“Me? Why?”
Surprised, Yu-jin asked, and Georgina’s eyes sparkled as she suddenly leaned in. Startled, Yu-jin instinctively took a step back. Seeing his reaction, she took a deep breath before launching into an enthusiastic exclamation.
“Oh my god! I’ve never seen an Omega as beautiful as you. Omegas are all good-looking, but I’ve never met anyone as stunning as you. I like you—you’re absolutely amazing!”
“I, uh…”
Overwhelmed by the flood of compliments, Yu-jin stammered, unsure of how to respond. What the hell was going on? He felt like he should react somehow, but his mind was blank. Nothing like this had ever happened to him before, and the fact that she was from the Campbell family only made it more bewildering. As he struggled to gather his thoughts, he hesitated before finally managing to speak.
“I-I appreciate the kind words… but you said you wanted to see me. Why…?”
Though he asked hesitantly, Georgina simply responded with a cryptic smile. Instead of answering, she just smiled vaguely at him before continuing in a bright, cheerful voice.
“Let’s meet often from now on. I’ve wanted to get closer to you for a while.”
“With me? Why?”
Shocked yet again, Yu-jin asked, but she replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“Well, we’re family now, aren’t we?”
Yu-jin was stunned by the unexpected word. Someone from the Campbell family calling him family? He hadn’t even imagined such a thing. Did he hear that right? Dumbfounded, he just stared at her. Noticing his reaction, Georgina finally seemed to realize the awkwardness of the situation and hesitated before cautiously asking,
“Sorry, was that too forward? I got too excited…”
She blushed slightly, looking every bit like an impulsive teenager. Yu-jin was still bewildered, but considering her age, he supposed it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. His initial wariness eased just a little, and he managed an awkward smile.
“It’s fine… I was just surprised.”
“Then, um… would it be okay if I came to visit?”
“Visit?”
Once again, she caught him off guard. Wasn’t this progressing a bit too quickly? But Georgina seemed completely serious.
“I haven’t even seen Angela yet. I was really looking forward to it today. Please, I really want to get to know you!”
She clasped her hands together like she was making a desperate plea, her expression so earnest that it reminded Yu-jin of Angela when she begged him for something. That resemblance made it hard for him to refuse. After a brief hesitation, he opened his mouth.
“I’ll have to ask Winston first, and if he says it’s okay—”
“So if Winston allows it, then it’s fine? Right?”
Her voice rose slightly with excitement. Yu-jin thought for a moment before nodding.
“If he allows it…”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Georgina visibly brightened, clapping her hands together in delight.
“Thank you! Then how about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow? Already?”
“Oh, would that be too tiring? Then the day after tomorrow?”
Yu-jin had underestimated the boundless energy and impulsiveness of a teenager. When he widened his eyes in shock, Georgina seemed to take a step back—but the alternative she suggested wasn’t all that different. As she watched Yu-jin’s hesitation, she clasped her hands together in a pleading gesture.
“I really want to see Angela. Would that be okay? I promise I’ll just have some tea and leave.”
She looked completely sincere. Yu-jin suddenly felt a flicker of unease—was there some ulterior motive behind her insistence? But on the surface, there didn’t seem to be anything suspicious.
What could she possibly gain from me anyway…
The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth. In the end, it wasn’t like he had much else to do, and it might be nice for Angela to have a new playmate.
“Alright then, tomorrow—”
“Yay!”
Before he could even finish his sentence, Georgina threw both hands in the air and cheered. She seemed a little too overjoyed, making Yu-jin feel slightly awkward. He hurriedly added a condition.
“That’s if Winston agrees. If he says no—”
“I know, I know, don’t worry. I totally get it.”
Still giddy, Georgina suddenly reached out and grabbed both of Yu-jin’s hands, flashing a sly smile.
“But I do think Winston will definitely say yes if you ask him.”
“Huh?”
Yu-jin was about to ask what she meant when he sensed someone approaching. He turned his head and saw a woman standing there, watching them.
“Um…”
Her face was deathly pale as she finally spoke.
“It’s time to go back. Gordon is looking for you, Georgina…”
Her voice was so quiet, it was almost a whisper—completely devoid of any strength. The name she mentioned made Yu-jin freeze for a moment, but Georgina didn’t seem to mind. Instead, she looked between the two of them before speaking again.
“Have you two met yet? This is Yu-jin, Winston’s partner. Yu-jin, this is Charlotte—Gordon’s wife.”
She introduced them so casually before quickly returning to her usual energetic tone.
“Yu-jin and I are having tea together tomorrow. Charlotte, why don’t you come with me?”
“What?”
“…Pardon?”
Yu-jin and Charlotte reacted at the same time, but Georgina pressed on as if she didn’t notice.
“I don’t have a license yet, remember? It’d be nice if Charlotte could drive me. And wouldn’t it be great to have tea together and get to know each other better?”
There was simply no competing with a teenager’s sheer momentum. When Yu-jin glanced at Charlotte, she looked just as taken aback as he felt.
“Um… maybe I could ask the driver…”
Charlotte murmured hesitantly, but Georgina immediately frowned in displeasure.
“No way. If we do that, we’ll have to go straight to Lady Catherine.”
And of course, she’d never allow it.
Yu-jin thought bitterly. There was no way Lady Catherine would tolerate her daughter socializing with a nobody—a lowborn orphan whose origins were completely unknown.
Yu-jin had no idea why Georgina was so determined to befriend him. Was this just a teenage act of rebellion?
She doesn’t seem like a bad person, but…
Charlotte blinked awkwardly before speaking in a small voice.
“We should go, Georgina. Gordon’s waiting… Thank you for having us, Yu-jin. It was a wonderful party.”
“Thank you. Have a safe trip back. Goodbye, Georgina.”
Yu-jin responded with the usual polite phrases, matching Charlotte’s formal farewell. Georgina, realizing she had no choice but to leave, quickly added,
“I’ll call you tomorrow morning! See you then!”
As she waved her arms energetically while turning to leave with Charlotte, Yu-jin forced an awkward smile and waved back.
She remembers that she needs Winston’s permission, right…?
Lowering his hand uncertainly, he considered calling out to confirm, but it was already too late. The two disappeared from sight, leaving him alone.
***
“Whoa! Oh my god! This is insane!”
“Georgina!”
As soon as they were alone, Georgina burst out in excitement, making Charlotte gasp in horror and try to hush her.
“You can’t say things like that! Watch your language.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll be proper. Ahem. Oh my, how utterly astonishing. Such a marvelous person indeed.”
Georgina lifted her hand theatrically as if she were reciting lines from a play before quickly dropping the act and continuing,
“But seriously, isn’t he stunning? I’ve never seen someone that beautiful before. No wonder Winston is willing to risk everything for him.”
“It’s best not to talk about that…”
Charlotte warned in a weary tone. Georgina waved off her concern with a careless “Yeah, yeah,” before strolling toward the entrance alongside her.
When she spotted Gordon waiting in the distance, Georgina subtly leaned into Charlotte and whispered,
“Tomorrow, you and I are going shopping, got it? I’ll handle Gordon—just play along.”
“Georgina, I…”
“Uncle!”
Charlotte barely had time to respond before Georgina completely ignored her and ran off, calling out to Gordon in a loud, cheerful voice. Left behind, Charlotte let out a heavy sigh.
What’s gotten her so excited?
“Hurry up already. You’re so damn slow.”
Gordon, who had been holding open the car door, scowled as Charlotte approached, scolding her in a rough tone. Feeling a headache coming on, she muttered a quiet, “I’m sorry.”
Georgina, watching them both, suddenly clung to Gordon’s arm and said in a sweet voice,
“Uncle, so it’s okay, right? I can go shopping with Aunt Charlotte tomorrow?”
“You have a driver at home.”
“But Lady Catherine will nag meee.”
She pouted and whined playfully, and Gordon let out a small chuckle before nodding.
“Fine. Take her to the department store tomorrow.”
With that dismissive command, Gordon climbed into the backseat first. Georgina, satisfied, briefly squeezed Charlotte’s arm as if to reassure her before slipping into the passenger seat. Charlotte sighed softly before getting into the car herself. The driver shut the door behind her, and soon, the vehicle pulled away.
