After the initial shock of the proposal of Jiyong, everybody went back to eating but eomma. She was in dazed. I held Jiyong’s hand from underneath the table, and he squeezed it in return. There was something in her silence that both of us knew what is it about. Marriage. I think it this is the time that she will know what’s happening around her. She might be wondering as to why Jiyong proposed to me when in fact we are married already.

“Eomma,” I called out to her.

She blinked and looked at me with a smile. “Yes, Sandy?”

“I wanted to tell you something.”

She nodded at me in reply. Now Sanghyun and appa are looking at us.

“Also to you too, Appa and Sanghyun. I want you to know something.”

Underneath the table, Jiyong keeps on reassuring me with his caresses on my hand.

“Go ahead, Dara,” appa smiles at me.

“You guys might be wondering … uhm why Jiyong proposed to me when we are already married. Right?” I glance at Jiyong who was nodding his head in agreement.

“Not really, noona,” Sanghyun replied and continued, “because some couple have their own way of announcing their marriage.”

I smiled at that. My brother has a point, but it’s not my point in this.

“Honestly, we are not yet married,” I paused and looked at them, observing their reaction. Sanghyun smiled as if he guessed it or more like he knew it. Appa nodded in understanding. Eomma didn’t show any reaction but her eyes were telling me to continue.

“Although technically we are married because we filed our marriage. By law, Jiyong and I are married, and we have marriage certificate. I know this might sound absurd or silly but I did it because you were forcing me to marry Junki without my consent. I don’t want to marry someone out of agreement or out of circumstance. I want to marry someone because I love him and I want to spend the rest of my life with him. And Jiyong was that someone. We were pretending to be husband and wife in front of you before, but that doesn’t mean that we were pretending with our feelings too. We are in love with each other that much to portray the husband and wife relationship naturally. I am really sorry for lying to you about it, but I want you to know that I understand why you did that before, Eomma.”

I reached for her hands and held it tightly. “Now I want you to give us your blessings. Appa, you didn’t miss the once in a lifetime wedding of your daughter. You are still going to walk me down the aisle.”

Eomma stood up and went to us. She pulled me in her arms and hugged me tightly. “I’m really sorry for doing that to you before, Dara. Eomma is sorry. I realized that it was indeed wrong of me to send you off to someone whom you don’t see yourself spending your whole lifetime with.” She pulled away and kissed my cheeks. “Jiyong-ah, you know how much I adore you, right? Or is it not visible?” she asked that made me laugh.

I glanced at my fiancé and smiled widely. The slight blush on his cheeks made him look so vulnerable but cute. He stood up and nodded at my mother.

“Yes, eommonim. I can feel it although I really know you adore me from the very first time of seeing me because I’m irresistible even to mothers and grandmothers,” he proudly said and chuckled.

Sanghyun burst out laughing. “Hyung, you are so conceited you know! I should learn that from you.”

They hi-fived with e