Our Story - Binjin

Chapter 68: The Parents Meeting

Author's Note: Sorry updates have been slower this week. Hope everyone is having a smooth week and you enjoy the chapter! thanks for following the story! 😀

The date was finally set. The parents meet-up will happen on the day after Hyun Bin and Ye-Jin return from Jeju.

Ye-Jin would fly directly from Jeju to Daegu while Hyun Bin return to Seoul to make the trip to Daegu with his parents. They had discussed dining locations and finally decided on a private dining room. The chef was well-known for authentic Korean cuisine and Ye-Jin knew her personally. Chef Kim lived in a large house in a scenic part of Daegu and had carved out a section of the house for private dining events. It should be perfect for them, they will have privacy, space and was sufficiently formal for the event.

Ye-Jin and her parents - the night before

Ye-Jin arrived at her parent's home late afternoon. It had been nearly a month since she last saw them and she was glad to be home. She was naturally slightly nervous about the meeting tomorrow but deep in her heart, it felt right and she was elated that they were doing this.

"Omma", Ye-Jin moaned as she gave her mother a big hug. "I missed you."

Mrs Son gave her daughter a tight hug and ushered her in.

She smiled as Ye-Jin flopped down on the sofa and stretched comfortably. This was her youngest daughter who left home when she was too young, dreaming of her acting journey. Her early days were filled with struggles and disappointment and as a mother, it was honestly hard for Mrs Son to like Ye-Jin's choice of career. Ye-Jin's life would have been so much easier in the early days had she opted for a more conventional career path. However, when she looked at Ye-Jin today, she was relieved that she did not oppose Ye-Jin's choices then. Ye-Jin loved her job and while she worked very hard, she had also been rewarded with recognition. Mrs Son was very proud of what Ye-Jin has achieved. She had been worried about Ye-Jin's personal life, but thankfully, even that seemed to be working out now with Hyun Bin's appearance.

Mrs Son had initially been hesitant about Ye-Jin dating a fellow actor. It was nothing against Hyun Bin personally but driven by skepticism on how two individuals with such disruptive lifestyles could build lives together.

It has been about a year since Ye-Jin brought Hyun Bin home to meet them. It was obvious he made Ye-Jin happy. Mrs Son has also grown to love him like a son. Despite his busy schedule, Hyun Bin made consistent effort to engage her and her husband. He would make sure to call her once a week to find out how they were doing and also to learn about them. He found out that they enjoyed classical music and sent them tickets when the Seoul Philharmonic orchestra performed at Daegu. He learnt that they enjoyed avocado, which was not commonly used in Korean cuisine and had a box delivered to them. In fact, Hyun Bin had fruits delivered so regularly that Mrs Son have not had to buy any for quite some time. He sent strawberries, grapes, kiwis, apricots, apples and of course peaches, practically every fruit one can think of.

What impressed and endeared Hyun Bin to Mrs Son though, was not the gifts itself but the fact the Ye-Jin seemed to be unaware of all of this. She had subtly sounded out Ye-Jin and realized Ye-Jin was only aware of Hyun Bin calling her periodically. This meant that Hyun Bin was not doing this to score points with Ye-Jin. He genuinely viewed them as family and  sincerely cared about them. Mrs Son was touched.

Ye-Jin looked at her mother and teased, "Are you nervous about tomorrow, Omma?"

"You imp, you should be nervous, not me," Mrs Son gave a light knock on the head.

"I know Omma," Ye-Jin sighed. "I'm not nervous yet but I probably will be tomorrow."

"Have you been contacting his mother regularly? I've told you so many times you have to treat her better than you treat me." Mrs Son frowned at Ye-Jin.