Knock Her Up Already
Shin Jaewoo gave the order. What he wanted was to deal with the loan sharks. For now, since Seong Yubin was so anxious, he figured he'd clear them out of her sight(?). Derek Coleman thought the same.
He didn't know exactly how important Seong Yubin was. But there she was, glancing around uneasily while talking to Shin Jaewoo.
"...Shall we move?"
The man who'd been quietly observing finally spoke up.
"No, we... "
Bae Homin didn't want to follow. It was pure instinctual unease. Something told him they couldn't leave the front of the restaurant.
'Dangerous.'
He felt it deep in his gut. And in the end, that instinct wasn't wrong.
Derek Coleman's hands touched their bodies.
'Gah!'
Not quite like the pressure points in wuxia novels, but every body had its weak spots. Whether he'd zeroed in on those or it was just his iron grip, excruciating pain surged through them. To anyone watching, it just looked like his hands resting casually on them—but the spots he'd pressed throbbed with agony.
'Kwaaaagh!'
Pain that bad robbed you of speech. Bae Homin learned that the hard way. With so little fat on his frame, it hurt even worse.
Jeong Ho-cheol picked up on the vibe too.
"Aigoo, we get it—your boss here's a scary fella. But we're not bad guys, honest."
But that didn't change Derek Coleman's demeanor. In the end, they were dragged away.
'Damn. This feels like it's going south big time.'
'We shouldn't have...'
They'd poked the bear. Both men knew it now.
Seong Yubin—and Park Sun-ok for sure—weren't big shots by any stretch. He'd heard Park Sun-ok had a grandson, but nothing about the kid being anyone special. Yet the atmosphere now was anything but ordinary.
Once those two were hauled off by Derek Coleman and out of sight, Seong Yubin seemed a bit more at ease. Or maybe she was just forcing herself to forget the anxiety.
'Well, even if I tell her not to worry anymore, she's not gonna shake it off that easily.'
She might still be uneasy, but he'd have to let her face them once to confirm they were gone. For now, though, conversation flowed easier without them looming.
And in the midst of it, he learned something new.
"Oh, I'm 25."
He'd figured she was around Kim Minseo's age. Turns out Seong Yubin was older than expected.
"Twenty-five?"
"Yeah... Do I not look it?"
"I thought you were twenty."
"Come on, oppa—even if I look young, not that young."
Oppa again. She went on.
"And drop the formal speech with me. You're older than me... right?"
She'd called him oppa from the start, but now she finally asked outright. Shin Jaewoo did the math on his age.
'How old am I again?'
The former president thing threw him off sometimes. Roughly thirty. He nodded at her question anyway.
"Yeah. Born in '95."
She'd told him to loosen up, so he matched her casual tone.
"'95? That's exactly six years older than me. I'm '01."
'01 made her twenty-five.
"Oh, by Korean age, I'm still twenty-four."
She corrected herself.
"Gotcha."
Just as their chat was warming up, Park Sun-ok emerged from the kitchen, tray in hand with steaming sundae gukbap.
Seong Yubin shot to her feet at the sight.
"Granny, let me get that."
"You will, huh?"
Park Sun-ok didn't stop her. Instead, she paused right there, watching fondly as Seong Yubin set the soup in front of Shin Jaewoo.
"Here you go again, oppa."
"Thanks."
Even his words felt more natural now. Park Sun-ok nodded approvingly.
'Nice, real nice.'
In her eyes, they were a perfect match—handsome guy, pretty girl. When Seong Yubin sat at one of the seats across from him, Park Sun-ok took a spot at the next table over.
"So what brings you all the way out here without a heads-up?"
"Told ya, granny—I came to eat your cooking."
Truth was business, but he went with the white lie for now.
"Silly boy. So how's the love life comin' along?"
Park Sun-ok was pushing hard. Shin Jaewoo flinched at the direct jab.
The first name that popped into his head wasn't Kim Hyeju anymore. No, it was Lee Sooyoung.
'Sooyoung-ssi...'
But they weren't like that. Not romantic—just a brief fling. They'd slept together, sure, but nothing more. Things had even cooled off since Lee Jinmyeong started.
Next up: Nyanbyeol.
'Meeting her tomorrow.'
They had plans to see each other. But that was it. He felt something, sure, but she wasn't girlfriend material yet. Plus, she was a yeocam.
'Dating a cam girl... kinda iffy.'
No prejudice against her job, but it weighed on him.
Then...
'...PD-nim?'
She floated into his mind. Park Sun-ok noticed his lingering silence and probed gently.
"What? Got a girl in mind?"
His hesitation fueled her suspicions. Seong Yubin would've been ideal, but whoever it was, she just wanted to see her grandson settled.
"Who is she?"
Granny's curiosity peaked.
"...No one. No girl."
Under her intense gaze, Shin Jaewoo waved it off. Then—smack.
"Ow."
He nearly dropped his spoon.
"No way a fine young buck like you ain't got no girl? What're you now, thirty? Everyone else is datin'! "
Hurt laced her words. But Shin Jaewoo felt wronged.
'Granny, your grandson got dumped like two months ago...'
Not even two full months yet. Was she seriously expecting him to move on already?
Park Sun-ok laid into him.
"Back in my day, I had a kid by then—a kid! Your ma was born when your gramps was twenty, boy."
"Granny, kids at twenty these days? That's a scandal."
"Then cause a scandal! What kinda scandal is worth dodgin'?"
Smack. Another hit for backtalk. His shoulder stung.
'Granny...'
So unfair. And she kept going.
"Your daddy had you at your age. Ain't nobody in this family stayed single as long as you..."
The more she said, the more aggrieved he felt. Seong Yubin watched awkwardly as Park Sun-ok scolded him. It was novel for her too. The usual script was studies in school, marriage in your thirties—but hearing it live? Unheard of.
"...Excuse me. One bottle of soju here, please."
"Right away!"
Seong Yubin seized the moment to stand. Tough sticking around for this nagging fest.
And as if waiting for her to step away...
"So, whaddya think?"
"...Of what, granny?"
"Of Yubin, dummy. Pretty face, pretty heart. And those hands—nimble as can be."
Hearing that, Shin Jaewoo glanced at Seong Yubin. This time, her back view caught his eye—blue jeans hugging her figure. He turned away quick before his thoughts wandered.
"...Don't talk like that about someone I just met today."
Park Sun-ok grinned at his words.
"Right?"
He thought she'd agreed.
"Yubin looks good in your eyes too, huh?"
Nope.
"Granny, I never said that..."
"Pfft. If ya hated her, you'd say so. Means ya like her."
She had him pinned like a bug on a board.
"...Granny, you're making it awkward. Don't play matchmaker."
"Everyone starts shy like that. If no one else pans out, give Yubin a shot. Ain't a sweeter girl around, far as I can see."
Clearly, Seong Yubin had won her over big time. Park Sun-ok was all-in.
'Granny, it ain't that simple.'
He hadn't even considered the girl's feelings. First, redirect granny's focus.
"Granny, I'm meeting a girl tomorrow."
"Oh my! Why didn't ya say so? Where's she from—who is she?"
Interest piqued. Classic granny move—Seong Yubin already forgotten.
"...A bit younger, lives in Daejeon too."
"So you didn't come for granny's food—you came to see a girl?"
Her eyes narrowed.
'Not exactly...'
It was business, not her. But saying that now? Bad idea.
'Just... roll with it.'
Admit it, or get smacked again. Granny wouldn't buy the truth anyway.
"Pretty?"
"...Not ugly."
"Good hips for kids?"
"Granny..."
Lucky she said it out of earshot—sexual harassment otherwise. Park Sun-ok pressed on.
"Got it? Knock her up already."