Ch.183183. Please Give Me Your Daughter

Why, don’t you see it often in TV dramas? The scene where a man goes to his girlfriend’s parents’ house and shouts, “Please give me your daughter.”

Back when I didn’t know anything, I thought, do people still use such cheap lines? But now that I’m actually in this position, I understand.

Without these clichéd lines, it’s truly difficult to summarize and convey my sincerity.

“…Please give me your daughter.”

Kneeling down, I bowed my head and stared at the living room floor as I spoke. I never imagined I’d be saying something like this. Three years ago, when I first met Hwa Nabi, I couldn’t have imagined we’d end up like this.

Marriage must really be a turning point in life, because all the things that had happened until now flashed before my eyes like a panorama. I shouldn’t be doing this before even getting their approval, but still.

While I was lost in all kinds of thoughts, Hwa Nabi knelt down on one knee beside me.

“Dad, Mom. I’m sorry for saying this without discussing it with you first. But you’ve noticed something was up, right?”

I don’t understand what she’s talking about. Her parents had noticed? I hadn’t even mentioned the ‘M’ word to them yet.

I slightly raised my head to gauge their reactions. I thought they would be surprised by my sudden proposal, but both of them looked surprisingly calm.

How should I put it? They had expressions that suggested they knew this was coming. Somehow feeling a sense of déjà vu, I observed the situation, and her mother crossed her arms, put her hand on her chin, and sighed deeply.

“Of course we knew. How could we not? Our daughter who used to call every day to brag about her boyfriend suddenly changed completely. Asking what foods are good during pregnancy, how to raise children, what it feels like to be a mother. We’d have to be fools not to notice.”

“Mom! When did I ever call to brag about my boyfriend?!”

“Are you denying it now? I have all the call records. Want me to show you?”

“N-no! That’s okay. You don’t need to show me.”

Embarrassed at having her past exposed, Hwa Nabi blushed deeply and hung her head. Watching her, I asked in a voice just loud enough for her to hear.

“Did you really do that?”

“N-no, I didn’t. I really didn’t.”

“…Really?”

When I asked again, she hesitated for a moment, then mumbled in an almost inaudible voice.

“Well, not every day… Maybe every other day…?”

So she did brag about me after all. Acting all prim and proper in front of me, but secretly bragging about me behind my back?

It’s not the kind of thought I should be having while kneeling like this, but discovering this cute side of her makes my heart flutter.

“This is the first I’m hearing of this.”

At that moment, her father, who had been quietly listening, spoke up. Her mother added another comment.

“What do you mean this is the first you’re hearing of it? You already knew because I told you.”

“I heard it from you, yes. But I’ve never heard such stories from our daughter herself.”

Her father’s gaze, while stroking his chin beard, fixed on Hwa Nabi. Under his silent pressure, or what could be called interrogation, she seemed at a loss for words. She glanced at me rather than looking straight at him as she answered.

“I’m sorry about that too, but how could I talk about such things with you, Dad?”

“Why not? We could talk in person, or even over the phone.”

“Unlike Mom, you were always too busy working to talk on the phone. When I was young, whenever I called, you always said you were busy and we’d talk later.”

“…That was a long time ago, wasn’t it? I’ve been less busy recently and had more time.”

“Don’t you remember what happened just last week? When I called to make plans for the weekend, you hung up saying you were busy.”

“……”

Her father fell silent at Hwa Nabi’s sharp counterattack. So these things had been happening without my knowledge. It’s interesting, but I shouldn’t just keep listening.

“…Um. May I get back to the main point?”

I cleared my throat to get their attention and spoke. The reason we gathered at Hwa Nabi’s family home today—marriage permission. That conversation wasn’t finished yet.

“Oh, right. You said you want to marry Nabi?”

“Pardon? Ah, yes. That’s right. I’m truly sorry for bringing this news before even having a proper wedding ceremony. But I’m really confident. I might not seem reliable, but if you give me permission, I’ll really make her happy…”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“…Excuse me?”

Did I just hear wrong? I reflexively asked back in a stupid voice. Are they giving permission so easily? Really, not as a joke?

Honestly, I’m a bit dazed and it doesn’t feel real.

“You can take our second daughter.”

“What? Really? Is that really okay?”

I asked two, three times because I couldn’t believe it. To be honest, I thought I deserved to get hit a few times.

I was thinking this wouldn’t be easy to get permission for, and that I might actually get hit, so I should be well-prepared. I had resolved that even if I got hit, it would be worth it if I got their permission… and I had steeled myself for it.

“Your name is Han Siwoo, right? We’ve heard a lot about you from our Nabi. She says you take such good care of her? That you’re the type who pretends to be indifferent but secretly does everything for her. Seeing you briefly today, I can tell it’s not just her being blinded by love.”

I never dreamed they would welcome me like this. Is this a dream or reality? I blinked blankly before finally coming to my senses.

“Well… that’s…”

“You’re polite, gentlemanly, and have a good personality. Your family background is excellent without even needing to mention it, and you attend a good university, right? The same one as Nabi. Oh, and you tutored Nabi when you were students? It’s not easy to teach someone for free. Did you like Nabi even back then?”

“I… think I did.”

“Oh my, really? How romantic. So you’ve liked each other since you were students and now you’re getting married? That’s a relief. I was worried when my husband insisted on arranging our daughter’s engagement with a man we’d never even met. But now I see it was needless worry. Right?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right. It’s awkward to say it myself, but I think I’ve treated her well enough to be proud of.”

“Yes, I like your confidence. After all, confidence is the most important thing for a man. Isn’t that right, dear?”

“Hmm… that’s right. Confidence is important.”

Her father nodded, looking as uncomfortable as I felt. He seems a bit tired—or is that just my imagination?

“Our Nabi can be a bit scatterbrained, so I’m relieved to have such a dependable son-in-law taking her. You’ll keep her in check without me having to say anything, right?”

“Oh, Mom! Stop saying unnecessary things…!”

Her mother winked as she spoke, and Hwa Nabi blushed deeply in embarrassment. I put my arm around her waist and quickly answered.

“Yes. Don’t worry. I’ll stick to her twenty-four hours a day.”

“I know you’re newlyweds and in your honeymoon phase, but you don’t need to be together all day. Moderation is best in everything.”

“Then… I’ll stick to her for about twenty hours. Is that okay?”

“Yes, that’s just right. Oh, and let me give you some advice as a life senior. If you’re going to have children, you should have at least two. In our family, there’s quite an age gap between the first and second child, and the first one was alone for a long time and felt very lonely. But when Nabi was born, she was so happy that she even changed diapers with her tiny hands!”

“Ah… is that so?”

“And you know what’s interesting? Nabi seemed to know how well her sister treated her, because from the time she started walking, she really loved her sister and followed her everywhere. Then she must have heard the word ‘marriage’ somewhere. When all our relatives were gathered, she said she had something to say, gathered everyone, and announced that she was going to marry her sister when she grew up. It was so funny, heheh.”

“……”

If nothing else, one thing is clear. Hwa Nabi and her mother are definitely biological mother and daughter. Otherwise, I’ll eat my hat.

“And when we told her that girls can’t marry each other, she cried so pitifully. I should have taken a picture of her then. She was so adorable…”

“Dear, I’d like to say something too.”

“Oh, look at me. Alright. I’ll keep it short. Ahem, anyway. What I want to say is this. Have at least two children, three is good too. That way, the child won’t feel as lonely. Understood?”

“Yes. I understand. I’ll do my best.”

“Argh! Really, Siwoo and Mom, what are you both saying?! You’ve both lost your minds!”

The conversation was mainly between me and her mother, but somehow all the suffering fell to Hwa Nabi. She tried to push me away with her completely reddened face, but I firmly held my ground.

“Dear, are you done with what you wanted to say?”

“Yes. If you have something to say, say it now. We’ll be busy soon and might not even get to see each other’s faces.”

“Ahem… Well, young man.”

“Dear, how cold to call him ‘young man’! You should call him son-in-law.”

“…Son-in-law?”

“Yes.”

“I was thinking we could have a little chat.”

Her father glanced at the seat beside him. Then he sighed deeply to himself.

“Just the two of us.”

He added quietly.

“…Ah, yes.”

It seems her father has his own struggles too…