98

For a moment, Yu-young’s heart started racing. He had saved her number, but since they had never contacted each other directly, seeing her name appear on his phone felt unfamiliar.

What could this be about? Yu-young thought for a moment before calling her back. Could it just be a casual check-in? Considering the attitude she’d shown last time, though, he doubted it was that simple.

After a brief ring, she picked up the phone.

-“Why haven’t you been answering your phone?”

“Hello, this is Han Yu-young. I missed your call because I was in the shower.”

Her sharp tone when picking up the phone was still the same. After his quick excuse, a brief silence followed, making the situation awkward. After licking his lips, Yu-young asked with a tense voice:

“But… is there something you need?”

-“Does there need to be something for you to answer my call? You…”

Her piercing tone made Yu-young feel scolded, just like last time.

“Ah, no, that’s not it.”

-“I thought you might at least give me a call. But since you haven’t, I decided to call you first. It’s a shame that my only son-in-law is so distant. Tsk.”

He was overwhelmed by the barrage of words that came right after he picked up the phone. It was so ridiculous that a wave of anger started to rise inside him, but this was his first call with her, so he couldn’t start fighting right away.

For the next three years, they were supposed to maintain the contract, so there was no reason to make things difficult, he reminded himself. Repeating that in his mind, Yu-young struggled to suppress his rising frustration.

“Ah… haha. I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to pay more attention from now on.”

-“You, make some time for tomorrow evening.”

What now… This clean-cut command made Yu-young’s mouth fall open in surprise.

“Excuse me? Why all of a sudden…”

-“Let’s have dinner together. We can’t keep going like this, can we? Just you and me, without Do-won, having dinner and talking. Is that a problem?”

At this point, Yu-young couldn’t tell what she was planning. Her condescending tone didn’t make it sound like she was inviting him for a pleasant meal. But then, why would she invite him to dinner if she didn’t have good intentions? Or maybe that’s just how she spoke? He had no idea about Do-won’s mother, so he was a bit confused.

Still, he decided to go ahead and accept. After all, it would be exhausting to spend the next three years in constant tension. If there was a chance to get even a little closer tomorrow, it might be worth it.

And besides, what could happen? If anything goes wrong, he could just walk away. With this optimistic thought, Yu-young decided to agree.

“Alright, I understand. I’ll come to your place after work tomorrow.”

-“No, not at my house. Let’s meet at the mall. After dinner, it would be nice to pick out a gift with Do-won.”

“…A gift?”

Yu-young’s eyes widened at the unexpected request. But then, all he got in response was a short laugh followed by a sharp criticism.

-“You seriously didn’t know? Do-won’s birthday is coming up.”

“…Ah…”

-“You didn’t know? Are you really married? How do you not know your husband’s birthday?”

It felt like he had been hit over the head. Now that she mentioned it, the house password was his birthday, but he didn’t even know when Do-won’s birthday was. He had almost asked about it once, but let it slip by. For the first time since he picked up the phone, Yu-young shut his mouth, losing the will to answer.

-“Anyway, I’ll send you the time and place by text. See you tomorrow.”

With that, the phone call abruptly ended. Staring blankly at the disconnected phone, Yu-young sat still for a moment. It was his birthday… that’s right, he didn’t even know when it was.

But soon, Yu-young shook off the lingering thoughts.

‘Well, what can I do? Honestly, just weeks ago, he was practically a stranger, so how would I have known? He’s just being extra thoughtful.’

Do-won, who had set his own birthday as the house password, was probably just an overly kind person. Fine, if that’s the case, he would make sure to prepare something nice for Do-won’s birthday… but when exactly was it?

‘Damn…’

Now that he thought about it, his mother had criticized him but never actually told him the exact date. Muttering to himself, Yu-young began to rack his brain. Well, it would be easy to find out at work. There was a document with team birthdays for organizing things.

Anyway, he had his first phone call with Do-won’s mother. Should he tell Do-won about it? Maybe not; telling him might ruin any surprise gift plans.

‘Well, since I’m going, I should make it really special. What should I get him? Now that I think about it, what does Do-won like?’

Lying on the bed, Yu-young pondered. Watches or suits were already covered. His hobbies… now that he thought about it, they had met at the fitness center before. He considered workout clothes but dismissed that too, as he had seen enough of them in his dress room. It was difficult thinking of a gift for someone who seemed to have everything.

In that moment, Yu-young recalled when Do-won had bought a camera lens at the camera store while they were shopping for wedding supplies.

“Oh, right. Do-won said he likes photography!”

It felt like a light bulb had suddenly turned on in his head. Overcome with excitement, Yu-young jumped out of bed, but then he quickly paused.

“…But what should I get him? A camera?”

He didn’t know anything about photography, so he had no idea what to buy. Even if he thought he could just buy a camera, there must be something that suited his tastes.

After a brief moment of thought, Yu-young decided to just go for it. Overthinking would only lead to endless questions and no solution. Since Do-won wasn’t a professional and just did it as a hobby, Yu-young figured buying the best and most expensive option at the department store would be fine.

With his decision made, Yu-young lay back down on the bed.

“Come to think of it… I’m a little nervous.”

Caught up in the gift idea, he had momentarily forgotten, but eating with his mother-in-law tomorrow was the more immediate concern.

“I can do this. I’ll be fine. They say if you endure three times, even the worst things are bearable…”

He repeated these words to himself as he steeled his resolve. When he thought of his work life, having dealt with villains like Deputy Manager Kim, this felt like nothing.

And who knows, maybe she really did want to get closer and have a nice meal together. So, he decided not to be too defensive from the start, thinking it might be better to approach things gently. He then began to think about what he would wear tomorrow.

The day passed quickly. The dinner appointment, which he had learned about through a text from Do-won’s mother yesterday, was set for 7 PM. To avoid staying late at work, Yu-young threw himself into his tasks during the day. When colleagues asked why he was working so hard, he could only offer a vague smile in response.

“Good work!”

“See you tomorrow!”

Amid the cheerful goodbyes, Yu-young was the first to bow his head and rush out of the office.

“See you tomorrow!”

“Take care, Yu-young!”

“Goodbye, Yu-young!”

Do-won, who had briefly given orders about the day’s work, had already left, and Yu-young, seeing the lights still on in the manager’s office, considered whether he should wait and say goodbye. But feeling pressed for time, he just left.

[Team leader, I’m having dinner with a friend and then heading home.]

The reply came quickly while Yu-young was in the elevator heading down to the underground parking lot.

[Okay, enjoy your meal and be careful going home.]

[Same to you, Team leader.]

He almost added, “Don’t drink too much,” but decided against it. After all, Do-won was the epitome of self-discipline, and saying something like that felt too much like a real married couple.

‘Do-won will be fine, I just need to keep my focus.’

It would take about 30 minutes to get to the department store, and factoring in the rush-hour traffic, about 45 minutes. Yu-young briefly stopped at the flower shop next to the company to pick up a small bouquet. He felt it would be more polite to bring a small token of thoughtfulness since it was their first one-on-one meeting.

As expected, Yu-young arrived at the department store exactly 45 minutes later. He handed his car over to the valet in the VIP parking lot and, holding the bouquet like a soldier heading into battle, walked toward the meeting place.

Yu-young stepped into the VIP elevator and took a deep breath as he looked at his reflection in the mirror.

‘Stay calm. It’s just dinner. We’ll chat and relax.’

He reminded himself not to get too nervous and squared his shoulders confidently. Smiling to himself, he couldn’t help but look a bit mischievous. His mother’s voice echoed in his mind.

‘That’s right, no need to be afraid. I’m my family’s precious one too.’

The elevator doors opened when they reached the lounge, and he saw Do-won’s mother, Mrs. Lee, who was now a familiar face.