***

Irene sighed loudly for the nth time today, annoying her business partner / best friend, Joy.

“Is it that hard choosing a lunch package? We really don’t have much time, the new shop's grand opening is just around the corner, Rene. Just choose one that looks edible enough”

“I have decided minutes ago, I even left some note here, no chicken or shrimp”

“Then why are you staring and sighing at the brochure?”

Irene rakes her hand on her hair, messing it “My grandmother wants me to meet another prospect tonight”

“And what’s the problem? You’ve been doing this for two months now”

“That’s the problem, she wants me to decide today because I’ve been delaying things too long that she started to doubt my intention to serve our family.”

“You never have any intention to serve them to begin with,” Joy says matter of factly.

“You know why I go through this, Joy”

Joy shakes her head “I don’t understand how they still hold grudges towards your father and yet they want you to serve them.”

“If it’s not for my father, I won’t let myself be associated with them.”

“Then what are you going to do about it? You're gonna marry one of them?”

“I really don’t know.”

“If you really need to get married, make sure to marry the richest and the noblest of nobles, does that make sense?” Joy asks her “Make it worth your suffering, Rene and when you divorce them, take half of their wealth.”

Irene chuckles loudly “We can have more shops with that money.”

“You got that right, honey,” her friend winks at her.

“No matter what, I won’t marry a noble,” the young woman says determinedly “I’ll think of a way to delay it further.”

**

Her date last night was a complete disaster, the nobleman was a 40 years old guy who looked like he had a secret wife and children locked somewhere yet he said he was still a bachelorette. On their way back home, he tried to take her to a hotel, Irene rescued herself by making a fake call to a police station. Thank God, Jennie played around with her phone before and installed a bunch of fake call apps. For what? She didn’t want to know but she should thank her friend later.

Still, she couldn’t believe her grandmother would set her up with that !

So today, she is visiting the Bae family’s residence.

If her grandmother can’t make up her mind when assessing her marriage prospects then she’ll do it herself or just reject everyone.

Park-sangui raised her eyebrows at her sudden arrival.

“You haven’t made an appointment today”

“Do I have to make one? I’m visiting my OWN grandmother? Or is it only me?”

“It’s a must for everyone, you’re not that special joohyun-agassi”

Irene clicks her tongue “I’ll be quick, this is about my marriage prospect”

“Madam Bae is currently having her lunch, I’m not gonna interrupt her.”

She should’ve known that park-sangui is so hard-headed.

“I’ll wait until she’s done”

“She’ll be done in 30 minutes, you can wait outside”

“Outside??” The main house where her grandmother is resting is big, there are another 3 rooms inside the wooden building, why does she need to wait outside??

“Your sudden presence bringing havoc to the tranquility here, she needs her calm surrounding to eat deliciously”

What is this nonsense she’s talking about?? But Irene doesn’t want to argue anymore with her.

“I understand, I’ll wait outside, call me when she’s done,” Irene says before turning around without waiting for the old lady’s answer. She heard loud and clear that park-sangui mutters ‘rude’ behind her back.

After spending thirty minutes staring at the pond in front of the main house, finally, a maid came to tell her that madam Bae is ready to meet her inside.

With a deep sigh, she brought herself to wait behind Park-sangui as the old lady announced her visit.

“Let her in,” she heard her grandmother say from inside.

Upon entering the premises, Irene made a kneel-down bow, it's mandatory to regard the head of the family with such respect. That’s the only thing her father told her. He respected his mother but couldn’t say the same about the latter.

“Stand up and sit, joohyun”

Irene settled herself across her grandma, on the cushion on the wooden floor, because her grandma wanted everything traditional.

“Is there any urgency that you have to visit me today?”

“The lad that you wanted me to meet last night wasn’t a good person, he tried to take advantage of me” Irene wants to say but she knows to keep civilized in front of her grandma.

“Shin-nangjae? He holds a high position in the royal constitution, there’s no way he’ll do something so low like that,” her grandma never sides with her.

“High position doesn’t guarantee good attitude”

“Well yes but convince me that this is not one of your schemes to avoid getting married to one of them”

“I’m telling you the truth grand…madam” Irene shows her slightly red wrist “He did this to me.”

Madam Bae studied her granddaughter's face, the face that was almost identical to hers. Out of all her grandchildren, Joohyun resembles her the most, what an irony.

“Fine, I take your words this time but you didn’t do anything stupid like punching him, did you? No matter what he did, you must always regard him with respect, his family has a higher status than us.”

Irene clenches her fist “No, I didn’t”

“Good, just remember whatever happens you have to turn down those lads nicely”

“Yes, madam”

“Now I’m baffled, why are those lads that I arranged for you to meet, have a dent in their behavior?”

Are you seriously asking me? You’re the one who chose them for me! Irene grumbles inside.

“May I be included in the choosing process, madam?”

Her grandma looks at her bewilderedly “Of course you may not, this is something where only the head of the family can decide. Only I can decide your future.”

“But I have the right to evaluate my future partner. I’m the one who will marry them so I want to meet a good person, at least.”

“Are you questioning my capability to choose a good partner for you, joohyun?”

“No, I’m not questioning madam. I just… “

“Quit it Joohyun. Do you want a ceremony for your father or not?”

Joohyun inhales sharply, lowering her head to keep her emotion intact “Yes I do, madam”

“Then do not question my decision”

“Yes, madam”

Her grandma poured tea into her porcelain cup, the smell of chrysanthemum helped Joohyun soothe her anger. Her father was a sensitive subject and she didn’t like how her grandmother was using him to get her under her wings. But Joohyun was helpless, so helpless.

“I heard from Park-sangui that taenyeo gave you something a few days ago.”

That old witch told her grandma everything…

“Yes, taen