CHAPTER FOURTEEN: A Lifetime Commitment.

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As Seohyun updated her parents on her current activities during their lunch together, YoungAl, her mother, signaled her husband to talk about the main reason why they wanted to meet up with their daughter. However, Jinsoo found it hard to start, as he knew well that Seohyun had always been an independent and sometimes, stubborn kid.

- Mom and dad, is there something that you want to tell me? – Seohyun saw it all, and knew there must be some important thing that they needed to discuss.

- Joohyun-ah. – Her mom was frustrated at her dad, so she decided to do it herself. – Have you thought about our suggestion since the last time we talked?

- Mom.

- We are in no way pushing you. You know… - Jinsoo hesitated. – We want to hear your thought on it.

Seohyun kept silence. She had foreseen this.

- I have. – She took a deep breath before continuing. – But I haven’t reached any decision yet.

Her dad instantly looked happier than before.

- That’s good enough. You still have time.

However, her mom was not that easy to be pleased.

- We are not asking you to stop all the activities, but you know, you are at the age when you need to start thinking about settling down. Not now, but in a few years. Planning ahead wouldn’t harm at all.

- Mom, that’s why…

YoungAl gave her a disapproval look:

- The dating plan that your unnie came up was not the best one, Hyun-ah.

- Dad…? – Seohyun tried to ask for help from her dad, but this time, her dad had sided with her mom.

- We prefer you getting to know someone who is not in the entertainment industry. It would be easier for you to step out of the industry later on. You know, too much attention is never good for a family or kids. - He shrugged and added. - I was never a fan of you joining this industry.

Unsurprisingly, her mom nodded:

- I agree with your dad. We know that you don’t want to be a housewife, but there are other options out there that allow you to pursue your dream while being a wife and a mom at the same time.

- Mom. Dad.

Seohyun loved her parents, but she had been avoiding them for the last few months as every time they spoke, they would always manage to come back to this topic.

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- Seohyun-ah. I didn’t expect to see you here today.

A familiar voice pulled Seohyun out of her own thoughts, and when she realized whose voice it was, she was also surprised, but pleasant nonetheless.

- Mom, dad, he is SooYoung unnie’s cousin, HyunKi oppa. Oppa, my mom, my dad.

Seohyun stood up and politely introduced each other. Her mom and dad looked at him with smiles, but her mom quickly chuckled while her dad furrowed his brows as HyunKi introduced himself:

- Sir, Madam. It is my pleasure to meet you. I am one of the candidates that are actively pursuing Seohyun.

Seohyun blushed immediately, which made her mom chuckled louder and her dad crossed his arms. Before her dad could say anything, her mom had already invited HyunKi to sit down with them, and he gladly accepted it.

- So, HyunKi-ah, how did you and Seohyun know each other?

Her mom started first.

- SooYoung is my cousin and my grandparents also know about Seohyun. – He stopped to look at Seohyun teasingly. – They think that she would be a great addition to the family.

- HyunKi oppa!

Seohyun blushed again, but she tried to keep her voice low.

- That’s interesting, HyunKi. What do you do?

- I am running a software company that is specialized in developing games. It’s right nearby if you want to visit it after this.

- That’s nice of you for offering that.

Her dad sounded pleased, or at least, not as aggressive as he looked. However, Seohyun had been his only child, he had to make sure that the guy in front of him was trustworthy enough

- How serious are you about Seohyun?

HyunKi stopped eating upon hearing the question, but he didn’t take long before answering it with confidence

- If you and Seohyun allow us to get to know each other, I am always as serious as Seohyun is about our relationship.

- That’s it?

Of course, her dad would never be happy with that type of answer, even though he had to admit that was a smart one.

- In all honesty, I want to ask you for the permission to marry Seohyun now.

Seohyun dropped her knife and fork as the word ‘marry’ came out from HyunKi. She looked at him with bewilderment

- Oppa…

HyunKi placed his hand on top of her hand to calm her down and continued

- But I don’t want to pressure Seohyun. I would like us to know each other more before making a lifetime commitment like marriage.

- How old are you?

- Thirty, madam. Eight years older than Seohyun.

Seohyun's mom looked at HyunKi thoughtfully. She could sense his maturity, but it was not the most important thing to her:

- Young man, you are a mature person. However, do you love my daughter? If I am not mistaken, you only know her for the last few months.

Mom and dad always worried about different problems.

- I have admired her from afar for a long time. And she is the first girl that could make my heart beat faster.

Her mom giggled. Her dad cleared his throat. Seohyun blushed. And HyunKi, for the first time since the start, couldn’t look at anyone at the table.

- That’s sweet, don’t you think? – YoungAl turned to her husband. – You said that when you met my parents too.

- Hmm. – Her dad was still worried about his princess.

- Mom!

- Since you mentioned marriage, what are your expectations of Seohyun after getting married?

- Dad!

- As long as she is Seohyun, I’m happy. I only hope that we could both have time for our family, regardless of what we do.

Her parents nodded in approval. HyunKi seemed to be a good husband material, and Seohyun didn’t seem to hate him, which was definitely a good sign. Sharing the same positive thought, the old couple was happy for the rest of their lunch.

On the other hand, Seohyun was in shock. She never thought that HyunKi could be this serious, and honest. He had no reason to be. However, what intriguing the most to Seohyun was her own thought. During the conversation, she somehow thought that she could listen to her parents: stepping back of the showbiz, finding something else like musical theater or devoting to piano again, and getting married to HyunKi. Leaving the problem behind.

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After telling Seohyun to consider everything HyunKi had said, her parents let HyunKi drive her back to the dorm, despite her wish otherwise. Once getting on the car, Seohyun thought HyunKi might try to explain something, but he kept quiet instead. Thus, she was the one who broke the silence

- Oppa, why?

- I overheard your conversation with your parents. It seemed as if you need someone to rescue you.

She chuckled, but quickly realized that he was trying to diverge from the topic.

- Thank you for that. And that wasn’t my question.

- I meant everything I said. Including marriage.

- We only know each other for a few months. We ‘dated’ once. We barely speak since.

Seohyun was confused. How could that wild idea even come to HyunKi’s mind?

- Marriage is not all about love, or feelings, Seohyun-ah. I’m sure you know this.

She nodded and chewed her lips, hesitating if she should say what had been on her mind.

- And we like each other enough.

- You are looking for a wife. – It wasn’t a question. – I am not the ideal one for now, oppa.

- I would be lying if I said something otherwise.

HyunKi turned to her quickly enough to catch a glint of disappointment in her eyes. He smiled

- But you are Seo Joohyun. You would no longer be the ‘you’ that I am interested in if you became a housewife. So, listen Joohyun.

- Oppa…

- I will never ask you to forfeit your identity, hide your personalities or do anything that rips you off your true self. Neither should you lie to yourself and do so if your loved ones asked that of you.

Seohyun trembled for a blink. His words reminded her of an unhappy memory.

- By the way, we are at your dorm.

- Oh… - Seohyun startled as she realized they had reached their destination, but there were things that she hadn’t had chance to ask. – Oppa, do you truly think that we can get married and live together?

He chuckled at her questions before jokingly answering:

- We can tolerate each other’s presence, isn’t that good enough?

- Well, if you say it that way. – She smiled, her mood was lighten up a bit.

- I am not asking you to marry me now. As I said, even though I consider you as the only one at this moment who I am interested in to have a future with, I know that we still need time to understand each other. The only thing I want to ask of you now is to date me.

Seohyun blushed. She never knew how she could blush at everything HyunKi said. Probably because he had always been candid with her about his thought and his feelings. And saying them with a straight face.

- Me and only me, Seohyun-ah. Be my girlfriend.

He leaned in closer so that she could look at his eyes and saw how earnest he was. His scent became stronger than ever and again, despite the abrupt and serious proposal, she still felt comfortable with him, which rarely happened with others. She looked at him as her mind was trying to search for an answer. At the same time, Seohyun was astonished. No one, out of all the men who were in love with her, absolutely no one had ever asked her that directly.

HyunKi opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he had thought better of it. He wasn't sure if it was his imagination, or an accurate observation. After a minute, he decided to lighten the mood, so he winked and joked: 

- Or my wife, if you prefer the latter.

- Oppa!

They both broke out to laugh, and Seohyun, for the second time of the day, had wondered if it would be a good idea to start a relationship with HyunKi. She felt like they had a special connection, because she had become comfortable with him easily. Even from a rational standpoint, he had almost everything she could ask for: honest, humorous, respectful, ambitious, and still good-nature. She might really need to think about his request.

- Oppa, I’m leaving now. Thank you for today.

- Seohyun-ah, think about what I said. I will wait for your answer.

She nodded lightly, not so sure how long it would take her to give him an answer.

- But don’t be too long. I’m old, you know.

He said it half-heartedly, but they both knew what he meant by that. They both had responsibilities that they needed to fulfill. They both had expectations that they needed to meet. In many ways, they were very similar.