumb to reassure her.

“Father, there’s something I’d like to say.”

“Hmm.”

Father nodded slowly. It meant go ahead and say what you need to say. Feeling unnecessarily tense, I took a deep breath and slowly opened my mouth.

“Well, I think…”

—Bang!

Just as I was about to speak, the office door swung open. Everyone seated, including myself, turned their heads simultaneously.

A woman with ash-gray hair grown down to her back stood confidently at the threshold. Behind her, I could see my mother sighing deeply. Yes, this untimely intruder was none other than:

“Dad, I’m here!”

Needless to say, it was my sister.

“Yes, Jinwoo is here too.”

“Oh, sis?”

“…What are you doing here?”

Those were, in order, my father’s reaction, my reaction, and my brother’s reaction. Hwa Nabi, sitting next to me, froze up without saying a word.

“Yes, I’m here. It’s been a while, Siwoo. Have you lost some weight? Make sure you’re eating properly.”

“Oh, well. It just happened. But sis, what brings you here?”

My sister left to study in France as soon as she turned twenty, so opportunities to see her face are rare. That’s because she loves living abroad so much that she hardly ever comes back to Korea.

In terms of frequency, it’s about once or twice a year, only occasionally when there’s something important happening in the family. So I naturally assumed she wouldn’t come, but seeing her face now was honestly surprising.

My sister approached without even glancing at my brother. Then she plopped down on the sofa across from me and elegantly crossed her legs.

“What do you mean, what brings me here? That’s quite hurtful. I just came to see my cute little brother’s face after so long.”

Her face was full of smiles, as if she wasn’t just saying it. Did something good happen to her? But that smile didn’t last long because my brother spoke up.

“Why are you sitting next to me?”

“What are you talking about? You think I’m sitting here because I want to? I’m sitting here to see Siwoo’s face, so mind your own business.”

They talked as if they were mortal enemies, but my sister and brother are always like this. According to my mother, they grew up fighting a lot because they were born only a year apart. How old are they now, and they’re still fighting? Children will be children.

“Honey, what were you talking about?”

“Oh, just making some small talk.”

My mother naturally sat down next to my father. With everyone finding their places, the picture was quite peculiar. On the right side of the ”-shaped sofa arrangement were Hwa Nabi and I. Across from us were my brother and sister, and at the head seat were my father and mother.

“The food will be ready soon. Would you like to eat right away?”

“Yes, we should. The kids must be busy with their own schedules.”

“Jiwoo, Jinwoo, and Siwoo, you’ll eat too, right?”

“Yes, of course.”

Since we came to eat together in the first place, that was obvious. My brother followed my lead and agreed, and my sister just nodded.

“By the way, how long has it been since we all gathered like this? It’s so nice to see everyone’s faces. Should we meet at home more often from now on?”

“Yes, it’s nice to see my brother’s face. Let’s make time to get together occasionally.”

“I don’t like seeing your face though.”

“What are you saying? I don’t like it either. Siwoo is the only brother whose face I’m happy to see.”

“Wow, so childish. And you call yourself an older brother.”

“What? Are you done talking?”

“Both of you, stop it.”

As the atmosphere between my brother and sister grew tense, my father, who had been quiet, spoke sternly. Despite their growling at each other, they must be afraid of our father because they immediately shut their mouths.

“But who is this? Is she Siwoo’s girlfriend?”

Just as things seemed to calm down, my sister’s arrow suddenly shot toward Hwa Nabi. Come to think of it, I hadn’t introduced her yet, had I? I gently put my arm around Hwa Nabi’s shoulders and said:

“Yes, my girlfriend. I invited her to introduce her to everyone.”

Since my parents and Hwa Nabi seemed to already know each other, there was no need for a formal introduction, but I explained it this way so my sister would understand quickly.

My sister, still with her legs crossed, folded her arms and looked Hwa Nabi up and down.

“Really? Is that so… Then what happened to that fiancée? Are you still seeing her?”

“Oh, she is the fiancée.”

As if she hadn’t expected that, my sister’s eyes widened. There was a new light in her eyes as she looked at Hwa Nabi. She seemed to have developed a deeper interest in her.

“Ah… so that’s what it was? Hmm, I see.”

“Why? Is there something you don’t like about her?”

“No, she’s someone you chose to be with. Why would I have any problem with that? I just…”

“Just what?”

She just stared intently without answering, then suddenly turned to me with a meaningful smile.

“Just wondering if you had changed your mind in the meantime.”

“Changed my mind? What do you mean by that?”

“You said it before, didn’t you? That you didn’t need a fiancée or anything like that. You were so rebellious about it. Why are you saying something different now?”

“…Did I say that?”

Was this about the first day of high school freshman year, or even before that? I couldn’t recall clearly, so it was difficult to answer hastily.

…And this might just be my imagination, but somehow the temperature of the person next to me seemed to have dropped by about 5 degrees.

“Yes, you nearly turned the house upside down. Father and mother are too soft on you, so of course that conversation was treated as if it never happened.”

“……”

Given her confident tone and the fact that none of the other family members contradicted her, it must be true… but why bring it up here and now? Is my sister trying to get me in trouble? But her expression is too innocent for that.

“Why do you have to bring that up?”

“What? Was I not supposed to mention it? You should have told me beforehand.”

That was my brother speaking, and my sister’s response. I was about to make some excuse, but after glancing at Hwa Nabi’s profile, I immediately decided against it.

“Ahem.”

“Hmm…”

“…Siwoo?”

After a few throat clearings, Hwa Nabi’s ice-cold voice quietly resonated. I unconsciously gulped.

Feeling an inexplicable chill down my spine, I turned my neck like a broken robot.

“Can we talk later? Slowly, just the two of us.”

“Oh, sure…”

*

Eleven-thirty. My family, myself, and Hwa Nabi came down to the kitchen on the first floor and sat at the dining table. My father sat at the head, with my mother beside him. Hwa Nabi and I sat on the right side, while my brother and sister took seats across from us.

“Wow, Mom. You prepared so much! You must have worked hard.”

As my sister said, the table was laden with so many side dishes it looked like it might collapse. Starting with nutritious rice, there was grilled yellow corvina, fresh kimchi, clam soup, mushrooms, salad, white kimchi, stir-fried seafood… it was practically a royal feast.

“It would have been a bit difficult alone, but thanks to our new daughter-in-law’s help, we finished quickly. Thank you, dear.”

“Ah… it’s nothing. It’s what I should do.”

“My goodness, even your words are so pretty! I’d like to meet your parents someday. I want to ask them how they raised such a beautiful daughter.”

“Mom, are you saying I’m not pretty?”

“Yes, having just one daughter like her would fulfill all my wishes. Jinwoo, if you want compliments too, start by helping with housework. Stop wandering around outside.”

“Yes, yes.”

While he was answering halfheartedly, my father started eating. My sister followed his lead, picking up a side dish with her chopsticks and chewing it.

Munching on her food, she suddenly looked up as if something had just occurred to her and stared at me.

“But why call her ‘new daughter-in-law’?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“I mean, she’s your girlfriend, right? Even if she’s your fiancée, you’re not married yet. So I’m curious why she’s being called ‘new daughter-in-law’.”

It seemed like a trivial question, but it actually hit the mark. How should I answer? After thinking for a moment, I decided to address it since the topic had come up.

I needed to clarify this at some point, and if so, it would be better to announce it now while the whole family was gathered. With that thought, I put down my spoon.

“Father, Mother. Brother, Sister. …There’s something I want to say.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Hey, that’s what I was drinking…”

My sister, who had responded casually, didn’t even wait for my brother to finish speaking and gulped down some water. I watched her quietly for a moment, then dropped my statement:

“I want to marry Nabi within this year.”

“…?!”

—Splash.

Water cascaded from my sister’s lips like a waterfall.