Ch.205205. 1 Hour and 30 Minutes Before the Ceremony

“……What?”

I was absentmindedly mulling it over when I was startled. I almost missed it, but if he’s my wife’s grandfather, that means he’s Hwa Nabi’s grandfather. The chairman of the Hwa Group came all the way here?

It’s not strange for a grandfather to attend a family wedding, but I couldn’t help being surprised since I hadn’t been given any heads-up. I instinctively turned to look at Hwa Nabi, and unlike me, she seemed quite excited.

“Siwoo. Did you just hear? My grandfather is downstairs!”

“Uh, what? Yeah. I did hear that.”

“Honey, didn’t your father say he was too busy to come?”

My mother, who had been listening quietly, asked my father-in-law. Dressed in a formal suit, he glanced at his wristwatch and looked toward the elevator as he spoke.

“That’s what I thought too, but he changed his mind this morning. He said he should at least show his face at his first granddaughter’s wedding.”

“That’s true. But really, Father can be so unpredictable sometimes.”

“Indeed. It would be nice if he gave us some notice before coming.”

My father-in-law grumbled and glanced at me. Our eyes naturally met, and I, who had been half-dazed, finally came to my senses.

“No need to be too nervous. He’s a busy man, so he said he’d just show his face and leave.”

“Ah… I see.”

“You look concerned. You’re not disappointed that he won’t stay until the end, are you?”

“What? No, of course not.”

I quickly shook my head to indicate that wasn’t the case. My father-in-law patted my shoulder again and leaned in close, whispering just loud enough for me to hear.

“He’s not one for formalities, so as long as you maintain basic courtesy, he’ll think well of you.”

The problem is I’m not sure what that basic courtesy entails. What seems disrespectful to one person might not be to another.

Still, I figured I’d just act as I normally do. After all, I’ve never been accused of being disrespectful.

My father-in-law turned around and started walking ahead, and the rest of us, including me, followed him toward the first floor.

“You’ve never met him before, right?”

Hwa Nabi, walking beside me, asked. Though there was no subject in her question, it was obvious who she was referring to.

“No, I haven’t. What kind of person is your grandfather?”

“Hmm… First of all, he’s busy all year round, so there’s hardly any chance to see him. It’s difficult to meet him except on family occasions or important events. In terms of frequency, maybe two or three times a year?”

“Is he that busy?”

“Yes, extremely busy. But when we visit him, he always makes time to see us. He gives us a lot of pocket money too. That helped me when I was living alone.”

“Really? I don’t think I’ve heard about that before.”

“There was no need to mention it. And since we’re on the topic, about half the cost of the meals I made for you during our senior year came from my grandfather’s money.”

Hwa Nabi looked around cautiously and whispered, which made me pause. This feels a bit unfair. If someone overheard, they might think I visited my girlfriend’s apartment every day just to get free meals.

Well, I did eat there, but it wasn’t without compensation. I definitely paid my dues. For every dinner I received, I tutored her one-on-one until late at night. Even at minimum wage, that would more than cover the cost of the meals. If anything, I was giving her a discount.

…Such thoughts surfaced, but I swallowed them, knowing it would lead to a lengthy discussion. I fumbled with my words for a moment before changing the subject.

“Then I should thank your grandfather. So, what else?”

“Not much else. He can be a bit capricious, but not enough to worry about, and his personality is quite mild without any rough edges.”

“Hmm, is that so?”

From what I’ve gathered so far, Hwa Nabi’s grandfather is somewhat capricious but not rough around the edges, doesn’t care much for formalities, and is kind to his granddaughter.

Well, that sounds like an ordinary grandfather you could meet anywhere. I thought he might have some extraordinary qualities as the current chairman of the Hwa Group. But hearing about him, he seems surprisingly ordinary, which is reassuring.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

As I was walking comfortably, having let go of my tension, Hwa Nabi suddenly spoke as if she had just remembered something. Wondering what else there could be, I asked with my eyes, and she furrowed her brow delicately.

“He exercises regularly, so he’s in good shape. When you see him, you won’t believe he’s in his 60s.”

“Oh… really? He must look young for his age.”

Well, even so, he probably isn’t that different from others his age. The human body loses muscle quickly even if it’s hard to build, and physical abilities gradually decline with age.

Moreover, as the chairman of a group, he must find it difficult to make personal time. Even if he takes care of his body, he’s probably just a bit better than others his age.

With that thought, I added a casual remark, and Hwa Nabi looked at me with a meaningful smile.

“Yes. He looks VERY young for his age. VERY.”

…I would soon understand the meaning behind that smile.

*

In the lobby on the first floor where the ceremony was to be held.

“…Oh.”

Standing in the center, I was quite bewildered. The reason was that Hwa Nabi’s grandfather, in other words, my wife’s grandfather, looked very different from what I had expected.

“So, you’re my granddaughter’s husband.”

A large man, accompanied by company employees and a group of bodyguards, extended his hand to me.

…Is this really Hwa Nabi’s grandfather? Really? Hwa Nabi’s grandfather who is well into his 60s?

Such doubts flooded my mind, but I couldn’t show it, so I pulled myself together and shook his hand first.

“Yes. Nice to meet you, Chairman.”

“Chairman? We’re practically family now. Just call me Grandfather comfortably.”

He smiled kindly, but it didn’t feel like a smile. Maybe it’s because he’s so imposing that just standing in front of him makes me shrink.

Even in a formal suit, his broad shoulders were clearly visible, and it was definitely not the physique of someone in their 60s. If you covered his face and just looked at his body, you might believe he was in his 30s.

His build was incredibly robust, at least on par with my father-in-law, if not more so.

“Ah, yes. I understand. Grandfather.”

Now I understand why Hwa Nabi smiled when she said he looked young for his age. This isn’t just looking young; it’s like he’s undergone rejuvenation. It’s extremely disrespectful to think this, but I genuinely believe I would lose in a fight against him.

“Hmm. When does the ceremony start?”

“At eleven o’clock, Grandfather.”

“Eleven o’clock, I see.”

After releasing my hand, Grandfather turned his head. Hwa Nabi, who met his gaze, approached with a bright expression.

“Grandfather!”

“Yes, my granddaughter. Have you eaten?”

“I haven’t because I need to wear my dress. I don’t want my stomach to stick out and look less pretty.”

“You’re already plenty pretty, so I think you could eat well. Don’t you agree?”

After a light hug, Grandfather’s gaze met mine. He was clearly asking me. I quickly nodded and answered.

“Yes, of course. I’ll make sure she eats well, so please don’t worry too much.”

“Good. I’ll trust my granddaughter’s husband on this.”

Did I just hear, ‘If you don’t feed my granddaughter properly, I’ll fold you in half’? Or was that my imagination?

He’s been speaking casually all along, but when he suddenly used formal speech for just one sentence, it felt even more intimidating…

“Gwandfathew!”

A childish voice came from below. Narin was calling her grandfather excitedly as she approached. Grandfather crouched down to meet Narin’s eyes and gently stroked her head.

“My youngest granddaughter. You’ve grown a bit taller since I last saw you, haven’t you?”

“Yes, I’ve grown two centimeters already!”

“You’re growing so fast because you’re young. At this rate, your head will soon touch the ceiling.”

After having a warm conversation with his granddaughters, Grandfather stood up. Next, his gaze turned toward where my father-in-law and mother-in-law were standing.

Noticing this, my father-in-law and mother approached slowly.

“Have you been well, Father?”

“If you were coming, you should have given us notice. We might not have enough seats.”

In order, it was my mother’s greeting and my father-in-law’s mild rebuke. Grandfather glanced at the secretary he had brought and answered.

“I need to leave before the ceremony starts, so there won’t be a shortage of seats.”

“But it’s your granddaughter’s wedding. Send your staff ahead and at least stay for the ceremony.”

“Hmm, that’s difficult.”

Seeming to consider it, Grandfather held his chin and tapped his lips.

“What time is my next schedule?”

“We can delay until 12:30, Chairman.”

“12:30. Not quite enough, but that should be fine.”

At Grandfather’s nod, the secretary and several staff members quickly disappeared. The instructions were completed without him saying much.

“Oh, so Grandfather, you’re going to stay for my whole wedding?”

“I can’t stay for all of it, but I can at least watch the ceremony. Your grandfather is very busy, so can you understand?”

“Hmm… Yes. It can’t be helped since it’s work. But when the ceremony is going on, please don’t do anything else and focus on watching. Okay?”

“Yes, I understand. I’ll make sure to watch attentively.”

They say that someone of a chairman’s stature can command people with just a glance, and that seems to be true. As I was quietly marveling at what had just happened, my phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket.

I checked and saw it was a KakaoTalk message from my brother.

Brother [I’m almost there. I should go to where the ceremony hall is, right?]

Me [Yeah. We’re in the lobby on the first floor now.]

Brother [Got it. I’ll be there.]

After sending a simple reply, I looked up. For some reason, everyone’s attention was focused on me. I wondered if it was because I was using my phone, but judging by their expressions, that wasn’t it.

“Siwoo, who were you texting? What did they say?”

“Huh? My brother. He asked where to go, so I told him to come directly to the ceremony hall.”

Just as I answered, the sound of a car engine came from outside the building. A deep, heavy sound. Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw a black limousine stop at the entrance of the building.

Could it be? No sooner had I thought this than a very familiar-looking man got out of the back seat.

Wearing sunglasses, the man looked around quickly, and upon spotting me, waved his hand in greeting.

—Siwoo, over here!

“Uh… oh.”

He’s not a child, so why is he doing this in front of everyone? Embarrassed, I waved my hand to signal him to lower his.

But misunderstanding my gesture, my brother got even more excited and raised both hands above his head, waving them like he was dancing.

—I brought a gift too!

Everyone’s gaze, except for Hwa Nabi’s, fixed on my brother and then returned to me. Their eyes seemed to ask who that person was.

I wanted to pretend I didn’t know him, but since they would find out soon anyway, I honestly admitted:

“That’s my brother.”

“Ah… I see. Your in-law seems very… positive. That must be nice.”

“……”

I’m sorry about my brother.