Jun-wan let out a bitter laugh. Jun-wan had met Kim Sara before too. Several times a year, royal events were held, and families of the gentry that had maintained their lineage since ancient times always attended to fill the seats.
Park Jun-seo and Park Jun-wan also had experience being called to events following their father before they became adults. There they became acquainted with children from yangban families of similar age. But the strange thing was that only Kim Sara always came—he had never once seen her younger sibling, Kim Yu-shin.
He had heard that Minister Kim doted on his son. Hiding such a cherished child and keeping him concealed? This was somehow suspicious.
Park Jun-seo had the same suspicion, so he put effort into researching. He generously shared the information he had dug up.
“Kim Yu-shin—there’s really no information about this guy. Even our law firm’s investigator gave up.”
“……”
“First, his education is elementary school graduate. He dropped out shortly after entering middle school. After that, it seems he was homeschooled.”
“Ha, elementary school graduate.”
Jun-wan muttered quietly. He even let out a hollow laugh as if the opponent’s woefully inadequate educational background was absurd.
“He does art, apparently… but there are no works that have come out under the name Kim Yu-shin. Well, he might have a separate stage name.”
“A fancy-sounding job.”
Each word he added was filled with distrust. Park Jun-seo continued speaking while observing his younger brother, who clearly looked displeased.
“Right now he’s living with his parents at the main house. Do you… want to see a photo?”
Jun-wan silently received the document. At the top of what looked like a resume, a photo the size of an ID photo was attached.
“……”
“An elementary school graduation photo was the best I could do. Well… he must have grown more since then.”
Brother Jun-seo rubbed his nose for no reason. It was quite embarrassing to show a photo of a young elementary student’s immature face.
“Still, he’s pretty at this level, isn’t he? Even though he’s a boy, he looks like a doll.”
“He looks like he won’t listen at all.”
“That’s because he’s Hwaryeong Kim Clan.”
Sharp cat-like eyes were like a symbol of the Hwaryeong Kim Clan. No matter how much other genes mixed into the family tree, those eyes never changed, so perhaps the stubborn personality was inherited along with the facial features.
Jun-wan stared intently at the face in the photo. As his brother said, it was a pretty child. But he was still a man, wasn’t he? It wasn’t an androgynous appearance confusing enough to mistake his gender, and there was no way he had maintained his elementary school face until now. Like most adolescents, there was a high possibility that Kim Yu-shin had also undergone an unfortunate transformation.
A young master who lived like a hothouse flower without even an ordinary school life.
How lacking in social skills he must be is obvious without even seeing. Jun-wan pushed around his dry mouth with his tongue before tossing the document aside.
“I don’t care if he’s ugly or has a shitty personality. Proceed.”
“Father! Jun-wan says he’ll get married!”
As soon as the words fell, Park Jun-seo kicked his chair back and stood up, shouting. The family members who had been eavesdropping on the two brothers’ conversation from afar made subtle expressions, not knowing whether to be happy or sad about this.
At least the ones showing the most relief in this house were his sister-in-law and the twins. His sister-in-law sent Jun-wan a silent look of gratitude. Jun-wan sighed deeply enough to make the ground cave in. He walked over, picked up his nephew crawling on the floor, and kissed those soft cheeks.
***
“What? That Park bastard says he’ll do it? The marriage?”
Minister Kim, with a white band tied around his forehead, shouted the moment he heard the news. And then his blood pressure rose immediately and he grabbed the back of his neck and lay down on the sofa.
“We have to do it, what else can we do? If we don’t, we’ll all go to prison.”
His wife, Madam Hong, dabbed her wet eyes with a handkerchief. The lady who was always elegant suddenly glared into the air.
“Sara, that wench! Just let her come home! I really won’t let her off!”
Kim Sara, who had caused the trouble, was currently on a solo honeymoon. Her husband couldn’t take a long vacation because of work, so she had fled to New York by herself. It was called a honeymoon, but it was more accurate to say she was temporarily taking refuge to save her life. Kim Sara probably hadn’t known the matter would become this serious either.
The atmosphere of a house in mourning was the same for the Hwaryeong Kim Clan. Rather, this house was more depressed. What kind of son was Yu-shin? Would he break if held in hand, would he fly away if blown on? He was a child they had raised preciously and dearly.
“No, they’ve already seen grandchildren! Then what about us! Does that mean our family line can be cut off?!”
“There’s noona.”
A calm voice interjected into the conversation. Yu-shin took a bite of an apple. Along with a crunching sound, his round cheeks moved as he chewed.
“Tell hyung Hyun-woo to become an adopted son-in-law.”
“You bastard, can you really say such carefree things right now?”
Minister Kim lamented, tilting his head to the side. Then Yu-shin smiled brightly at his father.
Ah… that flower-like bastard. I raised him in a greenhouse and even his head became a flower garden.
Minister Kim smacked his lips. Although he was usually called a money devil, bullfrog, and stubbornly undefeated, in front of his son Yu-shin, he was just a soft father. He sighed deeply and just rubbed his wrinkled forehead.
“Yu-shin. Don’t worry about your father. If you don’t want to do it, we can refuse this marriage. At worst, I’ll be stripped of my position and locked up in prison, that’s all.”
“Wow… our dad is overflowing with spirit.”
Yu-shin swallowed the half-remaining apple in one bite. Even though he was chewing the sweet flesh, his face was blank as if he couldn’t taste anything. He swept back the soft hair covering his forehead and swallowed the apple in his mouth.
“I don’t mind getting married.”
“……”
“Park Jun-wan, was it? That person doesn’t look bad, does he?”
That’s true. Minister Kim nodded. For a Park bastard’s bloodline, that second son had handsome looks. Plus, he was from a science high school and had both master’s and doctoral degrees from Korea University. Park Jun-wan had a strong conviction to become a professor, so there was no chance he’d waste his efforts on business for nothing, and since he was Cheongseon Park Clan blood, his character would certainly be upright.
In other words, he was a groom anyone would covet. Minister Kim also acknowledged that point.
“Hey, even so, how can you marry into a guy with balls?”
“…I’m the one marrying in?”
“You bastard, you’re getting married instead of Sara! You’re in the bride position!”
Unlike Minister Kim who was getting upset, Yu-shin didn’t panic. He just asked Chief Manager Min sitting beside him, Really?
Chief Manager Min looked at Yu-shin with pitying eyes. She was the nanny who had cared for Yu-shin since he was a baby and his closest aide. She was worried about Yu-shin’s future no less than his own family.
“Young master, this isn’t something to decide so easily.”
“We just have to live in the same house. It’s no different from cohabitation.”
“What about people’s eyes?”
“……”
“Honestly, you need to think about your health too. You know you shouldn’t get stressed.”
Chief Manager Min spoke in a gentle voice. Then Minister Kim and Madam Hong both looked at Yu-shin with worried eyes.
Yu-shin looked healthy with good complexion on the outside, but he had a congenital defect in his autonomic nervous system. He would collapse at the drop of a hat, and in high-stress situations, arrhythmia would follow.
The first onset was around the time he had just entered middle school. At that time, Yu-shin frequented the hospital like it was his own home due to frequent fainting. He couldn’t attend school because he couldn’t fulfill the attendance days needed for academics and advancement. After that, he started homeschooling.
Without friends, cut off from the world—it had been over 10 years of living like this. The family still cared for Yu-shin like a sacred object. Even though he had improved a lot now and had no trouble living his life as long as he took his medicine diligently.
Yu-shin found this overprotection secretly burdensome. Of course, he knew their worry was great because he had collapsed in surprise upon receiving the royal command. But he couldn’t live like this forever, could he?
If I get married, I can at least become independent, right? He had been running the hope circuit in his mind.
“Still, it’s better than rotting in prison.”
“……”
“Anyway, arrange a meeting. I should meet him once. If he seems like a strange person, I won’t do it either.”
Yu-shin smiled with his eyes at the adults who all wore tearful faces. That face was as bright as a beautifully bloomed peach blossom.
***
Jun-wan arrived at the hotel lounge five minutes before the appointment time.
