It was already nighttime and Chanyeol’s, along with Mari’s security team were all waiting for Mari at the lobby in the hotel. The time was only a little ways past eight in the evening, and if there was no traffic like Baekhyun had predicted, they’d make it just in time for the dinner at Chanyeol’s parents’ house.

Speaking of the said man, he was leaning against the car door with his arms crossed on his chest, sighing for the tenth time that day as he glanced at his watch.

Baekhyun eyed his friend weirdly. What was going on with him?

“I heard you spent the day with her,” spoke up Chanyeol, turning to him with a lazy brow. There was no anger or jealousy in his voice, not that Baekhyun was expecting one, since he always knew his friend didn’t give a damn about his fiance.

Baekhyun stared at him for a moment, contemplating whether to knock him square on the jaw.

Mari’s smile, the one she always wore around him, came to his mind. He realized that while Mari was smart, she was foolish when it came to Chanyeol and would be upset if he punched her fiance. So he uncurled his hands that had been balled into fists and turned away instead, “I did.”

“Did you find out anything?”

“No.”

“Maybe you’re not asking her anything,” he scoffed, “Are you even trying hard enough, Baekhyun?”

“It would be suspicious if I pried too much in her personal life.”

“It won’t be suspicious. I already did that last night and she was more than willing to narrate me her whole life.”

Baekhyun’s head snapped towards Chanyeol, his voice laced with venom. What the hell did Chanyeol do to her? “You did what?”

“Don’t act so surprised. I had a feeling you didn’t get anything so I did it myself. Until Jongdae gets me those private files from their company, we’re gonna have to ask her ourselves. ”

“What did she tell you?”

Chanyeol shrugged, “Same old story. That she was homeschooled, spent her whole life holed up in her mansion dreaming about this marriage and now she’s here,” he hummed to himself, tapping his chin in thought, “It’s either she’s a really good liar, storyteller, or she really doesn’t know anything at all.”

“I told you already, Chanyeol. She’s just another heiress. I understand you never liked socialites but you never seemed to care when it came to—” He stopped mid-sentence when the elevator doors opened and out came Mari, a shy smile on her face as she walked to them.

Baekhyun could only watch as Mari walked as gracefully as she could in her heels, her dark blue dress that went just past her knees hugging her curves perfectly. On instinct, he moved to offer his arm to her just in case she tripped when he heard Chanyeol’s warning.

“Not a word, Baekhyun.”

***

The Park Manor was stunning.

Stunning didn’t even properly describe it as Mari’s jaw literally dropped when Baekhyun drove atop a secluded hill that was surrounded by an unsuspecting forest. Then, when the clearing broke past the line of trees, they were greeted by tall iron gates that automatically opened for them.

Out of wonder, Mari couldn’t help but shift her seat closer to the window to stare at the gardens in awe.

A large water fountain with a beautiful Greek sculpture was standing in the middle of it, water flowing just behind him in beautiful shapes that danced and shimmered underneath the moonlight. The driveway leading up into the dark marbled double doors with brass knockers in them was also decorated in bonsai trees, the reds and purples of the flowers standing out against the greenness of the leaves. From where she sat, she now could see the Park Manor in all its glory, but while the outside was breathtaking, the inside felt more homely.

Baekhyun opened the doors for them, offering an arm to help her out when Chanyeol was too occupied adjusting the tie he wore. Not that Mari minded, since was still formed into an ‘o’ shape as she marvelled at the manor. Sure, she lived in a mansion her whole life, but it was never this grand.

Her home was more… simple, with not much decorations and plants to begin with. Chanyeol’s home, however, was very bright as the house was pretty much mostly made of glass that allowed them to see the cozy lighting and relaxing aura the darker furniture brought. Her house didn’t even have that much windows that let the sun shine through, coating her house in mostly darkness if not for the high-ceiling chandeliers.

Mari was sure the Park Manor would look even more ethereal in daylight.

Thanks to her heels, she was somewhat now at the same height as Baekhyun, though he still had to lean down a little when he noticed her turning to him. “Their house is so beautiful.”

Baekhyun smiled, “Mr. Park designed it himself. He’s actually an architect, while Mrs. Park is the marketing expert.”

Mari’s eyes widened, “That’s so cool! My house was just designed by some loser. I’m telling you, Baek, my house is so lame. Like, I don’t even have a garden.”

“You don’t live with your parents?” He asked, trying to fight back another smile at Mari’s accidental slip of a nickname for him.

“Nope, they were always away for work,” she informed him. Baekhyun only nodded sympathetically before Chanyeol soon came over, eyeing them weirdly before wrapping his arm around Mari’s waist affectionately.

Mari flushed at the contact, but she didn’t have enough time to compose herself when the doors swung open, revealing a tall woman who seemed to be in her early fifties. Like her son, Mrs. Park’s beauty was also equally enthralling that Mari stood there unmoving, watching as the woman’s lips stretched into a big grin before she threw her arms around him.

“Chanyeol!”

At the mention of his name, and also obviously delighted to see his own mother, Chanyeol’s whole face lit up in a way she’d never thought was possible. “Hey, Mom,” he patted her on the back with both their eyes closed, his Mother still cooing at their embrace.

Mari immediately looked away and kept her arms to herself, feeling a twinge of sadness at the display of affection. She suddenly missed her own Mother; her carefree laugh and the way she always seemed so happy to see her own daughter.

Now that she thought about it, her parents hadn’t contacted her ever since, although it really was no surprise. Even back home in Tokyo, she rarely saw her parents unless they had something to say, and she was always piled with work she didn’t have the time to say hello either. Perhaps communication just wasn’t that important to them and the longer she stared at her fiance smiling contentedly while his Mother messed up his perfectly styled hair with a gleam in her eyes, she couldn’t seem to remember if her own Mother had even embraced her like that.

Her father would occasionally embrace her, yes, but has her Mother ever held her affectionately like that? Was she even carried back when she was an infant, or was she immediately handed over to a bunch of nannies while her Mother went away for work?

When once the Park Manor felt lovely and even homely to her, it now felt mocking. Almost as if to remind her she didn’t know what a real home, or a real family was like, and the blatant fact she didn’t belong was humiliating.

For someone who claimed she knew too much already, Mari realized she knew nothing at all.

Almost subconsciously, Mari ran her hands up and down her exposed arm.

“Look at how my baby has grown up!”

“I missed you too, Mom.”

“Fujiwara-san, a pleasure of you to join us this evening,” said someone in Japanese with a thick accent, making her look up at the source of the voice. A man as tall as Mrs. Park walked over them, his hand outstretched while he bowed down.

It was the perfect bow in Japanese customs.

“Oh, how rude of me!” spoke Mrs. Park in Japanese, her attention now focused onto Mari. Mari forced the friendliest smile she could muster, but then it soon turned into a grimace when Mrs. Park crushed into her a tight, warm embrace. “Fujiwara-san, it’s so nice to finally meet you! All of us have been waiting for this moment for years—”

“Chaehee,” her husband chuckled, his hand placed gently on her shoulder before sending Mari an apologetic glance. He must’ve seen the discomfort on her face. “Let’s take this to the table, shall we?”

Mrs. Park, or Chaehee, pulled away, but not before holding Mari square in the shoulders with a bright smile on her face — the same one she wore when she saw her son. It was the smile a Mother reserved for her child only, and yet she looked at her with so much adoration beaming in her eyes as if Mari had also been part of the family.

You’ll be having dinner at the Park Manor where you’ll be introduced to his family as his fiance.

Was it true? Was she really going to be part of Chanyeol’s family now?

Mr. Park and his wife chattered amongst themselves as they all made their way in the dining area, but Mari’s wind was too busy running in circles that she hadn’t even realized Chanyeol had leaned down to whisper in her ear.

His warm breath tickled her skin, “Sorry about that. Mom is always excited about everything. A side effect of her jitters,” when she looked back up at him in surprise, not because of his Mom’s jitters but rather Chanyeol glowed that night, he misunderstood and began to explain, “Mom has a heart condition where she’s always pumped up. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her relaxed or composed.”

“I think she’s sweet. I don’t mind at all.” Mari smiled, although she did mind. She’d been so starved of proper affection that when she received it, she didn’t know how to deal with it. This was all new to her.

Chanyeol smiled warmly, “Are you comfortable? Not nervous at all?”

“A little nervous, yeah, but this is your family. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Chanyeol pulled out her chair for her, causing Mari to blush as she took her seat. When Chanyeol sat next to her and placed his hand on top of hers, lips brushing just the shell of his ear, Mari could no longer focus on the amount of food in front of them. “I’ll be right with you every step of the way.”

She looked up at him under her lashes, her heart beating wildly in her rib cage when he looked back at her just as warmly, just as softly — the way she always dreamt he would look at her.

The Chanyeol she knew, the man who walked in power, spoke in confidence, gazed at the world coldly as if everything disappointed him was no longer the same Chanyeol in beside her now. This Chanyeol was her fiance, the son of the two loving parents that sat across them.

This man was not evil. He was not cruel or heartless. How could he be when this was the type of home he grew up in?

In those few seconds, there was nothing else that mattered to Mari. She didn’t even know that Yui was looking at them with a small smile on her face at the side, or that Baekhyun had done the opposite. In fact, he refused to look at them all, his gaze planted on his shoes as he found them more interesting than the lies he witnessed.

“Jun, look at that. They’re already acting like two highschoolers in love,” Chaehee slapped her husband’s shoulder who was also chuckling to himself, and that was when Mari inhaled sharply and looked away the same time Chanyeol buried his face in his hands.

“Mom!”

“Sorry, son, am I making you uncomfortable?” she laughed, and before Chanyeol could even retort, she already stood up to place food on Mari’s plate, “So Fujiwara-san, I’m so glad to know you’ve arrived safely. Jun and I here—” she gestured to Mr. Park, “—are sending our sincerest apologies we couldn’t visit you right away. We had business to attend to in Jeju Island and couldn’t return in time to pick you up. We do hope you understand and that our son here has been more than welcoming.”

Mari stared at the food on her plate, still in disbelief that Chanyeol’s mother did such a thing when she was the one who did the other way around to her parents. “Mari is fine, thank you. And no, I don’t mind at all. I understand my arrival must’ve come as a shock for everyone, myself included.”

“Has Chanyeol been treating you well?”

“He’s doing the best he can.”

“Oh?” piped Jun, Chanyeol’s father.

“Your son is a very hardworking man. He spends most of his day working and I don’t even think he gets enough sleep,” she glanced at him shyly, “His hardworking nature is admirable because I can see how dedicated he is to his company. I understand that we didn’t exactly have the time to spend enough time getting to know each other as much as I’d like, but we’re taking baby steps. Slow, gradual progress is better than nothing at all.”

Chaehee nodded as if pleased, then turned to her son inquisitively. “Have you been watching over her?”

“I don’t need anyone watching me, Mrs. Park. I’m more than capable of handling business by myself,” Mari answered for herself.

“And I don’t doubt it, Mari,” her tone grew more serious, all evidence of smile lines now gone from her face. “However, your safety is a little concerning considering Seoul is an entirely new world for you. It would just put all of us at more ease to know you’re safe.”

“I assigned Baekhyun to be her guard,” said Chanyeol through a spoonful of what they called jjajangmyeon.

“Is this true, Baekhyun?” Chaehee turned to the bodyguard standing at the corner of the wall.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She huffed, “It still would be better if Chanyeol is there with Mari at all times.”

“Chaehee.”

Chahee ignored her husband, “How has your stay been so far, Mari? We had the penthouse designed exactly to your liking. In fact, it was my idea that Chanyeol should have the hotel built in honor of your marriage!”

Mari paused from eating. First of all, she didn’t know how the penthouse was supposedly designed to her liking when she wasn’t even aware she had preferences to begin with. Second, the Miracle Empire was for her? “I didn’t know about that,” she glanced at Chanyeol.

“It was supposed to be a surprise, Mom,” he sighed, “For when I’ve gotten her a ring already.”

“You haven’t bought her a ring yet?”

“I was planning to buy one with her someday. It’d be better if she chose what she liked. It is her ring, after all. My schedule’s just packed these days and I’m still looking for a good time for the both of us to go shopping.”

Chahee slammed her fork down the table, causing the table to shake for a good moment as they all stared at her sudden burst of anger. From the way a vein became prominent in her forehead, she looked like she would explode soon. “Son, your fiance shouldn’t have to be the one to fit into your schedules. She comes first before your work.”

“Chaehee, please, cut him some slack. He’ll be the vice chairman soon, of course he has more work to do. Office transitions take time and he’s gonna have to get the board of directors’ approval first. He can’t achieve that if he’s slacking off.”

“Chanyeol never slacks off at work,” she scoffed at her husband, “Why would you even think that getting a ring for his woman would cause him to do poorly? He’s prepared his whole life for this, he knows what he’s doing—”

“I’ll buy my own ring.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I said, I’ll buy my own ring,” echoed Mari louder this time. She’d remained silent their whole exchange, but she couldn’t put up with this anymore. Her heart felt a tinge of pain, but mostly disappointment, that she actually believed she could be a part of his happy family. They were all having a good time when their marriage, a marriage of convenience, and not of love was brought up.

Then next thing she knew, they were after each other’s throat, almost as if to remind her that like always, she didn’t belong. If she wasn’t going to be easily accepted as their family member, then she would just be who she always had been: a businesswoman. “We’re having a lovely dinner right now so I can be formally introduced as your son’s fiance, although the longer I sit here, the more I realize this is pointless.”

“If we’ve done anything to displease you—”

“It is displeasing. Such bickering shouldn’t even happen during meals, it’s just a complete lack of manners. And you’re right, I don’t have a ring so we’re technically not engaged yet,” she faced Chanyeol, “I am not your woman yet. You and I have no obligation to one another that of a married couple at this moment, and to see that everyone is making a fuss over such a small misunderstanding disappoints me.”

Chanyeol looked frantic, fearful even. “Mari, I’m sorry, we’ll get your ring as soon as possible.”

She shook her head with a small smile, “Baby steps, remember? At least let me get to know you first before you put a ring on me,” Facing his parents with a sigh and all her grief hidden perfectly behind the mask she’d unknowingly perfected way back in Japan years ago, she placed her fork down and gestured for Yui. “Now since there has already been so much effort placed into this dinner, we can merely shift the cause of it.”

“I’m not sure I’m following,” Jun commented.

“Let’s consider this as us businessmen discussing a collaborative project or offering constructive criticism. That way, we can speak more on facts and mathematical analysis rather than arguing whether I should fit in someone else’s schedule or not,” Mari was on auto-pilot mode by then. Words flew from her lips naturally even as Yui handed the file to her, but there was no denying it. She just wanted to go home. The humiliation of having dinner to be introduced as Chanyeol’s fiance when he couldn’t even make the time to get her a ring made Mari’s eyes moisten, but she blinked them back in a haste. “My team and I have studied the way your company works. After being in the industry for at least two decades, I must say your management and workflow is not that bad for a beginner.”

“Oh? Do tell.” Jun raised a brow, his interest now piqued.

Good. At least no one would talk about that stupid ring anymore.

“First of all, your human resources management is a little faulty. I’ve personally spent a lot of time getting coffee for the staff there and I’ve assessed the calls. Out of the 200 hundred calls the office makes in a day, eighty percent of it are only concerned with the potential employee’s abilities. As employers, we also have to understand that these people also function as gears in their own ways. Companies are like a well-oiled machine that needs functional gears and cogs to function properly, but your company tends to oversee that we also need to know the limits of those gears.

Let’s say you hired a fresh university graduate to work in finance, but said freshie lives at least two hours away from the office and is probably a single parent. The Yeonghwa Group’s workload is a little more demanding than the nine to five job, and if you applied the demands of the company to that employee who is probably capable in doing finance, but incapable of easy access to the company, then you can see how much of a difference that would make. Hypothetically speaking, if this employee was assigned into summing up the sales for a specific month slot of a newly released product, and their lifestyle is not that fitted for the average worker of a Yeonghwa Group employee, no matter how smart they may be in numbers, the chances of them working to the best of their abilities could be low.

Or worse, they’ll quit in just a few months and another cubicle will be opened, taken, and then opened. If no employee stays long enough to become extremely good at what they do, the Yeonghwa Group will have nothing but a bunch of people with good potential wasted on a job with no future.”

“You learned this all about our company in 10 days?” inquired Chanyeol.

“More or less. I was barely even around the office sometimes.”