Ours — Hours Before
As Mrs. Choi was about to stomp back to her room, her eyes caught sight of Ga-young's phone lying unattended on the couch.
She paused, looked back — Ga-young was distracted. Perfect.
In one swift motion, she snatched the phone and disappeared into her room, closing the door quietly behind her.
She didn't even bother sitting down.
"What could be her password…" she muttered, drumming her fingers against her thigh. Then her eyes lit up.
"Her father's birthday!"
She typed it in — the screen unlocked instantly.
Mrs. Choi exhaled, "Forgive me, Ms. Choi, but if you won't do it, I will."
She scrolled through the contacts, her lips curling into a sly smile… until it vanished.
No Min-jae.
She searched again. Still nothing.
"What could she have saved it as?" she murmured, running her fingers through her hair. Then she froze.
"He called yesterday around… eleven-something."
She scrolled through the call log and grinned.
"'Duke Dullsville'? That's how she saved her crush?"
She hit the call button.
On the third ring, a deep, smooth voice answered,
"Ms. Choi?"
Mrs. Choi's smile widened. "This is Ga-young's mother."
"Oh—good afternoon, ma'am," Min-jae said quickly, straightening his tone.
"You must be Ga-young's boss, right?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"You two seem close," she said lightly, almost teasing. Then, with a sweet but knowing tone, "I need a small favor."
---
Back to Present
Ga-young blinked at the door, frozen.
"Who is it?" Mrs. Choi called from the dining room.
Ga-young stepped closer, her jaw tightening.
"Mr. Min-jae? What are you doing here?"
Min-jae smiled, casual as ever. "Apparently, I'm invited."
Mrs. Choi appeared right behind her, eyes gleaming like a cat that got the cream.
"Good evening, ma'am," Min-jae greeted politely.
"You're even more handsome than I imagined," she said, taking a bouquet of flowers from him and handing it to her daughter. "Come in."
Ga-young's expression screamed betrayal, but she said nothing as Mrs. Choi led him toward the dining room.
Just before they entered, Min-jae glanced at her.
"You shouldn't be carrying something that heavy," he said loud enough for everyone at the table to hear. "Let me handle it."
Ga-young's jaw dropped. Heavy? They were flowers.
Still, she let him take them, and he even pulled out a chair for her. The entire table turned to look.
Yoon-chae, one of her aunts, couldn't hold it in. "Who is he?"
Mrs. Choi smiled knowingly. "What do you think?"
Min-jae gave a polite bow, his charm fully engaged.
"Good evening, aunties and grandma. I'm Hwan Min-jae — Ga-young's boyfriend."
The table went still. Chopsticks froze mid-air.
Mrs. Kim finally looked up. "I almost thought we were invisible, since you didn't greet us first."
Min-jae smiled thinly. "Ah, my apologies. I thought silence was the preferred language here."
Bora scoffed. "How arrogant. Ga-young, you should tell your little boyfriend who we are."
"The food's getting cold," Ga-young cut in sharply. "Shall we eat?"
Mrs. Choi hid a smirk behind her teacup.
As they ate, the aunts kept stealing glances at Min-jae — half judgment, half curiosity.
Finally, Mrs. Kim cleared her throat. "What do you do for a living, young man?"
Without hesitation, Min-jae slid a business card across the table.
Mrs. Kim squinted at it, her expression blank, while Bora craned her neck to peek.
"CEO of K&H… you say?"
"You read it yourself," he replied smoothly.
"CEO?" the aunts exclaimed in unison.
Mrs. Kim shot them a glare before turning back to him.
"A CEO dating a mere secretary?"
Min-jae's smile didn't waver. "Is that considered a crime now?"
Mrs. Kim's voice hardened. "What will people say? A man of your status dating a girl beneath your class — one whose family is buried in debt?"
He leaned back calmly. "Are you one of those people, Grandma? Because the ones who actually move in high circles don't care for that kind of gossip."
Yoon-chae leaned toward Bora, whispering, "She must have seduced him."
Without missing a beat, Mrs. Choi said, "It's rude to whisper when others are at the table, Yoon-chae. Guess your children didn't inherit manners either, Mrs. Kim."
Mrs. Kim smirked. "Are they wrong though? Otherwise, why would he be with her? Didn't you once believe in such foolish fantasies, Hari — just like you did with my Choi?"
Ga-young's chair screeched, but before she could speak, Min-jae's hand found hers under the table — a silent restraint.
Then he spoke, voice even but firm.
"I was the one who pursued Ga-young. She rejected me several times, but I didn't give up. Maybe you can't see her worth, but I can. And I intend to hold on to her — with everything I have."
The room fell silent. Even Mrs. Kim blinked, momentarily thrown off.
"So," she said finally, "you plan to marry her?"
"Why date if not with that intention?" Min-jae replied. "And with all due respect, my parents' approval is my business, not yours."
Mrs. Kim's voice sharpened. "How dare you speak to me like that?"
He smiled faintly. "I just matched your tone."
Mrs. Kim let out a dry laugh. "All this… for that worthless girl."
"Yah! Kim Ka-young!" Mrs. Choi slammed her cup down, standing up. "Don't you dare call my daughter that. Do you know how much she's suffered because your precious son left us drowning in debt? If anyone here's worthless, it's those two gossiping pigs you call daughters. All talk, no purpose."
Yoon-chae gasped. "What did you just say?"
"I said what I said," Mrs. Choi fired back.
Mrs. Kim rose from her seat, face red with rage. "Girls, let's go. We won't be insulted by murderers."
Mrs. Choi's eyes flared. "You keep calling me that, but don't forget — your son begged you for help before he died. You ignored him!"
"And you were the useless wife living off him," Yoon-chae muttered.
Mrs. Choi snatched a rolling pin from the counter. "Say that again and I'll wipe that mouth off your face—"
"Mother!" Ga-young yelled, holding her back.
"What, you want to kill me too now?" Yoon-chae spat.
"Enough!" Ga-young's voice broke through the chaos, trembling but fierce. "I've had enough! All three of you — get out!"
The room froze.
Mrs. Kim blinked. "You're throwing us out?"
"If you don't leave now, I'll call the police," Ga-young said, her voice low but shaking with anger.
Mrs. Kim grabbed her purse. "I warned Choi about your mother, and now his daughter throws us out of his house. Pathetic."
She stormed off, her daughters trailing behind like noisy shadows.
Mrs. Choi slammed the rolling pin on the table. "Good riddance. I've had enough of that old hag and her minions."
Ga-young gently took the rolling pin from her. "Mother… are you okay?"
"I'll be in the attic," she muttered. Then she turned to Min-jae. "What was your name again?"
"Uh—Min-jae, ma'am," he said, startled.
She nodded. "I like you. You two have fun. I'll be upstairs."
And with that, she disappeared.
Ga-young dropped into her chair, face in her hands.
"Are you alright?" Min-jae asked softly.
She sighed. "I can't believe you got dragged into this mess."
He smirked. "I don't mind honestly."
Her eyes narrowed. "So you rage-baited my grandma on purpose?"
He tilted his head. "If you put it like that…"
Before she could respond, a loud crash echoed from the attic.
Min-jae jumped. Ga-young didn't even flinch.
"Don't worry," she said dryly. "She usually breaks things when she's mad. Luckily, not the drums this time."
He blinked. "The… drums?"
"Yeah. You should go home before she moves to the cymbals."
Minutes later, they walked toward his car. The night air felt almost peaceful — until the faint thumping of drums started from inside the house.
Ga-young chuckled. "Are you scared of my mom?"
"No," Min-jae lied.
"You should be," she teased. "She could slice you into sushi if she wanted."
He looked at her, half amused, half serious.
Ga-young laughed. "Relax, she doesn't beat me. Only others."
"I'll make sure to stay on her good side, then," he said as they reached his car.
"Thank you for today, Mr. Min-jae. I'm sorry my mom dragged you into this circus."
"It wasn't too bad," he replied, opening his car door. "I'll see you at work tomorrow, then."
She smiled. "Yes, Mr. Min-jae."
She bowed lightly, and he returned it before getting in and driving off.
As the car disappeared down the street, Ga-young realized she was still smiling.
And for once, she didn't stop herself.