The Age Of Love

Twenty Two - Family Dinner

His childhood home had become less and less intimidating over the last four months. It was far from warm and cosy and Jeong Hyeok would still rather spend an afternoon being forced to watch consecutive Nicholas Sparks flicks than to hang out with his parents. But his mother really did seem to love her granddaughter. And with all the doting she did on Eun Jung, Jeong Hyeok mostly got to fade into the background.

So yeah, Sunday's at his parents home weren't exactly fun, but they were tolerable.

But tonight was different. Because it was night and he wasn't alone. "You okay?" he asked, grabbing Se Ri's hand for reassurance. She nodded in assent, but he wasn't convinced considering she looked like she was going to vomit.

"If you need to puke, you should do it behind that bush," Jeong Hyeok pointed behind him. "It's a perennial, the gardener won't need to prune it for months."

"Thanks,"

"I am sorry you got roped into this," he apologised.

"No," she shook her head. "It's okay. We agreed to do this. This was the deal-- it's Eun Jung 100th day and your father is back from London. Besides, they're your family, they're Eun Jung family. We have to start building bridges sometimes."

"If I didn't know you-- and my parents, I might actually believe that," Jeong Hyeok laughed.

"Whatever," Se Ri sighed, "the sooner we get in there, the sooner we can leave, right?"

Jeong Hyeok pressed the doorbell with his index finger, "True. Let's just get this over with."

Her grip on his hand tightened as they followed the maid through the grand foyer. Jeong Hyeok remembered the last time he'd brought Se Ri to this house. It certainly didn't end well.

"Hey," he stopped their march through the room. The maid who was guiding them stopped a few feet ahead, looking around uncomfortably, unsure what to do. Jeong Hyeok glanced up at her. "We just need a minute. We can show ourselves into the sitting room when we're done."

The maid nodded and scurried off. Jeong Hyeok turned Se Ri to face him, taking the car seat from her hand and setting Eun Jung down on the floor for a moment. As much as she had insisted she was okay with this, he knew she was dreading it. For good reason, it wasn't like his family had always been the welcoming type, and with Se Ri, well, after the proposal, separation, two years affair, and Eun Jung, he didn't know what was gonna happen.

He entangled one of his hands with hers and reached the other up to cup her face. "Hey, look at me. You're the mother of their grandchild. You're a part of this family whether they like it or not."

Se Ri let out a small, breathy chuckle. "And whether I like it or not," she conceded.

"Hey," he protested, not really offended.

"I like that you're my family," she assured him. "And if that means they are too, that's just a price I am willing to pay."

"You come first," he stroked his thumb over the arch of her cheekbone. "You and Eun Jung will always come first. If they step out of line, we're out of here."

"Why are you so good to me?" she questioned.

Jeong Hyeok shrugged. "It's not your cooking skills, I can promise you that."

Se Ri chuckled. "Hey, I can make a very delicious ramyeon."

"The best instant ramyeon I've ever had," he agreed with a smile.

Se Ri sighed, her shoulders slumping as she prepared to get serious again. "I just want tonight to go well. I can deal with them not liking me, after everything that happened, I've come to terms with that but..."