Mrs. Choi took the bouquet Jiwon had brought her, brought it close to breathe in its scent, then set it down on the table. Already sitting on that same table was a flower basket.
It was a stunning one. Lush with blooms in full flower, the basket had a name tag tucked into it bearing a birthday greeting and the name Choi Yumin. By comparison, the bouquet Jiwon had carefully put together — choosing neat, fresh flowers befitting an elder — looked rather plain.
“That’s a pretty bouquet.”
The young man sitting beside Mrs. Choi spoke up to Jiwon out of nowhere. Not knowing who he was, Jiwon looked at him uncertainly, and Mrs. Choi made the introduction.
“Have you two not met? Say hello. He’s a friend of Ganghyeon’s.”
“Oh. Hello, I’m Jeong Jiwon.”
“Yes. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Choi Yumin.”
He was the one who had given Mrs. Choi the flower basket. Looking at Choi Yumin, Jiwon found himself wondering if the man was a celebrity. Choi Yumin had remarkably striking looks — features that suited the word “pretty,” with a small, slender frame to match.
“I’ve been so curious about who our Ganghyeon was marrying — and now I finally get to see. Nice to meet you. I can call you Jiwon, right?”
“Of course.”
“Is Ganghyeon good to you? He’s a bit particular, isn’t he? He’s been picky about people ever since he was little.”
Jiwon answered with a smile and took a seat at one end of the sofa. Having only just met him today, Jiwon naturally had no idea what kind of friend he was to Ganghyeon — he hadn’t even been introduced through Ganghyeon in the first place. The way the man lounged casually on the sofa saying “our Ganghyeon” and “picky about people” grated on him just a little.
“You and Ganghyeon must go way back.”
“We do. We’ve been close since before elementary school, so it’s been over twenty years now. Right, Auntie?”
“That’s right. Time really has passed.”
“We practically grew up together, the two of us. Like brothers, really. After my mother passed away, Ganghyeon’s mother looked after me quite a bit too.”
As he spoke of his closeness with Ganghyeon, Choi Yumin draped an arm around Mrs. Choi’s shoulder and smiled warmly, meeting her eyes. Mrs. Choi was still someone Jiwon found difficult, but Choi Yumin was entirely at ease with her — and she, in turn, treated him with a fair degree of warmth.
Mrs. Choi listened to Choi Yumin’s affectionate chatter for a while, then left for the kitchen to check on the meal preparations, leaving the two of them alone in the living room. Like a switch flipped, Choi Yumin wiped the smile clean off his face.
Already uncomfortable being alone in Ganghyeon’s family home, and now awkward being left alone with Choi Yumin, Jiwon took out his phone. He hoped there might be a message from Ganghyeon, but there was nothing.
“Oh, Ganghyeon. Where are you? Me? I’ve been here for a while now. Where else — your house.”
Jiwon looked up the moment Ganghyeon’s name came out of Choi Yumin’s mouth. Choi Yumin sat with his legs crossed, watching Jiwon at ease as he continued the call.
“It’s Auntie’s birthday — of course I had to come. When are you done with work? Oh, Jiwon’s here. Yeah. Don’t worry. I’ll keep him company so he doesn’t get bored. Drive safe.”
Jiwon sensed that the gaze Choi Yumin had trained on him was not a kind one. It felt like the man was trying to show off his closeness to Ganghyeon and his family. Choi Yumin ended the call — having made a point of mentioning Jiwon to Ganghyeon — and passed along the message.
“He’ll be here soon, Ganghyeon will.”
“Okay.”
“Is the wedding planning going well? There must be a lot of difficulties when it’s a match where one side is so far above the other.”
He’s actually asking that, out in the open like this. Jiwon couldn’t make sense of the composed look on Choi Yumin’s face. Is he doing this because he doesn’t like the person his brother-like friend is marrying? Or does he have some kind of grudge? He couldn’t very well call him out on it, so Jiwon glanced at the clock and hoped Ganghyeon would arrive soon. Han Ganghyeon wasn’t exactly someone Jiwon felt at ease with either, but at the very least, he was the only person in this house Jiwon could lean on.
“That watch — it’s an engagement gift, isn’t it?”
“This? Yes, it is.”
“I would’ve chosen a different line. The taste is a bit lacking.”
Choi Yumin’s downward glance grated on him again. Jiwon looked down at the watch on his wrist. It was the first time in his life he’d ever worn something so luxurious, and though it felt like a lot to bear, he genuinely liked the design.
What is this guy’s problem. Jiwon laughed with a short exhale. It felt like he’d suddenly acquired a sister-in-law he never had — the insufferable, scene-stealing kind his mother used to curse out while watching dramas on TV. Against Choi Yumin, who was behaving every bit like a petty sister-in-law trying to establish dominance from the start, Jiwon deliberately kept his reply breezy and unbothered.
“You don’t like it? I wouldn’t really know about these things — Ganghyeon picked it out for me.”
This isn’t something I chose — it’s your friend’s taste you’re criticizing. He had no idea why he was even being drawn into a standoff with Choi Yumin, but Jiwon gave a light, effortless reply to the rudeness and got up from his seat. Voices came from the direction of the entryway — someone was coming home. Jiwon stood near the front hall and waited a moment, and then the door opened and Ganghyeon’s grandmother stepped inside, returning from her outing.
“Welcome home, Grandmother.”
“Jiwon, you’re here. When did you arrive?”
“I’m here too, Grandmother.”
“Oh, yes. It’s been a while, Yumin.”
Choi Yumin, who had been smiling as he greeted her, immediately let his expression go stiff. The irritation surfaced at the thought that she was the one who had nudged Ganghyeon — who’d had no intention of marrying — into this engagement. All the time he had spent coming and going from this house, trying to win over Grandmother and Mrs. Choi, had come to nothing.
When they were young, Grandmother used to ruffle their heads and say they ought to grow up and end up together — but at some point, she had completely crossed Choi Yumin off the list of candidates for Ganghyeon. It was because he had ultimately presented as a recessive Omega. The number one condition Grandmother had set for Ganghyeon’s marriage was whether the person could bear a dominant Alpha.
By all accounts, Choi Yumin was someone who ranked quite highly on the matchmaking market — a good family background, exceptional looks. So he had assumed, as a matter of course, that if Ganghyeon ever did get married, his partner would naturally be him. But that expectation had been dashed cleanly, and standing right before his eyes was Ganghyeon’s betrothed — the sight of whom already made him bristle. A sharp, thorned gaze swept over Jiwon.
“Ganghyeon will be in shortly. I ran into him just outside.”
“Yes, Grandmother.”
Grandmother went further inside first, and moments later the front door opened again. Ganghyeon stepped through the entryway dressed in a classic navy suit, and when he spotted Jiwon, he gave a brief, courteous nod. Once he’d acknowledged Jiwon, his gaze moved to Choi Yumin. Ganghyeon’s expression cooled in an instant.
Choi Yumin had tried in many ways. Perhaps deciding a direct approach wasn’t going to work, he had instead chosen to chip away at the weaker points — repeatedly, in small increments. The effort had been remarkable enough that even Mrs. Choi, who didn’t easily let people in, had come to accept him.
But he had knocked on the wrong door. If he had hoped to win Ganghyeon over through the elders, he should have targeted Grandmother — not Mrs. Choi. Though naturally, winning over Grandmother, who was fixated on lineage and harbored a recessive Omega’s obsession with producing heirs, would never have been easy.
“What are you doing here.”
“I told you when we talked earlier. It’s Auntie’s birthday — of course I had to come.”
When Choi Yumin had called earlier, Ganghyeon had assumed Jiwon would be right there beside him. He’d anticipated as much — listening to Choi Yumin prattle on with his roundabout nonsense despite getting nothing but terse, pointed replies. He would have been performing a warm, intimate phone call while keeping one eye on Jiwon’s reaction.
Choi Yumin was known for being haughty, but around Ganghyeon he acted as though he had no pride at all. The affectionate overtures never let up. And yet — despite the constant declarations of I like you, you’re the only one — his habit of ultimately doing whatever suited himself had worn Ganghyeon out. It might have been his idea of expressing affection, but it had only contributed to Ganghyeon pulling further and further away. Ganghyeon shifted his tone and called out to Jiwon.
“Jiwon. Have you and Choi Yumin already been introduced?”
“Yes. Auntie introduced him earlier as your friend.”
“Did she. Then let’s do it properly.”
Every group had its hierarchy, its order of rank. For no reason, under any circumstance, could Choi Yumin stand above Jeong Jiwon in this house. That had nothing to do with whether or not he had feelings for Jeong Jiwon. Ganghyeon had no intention of standing by while Jeong Jiwon was toyed with by Choi Yumin’s games.
Ganghyeon reached over and drew Jiwon — who had been standing to the side in a daze — to stand beside him. The fact that this wasn’t a marriage out of love was something Choi Yumin knew perfectly well. Ganghyeon placed his hand against Jiwon’s back with a touch that was, for all appearances, quite tender, and looked down at Choi Yumin — whose eyes were already wavering just from the sight of the two of them standing together — with complete indifference.
“This is Jeong Jiwon. The person I’ll be marrying soon.”
“…….”
“Jiwon, this is Choi Yumin. He’s a friend of mine — one with a rather remarkable tendency to meddle in other people’s business.”
“Hey. Han Ganghyeon.”
“Showing up unannounced to what is a family birthday gathering — maybe he’s not so much my friend as he is my mother’s closest confidant.”
