The dinner table set by his peculiar brother-in-law and compassionate mother was still impeccably neat.
Nothing had changed except for the addition of one person, yet the atmosphere felt different from usual.
“Wow. This braised sea bream is a masterpiece. Seriously, wow. It’s incredibly delicious.”
The typically quiet dining table was now lively because of one person who kept expressing amazement, covering his mouth with each bite.
“Do you and the young lady eat food like this every day? Seriously, wow. Mother-in-law, this is truly art. Even the seasoned vegetables have such an amazing flavor with their perfect saltiness.”
“…Eat plenty.”
A pleased twitch appeared at the corner of Mrs. Lee’s mouth.
“I was so worried you might tell me not to eat too much!”
Gong Pyeonghwa clutched his chest, exaggerating in an endearing way.
“But Mother-in-law, I really do eat a lot.”
“Would you like more rice?”
Gong Pyeonghwa reacted with excitement like someone who’d just advanced to the World Cup semifinals, covering his mouth again. This time, even Mrs. Lee couldn’t hold back her laughter.
“Keep eating. I’ll give you more rice.”
“No, no! I’ll serve myself!”
Watching the two playfully arguing over who would serve the rice, Shin Noeul envied Gong Pyeonghwa’s social skills, while Chairman Shin…
‘This bastard dares to flirt with my wife?’
He was just plain annoyed.
“Mother-in-law, you’re so styliiish.”
“It’s nothing…”
A man should be quiet and steadfast, but this guy was irritatingly frivolous and cheeky.
Still, seeing that his wife seemed to enjoy it, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything and just mentally deducted points.
Unaware of the real-time point deduction, Gong Pyeonghwa ate a lot, just as he’d claimed.
“Ah, this was truly delicious. Everything was exquisite. I’m being completely honest when I say it was amazing. May I make one more piggy comment?”
“What is it?”
“I’m full but I still want to eat more.”
Mrs. Lee wondered if she should cook another pot of rice right now, but she was simply too pleased.
Chairman Shin wasn’t a bad husband, but he was certainly taciturn. He spoke little and it was difficult to read his feelings from his actions.
Instead of saying a word about how delicious the food was, he was the type who would just leave an empty rice bowl without a single grain remaining.
After finding satisfaction in empty rice bowls for nearly 30 years, she was thrilled to finally meet someone who sang praises about her cooking.
“Mother-in-law, what are you making for breakfast tomorrow?”
“Is there something you’d like to eat?”
“I’m happy with anything. Honestly, I should gratefully accept even if you just gave me plain rice and water, but when you ask what I’d like to eat, my heart races.”
I want meat. Meat. Meat. MEAT. Despite his words, Gong Pyeonghwa internally craved meat.
“Ah. I should go to bed early so I can have breakfast sooner.”
“I was going to cut some fruit.”
“I’ll just have dessert before going to bed early.”
Mrs. Lee suppressed a laugh at Gong Pyeonghwa’s natural speaking style. Even the lightning-fast elopement that once made him seem like a conniving schemer now appeared rather cute.
“I’ll cut the fruit. Should I bring it to the living room?”
“Oh my, how can I let a guest do that?”
“How am I a guest? I’m just a thief who stole your son. Feel free to order me around! Really!”
At least he seemed to know his place, which made Chairman Shin smirk internally. But that smirk didn’t last long.
Mrs. Lee and Gong Pyeonghwa went into the kitchen together to cut fruit, and soon laughter could be heard from there.
The dessert that arrived with the laughter wasn’t served on the usual neat plates but on a dish as large as a 32-inch pizza.
“Since Seobangie seems to eat a lot, I thought it would be better to have too much than too little. Yours is here, dear.”
Seobangie? SEOBANGIE? Chairman Shin wondered what on earth that little rascal had done to his wife in the kitchen.
“Seobangie, eat plenty.”
“Yes! Then I’ll eat heartily!”
To think they could become so close in just a few minutes. And now his wife was speaking informally.
“Hehe. I’ll enjoy this!”
Hehe? What kind of frivolous laugh is that for a man?
He wanted to rip out that three-inch tongue. After using that tongue to seduce his son, now he was even trying to win over his wife? He was extremely displeased.
The dessert time in the same space ended with one side full of warmth and cheer, while the other side produced nothing but the sound of crunching.
After finishing the dishes, Gong Pyeonghwa entered the bedroom.
‘Now that I’ve eaten a hearty meal and had a good dessert… time to prepare my escape.’
Gong Pyeonghwa opened the window. Sticking his head out to look outside, it seemed even higher than when he had viewed it from the garden earlier.
Why not just walk out the front door, you ask? That didn’t work. There were too many CCTV cameras in the house, and as soon as dinner ended, guards appeared out of nowhere. Was this a joke?
But did they think that would make him give up?
“I can do this.”
Gong Pyeonghwa proceeded to do something that would warrant a “※Warning: Do not attempt this, whether you’re a child or an adult” disclaimer.
***
Although Shin Noeul found the cheerful atmosphere awkward, she was glad to see her mother looking comfortable.
Her brother’s love interest seemed to be quite a unique person.
Shin Noeul casually sat at her desk and opened her textbook.
While reviewing, she heard a strange noise from somewhere.
Shin Noeul moved to find the source of the sound. It was coming from outside. She approached the window since the sound was coming from outside. She saw something dark at the window.
‘What is that?’
The moment she identified the dark object, Shin Noeul was so startled she covered her mouth. She almost screamed. The dark thing was…
“Ah, haha… Is my sister-in-law studying?”
It was her new brother-in-law hanging from the window, being shamelessly casual.
***
“I did it! Hahaha!”
I’m screwed…
Escape failed.
The wall was smoother than expected. The result of grossly inadequate prior investigation.
After analyzing today’s failure, he vowed to succeed tomorrow at all costs. He’d buy some chalk when shopping tomorrow. Gong Pyeonghwa was already filling tomorrow’s shopping basket as he made his determination.
Having completed his reflection and identified points for improvement, the problem now was…
‘How can I fall with the least amount of pain?’
And at that moment, his eyes met Shin Noeul’s.
Gong Pyeonghwa inwardly cursed while putting on a friendly smile.
“Ah, haha… Is my sister-in-law studying?”
“W-what, wh-what, wha-what… are you doing?”
Can’t you tell by looking? I was trying to meet your brother without going through the proper channels, failed, and now I’m preparing to fall.
“Haven’t you heard of extreme pull-ups?”
“N-no…?”
“It’s something trending in America these days.”
Now he was getting anxious. Gong Pyeonghwa, despite his rudeness, asked his sister-in-law with a friendly face.
“Can I come in for a moment?”
“Oh… yes, yes.”
Shin Noeul opened the window. Gong Pyeonghwa squeezed out his remaining strength to climb the bars and enter Shin Noeul’s second-floor room.
As her new brother-in-law rotated his shoulders after entering her room, Shin Noeul felt dizzy and dazed.
“You know, I’m not usually this out of shape, but my hands were slippery. Sister-in-law, do you happen to have any chalk or magnesium carbonate?”
“N-no. Usually people don’t.”
“That’s strange, when I was young, all the kids carried it around. Is this what they call a generation gap?”
After spouting nonsense with a completely straight face, Gong Pyeonghwa cheerfully encouraged her to study hard, gave her a mischievous “fighting!” gesture, and naturally left the room.
Day one of Gong Pyeonghwa, aspiring escapee from his in-laws’ home, ended so anticlimactically.
***
Shin Saebyeok found that last night with the Gong family wasn’t as bad as expected.
Whether it was because the family was naturally easygoing, or because Iseul was there, no one gave him the cold shoulder or made him feel uncomfortable.
Although the meat-centered diet was a bit challenging, the food was delicious and the warm atmosphere was pleasant.
“Oppa, what did you like about our brother that made you marry him?”
“…Well, I like everything about him.”
Seriously, what exactly is it about him? Gong Sarang couldn’t help but wonder.
“Pyeonghwa takes after me, so his appearance is certainly outstanding.”
“Ah, yes. Everything the grand matriarch says is correct.”
Gong Jeong and Gong Sarang agreed with lukewarm expressions.
Their expressions and tone reminded Saebyeok of Pyeonghwa, making him laugh frequently.
But even as he laughed, he felt a bitterness. Finding traces of Pyeonghwa in his family was nice, but Gong Pyeonghwa himself wasn’t by his side.
It felt like a month had passed, but it had only been a day. That meant 99 days remained before he could meet Gong Pyeonghwa again.
They had met every single day since their second year of high school, but now they had to spend 99 days apart.
Moreover, they had lived under the same roof, in the same bed, for 8 straight years.
Thinking about it, this was the first time they’d been properly separated. Having awakened as a hopeless romantic, Shin Saebyeok missed Gong Pyeonghwa terribly.
Some might point fingers and say he was making a fuss over not seeing him for just one day, but it couldn’t be helped.
Iseul’s fathers missed each other greatly, and the remaining 99 days felt too cruel for Shin Saebyeok.
“Let’s go to work. You come along too.”
“Yes. I’ll be going now. Iseul, Dad’s leaving.”
“Have a nice day!” Gong Sarang and Mrs. Kang came to see them off at the shoe rack with nasal voices, and Saebyeok kept bowing as he got into the car.
Seated between Chairman Gong and Gong Jeong, he could only roll his eyes around.
“From today, you’re an intern, and I won’t let you slack off or fool around. No one knows you’re a parachute hire, so don’t even think about flaunting it.”
“Of course.”
I’ll channel this emptiness and loneliness into my work performance.
I’ll show you what a workaholic is.
I’ll prove firsthand what a capable man your son has married.
Shin Saebyeok made a somewhat different resolution than Gong Pyeonghwa had.
However, that resolution was slightly shaken upon arriving at the company.
“The intern is here.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
