“Rin-aya♡”
The sight of a ferociously ugly old man, who had aged enough, charging towards me with his muscular arms wide open was pure terror.
In an instant, Tang Hochang scooped up Dokgorin’s small body and lifted her high into the air as if giving her a bear hug.
If an unwitting bystander were to witness this scene, they might easily misunderstand. However, the reality was that he was merely a grandfather who adored his granddaughter immensely.
“It’s been a while. Grandfather.”
Meanwhile, Dokgorin, perhaps accustomed to such warmth from Tang Hochang, spoke with an unfazed expression.
“You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you. You’re ready to get married now.”
As he said this, Tang Hochang gazed at Dokgorin with eyes overflowing with affection.
Tang Sosu looked at the two with an expression of disbelief.
Well, it’s no surprise that she’d react this way when the treatment of her sibling was so different.
When I glanced at Tang Sosu with a strangely pitying look, she quickly stepped back and said, “Don’t look at me like that!”
“But why are you here at this late hour? And why do you look so disheveled?”
“It’s a long story, can I eat first before I explain?”
“Oh dear, I completely forgot it’s dinner time. Then let’s eat first and talk later.”
Saying this, Tang Hochang hurriedly put on the previously removed robe.
Seeing this, Tang Sosu gasped in surprise and asked.
“Grandfather, have you finished your training for today?”
“It is a bit early, but I can’t help it when a precious guest arrives.”
Tang Sosu’s reaction suggested that it was quite unusual for Tang Hochang to skip training.
That said, he must be someone who doesn’t miss a single day of training.
With the atmosphere now focused on having dinner, Tang Hochang lowered Dokgorin back to the ground.
He was about to suggest moving to another place when he turned and, puzzled, asked as if he had just noticed me.
“By the way, Rin-aya, who’s this boy with you? He doesn’t look like a servant by his attire.”
Then Dokgorin replied, “Oh, he’s my fiancé. His name is Chilbok.”
“……”
The moment she spoke, Tang Hochang glared at me with an intensely fearsome expression.
Well, that makes sense.
To him, it was as if his still-young granddaughter had just brought home a boyfriend out of the blue.
But since Dokgorin introduced me, I couldn’t just remain silent and offered a polite greeting as best as I could.
“Hello, I’m Ichilbok.”
“…I’m Tang Hochang.”
Saying this, Tang Hochang extended his right hand.
It seemed like a gesture for a handshake, but I felt uneasy, so I decided to play a little trick.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t wash my hands on the way here. I wouldn’t want to dirty you, so is it alright if we shake hands next time?”
Tang Hochang raised an eyebrow and replied.
“Are you saying you don’t want to shake hands with me?”
“No, I want to, but I can’t right now.”
As I said that with an ahaha- innocent expression, Tang Hochang looked a bit perplexed but nodded in understanding and lowered his hand.
“Alright then, I’ll tell the servant to prepare the meal, so why don’t you two go wash up first? Eating while covered in dust will surely ruin your appetite, right?”
“Understood. Thank you, Grandfather.”
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness.”
As I bowed slightly, I felt a chill above my head and quickly straightened up.
Tang Hochang, who had his palm spread wide as if to pat my back, asked with a startled expression.
“Is this how kids nowadays greet each other?”
“Uh, well.”
No matter how I looked at it, this grandfather seemed dangerous.
I didn’t think I could afford to show any weaknesses.
Thinking that, I forced a smile.
*
Since Tang Hochang had left to prepare dinner, the one guiding me and Dokgorin to our room was Tang Sosu.
The room she showed us was a guest room with a neat atmosphere, but the guest room was remarkably large, just like the mansion itself, making someone like me feel quite small.
“I’ve already prepared warm water, so you can wash up yourself. I’ll come back for you in a little while, so feel free to relax until then.”
“Thanks.”
When I expressed my gratitude, Tang Sosu looked at me with a sulky face and asked.
“You said you’re Dokgorin’s fiancé, right?”
“That’s right.”
“How did you end up liking her? Was it her face?”
It was quite an awkward question, and I scratched my cheek as I contemplated my response.
“Why are you suddenly asking that?”
“I’m just curious since I don’t have a fiancé yet.”
“Seems like there’s a lot to be curious about.”
As I said that, I pondered the reasons for liking Dokgorin.
Well, her looks are one reason, but I think the biggest reason was simply that she liked me first.
And the fact that her feelings weren’t temporary, but constant, was also one of the reasons I grew fond of her.
On hearing my answer, Tang Sosu looked surprised and exclaimed.
“Dokgorin confessed her feelings first?!”
“Yep.”
“No way! What could she possibly lack?!”
“Here I am right in front of you, and you say that?”
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean it that way.”
“…Well, compared to Rin, I do have many shortcomings.”
Besides the fact that love might be a little heavy, there really aren’t many drawbacks to her. After all, a yandere can evolve into a megadere under certain circumstances.
In other words, how it turns out really depends on me.
After chatting for a bit, Tang Sosu said that if I needed anything else I should let her know later and then left the room.
Left alone, I began to strip off the clothes I was wearing to wash up.
*
Tang Sosu returned precisely after a meal’s length of time.
“Hmm, washing up definitely makes you look better.”
She said this as she looked at me with a curious look.
“I mean, I am a bit good-looking.”
As I said this jokingly, Tang Sosu shot me a look of disbelief.
“Aren’t you embarrassed saying that yourself?”
“It’s the truth, so what’s the big deal?”
“But why are you suddenly being informal? You’re using formal speech with Dokgorin.”
“Since you seem to be around my age, it’d feel awkward to use formal speech from the start.”
“Who decides that, though?”
“It doesn’t really matter who decides, as long as it’s comfortable.”
“Hmph, do as you like.”
As she turned her head away with that, it seemed like she wouldn’t have cared much if she really hated it; I guessed she was just indifferent.
Walking alongside her toward the dining room, I asked.
“By the way, why does your grandfather seem to favor only Rin? You’re a granddaughter too.”
Tang Sosu snorted and replied.
“Originally, Grandfather cherished his youngest daughter, Tang Miryeong, tremendously. But after having a hard time when she married a man around his age, a granddaughter resembling her came along. Of course he’s going to spoil her.”
“If Rin’s mother is your aunt, why do you call her by name?”
“That’s my choice.”
“Don’t you get told often that you lack manners?”
“From others.”
Seeing her hold her ground without missing a beat, it seemed she truly was a person of the notably fierce Tang family.
Nevertheless, most of my curiosities were cleared up, so I decided to keep quiet until we reached the dining room.
Noticing that I had suddenly gone silent after having talked right up to that point, Tang Sosu glanced over at me and asked.
“Are you sulking or something?”
“Nope.”
“Then why are you suddenly quiet?”
“I don’t really have anything to say. We don’t know each other that well, and today is the first time we’ve met.”
After hearing that, Tang Sosu seemed to find it reasonable and, after a short thought, asked me.
“Do you have any favorite food?”
“Why do you ask that out of the blue?”
“I need to know your tastes to recommend restaurants. There are tons of great places in the capital.”
I hadn’t expected the conversation to shift to food, but it was indeed a neutral topic, so I decided to reciprocate her kindness.
As we chatted about food, we soon arrived at the dining room.
Carefully opening the door, I stepped inside to see warm dishes that appeared freshly set up.
“Welcome. Chilbok.”
Dokgorin, sitting at the head of the table, waved happily.
At first, I thought it was just a casual greeting, but she was actually signaling for me to sit next to her.
As I started to walk in that direction, Tang Hochang, seated at the head of the table, cleared his throat and said.
“I’m sorry, but your seat is over here.”
He pointed to a chair on the exact opposite side of Dokgorin.
Caught between the two opposing positions, I looked back and forth at them, feeling quite bewildered, but I realized there wouldn’t be an easy solution.
In the end, after contemplating for a while, I decided to choose the most peaceful option.
“I’m sorry, Elder.”
I chose to sit right next to Dokgorin.
As long as she was in front of me, Tang Hochang wouldn’t be able to pull any tricks on me.
