GaEul had her eyes fixed on the long table  in the dining hall that was weighed down by more than five types of main courses and some other fancy sides that GaEul almost had never seen before. She has a set of heavy fork and spoon ready in her hand when a huge plate of caramel pudding that looked like it could feed ten hungry people was brought to the table by a young lady wearing a black and grey uniform.

Rich folks, always so extra. GaEul had a fleeting thought while her ears were opened wide, ready to inhale any sound and coversations that will comes by. 

"I thought you are still at Langkawi." Jin Mi Na,  So Yi Jeong's mother finally spoke, breaking the shivery silence. 

"No,  mother.  It had been three days since I came back" YiJeong replied,  his voice calm as it usually was. 

The next few minutes were filled with clanking noises of the dining utensils and the subdued munching sound made by the three until the older woman spoke again. 

"Isn't it about time to introduce your guest to me?" Jin Mi Na asked, causing both GaEul and YiJeong nearly choked.

 YiJeong paused for a moment before he placed his fork and spoon on the table. GaEul saw him looking at his mother in the eyes and said "This is Chu Ga Eul."

GaEul felt a light shiver travelling down her spine at his mention of her name.  She was kind of hoping that she could introduce herself to his mother  but at the same time felt grateful for not having to stutter infront of her.

"And?" MinNa swooshed her head to look at GaEul,  her eyes somehow gleamed while her lips curved upward to form a smile. 

"And. . . she's my girlfriend" YiJeong gulped a bunch of saliva to free his mouth from obstruction. He tried to act insouciant by extending his hand to reach for the egg roll in the wooden bowl nearby. 

Hearing his dulcet reply, Min Na's smile immediately turned into a grin,  which in GaEul's opinion was quite an odd reaction coming from a mother of a former Casanova. 

"I notice that you like this ox tail soup." the older lady announced, which turned GaEul who was already cold in jitteriness frozen. Yes,  she had been scooping the soup from it's hot stone pot quite numerous times but GaEul thought that she had made a great effort to make it very less noticable.  

"Y-yes, Mrs So" she faked a big smile while hiding the embarassment that almost overpowered her.

"This soup is really delicious." Suspecting yesterday's vino overdose as the cause,  GaEul who had failed to surpress the emptiness in her stomach continued to hold the wide grin, which was getting more and more similar to a goat's by time. 

She braced herself for an attack of questions from her boyfriend's mother but to her surprise,  silence once again engulfed the dining area as everyone seemed to be focusing on eating,  until a ring of a phone broke the quietude.

"Hello. Yes Mr Ha." 
GaEul watched as YiJeong gestured his hand to excuse himself before he scurried out of the room with his phone,  leaving her with his mother, dying inside from anxiety. She was trying so hard to think of a question to start a conversation with when suddenly MinNa spoke again. 

"You are the first one"

"Pardon me?" 

"This house had never met any of his girlfriend, miss GaEul. You, you are the first one to step into this place." 

"I'm sorry,  I don't quite -"

"It's surprising. Very astonishing,  actually." MinNa ditched her eating utensils and rested her chin on her palm. "A kindergarten teacher, are you?" she continued, her sharp, narrow eyes now fixed on GaEul. 

"Yes,  I am, it has been almost a year since I started" GaEul almost bumbled. She did not know that a person could be this nervous till she felt herself trembling. 

"It's very nice to meet you, miss GaEul" MinNa gave out a short smile before she started picking up her utensils again. 

YiJeong reappeared into the dining room, while GaEul gradually was turning soft cerise from his mother's dumbfounding words. It was well-nigh impossible that YiJeong never brought any of his hundreds past lovers home, but then if it ain't true then why would his mother made up an unnecessary story as that? 

YiJeong's just landed on the chair when a man in his late 40's passed by the dining hall, a man whom GaEul clearly recognized as So Hyun Sub,  YiJeong's notorious father. He almost staggered pass the area when he decided to turm his head towards the small gathering in the dining hall. 

"Oh.  . .  YiJeong . .  . . Wer did chu go. . . that I couldn't see you fer a while" he faltered about,  nearing his son. He reeked so much of alcohol that GaEul started to sublimely sniff her own breath to cognize if she too, emitted the same odour. 

"Honey, you should go to bed" MinNa immediately shoot up from her seat to assist her husband out of the room. "Jin,  please set him up for bed" GaEul heard MinNa's instruction from her seat.

She watched tentatively as the mother of two walked back to her seat,  her  face expression surprisingly still soft and pleasant to look at.  

"So," MinNa said as soon as she sat down. Smiling, she continued her sentences as if nothing unusual has happened. "How did you two met?" 

"I believe that's none of your business,  mother" 
His absurd answer turned GaEul's head. She saw him gradually turned red from what she assumed as anger.  

"I'm full. Are you done eating,  GaEul?"

GaEul who was thrown in a state of confusion nodded her head once and before she knew it she was already pulled out of the mansion by her left hand after managing to only bow slightly to MinNa as a sign of goodbye.  

********

"They are out shopping" GaEul frowned as she threw her phone onto the sofa. Shen then placed herself next to YiJeong before slithering her hand to hold his. 

"Did you hear me?" 

"Huh?  Yeah,  uh,  sorry,  but what were you saying? " he who just woke up from a trance finally responded.

"My parents.  They are out shopping" GaEul repeated while tightening her hold on his hand. She took a deep breath. "Oppa,  are you okay?" 

"wha-,  i'm fine. I'm okay,  why? " his eyes widened while his lips formed a big smile. 

"Oppa,  I'm so sorry to bring this up" GaEul finally spilled the topic that she has been wanting to say from an hour ago. "But about your mum . . ." she paused,  letting her brain decide whether or not to continue the conversation. "That was very . . . I mean, quite, not polite of you, to just shut her down like that" she finished her sentences in an almost helium voice. 

"I know, maybe you don't like it when I meddle in your family business." she squinted,  regrets slowly grew inside her and she started to wish that she could turn back time for her not to mention such sensitive issue. "Really,  I was just,  that's not very nice to treat your mum like that." she tightened her grip on his hand,  her mind primed to take any bark that will come as an aftermath of her intervention. 

Please don't get angry. Please.  GaEul whished in her head. 

The unplanned visit to So Yi Jeong's mansion was far from what she had ever imagined. Leaning on JanDi's experiences with the riches, GaEul was expecting a spine-chilling, blood-spilling first meeting with his parents but she wanted to thank God for it did not happen. 

His mother was extremely warm,  and his father was kind of sordid,  but that's a lot better than scary. At least she did not get a shot of salt thrown onto her head and she felt that it was rude to ask anything more than that. 

GaEul fully understood YiJeong's conflict with his parents but she just could not bear to see him getting hurt while hurting his mother. She saw it all,  his remorse after his anger and she wanted to let him know so bad that it does not have to be that way, and there is always another way,  which unfortunately GaEul has yet to find out. 

"I'm sorry." her voice submerged under her anxiety.
"It's okay. Don't be sorry,  I am sorry." YiJeong finally spoke. "My father,  that person, is a living mess. And I never understand why,  why my mother still sticks to him. I've told her so many times,  it's almost uncountable,  to just give up. To give up on him,  because he is never going to ever change." 

"I'm sorry" GaEul could only squeak as she saw his eyes gradualy dampened with tears.

"I didn't want to hurt her either. But seeing her acting that way, I somehow couldn't get a grip on myself." he continued. "And don't you realize how different is your family from mine?" his eyes stared straight into her soul.

"I do. But I guess that's how the world works out. You can't get every single thing the way you wanted" GaEul said. Seeing him turning a little confused,  she resumed,  "You are super handsome, with loads of money,  and don't let me start on your talent. If you also get the perfect family then it won't be fair for people like me"

"Peope like you?" YiJeong asked,  still befuddled.

"The poor, ugly and untalented." GaEul finished with a supposently cute pout while badly cringing inside  after throwing such tacky and useless piece of advice. 

"The point is, " GaEul raised her voice,  a little embarrassed. "I hope you wont stress yourself out. It's not easy, I'm aware of that. But please, don't let this affect you badly,  again"

"I wont,  GaEul. Thanks." he smiled, a very warm smile exhibited his beautiful face. YiJeong had went to numerous counselling sessions, formal and informal ones,  he had heard too many advices, and this one must be the most absurd one. But somehow it made him smile, a genuine wide grin. 

" I wish there's something I could do to help tho." GaEul raised her right eyebrow. 

"Well,  you actually can do something to help." YiJeong looked into her eyes, his lips gradually forming a very long pout, obviously asking for a kiss. 

"Urgh,  ert." GaEul pasted her palm on his lips and softly declined his ridiculous request. 

"But I've been thinking,  can I visit your mother once in a while?" Trying to ignore his antic, GaEul shot a question. 

"What for?" he immediately responded.

" You know, to win her heart?" GaEul answered,  which earned herself a big laugh from her boyfried. 

"Where did you learn to say all these, sweet little pumpkin?" he pinched her cheek while still laughing. 

"What's so funny" she muttered, half embarrassed and half annoyed. "I'll get you something to drink" GaEul quickly halted the conversation and entangled her hand from his, shot up from her seat before marching her way towards the kitchen to get some drinks from the fridge.

"What you got?" YiJeong's voice startled GaEul who were just about to open the fridge door. 

"GOD. Don't do that please." she who did not realize he was following her to the kitchen glared. "Look. There's. . . ." she pulled the two-tier fridge door open  "only beer." 

"God gracious. What you guys need these much beer for?" YiJeong's jaw nearly dropped at the sight before his eyes. The fridge was literally filled with  the arranged bottles of ominous drinks.

"My mum loves these,  I guess she had just stocked these up." GaEul casually answered while her hand reached for two of the many bottles in the compartment. 

"Yah. What are you going to do with that?" YiJeong barked.

"Erm,  drink?" she answered. 

"You just passed out yesterday, and you're drinking again?  Nope. I don't think so." He took the bottles from her hand before placing them back to its original place. 

"But we don't have other thing to drink. Besides, I'm good with this.  Won't affect me at all. Serious talk."

"No. No. Let's just drink plain water" he ordered. 

GaEul blinked blanky for few seconds. "You're weird." she uttered. 

"Excuse me?  Miss?  I wasn't the one who passed out after just a glass of bloody wine. And suddenly I'm the weird one?" he defended himself. "And Chu Ga Eul, you should thank God that I was there. If not, what would have happened to you?"

"Oo.  . . kayy. You're starting to sound like my dad." she plastered an expression of distate on her face, on purpose. 

Hearing GaEul's words, YiJeong immediately paused. A feeling of disgust suddenly struck him as he realized that he started to behave like his dumb friend,  Gu Jun Pyo. "Ehm." he cleared his throat.

"Thats out of concern" he started to stutter. "It's for your own good,  you know" he did not realize the change in his cheeks shade as he was busy regretting the uncool words he had uttered. 

"I know." GaEul couldn't contain her smile anymore. 

Now he started to care about her, and by the look of it,  its a deep level of concern.