Chapter 198 – Everything I Want to Do – Part 9

Chapter 198 – Everything I Want to Do – Part 9

That expression was only for a moment.

Lee Hyerim smiled and spoke.

“Have you… eaten?”

Because it was almost dinner time.

Woojin’s father said with a big smile,

“Actually, there’s a place nearby that makes amazing pork ribs, so come on, let’s go…”

The father, who had been speaking, closed his mouth and gave an awkward smile.

“Perhaps it won’t suit Ms. Hyerim’s taste? Beef! Yes! Let’s go eat beef!”

Lee Hyerim waved her hands vigorously.

“No, no. I really love ribs, Father.”

“Really?”

At that moment, Woojin interjected into their conversation.

“Father, let’s eat our home-cooked meal.”

“Oh, but we have a guest. We should eat something delicious. I didn’t prepare anything at home to eat out.”

“Hyerim prepared it.”

“Huh? Prepared?”

“Yes. We’ll be right back from the car.”

Lee Hyerim got up from her seat and bowed her head.

“We’ll be right back.”

And so, the two went outside.

Father, Mother, and Shin Bomi quietly watched the place they had exited, wondering what Woojin and she were thinking.

It was Father who first broke the silence.

“Oh my… well, I’ll be.”

It felt as if a storm had passed in an instant.

His son marrying the granddaughter of Chairman Lee of Shinhwa Group.

Even though he had seen it with his own eyes and heard it with his own ears, he still couldn’t tell if it was reality or a dream.

“As expected of someone from a noble family, she exudes elegance.”

The atmosphere emanating from her innocence was quite sophisticated.

Bomi said,

“Dad! Is our brother someone who would fall behind anywhere?”

Father crossed his arms and nodded.

“Of course! That’s right! Our son’s qualifications are not something to be looked down upon. He’s smart and handsome.”

Mother smiled kindly at their conversation.

“They look good together. It makes me feel at ease.”

It would be a lie to say she had no worries.

“They’re both adults, so they’ll manage well on their own.”

It was time for them to leave the nest and fly freely.

“But what did they go to get from the car?”

“Well…”

Just then, the front door lock clicked.

“They must be here.”

Father and Mother went to the entrance as if to greet them.

“What is all this?”

Woojin, holding bags full of ingredients in both hands, smiled subtly at Mother’s question.

“I suggested we eat at home.”

“Then you should have said something, Mom would have prepared something.”

Mother quickly approached Lee Hyerim, who was carrying many bags.

“Give them to me. Here.”

“It’s fine, Mother. They’re not heavy at all.”

Lee Hyerim, who was heading to the kitchen with Woojin’s Mother, cautiously spoke up.

“Mother, I heard that others shouldn’t just enter the kitchen… but, could I borrow it just for today?”

At first, she wanted to treat them to a meal outside.

But she thought about it carefully.

Spending a small portion of her abundant money didn’t feel like a genuine gesture.

Woojin didn’t disagree with her idea and even said it was good.

Mother waved her hand.

“No, no. Go sit over there. It’s ready now. Go on and sit down.”

Woojin approached the two of them.

“Hyerim has been looking forward to this for days. She even personally chose all the ingredients, so please let her show off her cooking skills.”

“Oh dear…”

“Mother, I’ll put all the kitchen utensils back exactly where they were after I’m done.”

“But how can I let a guest, whom I’ve just met today, prepare everything by herself…?”

Woojin gave a slight smile.

“I’ll be helping too.

Father, who had been quietly watching Woojin, Lee Hyerim, and Mother, spoke up.

“They’ve prepared all this, so let’s just let them be. For their sincerity, it’s best if we just stay put. Hahahaha!”

Father approached Mother, gently put his arm around her shoulder, and led her to the Living Room.

Lee Hyerim immediately grabbed an apron.

She tied the apron around her waist in one swift motion, as if she had done it many times before.

She had no choice but to.

Thinking of this day, she had hired several Chefs and made many different dishes.

She practiced and repeated it many times until she could taste it herself and nod in approval.

But 2% was missing.

Woojin provided that 2%.

‘It’s not bad for your body, is it?’

It was the Magic Powders.

Thanks to Woojin’s words, Lee Hyerim became an MSG expert.

Just enough, and just enough.

“Hyerim, now show them your skills.”

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Various vegetables began to be chopped on the cutting board, and Woojin also helped beside her.

Mother, watching them move side by side in the Kitchen, smiled gently.

“They look good together.”

“They’re a perfect match, truly a perfect match.”

Father, having said that, quietly went out to the terrace.

And he made a call to someone.

“Hey, it’s me. What are you doing?”

It was his Friend who worked at Shinhwa General Trading.

-What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m working. Why, is something wrong? You sound happy?

“Hahaha! Really? Hey. I think our Woojin is going to get married.”

-What are you talking about?

Her name is Lee Hyerim, and she’s very pretty and well-behaved.

-Lee Hyerim? That suddenly reminds me of our CEO’s youngest daughter. Her name is the same.

Father imagined his friend’s surprised reaction and said, suppressing a laugh that was about to burst out.

“That’s right. That Lee Hyerim.”

-That’s not funny.

“I’m serious.”

-If you’re going to say strange things, hang up.

The call immediately disconnected, and Father, who had been staring at his cellphone, blinking, returned to the living room.

And he video-called his friend again.

-This old man is losing his mind, doing things he never used to…

His friend couldn’t continue speaking.

The reason being,

“Oh, are you Father’s friend? Oh… Hello. My name is Lee Hyerim.”

Wasn’t CEO Lee Jeongcheol’s daughter, the granddaughter of Shinhwa Group Chairman Lee, greeting him?

Woojin’s father went back out to the terrace and looked at his friend reflected on the cellphone.

“See? When have you ever seen me lie?”

-Hey, what… Hey, what is it? Why is Lee Hyerim there?

“Why is she here? She came to cook. Hahahaha!”

Father hung up the phone and started calling his friends again to boast.

Of course, he no longer mentioned Lee Hyerim’s identity.

It was joy and pride that Woojin had found his partner.

About an hour and a half passed, and various side dishes and dishes were placed on the dining table.

The spicy-looking soybean paste stew, colorful side dishes, meat, and steaming white rice stimulated their appetites.

“Wow… This looks incredibly delicious.”

As Woojin’s family sat down, Lee Hyerim, wearing an apron, said,

There’s not much, but please eat a lot.

Come on, sit down and eat with me. You worked hard preparing it.

I will eat well!

Bomi put soybean paste stew into her bowl.

I could see zucchini, onions, shiitake mushrooms, tofu, clams, and more.

Bomi’s eyes widened slightly as she brought the soybean paste stew to her mouth.

It was as if she had frozen like a statue, but it was only for a fleeting moment, and she unconsciously opened her mouth.

What is this?

Lee Hyerim asked cautiously.

Does it taste okay?

So Delicious….

Both Mother and Father.

Ms. Hyerim, your cooking skill is extraordinary, isn’t it?

Wow… If you open a cafeteria, it’ll be a huge success, right? Ah, Shinhwa Group….

Woojin subtly gave Lee Hyerim a thumbs up.

Fresh vegetables and meat, plus the magic powder in it.

It couldn’t possibly taste bad.

***

Woojin and Lee Hyerim sat side by side on a park bench.

The wind was pleasantly rustling, and the voices of passersby sounded like a gentle song.

I’m glad you enjoyed the meal.

Hyerim, I have something to confess.

A confession?

Lee Hyerim’s eyes widened slightly at Woojin’s sudden words.

Woojin was unpredictable every time this happened.

It was the same now.

A confession.

What kind of confession could it be?

Lee Hyerim placed her hand on her chest and said,

“The calming medicine should still be working. I’m ready.”

“When I was very young, even younger than when I met you, I was kidnapped. How old was I then…”

As Woojin unraveled his story, her eyes grew wide.

Then her eyes gradually drooped, and tears began to fall.

And when Woojin finished speaking, Lee Hyerim wiped away her tears cleanly with both hands.

Tears kept welling up, so she lifted her head and tried to smile to stop them, but her lips trembled.

Wiping away her tears once more, she took Woojin’s hand.

And she spoke as if nothing was wrong.

“So what? You’re so healthy, smarter than anyone, and… *sob* *sob*!”

Lee Hyerim, wiping away her tears in one go again, spoke bravely.

“Most importantly, you’re right here next to me.”

Woojin gently hugged Lee Hyerim.

Her voice escaped from within Woojin’s embrace.

“I love you.”

Woojin, patting her shoulder, said,

“Among the billions of people, over 7.8 billion. It’s truly fortunate and lucky that I could meet you.”

***

Assemblyman Kim Cheolung looked at Kim Taehyun’s hair and commented.

“Our Detective Kim seems to have dressed up, but perhaps he couldn’t bother with his hair.”

Kim Taehyun, in a neat suit, had slightly messy hair.

“I came from an undercover operation, an undercover operation. But is it alright for the Assemblyman to be here? Won’t there be talk later?”

“No, did I come to a place I shouldn’t be? Of course I have to attend.”

Choi Gicheol hurried.

“Come on, don’t do this here, just go. Go.”

The three got into the elevator. Then someone hurriedly grabbed the door as it was about to close.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

He, panting, boarded the elevator and it was Woojin’s friend, Kim Mansu.

Soon, the elevator doors opened and the four of them immediately stepped out.

The place was bustling with people.

Smiles and vitality were alive and breathing on their faces.

“Oh, there it is. But it’s incredibly big here.”

The place they found was the Wedding Hall.

The ceiling was really high, and it looked big enough to accommodate an infinite number of guests, almost like a Righteous Path.

Lee Hyerim wanted to have a modest ceremony, but Woojin objected.

Woojin wished for Hyerim to shine and receive blessings from more people.

Just then, Kim Mansu quickly approached Woojin.

“Mansu, you’re here.”

“Wow…! Congratulations! I knew this would happen! Congratulations!”

“Thank you. Did you eat before coming?”

“Huh? No, I haven’t eaten…”

“Just kidding. The food here is delicious, eat a lot.”

Kim Cheolung, who was approaching while watching Woojin, opened his mouth.

“Everything’s good. But I’m a little worried.”

Choi Gicheol made a face as if asking what he meant.

“Worried?”

“Because Woojin has many eccentric sides. When the ceremony starts…”

“Oh~ Assemblyman, please. You worry too much. Even if Woojin has such a side, would he be thinking about other things at his wedding?”