First greetings, huh?
I never thought I’d be making my first greeting to my future father-in-law and mother-in-law!
I didn’t do anything special during the wedding or engagement either. Of course, I did when I was dating. But when I met Uncle Wang, it felt more like a greeting for an old friend than a first greeting.
Now here I am, being dragged into a room I don’t even recognize, waiting like a criminal awaiting judgment.
“I will guide you to the head of the family’s office. Follow me.”
A warrior who looked like he claimed to be the head of the family’s aide came in, looking displeased as he spoke.
“Aren’t I supposed to go with Miss Zhuge?”
“Follow me.”
“Could you at least let me carry the gift I brought?”
“I won’t say it twice.”
Well, that’s awkward.
‘Please let us love each other. Love knows no age or borders. Who knew two plans would be thwarted just like that?’
This is unexpected.
To meet Miss Zhuge without her and without any gifts? The fact that he wants to meet me alone means he’s ready to send me packing without any compromise.
“Alright then. Please lead the way.”
There’s no helping it. I have to brace myself.
——
“Come in.”
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to hell—no, my father-in-law’s office.
A large room.
There was no need to search for my father-in-law. I couldn’t miss someone sitting at a desk, radiating a strong presence.
Is that person Miss Zhuge’s father?
A middle-aged man with the appearance of a clerk, looking more comfortable with a brush than a sword, seemed to exude an intense aura from his diligent training in martial arts after work.
The problem is, that presence I felt seemed more like murderous intent than just presence.
Carefully moving toward the desk, I quickly shifted my gaze. No Miss Zhuge, no gifts, so I needed to gather as much information as I could.
‘Is my mother-in-law not here?’
There was a guard by the door when I came in, but I couldn’t see anyone else. I came to say my first greeting, but no mother-in-law either?
Before it even started, the daughter-in-law operation with the mother-in-law has already failed.
Truly the Zhuge clan.
No Miss Zhuge, no mother-in-law, no gifts, and all possible variables eliminated—it feels like I’m facing my enraged father-in-law with nothing in hand.
It feels like I’m losing all valuable cards in a battle of wits.
“What? Are you rolling your eyes, trying to contemplate how to survive the moment you step in?”
His disapproving voice pierced my thoughts.
Oh no. Hurriedly, I rushed to the desk and bowed my head.
“Nice to meet you, Father-in-law. Kang…”
“Father-in-law?”
An absurd, anger-laced chuckle bubbled from within.
I guess I was too hasty calling him that.
“Nice to meet you, Dad!”
“Dad…?”
I felt a degree of panic rush in like I could hit the wall behind me any moment.
I can’t back down here. I tightened my toes and grinned as my mouth opened.
“Since you’re my lover’s father, isn’t it only right to call you ‘Dad’?”
“Lover…? Who gave you that permission?”
The man with the title of the lord and mother-in-law, in fact.
No, hold on. Stay calm. This isn’t a place to fight; it’s a place to get acknowledged. If I speak more, it’ll feel like a dagger of murderous intent will stab me.
“…….”
The silence is torturous.
Someone, call an ambulance. I feel like I’m about to hyperventilate.
“…Just call me ‘Head of the Family’.”
I waited for him to respond without answering, smiling, and it seemed my father-in-law was reluctant to grab the collar of my grinning face; he finally said in a compromising tone.
“It is an honor to meet the head of the Zhuge clan. I am Kang Yoon-ho.”
Greeting someone seems way harder than it looks.
——
“What do you do?”
Should I kneel? I pondered for a moment while he began investigating me.
“Yes? Ah! This time, I have been recognized as the successor of the Man Geum lord….”
“Not just any position you’ve earned by getting my daughter involved without my permission, but what have you been doing all this time?”
My most confident title, the successor of the Man Geum Battlefield, was instantly disarmed.
“I operate a bookstore called Da-Seo-Gak and a few inns in Wuhan.”
I considered mentioning the name Ho Pil, but given how the Rise of the Tang Family is known as a forbidden book in the Zhuge clan, I figured it’d be difficult to bring it up.
“Seems you have a few insignificant stores?”
“Of course, I understand they might not meet your standards. However, the inn famous for delivering meals through carrier pigeons in Wuhan is my inn, and we sell books by the renowned author Ho Pil at our Da-Seo-Gak.”
I lead a small yet promising business. Presenting my potential confidently, I noticed my father-in-law’s brows furrow.
“Ho Pil? Isn’t that the author my daughter liked?”
Ah! So you know of Ho Pil!
“Yes, I discovered that author. He’s currently the most popular writer in Wuhan.”
“I see. So you’ve been charming my innocent daughter with that novel, huh?!”
As expected from Miss Zhuge’s father, he deduced the answer quickly.
“Well, we did start from common interests….”
My father-in-law didn’t seem interested in hearing more and changed the subject.
“What’s your background?”
‘A family of traitors from Joseon.’
That was definitely not a feasible answer. I forced a bitter smile and spoke.
“It’s been a while since both my parents passed.”
“You came to the Central Plains as a Joseon person with nothing, huh.”
Were you implying I came to live off like a foreign laborer? But since he didn’t scoff at me for being a barbarian, he must belong to the top 10% of human decency in the Central Plains.
“As a man born into this world, I wanted to see the bigger world.”
Not a foreign laborer, but a man striving for knowledge. I packaged myself neatly.
“Do you have any aliases?”
Oh? If you came to see the bigger world, you must have some fame too. I sensed many implications behind those words.
“I learned martial arts for self-defense, but I’m far from being called a martial artist. However, I work as a thief in my spare time, which has earned me a somewhat infamous reputation in Wuhan.”
“Is that some minor position without pay?”
Being a thief isn’t an official position.
An unofficial position without a formal salary. More like a corrupt policeman living off bribes like in Joseon, so it wasn’t a job to brag about.
Of course, I had a thing or two to brag about.
“Of course, it’s a humble title. But I’ve earned quite a name in Wuhan for fulfilling my duties diligently. For instance….”
“Are you bragging just because you solved a few cases and caught a thief?”
Those words caught me off guard.
‘Does my father-in-law know about the Shadowless Thief incident?!’
I heard he sent people out to check up on me as soon as he learned about his daughter’s living situation.
He didn’t have much time to gather intel. It seems he must have at least heard rumors about the famous Ho Pil outside Wuhan.
‘He probably thinks I’m just some average guy.’
Imagine a chaebol chairman probing into a man behind his youngest daughter’s living situation because she’s living with someone.
What would he think if he found out that his future son-in-law was a foreign laborer running a food delivery business while moonlighting as a driver?
I have to somehow overcome this situation.
“Father!”
I fell to my knees instantly.
“Who said you’re my father?!”
“I truly apologize!”
The investigation was over.
I needed to immerse myself completely. I am both a victim and a sinner. I need to win over my father-in-law’s heart, no matter what.
“Apology? Do you think this can end with just an apology?”
“How could I fathom the turmoil in your heart? I was shocked to learn just a few days ago as well.”
“Learned just a few days ago?”
“The Man Geum lord arranged the match for us, and Miss Zhuge’s mother permitted us to live together. Naturally, I thought you also gave your permission as Miss Zhuge’s father. But to think you didn’t know, how could I not be surprised?”
I hid my grievances. Pretending to understand my father-in-law’s anger, I empathized as much as I could.
“You live together for nearly a year and didn’t realize it?”
“Had I known, I would have refused. Who would do something so reckless without asking my beloved’s father? Since Miss Zhuge’s mother allowed it and the Man Geum lord actively supported it, I had no reason to suspect anything.”
I’m not such a rude person. It was just the situation that didn’t allow for doubt. I let out a small sigh to express my grievances while trying to display as much remorse as I could through my expressions.
“Yet you formed a home with my daughter without even thinking of meeting her parents! You’re just throwing around empty words!”
How could I have visited my lover’s parents when I was the one living together with her? That hit home, and I had nothing to counter.
Whatever reason I threw out would just sound like an excuse.
Stay calm.
There’s a way out of this. I have to look as downcast as possible while staring at my father-in-law with a determined face.
“It’s because of my inferiority complex.”
“Inferiority complex?”
“I thought it was only right to prioritize the Zhuge clan. I came to this Central Plains with nothing but my bare hands for only a few years. I can say I’ve lived diligently, but who would find a man running a small store in a minor position with such black hair as a suitable son-in-law?”
They say I lack the specs to be a rich family’s son-in-law. I know that myself, so I clutched my heart dramatically.
“Uhm…”
“I needed time. I thought it would be a matter of course to visit with Miss Zhuge after passing the Man Geum lord’s test and establishing myself as his successor.”
While lowering myself, I slyly tried to present myself as someone accomplished.
I am quite a remarkable guy, you know? The head of the family knows that I came to the Central Plains with nothing and became a renowned thief.
I’ve even started my own business, and after years, I now stand as the successor of the Man Geum Battlefield.
It’s my way of indicating that I’m an appealing son-in-law.
My father-in-law silently gazed at me for a moment, then carefully opened his mouth.
“…How far have you gone with my daughter?”
I really didn’t want to hear it, but maybe it was a must-ask question since my father-in-law’s voice trembled for the first time today.
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
When I replied without a hint of hesitation, he looked at me in disbelief, as if I’d just spouted nonsense.
“You’ve lived under the same roof for almost a year, and nothing happened? Are you trying to deceive me?”
“Miss Zhuge is Zhuge clan’s youngest daughter, after all. Truly, there was nothing.”
I am a man who thinks about the ramifications. I shook my head with confidence.
“Now, does that mean my daughter is not attractive?”
What’s with that displeased expression?
“Well, we did hold hands.”
“H-Hold hands?! With my daughter?!”
Oh boy, I’m done for.
“We only lived together in the same mansion, not in the same room. Since Miss Zhuge likes to do activities at home, the Man Geum lord was merely allowing us to get to know one another. I swear I did nothing to feel guilty about.”
I am innocent. Top tier son-in-law. Kang Yoon-ho. Just believe in me.
My father-in-law continued to scrutinize me with doubts but soon exhaled softly and spoke.
“…Can I believe that?”
“I swear on it.”
“Very well. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Welcome to the Zhuge clan.”
For the first time today, the corner of my father-in-law’s mouth lifted.
“Father!”
Could it be that I passed?!
Just as I intended to rise with a smile.
“Again, you can’t call me that.”
“What?”
“The Zhuge clan welcomes the successor of the Man Geum. Relax for a bit and head back to the Man Geum Battlefield.”
Head back?!
“What do you mean by that?”
Before I could even comprehend, those thunderous words erupted.
“I can’t allow you to marry my daughter. You must break up with her.”
——
In an instant, my mind felt frozen.
“Father!”
Before I could grasp the situation, I yelled in panic.
“I can’t allow marriage. You must separate from my daughter.”
That proclamation stood as a wall blocking my pleas.
“Father, please think it over once more.”
He shook his head and fixed a cold gaze on me.
“This is far beyond the line. How could you engage my youngest daughter without my permission? If it weren’t your father-in-law doing this but another clan, I would have wiped that clan off the map.”
“…….”
“Do not see my daughter again. Do not say goodbye, just leave. If you do, I will overlook this incident out of respect for you and your wife.”
Engaged without the head of the family’s permission. With his youngest daughter, no less! No matter how renowned the Man Geum lord is, this was far over any boundary.
My father-in-law’s declaration was unyielding.
How should I respond?
Should I apologize further? Should I negotiate and claim that being the successor of the Man Geum Battlefield makes me a suitable son-in-law? Should I just beg him to reconsider?
“Father, that’s….”
I started to talk but then—
“I don’t want that!”
A large box beside me suddenly moved.
“What?!”
“Miss Zhuge?!”
“Ah, Dad!”
“Cang? How did you get here?!”
Miss Zhuge! Just when did she get here? No, how did she get in?
Before I could even process the surprise, she stood before me, not bowing her head as usual, one hand clenched in a fist while the other grabbed mine. She then shouted at my father-in-law.
“I can’t break up with Master Kang!”
