TSS 05

Chapter : 5

Meanwhile, on the evening that Hayeon went to her matchmaking meeting, Hayeon’s older sister, Hyeyeon, sent a message in the middle of the night.

[From now, 5 minutes.]

Sighing, Hayeon left her room after receiving the message. She lingered near her parents’ bedroom, straining to listen, and precisely eight minutes later, she opened the front door. It was supposed to be a five-minute meeting, but they never arrived on time. And then another three minutes passed.

“Hey, Na Hayeon…!”

Finally, her sister appeared, raising her voice to the maximum, unlike Hayeon, who worried about being caught by their parents.

“Shh! Be quiet!”

“Ah, yes, yes. Q-quiet…”

Thanks to the alcohol, perhaps, her sister looked at least somewhat cheerful; normally, she would have gone into a wild fit when Hayeon tried to calm her down.

However, Hyeyeon couldn’t even walk properly, and Hayeon had to half-push her into the room.

“Hey, Na Hayeon. What are you doing at home right now?”

Even though it was late, her sister was grabbing onto her and causing trouble.

“Hey, didn’t Mom tell you not to come back today?”

“…Let’s drop it, Na Hyeyeon.”

“I put so much effort into dressing up and sending you off! Hey! Right about now, huh? Late night, huh?”

“Go to sleep.”

Hayeon forced her sister onto the bed. As expected, their mother and father had hoped that Hayeon, who had gone to the matchmaking meeting, might even end up spending the night with Geonhyeong.

Thanks to that, Hayeon couldn’t enter the house immediately, even though Geonhyeong had come to pick her up.

‘They want to see me again in a few days, huh.’

Perhaps because she had lingered outside to waste time, her mother said nothing when Hayeon finally returned home. At least they had said they wanted to meet her again, so that was something.

Of course, she added one comment:

‘Next time, make a bit more effort for Hyeyeon.’

Effort in what, exactly? Even the outfit she wore today was mortifying enough. Though, with that outfit, she had managed to get a kiss.

…At this rate, maybe a hotel trip isn’t impossible.

Hayeon glared at her sister lying on the bed.

“…Why do you wear clothes like this? Wearing them has no meaning anyway.”

She muttered while covering her sister, who was sprawled on her back, with a blanket. Her short skirt had ridden up to her stomach as she lay with her legs spread.

“Hey! You dwarf! Talking like that? Even that half-decent face won’t save you? You stay cooped up at home all the time, and you think a few compliments make you really pretty?”

“Go to sleep if you’re drunk. Why pick a fight over looks again?”

Hayeon gave a wry smile at Hyeyeon, who glared with narrowed eyes. Drunken or not, her speech was incoherent.

Well, even when sober, Hyeyeon didn’t have much to say to Hayeon other than teasing her.

“Then do you want me to talk about height again? Hey. This skirt—I was going to lend it to you today, right? Turns out, it’s mid-length, not mini. How’s that? You only have age to appeal with, and even seven years younger, it doesn’t work?”

Hyeyeon chuckled. She was taller than Hayeon, so she often teased her with height.

“Hey, hey, enough. I heard rumors that Ise Financial… Choi… Geonhyeong or something… How rich is that guy? Do you really think he’d notice someone like you?”

“Right. Even though he’s younger, taller than you, and has a bigger chest, you still failed…”

But today, Hayeon snapped.

“Isn’t the problem your outfit, sister? You bragged about being better dressed than me, but it’s nothing special.”

“…This?”

And of all times, Hyeyeon had challenged Hayeon over fashion sense. Her sister sat up abruptly, fully sober now, but Hayeon didn’t back down.

“Even if you’re taller than me, it’s only by ten centimeters, right? And yet the skirt wasn’t long at all. Your legs must be really short. And speak properly. I didn’t wear it because of the length? It wasn’t too big and about to fall off, right?”

“I lent it to you for your own good because you always look like a mess!”

“Who can’t even afford clothes and goes around half-naked… Kyaa!”

Before Hayeon could finish, Hyeyeon screamed, grabbed Hayeon’s long hair, and lunged at her.

“Today, you’re going to pay! This hair? I told you to cut it! I’ll pull it all out today!”

“Kyaa! Get off! I can’t breathe! How much do you weigh?”

“You little! I’m at least ten centimeters taller than you!”

Hayeon wasn’t one to back down either.

“And you weigh at least fifteen kilos more! Wait, fifteen? Maybe twenty more? Your chest and hips are smaller than mine, but all that fat clings to your waist!”

In the end, the two of them engaged in a full-blown wrestling match. All the care of sneaking into the room so their parents wouldn’t notice was for nothing.

“What a mess!”

Finally, their mother’s sharp voice froze them. She sighed deeply.

“Hyeyeon, if you’re coming home late, you should bathe and go to sleep. What is this?”

“B-but Hayeon…”

“Look at those clothes…”

Seeing their mother click her tongue, Hyeyeon tried to explain, but it wasn’t her clothes that were being scolded.

“You should have dressed Hayeon properly in clothes like this.”

Their mother wasn’t normally concerned with messy behavior or outfits. But this time, she implied that Hayeon should have been better dressed, and Hyeyeon slumped.

“The clothes didn’t fit…”

“Well, at least they weren’t entirely bad. Seems your cheap taste worked for this chaotic family after all.”

“…Cheap…”

“But next time, make more effort. Seeing you like this, it’s not impossible, so why not try?”

Their mother scrutinized Hyeyeon’s outfit from head to toe, and Hyeyeon reluctantly pulled down the skirt that had ridden up her thighs.

“Hyeyeon, since you’re engaged to Minguk, as her older sister, you should help Hayeon find a match too. Compared to the others, Ise Financial is the best option.”

Their mother looked around the bedroom, now in shambles, and murmured to herself:

“All the families are messy, but at least he’s rich… And I’ll say it again.”

As she left the bedroom, she warned Hyeyeon:

“Whether drinking or playing, if you come home late, be as quiet as possible. Don’t wake your father. Of course, not coming home at all is even better…”

She sighed heavily and added as she disappeared:

“…And don’t try anything with your hair that draws attention while staying out overnight. Either send both of you off in marriage quickly, or else…”

A few days later, Geonhyeong was sitting in his car. However, his expression while waiting in the driver’s seat was not pleasant. To a stranger, he looked like he was about to flee out of annoyance. But in fact, the opposite was true.

‘…Fifteen minutes.’

Geonhyeong glanced at his wristwatch while resting his hands on the steering wheel. He had been waiting for a while, yet fifteen minutes remained until the scheduled meeting. It was the day he was to meet Hayeon for the second time.

Damn, time is moving so slowly.

Frowning deeply, he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.

“Anyway, we’re already going to get married, why waste time meeting twice or thrice…”

His muttering abruptly stopped. The scolding his father had given him until this morning seemed to echo in his mind again.

You little… We have dignity, you know? No matter how much you like her, you can’t just get engaged a few days after the matchmaking meeting.

“Dignity, my foot.”

Geonhyeong grumbled. Everyone knew his parents weren’t exactly concerned with appearances. Since his mother had agreed, his father likely just wanted to buy some time.

And then there was his mother’s stance.

“…Damn it.”

He drummed the wheel more frantically, then hit it as if to vent his frustration. Recalling his mother’s words made him irritated.

Pre-marital chastity?

“…This isn’t the Joseon Dynasty.”

The issue wasn’t whether to act or not. It was ridiculous that his parents, even past thirty, still interfered with intimate matters. Normally, that would be unbelievable.

‘As long as there’s no hereditary disease or physical issue, or even better, as long as the child is physically superior, that’s enough.’

That was his mother’s usual attitude.

‘As long as you grow up with enough physical and mental strength to not be bullied, that’s fine.’

That was his father’s approach. They always added:

‘So if you suddenly die or collapse alone, unless it’s an accident, it’s entirely your responsibility.’

Because of their usually hands-off approach, he had been cautious. Thanks to that, he grew up without a major incident, so their parenting wasn’t completely wrong.

‘…I guess it worked for me.’

Still, now suddenly fussing over chastity and family dignity? Who would believe that?

‘…This is suspicious.’

Moreover, Hayeon’s potential suitors, lined up by his father, were all questionable. Compared to that, Hyeyeon’s fiancé seemed unusually proper.

I’ll have to look into this myself.