Mr. And Mrs. Han stood behind Mi Rae, witnessing the shocking scene.
Mi Rae’s hand struck his sister’s cheek, and they froze in disbelief.
They were appalled by his action, though they could understand the cause of his fury.
[An hour earlier]
Mrs. Han was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, when her phone rang.
She didn’t hear it over the clatter of cooking, so Mr. Han took the phone.
Seeing Mrs. Ahn’s name on the screen, he hurried to his wife.
“It’s Mrs. Ahn,” he said, handing her the phone.
As Mrs. Han answered, Mi Rae appeared, his eyes narrowing at the mention of Mrs. Ahn.
“What does she want?” he asked his father, standing still to listen.
“Hello, Mrs. Ahn! Good morning!” Mrs. Han politely greeted.
“Hello! Good morning! I’ve been waiting for your call since last night!” She replied, her expression couldn’t be read from her voice.
“Oh my! Really? I’m so sorry. Was something the matter?” Mrs. Han asked, concerned.
“What do you mean ‘why’? Did Ma Ri get home safely last night? We were worried,” Mrs. Ahn said sharply.
“Ah! Yes, yes! She’s fine. My apologies for not informing you sooner,” Mrs. Han said, smiling nervously.
“That’s a relief. It’s dangerous out there, especially at night,” Mrs. Ahn said.
Her voice softened slightly, though an edge lingered.
“Thank you for your concern. It slipped my mind to call you,” Mrs. Han replied, trying to sound calm.
“It’s fine! I guess you’ve raised your daughter well.” She replied while smirking from the other side.
“Pardon?” As Mrs. Han couldn’t understand, she was puzzled.
“It’s impossible for you not to know, right? Ma Ri went viral. Don’t you guys know?” She exclaimed, acting as if it was unbelievable.
“Can you please explain a bit more? I can’t quite understand.” Mrs. Han requested politely.
“Ah! You don’t know it then! Okay, I’ll send the video so you can learn it from there. And the main reason I called you now…” she sighed over the phone.
“We’ve decided to call off the engagement.” She declared firmly.
“What?” Mrs. Han’s voice shook.
“But, why? Did my daughter do something inappropriate?” Mrs. Han was astounded as if there was no ground under her feet.
It was hard enough to persuade Ma Ri to get married.
And it went all well until yesterday.
So, what happened?
Her mind got full with the worst outcome.
“No-no!
She’s a lovely kid!
And she did nothing!
It’s just…my son isn’t suitable.
I’m sure your daughter will find someone much better than my son.
“Anyway, we’ll send you the chain you gave to Jiang. As for the earrings, you can keep them.” She added.
“B-but! Listen to me…” before Mrs Han could say anything, Jiang’s mother opened her mouth again.
“Oh, right! Don’t worry about the money. We’ll not back down and help you guys.” Her expression was very gentle as if she was disappointed.
“Please, Mrs. Ahn. Tell me what happened. If Ma Ri offended you in any way, I’ll make sure she understands her mistake,” Mrs. Han pleaded.
It was so sudden that she could neither process the situation nor understand what she should do.
“I’m telling you the truth. It’s not like that. She’s…wonderful. Really! It’s just… my son isn’t fit for her.” Mrs. Ahn said firmly.
“Ah! I just remembered I have some urgent matters to take care of. Then, have a good day!” Mrs. Ahn hung up the call and sighed out of relief.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Han’s hands trembled, tension embraced her wholly.
“What did they say, mother?” Mi Rae asked curiously.
“They…they want to call off the engagement.” She declared with her trembling voice.
“What?” Mr. Han’s voice was filled with disbelief.
“How could they?” Mi Rae clenched his fists.
“What should we do now?” Her eyes wandered around, hoping for an answer to calm herself down.
“I could sense they were up to no good right after I stepped into their house.” Mi Rae gritted his teeth.
He turned to Mr. Han and added, “You should’ve informed me before going to Mr. Ahn.”
At that moment, a notification buzzed on Mrs. Han’s phone.
She opened the video Mrs. Ahn sent, and the family crowded around to watch.
The clip showed Ma Ri’s involvement in a physical altercation, leaving them speechless.
“Get that?” Mi Rae looked at his mother with a displeased expression.
“What?” She blinked as she couldn’t guess what he was talking about.
“This is why they want to end things,” Mi Rae scoffed, handing back the phone.
“Maybe they think your daughter is some kind of thug.”
“Tsk!
If they call you again, tell them we don’t need their help.
His anger flared as he walked away.
He halted and turned back.
“From now on, Ma Ri isn’t stepping out of this house. And make sure she understands the consequences.” He stormed off, leaving his parents in stunned silence.
[Present]
“You’re not going to work anymore. And from now on, you’re not leaving this house,” Mi Rae said coldly.
Ma Ri pressed a hand to her stinging cheek, unable to comprehend his harsh words.
“B-but…” Ma Ri wanted to ask what was all these about, but didn’t dare to.
She stood still just like a statue, bowing her head while her eyes wandered.
“How many times do I have to make you understand? Know your place before acting out.” Mi Rae sighed as he walked towards the door.
After a few moments of silence, he turned back again,
“Do you think I let you learn martial arts to fight on the streets? To catch criminals like some wannabe cop? If you’re that eligible, then why didn’t you become a cop? And now, because of you, we have to be ashamed as well. I don’t know what you did with that guy last night, but after having his part of play, he doesn’t want to marry you. Do you know you just put all of us to shame?” his voice increased continuously while he kept scolding.
Ma Ri lowered her head further, guilt and humiliation flooding her.
“Dad! Don’t scold auntie.” The twelve years old kid, just woke up by the noise, came towards and requested although he knew it wouldn’t be of any help.
“What are you doing here? Go to your room!” Mi Rae shouted, making the boy retreat in fear. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“You don’t have to work there from now on. I’ll find you another job,” he declared to Ma Ri before storming out.
_____________________________________
In his spacious office, Ho Seok was buried in paperwork.
He sifted through a pile of documents until his eyes landed on a leaflet Ma Ri had left behind.
A small smile crept onto his lips.
As he felt exhausted by the workload, he leaned back on his chair and took out his phone.
After dialing her number, he closed his eyes while rubbing his forehead with the knuckle of the index finger.
“Hello!”
“Hi! What’s up?” Ma Ri’s cheerful voice came through.
“Not that great! What about you? Are you enjoying your current work?” Ho Seok asked, still shutting his eyes.
“Why? Is everything alright?” Ma Ri was surprised as well as worried.
“Cause I’m missing you.” Ho Seok said with a teasing tone.
“Now, that’s a lame joke. Is there nothing you wanna say? Then…” Ma Ri replied, laughing.
“Hey! It’s true! Can’t I miss you? You said you’d call, but you didn’t!” he sprang up, acting excitedly.
“Stop being cheesy and come to the point.” Ma Ri acted irritated, although she regretted not calling him after they last met.
“I just saw your video. You were so cool!” He acted giddy as if he was a fanboy of Ma Ri.
“Argh! Don’t mention it! People are overreacting!” Ma Ri groaned.
“Although I pity that poor guy.” Ho Seok grinned while talking.
“Huh? Why?” Ma Ri asked confusedly.
“Because you always hit me! So, I can understand how hard you hit him!” He burst into laughter after saying.
“Hey! I don’t always hit you!” Ma Ri shouted, pouting her lips just like a pufferfish.
“Sure, sure,” he teased.
“My brother…saw it and now…I’m grounded.” Ma Ri replied in a dim voice while sighing heavily.
“What? Again?” Ho Seok was shocked although it wasn’t new to him.
Just then, a knock on his door interrupted him.
As he wasn’t expecting someone, he was curious.
“Come in,” He called out.
Ma Ri heard him and guessed he was busy.
“Ah! You must be busy! Go get to work! I’ll call you later!” She said, but didn’t get any reply from the other side.
“Hello! Hellooo!” Ma Ri tried to talk, but still there was no response.
“Strange!” She looked at the phone and then hung up the call.
On the other hand, Ho Seok looked up as the door opened, his breath catching at the sight of his unexpected visitor.
“Y-you!” His phone was in his hand.
He stood still as if he turned to a stone.