Chapter 217: Alumni
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 217: Alumni
The living room.
The sofa was so spacious that a sense of distance remained even when we sat together.
I let out a deep sigh and looked at my brothers.
“Are you seriously telling me to go on an arranged date? I’m only twenty-one.”
When I asked in disbelief, my brothers didn't seem particularly thrilled about the idea of the date either.
“Yeah, Father was being a bit hasty.”
“...It’s true that Father brought it up quite abruptly.”
After a pause following my Little Hyung’s words, my Big Hyung let out a sigh and scolded me.
“But it’s also because you haven't properly sorted out your own affairs.”
“....”
“Just go and meet her tomorrow for now. If she’s Chairman Choi Gil-seop’s daughter, it must be Ms. Choi Jin-ah. She’s been famous as a violin prodigy since she was a child.”
A violin prodigy?
No wonder she had an air of elegance in the photo that you wouldn't find in just any rich man's daughter.
“Sigh, is there really no way to turn it down? Maybe I could say I’m sick tomorrow.”
“That’s transparent as glass.”
“Ruining the meeting with such a pathetic excuse would be even more disrespectful.”
Both Big Hyung and Little Hyung shot me down. Honestly, I agreed with them.
If she were just the daughter of an ordinary family, I could probably brush it off, but of all people, she had to be a chairman’s daughter.
“How am I supposed to explain this to the girls?”
As I was agonizing over how to break the news to them, my sisters-in-law walked in carrying plates of fruit.
“What are you all talking about?”
“Honey, don't eat the fruit; you'll gain weight.”
They naturally sat down next to their respective partners and joined the conversation. It was a bit awkward at first, but actually, this was for the best.
I needed to hear a woman’s perspective.
“If you were dating, and your husband suddenly had to go meet another woman for an arranged date because of his family, what would you do?”
“Sigh.”
“Hey, why are you using us as examples...?”
My brothers immediately chimed in, but I’m sorry—this was a very important matter for me.
When I asked seriously, my sisters-in-law answered with smiles.
“I’d have to kill him.”
“How dare he even think about it—.”
Their answers were chilling.
I briefly wondered if I shouldn't have asked, but then...
“But if it’s because of a family matter, I might be able to understand a little bit. Just a tiny bit.”
Since my eldest sister-in-law works with Big Hyung, she often sees the hardships and burdens people in this circle carry, so she seemed to be trying to be somewhat understanding.
“Haaa.”
As my heart grew heavier and I let out another sigh, Little Hyung finally made a suggestion.
“Just don't tell them.”
It was the most rational and, at the same time, the most tempting proposal.
Honestly, I thought that was the right call too.
There was no point in upsetting the girls for no reason.
“Yeah....”
Sometimes, silence is the wisest solution.
Rather than making things messy or difficult by revealing everything, hiding it...
Might be the best way.
* * *
People often make mistakes.
That’s why most people try not to repeat them and keep a mental note of their wrong answers.
But today, I was different.
Even though I knew this was a mistake.
I had no choice but to do it.
— So. You’re going on an arranged date today?
“Yes....”
We live in a great era.
You can have a three-way video call on a tablet and everything.
My second sister-in-law gave me this tablet, saying she wasn't using it since she was taking a break from her broadcasts, and I was quite satisfied because the performance was much better than I expected.
I could see all three of their faces clearly.
— And you’re just telling us that? Don't people usually hide stuff like this?
Yoo Ah-rin questioned me, sounding dumbfounded.
I clutched my chest and recited my lines like I was acting in a play.
“Because I didn't want you guys to misunderstand. I know it’ll make you feel bad, but I thought you’d feel even worse if you found out I’d hidden it from you.”
— ....
— ....
— ....
All three of them fell silent.
“Besides, this kind of cliché happens all the time in anime and dramas. So, I’m just blocking it off in advance.”
Especially since the other party was a famous violinist.
I heard she recently appeared on a variety show, so there was a high chance people would recognize her and take photos.
“I heard she’s a celebrity. Even if photos spread on SNS or something, I hope you won't misunderstand.”
I didn't want to be misunderstood, even for a second.
“I don't want to make things even a little bit hard for you. That’s how I truly feel.”
Last night.
The lines I had practiced over and over again.
Did the effort I put into practicing, like I was preparing for a PPT presentation, actually pay off?
The girls felt uneasy, but they accepted that it was a family obligation I couldn't avoid. They said okay and hung up.
‘Wait.’
I thought they’d have more to say, but they hung up so easily.
I was a bit worried, but at least they said they understood.
“We have arrived.”
The car stopped, and I stepped out in front of a very famous Korean restaurant with an impressive, traditional Hanok style.
‘It feels like they strangely catered to my tastes.’
Feeling a bit conflicted about receiving such unnecessary consideration, I stepped inside.
There wasn't a single person inside.
I knew these kinds of restaurants were usually hard to book, so the fact that it was empty during lunch meant they had rented out the whole place.
‘Talk about scale.’
I thought it was just a meal, but they really went all out.
A woman with long, wavy hair was already seated.
The blonde lady sat gracefully with her hands on her lap, waiting for me.
‘I thought she was pretty in the photos, but...’
Maybe she just wasn't photogenic? Seeing her in person, she was much prettier than her pictures.
“Hello, I’m Kim Woo-jin. I’m sorry I’m late.”
I wasn't actually late.
She was just early.
Still, I had to give a formal greeting.
“I’m Choi Jin-ah. No, it’s fine. I arrived early.”
Choi Jin-ah welcomed me with a smile.
Her gentle voice carried a sense of ease and refinement.
I’m a chairman’s son too, but while I grew up quite free-spirited...
Ms. Choi Jin-ah felt like the perfect embodiment of what people imagine a chairman’s daughter should be like.
There was no need to ask for detailed information about each other.
We both already knew most of it before coming here.
Same age, hobbies are playing and listening to music, specialty is the violin, and she had been studying abroad in Germany since middle school.
While waiting for the pre-ordered meal to be served, I stared at Choi Jin-ah.
Did she really come here with the intention of marrying me?
Since she just sat there smiling without saying much, it was hard to tell what she was thinking.
That’s when Choi Jin-ah opened her mouth with a bright smile.
“I saw that you attended Dream Future Elementary School.”
“Hmm? Yes, that’s right.”
“I went there too.”
Oh, really?
I hadn't checked her elementary school info, so I didn't know that.
“We were in the same class back then. Do you remember?”
“I, well... I didn't know that.”
She was in the same class as me?
I wondered how she could remember such a thing, but Ms. Jin-ah wore a nostalgic smile.
“Do you remember? You brought Spam to school and ate it raw with a spoon with the other kids.”
“Oh?”
Right.
I remember that.
“Back then, you told me we should put the leftover Spam in cup ramen and eat it together.”
“Ah, right. I think I did.”
I used to sneak out to the convenience store to buy cup ramen and share it with the kids I was with.
“Right, right. I used to buy ramen for the kids. Man, what a memory.”
“That’s right. Whenever the cafeteria menu was bad, you’d gather the kids who wanted to go to the convenience store and go there for them.”
In fact, wasn't I basically the one responsible for going to the convenience store so the kids could eat something delicious?
Truly, since I was young, I—
“The ramen was a thousand won, but you charged two thousand won as an errand fee.”
“...Did I?”
I really just doubled the price, didn't I?
“Furthermore, you’d buy extra snacks or ramen and sell them for double the price again.”
Kid was sharp...
Ms. Jin-ah continued her exposé with a laugh.
“Do you remember the card games the kids used to play? You sold cards for them too.”
“Ah, right.”
“I heard you could buy fake cards in bulk for cheap. There was a huge uproar at school because you sold them as if they were real.”
“....”
The so-called "bootleg" cards.
I did sell them by tricking people into thinking they were real.
They were cards you could buy dozens of for 500 won.
I remember talking them up, saying they were rare and asking if they’d seen them in the manga, and then selling them for 10,000 or 20,000 won.
Since the kids had rich parents, 10,000 won wasn't a big deal to them.
I got in huge trouble with my mom back then.
“You remember it in great detail.”
I had forgotten almost everything about elementary school until now.
I was a bit flustered that Ms. Jin-ah remembered everything so clearly.
“Because I was a victim back then.”
Ms. Jin-ah confessed the truth with a smile.
“I was the one who asked you to buy more ramen, and I was the one who bought those fake cards at a high price.”
Oh boy.
“You were a total sucker.”
Oh, shit.
I was startled by the incredibly rude words that slipped out of my mouth.
But Ms. Jin-ah just tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled.
“I suppose so. It was fun being with you, so I just naturally got swept up in everything we did together.”
“Ahem.”
Well, as long as you had a good time in school, that’s all that matters.
When I looked away awkwardly, Ms. Jin-ah actually leaned forward slightly and whispered.
“Actually.”
She spoke secretly, as if she didn't want anyone else to hear, even though it was just the two of us.
“I never once left any food behind from the school cafeteria.”
Choi Jin-ah gave a playful smile.
Her cheeks were flushed pink as she made a confession she hadn't told anyone in years.
“And I don't even know the rules to the card games boys play.”
“Then why...?”
I was about to ask why she asked me to buy her cup ramen and why she bought the cards.
But the shy smile on Jin-ah’s face was more than enough of an answer.