They walked side by side, pausing in the hall to ask a maid where A-ri was. With quiet directions given, they made their way into the living room.
A-ri and Kangsoo sat together on the couch, her laptop open between them, glowing with spreadsheets and notes.
"Mom," Kai's voice carried across the room as he stepped forward, Hana keeping pace at his side.
Both A-ri and Kangsoo looked up.
"You're finally here," A-ri said warmly, her smile practiced. "I was just about to come fetch you both."
"Mom—three hundred guests?" Kai's voice cut through her sweetness.
A-ri blinked, her expression feigning innocence. Hana slid into the seat beside her, tense.
"You sent out three hundred invitations," Kai pressed, his tone clipped.
"Yes," A-ri replied lightly, as though it were nothing. "Why?"
Kai's jaw tightened. "What happened to a small ceremony? No media, no spectacle?"
"Not all three hundred will attend," A-ri countered smoothly. "Perhaps only… two hundred seventy."
"That's still a crowd." His voice sharpened, frustration breaking through. "I said small, Mom. Intimate. Only loved ones—not half the country."
A-ri leaned back, her composure unshaken. "Why don't we discuss this over dinner?"
"No." His refusal was firm, final. He caught Hana's hand and pulled her to her feet. "We'll have dinner in our room. And Mom—" his gaze locked on hers, cold and resolute, "—cancel those invitations."
Without waiting for her reply, he tugged Hana away, leaving the room thick with unspoken tension.