Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: Preparation
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Words were easy, but reality was complicated.
Marriage in America was different from Korea.
You had to go to the county court to get a "marriage license," but the problem was that both of us needed to go in person to apply.
'How am I supposed to take Lily?'
It would be tough for her during the day because of the sunlight.
After agonizing over it, I booked the latest possible time slot.
If it was around sunset, a short outing might be okay.
Even so, full preparations were necessary.
"Lily, put this on."
I handed her some premium Australian sunscreen, and she examined the tube curiously, turning it this way and that.
'Yeah~ Sunscreen really is kangaroo country!'
I slathered it generously on her pale arms.
Since I'd bought plenty, I could apply it all over her body without skimping.
Not satisfied with that, Lily geared up in a long-sleeved t-shirt, a thin jacket, hat, sunglasses, and a mask—full armor.
Once we'd packed her passport, a copy of my divorce decree, and her ID, we headed to the Alameda County Clerk's Office.
The courthouse building was more imposing than I'd imagined.
As we stood in front of the gray concrete structure, Lily gripped my arm tightly.
I could feel her tension even through the mask.
"It's okay. Getting the papers will be quick."
I gave her hand a light squeeze.
The office inside was quiet.
A few couples like us sat waiting silently for marriage licenses.
While we took a number and waited, Lily kept looking around.
"Number 243."
It was our turn.
The clerk was a middle-aged Black woman who raised an eyebrow briefly at Lily's full getup.
But she soon greeted us with a professional smile.
"Marriage license application? IDs, please."
The paperwork check went faster than expected.
We filled out the form, paid the fee, and finally raised our right hands for the oath.
"Do you swear that all the information on the application is true and that you are legally eligible to marry?"
"Yes."
"...Yes!"
I answered first, followed by Lily.
The printer whirred, spitting out a warm sheet of paper.
The clerk handed it over.
"Congratulations. This license is valid for 90 days. Have your ceremony before a licensed California officiant within that time."
Just one sheet of paper.
But it felt strangely weighty.
We thanked her and left the office.
It was already dark outside.
Only the faintest red glow of sunset lingered at the horizon.
I looked at Lily beside me.
Her expression was hidden by the mask and sunglasses, but I could sense the tension easing from her shoulders.
"Lily."
"Yeah?"
"Now it's time to call Pastor Liam."
She nodded.
The most important first step toward our new beginning was complete.
After setting the wedding date with Pastor Liam.
We weren't husband and wife yet, but we would be in a month.
Back at our newlywed home, I leaned against the sofa.
Lily immediately snuggled into my arms, sticking to me like a koala.
I loved the warmth radiating from her small body.
"Hoon..."
"Yeah?"
"Are we really getting married?"
Lily looked up at me.
Her red eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Of course. In a month, we'll have the ceremony in front of the pastor, and you'll be my wife while I'll be your husband."
"Hehe. Husband... wife..."
Lily repeated the words over and over, giggling softly.
Like a child with a new toy.
I stroked her white hair.
"Being with Hoon every day... I'm so happy!"
An ordinary daily life.
To Lily, it was a special kind of happiness.
She couldn't go out during the day because of the sun or live freely like a normal person, so how precious must this normalcy be to her?
Suddenly, my chest tightened.
"Hoon, what changes after we get married?"
"Hm..."
I thought for a moment.
"Legally, we'll be a couple. We'll take care of each other... and spend our lives together."
"Our lives!?"
Lily's eyes widened even more.
"Yeah, our lives. I'll always stay by your side."
"Hehe... even when I'm sick or having a hard time... you'll be there?"
"Of course. That's what husbands do."
I hugged her even tighter.
Lily's illness. Albinism.
She couldn't withstand sunlight, and her lifespan was short.
A rare disease with no known cure.
But we'd overcome it together.
"I'll always stay by Hoon's side too! You will too, right?"
"Yeah. We promised. We'll beat the albinism and live a long, long time together."
"Yeah!"
Lily nodded and buried her face in my chest.
We stayed like that for a while before Lily suddenly lifted her head.
"Hoon... when do we get a baby?"
"Ahem!"
I cleared my throat.
How was I supposed to answer this?
Lily still didn't seem to understand how babies were made.
'When should I give her the sex talk...'
"Babies... let's think about them a bit after we're married. For now, how about we focus on the two of us living happily?"
"Yeah! Let's live happily, Hoon!"
Lily snuggled deeper into my arms with a blissful smile.
The quiet, cozy living room.
Only her soft laughter and my heartbeat echoed gently.
Shock and horror.
That was the emotion Ji-hoon's parents felt.
Their son had sworn off marriage forever and flown off to America.
Yet here he was, remarrying after just one year.
It was absurd.
But amid the shock was a faint sense of relief.
'At least... better than growing old alone...'
Turning his heart to build a new family was a good thing, no matter what.
Times had changed; they had no qualms about international marriage.
Having been burned badly by a domestic one, they even felt a bit reassured hearing "international marriage."
The biggest worry remained their son's taste in women.
After such a massive failure, had he really found someone proper this time?
He was only twenty-seven now.
Whatever was so precious about her, he kept all info on his fiancée locked tight, repeating only that he'd introduce her when they came.
From the parents' perspective, it was maddeningly curious.
The wedding was in a month, quietly at his church with just family.
He'd even asked them not to tell his brother or little sister—just the parents.
"Honey, you've cleared your schedule, right? We'll need at least a week there."
Choi Mi-hee asked her husband.
"Ah~ Of course, of course. I dumped all the work on Ji-hyuk, saying it's a trip."
Their eldest, Ji-hyuk, had been helping with the family business since childhood to inherit it, so no issues there.
"You're closing the shop?"
"I've got a manager. With all the backlog reservations, how could I rest?"
Quiet Conversation House always had bookings filled a month in advance, making it hard to shut down.
"Sigh, an unplanned trip to America all because of our son."
At his wife's sigh-mixed words, Ji-hoon's father chuckled heartily.
"Heh heh. Let's think positive. But I'm dying to know—what kind of woman is our new daughter-in-law?"
The thought of a new daughter-in-law had him inwardly excited.
"Tsk tsk, you really..."
Choi tsked and scolded her husband.
"Don't hand over a card like last time, please."
"Okay, okay, I got it."
What would they feel seeing Lily—an incurable disease as their daughter-in-law?
No one knew what reaction Ji-hoon's parents, puffed up with expectation and worry, would have upon setting foot in America.
My day starts in the pitch-black dawn.
Rubbing sleepy eyes as I get out of bed, I see Lily sleeping like an angel beside me.
Her tiny face with its perfectly harmonious features is almost surreal.
Just looking at her face makes me feel full.
'I'm such a simp.'
Grinning happily from dawn, I planted a light kiss on her cheek.
She twitched slightly but didn't wake.
I tucked her in properly and quietly slipped out of bed.
After a shower, I felt refreshed.
"Ugh, so tired."
Busy without a moment's rest, but with the systems in place, it was much easier than at the start.
As I stepped outside, the cool dawn air filled my lungs.
"Hoo... Fighting today!"
Was it because I now had someone to provide for?
My sense of responsibility had grown stronger.
Today, not the Babsang main branch, but the prep kitchen.
I turned on the lights and laid out the ingredients.
I sorted them for prep and changed into work clothes.
While filling the large pot with water, I brewed a cup of instant coffee and took a sip.
The silent, empty kitchen.
I liked this one cup of coffee, a ritual to start the day alone.
The staff would arrive in about an hour.
Since the prep kitchen finished earlier than Babsang's staff, I came in a bit early.
Evening customer volume was predictable, so I worked dawn to before 6 p.m.
Today had a lot of prep, so I'd come extra early.
Normally, after sending lunch ingredients to Babsang, there's a break until opening—a 4-hour gap.
That's when we prep for the next morning's cooking.
Thanks to that, those who want early outs go to prep kitchen; late arrivals/late leavers to Babsang.
Staff swapped schedules occasionally, naturally forming morning and afternoon shifts.
Steam rose from the large pot, and I sweated over the ingredients.
Slicing radishes, peeling onions... soon the floor was covered in peels.
Screech—
The kitchen door finally opened, and staff filed in.
Glancing at the clock, it was just past 7.
"Aigoo, aunties! Come on in!"
"Boss, you're early today!"
The aunties greeted with bright smiles.
"Yeah! Lots of prep today, so I got a head start."
"Wow~ Boss, you did all this alone? Let's do it together. We'll have coffee first."
"Haha, take your time."
After finishing their coffee, the aunties changed into work clothes and took their stations.
Knife sounds rang out cheerfully, filling the once-silent kitchen with energy.
"Alright, fighting today, everyone!"
"Yes!"
The staff's resounding reply filled the kitchen.
And so, Babsang's day began with the lively morning at the prep kitchen.
Running a restaurant required relentless diligence.
Keep the surroundings spotless, be ready to jump into kitchen or hall anytime manpower was short—that's proper management.
"Ah. So damn tiring."
But this system had a fatal flaw.
Your whole day tied to the place.
This time, big money went out for the newlywed home.
Prep kitchen interior, home purchase and remodel—over half my brought funds gone.
Now I really had to grind like a dog.
'Hm. A bit over a year to recover?'
But I had no intention of running just one main branch.
My goal: restaurant chain business.
Suffer a few more years, operate multiple direct stores.
Why else proxy-farm Korean crops in the US, set up thousands of crocks for soy sauce fermentation?
Chain from the start.
Babsang was the starting point.
But impossible alone.
Needed reliable people.
Aaah... don't wanna sweat for money!
Wanna play with Lily at home...
There's a saying abroad: don't trust fellow Koreans.
Do Koreans have scam DNA? See a countryman and blood boils to fleece them.
Conclusion: import people from Korea.
'Hmm... what’s this guy up to these days?'
I rummaged through my phone, starting to browse SNS.