Episode 4

Irene sighed and began to lay her head on the table, as she had done earlier this afternoon in the office cafeteria.

 

"How can I say no to my mother's invitation to arrange a date for me with her best friend's child?" Irene expressed her displeasure.

 

"What?! You were engaged?!" Crystal stared at Irene, who was drooping limply, with wide eyes.

 

Irene nodded slowly, "Crystal, what should I do?"

 

"Why don't you try to come first, even if your mother's choice is very handsome and wealthy?" Crystal stated.

 

"Oh, sh*t. I should not have asked you two for advice."

 

Not long after, a waiter came back to their table bringing 2 servings of tteokbokki with 5 bottles of soju.

 

Irene quickly straightened her seat and poured a bottle of soju into the glass before taking a sip.

 

One gulp, two gulps, until Irene finishes two bottles of soju all by herself.

 

"What's the deal with her?" Aaron inquired, continuing to notice Irene, who was still pouring soju into the glass and sipping it nonstop.

 

"Did being in an arranged marriage really cause this mess?" Crystal also continued to stare at Irene in surprise, her mouth open from several mouthfuls of tteokbokki.

 

***

 

Because Irene was already above the influence of alcohol, Aaron drove her back to her apartment, which was not far from her company.

 

Aaron looked at Irene, who was fast asleep when they arrived in front of the Apartment and stopped her car.

 

"She even forgot about her tteokbokki because she was too busy drinking soju," Aaron said as he got out of the car and walked over to the right side door.

 

Aaron carried Irene out and then led her to Irene's unit on the 15th floor.

 

"You only drank three bottles of soju, but why are you so heavy?" Aaron grumbled as he led Hyejin into an elevator that would take them to the 15th floor.

 

When the elevator reached the 15th floor, it rang once more. Aaron continued to take Irene out to her unit, which was close to the elevator door.

 

"Irene, where is the access card? Tell me so I can open it; I can't bear the weight of your body, which only appears slim from the outside." Aaron protested.

 

Irene remained silent; even though she was semi-conscious, she couldn't open her mouth to answer Aaron's question.

 

"Oh, this kid. It's so troublesome."

 

Irene is now in Aaron's arms, her chin resting on Aaron's left shoulder, while Aaron searches through Irene's bag for her access card.

 

"Even you are like a bottle of soju, the smell of alcohol is so strong in your body," Aaron grumbled again.

 

When Aaron found the access card, he returned Irene to her original position before taking her inside.

 

Aaron threw Irene's body onto her bed with a gasping breath.

 

"Noah, is that you?" Thank you for driving me home." Irene muttered with her lips closed and smiling.

 

Aaron could only shake his head slowly before leaving Irene's unit. Because he drove Irene's car to the restaurant, now he was forced to walk to the office to get his car, which still had been there.

 

***

 

Irene had finally arrived at a terrifying day. Unlike usual, Irene returned to her mother's house with a languid expression and a frown.

 

When Irene got out of the car and was about to enter the house, her mother greeted her with a happy face.

 

"You're finally home, honey. Have you eaten anything? I've already prepared your favorite dish, so let's get started." said the mother, who then led Irene to the dining table.

 

Irene sat down, then looked at some of her favorite side dishes on the table, one of which was samgyetang, a soup made of whole chicken stuffed with glutinous rice, ginseng root, Korean dates, and garlic.

 

"You should consume a lot of food." The mother, who had put a few spoonfuls of rice into a small bowl, handed it to Irene and told her to eat the food she had prepared since the morning.

 

Not long after, Jennie walked across the dining table to her room.

 

"Don't you want to eat, Jennie?" Come on over here and eat with your sister." Ahn Hara yelled at her younger child.

 

"I'm not hungry at all." Park Jennie continued to walk up the stairs without looking back until she reached her room.

 

"Jennie will eat later if she is hungry. Let's finish quickly because samgyetang tastes better when it's warm."

 

"Are you not going to eat, Mom?" Irene inquired.

 

"I've already eaten." Hara supported her chin with both hands while smiling at Irene, who had begun to eat her breakfast.

 

"Oh, Irene has arrived?" said the father, who had just gotten out of the shower and walked to the dining table to join his wife and first child.

 

Irene smiled and asked, "Have you had your breakfast, Daddy?"

 

Park Daniel nodded. "Yes, I had breakfast with your mother earlier. What about tonight? Are you coming with us?" Daniel inquired of Irene.

 

Hearing that made Irene take a deep breath and nod slowly, "Yeah, I'll come."

 

Daniel, who was happy, hugged Irene tightly and said, "Nice girl. I've already bought a dress you will wear to the meeting tonight."

 

"You should have brought it right here so Irene could see and try it," Hara said.

 

"Oh, you're right. Wait a minute. I will get it for you."

 

Daniel rose from his chair at the dining table and entered his room. He returned to Irene quickly, carrying a paper bag containing a dress he had purchased a few days ago at one of Seoul's major shopping malls.

 

"I bet you'll like it." Daniel, who had sat back down, began to try to take the dress out of the paper bag.

 

“Tadaaa! You like it, right?” Daniel asked then, after successfully showing the dress to Irene.

 

"Of course Irene likes it; her taste and yours aren't that dissimilar," Hara laughed.

 

Irene couldn't help but nod with a fake smile as she got up from the chair when her father tried to point the dress at Irene's body to ensure that she fits perfectly in a dress by his choice.