Meeting Han Yeoryeon's Family
Han Yeoryeon's parents. Well, her uncle and aunt. It was the first time they'd invited me over for a meal since I'd gotten to know her.
What could this be about?
I was pondering what had suddenly prompted this when Han Yeoryeon spoke cautiously from the phone speaker.
"Is the time... okay...?"
Her uncle had helped me out big time with my mom's situation before. And thanks to Yeoryeon, her aunt had been supporting us in all sorts of ways. If I didn't have time, I'd have to make some—that was just basic decency.
"Of course I'm going. When should I come? Yeah. Uh-huh. Got it. Yeah. I'll call you back later."
I wrapped up the call quickly, settling just on the time, then stared at the dark screen, deep in thought again.
What wind had blown that made those two invite me over all of a sudden?
...No clue.
Nothing came to mind.
I dressed neatly for the first time in ages and headed out, arriving near her place a bit early. You couldn't show up empty-handed to visit benefactors, so I picked up a small fruit basket nearby.
Room 1302... Here it is.
I double-checked the room number from the messenger a few times, straightened my clothes, and rang the doorbell.
Soon, I heard pattering footsteps rushing over from the other side, and the door flew open as Han Yeoryeon greeted me with a beaming smile.
"Come on in!"
"Not late, right?"
"Perfect timing! Come in."
"'Scuse the intrusion."
Stepping inside, a tidy-looking middle-aged couple welcomed me warmly.
"Thanks for coming over."
"Welcome."
It was Han Yeoryeon's uncle and aunt, whom I'd met before.
So this is what they mean by aging gracefully.
I'd thought it before, but it was probably thanks to these two that Yeoryeon had grown up so upright.
"Hello."
"It's been a while."
"Wow, just like Yeoryeon said—you're so handsome. First time meeting me, right?"
"Yes. Thank you so much for taking care of us all this time. It's not much, but I brought some fruit on the way."
"Oh my! You didn't have to."
"Couldn't come empty-handed. I'd be grateful if you'd accept."
"Of course. We'll eat it together later."
Her family welcomed me with open arms.
It wasn't awkward at all. The atmosphere was downright cozy.
Not a bad start.
"You haven't eaten yet, right?"
"No, not yet. And please feel free to speak casually, Aunt."
"Should I?"
"Honey, now that he's here, let's eat first?"
"Yes. I'll get it ready right away."
"Yuchan! Give me your jacket and sit here."
"Thanks."
We moved straight to the dining table for dinner.
Whoa, they went all out.
The table was huge, but it was packed full—a lavish spread that secretly threw me off a bit.
"Thanks for the meal!"
I'd popped a digestive beforehand just in case, and now I shoveled it in with all the enthusiasm I could muster.
"How is it? To your taste?"
"Yes. Feels even better than my mom's cooking."
"That good?"
"Yeah! Yuchan loves your cooking, Aunt!"
"Guess I need to step it up even more. Hehe."
Thankfully, her aunt seemed to take a real liking to me.
Looked like I'd made a solid first impression.
Nothing wrong with winning them over.
We chatted casually over the meal. Since they all knew my situation, nothing felt off-limits or strained. The three of them kept the conversation flowing smoothly, making it comfy all around.
They really just called me over for dinner, huh.
So I relaxed and soaked in the warmth of family for the first time in forever...
Until, after finishing the meal in that cheerful vibe and moving to the spacious living room for warm tea and snacks...
"Ahem. By the way."
Her uncle, who'd been chuckling heartily moments ago, suddenly turned serious and spoke up gravely.
"There's something I've been wanting to ask you for a while. Mind if I do?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
"Hm. Well... what are your plans for taking responsibility for our Yeoryeon going forward?"
"...Responsibility, you say...?"
"She's young now, so part-time work covers it. But that can't last forever."
Caught off guard by the sudden attack, I fumbled for words and glanced at Han Yeoryeon beside me.
She jumped in quick as a flash.
"W-We can handle that ourselves!"
And just like that, the conversation took a weird turn.
"I know you'll handle it well. But as parents, we can at least hear about your future plans, right? Don't you think, honey?"
"Yeah, Yeoryeon. Aunt feels the same. Not like you're marrying tomorrow or anything..."
"A-Aunt! It's not at that stage yet..."
Marriage. Responsibility. Future plans.
Yeoryeon waving it off while sneaking peeks at me, and the two of them talking like they were sending off their daughter with grim determination.
No way...?
Finally realizing what was going on, I was stunned inside.
I was apparently sitting there as Han Yeoryeon's boyfriend.
"What do you think?"
"......"
"......"
All three sets of eyes locked on me.
I swallowed hard, forced down the nerves, and sneaked a glance at Yeoryeon.
She couldn't meet my eyes, looking anxious.
From the vibes, her family had caught on to our relationship and assumed it was serious, pushing things along. She probably couldn't explain without making it worse.
Good thing I picked up on it quick.
Patting myself on the back for not screwing up so far, I gathered my thoughts and met her uncle's eyes squarely.
"...To be honest, I don't have solid plans yet. Marriage, the future—it all feels pretty vague right now."
A subtle tension settled over the room.
"But."
I grabbed Yeoryeon's hand boldly right there and declared it loud and clear.
"I don't want to make her suffer irresponsibly."
Whether it killed me or fed me, I'd prove it somehow.
It was basically an empty promise, but...
"Yuchan..."
Deeply touched by my vow to take responsibility, she backed me up eagerly.
"Right! Yuchan's not the type to make me suffer! Worst case, I can earn and take responsibility!"
"What? Guys these days do househusband stuff a lot... Right?"
"...If that's what you think..."
With even her aunt on my side, her uncle had nothing left to say and sighed with a helpless look.
"What can we do? We'll trust you once."
"You made the right call, honey."
"Yay! Thanks, Uncle!"
"But if you make my girl cry, you're in for it!"
"Our son-in-law wouldn't, would he?"
"Yeah! Yuchan never makes me cry!"
"Argh. A rolling stone gathers no moss, huh? All siding with the son-in-law—makes me jealous."
"No, it's not like that~"
"Feeling bummed about losing your daughter?"
"Of course I am!"
The mood brightened right back up as the three hugged it out in harmony.
Unable to keep up with the shift, I watched them with an indescribable feeling.
...Huh?
It felt like I'd gotten roped into something without realizing.
"I'll walk him out!"
"See you next time."
Somehow wrapping up the "meeting the parents" successfully(?), we strolled arm-in-arm down the night path.
Autumn was here—the night air turning crisp.
"Um... Yuchan."
"Yeah?"
"Sorry..."
"For what?"
"For dragging you here out of nowhere... Making you go through that..."
She apologized with a downcast face, clearly feeling guilty about the whole thing.
Already got hearts in her eyes? She's just too cute.
Any lingering annoyance melted away.
"It's fine. This was gonna happen eventually anyway."
"...Huh?"
Truth be told, she hadn't done anything wrong.
If anything, it was on me.
We were basically a couple already.
She'd just been accommodating me one-sidedly.
If I didn't feel the same, I wouldn't have promised responsibility in front of her family.
It was all said with resolve.
"Yuchan..."
"Good girl gets a kiss."
I tapped her cheek, and she threw her arms around my neck, smooching me soundly.
"Hehe. Love you."
Her bold aegyo lifted my spirits, and as we walked stuck together, I murmured softly.
"...Thanks for waiting all this time."
"...Yeah..."
And just like that, we were officially dating.
Things changed a lot after greeting Han Yeoryeon's family.
The biggest? Her sleepovers became free rein.
With the condition of "use protection properly," of course.
"Th-they really said that?"
"Yeah..."
"Uh... Let's, um, be careful then."
"...Yeah..."
From then on, she started spending more time at my place.
"Can I sleep over tonight?"
"You told your family?"
"Said I might."
"Then crash here."
It started as just one night.
"First period tomorrow?"
"Yeah. So I'll just stay here."
"Not 'cause you wanna sleep with me?"
"That too. Hehe."
Before long, it stretched to one night, then two.
"Yeoryeon, you okay not going home?"
"Dunno. I'll just stay here today too."
"What if they ban sleepovers?"
"Son-in-law can fix it."
"What? You little...!"
"Eek...!"
During exams, it was practically five nights a week at my place.
"Hey, hey! Not tonight. You're studying, right?"
"After I'm done?"
"You passed out first last night too."
"Nuh-uh? Tonight I'll knock you out first."
"All talk from a lightweight."
"I'm not! I'm a pro!"
Her stuff started filling up the house bit by bit.
When'd she order this?
Packages from who-knows-when deliveries.
"What's that?"
"My makeup. Barely use it at home, so I brought it all."
"Where to put it?"
"Your desk, there."
Even her daily essentials.
By the time I noticed, her stuff outnumbered mine.
Whoa, when did this happen?
It was already half-moved-in territory. Should I say something? Nah, too late for that—it'd be weird now.
I was mulling over her subtle takeover when suddenly Han Yeoryeon got offered independence from her family.
"Independence...? Out of nowhere?"
"Yeah. They said they'd help find a place."
Couldn't live with family forever, so snag an empty room ahead of post-semester openings...
"Oh... I see."
"So... Can I stay here for a bit?"
"At my place?"
"Yeah...!"
She straight-up proposed full cohabitation.
"Uh..."
Honestly, I wasn't against living together.
Saved money, and being with her wasn't a hassle.
Just... after so long alone, sharing space felt a tad awkward.
"...Forget it if you don't want... I'll find my own place..."
Sensing my hesitation, she tucked tail and backed off meekly.
No way I'd let that slide.
"Nah, no! Just thinking."
"So... I can live here?"
She perked up instantly, aegyo on full blast for permission.
"...Get your family's okay first."
I saw semi-cohabiting and full-on as different beasts, so I told her to get uncle and aunt's approval.
And then.
She marched right in with proof pics attached, bold as brass.
In the photo, her family was grinning ear-to-ear, thumbs up.
"...For real?"
And just like that, I stumbled into cohabitation.