TSS 04

Chapter : 4

On the way back home after having early on dropped Ha-yeon off, Geon-hyung, who was driving, kept letting out silly laughs.

What an idiot.

Feeling pathetic, he deliberately pressed his lips together. Still, the corners of his mouth twitched upward.

Rrr.

Just then, the speakerphone rang loudly. Glancing at the phone screen on the mount, he saw the name Choi Gyu-min clearly displayed.

“Yes?”

• Hey, Geon-hyung. Where are you now?

“Perfect timing. I’m just on my way home after dropping someone off.”

• Then come home immediately.

“Now? I was going to go home anyway tonight…”

• You little brat. When your father says come, you come. Your mother is waiting.

Hearing that his mother was waiting, there was no use refusing. His father would drag Geon-hyung in front of his mother by the collar if he tried.

“Understood.”

With that single word, the call ended abruptly—no farewell, no nothing. His father sure was impatient. Well, the father’s impatience wasn’t all bad; it might even hasten the wedding.

‘I’ll have to try to persuade him about the wedding gifts and stuff…’

The gifts, the venue, the… oh, the dress. Anyway, everything would be chosen to be the absolute best. Only the best for Ha-yeon.

Of course, his father would scold him, saying his eyes went completely crazy the first time he met a woman. Still, he would eventually understand. After all, he himself had done the same. Money wasn’t exactly scarce anyway. Geon-hyung quickly changed lanes.

But what awaited him at home wasn’t a simple matter like the gifts or the wedding date.

“What do you mean by that?”

Geon-hyung set the coffee cup he was holding down on the table. Coffee sloshed and spilled slightly.

Even though he had already eaten a meal and dessert, his mother still wanted to give him something to eat. If he didn’t drink the coffee she personally served, his father would surely scold him, so he took only a few sips.

“Let’s just forget about this marriage.”

Geon-hyung frowned, and his father awkwardly continued.

“You were the one who brought up the matchmaking in the first place, weren’t you?”

“Well… it was a situation that was hard for us to refuse.”

Ha-yeon’s father, Na Myeong-shin, was currently one of the rising politicians, but he had only recently entered politics and lacked a strong backing. Wondering how to make up for his insufficient background, his eyes fell on his two daughters. Among connections, marriage alliances were the top priority. In the end, his eldest, Hye-yeon, was engaged to either the second or third son of a media group, and the second, Ha-yeon, was set to meet Geon-hyung.

What more does a politician need if he has media and money?

“Then why do you want to refuse now?”

“…Well, it seems the girl has quite a few suitors lined up. And all of them in similar situations…”

“Similar situations?”

“Well… I heard it at the golf meeting today. The second son of A Finance, the fourth son of C Capital, even the eldest of F Finance, remember? The guy who got divorced last year due to domestic violence. They all checked him out. They ranked them by asset size, like some kind of grading system, step by step.”

“Asset size…?”

Geon-hyung’s brows furrowed angrily. The men his father mentioned weren’t in the same league as him. Still, in terms of asset size, the son of F Finance—a total crazy lunatic—was next after Geon-hyung.

Geon-hyung muttered in disbelief.

“It’s one thing to check out potential matches, but… picking a guy who beat his wife to get divorced as a prospective son-in-law? Is that how wealthy families usually operate?”

His father began to patiently persuade Geon-hyung.

“Think about it. Politics relies heavily on image. Isn’t it strange to only consider families with shady backgrounds?”

“This isn’t the first time such a proposal has come. You know that too, right?”

No matter the family background, there were plenty of families across business and politics interested in Geon-hyung.

Money rules the world. When Geon-hyung became CEO of Ise Financial, the Ise Group rapidly grew and secured substantial wealth.

In other words, by the time Geon-hyung turned thirty-four, it wasn’t the first matchmaking proposal he had received.

“Right, so this time, refuse it, just like before.”

“Unlike last time, you even dragged me by the collar to the meeting place!”

“Well…”

“You could’ve at least given me a heads-up. But you showed up early on a weekend morning…”

Until he turned thirty-four, his parents were indifferent to whether he married or not. Because of that, he could refuse every matchmaking proposal. But this time, his father suddenly appeared early in the morning and dragged him out.

Trying to offer some excuse, Geon-hyung retorted.

“What time was it? I was asleep! Do you know how many times you called me?”

“You had an entertainment meeting yesterday! And you set that meeting yourself. I don’t even know why I have to entertain your friend…”

“…Your mother never told you to stop drinking.”

“Anyway, you know how much I would drink with Chairman Kim. I barely fell asleep after drinking until dawn, and then you appeared, hitting me over the head. Who would think that was a matchmaking meeting? I felt like I was being kidnapped, shoved into the back seat, and then suddenly ended up at a French restaurant.”

Grumbling, Geon-hyung suddenly remembered Tae-seon.

That bastard Tae-seon… He knew I was drunk and still booked a French restaurant.

Anyway, when Geon-hyung arrived at the restaurant, he hadn’t fully recovered from the previous night’s drinking. And in front of him, a woman was shedding tears like little chicken droppings. How absurd it was.

…Now that he thought about it, it was somewhat fortunate. Anyway.

“You drag me out, then now you say whether to proceed or not? Does that make sense?”

Geon-hyung ended firmly. With nothing left to say, his father glanced nervously at his mother. Geon-hyung then looked at his mother. The matchmaking seemed strange from the very start. Could it be that she was behind all this?

Seeing the two men nervously observing her, his mother finally spoke.

“…So, do you like her?”

“Darling!”

“I understand Gyu-min’s point. This marriage seems a little suspicious, and wanting to cancel it is understandable, so I’ve stayed silent until now.”

“Yeon-sook!”

“You were the one who immediately set the meeting and dragged the kid along. Not me.”

“Ha… But Yeon-sook, didn’t you also want Geon-hyung to start thinking about marriage…”

“And you want it to be right this instant?”

“Well… that’s…”

Listening to his parents’ conversation, Geon-hyung groaned. He seemed to understand the situation, rubbing his face as if washing it dry.

‘So, mother was just casually saying, “Should we get Geon-hyung married?” and father overreacted as usual…’

In truth, it didn’t matter who he met. As long as he got married, that was enough. The fact that his father intervened later was actually fortunate; otherwise, they might have already been on a honeymoon next month.

Or maybe she’d be asking about honeymoon babies.

“So, do you like her?”

Taking advantage of his father’s silence, his mother asked again. Geon-hyung didn’t know what to say, even though he wasn’t embarrassed easily.

“You seem to. Your expression and raised voice give it away.”

Seeing Geon-hyung hesitate, his mother had already guessed. Smiling gently, she began to settle the situation.

“No matter what, darling. If he likes her, what can we do? If he wants to marry, let him.”

“Darling!”

“Honestly, what could our family lose? I was a bar madam, and you were a moneylender.”

“Bar… madam?!”

His father stiffened. “Bar madam” sounded a bit odd. She had been the young owner of an exclusive, members-only high-class teahouse frequented only by conglomerates and politicians.

Even so, his father wasn’t exactly a worker. His grandfather had been a street tough, but he got into finance to ensure his own children never had to do that. By Geon-hyung’s generation, the company had become respectable.

“Well, it’s still selling water. What else could we possibly lose besides money?”

However, his mother often teased him with “bar madam” or “selling water” to fluster him, and he could never oppose her. This time, too, she successfully silenced him. Though his brows were furrowed mercilessly.

Geon-hyung cautiously asked his mother,

“Then… can I proceed with this marriage?”

“Your mother approves. She’s glad you want to marry, and she’s curious about the girl.”

Hearing his mother’s approval, Geon-hyung’s heart swelled with anticipation. As he thought, if there’s a chance, it’s best to act.

“But I understand your father’s point… Be careful. Take your time with the ceremony, and have children gradually.”

“Be… careful?”

Could it be that “careful” meant…?

Geon-hyung’s face turned bright red. No, it couldn’t be. Could it?

But his mother’s next words flattened his anticipation mercilessly.

“Take care of your lower half. In a lecherous family, who knows what excuse they might make… What’s the refined term? Ah, pre-marital chastity.”