TSG 122

“Gathering like this, it feels like we’re having a formal family meeting.”

“Cough.”

Se-hyun, who was eating the black sesame porridge served as an appetizer, choked.

As Se-hyun coughed softly, Shin Tae-oh handed him a glass of water. Though he tried to calm down by quickly drinking the water, the lingering sensation in his throat made him feel like he might keep coughing.

Barely holding back an erupting cough, Se-hyun covered his mouth and looked at Jeong Min-jung.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t told your parents about your relationship?”

At Jeong Min-jung’s question to Tae-oh, Se-hyun instead looked at his own parents’ expressions. He had told them he was dating someone, and that he would introduce them at an appropriate time later.

So he hadn’t specified who he was dating…

‘Why isn’t anyone surprised?’

The people who should have been as surprised as Se-hyun when the word ;meeting between families; came up. Wondering if perhaps Shin Tae-oh had said something, he looked at him, but Shin Tae-oh shook his head slightly. If not Shin Tae-oh, then how did they know?

Ahn Baek-cheon pushed away the untouched porridge and said:

“The person who visits me every time I go to the hospital must naturally be the one you’re dating.”

“Uh…”

While Se-hyun was at a loss for words, Kim Hye-soon added:

“The world is so convenient these days. I used to think ordering things on my phone was too complicated, so I’d just go and buy them in person. But now, a single phone call takes care of everything. Who do you think taught me that?”

She meant Shin Tae-oh had taught her.

In the end, even without explicitly saying that Se-hyun was dating Shin Tae-oh, the situation made it impossible not to know.

“One phone call…”

Jeong Min-jung picked out the meaningful words from Kim Hye-soon’s statement and gazed at Tae-oh with a meaningful look.

“I wondered why our house manager kept going out.”

“I really missed you, Father.”

Shin Tae-oh interrupted Jeong Min-jung’s words and hugged Shin Gi-han.

“When they said you were in surgery, I was about to drop everything and fly back immediately.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.”

If something had gone wrong with Tae-oh, Shin Gi-han would have indeed dropped everything and returned to his son. Fortunately, the surgery had gone well, and Shin Tae-oh had recovered quickly.

As such, Shin Tae-oh harbored no resentment toward his father for not being there. In fact, his demeanor was carefree and lighthearted.

“Does the food here suit your taste?”

Perhaps because of this, Shin Tae-oh quickly turned his attention to Kim Hye-soon.

“Hm? Oh, yes. It’s delicious, you can tell how much care went into every dish.”

“Right? The gift I sent includes another dining voucher for this restaurant, so please come again.”

As Shin Tae-oh devoted all his attention to Kim Hye-soon, Shin Gi-han looked at his son with disappointed eyes.

“Wasn’t our meeting today meant for you to see your old man?”

He had come with high expectations of seeing his son after many years, but now he felt pushed aside.

“Looks like the meeting between families was more important than his own father life.”

Jeong Min-jung jabbed her husband’s side, preventing him from becoming gloomy. Snapping back to his senses, Shin Gi-han looked at Se-hyun.

“You look even more handsome in person than when I heard about you on the phone.”

He had often heard about Se-hyun from his wife. She told him when their son first got a partner and who it was. She also relayed conversations from their occasional meals together.

“Thank you.”

Se-hyun looked at Jeong Min-jung, then at Shin Gi-han.

What should he call him?

“…Father.”

“Ahem.”

Shin Gi-han, like Se-hyun earlier, seemed to have something caught in his throat and cleared it while covering his mouth with his fist.

…Did he say something wrong?

This was their first meeting in a private setting, so perhaps that was why it felt awkward.

“Father, here, have some water.”

Seeing Shin Tae-oh offer his father a glass of water, Se-hyun smiled slightly.

“Father” here, “Father” there.

Right, it’s just a respectful way to address a father, what’s strange about that?

Se-hyun scooped some of the salad that came next and placed it in front of Shin Gi-han.

“Father, please eat.”

“Thank you.”

“You can speak more casually. Mother, please eat too.”

“Alright. This is delicious. Se-hyun, you eat a lot too.”

Jeong Min-jung accepted being called “Mother” instead of “Mrs Chairwoman” without much fuss.

Like a course meal, the family meeting started to flow into the main event.

***

Let’s summarize.

Shin Tae-oh had been meeting and contacting Se-hyun’s parents occasionally. Se-hyun likewise had been meeting with the Chairwoman from time to time.

They hadn’t told each other about this.

The reason?

Well…

For Se-hyun, the immediate reason for not telling Shin Tae-oh was nothing special.

It was really just a case of contacting the Chairwoman when he happened to pass by the main office and thought of her…

Shin Tae-oh’s reason was probably similar.

As a result, they both found it effortless to converse with each other’s parents.

“I’m thinking of applying the IC event to other affiliates as well. Of course, we won’t leave out the main company.”

“I’ll compile and send you a list of areas that need improvement.”

Se-hyun immediately responded as Jeong Min-jung spoke while placing a galbi patty on his personal plate.

“It would be great if Se-hyun could do that. By the way, how did you find it after experiencing it firsthand?”

Se-hyun put the galbi patty in his mouth and pondered while chewing.

“I liked how it was different from the usual events.”

“Is that so? It seems Shin Tae-oh’s efforts in preparing it were worthwhile.”

As Jeong Min-jung placed some japchae on his plate, Se-hyun promptly picked it up and ate it.

Shin Gi-han watched the two with curiosity. Having only heard about this person over the phone while abroad, seeing him in person was quite different.

Shin Gi-han then looked at his son. He hadn’t expected their father-son reunion to be particularly dramatic. Rather…

“If you like staying here, please give me a call.”

“Why?”

“I’ll extend your stay. Stay as long as you want before going back. No, how about staying here until your next checkup? I’ll make sure you can use that gift next time, so just keep it for now.”

“Oh, one day is enough. This is already plenty. I never thought I’d get to sleep in a hotel in my lifetime.”

“That’s why you should stay to your heart’s content this time.”

…He was being dramatic in other ways.

‘Tae-oh.’

Your father is right here.

Your father who flew to the other side of the earth to grow the company is right here, but…

“The next checkup will take a long time, so eat well before you go.”

“Should I?”

His own father would have to leave again after staying for a few days. Somehow, Shin Gi-han felt that if he said anything, it would end with just a simple ‘have a safe trip,’ so he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Shin Gi-han looked at his heartless son, eventually broke into a soft smile.

‘Still, it’s fortunate.’

He had always worried about Tae-oh. Feeling like he had neglected his son to grow the company, he had considered quitting his job many times.

In fact, until Shin Tae-oh was a student, he had hired a professional manager and spent a lot of time with his son, but it was futile. No matter how hard the couple tried, they couldn’t erase the deep-seated emptiness in their son.

The moment they realized that the two of them alone couldn’t fill what their son lacked, Jeong Min-jung made a bold decision.

Let’s wait until Shin Tae-oh can get what he wants, she said.

The son they met again had changed. He appeared full of various emotions, pushing out the emptiness that had once swirled inside him.

‘That’s all that matters.’

He had already received more than enough blessings.

Feeling much lighter, Shin Gi-han shifted his attention to Tae-oh’s partner.

Se-hyun, who could eat a large rib in one bite without showing any sign of it, certainly had a calm demeanor. Though his voice wasn’t loud, his clear pronunciation made him easy to hear, and he caught the eye even without making big gestures.

It was easier to compare him when Tae-oh, with his striking features, was sitting next to him. While Se-hyun’s appearance wasn’t particularly flashy, he had a charm that kept drawing the eye.

‘His smile.’

The reason seemed to be his smile, which completely changed the atmosphere when he showed it. To see that smile, one had to keep watching. In that sense, he was no ordinary man.

As Shin Gi-han alternated his gaze between Tae-oh and Se-hyun, he noticed something else.

‘Come to think of it…’

Shin Gi-han looked at his wife.

She was holding her chopsticks, but her rice bowl wasn’t even half empty.

He wondered if she had eaten a lot of side dishes, but that wasn’t it either. She had been busy transferring various foods to Se-hyun’s plate.

The situation was the same on the other side.

Mrs. Kim Hye-soon was personally deboning fish and placing it on Shin Tae-oh’s rice. Shin Tae-oh willingly put the large piece of fish in his mouth.

‘What are they, mother birds?’

Shin Gi-han looked at the table. The previous course dishes had already been cleared away as empty plates, and even the final table setting for six was almost empty. It was as if they were finishing off a Korean meal equivalent to ordering six portions of meat at a barbecue restaurant.

They said it wasn’t a formal family meeting, but in the end, it really was just a hearty meal.