Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Meeting
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"Ah... H-hello..."
A doll.
Yeah, calling her doll-like was spot on.
Ji-hoon's parents sat there with their mouths agape, watching Lily greet them.
A tiny face framed by a pure white dress.
Lustrous white hair.
Ruby-red eyes set in a petite frame. It was no wonder they were stunned by the sight of this little girl greeting them, visibly tense.
"Uh... uh... Y-yeah, nice to meet you."
"Come on in, let's talk inside. Dong-hyun, set the luggage down somewhere."
"Uh... yeah, okay."
Dong-hyun stared at Ji-hoon in disbelief too.
Truth be told, Dong-hyun was shocked because he'd just laid eyes on someone who looked like she'd jumped straight out of an anime.
They moved to the living room and sat on the sofa.
Ji-hoon's parents still seemed rattled, their surprise not fully settled.
"Dad, Mom. This is the woman I'm going to marry. Her name is Lily."
Lily looked nervous but managed a smile.
Ji-hoon's parents sat side by side on the living room sofa, still wearing expressions of disbelief at the scene before them.
Dong-hyun was equally entranced, unable to tear his eyes away from Lily.
Choi Mi-hee was the first to recover.
She composed herself and spoke to Lily in a gentle voice.
"Your name is Lily, right?"
Lily replied in a small, tense voice.
"...Yes."
"You're so pretty. You really do look like a doll."
Even with Choi's compliment, the atmosphere didn't lighten easily.
Kim Sung-tae cleared his throat and asked,
"So... how did you two meet?"
Ji-hoon answered for her.
"We met at church. The one I volunteer at every weekend."
"Church?"
Choi Mi-hee's eyebrow arched slightly.
"Yes. Lily would come by occasionally for help. We ran into each other a few times, talked, and got close."
"Then... where are your parents?"
To Choi's cautious question, Ji-hoon replied calmly.
"They both... passed away. It's just Lily."
Ji-hoon's parents looked sympathetic at that.
Kim Sung-tae then gingerly asked about Lily's appearance.
"If it's not rude... is your skin naturally this pale? And your hair color too?"
Lily's shoulders flinched slightly at the question.
Ji-hoon quickly took her hand and explained.
"Lily has albinism. She's congenitally low on melanin, so her skin, hair, and eyes are like this."
"Albinism...?"
Question marks appeared on his parents' faces at the unfamiliar condition.
"Yes. She's sensitive to sunlight and has poor eyesight. She hardly goes out during the day."
Worry creased Choi Mi-hee's face.
"Oh dear... so she's very frail? Is there... treatment for it?"
"Modern medicine doesn't have a cure yet. But as long as she avoids sunlight, daily life isn't a big issue. I'll work with her to find ways to stay healthy."
Ji-hoon squeezed Lily's hand, trying to reassure his parents.
Lily just sat quietly beside him, head slightly bowed.
A heavy silence fell for a moment.
Kim Sung-tae and Choi Mi-hee simply looked at each other wordlessly.
Their son's sudden fiancée was a girl with an unexpected condition, tangling their emotions in complexity.
Albinism.
A rare genetic disorder occurring in 1 in 20,000 worldwide.
Even rarer in Korea.
This was the first time Ji-hoon's parents had seen someone with albinism—white skin syndrome—in person.
They didn't show it, but their hearts ached.
'Why doesn't our son ever think of dating a normal, ordinary girl?'
A sigh escaped deep from Choi Mi-hee's heart.
Lily's beauty was undeniably ethereal and mysterious.
But they didn't know exactly what albinism entailed.
The son said daily life was fine with just sun avoidance, but who knew?
Wasn't it ultimately incurable?
Choi Mi-hee tried to shift the awkward mood by asking Lily about the wedding.
"So... Lily. I heard you're planning a simple wedding. Is that okay with you?"
Lily beamed and nodded brightly.
"Yes! I don't mind skipping it altogether. But Hoon says it's necessary, so we're doing it. Hehe."
Her innocent response drew a deep sigh from Choi instead.
'No, if money's tight, just say so. Why make the wedding so small?'
She gave her son a puzzled look.
"Ji-hoon, why are you making the wedding so modest?"
"I can't stand people whispering about Lily."
Choi chided him, displeased.
"Ugh, look at the lovebird."
But his eyes were earnest.
His intent to protect his future daughter-in-law seemed genuine.
"Sob... ugh..."
It's a good day, so who's crying their eyes out?
Me, you bastard.
Ah, Dong-hyun too.
Even Mom and Dad were holding back tears.
Tears welled in Mother's eyes.
"Oh my... I see..."
Lily gripped my hand tightly, smiling radiantly at my sniffling family.
"Yes! But I want to live with Hoon for a long, long time! Hoon is a good man. Thank you for allowing me to marry him. Mom, Dad."
Mother finally burst into tears at Lily's words.
"Yes, yes. Oh dear..."
They told Lily we were now her parents too, explaining how in Korea, marriage gives you a new set of parents. Lily lit up like a child.
She shared her life story, her feelings upon meeting me.
And though her lifespan might be short, she'd strive with me to live long. The joyful first meeting soon turned solemn.
As the solemn mood settled, Ji-hoon spoke up.
"Dad, Mom."
"Yes?"
"I have a favor to ask."
"What is it?"
His parents looked at him curiously.
"As you'll see from talking to her, Lily hasn't had proper social education. If she seems a bit rude, please don't scold her too much—understand and teach her. And... teach her a lot."
Choi Mi-hee smiled softly at his sincere plea.
"Of course. She's like our daughter now."
Kim Sung-tae nodded too.
Choi examined Lily's face closely once more.
The more she looked, the more stunning she found it.
"Goodness... isn't she too beautiful to marry you?"
His ex-wife Ji-su had been quite average-looking.
Somewhere between plain and pretty.
Ji-hoon was utterly ordinary too.
But Lily rivaled top celebrities in beauty.
Plus her albinism added an otherworldly, dreamy aura.
An hour's conversation was enough to read her.
After chatting briefly, Ji-hoon's parents sensed she was purely innocent, knowing nothing, just as he said.
"Ji-hoon."
"Yes, Mom."
"I'll keep Lily today, chat and teach her. You stay with Dad."
"Huh? Why me? No thanks."
Her eyebrow twitched at his response.
"Dong-hyun, fetch the stick."
"Yes, Mom!"
As Dong-hyun jumped up, Ji-hoon panicked.
"Aaaah! Fine! I'll stay with Dad!"
"Lily."
"Yes, Mom!"
"Want to talk a lot with Mom today?"
"Hehe, yes! Teach me lots!"
"Good."
Choi took Lily's hand and stood.
"Ji-hoon, Lily and I will take the master bedroom tonight. Take Dad to another room. Shall we go, Lily? Mom's tired."
"Yes~"
Watching them head to the bedroom arm-in-arm like mother and daughter twisted Ji-hoon's gut.
'Ah... I sleep best hugging Lily.'
Glancing aside, Dad looked uncomfortable too.
'Hey, I'm the victim here too.'
But what could he do?
The Kim family was always ruled by the women.
With few women around, sister Ji-min had monopolized the adults' love.
"......Let's go, Dad."
"Ahem. Yeah."
Father and son headed awkwardly to the room.
Dong-hyun was left alone in the living room.
He muttered, bewildered.
"......What about me?"
He'd been utterly forgotten.
In the master bedroom, Lily perched timidly on the bed's edge.
Choi Mi-hee found the sight endearing.
Outwardly poised and elegant, she secretly adored cute things.
Lily—with her porcelain skin and doll-like looks—hit the mark perfectly.
Choi sat beside her and spoke softly.
"Am I making you uncomfortable, Lily?"
Lily shook her head vigorously.
"No! Not at all! It's just... having a mom again feels so new."
Her pure reply warmed Choi's smile.
"Yes, I'm your mom now. Ask anything you're curious about."
Lily's red eyes sparkled with curiosity.
She hesitated, then asked cautiously.
"Um... Mom. I have a question."
"Go ahead, anything."
"Hoon and I hold hands and sleep together... so when does the baby come? I'm so excited!"
"......What?"
Choi doubted her ears.
Lily's face was utterly serious and innocent.
She apparently thought babies came just from sleeping while holding hands.
Choi stifled a laugh, pondering where to start.
"Well... babies don't come just from sleeping."
"Huh? Really?"
Lily's eyes widened.
"But Mom said they'd come if we hold hands and sleep..."
"She probably simplified it for you as a child."
Choi held Lily's hand and explained step by step.
A man and woman meet, fall in love, marry, unite their bodies... that's how babies are made. Basic sex ed.
Lily listened intently, eyes sparkling at every word.
Her cheeks flushed a bit.
"Wow... so amazing... I didn't know any of that."
"It's okay. Mom will teach you from now on."
Choi continued with wife duties.
Respect your husband, cherish the family, support each other.
"Our family is from an ancestral lineage. Like nobility in Europe?"
"What's nobility?"
"People of high status. In Korea, think old history and traditions."
"Hard to understand."
"Hehe. A family with many of the same bloodline?"
"Ah! Lots of kids and descendants!"
"Yes. Now you're part of it too."
"Eek~ So exciting!"
Lily beamed.
"What's so exciting?"
"I have no relatives. Parents gone, all alone. Having a big family makes me happy, Mom."
It was heartbreaking.
This tiny, cute girl must have struggled alone.
"Someday, I'll teach you Korean cooking."
"Really? I want to learn!"
Lily exclaimed happily.
"Korea has holidays like Lunar New Year, and respecting elders is key."
Choi briefly covered Korean culture and etiquette.
Lily absorbed it like a sponge.
Her face showed pure curiosity and joy, no boredom.
"Wow... Mom, I know nothing! Teach me tons from now on, okay?"
Lily clung to Choi's arm, acting cute.
Choi burst out laughing at the adorableness.
Her initial worries melted away, replaced by affection for this lovely new daughter-in-law.
"Yes, yes. Mom will teach you everything. No worries."
Choi patted Lily's back gently.
They say talking to pure souls reveals true hearts, bringing calm without complications.
A break from the stimulating world.
Choi felt healed conversing with Lily, free of greed or hidden motives.