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“Why are you so ill-mannered?”
“Yumi, don’t do that.”
“I haven’t washed my hair!”
At her mom and Bomi’s scolding, Yumi huffed, as if wronged. Seeing her chubby face like that, Jinhan found her cute.
“Jinhan, don’t mind Yumi, come in.”
“Yes.”
In the living room, Bomi’s father was waiting. As expected of a father with many daughters, he was a man of robust build, and he greeted Jinhan with a hearty laugh.
“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Yoo Jinhan.”
“Welcome. I hear you spent the night with our eldest daughter?”
“Pardon?”
“On your first date?”
“Th-that...”
Jinhan, frozen solid, couldn’t answer readily and stammered. Seeing this, Seonggyeong quickly intervened. She shot a stern look at her husband and pointed to the dining table.
“Don’t mind what this man says. Aren’t you hungry? Eat first.”
“Madam, before that, over there...”
“Ah, that’s our second daughter, Semi. She’s naturally shy.”
Jinhan walked over to Semi, who was standing at a distance, staring at him. Semi, at twenty, still looked like a high school student just by her face.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Hello.”
“I look forward to getting along with you.”
“...Yes.”
It was strange how different the personalities of the three daughters were. Including Bomi’s father, it seemed it wouldn’t be easy to gain points. Even during the meal, Yumi kept her guard up against Jinhan, engaged in her own internal struggle. He found her amusing and funny, so he continued to pretend not to notice. At least Bomi’s father softened up a lot after talking to Jinhan. Semi was still silent, and only Yumi was waging her own war.
“Unnie, are you going to stay out again tonight?”
Somehow, the fact that Bomi had spent a night with him had spread to the entire family. With even the elementary schooler acting like this, a deep sigh burned within Jinhan. He lost his words in a situation he had never experienced before and put down his chopsticks. He felt disheartened, wondering if he would need permission from the whole family to date Bomi in the future.
“Oppa, don’t mind Yumi. I’ll coax her later.”
After the meal, they gathered in the living room to drink tea. Bomi’s father excused himself for an important call. Yumi, seeing her chance, demanded of Jinhan,
“What do you do, mister?”
“I manage a company.”
“What kind of company?”
“GN Entertainment.”
“...”
Yumi’s eyes, wider than Bomi’s, shot up from her seat. Her mouth dropped open, and she asked about her favorite group.
“By any chance, have you seen the group BBoy’s?”
BBoy’s members were an idol group that had debuted through GN Entertainment after being trainees. They were chosen in an audition conducted by Jinhan and currently dominated the Billboard charts. Their popularity was beyond imagination, truly a phenomenon. Now, a dedicated team was managing BBoy’s, who had many overseas activities.
“I raised them.”
“Kyaaaak!”
Even Semi, who had been quiet, shrieked with Yumi, causing a ruckus. Bomi, startled by her sisters’ screams, covered her ears. A surprised Bomi’s father rushed out, and Seonggyeong, who was preparing fruit, also asked what was happening. Yumi, trembling as if she couldn’t believe it, said,
“Mom! Guess what, this mister raised the BBoy’s oppas!”
An excited Semi and Yumi screamed loudly. Jinhan, sensing his moment, pulled out his ace card.
“The kids are in Korea right now. Shall I put them on a video call?”
“Kyaaak! I love you, mister!”
A video call, and she loves him. Love from Bomi was enough, but Jinhan welcomed the cute love from his future sisters-in-law anytime.
“Which member do you like?”
Unexpectedly, Semi pushed Yumi aside with force. Unable to control her wandering eyes, she uttered that precious name.
“Yongwoo oppa.”
Yongwoo was the leader of BBoy’s, and fans called him ‘oppa’ with a suffix ‘ong’ because of his mature demeanor. Jinhan, as if it was no problem, made a video call to Yongwoo.
-Yes, Director!
Yongwoo actually appeared on the phone screen. Semi nearly fainted in disbelief and shook her head rapidly.
“I’m at a friend’s house, and there’s a fan of yours here. Can you say a quick hello?”
-Of course. Put them on.
Semi trembled as she faced Yongwoo. Bomi clutched her stomach, finding the sight hilariously funny. Her father and mother were simply amazed, and Yumi squeezed in, trying to get a look at Yongwoo’s face. After a short call, Yumi also had the honor of video calling her favorite member. In gratitude for Jinhan’s unexpected kindness, the two girls knelt.
“Since you’re dating our eldest sister, we’ll call you brother-in-law from now on.”
“This is an honor, isn’t it?”
“Brother-in-law, please have some fruit.”
Bomi was about to eat a Shine Muscat, but Yumi slapped it away. Jinhan, as a result, had the privilege of eating the Shine Muscat first. For Jinhan, who had grown up in a house with only brothers and had to become independent early due to competition, this was an unfamiliar atmosphere. Although it was still chaotic and he wasn’t fully accustomed to it, for the first time in a long time, he could let go of the worries caused by his family issues.
“Ah, and Father. There’s something I’d like to discuss regarding Bomi’s studio.”
“Speak.”
“There was a bit of an incident with the senior who worked with Bomi at her studio.”
“There was?”
This time, Bomi stepped forward and explained the argument she had with I-young. She also mentioned that Jinhan had helped her get away from I-young.
“Something like that happened?”
“If you allow it, I’d like to set up Bomi’s studio in my apartment.”
“In your house, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“...That intention is quite blatant.”
“Anyway, I go to work in the morning and come home at night. It would be better for Bomi to concentrate on her work there than in some shoddy place.”
“What if you don’t go to work then?”
Jinhan replied with a smirk. That night, after a long persuasion, the two received permission and finally stepped outside.
“I need to make your space in the living room first.”
“Won’t that be inconvenient for you, Oppa?”
“You’re busy, and I’m busy, so that’s how we’ll see each other.”
“Thank you.”
“And I’ll invite your sisters to the company sometime.”
“Really?”
A while later, Jinhan invited Yumi and Semi to the company. It happened to be the day BBoy’s members were coming to the office for a meeting before their concert. Yumi and Semi had a precious, memorable time that day. Thanks to it, they experienced Jinhan’s status firsthand and became more humble.
“Brother-in-law, thank you so much today.”
“Me too.”
His future sisters-in-law linked their arms through Jinhan’s and took a commemorative photo. After enjoying a delicious meal, they returned home.
________________________________________
The next day, Jinhan requested a visit to see Chairman Yoo. While waiting in the waiting room, his father, looking thinner and more haggard than before, appeared.
“Why are you here?”
“How are you feeling?”
“My blood pressure just won’t go down.”
Jinhan’s face was filled with worry. Chairman Yoo, who had once been more successful than anyone, was now at a dead end.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Father, you still won’t admit what you did wrong, will you?”
“Mind your own business. I’ll handle my affairs, so you can go now.”
The hollow meeting with Chairman Yoo came to an end. It was still bright daytime, but Jinhan had completely lost the desire to work. Suddenly, he missed Bomi. This was why he had Bomi stay at his place. He got into his car and called Hwang Gyeong-ok before driving off.
-Yes, Jinhan.
“Are you busy?”
-Not really. Is something wrong?
“Bomi and I are dating.”
-Seonggyeong told me. Congratulations.
Jinhan chuckled softly.
-Why are you laughing?
“How did you think of connecting Bomi and me?”
-First, I liked Bomi, and it seems it was fate; Bomi had a crush on you, didn’t she?
“She did? I didn’t know.”
-She said she liked you since she was little but couldn’t say anything, so I suggested introducing you.
“Is that really all?”
-You need to meet a pure-hearted person. And if possible, I hoped their family would be harmonious.
“...”
-The only thing I couldn’t give you was a harmonious family.
“It’s nothing.”
-I just want you to be happy. That’s all your mother wishes for.
From some point on, Jinhan no longer felt lonely at all. After dating Bomi on weekends, he would stop by Bomi’s house and spend more time there. He played badminton in the garden with his young sisters-in-law, and occasionally went golfing with Bomi’s father. His empty refrigerator was now packed with side dishes Seonggyeong had made. He felt what it was like to be loved. It was a feeling of being chosen, separate from loving Bomi.
“Mother, you should be happy too.”
He ended the call with Hwang Gyeong-ok with a heartfelt prayer-like remark. Jinhan immediately turned his car towards Bomi’s house instead of the company. All the way there, his heart swelled, and his throat tightened. To have someone completely on his side. It was unbelievable that something he had struggled so hard to achieve alone had now come true like this. It had almost been a month since he and Bomi started dating. He still couldn’t go out freely, but his mindset was different.
“Bomi!”
When Jinhan entered the house without warning, Bomi rushed out. She wore a gentle, beautiful smile, more serene than a full moon.
“Are you home from work already?”
“Yes. Were you busy?”
“I just finished a small task and was resting.”
“Then let’s play today.”
He had missed Bomi’s warmth all day. With a renewed promise to never see his father again, he embraced Bomi.
“You don’t look well. Did something happen outside?”
“Nothing happened. I just like you.”
Jinhan forgot to take off his clothes and held Bomi’s warmth in his grasp. A fire spread uncontrollably in his chest. Even the time it took to walk to the bed while holding Bomi felt too precious to waste. He was busy wooing her with kisses on her soft skin. After dating Bomi, he increasingly found himself suddenly going home like today. At first, he would tell himself he would just see her face and leave, but in the end...
“I can’t stand it anymore.”
A suffocated Jinhan tore off his shirt buttons. He fiercely went into Bomi’s embrace, momentarily letting go of the chaotic reality. Ecstatic movements and cries followed. Jinhan felt like he could do anything as long as Bomi was by his side.
“I regret not noticing you sooner.”
“It’s okay that I noticed you first. Anyway, we met, didn’t we?”
Jinhan’s self-esteem, which had been low due to Chairman Yoo’s affairs, quickly recovered. He once again focused on his company work and achieved unprecedented results. New stars were born, and BBoy’s new album was a massive hit. The biggest event was Director Kwak’s film, starring Haeju. It seemed destined for success, and it was nominated for a prestigious international film festival in the United States. In particular, Haeju was even nominated for Best Actress. Jinhan also received an invitation to the film festival and eagerly boarded the plane.
“Am I dreaming?”
Just last year, he believed he had fallen into an abyss. He had trembled with worry, wondering if he would have to hand over the company to another manager. But Jinhan succeeded in his comeback, clearly demonstrating his capabilities. It was only possible because Bomi was by his side. He arrived in the United States and handled a busy schedule. Finally, the awards ceremony was held, and unfortunately, Haeju did not win.
“Haeju, this alone is amazing.”
Director Kwak, however, won Best Director and Best Picture. After a hectic schedule, they returned to Korea with remarkable results. While everyone was absorbed in the celebration, Jinhan quietly slipped away. A separate party had been prepared after the press conference, but he deliberately did not attend.
“How could I show my face there?”
Due to Chairman Yoo, the film’s production had faced an unprecedented delay of a year. Yet, Director Kwak and the actors persevered. Despite receiving calls to attend the party, he politely declined. Currently, Jinhan’s only thought was to rest at home and then meet Bomi in the morning.
“I’m tired. I should sleep.”
Outside, the sun had already set, and it was night. He opened the front door as usual, and for a moment, his vision blurred from the confetti and fireworks bursting everywhere.
“Congratulations on your film festival awards!”
“Wow, Brother-in-law, you’re so cool!”
“Oppa, you worked so hard, didn’t you?”
The house was decorated with balloons and colorful party curtains. Bomi’s family had all gathered to prepare a surprise party for Jinhan.
“When did you prepare all this?”
“We were preparing all day; our arms almost fell off.”
In the living room, a feast was laid out, prepared by Seonggyeong’s skilled hands. Jinhan was overwhelmed by the unexpected welcome. He felt deeply grateful and vowed. He would never live foolishly again.
“Bomi, I missed you so much.”
“Me too.”
As the two faced each other in the closed entryway, their family members purposely gave them space. Jinhan cupped Bomi’s face and met her eyes. A warm energy enveloped the two of them. He whispered, looking at her, whom he never wanted to lose.
“Shall we live together?”
Jinhan’s love had existed from an unexpected past. The day he first saw Bomi, he believed it was a preview for today. Such happiness truly existed. With Bomi... anytime, anywhere.
-End of Jinhan’s Side Story-
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