Marriage Mate: 36

“Cough, cough.”

Father cleared his throat a couple of times. The atmosphere became awkward in an instant, and Yu-young, for a moment, looked confused. But soon, he realized that he had made an embarrassing mistake and frantically waved his hands.

“No, Father. That’s not it. I didn’t mean it like that!”

“What, cough… Isn’t it the age to be burning with passion? It’s fine. I’m not the kind of person who gets blocked by that stuff.”

“No, Father! It’s really not that! I was talking about the exercise clothes at the center! The team leader, he… wears tight-fitting exercise clothes when he works out!”

In reality, the clothes he wore weren’t particularly tight, it was just that his muscles, being pumped, made them look that way. But Do-won just looked at Yu-young, who was speaking false information, with a lazy expression, listening as if waiting to hear what he would say next.

“Right. Keep going.”

Yu-young, despite his awkward outburst, continued talking, and his father, looking at him with a content expression, eagerly waited for him to continue. Yu-young, face flushed with embarrassment, bit his lips.

“Uh… and… he’s unexpectedly kind, too.”

Do-won raised an eyebrow in surprise, but Yu-young resolutely continued.

“He doesn’t let me skip meals. Even when he’s busy with work, he makes sure I eat… If I skip a meal, he’ll bring me a sandwich or sushi. Um… hahaha. I’ll stop here.”

It was harder and more awkward to compliment a man he had once found annoying than Yu-young had imagined. He finished his awkward speech with a smile.

“There’s a lot more I could say, but I’m too embarrassed now, Father. Please stop.”

“Ha ha ha! You’re too much. But you’re happy, right? Sometimes, you have days like these, huh? Hahaha!”

Father laughed heartily. Yu-young, following suit with an awkward laugh, scratched the back of his head. What in the world was this all about? At least he wasn’t completely silent, so maybe that was a good thing.

“Another cup of coffee, please.”

“Yes, understood.”

While Father was placing an order for coffee from a passing staff member, Do-won leaned in close to Yu-young’s ear and whispered softly.

“I didn’t know you thought of me that way, Assistant Han. I always thought you didn’t like me.”

“No, it’s just that the team leader started with compliments…”

“Hmm? What’s going on?”

Father, who had been momentarily distracted, asked with an innocent expression as he turned back to look at the two of them whispering. Yu-young quickly waved his hand.

“Ah, no, it’s nothing. By the way, Father, aren’t you busy today? You usually start getting ready to meet the club members around this time.”

“Club members? What are you talking about? Right now, my future son-in-law… I mean, ahem, my son and Team Leader Choi are here. What’s more important than that? How about having lunch together, Team Leader Choi?”

“Father, well… It’s a bit sudden today.”

As Father smiled contentedly, Yu-young felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if someone were poking it with needles. Even if he could go back an hour, he would still make the same choice, but seeing his father genuinely happy about the fake scenario he had set up made him feel uncomfortable.

“…Actually, we have some work that needs to be done today.”

“Huh? What kind of work would need to be done on a holiday? I’ll handle it for you.”

Oh right… I forgot that Father is the CEO. Yu-young awkwardly smiled and subtly nudged Do-won’s arm with his elbow. It was a silent plea to him to do something, but strangely, Do-won seemed to have no clue and just watched Yu-young quietly.

What’s going on? Is he really that caught up in this future son-in-law act? Is he trying to make me uncomfortable on purpose? No, maybe I’m overthinking it. Yu-young cursed inwardly and quickly changed his words.

“Well, that’s one thing, but we’re still not really prepared for this. How about we schedule something formal later, like a meal at another time?”

Yu-young said that with a forced smile. Although he hadn’t consulted with Do-won about it, he could tell he had to promise something about the future. With a long tail of conversation like this, it would be impossible to keep up with the act properly in front of his father next time.

Han San-chul, nodding in understanding, responded.

“True, today wasn’t an formal meeting, and Team Leader Choi must be very busy too. I heard he even works late every day… Don’t overdo it. If you start out like this, you’ll hurt yourself.”

“Thank you for your concern, Father. I’m fine,” Do-won responded calmly, and Han San-chun smiled warmly at him.

“Alright, alright. Then how about a meal at our house, like Yu-young suggested? I’m sure my wife will be very happy about it. Speaking of which, I wanted to ask you about this weekend. How about it?”

“Ah, Father! This week is too soon!”

“Really? Then should we do it next week?”

Yu-young, pale as a sheet, waved his hands frantically. He had intended to stall with a vague excuse, but he hadn’t expected Father to suggest the next meeting so quickly. However, Do-won nodded without any hesitation.

“Understood. I’ll visit whenever it’s convenient for you.”

“Team Leader, no, Do-won…?”

Yu-young’s gaze shifted from his father to Do-won, confused. He couldn’t understand why Do-won would accept such a suggestion so readily.

“Yeah, yeah. Then let’s do that. Oh my, I feel like I’ve shown something I shouldn’t have today.”

“Haha, no, it’s fine.”

“Do you know how much I’ve worried about Yu-young’s marriage problems? Now that you’re here, I feel relieved.”

Father laughed heartily, holding both of Do-won’s hands tightly. Do-won, in turn, smiled politely and shook hands, listening attentively to his complaints until they reached the lobby.

“Well, let’s do it this weekend or next week. Check your schedule and let me know.”

“Yes, Father. Take care.”

Yu-young and Do-won saw him off to the hotel parking lot. Yu-young stood there, watching until the car disappeared from view, then turned to Do-won and asked, looking up at him.

“Team Leader, what were you thinking…?”

Honestly, Yu-young was still in a daze. While he and Do-won had teamed up to create this temporary illusion, today was just a one-time charade.

Yu-young had planned to handle everything on his own after showing Father Do-won once and saying, “I’m dating this person.” He never expected to keep asking Do-won to play along by coming to his house again. Even if he did ask, Yu-young was sure Do-won wouldn’t agree.

But Do-won answered calmly.

“What else could I have done? I figured it would be cleaner to make our relationship clear from the start rather than just meeting your father once.”

“Ah…”

“Later, you can set up a time with your father to let him know. Have a good weekend.”

“Team Leader.”

Just as Do-won was about to turn and leave, Yu-young grabbed his arm, and he slowly turned back towards him. Yu-young bowed politely.

“Today… I really appreciate it. Thanks to you, I avoided a difficult situation.”

“It was something we both needed.”

“Still…”

The second part of his sentence felt a bit more awkward to say, but it was something he had to express. Yu-young licked his lips nervously before continuing.

“I… also want to thank you for coming to help me earlier.”

“……”

“Um… I know it turned out to be this kind of situation… but still… it could have been a really dangerous one…”

He wanted to properly convey his gratitude, but strangely, his words weren’t coming out as he intended. Yu-young just chewed his lips while looking up at Do-won. His plump lips reminded him of what had happened earlier in the room. His chest and arms had been so firm. And despite his tough impression, his lips had been soft… Thinking about it, Yu-young suddenly felt his body heat up again. It was like a new sensation blooming in his chest.

While Yu-young was flustered, Do-won nodded lightly.

“Let’s go. I’ll give you a ride.”

“…What?”

“You don’t have a car, right? Let’s go. Our destinations are the same anyway.” The soft, gentle boyfriend act had disappeared, replaced by the usual stern team leader, Choi Do-won. Yu-young looked at him in silence for a moment, then bowed his head.

“I feel like I’m being a burden… but I’ll accept your help one more time.”

They didn’t speak during the ride together. The awkward silence between them made Yu-young, sitting in the passenger seat, nervously fidget with his fingers. For some reason, being with Do-won now felt more awkward and uncomfortable than usual.