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Episode 15
As expected of a high-end Korean restaurant, a neat array of dishes was set before each person at the table.
“Please, enjoy your meal. Next time, I’ll make sure to host you properly.”
Rising from his seat, Ijun bowed politely to Yiryeong’s parents, encouraging them to eat.
“No need for all that trouble. We’re fine,” her father replied warmly.
“Thanks to you, we’re eating well. Come, join us,” her mother added with a kind smile.
The warm atmosphere grew as gratitude and appreciation showed clearly on everyone’s faces.
“Darling, isn’t our young master acting strange today?”
Yujin poked her husband, Ilha, in the ribs while picking at her rice.
“Strange? He looks great to me,” Ilha replied, chuckling awkwardly as he glanced toward Yiryeong’s parents to excuse his wife’s comment with a smile.
“I like him too. He’s polite and well-mannered,” their father-in-law, Kyungsu, chimed in to ease the awkwardness.
“I’m not just saying this because he’s my son, but Ijun treats everyone with respect. He’s never really given us trouble growing up,” Kyungsu continued proudly.
Aside from the sudden wedding announcement, Ijun had never caused any major issues.
“And the bride-to-be is such a lovely, well-mannered girl. You raised her well,” he added, complimenting Yiryeong as the atmosphere grew even more congenial.
“As Ijun said, your daughter is beautiful, and we look forward to seeing the next generation soon. Don’t you agree, in-laws?” Kyungsu laughed heartily, indirectly showing how much he approved of Yiryeong.
Seeing her in person, she was even prettier than his son had described. He could easily imagine his son pursuing her first.
“Since you’ve entrusted us with your precious daughter, I promise to cherish her like my own,” Kyungsu said sincerely.
He hadn’t opposed the match, even though the older son’s marriage had been more of a strategic decision. Unlike his wife, he had no intention of interfering when his sons chose for themselves.
After the meal, traditional tea and sweets were served.
“Then how about we start discussing the wedding date?” Kyungsu prompted, steering the conversation toward planning.
“We decided last night to follow our daughter and future son-in-law’s wishes,” Geontae, Yiryeong’s father, said while glancing at the two of them.
“Since you also run a restaurant, let us know your closed days, and we’ll schedule accordingly,” Kyungsu offered kindly, earning Geontae’s gratitude.
You can tell a lot about a child by meeting their parents; seeing his in-laws’ character put his mind at ease about the groom.
As they sipped their tea and exchanged polite conversation—
“Since when is a snack shop a restaurant? Father, you sure love to joke,” Yujin suddenly cut in, throwing cold water on the mood.
Geontae flushed red and lowered his head in embarrassment.
“Ilha.”
Junge, who had been silent, called her eldest son in a firm but quiet voice that made him flinch.
“Take your wife outside. Now.”
Ilha didn’t dare argue with his mother’s quiet but commanding tone. He ushered Yujin out of the room. Her shrill complaints echoed down the hallway before fading away.
“We apologize for the rudeness,” Junge said respectfully to Yiryeong’s parents, calming the disrupted atmosphere.
“We’ll be holding the wedding next month, in March,” Ijun suddenly announced during the lull.
“I made this decision myself, and I hope both families can understand.”
Even Yiryeong hadn’t been told beforehand.
“We’ve already agreed to get married, and I don’t want to drag things out unnecessarily,” he explained, locking eyes with her as if silently apologizing for the suddenness.
“I want us to live together as soon as possible,” he added plainly, making it clear he was the one eager for the marriage.
“Yiryeong agreed as well, so we hope you’ll trust us and support our decision.”
The declaration was swift and decisive.
No one objected to his words. Even Yiryeong, hearing his plans for the first time along with everyone else, didn’t protest. After all, he was the one who had wanted this marriage from the start.
“We’ll begin our newlywed life at my place in Dogok-dong, so all that’s left is to hold the ceremony,” he said.
Yiryeong felt a pang in her chest.
She had grabbed his hand as an escape route. This wasn’t a marriage born out of love, so a small ceremony would have been fine. But her heart kept stinging painfully.
“You’re moving into Dogok-dong?” Kyungsu asked in surprise.
He couldn’t understand his son’s intentions. Living with his eldest son and daughter-in-law was already uncomfortable; the thought of the younger couple moving in too made his head spin.
“Wouldn’t it be inconvenient to live together in the main house as newlyweds?”
At that moment, Ijun flashed a knowing smile, as if he’d been waiting for this.
“Then give us the annex.”
He was eyeing the annex house, which hadn’t even been offered to the eldest couple.
“It’s just sitting empty. We’ll renovate it and move in,” he declared, implying he’d already chosen a contractor.
“If we live in the annex, it won’t feel like living with the in-laws. So please, trust me and allow me to marry Yiryeong,” he said, standing to bow deeply to her parents.
Yiryeong watched him silently.
How was she supposed to understand a man who treated this fake marriage with such sincerity? It almost felt real—so real her hands fidgeted nervously under the table.
As quitting time approached, the marketing team buzzed with activity.
Everyone was stretching and chatting about how dreadful Mondays were when—
“Everyone, may I have your attention for a moment?”
Standing up, Ijun waved an envelope to get their attention.
The room quickly quieted as everyone focused on the envelope.
“I’m getting married,” he announced suddenly.
The team was stunned into silence.
“No need for congratulatory money. Just come eat and have fun. And don’t feel pressured to attend,” he added casually as he began handing out invitations one by one.
The invitations featured a single white lily on a crisp white background—designed by none other than Yiryeong herself.
“When did you even have time to date, let alone get married?”
“Wow, this is huge!”
“Congratulations, Executive Director!”
The room buzzed with excitement as everyone eagerly checked the invitation.
“Chaeyiryeong? The bride is Chaeyiryeong?”
“No way—our Yiryeong?”
All eyes turned to her, blushing furiously.
“Yes, Yiryeong and I are getting married,” Ijun confirmed coolly, as if it were no big deal.
“When did this happen without us knowing?”
“Congratulations!”
Their initial shock melted into cheerful smiles.
“As you can see, our dear Yiryeong is shy, so we kept it quiet,” he added teasingly.
Our dear Yiryeong. Hearing that affectionate phrase in front of her colleagues made her want to sink into the floor.
“Look at how she’s blushing. I wanted to keep her all to myself,” he joked smoothly, unfazed, making everyone burst into laughter.
Yiryeong wanted to crawl into a hole from the embarrassment.
“I don’t expect much to change at work just because we’re getting married,” he added calmly, settling the giddy atmosphere.
The team went back to examining their invitations as they waited for the day to end. Yiryeong let out a long sigh of relief.
“I’m sorry, Deputy Baek,” she turned to apologize to her senior colleague, Baek Hyunwook, who looked stiff. She genuinely felt guilty.
“I never meant to deceive you. Honestly, I wasn’t even sure myself until the invitations were printed. I’m really sorry.”
She apologized again for the misunderstanding in the cafeteria.
“So back then… you meant your husband was the Executive Director?”
“Well… things just ended up that way. I’m truly sorry,” she said.
The more his expression twisted in discomfort, the more guilty she felt, like she’d toyed with his feelings.
Without realizing it, she clasped her hands together and bowed apologetically.
“I should apologize too, Deputy Baek. I was rude,” Ijun said, approaching quietly and extending his hand.
“I acted poorly toward you.”
“So that fight back then… was actually a lovers’ quarrel between you two?”
Hyunwook stared between them in disbelief, unable to shake hands at first. Yiryeong’s face turned beet red.
“Congratulations, Executive Director. You too, Yiryeong,” he finally said, gripping Ijun’s hand with lingering regret.
“Yiryeong is someone anyone would be lucky to have. I’m happy for you,” he added honestly.
Ijun silently nodded, understanding exactly how he felt.
After the commotion died down, only the two of them remained in the office.
“Post it now. While I’m watching,” he said.
“They’ll find out naturally when I tell my close friends and colleagues,” she protested.
“Do you have to post it publicly?”
“Yes,” he insisted firmly.
“But why just me? What about you?” she complained, pouting.
She had originally planned to hand invitations out in person to close friends and peers. But now, out of nowhere, he was demanding she post a picture of the invitation on social media to announce the wedding.
“Are you still going to call me Executive Director when we’re alone?”
“We’re still at work,” she retorted.
“Already playing the devoted wife?” he teased, his lips curving upward.
“See? I already posted mine. Now it’s your turn.”
He sounded far too pleased.
Reluctantly, she did as he asked, posting the announcement online. His satisfied grin told her that’s exactly what he wanted.
“There, happy?”
“Well done. Let’s head home,” he said, extending his hand toward her without hesitation.
She stared at that hand, lost in thought for a moment.
The reality of actually marrying her Executive Director finally sank in, and her heart pounded wildly.
