"Tell us about Yoon Se-ri," his father had demanded.
Today, the blinds are drawn over the glass walls of Jeong-hyeok's office, shielding the CEO and his parents from view, much to the chagrin of the VAST group employees outside. They would have loved to catch a glimpse of their chairman as he spoke to his son. Everyone knew that a change was coming as the next chairman would be selected at the upcoming shareholder's meeting.
Jeong-hyeok's father sits across from him on a sleek couch, and his mother is on the armchair beside him. Jeong-hyeok feels more nervous than he does at most board meetings, his hands already clammy with sweat.
"Abeoji, about Se-ri," he starts. He feels the weight of her name as soon as it's in the air, like it is something precious. Something to be protected. What will he do if Abeoji doesn't like her?
"She is the CEO of a media startup -" he begins resolutely.
"We already know that," Ri Chung-ryol interrupts. "Se-ri's Choice. She's twenty nine. Her father was Yoon Jeung-pyeong of the Queen's group, which, thanks to his sons, is now dying a slow death."
Jeong-hyeok blinks, and then looks towards his mother for support.
"Then what do you want?" he turns back to his father. " If you already know everything about Se-ri, why are you here? I did exactly what you said. We'll be engaged by the shareholder's meeting."
Ri Chung-ryol looks affronted. "Well, are you planning to marry her without even having us meet her? I didn't expect this of you, son."
At his father's words, Jeong-hyeok is shamefaced for thinking the worst of the old chairman. Any father would obviously want to meet his son's fiancee.
"No... I wasn't," Jeong-hyeok says.
"Good." Chung-ryol nods. "Then bring her to the house tonight."
Jeong-hyeok feels the blood drain from his face.
"So soon? We can't -" he stutters. "Didn't you see the news? She has a broken arm."
"So?" his father asks. "We want to eat dinner with her, not play badminton."
"Eomma," Jeong-hyeok pleads desperately, looking towards his mother again for support. Finally, Yun-Hui breaks her silence.
"Yeobo." Her voice is soothing. "Let's give them a few days. It can be very daunting for young couples to take this step. Remember how scared you were to meet my family?"
"I was not."
It's Chung-ryol's turn to be embarrassed, and Jeong-hyeok's nervousness fades to amusement. His father hates to be reminded of his young and - by all accounts, very fiery - romance with the actress who was now his wife and mother of his two children. He also hates to be reminded of the fact that Jeong-hyeok's mother had turned him down once. "Just to keep him humble," she had always said with a wink.
Now, his father closes his eyes and sighs loudly.
"Hyaa, fine," he says, getting up slowly from the couch. "Fine. Wednesday. Two days before the VAST fundraiser, Jeong-hyeok-ah. We will see you and Se-ri then."
After his father exits the office, Jeong-hyeok's mother takes a moment to stay back with him in the empty room. She pats her youngest son on the cheek and smiles at him. It's a winning smile to be sure, fit for a movie poster or a red carpet. But sadness haunts her eyes since living through every parent's greatest fear: the untimely death of Mu Hyeok. Her words still echo in Jeong-hyeok's mind: no parent should ever outlive their child.
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Fanfiction"Jeong-Hyeok," his father says in a tired voice, "This is how it's going to be. The general shareholder meeting is in five weeks from now. If you are not firmly engaged by then - I am going to recommend that the board make someone else the Chairman...
