Jin Eun's phone rang insistently with a _beep-beep-beep_ as she tried, without success, to contact someone. The answering machine repeated: "I'm sorry, the number you are trying to reach is not available at the moment. Please try again later." Desperate, Jin Eun paced back and forth in her room, the phone pressed to her ear. _ Please answer _ she begged while keeping a finger in her mouth biting her nail out of nerves _ I just want to hear your voice _ she said dejectedly.
—_Knock, knock_ —her mother pretended as she suddenly opened the door, without warning—. What are you doing, my daughter? —she asked with a smile on her face.
Out of instinct, Jin Eun hid the phone behind her back.
—Nothing, I was just checking my phone. After waiting so long for it to be unlocked, I was impatient.
"I see, but don't wear it for too long. Limit your hours and focus on studying; you need to catch up on business administration."
"Mom, do I really need to do that?" she asked, hesitating as she tried to see her reaction. "What if I like something else?"
The lady closed the door after entering the room, not taking her eyes off her daughter.
"Don't talk nonsense. Do you know how much effort I'm putting into ensuring a better future for you? I didn't do all this for nothing, don't be ungrateful."
"What did you do?" Jin Eun asked firmly, without a hint of fear.
"I'm giving you a place; you should take advantage of it. Not many will have what you will have. Get those ideas out of your head and get dressed. We have a dinner party today," she said, looking her daughter over from head to toe, with a disapproving look at her sloppy outfit of jogging pants and a baggy t-shirt. "Wear something decent, please."
"What is this?" Jin Eun muttered, nudging Sung Jin, who was sitting next to her, as she looked at the people gathered at the table. Her mother and father were standing next to Sung Jin and Hyun Woo's dad. Next to Hyun Woo, a woman was openly flirting with him, completely ignored. The atmosphere at the table was worryingly tense.
Sung Jin took out his phone, holding it in his palm, and tapped the screen, looking at it as if to say, "Text me."
Jin Eun wordlessly mouthed her lips, trying to make him understand, "I don't know your number."
Sung Jin squinted his eyes, showing impatience.
A message came to Jin Eun.
"My number is saved in your phone, you idiot."
"Don't tell me that. How would I know? Who lost their memory, you or me?" Anyway, what is this strange meeting?
"My brother's blind date."
"Date? Why are we here if it's your brother's date?"
"Ask your mother. She suggested this. What did she call it? Oh… Yes, she said it's to support the family and make sure Hyun Woo finds the right one for marriage."
"What does that woman care about Hyun Woo's marriage?"
"I don't know, maybe you don't remember, but it's always been like that. She always disapproves of my brother's candidates. On the other hand, Hyun has never said anything to her; it's beneficial for him to delay his marriage, especially if it's with someone he doesn't know.
"Why would she do something like that… What is she thinking? The more I get to know her, the more I realize that every step she takes is very well planned, and it's all for more power or money," he thought.
"Could you please join us for this wonderful evening?" —Sung Jin's father suggested when he saw them using the phone without paying attention to the conversation.
—Jin Eun, I told you to use it in moderation. What you're doing is disrespectful —her mother scolded her.
They both turned off their phones and looked up at those present at the table.
—Welcome back —Sung Jin's father greeted.
—Excuse us, it's just that Jin Eun and I had a great idea and we were discussing it before telling you —Sung Jin said.
—Oh really? —Jin Eun said, surprised, not understanding what he was planning.
Sung Jin hit her on the leg to make her shut up and follow him.
—Ouch! —Jin Eun said, looking at Sung Jin with threatening eyes, as if trying to say "What's wrong with you? Do you want to die?"
He remained calm and drank some water, hoping that Jin Eun would calm down.
"What is that idea?" Jin Eun's mother asked curiously, while her husband remained silent, watching their daughter.
"You always said that we should do things together as a real family, and we came up with a way to strengthen this bond."
"Is that so? And what would that wonderful idea be?" the lady asked, hoping that it would be something beneficial for her daughter.
"Why don't we get my older brother engaged to the president's daughter?" she pointed at Jin Eun's father.
The smile on Jin Eun's mother's face instantly disappeared, and her eyes shone with a dark malice, resentful of Sung Jin. No one else noticed it, except Jin Eun, who was watching her meticulously.
"Sung Jin!" her father and Mr. Kim raised their voices, laughing at Sung Jin's words. They both knew exactly what his intentions were, as they thought the same thing: the blind dates for Hyun Woo had to stop.
"He's right, it's a great idea," Mr. Kim replied happily, knowing that if they fixed things like this, they wouldn't have to go on another blind date.
"What are you saying, honey?" she whispered to her husband, squeezing his wrist tightly.
"The boy is right. You've always wanted to strengthen our ties to be a real family, and this seems like a good idea to me," she replied.
The girl next to Hyun Woo held back her anger, completely ignored in the conversation.
"If my friend agrees, then I agree too," Sung Jin's dad said, after receiving a wink from Mr. Kim. They all perfectly understood each other's thoughts, tired of the blind dates proposed by Mrs. Kim.
Hearing Hyun Woo's father's response, the girl stood up from the table, offended by the lack of respect, and walked away angrily. Jin Eun's mother followed her to try to calm her anger.
"Why?" Jin Eun began to ask as she saw her mother following the girl.
"It's your mother who is looking for candidates for Hyun. Maybe, knowing his family, she needs to fix things or it will be bad for them," Sung Jin answered, understanding what she was going to ask.
Jin Eun followed her mother with her gaze, trying to decipher her reasons for interfering so much.
"I think I need to stretch my legs," Jin Eun suggested, thinking about following her mother.
"We will accompany you," Hyun Woo suggested, who had remained silent until now.
"It's not necessary," she refused, trying to avoid being followed.
"I insist, there is a beautiful garden in this hotel. We should go see it together, right, Sung Jin?"
"Yes," she answered without hesitation, noticing her brother's threatening gaze, which Jin Eun did not notice because she was so focused on her mother.
Sung Jin took Jin Eun's hand so she couldn't escape and followed his brother from behind.