Moon Ga-eun was flustered, trying to continue speaking.
“Dad, well, you see, it’s…”
“Hahaha. I see. There is no way my daughter hasn’t dated by this age? Especially during the most passionate years of her twenties. Haha. So, who’s the lucky guy you’re dating? Is he someone Dad knows?”
She never got the chance to continue her sentence. Her father pressed on without pause, not allowing her a moment to think. Her father’s face displayed a sense of joy.
‘Why?’
That suddenly made her angry again. Her father arranged her blind dates—it wasn’t for any political reason, but it seemed to genuinely come from his desire for his daughter to experience love. Or was it because he thought she couldn’t find a boyfriend on her own? Even if she couldn’t, did it show so clearly? Those questions rushed into Moon Ga-eun’s mind.
The misunderstanding was accumulating in a strange direction.
“Ah! Could it be the guy you’ve been pursuing since last time? That… Do Jae-hyun, right?”
It was a misunderstanding. A really big one. If she made a wrong move, the situation could escalate uncontrollably.
Moon Ga-eun quickly shook her hands to deny it.
“Dad, no, he’s just…”
“Hahaha. Did you see this sly daughter of mine? She wanted to recruit a student Holder, Do Jae-hyun, for herself, right? Haha. It’s youth, youth.”
It was over. Once her father confirmed her dating status, there was no stopping him. Her words seemed to fall on deaf ears.
“Bring him in front of me sometime. Dad wants to treat him to a meal. Just having a meal, so don’t worry about any strange concerns.”
Silence followed. Moon Ga-eun had tried to resolve the problem, but she had ended up with an even bigger issue.
***
Ippotranslation
***
“…That’s how it happened.”
Moon Ga-eun, who had explained everything, bowed her head deeply once more.
In response, my face wore an expression of utter bewilderment. I couldn’t believe such an absurd situation had unfolded.
I asked Moon Ga-eun, “Did you try to explain it properly?”
“He wouldn’t believe me. I really spoke from the heart, I think.”
“Well, your appearance certainly fits the bill.”
Especially for a father who genuinely wanted his daughter to date. It made sense.
As I listened to the story, I found it fascinating. Moon Jong-hyuk was quite the opposite of Kang Juyeon’s father, Kang Woo-hyun. Kang Woo-hyun had been so protective of his daughter that he would have kicked me out of the clan if he had suspected I was Kang Juyeon’s boyfriend. But Moon Jong-hyuk was encouraging his daughter’s dating life.
Anxious about not taking his daughter away but rather arranging a date for her himself—this was a type of father I had never seen anywhere else. There was no clear answer as to what was right, but the fact remained that both Moon Ga-eun and I were in a difficult situation due to it.
“But why did you say they were trying to recruit me?”
Suddenly, a question arose. The only recruitment offer I had received was from Kang Juyeon’s <Judgment of Fire>. I had never heard of an offer from <Royal>. In response, Moon Ga-eun lifted her head.
“Oh, that… originally, <Royal> wanted to recruit you too.”
“Since when?”
“From the very beginning! But Juyeon was faster, like a cat burglar. Ugh… we could have brought you in first.”
Moon Ga-eun’s eyes showed frustration. Clenching her fists in anger, she seemed to have forgotten about her original request and was focused solely on losing out in the recruitment race.
“Phew-“
I couldn’t help but chuckle at her reaction. It was only now that I was seeing the real Moon Ga-eun. She always acted on her emotions, regardless of the context. Maybe that’s why she frequently fought with her father. And in the midst of all this, she had told a lie about having a boyfriend.
“Don’t laugh, I’m serious.”
Moon Ga-eun pouted while tightly holding her vanilla latte. I wondered why vanilla latte was so appealing to her. Perhaps coffee helped even in difficult situations.
“I’m serious too. From now on, I have to be Moon Ga-eun’s boyfriend, and I can’t take it lightly.”
As I said this with a smile…
Moon Ga-eun blinked at me.
“A-are you… helping me?”
“Well, would you rather I didn’t? After all, your father already knows about me.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much, Do Jae-hyun…!!”
Her gratitude was intense, and it made me laugh again. I seemed to be witnessing a new side of Moon Ga-eun today. She wasn’t just about playing pranks as I had always thought. Kang Juyeon should have been here to see this.
“Going to dinner with your father, is it just a one-time thing?”
“Yeah! Other than that, I don’t need any more favors.”
“Is the date not decided yet?”
“No. You can pick a day that works for you.”
“Okay. Then let’s prepare properly and go without any flaws.”
To be honest, I could help with a dinner situation at least once. Playing the role of a boyfriend that she never had wouldn’t be easy, but well, it wouldn’t be an indefinite commitment. Besides, unlike Kang Woo-hyun, a father who laid traps with convoluted language, Moon Jong-hyuk seemed like someone I could easily communicate with once I found the right words. As long as I matched the conversation appropriately, things would likely go smoothly.
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶