"Abeoji! Omma!" GaEul who couldn't believe her eyes shot up from the awkward position she was in.

 "Why, how, are you guys here? When?" she briefly shrieked before she literally ran towards her mother, a thin woman wearing maroon fedora who stood at the entrance.

"Omma!" she jumped to hug her mother so tight that the middle aged woman started to turn slightly blue from suffocation.

YiJeong who was having a hard time standing up had gone shocked when he heard GaEul's sudden cry. Tears and snots filled the room as GaEul moved on from her mother to her father, hugging the fairly handsome almost-late aged man to asphyxiation.

"GaEul, are you okay?". Asked her father.

"Of course I am. My parents are here, why wouldn't I be okay?" Her face was still flushed and moistened by tears. 

"Not that. You fell just now" her father gushed.

"Me?" GaEul couldn't quite register the statement  in her head.

"We saw it all. " his reply was short but joined with a sly smirk.

"Abeoji!" she squealed before wiping her wet nose with the back of her hand. 

"Aren't you going to introduce your friend to us dear?" her mother slightly clinged to her father's arm and raised her left eyebrow to the sight of YiJeong. 

"Why are you guys talking about this?" GaEul protested, still half crying and turning a bit green from annoyance.

"Why shouldn't we? And why are you crying?" 

"Because I missed you guys! Don't you miss me?"

"We video-talked everyday, drama queen"

"Abeoji!"

"And don't forget that we sent selfies to her every single time we were going out"

"Omma!"

YiJeong who was a standing statue nearby the sofa had a culture shock from witnessing the family dispute.  He thought he was going to be trampled by her father the moment YiJeong saw him standing at the front door, his eyes looking at his daughter sprawling on top of an unknown man in his living room. 

"What is your name, young man?" her father asked, waking YiJeong up from his revery. 

"I'm YiJeong. So Yi Jeong. Nice to meet you."

YiJeong bowed in a flash. His body suddenly felt cold as if someone just pour a bucket of ice down his spine.

"I'm Chu Dong Wan. GaEul's father. This is GaEul's mother . ."

"Kan Mi Youn. Ahhh, So Yi Jeong.  We're so glad to finally meet you" she smiled while looking at her husband once a while.

"We have been hearing your name million times for the past few years. Finally you step your foot here in our humble home" 

"Omma.."  GaEul elbowed her mother's arm to stop her from talking.

YiJeong smiled while his brain was trying to erase all the assumptions he had about GaEul's parents. They were surprisingly far from what he had ever imagined. For someone to grow up to be as pure and well, old fashioned as GaEul, he was dead sure that she was raised by a strict father and a submissive, stay-at-home mother. 

"Both of you are dating,now, right?" MiYoun inquired not long after YiJeong's anchored on the beige sofa. Only both of them were in the living room, Dong Wan went to keep their luggage in their room while GaEul busy preparing the flower tea that her parents brought back from Gwangju. 

"Yes, Mrs Chu." YiJeong tried to act composed but he could feel himself trembling impercebtibly, which was completely  ridiculous.

Relax, So Yi Jeong.

"Drop the formality dear. Call me aunt MiYoun, or aunty, or omma." She let out a small laugh before she continued. "Choose which one suit you the best."

MiYoun literally was an older version of GaEul with an oval face and short bob hair. She was wearing a black , wide shoulder lace dress, something that not many women of her age would want to wear, heck YiJeong doubted that even GaEul would wear something that reveals that much cleavage either. 

"Have some  tea, oppa" GaEul sat next to YiJeong with a yellow cup of flower tea in her hand.

"GaEul didn't clean the fridge" Not long after, DongWan joined them in the living room.

"Abeoji. I had  just cleaned it yesterday"

"There's a dead chicken in there"

"Then?  Is it supposed to be alive?."

"I'm a vegetarian. Have some respect"

"Is it my fault that you came home unannounced?" 

"Guys" MiYoun interjected. "We have a guest here. Honey, tease your daughter later." She rolled her eyes at her husband before turning towards YiJeong, wearing her biggest smile.

" So, are you back from Sweden for good?"

. . . . . . . . . . . 

"Out of all places, why here?"

"Why?"

"You know I've quit clubbing right"

"Why did you quit?"

"Is that even a question? Didn't you see that?" YiJeong glared at WooBin before turning his head to his right, where both of them could see GaEul sitting at a corner table, looking graveled while eating her share of WooBin's birthday cake.

"Why?"

"YiJeong! How are you?" before YiJeong could even cater to WooBin's embecility, a tall young woman charged to hug YiJeong before landing a peck on his cheek.

"Noona" YiJeong's eyes widen at her sudden action. He immediately took a glance at his girlfriend to see if she saw what the woman just did. "Yeah, im fine." YiJeong heaved a sigh of relief when he saw GaEul still immersed in eating the fancy birthday cake before he pulled WooBin by his hand.

"Excuse me, noona. WooBin and I, need to go and do, um, something" Without waiting for her reply, YiJeong pulled WooBin out of the scene, away from the earsplitting music.

"Now you know why?" YiJeong uttered.  "I have GaEul now. I don't want any more drama" 

"Woooooo. Jeong. All grown up now, eh?" WooBin teased.

"What about you? How old are you to be having this kind of birthday party?" YiJeong striked back with an annoyed face.

"Jeong, you're so mean." WooBin faked a sour face. "Lemme enjoy my youth please. Before you know it l'll be married to a la la land princess and that time, that time you will miss me and my parties so bad, I promise you"

YiJeong was lost of word at the sudden mention of arranged marriage.

"By the way, did your fam already know about GaEul?" Realizing YiJeong's unresponsiveness, WooBin's facial expression gradually turned serious. "Isn't it about time?" 

"I don't think they mind" YiJeong tried to brush off the question off his head.

"I'm not talking about your parents, Jeong." WooBin explained. "You know I mean you grandpa, right?" 

"I'll work this out, somehow" YiJeong bit his lower lip, still trying to avoid his bestfriend's questions. He felt like slapping WooBin for bringing up such an arduous topic, but it slowly hits him that he couldn't run away from the state of affair much longer.

He needs to face this, and solve this, otherwise GaEul will get hurt, badly.