What did she say that made them think they were not just dating, but in a ‘marriageable’ relationship?

What does she think of him?

“Lajin.”

“Yes, oppa.”

“Did your parents say anything special today? Any plans.”

Her eyes widened. Parents? Why are my parents suddenly being brought up?

“Nothing in particular… Why do you ask?”

A ominous feeling crept in.

“Well, my grandfather called. He said your parents visited our school today.”

The foreboding feeling turned out to be correct. Unfortunately.

Lajin turned her eyes away and touched her forehead with her hand.

“Lajin!”

Sunwoo, who stood up in an instant, rushed towards her.

“Lajin, are you okay?”

She barely raised her hand.

“Yes, I’m okay… I’m fine.”

Sunwoo couldn’t sit down or stand up properly in an awkward posture.

“Lajin, do you want to go to the hospital? Or should I get you some medicine?”

“No, I just got dizzy for a moment because I was surprised.”

Even with her reassurance, Sunwoo didn’t know what to do, feeling helpless.

“Oppa, you can sit down. It’s really okay.”

“Sorry, I think I brought up unnecessary things.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s something that had to be said.”

Following Lajin’s persuasion, Sunwoo reluctantly returned to his seat.

“So, did my parents… Did they go to see your grandfather? To our school?”

“Yeah. He called this morning.”

Ha. He sighed deeply, overwhelmed with shock.

Why on earth did they go there!?

“I didn’t know.”

“Not at all. If I knew, I would have prevented it before such a thing happened.”

He felt out of breath, dizzy, and, above all, his teeth hurt.

“Lajin, your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“Tell me, oppa. Why on earth did they go? Why did my parents visit your grandfather… I can’t understand, no matter how much I think about it.”

Looking at Lajin’s pale face, Sunwoo struggled to speak.

“It seems there might be a misunderstanding.”

“What misunderstanding?”

Then, suddenly, Lajin recalled what Sungyeong had said.

“If only a son-in-law like our Sunwoo could come in…’

No way. It can’t be.

“You and I… Do they think we’re in a marital relationship?”

Although Sunwoo’s voice became strained when he said, ‘in a marital relationship,’ Lajin didn’t notice.

She just held her chest in a feeling like her breath was being cut off.

Why on earth did they think of such a crazy idea?

Sunwoo was a good person, and there was no reason for him to experience such a disastrous and embarrassing event.

Clever.

At that moment, an employee brought food, and the conversation paused briefly.

“Here is your lunch special.”

The food laid out on the table looked entirely black and white.
Lajin tightly grasped the slightly discolored white tablecloth. The employee’s gaze flickered in that direction, but they didn’t say anything specific.

“Enjoy your meal.”

Swish.

The sound of the door closing echoed loudly. A dense silence descended like rain, filling the space.

“Oppa.”

“Ah, yeah.”

Lajin couldn’t continue speaking immediately and took a deep breath again.

“That must have been quite a shock.”

“…I’m sorry. You and your grandfather must have been even more surprised.”

Lajin, who had taken a deep breath, slowly let go of the tablecloth.

“Lajin.”

Yes, she should respond, but her voice didn’t come out. After clearing her throat, she barely managed to open her mouth.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry. How should I repay this inconvenience…”

“You don’t have to be like that. Grandfather actually liked it.”

“He liked it?”

Sunwoo nodded with a light smile as if to reassure her.

“Grandfather and my parents actually hope I get married soon. They have a somewhat conservative view, believing that stability comes from building a family.”

At his words, Lajin thought of Chairman Seo Sungjae.

“He’s thinking of finding a match for Jaehun soon.”

“He may resist, saying he has no thoughts about it, but it’s time for him to settle down. The old man has been deeply concerned lately.”

“There’s probably a reason for the sake of the group’s future. Denying that would be a lie. But I hope Jaehun can truly be happy by building a family.”

Sunwoo’s grandfather also shared the same sentiment as Chairman Seo Sungjae.

He hoped his grandson would meet a good woman and be happy.

Feeling a heavy sense of guilt for letting down his foster parents, Sunwoo’s heart was burdened.

Even those who had adopted him would probably hesitate to accept him as family.

Feeling that her thoughts might drift in a different direction, Lajin closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them.

Slowly, Sunwoo, who was watching her, spoke.

“Actually, I liked it too.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Perhaps now was not the best time.

Since things had come to this point, it would be nice if they could genuinely be in that kind of relationship.

Having swallowed his breath, Sunwoo looked directly into Lajin’s eyes.

In a manner that had clearly changed from just moments ago, Lajin blinked her eyes rapidly.

“In fact, I liked it because your parents seem to see me as someone you rely on.”

“So? What does that…”

Instead of regretting his words, Sunwoo continued.

“Your parents seem to consider me as someone you might marry. If that’s what they think, how about we actually make it true?”

Shocked, Lajin widened her eyes.

“Make it true… What are you talking about?”

But Sunwoo didn’t regret it.

“Why not make it a reality, just as your parents suggested.”

If not now, he might not be able to say it.

“How about really giving it a try?”