Visiting My Girlfriend's House... But Her Parents Are Home?! (3)
I swallowed dryly. Cold sweat trickled down my back. The only thing pounding in my ears now was a heartbeat born of an entirely different kind of nervousness than before. Yuna, sitting beside me, wore an equally flustered expression. The reason this couple was acting like this was….
“So you’re Yuna’s boyfriend?”
“Y-yes, sir.”
Jihyeok stammered, clearly rattled, as he began answering the questions. Right in front of Yuna’s parents.
The moment Jihyeok heard the words “Dad” and “Mom” from Yuna’s lips as she left the room, he froze for roughly three seconds. Then he snapped back to his senses, shot to his feet, and started straightening his face and clothes. His outfit was fine, but his face—especially around the mouth—still carried traces of saliva from the skinship he’d shared with Yuna. Of course, it was his own saliva. He wiped it roughly with his hand, then stood in front of the full-length mirror in the room to check that nothing looked out of place.
‘Phew… Good.’
It had taken him fifteen seconds from rising off the bed to fixing his mouth, adjusting his clothes, and completing the final check. Jihyeok, who had never acted so quickly and decisively in his life, gave himself a mental pat on the back—before immediately coming back to reality. Hell was waiting just outside that door. How could he think something like that when his girlfriend’s parents were right there? And yet, if they learned that a boy they’d never even met had almost done something dangerous with their daughter, breaking up with Yuna would only be a matter of time. Jihyeok prayed desperately that nothing would go wrong.
“Jihyeok~ My parents want to see your face~? Come to the living room quick~”
Even hearing Yuna’s heart-melting voice, the pounding tension in his chest showed no sign of easing. After taking several deep breaths, he stepped out of Yuna’s room and headed for the living room.
In the kind eyes watching him, he could clearly sense the silent message: ‘How dare you with our daughter?’ Intimidated, Jihyeok turned to Yuna’s mother.
“Aigoo. Why so scared? Come sit down. We didn’t call you over to scold you, so don’t worry. We just wanted to see what kind of person our daughter’s boyfriend is~”
“Ah, yes!”
At her invitation, Jihyeok moved stiffly and sat beside Yuna, who was already seated. A low table stood between the couple and Yuna’s parents, but the warm touch of Yuna’s hand slipping into his gradually melted the tension from his body.
Yuna’s father cleared his throat and spoke.
“When did you two start dating?”
“March 10th of this year. Today marks the twenty-fifth day of our relationship.”
“You remember the exact date. Impressive.”
“Jihyeok’s memory is seriously incredible!”
“Oh… is that so?”
Thanks to Yuna proudly explaining one of his strengths, the parents’ gazes toward Jihyeok softened a little.
“What’s your name?”
“Yoon Jihyeok.”
“Yoon Jihyeok… I see. Does Yuna ever give you a hard time?”
“Dad, come on…! I’m not that kind of daughter!”
“There’s no need to worry. Yuna takes really good care of me.”
“Really? That’s a relief. I was worried she might be too meddlesome with her boyfriend too, since she’s been looking after her little sister for so long.”
It was the same concern she had expressed to Jihyeok on their first date. After practically raising her sister for twelve years, she feared she might nitpick at trivial things.
“I’m fine with it. No matter how good my memory is, I’m still human. I make mistakes. Every time that happens, Yuna stays by my side, helps me, and supports me so much that I actually feel like it’s exactly what I want.”
Mostly through skinship, though.
“Is that right? You’re quite understanding.”
“He really is. I guess that’s what you get from our daughter’s boyfriend.”
The atmosphere had shifted to one of tentative approval. Watching Yuna’s parents’ reactions, Jihyeok felt like he had earned a fairly positive evaluation.
“We’re not going to interrogate you to figure you out. You’ve probably already discovered it while spending time with Yuna—what kind of special ability she has.”
“Yes. You mean how she can read a person’s true character and intentions just by looking at them, right?”
“That’s right. Yuna doesn’t get close to just anyone. She can tell what a person is like before she even knows them in detail.”
It was something he had learned on their very first date. The fact that she could discern someone’s true worth just by looking and talking—and immediately call the police—was already impressive.
“That’s why we approved of you even before meeting you. Because you’re the boy our daughter—who can see through people’s true nature—likes and loves.”
“…Thank you. For approving of me….”
“Receiving our approval is probably easier than earning Yuna’s, though.”
Yuna’s father extended his hand, asking for a handshake. Jihyeok clasped it with both of his own.
“Please take good care of Yuna, Jihyeok. Becoming a high schooler must have brought things you wanted to try, but because we were so busy, she’s probably missed out on a lot while taking care of her sister. Stay by her side and do all those things together with her. If it’s something you both want and your parents allow it.”
“I’ll gladly celebrate your wedding too, when the time comes.”
Hearing them speak with Yuna’s distant future in mind, Jihyeok nearly teared up at how positively her parents viewed their relationship.
“Yuna dear.”
“Hm? What, Mom?”
“You’re going to marry Jihyeok, right?”
“Mmm~ If Jihyeok wants to, I’ll definitely do it!”
“Haha. Before someone else steals him, turn him into a man who can’t live without you!”
“…I should, right? Jihyeok’s so handsome, there must be tons of girls trying to take him.”
“Yep~ I don’t know about Yuna’s dad, but since Mom’s getting on in years, I’d like to become a grandmother someday~”
“M-Mom!”
Jihyeok’s face turned bright red at the conversation between Yuna and her mother. Yuna’s father watched the two of them and let out a sigh.
“…I suddenly feel sorry. Yuna’s mom is so open-minded that Yuna seems to have taken after her a little too much….”
“…Ahaha. I’ll make sure to keep things in check from now on.”
“I’m counting on you, Jihyeok.”
After the conversation with Yuna’s parents ended, they had another round of proper self-introductions.
“I’m Yoon Jihyeok, the boyfriend of Han Yuna—who ranks first in the entire school and has unbeatable memory. Please take good care of me from now on.”
“Alright. I’m Han Kwonwoo, Yuna’s father. Please take good care of our Yuna.”
“I’m Yu Jinok, Yuna’s mom. Feel free to come over anytime you want~ Right, honey?”
“Yes. If he’s the boy our daughter has approved of, just knock and say your name and I’ll let you right in.”
“Thank you. …Um, how should I address you?”
“You can call us comfortably, like you would your own parents.”
“You can call us Mother-in-law and Father-in-law~”
“…I’ll call you Ma’am and Sir for now.”
Jihyeok felt it was far too soon to call them Mother-in-law and Father-in-law when they hadn’t even set a wedding date. Yuna’s mother stood up and spoke to the two of them.
“Have you two eaten? It’s about time for dinner.”
“Stay and eat if you’d like. I guarantee the taste.”
“Ah. Yes!”
He hadn’t eaten breakfast and was hungry. Once the tension that had locked up his entire body finally loosened, a loud growl came from Jihyeok’s stomach.
“If you were hungry, you should’ve said something~”
“…Please cover my face. If there’s a mouse hole, I’d like to crawl into it….”
Yuna’s father burst into hearty laughter at Jihyeok’s reaction.
“Being hungry isn’t something to be ashamed of. Eat and then take your time before heading home.”
“…Yes. Thank you….”
“Oh, by the way, Jihyeok.”
“…Yes?”
“Where do you live?”
“Dad. He lives in the building right next door. It doesn’t even take a minute to walk here.”
“Really? I was worried it might be far, but you live ridiculously close?”
“Yes. I was surprised when I first found out too.”
While Jihyeok was chatting with Yuna’s father, her mother—who had filled the entire table with food—called the three of them over.
“Dinner’s ready~ Come and eat~”
“Got it. Alright, let’s go.”
“Yeah! Jihyeok, my mom’s cooking is seriously delicious. The lunchboxes I make are recipes I learned from her!”
“Really? Then the taste is definitely guaranteed.”
“Hehe. Eat up~”
As if they had assigned seats, Yuna’s parents sat down first, and Jihyeok took the spot beside Yuna.
“Since my daughter’s boyfriend came over, I guess I went a little overboard~ I ended up making way too much without realizing.”
“If there’s too much, we can save the leftovers for dinner.”
“That’s true~ Alright, everyone dig in~”
“Thank you for the meal.”
Jihyeok, who often ate the cooking of parents who had succeeded enough to open chain restaurants, had unknowingly developed quite a refined palate. That was why he had worried whether Yuna’s mother’s food would taste good—but that worry turned out to be completely unnecessary.
Normally, when preparing large quantities, it’s easy to fail at balancing seasoning. That’s why even most restaurants, even when prepping ingredients in bulk, often cook individual portions separately. Yet despite the considerable amount of side dishes Yuna’s mother had prepared, not a single dish had failed in its seasoning. Jihyeok was impressed by her skill and said,
“It’s common for seasoning to go wrong when making large amounts, but there’s none of that here at all. It’s incredibly delicious.”
Perhaps because she was hearing her parents praised, Yuna hugged Jihyeok’s right arm right in front of them and said,
“Right? My mom’s cooking is amazing!”
“You really know your stuff. Our son-in-law has a good head on his shoulders~”
“…He’s not your son-in-law yet, Mom!”
“Yet? So that means he will be someday?”
“…Ugh. Mom, really….”
Yuna’s face turned as red as Jihyeok’s had moments earlier. A mix of embarrassment and anticipation washed over her.
“My mother runs a side-dish shop.”
“Oh my. Really? Could I visit sometime?”
“I’ll ask her later. If she says it’s okay, you can probably drop by anytime.”
“Thank you, dear~ I should learn a thing or two myself.”
“It’s already perfect as it is. If I may exaggerate a little, even if you secretly mixed in some of your dishes with hers, no one would notice the difference.”
“Ahaha. Our son-in-law sure knows how to talk~”
Watching Yuna’s mother smile nonstop at Jihyeok’s praise, Yuna’s father asked,
“What does your father do?”
“Um… Have you heard about the company that’s preparing to expand overseas? It’s been in the news a lot.”
“Yes. I saw it on the news and thought it must be an incredible company… Why do you ask?”
“My father is the CEO of that company.”
“….”
The hand of Yuna’s father, who had been eating, stopped mid-motion. He looked quite taken aback.
“…Your family is impressive. Do you have any siblings?”
“I have a twenty-three-year-old older brother who’s engaged, and a twelve-year-old younger sister.”
“Engaged at twenty-three… That’s impressive.”
Having roughly grasped Jihyeok’s family background, Yuna’s parents quickly finished their meal and began preparing to leave. Yuna paused her own eating and looked at them.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
“We just stopped by the house for a bit. We’ll probably be home pretty late tonight.”
“Is something going on?”
“It’s not urgent, but we wanted to go on a date for the first time in a while.”
“Just stay the night and come back tomorrow. It’s a date, after all.”
“Tomorrow’s Monday. We have to go to work.”
“Ah… right.”
Yuna’s parents chuckled and looked at Jihyeok.
“Have fun and take your time before heading home.”
“If Yuna jumps you, enjoy it!”
“…I’ll run away!”
“I’m not planning to jump him yet. Mom! I’ll do it after we get married!”
At Yuna’s bold declaration of “jumping” him right in front of her parents and boyfriend, Jihyeok buried his face in the table, unable to endure the overwhelming embarrassment. As her parents left almost fleeing, Jihyeok thought that while it was fun, Yuna’s aggressive personality definitely came from her mother. Especially from her mom.