Marriage.
Just joking, shall we date for three minutes? Seeing the woman’s haughty face crumple, marriage felt like a tale from a far-off world.
I have no luck with romance, so what’s with marriage?
Those friends of mine who are getting married better appreciate my wedding gifts. Others can get refunds, but for me, it’s truly non-refundable.
My wedding gifts come from genuine goodwill. I would bless my friend’s future with a wry smile as I went home.
And suddenly, marriage?
Of course, I wasn’t devoid of concerns like the embarrassment of not being able to retrieve my wedding gifts or worrying about making it look too shabby compared to the lavish banquet noodles, thinking maybe we should make it galbitang instead, but there was a bigger dilemma.
“Is it really okay to just nod my head and agree to this marriage?”
There are already four women with whom I’ve promised a future. And then there’s one more woman I’m supposed to meet in the future.
“Mother….”
Actually, I’m a married man.
How do I say that? Of course, I haven’t had the first night yet. Mother-in-law, my household status is a bit complicated.
I’m losing my mind. I looked at my mother-in-law with a flustered face.
“Now, it’s just the decision of the head of the family and husband left.”
What was she thinking when she saw my expression? With a determined face, my mother-in-law cut me off and continued.
“….”
“Do you really think, in such a situation, marriage is a major affair that cannot be decided hastily? That in ten years we’ll all hold a wedding ceremony? That everyone loves each other so much we can’t decide on the first wife? If you’re going to be wishy-washy like this, from then on, you won’t be our son-in-law’s mother, but someone else’s daughter’s mother.”
“W-wait a minute!”
How did she know? In an instant, all my excuses were blocked.
“I’m not the kind of wife who plans to flaunt my husband like a petty woman, nor is my daughter someone to boast about lightly, but still, my daughter is a direct descendant of the Zhuge family. It’s already a huge uproar whether or not to marry my daughter; can you imagine what will happen if you say you’re taking a second wife?”
I’m about to be used as a human punching bag. Bwoom!
It’s not just about ending with a club to the legs, I’d need to check how much my joints can move.
“That’s not what I’m saying. I just want to say I need time.”
As if that would be easy. There’s no way I could even lie and say I’d marry Miss Zhuge and show her children.
“I need time…”
“I want to be a responsible man. I don’t want to unilaterally notify and cause feelings of betrayal. So doesn’t it make sense to at least speak to the other fiancées first?”
I promised a future but don’t want to betray it. At the very least, shouldn’t I contact the fiancées and get their permission?
“You’re quite the greedy man.”
My mother-in-law looked at me as if she was astounded.
“If there wasn’t greed, I wouldn’t be standing here now.”
I said firmly to my mother-in-law.
Yeah, it’s greed. I know that. But if it weren’t for greed, I wouldn’t have even been here, promising to take responsibility for Miss Zhuge.
My mother-in-law stared at me for a while before finally sighing softly.
“Shadowless Thief, Im Ha-yeon, you said?”
“Are you talking about Miss Ha-yeon?”
“I heard she’s a pain in the neck sister.”
“What?”
Who said such a matching remark?
“She’s pretty, very educated, and a good sister too. I’ve never heard anyone speak so affectionately as she has with her family before.”
My mother-in-law said this with genuine surprise.
“I suppose you heard it from Miss Zhuge?”
Did my mother-in-law get her information from Miss Zhuge? She nodded at my question.
“Odd child, she doesn’t have a single decent friend. There’s no need to ruin the relationship with the first friend she got. Especially if it’s a friend that’ll last a lifetime.”
“Mother.”
Miss Zhuge will continue living with Miss Ha-yeon from now on. If they’re good sisters, good friends, there’s no reason to break that bond.
My mother-in-law took a step back and spoke to me.
“The girl named Hwa-rin must be feeling deprived of her fiancé, so we should apologize instead.”
“…”
I momentarily lost my voice at the mention of Hwa-rin.
I said I’d wait. No matter how much pressure there was, I’m now in the Zhuge family after just a year.
“Did Hwa-rin read my letter?”
If my letter arrived without a hitch, she should’ve gotten a response from Wuhan by now. What kind of reaction did Hwa-rin have? What kind of reply did she send?
Seeing the gloom on my face, my mother-in-law nodded and opened her mouth.
“Alright. It’ll take time to convince the three fiancées. Once I earn your husband’s recognition as a son-in-law, you can contact them separately or go visit them in person.”
“Thank you very much.”
I bowed my head to my mother-in-law, who had taken a step back to give me space.
“However, you mustn’t drag it out too long. It needs to be wrapped up before the husband or the family catches on. It’ll depend on your father’s condition and the situation, but let’s aim to set a date by next year. Before next fall.”
Of course, putting off a definite answer won’t change the outcome.
A year? That should be enough time to deliver the news.
“How about my father-in-law?”
The Elders’ Council reacted immediately, but why was my father-in-law silent? As the conversation wrapped up, I asked my mother-in-law about the still-unresponsive father-in-law.
“He’s been holed up in his study for a few days. Apparently, he was quite enamored with Ho Pil’s book.”
“Is that so?!”
That was good news.
“My husband doesn’t usually indulge in his son-in-law’s preferential treatment, so I was curious when he’d talk about the fiancées, but thanks to author Ho Pil, an opportunity came.”
She said with a twinkle in her eye and made a joke.
“Ha ha…”
“We’ll leave it at that for today.”
“I’ll take my leave as well.”
After greeting my mother-in-law, I turned back towards the door I entered.
“Oh, wait! Watch your mind!”
“What?”
“I really enjoyed Zhuge Seol-rok.”
I thanked my mother-in-law for her pure admiration and headed to my quarters.
*
“Madam. Where have you been?”
At the Head Family’s Hall of the Zhuge family, Head Zhuge Geuk met his wife returning from an outing.
“I just went to see your son-in-law.”
Jang Young-young replied with a face as if she had shed some burdens.
“Why suddenly?”
Didn’t they say to refrain from meeting until he’d been approved as a son-in-law? In this critical time, she had gone to meet Kang Yoon-ho.
The head’s brows slightly furrowed.
“He said he enjoyed the novel. I just went to cheer up my hardworking son-in-law.”
“…”
Zhuge Geuk couldn’t help but be momentarily dumbfounded when he saw the calm expression on his wife’s face.
“You too? Seems you said you enjoyed it as well.”
“Why would I say something useless…”
Zhuge Geuk grumbled softly at his wife while, in truth, he didn’t look too displeased.
“Oh my. Shouldn’t I have told him I found it boring instead?”
“Hmph. Cough… I heard the ghost ship incident was a true story.”
The husband could neither deny nor praise and could only divert the conversation elsewhere.
“Oh really? I hadn’t heard that.”
“I just heard from a recently arrived report. A ghost ship incident happened in Wuhan like in the novel and the one who solved it was none other than the famous Shadowless Thief, Kang Yoon-ho.”
“Does that mean our son-in-law is Zhuge Seol-rok?”
“There must be some differences between the reality and the novel’s content, but I’m sure there are some similarities.”
No way, the ghost ship incident was real? He couldn’t bring himself to tell his wife how Zhuge Geuk was pacing around the Head Family’s Hall, startled.
“Our son-in-law has quite a lot of talents. He should have bragged about it, but why hasn’t he done so even once?”
“…If he truly possesses such talents, it would definitely serve him better to conceal it rather than revealing it.”
Zhuge Seol-rok’s deduction.
If that kid, Kang Yoon-ho, knows even a little about deduction, it’s definitely better for him to keep hiding it.
The best techniques are best kept under wraps.
Of course, it may also be an over-exaggeration of skill. But can such skills entirely be a lie? Surely, Zhuge Seol-rok’s deduction is based on observation and logic, and that sounds reasonable.
It’s the kind of ability that someone might possess.
Especially since that kid Kang Yoon-ho recently managed to capture a demon that no one could catch. Wouldn’t it be reasonable to deduce he possesses such skills?
Kang Yoon-ho never demonstrated his felt deduction in front of Zhuge Geuk, but by now, Zhuge Geuk already had a mental image of him as a detective that utilizes deduction.
“I’m starting to think too much again. Instead of that, go run and pat your son-in-law on the shoulder to thank him.”
“It’s not yet the right time.”
The decision must come from the Elders’ Council meeting. Zhuge Geuk replied firmly.
“Oh? So when the time comes, that means you will do it, right?”
Of course, the head’s wife knew how to pierce through that firmness.
“Foolishness! If you’re going to speak nonsense, just return inside.”
“Don’t work too hard now, finish quickly and come home.”
A woman who knows when to dig in and when to pull back gracefully. Jang Young-young was indeed the rightful mistress of the Zhuge family.
————
“While pondering whether to send off the youngest daughter, you’re acting just like back in your youth…”
In the office of the Head Family Hall, Zhuge Geuk grumbled about just having been scolded by his wife.
“She is the model of a family’s matriarch. However, she wishes to remain forever young in front of the Head of the family.”
This was a usual occurrence. The captain of the Zhuge family’s guards smiled and comforted the head.
“…What about the Elders’ Council?”
Zhuge Geuk brushed it off helplessly and asked about their affairs.
“They met with Master Kang today. I expect a conclusion will be reached within a day or two.”
“Right. I suppose so. What about the guests? They’re taking longer than expected.”
If he had read Zhuge Seol-rok, the conclusion would come quickly. Zhuge Geuk nodded, inquiring about the delayed guests.
“They are said to be descending from Wuhan along the river and heading north.”
“Wuhan? They can ascend along the Guan pass, but isn’t that taking a long detour?”
“I suspect there’s something they need to take care of at Wuhan. It’s been a while since they sent word that they were departing from Wuhan, so I think they’ll arrive soon.”
“Still no indication of their visitation purpose?”
“They said they’d reveal it upon arrival.”
“Alright. Once they reach Yangyang County, prepare to welcome them.”
“Of course, that would be appropriate.”
Zhuge Geuk organized the story and fell into a moment of contemplation.
By now, it was early winter.
Normally, the Zhuge family would be frantically preparing to welcome guests around this time. Unless, of course, a bigger problem was arriving—the arrival of Kang Yoon-ho.
Even though it was termed urgent, they are choosing to take the long route via Wuhan and arriving without revealing their purpose for the visit.
What matter could be so important that they are coming?
The head of the Zhuge family, Zhuge Geuk, could only murmur quietly to himself in the unresolvable uncertainty.
“What on earth does the Sichuan Tang family want with the Zhuge family at this time?”
