THE PROPOSAL || KTH

Chapter 11 || Invitation

"Thanks," I returned the smile with my small one while taking the cell phone from her. "I'll call Mom."

"You talk to her while I'll go and see if lunch is ready." Y/n gently brushed the back of her delicate fingers against my jawline before striding out of the room, but not before stopping to give me one of her best smiles.

Adorable. I smiled to myself. Ever since the night in Japan when we consummated our marriage, there was a gentle change in her personality. Though she was still a feisty fireball, there was maturity that was beginning to show in her, especially toward our relationship. That did come as a surprise to me since I wasn't expecting it, having known her and her rebellious streak for over a year now. But that was fine. I never wanted her to change herself for anyone, not even for me. I married her with all of her flaws and accepted them.

I was glad I did. The woman was proving to be my strength during the time of trouble with my father. Even though she didn't know anything, she didn't even ask, knowing I wasn't ready to share. She just knew something was wrong and lent me her support, giving me the space I needed with everything going on.

I was grateful to her for not pushing me to share everything with her. I wasn't ready. Not because I didn't trust her or think she wouldn't understand my problem, I knew she, out of all the people, would. But she had her own issues to deal with, and I didn't want to burden her more. Moreover, I was scared. Telling her about the problems would mean telling her everything, including the things I didn't want to reveal.

Sighing, I ran my fingers through my hair. I put my thoughts behind and dialed my mother's number.

"Tae," came the relief-filled voice of Mom from the other end as she answered the call.

"Hey, Mom. How are you?"

"How do you expect me to be with things going on between you and your father? I tried talking to Dad, but he is..."

"Stubborn. I know, Mom. And you don't have to take that stress unnecessarily. I'll sort things with him," I told her, worrying about her health that could be affected if she continued to take on stress. It wasn't good for a heart patient.

"How can I not worry, Tae? Your dad is doing wrong, but there's nothing I can do even when I know how much everything is hurting you." She let out an exasperated sigh as if annoyed at herself for not being able to do anything to help me. She didn't need to. "I don't know what to do about your father anymore."

"Mom, relax! Your son is a grown-up man who can handle his issues on his own. He doesn't need mumma-bear to come to his rescue," I added the last bit with a cheeky grin.

"I know you can handle things, but you can't stop a mother from worrying about her children's well-being."

"All right. Leave all this aside, and tell me why you called me? I'm sure it wasn't to talk about Dad," I asked, changing the topic.

"Oh God! Yes, I forgot," she exclaimed. "I called to tell you about Ji-woo and Ho-seok. They have decided to tie the knot in December this year."

"That's great news, Mom." A smile curled on my lips. Ji-woo was my younger sister, and Ho-seok was her boyfriend of three years.

"I know," Mom beamed. "Ho-seok is coming home with his parents this Saturday, and I want you and Y/n to be there. We'll finalize the wedding date and all the other things."

"Is it important for us to come?" I had no problem going there, but with things going on between my father and me, I didn't want to meet him, nor want to take Y/n anywhere near him knowing how much he despised her.

"Yes. You're the oldest son, and Y/n's the eldest daughter-in-law of this family. It's important for both of you to be present."

"I understand what you're saying, but..."