Ch.181181. Even in a Tiger’s Den, Stay Alert

The day to meet Hwa Nabi’s father was set for next Saturday. During the week leading up to it, I made various preparations. Selecting a wedding company, choosing a honeymoon destination, deciding on photography/dress/makeup services and guest count, and accordingly selecting food for the traditional ceremony and wedding invitation designs…

It sounds quite complicated and lengthy when I list it all out, and it really is long and complex. I never realized getting married once would be this difficult. Why are there so many things to prepare and research? And what I just mentioned is merely the tip of the iceberg.

Going into more detail, there’s snap photography, getting formal attire fitted, preparing engagement gifts and so on—there’s so much to prepare… but let’s move past that for now.

Anyway, if my brother hadn’t personally gathered all this information for me, I would have been in serious trouble. From convincing my parents to preparing for the wedding, I feel so indebted for all the help I’m receiving.

[Why would you feel indebted? Family is supposed to help each other. Don’t worry too much about something so trivial.]

“It’s not trivial, that’s why I feel sorry. Really, thank you, bro.”

Thanks to my brother who took charge almost as if it were his own affair, things progressed smoothly. Without him, I’d probably still be wandering around lost. I can’t thank him enough, even if I bowed a hundred times.

[If you’re really grateful, just live well with my sister-in-law. That’s how you can repay me.]

“You’re calling her sister-in-law now?”

[When she marries you, she’ll be my sister-in-law, right? What, are you jealous that I’m using that title?]

“Am I a child? Why would I be jealous over something like that?”

Actually, I was a bit jealous. Even after dating for three years, I still call her by her name rather than a pet name, yet my brother naturally uses a title for her.

Of course, titles and pet names shouldn’t be compared directly… but I’m a bit foolish, so I can’t help comparing them. I wish I could call her by a pet name just like my brother uses that title, you know?

Hmm, what a silly concern. Pushing aside these thoughts, I cleared my throat.

“Anyway, thanks. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.”

[Sure, I’ll make time later. But Siwoo, isn’t it too early to be thankful?]

“Huh? What’s too early?”

[You still haven’t formally received permission to marry from her parents. You know that, right? If you don’t get permission, everything we’ve looked into so far becomes useless.]

My mood sank at my brother’s words. It’s a mountain I need to cross eventually, and I’ve steeled myself for it, but now that the entrance is right in front of me, I can’t help feeling nervous.

Reporting the pregnancy news and asking for marriage permission—either one alone would be overwhelming, but I have to do both simultaneously. My stomach already feels queasy.

“I’ll probably get cursed at, right?”

[You’d be lucky if cursing is all you get. If it were me, fists would be flying first.]

So I’ll get punched before we even start talking. Well, I’d do the same. Imagine allowing your daughter’s fiancé to live with her, only to find out she’s pregnant at twenty and now they want to get married.

At this point, getting punched would be getting off easy, wouldn’t it? If it were my daughter, I couldn’t bear it. I’d have to beat that shameless man who got my precious daughter pregnant several times to feel satisfied.

“…Couldn’t you at least say something encouraging, like it’ll work out?”

But… that shameless man is me.

[Siwoo, want some advice from your brother?]

“Yeah, what is it?”

[Take one hit and then collapse immediately. Pretend you’re badly hurt, and they might give permission out of guilt.]

“Oh come on! Bro, I’m being serious!”

Why is getting hit the basic premise here? I snapped in irritation at his ominous words. Is he really making things worse? I take back all my gratitude from earlier.

[Oh, and try to avoid getting hit in the face. Your parents crafted it well, and it would be a shame if your nose got crooked. Got it?]

“What do you mean ‘got it,’ you jerk!”

I can hear him snickering through the phone. I wanted to hang up immediately since I was already anxious enough, but since I was the one who needed help, I forced myself to wait.

[Alright, alright. Anyway, explain everything well. I’ll take care of the visa. You wanted to go to Puerto Rico, right?]

“Yeah, I heard it’s quiet with few people.”

[I went there once for work, and the hotel view was nice. But there’s not much to do besides ocean sightseeing, and almost nothing to enjoy except cruise casinos. Is that okay?]

“…I don’t think it matters.”

It’s questionable whether we’ll even be able to leave the hotel. Keeping that thought to myself, I responded casually.

[Okay, I’ll hang up then. Take care of your business.]

“Yeah, you too.”

The call ended with a short beep. I put my phone back in my pocket and tapped the top of the steering wheel with my fingers. She should be coming soon.

No sooner had I thought that than the passenger door opened with a clunk. Hwa Nabi, with shopping bags filling both hands, was struggling to squeeze herself in.

“Siwoo, could you take these?”

“What did you buy?”

Looking at what I received, there were all sorts of healthy foods. Dried yellow corvina, beef tenderloin, citron tea, red ginseng…. I told her to spare no expense since we need to make a good impression, and it seems she selected only the most expensive items.

“Your mother will probably like the citron tea, and we can give the red ginseng to your father. You bought well.”

“Actually, I wanted to buy more, but I couldn’t carry anything else. It would have been fine if you were there.”

“There was no parking space, so it couldn’t be helped.”

Since there wasn’t even an external parking lot, I had to keep circling around while Hwa Nabi was shopping in the mart. When I finally found a spot and parked, she was already on her way out with everything purchased.

Talk about bad luck—it feels like we’re starting off on the wrong foot, which makes me uneasy.

“Why is your expression so stiff?”

“Just feeling a bit off.”

“Come on, what could possibly go wrong?”

Saying things like that always seems to invite trouble. I carefully placed the shopping bags I received from Hwa Nabi in the back seat and took the wheel again. As I was about to start the engine and leave, Hwa Nabi, who was fastening her seatbelt, spoke.

“If you’re really feeling bad, just think of it as paying your dues.”

“Paying my dues?”

“Yes. Since we had bad luck just now, it’s time for good luck to come our way, right? That makes it easier on the mind.”

“Hmm, I guess so?”

Right, they say life is full of unexpected turns. If something bad happened, something good will follow.

I leaned sideways to adjust Hwa Nabi’s seatbelt. Having placed the bulging shopping bags at her feet, she smiled at me.

“Siwoo, you know what?”

“What?”

“I really wanted to kiss you just now, but I held back.”

“Hmm, why?”

“Why do you think?”

The expensive car must be worth its price—even with the engine running, I couldn’t feel any movement.

In the motionless vehicle, a pair of emerald eyes gazed at me intently.

“We can kiss later, but instead, I hope something good happens to you.”

“…Really?”

The car moved forward smoothly as I pressed the pedal. Hwa Nabi, leaning against the passenger seat, looked outside rather than at me.

“You owe me for this. So make sure you pay me back later, okay?”

“How should I pay you back?”

“…On our honeymoon?”

*

Twenty minutes later, the navigation announced that we had arrived near our destination. The scenery outside was a green park in the middle of the city, but what’s surprising is that this park is part of an apartment complex.

In Seoul’s city center, where land prices are already sky-high, I can’t even imagine how much money it would take to occupy this much space. I’m guessing you could easily build several buildings and still have money left over.

“What brings you here?”

“Visiting a resident.”

“I see. May I ask which unit?”

After I told the security guard in his stylish uniform the unit number, an intercom connected with a crackling noise.

-Who is…

“Dad, we’re here!”

-….

With a mechanical sound, the barrier lifted. The security guard bowed to us, and I pressed the accelerator to enter the complex.

“That was definitely Dad’s voice, but why didn’t he answer?”

“I don’t know.”

I thought about saying he might have been too shy to respond, but that might hurt her feelings… so I just kept quiet and drove on.

“The buildings are really far apart.”

“But it’s nice to see the park as we drive, isn’t it?”

“It might be fine by car, but it must be inconvenient when walking out.”

“Ah, you’re right. It really is. There’s no convenience store inside this apartment complex, you know? So if you want to go to a convenience store at night, it takes twenty minutes round trip.”

I guess everything has its pros and cons. I nodded in agreement and looked around. Within this complex where the distance between buildings is unusually far, our final destination is the wealthy area located in the innermost part.

I slowly pressed the accelerator while examining the building heights. According to Hwa Nabi, her family home is in the innermost part of the complex and is quite low in height.

“We’re here. It’s the second floor of that building.”

“That one?”

“Yes. The lowest one. Right, right in front.”

As Hwa Nabi said, there was a duplex building so low it was almost embarrassing to call it an apartment. I parked the car in the outdoor parking lot in front of the building. Then, after taking out all the gift sets from the trunk, I climbed the stairs with Hwa Nabi.

“It’s the third floor, right?”

“Yes, unit 304.”

Walking down the corridor, we finally saw our destination, unit 304.

“Phew…”

After stopping in front of the door and taking a deep breath, I reached out to press the doorbell.

“Siwoo, wait a moment.”