17 Meeting His Father

After that, we went to a beauty salon to have my hair and make-up done. While I was there, he went somewhere and came back wearing a nice black suit and new shoes. Earlier, he was wearing comfortable clothes, but now he looked formal.

The next stop was a jewelry store where he bought me ridiculously expensive jewelry—and a whole set of it. He also bought a watch for himself and another as a gift for his dad. Speaking of gifts…

"What gift should I bring for your dad?" I asked him as he put the necklace on me.

"This watch would do."

"But you bought that for him, not me." Leaning in closer to whisper, I continued, "Also, I don't feel comfortable being treated like this, you know. It's weird. I'm used to buying my own stuff."

"Hm?" he tilted his head and raised his eyebrows as if he found what I said weird. "Don't girls like being treated and pampered by their boyfriends?"

I shook my head. "No, not all of them. Especially me. If anything, I feel burdened. I have my own money, so I can buy anything I want."

"Except, you don't like these. Will you be okay wasting your money on such things? And throughout this whole mission," he carefully said, "you'll end up buying lots of these things to keep the facade. By the end of it, you'll be spending more than you earn."

Now that he mentioned it, that's right.

"And you?" I asked him back. "Are you okay wasting your money on me?"

He smirked. "Compared to you, this much is not even a waste in my finances."

Unamused, I replied sarcastically, "Yeah, right. In that case, go on, buy some more."

"I will soon. We better go now, or we'll be late."

"But my gift for your dad—"

"I told you, the watch is fine."

"How about your gift?"

"I don't need to give him a gift."

"What an ungrateful son you are."

Finally done with all the shopping, we hit the road once more until we reached a luxurious hotel and headed straight to the top floor where a fancy, fine-dining restaurant was located.

When we arrived, there was no one else inside the restaurant except for a man sitting at the centermost table beside the huge window where a beautiful view of the ocean and the city could be seen. All the restaurant's staff lined up from the side of his table, and another man was talking to him, probably his secretary.

The staff ushered us inside and led us to the man who, as I guessed, was Agent Helios' father—I mean, Eun-Woo. Right. I should call him that from now on.

As we walked closer to him, I felt nervous for some reason. It's my first time meeting some man's family, after all. And he's such an important figure, too. How should I greet him?

'Relax, Kim Ye-Ji. He's just another human. There's no need to be nervous.'

"Dad," Eun-Woo called out to him and smiled.

"Oh, my dear son, you're here!" he greeted him with a warm smile.

Wow. I didn't expect him to look like a doting father. He had this… loving father aura in him—something that reminded me of my father.

'Ahh… I miss him.'

Mr. Young-Jae immediately stood up at the sight of Eun-Woo and embraced him. Eun-Woo hugged him back and smiled so warmly—not like the sly or fake smile I got used to seeing. He must love his father, huh?

"And I see you finally brought the lovely lady," he turned to me.

Breathing in deeply, I smiled at him and extended my hand to greet him.

"Mr. Jeon Young-Jae, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said and bowed.

He shook my hand enthusiastically.

"Ah, the pleasure is mine. You should have seen my face when my son suddenly told me he's getting married!"

He said all that animatedly that I ended up laughing. He's so spirited and warm, unlike his son. Where did he inherit his crude attitude if his father was like this?

"To think that my, well, let's just say, my son whom I never once heard had a girlfriend, or be in a relationship, suddenly saying that? Truly, it was a surprise. But now that I'm seeing you, it's no wonder. He must have fallen in love at first sight, huh?"

He then gestured his hand towards the seats in front of him, and we sat down. I was nervous for nothing. We chatted like some good old friends while the full course meal was served. He's such a nice person and a bit of a romantic. He was so interested in our supposed-love story.

"Come on, son, tell me more," Mr. Young-Jae pleaded. "I barely see you, and you're treating me like this. Such a cold-hearted son."

"Stop it, dad," Eun-Woo grunted in embarrassment. "I just agreed to meet because you kept bugging me when I mentioned it to you. This is why I didn't want to tell you. We should've just told you after it's all said and done."

"How cold! I should attend your wedding! How dare you think of keeping that from me?" he exclaimed. Then, turning to me, he said, "Oh dear, I'm sorry about that. Please don't be like my son and invite me to the wedding, huh?"

"Of course!" I immediately agreed. How dare he reject his kind father? He's so lucky his dad loves him so much. "Don't worry. Even if he doesn't give you an invitation, I will."

"Ah, it's a good thing my soon-to-be daughter-in-law is not only beautiful but kind, too. Thank you."

On and on, our chit-chat went on until hours passed already before we knew it.

"Oh, Mr. Young-Jae, your gift—I almost forgot, I'm sorry," I blurted out when I suddenly remembered it. Then, I took out the carefully wrapped watch from my bag and gave it to him.

"Come on, dear, just call me father. You're joining our family soon. There's no need to be shy."

"A-ahm… but…"

"Ha-ha. It's alright. You can call him dad, too, or father, or old dude."

"Eun-Woo'ya! How dare you call me old dude?"

"Ha-ha-ha! But it's true. You should stop taking care of the business and get some rest, you know. Enjoy your old life. We don't need to be richer than we are now."

Saying those words, his usual tone suddenly turned mellow. That's new. He must be worried about his father.

"Alas, you say those words again," Mr. Young-Jae sighed. "I'd love to, my son, but many people's jobs rely on me continuing the business. It's not only for our family anymore. Unless you feel sorry for this father of yours and decide to take over, maybe I can finally rest."

Eun-Woo let out a sigh and looked dearly to his father. His lips curved into a smile, but his eyes… turned sullen for a moment.

"I'd love to as well… but not yet."

Silence followed after that. His dad held his hand and patted his back.

"Of course, son. I understand. Until then, let me continue working. Don't worry about me."

As to what that meant, only they understood.

"Thanks, dad."

"Anytime, son."

"I missed you."

"And I missed you more. Please visit me often. This father of yours is getting lonely."

"Ha-ha-ha. I'll try."

"If not, you better give me a grandson to dote on."

At those words, I almost spat my drink.

"Oh, sorry, my dear. I'm not rushing you both," he jested. "Okay, maybe a little bit. But whenever you decide, of course. I'm just some old and lonely dude after all."

"Pft! Ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Just like that, the sullen atmosphere was gone and replaced with laughter.