CHAPTER 28

[Sol Han Na’s POV]

“Hanna!” Mom’s sing-song voice echoed through the speaker. I could almost hear dad greeting me from the background and also, Ryu Jin.

“H-Hey, Mom,” I mumbled, getting teary-eyed in an instant. It’s been ages since I’ve last heard her voice. Due to tough schedules, all we could do is exchange messages these past few days and now that I’ve got some spare time, I am at my favorite place at the company, enjoying my momentary freedom.

“Hey sweetie, how are you?” she asked, her affectionate tone making me cry more.

“I’m okay, Mom. What about you? How are things there? I’m sorry I cannot call for so long,” I replied, my tone clipped.

“Oh it’s okay, darling, we understand,” she said and I just had to bit my lip to literally stop myself from crying. “Things are fine here. How about you and Baekhyun? Have you worked things out?”

Oh snap, I thought. In their minds, Baekhyun and I are still under the issue of his dating scandal with Taeyeon. Little did they know that we’ve already gotten through with that and we’ve just gotten through another issue. Gosh, problems are bombarding Baekhyun and I from all sides.

“We’re okay, Mom. We’ve settled it,” I answered and I heard her sigh in relief. Does she really like Baekhyun that much?

“By the way, Mom,” I continued. “There’s something I need to tell you. And that is why I called.”

“Oh? What is it, Hanna?” she asked this time. Suddenly, her tone’s all business. That’s one thing I love about Mom. She knows when things need to be taken seriously and when it is not.

I cleared my throat and took a deep breath before answering, “I’m joining We Got Married.”

“What?!” was what I heard from the other line. But it wasn’t Mom’s voice. It was Ryu Jin’s.

“Jin, what did I tell you about interrupting elders’ talk?” I heard Mom say. Poor Jin, he’s surely going to get a nasty scolding later. Another thing about Mom: she’s strict when it comes to manners.

“Hanna, what was that you were talking about again?” Dad spoke this time.

“I’m joining We Got Married, Dad,” I said again.

For some reason I suddenly felt hot. I touched forehead and my hand came away wet. I didn’t even realize I was sweating. Gosh, why is this making me nervous?

There was a short silence before Dad spoke again, “Uhh… I’m not sure… Is joining that a good thing or a bad thing? Or… What is that even?”

I closed my eyes in disappointment.

Yep, they don’t have any idea what We Got Married is.

I was about to begin explaining when Ryu Jin cut me off, “It’s a show where two people have to undergo a fake wedding and pretend to be fake husband and wife.”

“Ryu Jin…” I heard Mom warn.

“What?” Ryu Jin answered, his tone defensive. “I’m only answering your question.”

Mom sighed before she spoke back to me, “Is what Jin’s saying true, Hanna? And how does this kid even know about that… show?”

It took me quite an effort to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

“It’s a famous show, Mom,” I answered as-a-matter-of-factly. “It’s where two people, usually celebrities, are made to wed each other and live like a real husband and wife.”

“Under one roof?” she asked, her tone getting somehow pitchier.

“Uh… Yes, Mom… They usually give their newlyweds a place to live in,” I explained.

And their reactions went about like these: “No! You can’t join that show!” “Are you sure you’re doing that?” “No you can’t!” “Who’s it going to be? Who’s the guy? Who is he?” “You’re too young for this!”

“Mom… Dad… Please…” I spoke against their continuous blabbering.

“You can’t do it, Hanna. You can’t join that show. We won’t allow it,” Mom said through the speaker, her tone sure and final.

“Mom… There’s nothing we can do about it. I’m already scheduled for filming next week,” I argued.

“Next week?!” she and Dad blurted.

“You’re doing it next week and you only told us about it today?” Dad spoke, his voice somehow more disappointed than mad.

“Dad,” I pleaded. “Look, I’m sorry there’s not much time for you to process this but I was just informed about it the other day. I’m just quite as surprised as you and Mom are.”

“But would you be okay to do that? What about your welfare?” Mom asked again, she sounded like she’s already about to cry.

This time, I rolled my eyes.

“Mom, I’ll be fine. That show has been going on for years and so far none of their participants have ever been ‘harmed’”, I replied, putting a strong emphasis on the word ‘harmed’. “And besides, the company wouldn’t put me in a dangerous situation. Promise, it’ll be okay.”

“Are you doing it with Baekhyun? Or is it some other guy?” Dad asked and it actually touched my heart. They love Baek so much.

“No, Dad,” I answered, disappointment evident in my voice. “I’m not doing it with Baek.”

“Then who is?” he asked and I struggled to get the words out of my mouth: “Infinite’s L.”

“What?!” Ryu Jin’s voice echoed through the speaker again.

“Ryu Jin!” Mom scolded.

“No, Mom! Wait!” I heard Jin say. “Is it true? Hanna’s marrying L? Infinite’s L?”

“Ryu Jin, I told you to stop meddling with older people’s affairs,” Mom scolded again but Jin was so far from being affected. At the background I can hear him singing: “Hanna’s going to get married! Hanna’s going to get married!” over and over.

“Well that guy seems decent enough,” Dad spoke after a few moments.

“You know him?” I blurted, quite surprised. I didn’t realize my parents were updated with the latest trends on boy groups.

“Oh of course, dear,” Mom answered. “We see his face everywhere! He’s really a handsome fellow.”

“But don’t you think he’s a bit… cold?” Dad spoke to either Mom or I.

“I’ve known this guy, Dad, I’ve spoken to him,” I explained. “And based on how I observed him, I think his coldness only comes with the character he needs to maintain. He