Seulgi has been nervous since morning. Today he and Irene will go to Daegu to visit Irene's parents. Irene smiles brightly since they depart from her dorm because she is excited to meet her parents and introduce Seulgi to them. However, she don't know that her boyfriend is nervous to death
"Baby, are you really staying until next Tuesday?" Seulgi take a glance at Irene
"Yes, I took few days leave because I want to spend time with appa and mommy"
"Sorry because I have to go back on Friday morning. That event is important and daddy also has other schedule so he can't replace me"
"It's okay honey. You spend 2 days is good enough. Next time when you're free, you can stay longer. Appa very excited to spend time with you" Irene pinch Seulgi cheek playfully
"Okay baby"
They safely arrived at Bae house. That house is not as big as Seulgi or his parent's house but it is beautiful and comfortable. According to Irene, her father is a police officer at Daegu while her mother is a housewife.
"Aigoo, it has been a while" Irene stretching her body after she get out of the car
Seulgi walks to Irene's side and still nervous "Honey, are your parent's at home? Your house looked empty"
Irene cackled "Your house also looked empty even when you're at home" she patted Seulgi shoulder "They are inside. Mom said both of them at home. Appa takes one week leave after he knows that I will come here. Both of them are waiting for us. Let's go" she linked her arm with Seulgi's
"I'm nervous" Seulgi said quietly
"No worry, my parents never eat humans. Come on boy!"
Seulgi and Irene are waiting for someone to open the door. Irene has a key but she is too lazy to unlock the door. Her smile cracked when she saw her father appear at the door with silly smile
"Aigoo my baby Baechu" Mr. Bae hugging his daughter and spin around. Both of them laughing happily. From their interaction, Seulgi acknowledge that Irene is very close to her father. That scene reminds him of his daddy who always pampering him even he is too old for that stuff.
His thought distracted by Mr. Bae's voice "Baechu, when will you introduce this handsome man to appa?"
"Omo!" Irene knocked her own head "Appa, this is Seulgi"
Seulgi bow his head then offer a handshake to Irene's father "Nice to meet you Mr. Bae. I am Kang Seulgi"
"Nice to meet you too young man" Mr. Bae shake hand with Seulgi and flashing toothy smile
"Let's go inside. Your mom is waiting for you" said Mr. Bae to his daughter "Come in Seulgi"
Irene and Seulgi walk side by side following Mr. Bae to the living room. Pink color dominating the house interior. Irene used to tell Seulgi that her mother loved pink. She insists on color their house pink and her appa can't argue with that. Seulgi mentally laughs when he imagines that officer Bae brings a pink lunch box and water bottle to the office. At first, Irene's father complained but he gets used to it now. Mrs. Bae also influenced her daughter with pink but thankfully Irene's obsession is not as bad as her mother's. She only bought items that looked cute in pink. She also is not forcing Seulgi to use or wear pink stuff because she knows Seulgi doesn't like that color.
"Have a sit kids" said Mr. Bae
Mrs. Bae comes with drinks for them then she hugs and kisses her daughter. Now Seulgi sees her in person, Irene and her mother resemble each other. Only their eyes are different because Irene take after her father's
Seulgi shake hand with Mrs. Bae "Nice to meet you Mrs. Bae"
"Nice to meet you too" Mrs. Bae said calmly
Somehow, her reaction is different from her husband when meeting Seulgi. She looked cold and that aura is very strong. Seulgi does not expect anything because Irene already informs him beforehand that her mother has a cold aura. He also used to see someone with a cold aura because his mother is one of them and the same with Soojung. To be exact, ladies from his mom side looked cold and scary compared to his dad side. Kang families are cool and friendly. He inherit his mom and dad equally
"Seulgi, how old are you?" Mr. Bae initiates their conversation
"I am 27 years old"
"Oh, you're younger than Baechu"
"Appa, are you trying to say that I am too old?" Irene very sensitive when it come to age topic
"Aren't you really older than him? You're 30 years old this year" Mr. Bae answer without guilty
"We just different by 3 years" Irene rolled her eyes
"Still, you're older than him" Mr. Bae and Seulgi giggle seeing Irene face contorted
Mrs. Bae questioning Seulgi "How long since you two are dating?"
The couple looking at each other "About 4 months"
"Aigoo Bae Joohyun, you're not telling us that you two are dating that long. We thought you just date around 1 or 2 months" Mr. Bae complain
"Sorry appa" Irene grin innocently
"Seulgi, tell us about yourself. I mean your background" Mr. Bae continues his interrogation
Irene sighs "Appa, you sound like interviewer"
"Appa must know everything about your boyfriend. You don't mind that, right Seulgi?"
Seulgi nods his head "Yes Mr. Bae, I don't mind"
"See" Mr. Bae poking Irene shoulder "Continue it son"
"I am originally from Seoul and just returned from America a few months ago. Now I'm working at my family company as CEO. I am the only son in my family. My parents also currently at Seoul, working"
"Which company is yours?" asked Mrs. Bae
"SG Group"
The elder looked at each other "So you're her boss?" Mr. Bae looking at Seulgi then to his daughter
"Yes sir, I am CEO of SG Entertainment also SG Group"
"Wow, daebak! Beech's boyfriend is young CEO" Mr. Bae said in amazement while Irene smiled proudly. Mr. Bae got enthusiastic with his talk with Seulgi "Son, I heard the owner of SG Group has 3 children so which one is your parent?"
"I am son of Kang Taeyeon and Jessica Jung"
"Oh, I got it. No wonder you looked familiar. You looked like Mr. Kang Taeyeon. I used to see your father in certain events when he comes to Daegu. Your dad and mom are very nice people. They always treat us lot of foods or rent best hotel for us when we escort them"
Seulgi feel proud hearing Mr. Bae praising his parents "Thanks on behalf of them"
Meanwhile, Mrs. Bae balled her fist soon as she discovered Seulgi's background. She stare at him sharply
"You are really the son of Jessica Jung Sooyeon?" she suddenly ask making everyone staring at her
"Yes Mrs. Bae" Seulgi answered with a polite smile even he was shocked when Mrs. Bae knew his mom Korean name. His mother never reveals her Korean name to the public. Only her family knows about it. She only well-known as Jessica Jung or Jessica Kang or Mrs. Kang Taeyeon
"Why mom?" Irene looking at her mother curiously
Mrs. Bae sighs harshly "I'm against your relationship. Joohyun, I don't want you to have any relationship with this guy" she pointed at Seulgi
Irene is speechless while Seulgi gets puzzled, both of them don't know why Mrs. Bae suddenly changes. She don't see negative reaction earlier
"Miyoung-ah, what's wrong if Joohyun is dating Seulgi? I don't see any problem in their relationship" Mr. Bae looking at his wife confusedly
"Yul, I say no that's mean no. No argument. I'm totally against it" Mrs. Bae said sternly "You Kang Seulgi leave this house now!" Seulgi flinch when Mrs. Bae raise her voice to him and glare like she killing him with her eyes
"Mom!" Irene unconsciously yell
"Shut up Joohyun!" Mrs. Bae lost her control "Get out now!"
Seulgi's face turned red because this is the first time he was treated that way. No one ever treats him like that. Everyone who meeting him treat him with respect and Mrs. Bae is the first person shouting at him
"Okay...okay, I will go" Seulgi still stay calm
"Seulgi~" Irene grab Seulgi hand when he stand up
"Baechu, let Seulgi go home first before your mom getting upset" Mr. Bae speak softly to his daughter who already on verge of crying
"But appa..."
"Listen to appa, okay? We walk him to his car"
"Okay" Irene forcefully obey to her father
Both of them followed Seulgi to the front. Seulgi takes Irene's luggage from the car and brings it to her. Mr. Bae just watching from the door, don't want to disturb the couple
"Don't cry. I will see you in Seoul, okay?" Seulgi said softly and wiping Irene tears
"Drive carefully. Call me when you arrive"
"Okay, take care"
"Promise that you will wait for me to come back" Irene grasp Seulgi hand tightly
"I promise I will wait no matter what. If I do not respond when you call or text, you can contact Soojung. Maybe I'm busy"
"Don't overwork yourself. Eat on time"
"Okay" Seulgi peck Irene cheek "Let me walk you to the door. Your appa is waiting"
Irene forcefully dragged her feet to the house. Seulgi holding her hand while dragging her luggage. They stop in front of Mr. Bae
"Sorry for making commotion at your house, Mr. Bae" Seulgi apology
"Seulgi, it is not your fault. It's me who should apologize. I'm very sorry for my wife behavior"
"It's okay Mr. Bae. I understand. I have to go now"
"Okay, drive safely"
"Alright" Seulgi waving his hand before walk to his car then leave
Irene and her father watch Seulgi leaving with sad eyes. None of them know this will happen. They thought this meeting will be meaningful because Irene introduce her boyfriend to them but it turn to a disaster
"Appa, what just happened?" Irene asked weakly
"I don't know sweetie. I don't know what makes your mom suddenly hate Seulgi. He did nothing wrong. Thankful that Seulgi still calm even your mom shout at him"
"He looked calm from outside but we don't know what he thinks. I'm very embarrassed. This is the first time I brought my boyfriend to our house and mommy rejected him in a disrespectful way. What did Seulgi do that made her treat him like that?" Irene sound dejected
Mr. Bae cupped his daughter's face "Appa apologize on your mom behalf. Maybe she have her reason"
"She always has a reason but she never tells us. How long does she want to keep secret from us, appa? We're her family for God sake. We shouldn't hide anything from each other"
Mr. Bae thought about the fact that his daughter just stated. Somehow he thinks Irene is right. His wife keeps a lot of secrets from him and she never tells him even if he forces her to spill it out. They are married for years but he still don't know lot of things about his wife especially her family
"Appa will try slow talk with her. You rest first okay?"
"Okay"
"Are you hungry? Appa will cook something for you if you want to eat"
"It's okay appa. I don't feel like eating"
"Okay then"
Irene brings her luggage to her room and locks herself inside. She decide to take a nap while waiting for Seulgi to text her when he arrive at Seoul later
..................................
Mr. Bae and his wife eat silently at the dining table. Irene, still in her room, refuses to come out. She was really upset with her mother. Mr. Bae tried to call his daughter for dinner but the girl just hummed as response.
He is in a dilemma right now. He is curious about his wife's reaction after she knows about Seulgi's background and at the same time, he feels sorry for his daughter. He knows how embarrassing she is when she introduces her boyfriend to her parents and it does not turn out like she expected. Seulgi is a good man and Mr. Bae is happy that Irene dates someone that has good manners. Even this is first time Mr. Bae meet with Seulgi but he know Seulgi will not treating his daughter badly
Mrs. Bae is still in her dark aura. She is not asking about her daughter or even caring about the girl eating or not. She only comes out of the bedroom to cook then call her husband for dinner. She knows her husband will call their daughter so she does not bother to remind him. Right now she not in mood to talk with anyone
After dinner, Mr. Bae is watching TV in the living room. His wife had already left their room. He worried seeing his daughter locked herself in her room and not eating anything since she arrived. He decides to bring food for her and will force Irene to eat. He know Irene will not against him
He goes upstairs with rice and side dishes, also a glass of watermelon juice that Irene loves so much. Tonight Mrs. Bae cooked Irene's favorite foods. Mr. Bae knows even his wife is giving a cold shoulder to everyone but deep inside she cares about her daughter. She cook Irene favorite food and make her favorite drink
"Baechu" Mr. Bae knocks the door softly "Appa enter, okay?"
"Come in, door not lock" Irene answer from inside
Mr. Bae opened the door carefully since he brought a tray of foods. Irene sit up when she saw her father come
"Hey, appa bring food for you. You must eat something. You not eating since you arrive" Mr. Bae put the tray on bedside table
"Appa, I'm not hungry"
"No, you must eat something. Appa will feed you" Mr. Bae take the plate from the tray and scoop the food for Irene
"Appa, I will feed myself" Irene whine
"No, you will not eat properly when you're upset"
"I'm big girl now appa"
"You are still my little Baechu who is always forcing appa to feed her. Remember that you insist to wait for appa to come home so appa can feed you during dinner?" Mr. Bae successfully feed his daughter
Irene just chuckled as she munched her food. She really missed her mom and already decided to ask her to cook this and that but it looked like it would not happen. She also did not expect her mom would cook her favorite food for tonight. Maybe it just coincident, she thought
"Are you forcing Seulgi to feed you too?" Mr. Bae joking
"No, but I force him to eat because he often forgot his meal when he working"
Mr. Bae laughed while continuing feeding Irene "He is hardworking, huh?"
"Very hard that sometimes he lost track of time"
"He is just like his dad and his grandfather. They hardworking and humble"
"You know his grandpa too?"
"Yes, my first task after I was promoted to chief at my department is escorting Mr. Kang Junsoo during the Asia Economy Summit that was organized at Daegu 7 years ago. Then I also often escort his son, Mr. Kang Taeyeon, and his daughter, Ms. Kang Hyoyeon. They are really humble and down to earth. When they have event at Daegu, they will inform me to join their bodyguard to escort them"
"You're close to them?"
"Not really but in term of friend, we're close friend"
Irene nods her head "Mommy knows that you often escort them?"
Mr. Bae put the plate back on the table after Irene finish eating "I only tell her once about that and she not interested so I never talk about it again"
"Ohh" Irene drinks the water that her dad brought
"Have you called Seulgi already?"
"Yes appa, we talked when he called me that he arrived at home but not tonight. He said he want to rest"
"Okay, let him rest his mind first. Today is too rough for both of you. You must rest too. Don't think too much about your mom's behavior. Appa will find a way out of this"
"Thank you appa" Irene smile to her dad
"You will not leave early, right?" Mr. Bae looked sad
"I don't know. Let's see how everything will go. Don't worry appa, I will make sure we will spend enough time with each other" Irene assure her dad
"Okay, if you want to go anywhere, just tell appa. We will go together"
"What about mommy? Will she join us?" Irene asked carefully
"If she doesn't want to join, we can go together"
"Alright"
Mr. Bae stood up from his seat "If you need something, appa is at the living room. Appa will stay until late night to watch a live football match. My favorite team will play tonight"
"Manchester United?"
"Of course" Mr. Bae smile proudly
"That's mean Seulgi will watch it too because he not working tomorrow" Irene tapped her chin
"He loves that team too?"
"He obsess to that team like you did"
"Wow, that's good then" Mr. Bae laughing "Appa go out now"
"Thanks for that dinner and goodnight appa"
"Goodnight princess" Mr. Bae kiss Irene head before leave the room
Irene is very close to her father since she was still a little kid. He spoiled her so much and always listens to her complaints and whines even if it is not important for him to hear. Meanwhile her mother is a bit strict and wants her to learn to stand on her own feet. When she first told them that she wanted to be an idol and join an audition, her mother strongly opposed it but her father gave full support. He gives her freedom to choose her own dream. With help from her father, she successfully joined the audition and was accepted to SG entertainment.
Her mom declared cold war to her about 5 months after she knew her daughter would become a trainee. In the end, Mrs. Bae gives in and slowly accepts the fact that her daughter will become a singer. She is slowly supporting her daughter like her husband did and Irene is getting enthusiastic to make her debut because her mother is also supporting her dream. The first person that she informed about her debut is her mother and they talked for about 2 hours on the phone that night. When her father outstation, her mom will visit her at the dorm and both of them will stay at the hotel to spend time together. She is loving mother even she have hard headed and cold side