SS - 5

After arriving on the 81st floor via the high-speed elevator and giving Joo-hyuk’s name to the restaurant staff, they were quickly guided to the private room where he was waiting.

As the large sliding door opened, Joo-hyuk, who had been sitting upright in his chair, stood up.

His face, wearing a dark navy suit, gleamed in the sunlight streaming in through the large front window.

“Oh, we’re late, aren’t we?”

As her aunt said with a good-natured smile, Joo-hyuk smiled brightly and waved his hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Choi Joo-hyuk.”

He bowed politely at a 45-degree angle.

“These are my aunt and uncle. This is their daughter, my cousin.”

“I’m not sure if you were surprised to have this meeting so suddenly.”

Joo-hyuk said, naturally offering seats to the three of them.

Sena inwardly clicked her tongue at his flexible attitude and smooth way of speaking, befitting a journalist who had met many people.

“We were surprised. Sena suddenly said she was getting married. And the other party is none other than…”

Her uncle, who had started speaking enthusiastically, stopped, looking troubled. He seemed unsure of what to call Joo-hyuk.

“You can call me whatever you’re comfortable with. You can call me Joo-hyuk, or you can call me Choi Son-in-law.”

“Choi… Son-in-law?”

“I heard from Ms. Sena that you are like parents to her. Naturally, you are like my future parents-in-law to me as well.”

Sena could tell from her aunt and uncle’s expressions that they had already completely fallen for Joo-hyuk. Regardless of his intentions for the marriage, it was not a bad thing for Sena that he was perceived as a good person by others.

“The wedding will be in three months.”

“That soon? There’s a lot to prepare.”

Her aunt looked troubled.

“You don’t have to worry about anything. I’m already living in the newlywed home, so Ms. Sena only needs to move in without having to prepare anything.”

“Still, I’m like Sena’s mother…”

Her aunt looked at Sena, her eyes welling up with tears.

“Please do whatever you want to do for me, Aunt. You’ll do it even if I tell you not to, right?”

“Of course.”

“And Uncle.”

Sena looked at her uncle. There was something she particularly wanted to ask him.

“I’d like you two to sit in my parents’ seats at the wedding.”

“Even me?”

Joy appeared on her uncle’s face, but it was only for a moment.

“Your biological father is alive and well, and he’ll be at the wedding, so it’s not right to do that.”

“Uncle.”

“Isn’t your aunt sitting in your mother’s place something you need to discuss with your stepmother?”

Sena bit her lip.

“That woman will absolutely not sit in that place! I won’t allow it.”

Her aunt interjected in an angry voice.

A moment of silence fell over the room, and then a waitress entered with the food after a knock.

“I wondered what kind of food would be good, so I prepared a Korean set meal.”

Joo-hyuk said quickly.

“It’s a French restaurant, but I have a connection with the main chef here, so I asked him for a favor.”

He explained with a bright smile to Sena, who looked puzzled at the mention of a Korean set meal.

To lighten the mood, her aunt brought up stories from Sena’s childhood, and eventually, the conversation turned to memories of her mother. Sena swallowed the surging sorrow, and the meeting came to an end.

After the meal, as they came outside, Joo-hyuk called for a limousine that had been waiting.

“You can go in this car.”

“What kind of car is this?”

“They’re going to be my family now, so I should see them off comfortably.”

As a luxurious limousine that even Sena had never seen before stopped in front of them, smiles bloomed on her aunt’s family’s faces.

“Thank you, Choi Son-in-law. I was very worried, but after meeting you today, I feel much relieved.”

“You’re very welcome.”

He remained kind to her aunt, who held his hand while saying goodbye.

After her aunt’s family got into the car, Sena turned to him one last time.

“Drive carefully. We’ll meet again in a few days.”

“Thank you for today.”

Sena felt grateful, but at the same time, she felt Joo-hyuk’s kindness was unnecessary and uncomfortable.

Seeing his face, which had been wearing a smile towards her just a moment ago, completely lose its smile as soon as she got into the car and closed the door, made her suspect that he was also just pretending to be kind.

A month had passed since Sena and Joo-hyuk had started meeting, and finally, a meeting between both families was arranged.

In the meantime, the awkwardness between the two had disappeared to the point where Joo-hyuk could speak comfortably to Sena, and a slight sense of ease had settled in.

Joo-hyuk’s father, Chairman Choi, was a man with a very sharp impression. Running the largest munitions company in the country, he observed the people gathered there without a single smile from beginning to end.

Joo-hyuk, who always had at least a faint smile on his face, was also sitting nervously in front of his father.

“We are deeply grateful that Chairman Choi is accepting my insignificant daughter as his daughter-in-law.”

Sena’s father, CEO Kang, said, bowing his head.

“He said he would never get married for his whole life, so I feel relieved to send him off like this.”

“Haha, please don’t worry. My daughter is quiet and easygoing, so she will treat Chairman Choi well and support CEO Choi from behind.”

“That’s a relief.”

Chairman Choi smiled slightly and raised his glass.

“Chairman, please try this sashimi. The flesh is very firm and delicious.”

Sena’s stepmother, Mrs. Oh, dressed elegantly, picked up a piece of sashimi with her chopsticks and held it out to Chairman Choi.

There was no consideration for Sena in any of her actions. All of this was nothing more than bribery and flattery to ensure the success of CEO Kang’s company.

Sena, who knew this all too well, couldn’t help but feel that this gathering was like a farce.

Perhaps the most comfortable person among those present was Chairman Choi, and then Sena.

“Please take good care of my husband.”

“Haha, we’re family now.”

“Y-yes! We’re family!”

Mrs. Oh chimed in with a bright smile.

“Pfft.”

Sena, startled by the laughter that involuntarily escaped her, covered her mouth with her hand in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry. My mother looked too excited, so I…”

Sena quickly apologized to Chairman Choi and Joo-hyuk.

“He doesn’t usually have anything to smile about these days, so he’s smiling here like this.”

CEO Kang quickly interjected, making excuses to Chairman Choi.

Sena stiffened her face and lowered her head. She could already picture how much of a fuss CEO Kang and Mrs. Oh would make after this meeting was over.

Just then, someone nudged Sena’s foot under the table. When she looked up, Joo-hyuk, sitting across from her, moved his head from side to side.

Sena blushed as their eyes met. She felt anxious at the thought of having been seen by Joo-hyuk in a way she didn’t want him to see.

“Then please stay healthy until then, Chairman.”

“We will visit you again soon.”

After the meeting, Sena’s father and stepmother, who came out of the restaurant, bowed 90 degrees to Chairman Choi.

How subservient they could become depending on the person they were dealing with.

Sena, who had never even imagined seeing them like this before, barely held back the laughter that was about to burst out again.

“Prepare well for the wedding.”

“Yes, Chairman.”

Sena also politely bowed to Chairman Choi.

Chairman Choi glanced at Joo-hyuk for a moment and then left in his car.

CEO Kang, who had been bowing until the car had driven far away and was no longer visible, glared at Sena as soon as he straightened his back.

“How dare you!”

Slap!

His palm flew towards Sena’s face in an instant. As she staggered and barely regained her balance, she saw Joo-hyuk’s face looking at her in surprise.

He had been receiving his car keys from the valet driver, and he approached her with wide eyes.

But CEO Kang’s hand swung through the air again.

“Father!”

Joo-hyuk stood between the oncoming hand and Sena. Since CEO Kang couldn’t possibly hit Joo-hyuk unless he was completely out of his mind, his hand stopped in mid-air.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, CEO Choi. I didn’t raise my child well.”

“Please stop.”

Joo-hyuk took a step back and hid Sena behind him. His broad back completely blocked her view, preventing her from seeing the glares of CEO Kang and Mrs. Oh.

Due to the throbbing pain in her cheek and the ringing in her ears, she couldn’t properly hear what Joo-hyuk was saying.

“Stop it, honey. What are you doing with CEO Choi watching? Talk to Sena separately later.”

Mrs. Oh quickly stopped CEO Kang.

“I’m sorry, CEO Choi. He doesn’t know how to distinguish between time and place when he’s angry. We’ll be going now, so please spend some time with Sena.”

She grabbed CEO Kang’s arm, which was still clenching and unclenching his fist, and dragged him to the car.

After the two of them left, Joo-hyuk turned around.

“Are you okay?”

He bent down to match Sena’s height.

Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of having shown him such a terrible sight, and she couldn’t lift her head.

Without waiting, his fingers gently lifted her chin. Tears naturally streamed down her cheeks.

“Damn it. You’re going to get a bruise.”

Joo-hyuk swore. He took a crisp handkerchief from his suit’s inner pocket and handed it to her.

“Let’s go somewhere else for now.”

He took her hand. His large, warm hand tightly grasped her small one.

He started the car and didn’t say anything.

She wished he would ask her something.

Her tingling cheek was throbbing more and more, and she could clearly taste blood in her mouth.

After driving for a while, they arrived at the entrance of an apartment complex.

“Where is this?”

Sena asked, holding her cheek.

Joo-hyuk looked troubled and lightly rubbed his earlobe with his finger.

“My place.”

“Pardon? Your place?”

“The place that will soon be our place.”

“…Why here?”

What was his intention in bringing her to his place?

Sena trembled and looked at Joo-hyuk. She couldn’t help it, as this kind of approach was what she hated and feared the most.

“Well, you can’t go anywhere else with that face, and you need an egg before you get a bruise.”