Episode 50. Officiating a Wedding (3)
Kang Dae-oh had something he really wanted to hear from Lee Seojun.
It was about the relationship with his girlfriend, which Lee Seojun had just mentioned.
“Is there a problem with your girlfriend?”
“Not a problem. I’m just wondering how I should propose.”
“Propose? You haven’t done it yet?”
“Yes, well……”
Kang Dae-oh, who was both a life senior and a married man senior, shook his head seeing his close dongsaeng hesitating in front of him.
“I thought you had already proposed. You haven’t even done that yet? You said you’re thinking of marrying the person you’re with now. I remember hearing that from you a long time ago.”
“It’s probably been two years, hasn’t it?”
“But why?”
He wondered what the reason for his hesitation was.
It wasn’t like Lee Seojun had an unstable job.
As long as Amare didn’t go bankrupt, Kang Dae-oh would never be the one to let him go first.
In short, it was safe to say it was a lifelong job.
Of course, that didn’t mean Lee Seojun intended to do his work half-heartedly.
The mindset of ‘Kang Dae-oh is backing me up, so no matter what I do, I won’t get fired, it’s fine’ was a concept that went against Lee Seojun’s nature.
On the contrary, it was Lee Seojun’s way of thinking to resolve to work even harder because Kang Dae-oh was watching him.
Kang Dae-oh also highly valued this aspect of Lee Seojun.
This was also one of the secrets to him maintaining a good relationship with Lee Seojun despite a long time having passed.
It wasn’t as if he seemed to have problems with his girlfriend either.
If that were the case, he would have been thinking about how to break up amicably rather than worrying about marriage.
Kang Yebin, seemingly thinking the same thing, asked him with a puzzled expression.
“Did Seoyoung unnie say she doesn’t want to get married?”
Nowadays, there are also couples who choose not to have children even after marriage, known as DINK (Dual Income, No Kids) couples.
It has become a world where children are not a necessity.
Marriage is the same.
Just as there are lyrics from a famous song saying ‘dating is a must, marriage is an option,’ the attitude of ‘if you get along well, that’s great, but why go as far as marriage?’ is also often seen these days.
Because the era where adults had to get married and have children, like in the past, has passed.
However, Lee Seojun shook his head at Kang Yebin’s question.
“Seoyoung also wants to get married.”
“Then Seojun oppa, you just need to make up your mind and propose.”
“I should, but……”
Lee Seojun scratched his head.
The biggest reason he hesitated about the proposal itself was surprisingly very simple.
“I don’t know what to say or what form it should take. This is my first time.”
After hearing the story, Kang Dae-oh let out a hollow laugh.
“Kid. I thought you weren’t the type to care much about such things. You have a meticulous side after all.”
He had known Lee Seojun for a long time. So, Kang Dae-oh thought he knew almost everything about him.
No matter how much you know, you can never truly know a person’s heart.
Aren’t there times when even I can’t understand my own heart?
Let alone piercing through someone else’s heart, that’s even harder.
That’s why Kang Dae-oh wanted to help Lee Seojun as much as possible.
As he himself said, it was his first time.
Although, ideally, it shouldn’t happen twice.
“You just need to honestly express what’s in your heart.”
“What about preparing an event? Wouldn’t something like that be necessary? Like putting a bunch of balloons in the trunk of a car. Or renting out an entire restaurant and having the staff arrange candles in a heart shape. Then pretending to come for a normal meal and then ‘Ta-da!’ and handing over the ring… an event like that……”
Listening to Lee Seojun explain with examples, thinking of them as events, Kang Yebin shuddered.
“Please, no. Don’t do that. Those kinds of proposal events meant to show off to people are actually a negative factor from a woman’s perspective.”
“Oh, really?”
Lee Seojun had thought internally, ‘Isn’t that a pretty good idea?’
It was a good thing he got feedback from another woman.
Kang Dae-oh also fully agreed with Kang Yebin’s words.
“My wife was the same. So, when I proposed, I didn’t do any special events, I just did it quietly.”
“Quietly…… what do you mean by that?”
At some point, Lee Seojun’s eyes sparkled like a student diligently listening to a lecture, and with his ears wide open, he burned with the will to store all the tips Kang Dae-oh was giving into his mind.
Seeing Lee Seojun’s proactive attitude, Kang Dae-oh chuckled briefly.
“You, you must really want to marry your girlfriend now, huh?”
“I’ve desperately realized that it’s not easy to find another woman like my current girlfriend anywhere else.”
“Right. It’s important to firmly hold onto someone when you feel like you want to spend your whole life with them.”
For Lee Seojun, Kang Dae-oh decided to pass on the tips he used when he proposed to Min Seung-yeon.
“Oppa!”
Jo Seoyoung, who had come nearby just as Lee Seojun finished work, approached him with quick steps.
Then Lee Seojun clicked his tongue and warned her.
“Be careful. What if you fall?”
“I just wanted to see oppa a little sooner.”
At his lovely and charming girlfriend’s single remark, Lee Seojun felt the day’s accumulated fatigue vanish instantly.
“Let’s go eat.”
“Okay.”
The moment Jo Seoyoung tried to put her hand into Lee Seojun’s coat pocket.
Lee Seojun quickly changed his position and said.
“Put your hand in this one.”
“What? Are you hiding something in your left pocket?”
“No…… It’s, it’s because my smartphone is there.”
It was a very suspicious reaction to anyone, but Jo Seoyoung decided not to pay much attention to it.
A little later.
The two found a nearby restaurant.
“What’s the name?”
“It’s Kang Dae-oh.”
Jo Seoyoung tilted her head once more.
She had thought it was reserved under Lee Seojun’s name.
She was momentarily surprised that someone else’s name came up.
Lee Seojun chuckled and said.
“The CEO said I usually do my work very well, so he made a reservation for us to eat a lot of delicious food together today.”
“Really? I’ll definitely have to thank the CEO later.”
“You might get to talk to him face-to-face soon.”
At Lee Seojun, who was bringing up many very significant things today, the question marks in Jo Seoyoung’s mind kept increasing.
While they were settled and enjoying a cozy meal together, Lee Seojun pointed outside.
“How’s the view over there?”
The sight of a clock tower decorated with lights in the middle of a subway station plaza was visible.
“It’s cool. This is the first time I knew there was a place near here where you could see such a view.”
“Right?”
Lee Seojun shrugged his shoulders briefly.
While his girlfriend was momentarily distracted by the plaza.
Lee Seojun put his pre-arranged plan into action.
“Seoyoung-ah. This.”
Jo Seoyoung’s pupils widened when she saw the ring case.
“What is this……?”
Lee Seojun, who had been making an awkward expression, firmed his resolve once more and mustered courage.
“It’s like a sign that I hope we can have a deeper relationship now, beyond just boyfriend and girlfriend……”
“What’s that? Tell me more concisely and clearly.”
Jo Seoyoung was not unintuitive.
By this point, it was a situation where she couldn’t help but know what Lee Seojun wanted to tell her.
Ahem!
Lee Seojun cleared his throat with a cough and finally said what Jo Seoyoung had longed to hear.
“Let’s get married, Seoyoung-ah.”
How long had she waited for these words?
Jo Seoyoung nodded immediately without a moment’s hesitation.
“Yes, okay.”
Lee Seojun, who personally put the ring on her finger, then spoke in an apologetic tone.
“I should have proposed with a cooler event. Isn’t it too plain?”
“No. It’s fine. Actually, I wanted something like this. You and I meeting normally, casually, and then oppa subtly giving me the ring while we’re eating. I like this kind of thing.”
These weren’t words she forced herself to say to comfort him, fearing he might fall into self-pity.
“What’s important isn’t the outward appearance shown to others. I think it’s about showing how genuinely the person I love loves me, their heart. I believe that as long as there’s a sincere expression, it doesn’t matter if it’s a grand event or not.”
Lee Seojun couldn’t hide his surprise after hearing Jo Seoyoung’s words.
Jo Seoyoung, on the contrary, was more concerned by his reaction.
“Why?”
“No…… It’s almost exactly what our CEO said.”
Kang Dae-oh also told Lee Seojun this.
That sincerity was important.
“In the end, the CEO’s words were the right answer.”
As he said, there was no need to overthink marriage.
Time passed, and before they knew it, Lee Seojun and Jo Seoyoung’s wedding day approached.
Today was a special day not only for the main characters, the bride and groom, but also for Kang Dae-oh.
Because.
“To think I’d be officiating a wedding in my life.”
It was a first in his life.
Kang Yera, dressed in a splendid dress, said as she massaged her dad’s broad shoulders and back with Kang Yebin.
“You just need to say what Yeyoung wrote in the script, so don’t be nervous.”
“I’m not exactly nervous, but……”
It was because of the burden of whether he should be taking on such an important role.
A little later.
An announcement flowed through the venue.
―The wedding ceremony of groom Lee Seojun and bride Jo Seoyoung will begin shortly, so guests are kindly requested to enter the hall.
To celebrate their wedding today, Kang Yera was to sing the congratulatory song, and Kang Yebin was to be the MC.
Kang Yeyoung was in charge of filming Lee Seojun and Jo Seoyoung’s wedding venue with a camera.
While the daughters left to perform their respective assigned duties.
Min Seung-yeon enthusiastically cheered on Kang Dae-oh as he prepared to officiate.
“Go do well. Don’t make any mistakes.”
“Okay.”
After the bride and groom’s entrances were all finished.
Finally, Kang Dae-oh took his place at the officiant’s stand, introduced by Kang Yebin.
“I am Kang Dae-oh, officiating this wedding. Having been married for quite a long time myself, I think I’ve come to understand what the important keywords are for maintaining happiness.”
Kang Dae-oh looked alternately at Lee Seojun and Jo Seoyoung as he spoke.
“Mutual consideration, interest, affection, and love. Only when all of these come together can you truly form a happy family. So, I hope the two of you continue to cherish, care for, and love each other. And if circumstances allow later on……”
Kang Dae-oh’s gaze swept over Kang Yebin at the MC stand, Kang Yeyoung moving around with a camera, and Kang Yera preparing the congratulatory song in the back, one by one.
“I also recommend having and raising beautiful children. Your happiness will be doubled.”
His words were advice that came from the heart.
