IMFOBO | CH 41 | Baek Woon-jae

Euncho was completely flustered by the sudden turn of events.

If Taesan had been with her, it wouldn’t have been much of a problem. But since she was alone, she had no choice but to handle it herself.

“Hello, I’m Lee Euncho.”

She masked her expression and started with a polite greeting.

Growing up, she’d often heard from her grandfather, the late Mr. Go, that well-mannered children got more treats.

Thanks to that, she had always been courteous and friendly toward adults since she was young.

But this time, the opponent was different.

Ta-esan’s mother—no wonder she was tense.

“Oh my. The doll can talk! I’m Han Ji-young.”

What exactly was so surprising?

Though she bore a curious resemblance to Tae-san, the woman had a gentle, refined air and kept gasping in amazement.

The sheer sparkle in her gaze as she stared at Eun-cho was almost overwhelming.

Eun-cho couldn’t understand what about her—having just woken up, barely managed to wash her face and brush her teeth—could be worthy of such admiration.

She forced a stiff smile, tugging at the corners of her lips.

And then, out of nowhere, Mrs. Han reached out and gently clasped her hand.

“…!”

Startled by the sudden touch, Eun-cho looked down at their joined hands. But Mrs. Han didn’t seem to notice her reaction at all.

“I’m sorry, that must’ve startled you, huh? It was terribly rude of me to make you stand there like that. I couldn’t believe it, so I ended up following you—goodness.”

A soft warmth, unfamiliar with hardship, wrapped over the back of Euncho’s hand.

Though she resembled Tae-san in appearance, she was far from being rude or arrogant.

There was something about her—a delicate aura, like a girl who had grown old gracefully.

“Let’s sit down first. I have so many questions I want to ask you.”

Naturally, the two made their way over to the living room table.

“Oh, would you like some tea, by the way?”

Unable to shake the awkwardness, Euncho offered tea—almost reflexively.

She needed a moment to compose herself, and rummaging through unfamiliar kitchenware was as good a distraction as any.

But making such a careless offer, when she didn’t even know where the teacups were…

“Seems like this isn’t your first time at Taesan’s place?”

…led to a massive misunderstanding.

In an instant, she’d become the girl who came and went freely from a bachelor’s home—like some resident mouse with her own key.

From an older person’s perspective, it wouldn’t be strange to scold her for such impropriety before marriage.

Yet instead of reproach, Tae-san’s mother smiled brightly.

“He’s just incredibly suspicious, that man. Probably trying to figure out if this marriage is really out of love or not.”

Tae-san’s voice echoed in Eun-cho’s mind.

To deceive the grandfather, winning over the mother—the one closest to him—had to come first.

What she needed now was award-winning acting chops… and a dash of shamelessness.

Act like you’re madly in love.
Never, ever, let it slip that this is all just a contract.

“He’s such a neat freak. I’ve never seen him let anyone else into his space before.”

Oh. My. God.

Not what you’d expect from a man with a rumored revolving door of girlfriends.

Eun-cho hadn’t taken everything Tae-san said at face value—but his mother’s words still came as a surprise.

Sure, no parent can know every detail about their grown child’s life, but it was striking how consistent their stories were.

“I’ve never been here before either, actually.”

Good grief. She hadn’t expected “the woman” to include his own mom.

Eun-cho forced herself to hide her shock, simply offering a polite glance as Tae-san’s mother turned toward the kitchen.

She could feel those eyes trailing her all the way.

Okay, breathe. You got this, Lee Euncho.

She took a deep breath and opened the cupboard—and as if by magic, right there was a glass jar filled with pyramid tea bags.

Was it perfect timing, or did it just deepen the misunderstanding?

Her neck practically tingled under the weight of it all.

A few moments later, Eun-cho carefully set the teacup on the living room table.

“Do you have any plans this afternoon?”

Tae-san’s mother asked, gently cupping her teacup with both hands.

“My father-in-law has been eagerly waiting to meet you. He was hoping you could join us for lunch.”

That wasn’t so much a suggestion as it was a directive.

There was no real way to refuse a man who had lived his entire life being treated like royalty.

Trying to dodge it now would only lead to unnecessary misunderstandings—and Eun-cho knew better than to take such a risk.

“Yes, of course. I’ll get ready right away, Mother.”

“Oh my, Mother? Goodness. How do you even speak so sweetly?”

Mrs. Han’s face visibly brightened, a delighted smile spreading across her lips.

The slight blush on her cheeks made her look more like a young girl than someone’s mother.

“Then I’ll sip my tea and wait here. Take your time getting ready.”
“Thank you.”

Eun-cho quickly shuffled into the master bedroom.

Only afterward did she worry—was I too natural just waltzing into the main bedroom like that?
But that was the least of her concerns now.

This was a full-on emergency.

Grandma, something suddenly came up. I’ll visit next time.

She fired off a quick text to her grandmother. Then,

Mr. Ryu Taesan, I’m heading to Baekwoonjae with your mother right now.

She almost added Come quickly, but hastily deleted it.
It sounded way too much like she was clinging to him—and that made her squirm.

They were planning to go to Baekwoonjae eventually anyway.
It was just happening a bit sooner than expected.

She’d left a message, so once Tae-san wrapped up his business, he’d likely head over too.

“Don’t be nervous, Lee Euncho.”

Thankfully, Mrs. Han’s elegant, flower-like aura helped calm her nerves a little.

Eun-cho changed into the outfit Tae-san had prepared:
a crisp white blouse paired with a soft, muted-toned two-piece.

In the mirror stood a modest young bride-to-be.

She dabbed her face lightly with makeup from her purse and applied just a touch of lipstick.

“Clothes really do make the woman.”

She steadied her breathing and opened the door.

At the far end of the spacious living room, Mrs. Han sat on the sofa, beaming brightly the moment their eyes met.

“Mother, I’m ready.”

Though she had used this term for patients at the traditional medicine clinic before, the word Mother felt strangely unfamiliar on her tongue.

“Shall we go then?”

It was like walking into a tiger’s den.
Alone, without Tae-san as a shield.

* * *

Eun-cho clutched her phone tightly, half-expecting a message from Tae-san. But throughout the entire journey, her phone remained eerily silent.
Apparently, he had been caught up in back-to-back meetings since the morning and was too distracted to check his messages.

I can’t mess this up.

She recalled her earlier encounter with Chairman Ryu.
Unlike her own ignorance about him, he had thoroughly investigated her every move, leaving no stone unturned. He had even gone as far as hiring a tail to follow her. His meticulousness meant that no half-hearted trick would deceive him.

“Don’t worry. He’s strict, but he’s not a bad person.”
“Thank you.”

Mrs. Han reassured the increasingly anxious Eun-cho.
Her demeanor was a far cry from the cold, glamorous image of a chaebol wife Eun-cho had imagined.
In fact, she was unexpectedly warm and kind.

“Honestly, I thought Taesan would never get married in this lifetime. Even when I saw you, I couldn’t believe it.”

Taesan—what kind of life has he led?
With his face, his talent, his wealth—everything that makes him the perfect candidate for marriage—and yet, he was treating his mother like this, as though she were a burden.

“Shall we go inside now?”

The mansion in Pyeongchang-dong, synonymous with wealth, was nothing short of impressive.
Passing through the garden, lined with ancient pine trees, it took quite some time to reach the front door.
Eun-cho did her best to suppress her growing nervousness, stepping forward one careful foot at a time.

“Welcome.”
“Hello, Grandpa.”
“Haha, you can call me Grandpa just like before. I’d prefer that.”

Unlike at the inauguration ceremony, Chairman Ryu greeted Eun-cho warmly in his traditional hanbok, as if he were an entirely different person from the stern figure she had seen before.
It was clear he saw her not just as a mere acquaintance but as the woman who had captured the heart of his precious grandson.
Her earlier fears of an intimidating reception now felt entirely unfounded in the face of such a warm welcome.

“Come this way.”

Euncho followed Chairman Ryu’s lead into the drawing room.
On the large sofa, the Ryu family seemed to have already gathered.
Except for Jeong Seok, who was tending to patients at the clinic, it looked like all the direct descendants of the Baekwoon family were present.

The gaze of the family members was full of curiosity.
Under the sudden spotlight, Eun-cho gave a brief nod and carefully sat down on the sofa.

Ah, Tae-san… You better hurry up.

The man sitting across from her seemed like he could be the eldest brother, and the woman beside him might be his wife.
Her flawless complexion and gentle eyes gave off an impression of grace and refinement.

Surrounded by the Ryu family, this situation didn’t seem like it was going to be easy.
Moreover, Chairman Ryu’s face, though slightly smiling, was hard to read, making it difficult to guess what he was really thinking.

Eun-cho straightened her back and made eye contact with the Ryus.

“I couldn’t help but be curious. All this time, Tae-san has been adamant about staying single, but now he says he wants to get married.”

Chairman Ryu wasn’t one to beat around the bush.
He threw a direct, sharp question that caught Eun-cho off guard.
There was an unmistakable layer of personal mistrust toward Tae-san in his tone.

“So, are you really going to marry our Tae-san, Doctor?”

This was the first test at Baekwoonjae.