Call Me Nuna, Mother-in-Law?
“Yongtae~!!”
As soon as I stepped out of the airport, Han Yugyeong was waiting for me with her bodyguard Dixon. She looked incredibly cute, bouncing on her toes and waving both hands. The white collared shirt paired with a black pleated skirt suited her perfectly, giving off that fresh, vibrant energy only a college girl could pull off.
Come to think of it, among all the women I was involved with, Han Yugyeong was the youngest. We were the same age, after all. No wonder she felt so refreshingly bright.
“I missed you!”
The moment I got close, she threw herself into my arms. I hugged her back tightly and told her I’d missed her too. She giggled and burrowed her face into my chest, rubbing her head against me like a happy kitten.
People around us kept glancing over, clearly wondering who the guy was that such a stunning beauty had been waiting for. Han Yugyeong seemed completely used to the stares and didn’t pay them any mind. I still felt a little awkward, but I’d grown somewhat accustomed to it by now.
“You hungry? Want to eat first?”
“Yeah, let’s eat. Perfect timing—it’s lunchtime, right?”
I’d booked the flight to land right around noon. After spending so much time in Japan, I’d been craving Korean food, so the plan was to eat the moment I landed.
Our group headed toward Han Yugyeong’s car in the airport parking lot. She must have traded up recently; the car waiting for us was far more luxurious than her previous one. It had that solid, executive presence—like the kind of vehicle company presidents favored.
“New car?”
“Yep! I wanted to surprise you, so I didn’t say anything~.”
I asked while loading my suitcase into the trunk. Switching cars wasn’t that shocking, though. Han Yugyeong had made an absolute fortune investing in Health Miracle on my advice, so she could have bought dozens of cars like this without breaking a sweat.
“Actually, the real surprise isn’t the car… I bought a company.”
“Wait, seriously?”
It was still early, but expanding capital through Health Miracle from the beginning and acquiring a company was one of the major routes. I wondered what was available to buy at this stage.
“What company?”
“A security company. Public safety’s been unstable lately, so demand for protection services keeps rising.”
As expected from someone with high intelligence—she’d chosen the correct answer even without knowing the strategy. She must have done thorough research beforehand. Unlike Japan, Korea wasn’t a country where PMCs operated openly, so most of them ran under the name of security firms.
After the war, many of the men who had been conscripted flowed into security companies as one of the top destinations. Others returned to their pre-war jobs or, in no small numbers, joined criminal organizations. Some even became addicted to drugs due to war trauma.
A lot of police officers had been lost during the conflict. When North Korea collapsed during World War Three and unification followed, the already insufficient police force had to stretch across both regions. The crime rate exploded as a result.
From the South Korean government’s perspective, postwar reconstruction costs were already astronomical. With no budget to hire more officers, they pulled personnel from the South to cover the North. The northern regions stayed dangerous, while the original southern areas saw their police presence thin out, making nationwide security unstable.
Private security companies boomed in that environment. Veterans hardened by real combat joined these firms, strengthening them and earning public trust. Eight years after the war, security companies had become a premium industry. In emergencies, they could even function as unofficial military assets.
Buying a security company was the right move, but some were absolute jackpots. I was curious which one she’d chosen.
“So which security company did you buy?”
“It’s probably one you’ve never heard of. It’s called Vanguard…”
Vanguard. Whether it was her high intelligence or high luck stat, Han Yugyeong kept hitting the right answer every single time. Vanguard was exactly the super jackpot I’d had in mind. In the community, it was the first company recommended when people talked about acquiring a Korean security firm. It was also famous for being extremely difficult to purchase. The company was only vulnerable in the early game; miss that window and it became a firm you could only hire, never own.
All its personnel were former special forces with solid equipment—an elite outfit with real scale. It lacked the name recognition of chaebol-owned security companies, but its actual substance was top-tier.
“So you’re the president now, Yugyeong?”
“Yeah. My secretary said the company president needed a suitable car, so I bought one. Acquiring Vanguard stretched things pretty tight, so the car was basically the last straw.”
That made sense. Vanguard itself was a top-tier company, so even with the massive profits she’d made from stocks, buying it would have been difficult. The fact that she’d managed it at all was impressive. Perfect timing, luck, and capital were all required. The company would basically run itself now, but I felt a little bad knowing Han Yugyeong was probably short on liquid cash. Maybe I should give her some spending money under the guise of an investment?
“Want me to invest?”
“No, the company’s fine.”
“Then I’ll buy a stake. Maybe around ten percent?”
She’d said investment wasn’t necessary, but holding shares in Vanguard seemed like a good idea, so I offered. Han Yugyeong looked a little uncomfortable about taking money from me and said she’d think about it.
The place we arrived at for lunch was a samgyetang restaurant. It was mid-July and the weather was starting to heat up, so it seemed she wanted to replenish my energy.
“One wild ginseng, abalone, and lion’s mane mushroom samgyetang, please.”
I had no idea what she was trying to do to me by ordering this absolute stamina bomb of a dish. Wild ginseng, abalone, lion’s mane—whatever it was, I couldn’t even imagine the taste. Still, after being in Japan for so long, it had been quite a while since I’d had proper samgyetang, so I was genuinely looking forward to it.
The food arrived shortly, and I dug into the samgyetang with pleasure. It tasted better than I’d expected. Honestly, despite all the fancy ingredients, it was still just really good samgyetang. For reference, Dixon was eating at a table near the entrance. If an attacker came, they’d likely enter through the door, so he’d positioned himself to respond immediately.
“Oh, right. How’s Nero?”
“He’s doing great~! Look.”
Seeing Dixon reminded me of Han Yugyeong’s other bodyguard—her shadow panther, Nero. The spot she pointed to was my own shadow. A sleek black tail emerged from it, coiled once around my ankle, then slipped back into the darkness. It looked like Nero was following her orders perfectly. With the related trait in play, the taming process must have finished by now.
If Han Yugyeong continued down the summoning tree, I’d need to create a summoning tome for her using the coordinates I remembered. It would depend on what traits she gained from leveling up, but once she reached a decent level, I’d make one.
Of course, summoning tomes weren’t easy to produce. I’d need significant preparation, and nearly everything required materials from the Dark Merchant. It would cost both time and money. If she went down a different trait tree instead, I’d prepare something else rather than a summoning tome.
“Ah, I’m full. Did you enjoy it, Yongtae?”
“Yeah. It’s been a while since I had samgyetang. It was delicious.”
Maybe it was the mountain of wild ginseng, abalone, and everything else, or maybe it was just my imagination, but I really did feel energized.
“Now that we’ve eaten something good… should we head home?”
Her face flushed as she asked, looking so adorable that I smiled and nodded. Dixon watching us from the entrance table with a warm, almost fatherly expression was pretty funny.
“Yeah, let’s go. I need to drop my luggage off, and I want to be alone with you, Yugyeong…”
“Hehe… I want to be alone with you too, Yongtae.”
We drove to her studio apartment near Korea University. She’d changed cars, but she couldn’t have moved too, right?
“Still the same place?”
“Yeah. There’s still plenty of time left on the lease, and it’s close to campus. I haven’t felt like moving yet, so I’m staying put.”
Since we hadn’t seen each other in a while, Han Yugyeong had a lot to talk about. She chattered away happily the entire drive—about her university classes, her friends, her professors, and the students she was tutoring. The small, everyday stories were surprisingly fun to listen to.
Before I knew it, we’d arrived at her apartment complex.
“We’re here.”
“Thanks for driving, Dixon. You can head out for the day.”
“Yes, ma’am. Enjoy your time.”
Dixon looked positively delighted to be getting off work right after lunch. Before leaving, he pulled my suitcase from the trunk. Han Yugyeong and I took the familiar elevator up to her floor. When we reached the door and opened it, she let out a surprised little “Eh?” Why did she suddenly look so startled and fidgety?
“What’s wrong?”
“The shoes…”
Several pairs of shoes were lined up at the entrance. From her reaction, at least one pair clearly didn’t belong to her. Ah. We had a guest. This was a bit awkward.
“Oh my~ Is my daughter home?”
A voice as smooth as silk drifted from inside. Calling her “daughter” meant it had to be Han Yugyeong’s mother. Of all the ways to meet my girlfriend’s mom—completely unprepared.
A beautiful woman with ash-blonde hair, wearing a simple white t-shirt and jeans, appeared at the entrance. She greeted Han Yugyeong warmly, then spotted me standing behind her and froze in surprise. It was Ha Juyun, Han Yugyeong’s mother.
Ha Juyun’s beauty was so striking that she had an enormous fanbase. Those fans had once made the insane comment that it was a trash game with zero freedom because you couldn’t target the mother instead of the youngest son of the Megacorp.
At the time I’d thought, What the hell are you saying about a 15+ game? But seeing Ha Juyun’s actual appearance in person, I could suddenly understand where they were coming from.