The time for dinner she dreaded about had arrived. With Ryu Seyoon beside her, she stepped into the Jung Mansion.
The interior of the grand mansion was meticulously done. Antiques and paintings could be seen in the hall, displaying her grandfather's fond for both of these. Other than the maid standing before her, the mansion was completely empty.
"Follow after me, Young Miss," the maid spoke out after bowing to Chaerin.
As the maid led way to the kitchen, Chaerin followed after her while shooting occasional glances towards Ryu Seyoon. There was no hint of nervousness in his eyes, and the gentle smile sat on his face, giving a friendly impression of him.
"Once again, remember that don't say anything unless you are asked to," she spoke out, "if it is something difficult to answer, ignore it."
Ryu Seyoon nodded.
It took them couple of seconds to reach the dining room, and after a small bow, the maid walked away from the scene.
A grim expression settled on Chaerin's face when she saw her entire family having dinner, and the atmosphere around them was quite cheerful until she had arrived. When everyone noticed her presence, the air got quite tense; it was not hard for one to notice that.
Raising his head to look at Jung Chaerin, Jinyoung reprimanded, "Why are you this late? Don't give me the excuse that you are busy! Today is the weekend."
Chaerin arrived late on purpose for she did not want to sit down for unnecessary chat with her family over Ryu Seyoon. That would only be complicating the situation further, and she would be unintentionally exposing her lie with that.
"Chairman Jung, I am sorry for being late," Chaerin politely said, bowing at Jung Jinyoung.
"That's the only thing you can say everytime. I see that you have brought the bartender boy with you. For a second there, I thought that you will be finding some excuse to skip this, but it seems that you can be obedient at times," Jung Jinyoung stated.
"I was planning to come up with an excuse but could not. Therefore, I decided to show up," Chaerin voiced out.
"You brat!" her grandfather exclaimed— clearly angered by her words.
Seeing how her family members were staring at with curiosity, Ryu Seyoon bowed and introduced, "Hello, Chaerin-ssi's family. I am Ryu Seyoon, her boyfriend. I am sorry that I was not able to bring anything. This was on a short notice, and as you have heard, I am a bartender."
"That's quite alright. Have a seat," Han Shinhye voiced out— a smile forming on her face. Wrinkles appeared beside her eyes as she did that, and she seemed to quite amiable.
However, the same could not be said for Chaerin's father, Jung Hyunmin. Throughout the entire time, he had been staring at Ryu Seyoon sternly and scrutinizing every single movements of his, like a hawk.
Jung Chaerin walked over to one of chair and pulled it back. Then, raising her head, she stared at him and spoke out, "Sit at here."
Her actions caused Ryu Seyoon's eyes to widen for a second while a chuckle escaped Jung Yejoon— her brother— at that action of hers. On the other hand, Yoona let out a subtle scoff.
It did not miss Seyoon's eyes on how Hyunmin's glare became more evident, and flashing a small smile at Chaerin, he pulled the chair back for her courteously.
"From next time onwards, please leave such tasks to me, Darling," he spoke out softly.
Simply nodding at that, she sat down on the chair he had pulled for her. On Chaerin's other side was Yoona, and during the entire time, Yoona did not bother to look at her. Nonetheless, the distaste on her face was visible while Yoona concentrated on her food.
"Ignore her father, Seyoon. He is always like that," Shinhye said before slapping on Hyunmin's arm and adding, "Stop staring the boy like that. You will be scaring him away."
Jung Hyunmin coughed at that.
"Where did you and Chaerin meet? Don't mind the question. It's just strange to see Chaerin having a boyfriend," Yejoon stated as a welcoming smile sat on his face.
"Didn't you hear that he is a bartender? He probably approached Jung Chaerin because of money," Yoona expressed, "Maybe because of how no men are interested in her anymore, she chose him."
"Yoona, quit all of this nonsense! How many more times do I have to warn you about your immature behavior? We have a guest at here," Shinhye voiced out while she warningly stared at the girl.
Ignoring that, Yoona faced Chaerin, and the corner of her lips curved upwards to form a small smirk before saying, "That must be the case, right, Jung Chaerin? Isn't that why you are not defending him?"
Without looking up from her meal, Chaerin said, "There will be many people questioning my relationship. It's not like I can bother to explain it to everyone."
The scorn showed in Yoona's eyes as she spoke out, "Ah! How can I forget that we are nothing more than strangers in your eyes? It seems that it slipped my mind on how you don't care about your family. Jung Chaerin, I don't even know why I get surprised about it after all this time."
Raising her head, Chaerin stared at Yoona, and the hurt that flashed through those eyes of Yoona before she looked away was not missed by Chaerin. A small squeeze went through Chaerin's chest as she remained silent and continued to eat.
"Chaerin-ssi and I met through mutual friends, and you are right, Yoona-ssi. I was the one who chased after her until recently as she accepted me, but it was not for the sake of money.
Don't you think that Chaerin-ssi can be quite adorable at times?" Seyoon lied while his eyes were upon Jung Chaerin, staring at her as if he was lovestruck by the female.
The look in his eyes was not missed by Chaerin. Even if Chaerin was aware of how fake it was, for a second there, she found herself doubting that. Ryu Seyoon was really good at acting— another thing she learned about the male.
"Hmm," Hyunmin stated, "I will believe you for now, but if you bring any harm to my dear Chaerin, I will make sure you are not able to show your face in South Korea anymore. Remember that!"
"Yes, I got it," Seyoon spoke out, "As long as Jung Chaerin-ssi doesn't leave me first, I don't have any intention of letting go of her. I love her that deeply, so please accept me."
"Such a sweet boy," Shinhye commented, "You don't need to be that formal. As long as you love and treasure my Chaerin, it will be all fine."