When Lee Jung-woo received a call, Kim Ah-young was deeply immersed in the world of blogs.
But then she unexpectedly heard a request from Lee Hyun-woo’s mother to show her face.
“Did something happen again?”
(My brother asked a question he couldn’t handle. He asked mom about her wishes. Our mother said she wants to see her daughter-in-law soon. If not that, at least her girlfriend.)
“Ah…”
(But I hesitated to defend my brother. Honestly, he has shown his face to the in-laws a few times.)
Lee Jung-woo was right.
Lee Hyun-woo had come home several times to show his face to the parents.
And as confirmed with Kim Tae-hyun recently, it seemed like the parents acknowledged Lee Hyun-woo as their daughter’s girlfriend.
‘Come to think of it, I haven’t considered Hyun-woo’s parents.’
Of course, she had somewhat served them last time at 【Seorabeol Hotel】.
But that was a trick to show her face without the parents knowing.
After hearing this, she realized she couldn’t hide it any longer.
“Alright. I’ll talk to Hyun-woo about it tomorrow.”
(Really? Oh, I hope this doesn’t cause a bigger issue because of me.)
“No, it’s time we talked about it.”
(Then, can I ask for one favor? Please don’t mention that I told you this.)
“Sure, I’ll pretend not to know and bring it up naturally.”
After hanging up, Kim Ah-young felt complicated.
No matter how comfortable you are, meeting your boyfriend’s parents is never easy.
And now, she had to meet them because of her own request.
If things went wrong, the parents might find her uncomfortable.
It reminded her of morning dramas.
In those dramas, if she was the daughter of a chaebol and Lee Hyun-woo was the son-in-law, then Lee Hyun-woo’s parents would be the ones losing their son to a rich family.
‘Ah, I went too far with my thoughts.’
Thinking this way only made her heart heavier.
First, she needed to bring it up casually with Lee Hyun-woo.
So the next day, she visited him around the time he got off work and brought it up nonchalantly.
“Oppa said you should keep a close watch on yourself.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“It’s the season when matchmakers in Gangnam are active. They usually set up capable men and women of marriageable age.”
“And then?”
“You’re their top priority. They’re gathering information and will approach your parents to persuade them with good matches.”
“Hahaha, that’s funny. How will they execute it?”
“Of course, they’ll approach your parents and persuade them to set you up with a good match.”
“Hey, my parents don’t care about that stuff.”
“You never know. We’re already twenty-eight. Parents are thinking about our future.”
Lee Hyun-woo’s eyebrows raised.
‘That’s true. My mom was pressuring me so much yesterday…’
He imagined a scene where a matchmaker showed his mother photos, explaining each potential match.
“Indeed…”
“Actually, my Oppa is seeing someone. Both families have agreed. But there was someone playing the matchmaker role.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, but I’m… So… My parents and Oppa told me to hold on a bit more. Do you get what I mean?”
She skipped a lot in between.
That’s why she stuttered, but Lee Hyun-woo nodded.
“So, it’s your brother’s turn first? Of course, there’s an order to things.”
“Yes. Waiting is fine, but I’m worried your parents might be persuaded by the matchmakers.”
She had to stutter while saying this.
It hurt her pride to say it herself.
‘Why do I always have to seem like I love Hyun-woo more?’
It was simple. She was a chaebol’s daughter. A daughter of a prestigious chaebol family in Korea who considered themselves aristocrats.
Suddenly, she disliked that.
But she couldn’t leave that circle, so she had to be vulnerable and take the initiative in front of Lee Hyun-woo.
And he understood that.
Because Kim Ah-young was already expressing everything with her face.
‘So… she’s insecure and wants me to at least let my parents know about her?’
It was 100% accurate.
He felt sorry.
Seeing Kim Ah-young worrying because of him made him feel bad.
As he was thinking this, her voice came again.
“Actually, you’ve met my parents several times.”
Nod, nod.
“Of course, I’ve met your parents too, but it’s completely different. You were formally invited to our house, but I just… greeted them briefly when your company expanded and then at 【Seorabeol Hotel】…”
“Ah-young.”
“…service… huh?”
“I’m sorry to bring this up now, but I’ll invite you to our house.”
“……?”
“I’ll formally introduce you as my girlfriend.”
“Really?”
“Of course. No, I’m sorry. I haven’t paid attention to such things.”
“No… why are you sorry… I’m more sorry…”
When a couple’s love blossoms, they often say ‘I’m more sorry’ and ‘I’m more grateful,’ which later turns into ‘I love you more.’
They were in the former stage now.
“And I’m always grateful.”
“What are you talking about? I’m more grateful.”
“Anyway, I want to formally introduce you to my parents. I’m going to the U.S. next week, so how about this weekend?”
“I… sure.”
She had a lot on her mind, but now she felt relieved, and Kim Ah-young smiled brightly.
Then she remembered something and quickly said to Lee Hyun-woo.
“But I have a request.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“Don’t tell them immediately that I’m the daughter of such a family.”
“…….”
“I mean… honestly, I don’t want your parents to feel uncomfortable with me. Let’s just say my parents run a small business. No, saying ‘small’ would be deceiving…”
“Got it. I’ll handle it well.”
Lee Hyun-woo looked at her closely.
She seemed even more beautiful today, perhaps because of her kindness.
‘Come to think of it, she brought up the matchmaker story to steer the conversation this way.’
He even suspected she might have talked to Lee Jung-woo.
If so, he felt even more grateful.
She decided to show her face to his mother after hearing from his brother.
He naturally decided to treat her even better from now on.
Though his conclusion was a bit off,
‘I should aim to retire before forty, not just by forty.’
To be more family-oriented after marriage, he thought he should retire at least five years earlier.
When Lee Hyun-woo told his parents that Kim Ah-young would visit over the weekend, they were very pleased.
And that joy turned to surprise when they met Kim Ah-young.
“Hey, her face looks familiar…?”
“Indeed. I’m sure we’ve met… Haven’t we met before?”
“Please, speak comfortably, Mother, and Father. I think we met at 【Seorabeol Hotel】 last time.”
“Oh, right!”
“Yes, that’s it.”
Both of them remembered and gave Kim Ah-young a bright smile.
Seeing this, Lee Hyun-woo and Lee Jung-woo exchanged a meaningful look.
‘It was your doing back then.’
‘Indeed. But it wasn’t bad, right?’
Lee Hyun-woo turned his gaze from his brother and spoke again.
“Back then, Ah-young prepared that event for you two.”
“Really? That must have cost a lot.”
“Indeed. Isn’t that place expensive? Is that a burden for you?”
“We only received and haven’t given anything yet, so I feel sorry.”
“No, Hyun-woo treats me so well. I received so much I couldn’t handle it. So I planned that event with Jung-woo. Oh, I’m sorry for not telling you then. It was hard to explain our relationship.”
“Actually, I’ve been lukewarm about it.”
As Lee Hyun-woo and Kim Ah-young explained the past events, the parents listened.
It seemed they didn’t plan to nitpick every detail in the first meeting.
“Alright. This rascal must have been at fault.”
“Exactly. Hyun-woo hides things sometimes. He even keeps secrets from us. Anyway, enjoy the meal comfortably today. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I made a bit of everything.”
“Please, speak comfortably. I’ll enjoy the meal.”
Had she prepared herself mentally before coming?
Kim Ah-young received the parents’ words calmly.
It was the same during the meal.
She matched their eating pace and answered their questions sincerely.
“Are your parents… healthy?”
“Yes, they are.”
“Do you have any siblings?”
“I have an older brother and two younger sisters.”
“Mom, you’re being too inquisitive for a first meeting.”
Then, Lee Jung-woo intervened to shield her.
He worried that digging deeper might reveal her identity as the eldest daughter of the 【Guseong】 family.
By the way, before Kim Ah-young came, Lee Hyun-woo had told his parents that her father ran a business.
So he didn’t lie, but he skillfully concealed the truth.
He had already told Lee Jung-woo and asked for his cooperation, and his younger brother was doing an excellent job.
However, sometimes, the cheeky Lee Jung-woo would cross the line.
“Sister-in-law, you should call me ‘doryeonnim’ from now on.”
“You brat! Where did you learn to act so cheeky?”
“Exactly. Ah-young, please understand. He’s still young and immature.”
Kim Ah-young felt happy.
To be precise, she felt a sense of warmth.
She could sense a different atmosphere from her own home in various ways.
It even explained why the person she loved was so bright and positive.
After the meal, she quickly recalled what Park Min-sook had taught her.
“Mother, I’ll do the dishes.”
Kim Ah-young, who had never touched dishwater, still took the initiative.
- Don’t worry, they won’t make you actually do it, so don’t worry, Park Min-sook had said.
Park Min-sook was right.
“What are you saying? Why would I make a guest do the dishes? And it’s not something to worry about now. I’ll have that brat do it after you leave.”
“Oh, mom! That’s too much!”
Seeing Lee Hyun-woo’s mother point at Lee Jung-woo with her chin, Kim Ah-young still stood up.
“Then let me at least clear the table.”
“Oh, no. If you don’t know where to put them, I’ll have to reorganize later. Just sit next to Hyun-woo. His dad has a mountain of questions for you.”
“But still…”
“No, it’s fine.”
“Okay… I’ll help next time.”
“Sure, do that.”
In the end, Kim Ah-young sat next to Lee Hyun-woo and received questions from his father.
Later, his mother joined in, and with Lee Jung-woo’s appropriate interventions, her first visit ended in great success.
After she left, Lee Hyun-woo’s parents whispered to each other.
“She’s wearing our clothes.”
“Really?”
“Yes, the ones we got from Dongdaemun and sold online. She must have gotten them on purpose.”
“How considerate.”
They both smiled broadly.
It was clear that Kim Ah-young was trying to make a good impression.
So, when Lee Hyun-woo returned after dropping her off, they said,
“You’ve been studying and working all this time, but you also found time for romance?”
“I guess so. You’ve chosen a wonderful woman.”
Lee Hyun-woo’s smile grew wider, reaching his ears.
