Yonghwa felt like he was starring in a country western movie. The atmosphere felt like one at a duel at high noon.

He sat stiffly on the leather couch, his back straight. His tie and collar were starting to suffocate him again, but he didn’t dare make a move to loosen them. He looked quite calm on the outside, but his heart was beating so fast, not enough blood was reaching his brain.

He felt lightheaded. He kept his eyes fixed on the cups on the coffee table, feeling a pair of eyes staring at him intently; two eyes that looked very familiar.

“Jung Yonghwa-ssi, would you like some coffee or tea?”

Yonghwa’s head snapped up from looking down.

“Ah, neh?” he asked after realizing that the secretary was talking to him.

The man seated in front of him suddenly spoke up.

“I think he prefers iced americano, am I right? Could you please go and order for him…”

“Ah, no sir, no need for that. I have been staying away from iced coffee for quite some time now,” Yonghwa said, holding up his hands.

Mr. Seo looked at him again. “Are you sure?” he asked.

Yonghwa nodded his head vigorously, further making him light-headed.

The secretary left the room after pouring them each a cup of tea.

The room was so silent, Yonghwa could hear the ticking of the wall clock. Yonghwa reached up to loosen his tie, saw the other man looking at him, then decided against it. He picked up his teacup instead.

“So Yonghwa-ssi, you asked to see me. May I know the reason why?” Mr. Seo finally asked as he leaned against the back of his armchair and crossed his legs.

Yonghwa spilled a bit of tea as he hastily placed it back on its saucer. He quickly grabbed some paper napkins and mopped up the mess.

“Ah, yes sir, I did,” he started to say, then suddenly drew a blank.

What was I going to say again? Yonghwa wracked his brain, trying to remember the words he’d been preparing for the last few days. He’d memorized them by heart, confident that by doing so he wouldn’t be nervous.

Epic fail, Jung Yonghwa!?!

Yonghwa finally straightened up in his seat again as he remembered.

“Ah… yes, sir… uhmmm… I’m pretty sure you already have a good idea why…” he started, and felt his heart beating faster than ever.

“Go on…” Mr. Seo said, gesturing for him to continue.

“Ah, sir, you see…”

Sir I’m a bit nervous about being here today
Still not real sure what I’m going to say
So bear with me please if I take up too much of your time
See in this box is a ring for your oldest
She’s my everything and all that I know is
It would be such a relief if I knew that we were on the same side
Coz very soon I’m hoping that I

Can marry your daughter, and make her my wife
I want her to be the only girl that I’ll love for the rest of my life
And give her the best of me till the day that I die
I’m gonna marry your princess, and make her my queen
She’ll be the most beautiful bride that I’ve ever seen
I can’t wait to smile, as she walks down the aisle
On the arm of her father, on the day that I marry your daughter

(lyrics to "Marry Your Daughter" by Brian Jr and Niko McKnight)

Yonghwa took a deep breath after his long speech and looked down at the ring box he held in his hand. He couldn’t bring himself to look eye-to-eye with his future father-in-law, but knew that he had to.

He finally looked up at the man again. The older man was still staring at him intently, his chin as he contemplated his words. He finally nodded, then stood and walked over to get something from his desk.

Yonghwa’s mouth dropped open as he saw a leather-bound folder, the kind used to hold legal documents, such as contracts. He felt a drop of cold sweat slowly trickle down the back of his neck. He gulped as he felt a lump form at his throat, even though his mouth was very dry at the moment.

Mr. Seo sat in his chair again, crossed his legs and placed the folder on his lap. He still didn’t say anything as he took out a pen and opened the folder. He read what was written on the paper inside and finally looked up at Yonghwa.

“First of all Yonghwa… How much do you make nowadays?” he asked, his pen poised like a reporter at an interview.

What the… is he asking for a pre-nup?! Yonghwa thought frantically. He quickly gathered his wits and tried to answer coolly.

“Ah, sir, I don’t want to mention numbers, but I’m sure I’d be able to support your daughter and our future family. I’m confident we’ll be living comfortably,” he answered in his most serious tone.

“Uh-hmmm…” answered Seohyun’s father, writing in his folder.

Yonghwa shivered as he felt goosebumps along his spine.

What in the world is that?! A contract?! he thought nervously.

Mr. Seo asked another question without looking up.

“How old are you now, Yonghwa?”

“Uh, I’m twenty-six now, sir,” he answered.

“Uh-huh… and what was your highest ranking in school?”

“Neh?!” Yonghwa asked in surprise.

Mr. Seo kept his eyes on the folder and proceeded to bombard him with questions.

“What do you do to keep yourself healthy?”

“What do you do to keep improving?”

“What are your future plans, especially in business?”

“Where do you plan to live IF you marry my daughter?”

Yonghwa’s mouth fell open again as the questions kept coming. He was so surprised with the sudden onslaught of questions that he simply froze and stared at his future father-in-law. He felt blood drain from his face and he couldn’t think clearly.

Mr. Seo suddenly stopped throwing questions at him and leaned forward in his chair. He placed the folder on the coffee table and clasped his hands together, staring straight into Yonghwa’s eyes.

“Alright son, I have two last questions. Your fate may depend on these last two,” he said, his tone very low and serious.

Yonghwa cleared his throat then.

“Ah, neh. Yes sir?” he finally managed to croak out.

“First question, and I just want to reaffirm this: do you love my Seohyun?” Mr. Seo asked.

Yonghwa broke into a cheek-bursting smile and answered without hesitation.

“Yes sir, I do. I really love OUR Seohyun more than anything in the world. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again and again no matter how many times you ask me.”

Mr. Seo stared at him for a full minute. (Yonghwa counted the ticking of the clock).

He finally nodded and leaned in closer.

“My final question, Yonghwa-yah, and please give me an honest answer,” he asked intently.

Yonghwa stared back at him, getting more nervous now.

Mr. Seo leaned in and asked in a low voice,

“Do you intend to give me at least three to four grandchildren?”

Yonghwa choked in surprise and fell into fits of coughing.

The older man stood up and clapped him on the back, trying to help him. When he had calmed down a bit, Mr. Seo handed him his teacup.

Yonghwa finished his tea in a few gulps and set down his cup. He cleared his throat before answering.

“Sorry about that sir, I was just really surprised. But to answer your question,” he breathed deeply before continuing.

“Yes, I think three to four children is possible, sir,” he answered, trying hard to keep a grin from escaping.

Mr. Seo clapped his hands and raised a fist into the air.

“YES!!!” he exclaimed. He then grinned sheepishly as he saw Yonghwa’s wide-eyed expression.

“I’ve been trying so hard to keep a straight face all this time, son,” he said as he smiled widely and stood up, offering his hand.

“Nothing would make us happier, Yonghwa-yah. Welcome to the family son!” Mr. Seo said as he shook Yonghwa’s hand vigorously and clapped him on the back.

Yonghwa finally broke into a smile and gave a deep sigh of relief. His chest felt like bursting as he shook hands with his father-in-law, who was clasping his hand with both of his.

“Thank you very much, sir. I promise you won’t regret this,” he asked, reassuring the older man.

“I know I won’t, Yongwa-yah,” Mr. Seo assured him. “And please, stop calling me sir. Call me father.”

Yonghwa grinned again at the thought.

“Ah, yes thank you, father. I was so nervous when you were interrogating me, I was beginning to think I wasn’t good enough,” he confessed.

“Ahh.. hahaha really?! You clinched it with your answers to the last two questions,” his father-in-law said, laughing.

“Ah really father?!” Yonghwa said, feeling more and more relieved.

Mr. Seo turned to pick up the folder and handed it to Yonghwa.

Yonghwa read what was written down inside and finally gave a shout of laughter.

It read:

THINGS I WANT TO ASK WHEN I GET A SON-IN-LAW.