Byul and I sat across from my parents on the dining table. There was no space in between our thighs and our arms. Not even a single speck of dust could pass in between us. Our hands were firmly laced against each other under the table as we gathered strength from one another.

We’re both nervous.

I’ve heard from my sisters the things that Dad asked my brothers-in-law to do in order to get his approval in marrying them. My sisters also took some sort of test in order to pass their mothers-in-law’s scrutiny. I know my parents love Byul and that they had nothing against her but traditions are traditions. Byul is not an exception from that.

My parents greeted both of us warmly when we got here. But the moment we sat by the dining table, I think they already sensed the purpose of our really early visit for Christmas break.

Byul cleared while I squeezed her hand under the table. “Mr. and Mrs. Ahn, I promised to come back here by the time I’ll be asking your permission to marry your youngest daughter. That’s the purpose of our visit today” Byul said while I slightly pouted at her when I noticed how her voice shook. She bent forward in a bow before she said, “I am humbly asking for your approval to marry Hyejin. I will forever be thankful if you’ll allow me”

I frowned at Dad when he suddenly stood up. Byul followed suit too and stood up so I stood as well beside her. My eyebrows shot up from confusion when Mom stood up as well. She left the table and went to the kitchen while Dad eyed Byul.

“You go first,” Mom said to Dad.

Byul and I looked at each other before we watched Mom disappear into the kitchen.

Dad cleared his throat, grabbing mine and Byul’s attention. He scanned Byul from head to toe before he said, “Change into something for work.” Then he pushed back his chair and Mom’s chair into its place before heading to the backyard. “You need to learn about the family’s business”

Byul looked confused beside me while my mouth parted as I looked at Dad in disbelief.

“Are you letting her work on the farm?”

“There’s nothing to do on the farm since it’s winter. We’ll be in the poultry”

“Wha—Why?” I whined, pouting at Dad. Is he going to make Byul work like my brothers-in-law too?

Dad turned to face me and Byul again. Then he stared at Byul intently before he asked, “Aren’t you going to marry my daughter?”

“Yes, sir” Byul responded right away.

“Then change. Meet me in the poultry farm.” Dad never spared a glance anymore and went out in our backyard where our poultry farm house is located.

That’s how Byul’s quest to get my parents' approval to marry me started.

I accompanied Byul to my bedroom so she could start changing.

The outside is already cold since the winter season has already come, but our poultry farm house has a temperature control system to help condition the chickens and their eggs. I worked with Dad there before when I didn’t have school. It’s a tedious job and stressful too. Byul would be overwhelmed later once she gets inside the farm.

I stood up from sitting on the bed and went to change as well. I could not just leave her with Dad doing all the tasks there.

“Where are you going?” Byul asked when she noticed me changing too.

“I’m going to help you”

Byul stopped me from reaching one of her hoodies and pulled me in a hug. I sighed in her embrace and hugged her back as I snuggled my face on her neck.

“Babe… I love the camaraderie we have here going but for this one, just let me handle it. Okay?” Byul whispered softly before she pulled back to smile at me reassuringly. “I’m the one asking for permission so I don’t think they will appreciate it if you tag along with me”

I sighed heavily and nodded defeatedly. “Promise me you have to be careful…”

Byul chuckled softly and pressed a kiss on my temple before she let go of me. She finished changing as she said, “If you cheer for me, then I’ll have all the strength I needed already”

I pouted at her as I whispered, “Of course I will cheer for you. I’ll take care of you while you’re working”

She hugged me tightly as she said, “Then we have nothing to worry about.” She quickly kissed my pout before she let go of me. “I better go. We don’t want your Dad to wait or else… minus points Moon Byulyi already”

She carried her boots with her and headed to the backyard while I followed behind Byul. She told me to stay inside the house since it’s cold outside and she knows that I don’t like the cold. I kissed her cheek goodbye and promised to check on her later. I stayed by the doorstep and watched Byul hug herself from the cold as she headed towards the poultry farm house. I breathed deeply, feeling worried for Byul while wondering what my parents had in mind.

Byul spent her first day working with Dad in the poultry. I cooked for her and visited her in the poultry farm house to make sure that she’s drinking water. Also, to intervene if Dad was overworking Byul.

With a kind of labor work that Byul is not used to, she was very exhausted by the time she finished her first day at work. I prepared a warm bath for her. I massaged her legs at night. She was enjoying how I was showering her with my affections. I was not enjoying how she looked so tired. She could barely keep her eyes open when I was giving her a massage. The worst part is Mom and Dad wouldn’t even let her sleep in my bedroom or in either of my sister’s room.

I call it bull.

Byul conceded to my parents' demands.

I called my sisters to ask for their help. They just laughed at me and wished Byul good luck.

I gathered my pillows and my blanket before I went out of the bedroom. I saw Byul laying the mattress down on the floor as I got out of the bedroom. She laid her pillows and blanket next. Then I stood beside her and dropped my pillows and blanket on the mattress too.

“What are you doing?” Byul asked, watching me laying down on her mattress.

I smiled up at her and patted the space beside me. “Let’s go to sleep already”

“What are you doing, Jin?” she asked again, smirking now at me while her eyebrows shot up from amusement.

“Mom and Dad said that you are not allowed in the rooms.” Then I winked at her and said, “But they didn’t say that I am not allowed to sleep beside you…” I patted the mattress again and said, “Let’s go to sleep already. I’ll sing for you so you can go to sleep so easily”

She shook her head while still smiling at me before she sat down beside me. She leaned down and kissed my forehead as she whispered, “You’re unbelievable… Your Mom and Dad will make it extra harder for me because you’re so stubborn”

“I’m following their orders” I whined, grabbing her hand and pulling her down so she’d lay down beside me already.

She chuckled at me and kissed my palms before turning her back to me. “I still have work to do”

“What?!”

I hurriedly pushed myself up and sat behind Byul.

She had her laptop on the coffee table and her email was already opened. There were a lot of documents already opened too. She probably had to review all of those documents. After working hard in the poultry farm house, she had to work in her company and I don’t know how she has been keeping up with everything. Even I would drop dead to my bed after a long day of shooting.

“Yong and I will be launching the new project soon. We’re already on our final preparation so I need to make sure that everything goes smoothly on my end”

While she was explaining to me her work, I moved closer to her and hugged her from behind. I propped my chin on her shoulder and let her lean her body to me.

“I have to monitor the company with Seulgi.” She quickly kissed my temple before she said, “I’ll sleep after this so just go ahead first”

I snuggled close to her while making sure that I wasn’t obstructing her from working. I was aware there’s no way I could convince her to sleep right away. Byul is just as workaholic as Yong. I just had to make sure she’s comfortable.

“When will you be launching it?”

“Next month”

I rubbed the tip of my nose on her jaw as I whispered, “Is there anything I can help you with? Not with your company…”

“Just say yes when I propose to you. That’s all I ask”

“You already know I’m going to say yes”

She chuckled softly as she leaned her cheek on me. “There’s nothing else I wanted so far… Maybe stop distracting me?”

I smiled and distracted her even more by smacking loud kisses on her cheek. I started giggling when I heard Byul’s laugh, which turned my kisses into really sloppy ones.

She suddenly turned her face and met my lips with hers. Our laughs made us lose our strength, made me lose my strength. Byul was leaning on me and so we toppled over the bed. My back landed on the bed while Byul landed on me. We were both laughing while trying not to laugh too hard because my parents were already asleep in their room.

“Stop it…” Byul whispered while still giggling and still pressing kisses on my face.

I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, loving her kisses. “You’re the one who’s still kissing me though…”

“And you should be sleeping now, babe.” She placed her arms around me before she lifted me just a little bit and repositioned me on the mattress. She carefully laid my head on the pillow before she whispered, “Good night, Jin. I love you”

I pouted my lips, silently asking her to lean down, and she did. I kissed her before I whispered, “I love you too. Don’t take too long, okay? You need to rest too. Dad said you still have things to do tomorrow”

“Yup… Let me just finish this quickly and then I’ll sleep already”

She turned her back to me and focused on her work again.

I rolled closer to her and snuggled to Byul. I placed my arm around her and closed my eyes, hearing Byul’s rapid typing on her laptop before I dozed off.

I woke up to Byul’s loud alarm the next day and the following days after that.

There was a routine that Byul had established on the days that she was trying to earn my parents’ approval. She worked with Dad in the poultry farm. Then when it was Mom’s turn, Byul was learning how to make her favorite kimchi from Mom. She enjoyed it. It’s just that she was making it all by herself and Mom was just giving her instructions. And she was making a lot.

So now she’s dealing with the poultry farm with Dad and making kimchi with Mom.

Neither of my parents wanted me to help my girlfriend.

I threatened my parents by calling Byul’s father. I told them that I’ll be reporting them as harassing Byul to Byul’s father.

They weren’t fazed. Surprisingly, Byul’s Dad seemed to enjoy the thought of her daughter working hard. Like my sisters, he wished Byul good luck and so did Seulgi, Jihye, and Hana.

Then at night, I’d sleep with Byul in the living room. I always ended up sleeping first because Byul still has to work until late in the evening.

On the seventh day, a week after she asked my parents’ approval, she looked burnt out already. She even fell asleep in the warm bath that I prepared for her. If I didn’t check on her, she might still be in the bathroom for over an hour or longer. And so I started complaining to my parents. Byul tried to stop me but I wasn’t backing out.

Unfortunately, so did my parents.

“Mom…” I whined as I followed my mother to the kitchen. “It’s been a week already! What else does Byul need to do?”

“Ferment the kimchi in jars,” Mom responded, placing side dishes back in the fridge and looking so unbothered by me.

“You can do that… I can do that! Let me do that in her place! Give her a break. She still has to look after their company too.” I saw Dad coming in the kitchen and pouted at him too. “Dad! Mom! It’s unfair. You two are unfair! Jeonghoon and Donghyun only learned how to work on the farm. You’re making Byul do both!”

I started stomping my feet on the floor. In fact, my entire body started whining at my unbothered parents.

“She has to do her duties—”

“Unfair!” I whined, not letting Dad finish.

“Marriage is not the same as being in a relationship, Hyejin-ah” Dad reminded me.

“I know! We know…”

Dad sighed at me. Both of them headed to their bedroom when they were already done with their business in the kitchen.

“Six a.m. tomorrow” Dad said to Byul when he saw her coming out of the bathroom while I glared at my Dad.

“Yes, sir” Byul nodded, not even complaining at all.

My parents went into their bedroom while I whined, “You two are unfair”

Byul silently laughed at me as she shook her head and dragged me to the living room. “That’s enough, Jin”

“But they’re being unfair…”

“They’re giving me a chance to prove myself worthy for you. I don’t think that’s being unfair”

I pouted and glared at her while she just laughed at me when she saw my face.

Byul sat on the mattress with her laptop on the coffee table. I laid down on the bed with my head on her lap.

“You should complain,” I urged Byul while she only chuckled at me.

“No, I’m not going to do that”

“It’s already been a week, Byul. How long are they still letting this go on?”

She just shrugged at me, making me pout at her again.

“It’s unfair…”

“It’s not, babe. I’m doing fine”

“No, you’re not. If they get you sick, I’ll be super mad at them” I grumbled. I turned to face Byul’s tummy and buried my face on it. “I hate seeing you having a hard time when you did enough already”

Byul’s hand started caressing my hair, making me sigh in comfort.

“Your Dad’s excited. Mine are just being so mean…”

“They’re not being mean”

I rolled on my back and pouted at Byul. “Why are you defending them?”

Her hand caressing my hair stopped and went to my arm. “I’m the eldest in our family, right?” she asked and I nodded in response. She softly pinched my cheek and asked, “And you’re the youngest, right?”

“And?”

“Then isn’t it natural for my Dad to be excited? That old man has been asking for grandchildren. He lost his hope when I was messing around but you gave him hope. Now, I don’t know why your parents are making it extra difficult for me, like you said. But I think your parents are holding you back because you’re still their baby” she said, booping my nose with her index finger. “They must’ve been emotional right now”

I pouted at her, realizing what this meant to my parents after Byul’s explanation. “But we’re staying here. They can still see me. They have a car now to drive to Seoul…”

She leaned down and kissed my forehead. “It’s the thought, Jin. The idea that they’re letting me take care of you now. That they don’t have a hold on you anymore”

I sighed and nodded at Byul while she softly laughed at me.

“Go to sleep”

“What about you?”

“I still have to finish something then I’ll go sleep straight away”

I puckered my lips at her, silently asking for my good night kiss.

She bent down and kissed me before she whispered, “Good night”

I rolled to my side again and snuggled on her tummy. “Good night, Mansaengie”

Byul woke up with a heavy fever the next day. And of course, I wreaked havoc on my parents, threatening them with random things I could think of. Or so what I badly wanted. If it was not for the sight of Byul shivering, I would have scolded my parents already.

“I’m taking you to the hospital, okay?” I whispered as I pushed down the beanie on Byul’s head, making sure that her ears were covered.

“I’m… I’m fi—ine, Jin” she stuttered, teeth chattering from her shivers.

I sighed and gave Byul a reproachful look.

She pouted at me before she whispered, “Sorry…”

“Don’t be.” I smiled at her before putting on her gloves. “I’ll drive you to the hospital. I just want to make sure that you’re fine. Then we’ll come back here and you can take your rest. I’ll call Seulgi to inform her that you’re sick and that you can’t work later”

“I—I can’t argue with you on that?”

I cupped her cheeks and pressed a soft kiss on her cheek, feeling her burning skin on my lips. “No, you can’t”

“Okay…”

I helped her stand up and wrapped a protective arm around her waist, letting her lean to me. We walked out of my room while Byul clung to me.

Having her like this made me so worried about her. It’s always her who’d hold me steady. Who’s always the stronger one, physically. There was so much anger in me seeing her like this that it all deflated on its own.

I just want her safe and okay.

Dad and Mom saw us coming out of my bedroom. Dad helped me with Byul while Mom handed me a bag of flasks with warm tea in it.

“Will you be fine driving, Hyejin-ah?” Dad asked while I just nodded at him.

I silently thanked Mom as I grabbed the bag from her. I think my parents could sense how I was so upset at them. And thankfully, they’re keeping quiet as of the moment or else my anger would come back and I would be extremely angry at them.

Dad helped Byul get in the passenger seat while I hurriedly went to the driver seat.

“Be careful, okay?”

“Yes. Thank you, sir” Byul whispered in a weak voice.

“We’ll be back right after the visit” I said to my father before he shut the door.

It’s too early for snow yet so that was very fortunate of me. I reached over to Byul’s side and held her gloved hand. I slowly drove the car to the hospital in silence. I would occasionally glance over at Byul to make sure that she’s still fine. I’d see her slumping over her seat while her gaze was towards me.

“Please don’t be too hard on your parents” she whispered when our eyes met.

I focused on the road while holding tightly on Byul’s hand. “I will make sure that you’re fine and well again. I’ll deal with them after”

“We need them at our wedding, babe” she said, making me smile at her words while I nodded. “They should be there and they won’t be there if we’ll argue, okay?”

I sighed deeply and nodded again. “I’m just upset, Byul. If they still let you work after you’ll recover, then I apologize ahead of time because I don’t think I can’t be not mad at them by then”

“Your parents aren’t that bad. I think they already get that you don’t want me working again”

“They should…”

She squeezed my hand, gathering my attention before she said, “I have to inform you ahead of time that I’ll be working on your family’s poultry farm. I’ll still be”

“What?” I asked, eyebrows furrowing as I looked at her both from confusion and disbelief.

“I was thinking of venturing into poultry and agriculture. Branch out the company’s range. I told your Dad about this and he’s very willing to help. I had to think of what to do, develop something maybe. I’d have to ask your father too if he wanted the farm expanded or something. It’s your family’s business after all”

I parked the car just as Byul finished explaining. I shifted the gear to park and then pulled the handbrake. I turned to Byul and saw her blinking hard, probably fighting off sleep while looking at me.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“What if Dad lets you handle the business?”

“I’d love to,” she answered without hesitation, making me smile. “I have a lot of things in mind already. I told Seulgi about this and she said that she was also interested in branching out. If your Dad allows us, then your poultry farm will be—”

“Okay… okay…” I chuckled as I unfastened mine and her seatbelt. “I get it Byul but let’s not talk about work yet and focus on recovering, okay?”

She gave me a small smile and nodded at me, laughing softly.

My arm went around Byul as I helped her inside the hospital. The nurses recognized us both and even when we weren’t asking for it, they gave special attention towards us. They helped us into Byul’s previous doctor in Jeonju, the one who took her when she had her backside injured.

Dr. Yang conducted a general check up on Byul. He also checked Byul’s ribs and backside. And then he explained to us that Byul has just physical fatigue. He prescribed medicine to Byul and advised to just rest until she’s recovered again. Thankfully, her backside wasn’t affected from the laborious work she had experienced.

We thanked Dr. Yang before I drove us back home. We drove in silence while I still held her hand. Byul took her medicine before she went to sleep in my bedroom this time.

I tucked her to sleep before leaning down to press a kiss on her forehead. Her forehead still feels hot but I’m hoping it will die down once she’s well rested. 

I left Byul to sleep peacefully and went outside my bedroom.

Mom was by the dining table waiting for me to come out. She instantly sat up when she saw me heading towards the table.

“How is she?” she asked.

I saw Dad was in the living room and motioned for him to come to the dining table. “Can I talk to you both first?” I asked instead of addressing Mom.

“Yes” Mom responded whil