# Side Story 9
In the company cafeteria of Ian Group.
During lunch time, Yeomin was having a meal across from Executive Director Ahn.
Where did Seol Jiho go? A little while ago, he was summoned by President Ahn.
‘Or maybe not. Rather than being summoned… did he barge in on his own?’
Executive Director Ahn opened the yogurt that came as dessert.
“I heard you decided to get married.”
It was said in such a casual tone, as if asking whether a submitted report had been rejected.
So Yeomin answered very nonchalantly as well.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“We still need to negotiate the timing.”
“…Negotiate?”
Can the words ‘negotiate’ and ‘marriage’ even exist in the same sentence? Executive Director Ahn looked confused.
By now, Yeomin had cleanly finished his soup down to the bottom of the bowl and popped a cherry tomato into his mouth.
It was hard to believe he had received a marriage proposal just two days ago—his expression was so weathered by reality.
…This is how frightening office life is.
“You look full of worries. Well, I understand. The thought of living with Seol Jiho must be quite troubling.”
“How is it?”
“What?”
“Marriage. You’ve done it twice, after all.”
“…”
Living with Jiho seems to be making him speak more and more like Jiho. Executive Director Ahn put down his spoon in the middle of eating his yogurt.
“Are you really going to be like this? I’m not sharing meals with you anymore.”
“I’m just curious. Is marriage very different from living together?”
Executive Director Ahn had experienced both marriage and cohabitation, so he was the perfect person to give advice in this situation.
Somehow he had suggested they eat together. A mere employee daring to ask a director for a meal? Despite his grumbling, Executive Director Ahn answered without much deliberation.
“Marriage is good. How should I put it… it definitely gives you a sense of stability.”
“Stability… couldn’t I just take stabilizers for that?”
“You also have children who are so precious you wouldn’t feel pain even if you put them in your eye.”
“We can’t have children though.”
“That’s true. Then maybe don’t do it.”
Executive Director Ahn lost his will to counsel and responded half-heartedly. Of course, it was too late to back out now. Jiho had already gone to tell President Ahn about their decision to get married.
Yet, even knowing it was irreversible, Yeomin kept raising questions.
“Have you never regretted getting married?”
“How could I not? I even got divorced.”
You guys are really too much. Executive Director Ahn complained. Yeomin apologized lifelessly, saying he was sorry. His eyes didn’t hold a trace of actual remorse.
“What if I say I do regret it? If I tell you I live each day shedding tears of regret? Would you then not marry Jiho?”
“…”
“Would you call it off right now? No, you wouldn’t.”
In response to Executive Director Ahn’s snort, Yeomin answered.
“I couldn’t do that.”
He didn’t even want to. I guess I also have tendencies to already know my answer… I just wanted to hear the answer I wanted.
That he absolutely should get married, that he should never let go of the person he loves, that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, that he should firmly grasp this one stroke of luck that had come his way…
That’s what he wanted to hear as he pestered this married person.
“So you’re saying you’ll do it anyway. Then I have only one thing to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Live a married life without regrets. That’s the best you can do.”
Executive Director Ahn’s words sounded like both a warning and well-wishes. Either way, Yeomin quite liked what he said.
Live a married life without regrets. That’s the best you can do.
A strangely realistic piece of advice. For some reason, it filled him with a peculiar confidence that he could really do just that.
* * *
“Hmm. Does it have to be now?”
Jiho was in a private meeting with President Ahn, sacrificing even his lunch hour.
But at the announcement that he would “marry Joo Yeomin right away,” President Ahn responded as if she was in a predicament.
“I was planning to groom Yeomin for a few more years and then place him beside Jiwoong when he enters the company.”
“Why would you put Hyung Yeomin next to Seol Jiwoong?”
And why would President Ahn be the one grooming Yeomin? When she barely raised me properly!
Jiho bristled, but President Ahn remained unfazed.
“I even offered him an overseas branch position, but he hasn’t responded. So it was because of the marriage.”
Then, with a frown and a “hmm,” she seriously muttered to herself.
“Well, could he do both? But if he gets married abroad, it would be too troublesome and take too long for him to return to Korea.”
Unable to listen any further, Jiho cut her off. He absolutely couldn’t yield to President Ahn here.
“Marriage comes first.”
“Marriage can happen anytime, but company matters all have their proper timing.”
How could someone be such a businessperson to the bone?
He couldn’t understand this idea of interfering with her son’s marriage and sending Yeomin overseas.
Jiho said without a trace of humor:
“I’ll die without Hyung.”
It was truly an extreme statement. Come to think of it, this was the first time mother and son had such a conversation—a discussion about a romantic relationship.
But President Ahn was as strong an opponent as Jiho.
“Even if you die, Yeomin will live well.”
“Of course… he should.”
Agreed. Yeomin should live well. In any situation.
President Ahn reasoned with Jiho in a calmer tone.
“Don’t push too hard. Let Yeomin choose for himself. Marriage isn’t something you do alone. You know that, right?”
How a marriage pushed through one-sidedly had ended. Jiho knew better than anyone how President Ahn’s marriage had ended in failure.
But Jiho thought that he and his parents were different. Unlike his parents, there was affection between Yeomin and himself.
Of course, even if that affection were to suddenly disappear one day, he would never, ever let Yeomin go.
“Hyung Yeomin also agreed.”
“I should call Yeomin and talk to him.”
“You really hate seeing me happy, don’t you.”
“Haha, how could that be?”
President Ahn laughed quite heartily. Jiho found it even more irritating.
As if seeing through Jiho’s current anxious mental state, evidenced by how he was tearing a napkin into tiny pieces, President Ahn remarked:
“You’re dying of anxiety, aren’t you?”
“…”
“That he might run away. That he might suddenly disappear one day. You want to hold onto him somehow, keep him tied tightly by your side.”
Such feelings came every day. No. Every minute, every second. But it wasn’t just such feelings that made him propose marriage to Yeomin.
Jiho made it clear to President Ahn.
“It’s because I love him.”
“…”
“When you love someone, it’s natural to want to get married.”
“…”
President Ahn pondered the words her eldest son had just spoken.
‘I won’t fall in love! I don’t trust anyone!’ The words coming from the mouth of her son, who seemed like he would live forever turned to the dark side, were… too normal?
President Ahn sighed after a delayed moment. It really seemed like her son had changed.
“Where did you learn such things?”
“From Hyung Yeomin.”
So in the end, this too was all Joo Yeomin’s doing. He really is impressive.
President Ahn smiled.
* * *
“Why do you look like that? Did you get scolded a lot?”
Jiho returned with 10 minutes left of lunch time. After being pulled into the break room, Jiho made a gloomy face when Yeomin secretly asked.
He had gone so boldly to announce their marriage plans to President Ahn, but he returned with this face?
‘Could it be that President Ahn opposed it, saying it would happen over her dead body…’
In this brief moment, all kinds of thoughts ran through Yeomin’s mind.
“Hyung. Let’s run away.”
“…Is it that bad?”
Bad enough to run away? A completely unexpected crisis that required him to grab Seol Jiho’s hand and flee in the night?
At that moment, Yeomin thought about the cash he could use immediately and the essential items they needed to pack.
‘First, go to the bank to withdraw cash, then pack a suitcase from home… but if we’re running away, should we stay within the country or go abroad?’
Even amid the chaos in his head, Yeomin collected himself and tried to calm Jiho down. Yeomin’s composure shone brightest in crisis situations.
“First, calm down. I’ll go see President Ahn one more time—”
“President Ahn said we have to wait another year before she’ll allow us to marry. Who said we were asking for permission?”
“What? She didn’t oppose it?”
Yeomin felt strangely relieved, yet also strangely dumbfounded. Jiho muttered with great indignation:
“How can we wait another year? I’m barely holding myself back from having the ceremony tomorrow.”
This guy thinks marriage is like making a restaurant reservation. Even many restaurants don’t accept reservations just a day in advance, you idiot.
“Haa. I thought…”
I got nervous for nothing. I thought we really had to break up.
Of course, if such a moment truly came, it couldn’t be helped, but it was still a situation he wanted to avoid as much as possible.
Forgetting his anger, Yeomin let out a sigh of relief, and Jiho whispered in his ear:
“Let’s leave tonight. You go home right now and pack, and I’ll book the tickets first…”
“You go by yourself, Intern Seol.”
“Hyung!”
“Shh, we’re at work.”
Thankfully, there was no one around. But Jiho still stamped his feet.
“I said let’s run away. Otherwise, President Ahn might groom you to be the successor.”
“That sounds very tempting.”
It was even more enticing than when Jiho had proposed marriage. At Yeomin’s mischievous response, Jiho glared.
“Hyuuung—”
“Intern Seol. Have you finished checking the report I mentioned earlier?”
“…”
Joo Yeomin was acting like a senior only when it suited him—how unfair. Jiho couldn’t say anything more and just pouted.
Before leaving the break room, Yeomin smacked Jiho’s backside.
“Stop thinking useless thoughts and let’s work. There’s only a week until payday, so what do you mean run away?”
As always, money was the most important thing to Yeomin, both then and now. For such a Yeomin, eloping with Jiho might only be possible in his next life.
With this great company where you just need to fill your seat, do your work, and then you get money, food, and benefits. Where would they even go?
