The night-chilling air made Yujin reflexively tighten her coat on her thin body which was only clad in a knee-length mini dress. Nervously she entered the mansion towering over her for dinner. When she was about to enter the house, a man who this morning annoyed her was also about to enter the house with a black suit that looked perfect on his body. Yujin was again stunned by the cold figure of Jinwoo in front of her. Even the man didn't even glance at her and didn't see her presence there. But still Yujin's feelings are only imprinted on that man.
"General Lee..."
Yujin ventured to greet the man and lined up her steps with Jinwoo. With difficulty she climbed one by one the stairs with high heels that almost knocked her over. Luckily, she managed to keep her balance so well that it didn't end up being embarrassing again in front of that man.
"You're also going to have dinner with them?"
Yujin clearly couldn't hide her curiosity when she asked the cold man because she knew Jinwoo wasn't too close to his adoptive family.
"They are still my family." Jinwoo replied curtly.
Yujin nodded her head in understanding and chose not to ask the man too many questions. Somehow today she felt that man's mood was worse than yesterday. Maybe something had happened to him, so Yujin didn't want to bother the man any further.
Arriving at the main room, Yujin was immediately greeted warmly by Mrs. Kang and Minwoo. Meanwhile, Mr Im and Mr Kang will follow later because their plane has been delayed.
"Good evening aunt, thank you for inviting me and dad to dinner."
Yujin looked so friendly and immediately felt comfortable chatting with Mrs. Kang. In a moment, the voices of the two of them had dominated the entire main room and made the two men in the room like living displays.
"How have you been, aunt? It's been a long time we've never met."
"I'm fine. How about you? I did not think that now you have grown into a beautiful woman. Anyway, have you met Minwoo?"
Yujin shook her head slowly and immediately turned to the side to face Minwoo who was also staring at her.
"Come here, don't you want to hug Yujin? You haven't seen each other in a long time, right?"
Yujin shamelessly stretched out her arms and entered Minwoo's warm arm. For a while they were both swept away in their serene hugging activity.
"Oppa, welcome back to Korea. I miss you."
"Aish… why are you being a crybaby like this? I miss you, too. We haven't seen each other in a long time and you are getting more and more charming." Minwoo teased while poking Yujin's chin so that the woman would stop her tears.
"I'm just touched because after all this time we never met because of our busy lives, finally we can meet again. You now also look more mature."
Yujin twirled Minwoo's body in front of her in a playful manner. Meanwhile Jinwoo just stared flatly at the closeness between the two without intending to disturb them. Tonight he saw his younger brother happier, especially after meeting Yujin. He is sure that his younger brother will strongly agree with the wedding plans that his father had touched on yesterday when he met his father at the Blue House. But he did not know what about Yujin because that woman openly showed interest in him. The woman likes him.
"Let's talk at the dining table while waiting for your father. I have made a lot of food for you, Yujin."
Madame Kang immediately pulled Yujin to the dining table. Behind them, Jinwoo and Minwoo were also tailing.
"Brother, are you coming?" asked Minwoo to break the ice. It was undeniable that walking next to his brother made him feel the cold aura emitted by his brother.
"I can't disappoint you."
"I thought you wouldn't want to attend matchmaking events like this. Honestly I do not agree with the plan that the father will set me up. But if the woman is Yujin, I will obey my father to marry her," whispered Minwoo brightly.
From the corner of his eyes, Jinwoo could see a slight twinkle that his brother was trying to cover up. He knows his brother likes Yujin.
"So you like Yujin?"
"What do you think? Will Yujin accept this match?"
"Try asking her."
Minwoo sighed heavily at his brother's unhelpful answer. Even though his brother has never been in a relationship with any woman, at least he hopes that his brother will be able to provide an answer from his own point of view. He believes his brother has a sharp sense to judge other people than him.
"Come on don't make me even more nervous. I'm afraid Yujin will reject me."
"Why should you be afraid? Believe in yourself."
"Somehow my faith was lost when I saw Yujin enter the house with you. I kind of saw the loving gaze Yujin gave you, even though I'm not sure either."
Jinwoo tapped Minwoo's shoulder lightly and gave the man advice.
"Don't jump to conclusions, what you see could be wrong."
Minwoo fell silent at his brother's advice. He really had to confirm for himself how Yujin felt about him. After all, what he said to Jinwoo just his opinion. It may or may not be wrong. All he had to do now was to approach Yujin and make sure that she loved him.
"Well, looks like we can start our dinner. The host and his partner have arrived."
Mrs. Kang greeted her husband and Im Jaehyuk who walked into the dining room with a smile. Although the lines of fatigue were clearly visible on the old faces of each of them, but that did not stop them from continuing the dinner they had planned long ago.
"Dad, are you tired?"
Yujin looks quite worried about her father's condition, who looks tired. But Im Jaehyuk immediately shook his head while smiling soothingly at his daughter.
"You take it easy, even though your father is old, he has a youthful spirit. So you take it easy. Ahh ... your wife has prepared a lot of food, Hyunjeong-ah."
"You brat, saw the food immediately glared." Kang Hyunjeong joked.
The atmosphere at the dining table was even more alive with the presence of two very noisy elders. In stark contrast to Jinwoo, who had been silent and didn't say a word. He prefers to finish his food quickly so that he can quickly return to his residence because he still has a lot of work after this. Being in the midst of a family like this was so vulnerable to him. Don't let his enemies know that he is Kang Hyunjeong's adopted son because they could target his adoptive family if one day he is negligent.
Meanwhile Yujin, who was sitting right in front of Jinwoo, couldn't take her eyes off the man. Jinwoo's silence made him even more curious about the figure of the cold man. Since earlier he had kept wondering in his beautiful head, what was Jinwoo thinking right now, why was that man able to maintain his stiffness in the midst of the noise created between his father and uncle. Unfortunately the activities of paying attention to Lee Jinwoo could not last long, because Minwoo started to invite her to talk.
"Do you have a lover?"
Yujin turned quickly to Minwoo and shook her head.
"Not yet. Father never allowed me to have a lover, even though many of my colleagues have already had lovers. Sometimes I'm jealous and want to have a lover too."
Yujin looks waddling with her own imagination. If she and Jinwoo were lovers, then they would date. It felt like Yujin wanted to laugh with those silly thoughts because Jinwoo couldn't possibly want to date her in the open. It is too risky for a general to be seen in public with his girlfriend, although the truth is that some Koreans will not pay attention to them in detail.
"Your father must really love you. He-"
"I am done."
Everyone stared at Jinwoo who was finished with his meal. The man was wiping his hands with a napkin and preparing to leave the dining room.
"Where are you going? Stay here for a bit, dad hasn't even announced the gist of this dinner." Kang Hyunjeong sighed heavily.
But Jinwoo seemed like he would still insist on going home because he couldn't stay there any longer.
"Forgive me."
Kang Hyunjeong shook his head and asked Jinwoo to stay on the spot for a while. He would announce the important news now without delay because Jinwoo was really leaving soon.
"Then dad will announce the matchmaking between Yujin and Minwoo. You're our family Jinwoo, you should also be happy when your brother is happy," said Kang Hyunjeong smiling softly.
Jinwoo painstakingly formed curved lines on his face to please the father. To be honest, he didn't care if his brother was happy or not. It is clear that the happiness that is being felt by his younger brother will never affect him because he has forgotten how to be happy.
Meanwhile Yujin looked surprised by the news of the matchmaking. Now she understood that the purpose of today's dinner was to talk about her and Minwoo's engagement which would be carried out in the near future. But unfortunately she didn't have any feelings for Minwoo. Her heart had already fallen on Lee Jinwoo's stiff and cold figure. It felt like right now she wanted to cry out loud and tell everyone that she only wanted to marry Lee Jinwoo. She never felt any interest in Minwoo because she already considered Minwoo as her own best friend. And when Lee Jinwoo left the dining room, Yujin suddenly got up with the excuse of wanting to go to the toilet. But Yujin didn't actually go to the toilet, Yujin instead caught up with Jinwoo who was about to get into his car to go home.
"Why are you silent and not saying anything?"
Jinwoo raised his eyebrows without answering Yujin's question. The man prefers to open the door of his car and get into the steering wheel because he really has to get out of the house as fast as possible.
Yujin pushed hard against the car door and blocked Jinwoo from getting inside. Jinwoo tightened his jaw and glared at Yujin. Again the woman acted and made him annoyed.
What exactly did this woman want?
"You better go inside, I have to go now." Jinwoo hissed with a furious face. But Yujin was not at all affected, the woman actually raised her chin arrogantly in front of Jinwoo to show the man that she was angry and also disappointed.
"Why are you silent. I know general, you are not stupid! And surely Hyuki oppa has told you that I love you. But why don't you seem to care when your father will set me up with Minwoo? Don't you love me?" Yujin's small squeak with tears that began to blur her vision.
Yujin was desperate to reveal all her feelings to Lee Jinwoo because she had no other choice. After all, she didn't care anymore about her pride as a woman because that was the risk if she loved a cold man like Lee Jinwoo.
"I don't live for love. So just forget about your stupid feelings. And I don't love you at all. Come back inside and be happy with Minwoo."
As if stabbed by thousands of daggers. Yujin's heart felt like it was shattered to pieces because of Jinwoo's very painful words of refusal. Even cruelly, that man immediately left her just like that after he managed to crush her heart into small pieces like dust.
The cold air that blew against her skin seemed to be laughing mockingly because he had just broken her heart. With a bowed face, Yujin immediately returned to the dining room while wiping away the remnants of the tears that were still pooling in her eyes. Don't let them find out if she is heartbroken.
"Yujin come here."
Mrs. Kang waved her hand and told Yujin to immediately sit on her chair. With a fake smile floating on her face, Yujin immediately sat down in her chair, staring confusedly at the parents who looked radiant.
"What is wrong? You guys seem to have something to say to me."
"So we have agreed not to hold an engagement session, but we will immediately marry you off to Minwoo." said Mrs. Kang brightly.
Yujin froze for a moment in place and felt shocked. She didn't think this would happen. Whereas previously she hoped that if they got engaged first, she could slowly give understanding to Minwoo if she didn't love him. But if they don't get engaged, it seemed she couldn't bear to think about it. She will bond forever with Minwoo, while she doesn't love him at all.
"Do you agree, oppa?"
Yujin now turned to Minwoo. Hoping that he rejects her, so that she has a stronger reason to reject it. But when the man nodded with a sweet smile blooming on his face, Yujin felt that her entire future was shattered before her eyes. She did not have a strong reason to reject her parents 'plan and also Minwoo's parents' plan.
"You don't need to worry. When we get married, we will still live as usual. You continue your studies in Korea, and I will also continue my studies in Canada. I also wouldn't force you to stay in Canada if you didn't want to."
Yujin smiled a little and looked resigned. It's up to them if they want the marriage to be hastened. But she was afraid of hurting their lives later. However from the beginning she had liked Jinwoo. She is obsessed with him because of all the mysteries that the man is hiding behind his cold face. At least she still has a few days before her wedding with Minwoo actually takes place. And during that time she would try to make Jinwoo love her.