“Who are you to butt in?”
“I-I’m the person who married Pyeonghwa!”
Gong Pyeonghwa let out a pterodactyl-like scream.
It was truly a line that set fire to the heart of Gong Pyeonghwa, the romantic!
Chairman Gong dropped his baseball bat in surprise. His head spun like it had become one with the baseball bat rolling on the floor with a clang.
“What… a man? A man…? You said there’s a child? What…?”
Though he prided himself on being open-minded, Chairman Gong, realizing he was a frog in a well, cleared his throat belatedly and pretended to be dignified while thinking of Saebyeok as a woman with short hair.
“This young lady has set up house with this rascal?”
Even looking closely, Saebyeok was obviously a man, but Chairman Gong, who was excessively open-minded yet simultaneously conservative, believed without doubt that Saebyeok was a woman.
“I’m not a young lady… I’m a man. I’m Shin Saebyeok of Baekgang. I’m a man, and an omega.”
“What did you say!”
He grabbed the back of his neck, but Chairman Gong, with his exceptionally healthy cardiovascular system, couldn’t faint this time either.
However, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything to Saebyeok, who was hanging his head like a criminal and unable to speak.
“Ah! Dad, why are you crushing my husband’s spirit!”
Instead, this bastard. This detestable bastard.
He delivered a nuclear flick to the forehead of his precious child, whom he loved so much it hurt.
“Ow! That hurt!”
“P-Pyeonghwa, don’t hit him! Hit me instead!”
“Just try to touch him. I’ll spread your dirty secrets to the press, no, to the whole world.”
This, this, this unfilial child? This time, he was determined to fall backward, but his body, as robust as his child, wouldn’t listen.
Chairman Gong felt like he had aged 10 years in 10 minutes.
His blood boiled seeing these young people living their best lives.
“Water.”
“Go get it yourself.”
“I know. I was just saying…”
While he trudged weakly to the kitchen to replenish his fluids alone and lonely, the living room had already become cheerful and harmonious.
“Oh my. Peek-a-boo! Peek-a-boo!”
“To think I have a niece…”
“So cute.”
The smiling baby had stolen the hearts of everyone in the living room.
‘How can everyone laugh in this situation? The son I sent abroad to study has brought back a child born outside? And with a man? And with the son of that unlucky pile of dung?’
Chairman Gong was indignant.
“Have you all lost your minds! What’s so pretty about that guy that you’re all giggling like that!”
Chairman Gong was about to point at Saebyeok but changed direction and wildly gestured at Gong Pyeonghwa.
“I sent you abroad to study! Huh?”
Despite her husband’s rage, Gong Pyeonghwa’s mother remained calm.
“Other people’s children do drugs and get shot, but these kids studied and also fell in love.”
Faced with the clearly imbalanced comparison of ‘doing drugs and getting shot vs. studying, getting married, and having a baby,’ Chairman Gong could only open and close his mouth.
“Is it a girl? Or a boy?”
“She’s a princess.”
What? A girl? Chairman Gong, who had three children—Gong Jeong, Gong Pyeonghwa, and Gong Sarang—but openly favored Gong Sarang and was a daughter-obsessed father, finally looked at Iseul at those words.
Perhaps because she was a girl, the little one already had long eyelashes and deer-like eyes. Her small hands that made baby sounds were so small and chubby that one wanted to put them in their mouth.
Feeling excluded from this seemingly joyful situation, Chairman Gong subtly moved closer.
“Hey hey. Don’t come closer.”
‘This guy?’
“Go wash your hands. Our baby still has a weak immune system.”
Since that wasn’t wrong, Chairman Gong obediently washed his hands thoroughly.
When he returned, the living room had refreshments set out, and the atmosphere was as harmonious as a holiday.
“What happened to your face?”
“Ah. I was doing a persuasion presentation at my in-laws’ house.”
“What did you do to…”
Unaware that it was a self-harm intimidation performance for psychological dominance, Chairman Gong’s anger boiled momentarily.
‘This bastard knows to hide the golf clubs when he doesn’t want to be hit, but he comes back with slapped cheeks from someone else’s father? If you’re going to get hit, it should be by me!’
First, he was furious at the sneakiness that while he knew he deserved to be hit, he only offered his buttocks to his own father but offered his cheeks at another house.
‘And he visits that scholar’s house before ours?’
Second, he was furious at the impertinence of not coming to them first.
‘But they both failed to control their sons the same way, so why hit only my child?’
Chairman Gong, unaware of Gong Pyeonghwa’s unilateral self-harm intimidation, was boiling inside.
‘They made a child alone? Alone? Children are born because they like each other! Because they’re a perfect match!’
His son, unaware of his parent’s seething feelings, was grinning broadly and looking pleased. Gong Pyeonghwa’s bright smile tore Chairman Gong’s heart into countless pieces.
‘My naive son!’
Having completely erased from his memory that he had hit his son himself, Chairman Gong felt sorry and worried for his innocent son.
‘They say even a stake in the in-laws’ yard deserves a bow if the in-laws are precious, but what’s precious about a grown man with all his parts? Aish!’
But the miracle born between them was so beautiful it wouldn’t hurt even if you put her in your eye.
“Grappa! Grappa!”
Grand…father? Did she just call me grandfather? As an adult who hears what he wants to hear, Chairman Gong thought the little one already had good pronunciation and considered making her an announcer later. He even imagined setting up a broadcasting station for her once she had enough years under her belt, attributing meaning to each of Iseul’s babbles.
“I’m tired. We’ll be going now.”
What, leaving already? Chairman Gong felt disappointed. Having only played pat-a-cake with his granddaughter for two hours, he openly showed his regret.
“Why don’t you stay overnight? We’ve cleaned up the room.”
“Are you crazy?”
But why… What’s wrong with staying overnight at his own house…? Without understanding why, as his wife’s fiery spikes repeatedly stabbed his back, Chairman Gong suppressed a groan.
“You’re so clueless. It’s fine for Pyeonghwa, but would …be comfortable!”
Unable to decide what to call Pyeonghwa yet, Pyeonghwa’s mother omitted it and just whacked her husband’s back.
Seeing the still-perfect spike angle, Gong Pyeonghwa felt proud in a corner of his heart at his parents’ robustness.
“You must be tired, so go ahead.”
With his mother’s supporting fire, Gong Pyeonghwa held Iseul in his arms and took Saebyeok’s hand.
“I haven’t given you my approval!”
Chairman Gong spoke authoritatively, putting his hands behind his back and pretending to be solemn.
“They didn’t come to ask for permission but to inform us.”
They’ve already had a child. In fact, Gong Pyeonghwa’s mother was half resigned. It was fortunate that Butler Hwang had given her a heads up. Otherwise, Madam Kang might have beaten Gong Pyeonghwa too.
Her son, who would forever be like a child to her, had now formed a family and become the head of a household, so she couldn’t beat him like when he was young.
“Ah. That’s right. Not just to inform, but to deliver this to you.”
Gong Pyeonghwa smoothly pulled out a neat envelope.
“Our Iseul’s first birthday party is tomorrow, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could attend and brighten the occasion—AHHH!”
When will this guy ever grow up? In the end, Madam Kang stamped the hand seal of the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara on the back of her son, who had returned triumphantly with a new life.
To be continued in Volume 2
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
