After taking Iseul, Gong Pyeonghwa wondered if he should also go greet people, but since that was Plan A-2-3, he decided to wait.
By the way, why isn’t the MC here yet?
Gong Pyeonghwa took out his phone to contact the event planner.
Messages from Kang Gun were arriving in real-time.
Kang Gun:
You guys are so cute haha
Like a kangaroo couple h
Is he crazy?
He was about to send a middle finger but decided to just read and ignore. Gong Pyeonghwa tried to contact the planner as originally intended.
That would’ve been the case if messages from Kang Gun hadn’t kept coming.
Kang Gun:
When I told you I liked Saebyeok in high school, I was actually telling you not to bully him, but thinking about it now, you probably took it differently, so I came today to clarify that haha
I’m glad you two seem happy
This guy… he might not be as bad as I thought?
Kang Gun:
Haha but I realized you might have been too anxious about it, so to be fair, I told Saebyeok the same thing
What…?
Kang Gun:
Actually, I lied to him that I had a crush on you in high school h
Isn’t he insane?
“Isn’t he insane?”
For once, his unconscious thoughts and rational mind were in perfect agreement.
Kang Gun:
Haha be happy together
(Dancing dog emoticon)
Isn’t this guy a complete psycho? It’s because of people like him that confessions become attacks. The term “confession attack” didn’t come from nowhere.
Wait a minute. So when Saebyeok grabbed me earlier, was he fending off Kang Gun? That’s so fucking cute. Did he call me “honey” to emphasize our relationship? That’s so fucking cute. And then he went over there because he was embarrassed and shy? That’s so fucking cute.
“Iseul.”
“Yes?”
“Why is your dad so cute? Ah. Ahh…”
Losing human language and only making groaning sounds, Gong Pyeonghwa gently poked Iseul’s cheeks.
“Iseul, when you learn to express yourself, ask your dad to make you a sibling. Got it?”
“Yes.”
“Good girl. Good girl.”
Interpreting things entirely in his favor, Gong Pyeonghwa kept stroking Iseul’s head.
Shortly after, the MC appeared.
Living up to their professional experience, the MC showcased stage manners that commanded the entire venue.
For the much-anticipated doljabi (first birthday fortune-telling ritual), there was a small mishap where Iseul grabbed Chairman Shin’s collar and Chairman Gong’s hair instead of the items laid out on the table, but ultimately, she picked up money, which was a good outcome.
A congratulatory performance by a famous singer united all the guests, and after enjoying the exciting live show, what remained in their hands were the dol party return gifts and Iseul merchandise sets.
“Hey, the first birthday party was fun.”
“But was this really a first birthday party?”
Wiping sweat from their foreheads, former classmates gave thumbs up.
“Successfully demolished an 8-million-won buffet! And these are the dol party return gifts; I’ll do a quick unboxing when I get home. That’s it for today’s broadcast. Bye!”
After making a verbal agreement to film a collaboration video with today’s chefs, Seonwoo Jeong’s brother, Seonwoo Jun, who had also hit a career high at this first birthday party, gave a thumbs up saying it was the most delicious buffet he’d ever had.
“Hey, Kang Gun said he liked me. Isn’t he crazy?”
Seonwoo Jeong, who had made awkward eye contact with Kang Gun during the meal and suffered a confession attack, also said that while the dol party lineup was excessively luxurious, it was fun, and he congratulated Iseul’s first birthday by giving her some pocket money.
“That guy seems psychotic. He told Saebyeok he liked me.”
“Is that something to say at a first birthday party? He’s insane.”
The uncomfortable conclusion was that Kang Gun’s hobby was confession attacks.
Anyway, after successfully concluding the party, only the final bosses remained.
There was one table that was notably dark and emitted a turbid energy beyond mere coldness.
The notoriously unfriendly Gong Pyeonghwa’s family and Shin Saebyeok’s family were sitting at one table.
An unnecessary chill was in the air.
It wasn’t just Gong Pyeonghwa and Shin Saebyeok who felt it; even guests exchanging pleasantries flinched.
“Hey, the atmosphere at that table looks like some sort of summit meeting.”
“A failed one.”
“The kind where you worry about national security and world peace.”
We know without anyone saying it. We have eyes too. We can see everything.
Who told them to sit together? Who pushed those tables together?
Saebyeok, who believed that it’s better not to get hit, but if you must, it’s better to get hit first, and Gong Pyeonghwa, the romantic who thought two heads are better than one and who could never bear to see Shin Saebyeok get hit, held hands tightly and walked together to the problematic table.
“For once, we agree.”
“Hmph.”
What’s this? The atmosphere isn’t that bad? A successful dramatic peace agreement?
“Well, they’ve already had a child, so there’s nothing we can do.”
“They probably won’t listen anyway.”
Are we getting our inheritance as planned, and they’re acknowledging Iseul and our relationship?
“Though it’s hard to forgive.”
Or not?
“I should have shaved his head and sent him to a temple, but I sent him abroad instead. My fault.”
“Now that I think about it, that’s somewhat true.”
“Do you really want to get hit?”
After trying to change the mood and facing a crisis, Gong Pyeonghwa narrowly avoided trouble by improvising some aegyo.
“Anyway, since we’ve reached a conclusion, we’ll be taking our leave now.”
“Yes, yes. In-law.”
In-law… he called us in-laws.
Although the faces of Chairman Gong and Chairman Shin looked like they were facing their mortal enemies.
“Father-in-law! Mother-in-law! Miss! Take care on your way home! I’ll visit you soon!”
Gong Pyeonghwa greeted them vigorously and affectionately.
“Come here, young man.”
Gasp. Does he like me already? Gong Pyeonghwa excitedly rushed to his in-laws.
Saebyeok also greeted his family and shyly greeted the Gong family.
“Thank you for making time for us. Despite the confusion and rudeness, thank you for coming. I haven’t shown you a reliable side of me yet, but I won’t dare to disappoint you in the future. Thank you once again.”
He must have prepared that. Gong Sarang whispered to Gong Jeong. But she spoke loud enough for Saebyeok to hear, making him blush.
“Yes, I wonder who he takes after, speaking so properly?”
Yet, his father-in-law still looked displeased, which made his heart skip a beat.
“Come here, young man.”
Shin Saebyeok was running around like a customer service representative trying to appease a customer who had been wronged by the company owner’s child.
Both Gong Pyeonghwa and Shin Saebyeok, simply wanting to make a good impression on their in-laws, followed their respective in-laws without knowing why.
At that time, neither Gong Pyeonghwa nor Shin Saebyeok knew.
The reason and conclusion of the serious discussions the parents had throughout the first birthday party was “In-laws Stay 101” for Gong Pyeonghwa and Shin Saebyeok.
That the carefully planted foreshadowing flag of the Cowherd and Weaver Girl was now being activated.
They had no idea… that they would suddenly be separated from each other.
***
“Junha, Junha. I successfully demolished 8 million won worth of food, and to briefly review today… The taste surpassed any ordinary hotel buffet? It was really delicious. To call it first birthday party quality would be a serious understatement?”
Real-time chat comments were coming in.
[Why does the tuna color look like that]
[The presentation is insane wow]
[Who sprinkles gold powder on first birthday food decorations]
[All I can see is Juna abusing the chefs]
[Another extreme job day for the chefs]
[Wait, that’s not important right now; why is Chairman Baeksan sitting there?]
The flood of chat messages stopped for a moment, just a brief moment.
And then the chat exploded again.
[Wow]
[OMG]
[Wow]
[It’s true]
[Chairman Taekang is there too, what’s going on?]
[What’s happening?]
[Seriously, what’s going on?]
[Juna, haven’t you gone too deep into big waters?]
[This doesn’t seem like the Juna I knew…]
Seonwoo Jun, more immersed in the lingering taste of the food he’d enjoyed all day than in the chat window, smacked his lips, savoring the flavor.
“Personally, the carpaccio was really delicious. And the quality of the hand-pulled noodles, oh… All the desserts were delicious too, you know? But, ah, if I had to pick the best taste again, this is, ha…”
[We’re not curious about that, can you tell us what the two chairmen are talking about?]
[Why is the atmosphere there so serious?]
[Is this really a first birthday party?]
[Why is an international artist at a first birthday party]
[Do you not know what a first birthday party is?]
[Came to watch a mukbang and what is this]
When Seonwoo Jun didn’t read the chat because he was too absorbed in the food, subscribers started frantically sending donations.
Only then did he read the backlog of messages and recalled the table at the back where the air had been particularly heavy.
“Ah. Um… Actually, I was so focused on eating that I couldn’t hear well, but the atmosphere was very serious. They were saying something about having to block something, like some kind of meeting? They were doing something like that, but I’m not exactly sure? I guess it was probably related to company or business talk?”
[Having an executive meeting at a first birthday party wow]
[Did you go to a shareholders’ meeting instead of a first birthday party?]
[What on earth were they talking about;]
[Damn, I’m so curious]
***
‘I really want to dunk Gong Pyeonghwa.’
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
