IMFOBO | CH 42 | Baby, Are You Okay?

The elderly man’s piercing gaze turned towards Eun-cho. It was as if he could see right through her, uncovering any hidden secrets. The feeling was akin to being stripped bare, even down to her undergarments.

“Yes, I want to marry Tae-san,” she said.

It seemed like obtaining the approval for marriage should have come first.

It seemed the order got tangled up because Ryu Taesan had bluntly declared that they were getting married.

It felt almost as though, as long as he said it, everything would fall into place smoothly without question.

Somehow, the atmosphere with the Ryu family felt precariously unstable—it made her uneasy.

“Why?” Chairman Ryu asked bluntly.

A woman nodded in agreement as if she understood.

During the car ride with the woman, Eun-cho had mentally rehearsed her response several times.

Should she say she loved him passionately?

Or that it was love at first sight?

Given that she had already conducted a thorough background check, ordinary words wouldn’t easily convince them.

And besides, if it weren’t genuine, it would be obvious in an instant.

Having come down alone from the North, she knew that Chairman Ryu’s influence within the group was absolute, especially with the way he’d nurtured Baekwoon to this point.

Could anyone deceive the sharp eyes of an old man with such impeccable intuition, bold judgment, and drive?

Sincerity, sincerity, sincerity. Eun-cho thought to herself.

Eun-cho thought back to the time when Tae-san had been tangled up with Bonghwang, wrestling and bickering in Cheongnim-ri.

The image of that fierce man, all tangled up with Bonghwang…

“He’s cute,” Euncho said with a soft smile, her words carrying a raw sincerity, untouched by any pretense.

The impact of Euncho’s unexpected words was enormous.

Not only Chairman Ryu but even Mrs. Han and the rest of the family were left speechless, their mouths hanging open.

“C-Cute? Who? You mean my son?”

Mrs. Han stuttered, her eyes widening in shock.

Her voice, as if speaking for everyone in the room, was filled with an almost frantic disbelief.

“I’ve changed his diapers, for heaven’s sake. Not once since then have I ever thought of him like that. Where, exactly, is he cute?”

Starting with Mrs. Han, the rest of the family began to stir.

It was a mix of incredulous sighs and stunned gasps.

Considering the usual image of that man, their reactions seemed almost natural.

“What on earth has he been doing?”

Ryu Taesan, the epitome of arrogance, where consideration and humility had long since disappeared.

When Euncho first met him a month or two ago, her reaction had been no different from the others.

He was a crazy man, terrifying, even more so than a gangster.

And yet…

“Taesan is really cute. Sometimes he acts all coy, and other times he’s so bold.”

“A-coy? Not Jeongseok, but Taesan?” Someone asked, surprised.

The coyness was for Euncho, but the boldness, even tearing off door panels, was for the grandmothers of Cheongnim-ri.

Euncho smiled, making just the right amount of adjustments and concealments, throwing everyone present into confusion.

This, too, was something she had learned from Ryu Taesan.

“Teacher, if that bastard has anything on you and threatened you, now’s the time to spill it.” Chairman Ryu suggested.

Had it been just blackmail?

Tae-san had used threats about the old house and even manipulated Eun-cho by offering to cover her grandmother’s medical expenses.

Caught in a tight spot from all sides, she couldn’t move forward or backward.

Chairman Ryu knew his grandson deeply, all the way to the core.

“Tae-san is reliable,” she said.

Before Eun-cho, Tae-san would have done anything to clear obstacles. In his own words, he would “crush” them.

“And he’s someone I want to trust,” Eun-cho added.

As she spoke to Tae-san’s family, she realized her genuine feelings. Tae-san had become a protective figure in her life, something she had never experienced before.

It wasn’t bad; it was pleasant and exciting.

However, acknowledging him as a romantic interest was a different matter.

“Saying he’s cute is especially sincere,” Eun-cho emphasized, her cheeks flushing as she smiled faintly.

She ended with the most intense word, ‘cute,’ which had triggered the strongest reactions from the family.

“Grandfather, you can stop doubting now. That’s real love, for sure.”

“She said he’s cute, Father. Game over.” The woman sitting quietly next to Taesan’s older brother, along with Mrs. Han, had taken Euncho’s side.

Chairman Ryu furrowed his brows in a stern expression, still unconvinced.

“Hah, do you really think that guy would let anyone else pull his strings? He wouldn’t even listen to me.”

“Father, please trust us now. Taesan’s marriage would be a celebration.”

“Tch! You’re all so naive! I’m just worried he’s going to take advantage of someone else’s precious daughter.”

Wow, that insight is spot-on.

The family dynamics were complex, with each member having their own thoughts.

It was easy to understand immediately how much effort Taesan had put into deceiving Chairman Ryu.

“I heard Jeongseok introduced you to Director Kwon’s clinic, and I thought that clueless guy might have feelings for you.”

Oh my. His grandson’s wife was Jeongseok’s wife?

Euncho realized, without even knowing it, that she was on the verge of starring in a love triangle with Su-ji—and the thought made her spine shiver.

“I have a conscience, you know. No matter how much I’m tempted by you as my grandson’s wife, as long as it’s not Tae-san among the three, I’m fine. Eh-hing!”

Chairman Ryu was incredibly resolute.

Euncho began to think intensely about how she could plant a seed of doubt to shake Chairman Ryu’s unwavering stance.

At that moment, the door swung open with a loud clank.

Breathing heavily, Taesan stormed through the front door, his hair slightly disheveled, a few strands falling across his forehead.

“Hah, what are you doing right now? Sneaking the kid in like that?”

“There’s no kid here! Are you going to call her a baby? You think I came running here like a damn dog to eat her or something?!”

It was fierce.

Ryu Taesan’s growling demeanor was like that of a desperate wild beast.

There was no sign of compromise in his glare as he stared back at Chairman Ryu, who was shouting at him.

Did he really come running, or is he just pretending to? Was I so doubtful that I couldn’t even trust that?

His heavy, labored breaths were strangely unfamiliar.

Taesan’s sudden appearance had tangled up Euncho’s thoughts.

Taesan strode into the sitting room with large, confident steps.

He dropped down next to Euncho, casually grabbing her hand as though it were the most natural thing to do, as if he had done it a thousand times before.

Euncho stared at her hand in Taesan’s grip, then quickly lowered her gaze.

“Is my baby okay? No bruises, right?”

Wow, this crazy guy. Is he really doing this for real?

It seemed like she still had a long way to go if she wanted to follow Taesan’s acting skills.

At this rate, it almost felt too real.

“What, what, what?! You’re really saying you find someone like him cute?”

Chairman Ryu clicked his tongue in disapproval, throwing a disapproving glance at Taesan.

Still, he stubbornly refused to agree with Euncho’s words, as if he couldn’t comprehend how she could find him cute.

Taesan, pondering the chairman’s words, looked at Euncho as if waiting for an explanation.

“Am I cute?”

He smiled so widely that his dimples seemed to sink in.

At that, another wave of shock swept over the family’s faces.

But, as expected, Taesan was never the type to consider others’ feelings.

He was relentless, as if he wouldn’t stop until he got an answer.

The more they watched, the more their expressions deepened in disbelief.

This man was not known for being considerate or empathetic.

“Grandfather, I can’t watch this anymore. Let’s end it here. Since I’ve shaved, I’ll go back to the company.”

The man, who had been silently sitting all this time, finally spoke up.

His tone was one of annoyance, as if he couldn’t be bothered to even keep in time with the conversation.

He looked more like Jeongseok than Taesan.

A more refined appearance, perhaps.

The way he sat, legs crossed, exuded a sense of authority, yet there was an undeniable air of vulnerability.

“If you’re going to stay, stay. Otherwise, you can go.”

“I will. See you at home.”

The man, who seemed to have little interest in Euncho, stood up abruptly as if he had fulfilled his duty.

“Is the meal ready, Kang Sandae?”

The atmosphere in the house was a bit unusual.

Even though they had gathered the whole family on a weekday afternoon, it seemed the family got along well. Yet, no one paid attention to the eldest son as he abruptly stood up.

It was truly a “my way” situation.

“Let’s eat first.”

With Chairman Ryu leading the way, the rest of the family followed behind him.

Euncho also stood up, glancing around cautiously.

At this point, the atmosphere seemed tolerable, but the fact that Ryu Chairman hadn’t fully accepted the situation yet made her uneasy.

“Are you okay?”

Taesan tilted his head and quietly asked after noticing her discomfort.

Euncho met his gaze and nodded in response.

“Good job.”

Wait, was he the type to offer such formal pleasantries?

Something felt off.

Before she could fully process the oddness, he casually ruffled her hair as if he had done it a hundred times before.

It was a tender, almost affectionate gesture, like a lover’s touch.

Before she could even show any surprise at his adeptness with skinship, he whispered, almost like a ventriloquist, right into her ear.

“Smile.”

Taesan playfully poked both corners of Euncho’s mouth with his index finger and pulled them up toward her cheeks.

Even that gesture exuded the unique intimacy of lovers. It was just as Euncho tried to break free from Taesan’s touch.

“Ah.”

She hadn’t realized that even such a trivial action was part of the plan.

Chairman Ryu, who had been walking ahead, turned his back after staring sharply at the two people flirting.

Hah, this man, seriously.

At that time, she didn’t know that this was actually decent behavior.

It was merely the opening move in Ryu Taesan’s outrageous lies.

Indeed, a massive bombshell was waiting.