Chapter 486: Chaebol Boyfriend
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 486: Chaebol Boyfriend
I felt like a general returning with news of a great victory.
Literally.
"I'm home."
I deliberately walked into the house with a gloomy expression.
I hadn't told them I was coming. I wanted to pull a quick prank, pretending I’d failed just to see the looks on their faces.
But when I walked in, I was greeted by the four of them in a rather... unexpected state.
"W-Wait, you're back?!"
"You're early..."
"Huh?"
The scene was the very definition of "bewildering."
All four of them were inside, and every single one of them was wearing animal ears on their heads.
I was somewhat used to it, having worn them once for a photo shoot with Yoo Ah-rin and another time during sex.
But still.
Seeing all four of them wearing them at once felt a bit... chaotic.
It wasn't that they didn't look pretty, because they did.
The problem was why all four of them were wearing them.
Especially Senior Ju-hee—they really didn't suit her.
She looked terrifying.
"What's going on here?"
When I asked, bewildered, they all glanced at each other, unsure of how to respond.
It seemed my early arrival had interrupted their event preparations halfway through.
Ding-dong!
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Wondering what it was, I opened the door to find a delivery of chicken and pizza.
"What's all this?"
When I asked about the sheer amount of food, Yoo Ah-rin was shoved forward by someone from behind.
"Ack! Who was that?! Who pushed me?!"
"H-Hurry up and tell him."
"You're the leader here, Ah-rin."
"Samo-nim."
"You guys..."
Gritting her teeth, Yoo Ah-rin eventually stepped forward.
She hesitated, gauging my reaction. With those cat ears on, her cautious look came across as pure aegyo.
"Well? What is it? Tell me."
As I pressed her, Yoo Ah-rin finally let out a sigh and answered.
"We wanted to comfort you."
"Comfort me?"
Out of the blue?
"I mean, it's only natural that you'd fail to convince them. You met both Ye-rin's and I-seo's parents at the same time, didn't you?"
"It was a disaster waiting to happen."
"Honestly, I'm surprised your face looks so normal. I thought you'd come back black and blue."
"Well, we couldn't exactly protect you from that."
The other three chimed in from behind.
They weren't wrong, so I couldn't really argue.
In reality, who would have thought I could actually convince them?
Even on my way there, I had racked my brain, but I couldn't find a single solution for what to say.
And yet, I did it.
As expected of my father.
The Chairman of Uju Group, a titan of South Korea, didn't get to where he is by winning a game of ddakji.
"Anyway, we wanted to cheer you up. So we ordered food and even dressed up a bit... meow?"
"I-I even brought wine! This is a really rare bottle I stole from the main house!"
"Um, I set out some scented candles so you could sleep well tonight. I'm not sure if guys like this kind of thing, though."
"Just having some messy sex will make you feel better. Let's just let loose and play."
"Heh."
They were adorable.
I loved the aegyo, the food, the alcohol, and the effort they put into setting the mood.
But most of all, I loved that they tried so hard to lift my spirits, assuming I'd be depressed.
So, I gave them a bright smile and delivered the news clearly.
"There's nothing to worry about."
The atmosphere was already great, but how much better would it be once I delivered the news of victory?
Thinking today was going to be a non-stop festival, I gave them a big thumbs-up and made a bold declaration.
"Mission accomplished! They said yes!"
A moment of silence followed.
The four of them stared at me with blank expressions, blinking their eyes.
They tilted their heads as if trying to process if they had heard correctly, so I began to explain in detail.
"I mean, honestly, I'm not even sure how it happened myself. But then my father showed up and suddenly—!"
As I launched into a long-winded explanation, their expressions shifted by the second.
I hadn't actually done much, so there wasn't a lot to explain.
But the moment I concluded that I had successfully received their permission...
Thwack!
Yoo Ah-rin kicked me square in the shin, knocking me over.
"Gah?!"
"Ah, fuck!"
Yoo Ah-rin ripped off her cat ears, threw them on the floor, and fumed.
I was wondering what the hell was going on when the others also started grumbling and turning away.
"Hey, let's just open the wine. Ugh."
"Don't give Woo-jin any. We're drinking it all ourselves!"
"Well... congratulations."
Senior Ju-hee reached out to help me up, but she gripped my hand with so much force it actually hurt.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
"Sorry, I didn't realize my own strength."
She didn't look sorry at all.
As I watched them head to the dining table and start setting things up themselves, I asked, dazed.
"What gives?! Why aren't you guys congratulating me?!"
"Why would we congratulate you, you bastard?! This means you've officially secured two more women!"
"Only you're happy about this."
"I was eyeing Ye-rin's spot... Woo-jin! I even practiced this!"
"Well, I guess it's a happy ending, in a way."
I understood how they felt.
Even though they were complaining, they seemed to have expected this outcome at some point, so the mood wasn't actually that bad.
It was just their usual bickering.
"Aw, come on, everyone. If Ye-rin and I-seo heard you, they'd be so hurt."
As I approached with a grin, Oh Yun-ji pulled out a chair for me.
Seeing me sit down with a smile, they all laughed along, finding the whole situation ridiculous.
"Ah! Bring me wine and women! It is time for the heroes to feast!"
The moment I cheered, I got smacked in the back of the head.
* * *
September.
Three months into the pregnancy.
The girls, whose bellies were starting to show, were going through a particularly rough patch of morning sickness.
We had finally moved out of Choi Jin-ah's place and into a villa near a mountain with fresh air, provided by my father.
"Hey, Kim Woo-jiiin! I want a lemooon!"
"Coming right up!"
It wouldn't be so bad if it were just one person, but having three people suffering from morning sickness at once was quite a handful.
Unfortunately, their cravings didn't overlap at all.
"Strangely, I don't really crave lemons."
At Choi I-seo's murmur, Yoo Ah-rin, who had demanded the lemon, shook her head.
"I don't even like sour things usually. I don't know why I'm like this. Man, I'm craving something so sour it makes my tongue tingle."
Listening to them while slicing lemons in the kitchen felt strange.
Of course, I couldn't handle everything by myself, so I had hired some housekeepers.
Sometimes, the mothers-in-law would even drop by.
Today, I-seo's mother was scheduled to visit.
She was awkward at first, but I guess humans really are creatures of habit.
Since Choi I-seo was getting along so well with the other girls, her mother eventually just accepted it.
"I think potato chips are the best thing ever!"
Meanwhile, Seo Ye-rin was practically pouring potato chips into her mouth. I’d heard that cravings for salty or sour things were common during pregnancy, and the girls were the perfect examples.
When I brought over the sliced lemons, Yoo Ah-rin immediately popped one into her mouth. Watching her practically suck the juice out was a sight to behold.
"I-seo, is there anything you want to eat?"
When I asked Choi I-seo, who had been quiet, she looked embarrassed and scratched her cheek before answering.
"Soy-marinated crab."
"..."
"I—I know you're not supposed to eat raw food when you're pregnant... but I've been thinking about it since yesterday."
"How about steamed crab instead?"
"Yeah, that sounds good too. But it's not like I need it right this second."
"Hold on."
I immediately called my eldest brother.
After a few rings, he answered, sounding irritated.
— I specifically told you not to call me again after that Hallabong incident.
"Can you get some fresh soy-marinated crab? Or steamed crab?"
— Call a delivery app. I'm not your delivery boy.
"Ah, sorry. But for crab, direct shipment is best. You're faster than the internet, Hyung. And I want it from a verified source, just in case."
— Sigh. If it weren't for my nieces and nephews, you'd be dead by now.
He hung up.
I shrugged, and I-seo looked apologetic.
"I feel bad."
"Don't be. Asking Big Hyung is the fastest delivery service there is. Much faster than ordering online. Little Hyung did the same thing when his wife was pregnant."
As I was humming and turning on the air purifier, I heard the door open.
I rushed to the entrance to find Choi I-seo's parents and her younger sister.
"Oh! You're here! I've been waiting for you!"
I greeted them with a bright smile and a deep bow.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you? I've prepared something special. I heard Father-in-law loves garlic bossam, so I asked the housekeepers to prepare it specially. We have oyster kimchi too! Wrapping it all together... it'll be incredible."
As I welcomed them enthusiastically, the two of them let out a dry laugh.
As the saying goes, you can't spit on a smiling face.
"You're doing great."
"Woo-jini's tail-wagging is truly top-tier!"
"You're here?"
Yoo Ah-rin and Seo Ye-rin watched in admiration, while Choi I-seo came forward to greet her parents.
The other girls followed suit and said their hellos.
"Hyeong-bu."
"Yeah?"
While everyone else headed to the kitchen, Choi I-seo's younger sister, Choi I-hyun, called out to me.
She glanced at Choi I-seo and whispered softly.
"Actually, my phone broke."
"...Did it break, or did you break it?"
"Ah, Hyeong-bu. Please? Pretty please?"
"Sigh. Fine, I'll get you one. The latest model?"
When I asked, she immediately shook her head.
"The latest Apple model. I don't like your family's company's phones."
"...Are you kidding me?"
"Oh, come on. It's all about the aesthetic these days."
"Fine. I'll take care of it, so don't tell I-seo—"
"Hey! Choi I-hyun! You're asking for something weird again, aren't you!"
Choi I-seo's shout thundered from behind us. We both jumped and froze.
Choi I-seo stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at I-hyun and me with a sigh.
"Don't buy it for her. She's supposed to be studying. She doesn't need a new phone."
"Ugh, Unni! I have a chaebol brother-in-law, so why do I still have to use a budget phone?!"
"So what if he's a chaebol? Is he your man? He's my man. Don't buy her anything. In fact, don't give my family anything yet. People will start looking at us weirdly."
Just then, her father, who was drinking water, suddenly started coughing.
"Cough! Cough! Wheeze! Cough!"
Seeing that, Choi I-seo's eyes sharpened.
"...Dad, what did you get?"
She was incredibly quick on the uptake.
"Huh? Oh, no! Get what? Did Son-in-law Kim give me something?"
"Noooo?! Not at all!"
The moment I shouted that, Choi I-seo scratched her forehead and let out a sigh, glaring at us.
"Spill it."
"..."
"..."
"Speak. Now."
"..."
"..."
"Kim Woo-jin. Five."
"..."
"..."
"Four."
"..."
"..."
"Three."
"Golf clubs! I bought him golf clubs! I saw his profile picture and noticed his clubs were old, so I just got him a new set! That's all!"
"Dad!"