Chapter 20: The Dowry He Dared to Name

When Chae Il-joo agreed with his opinion, Lee Ah-seong straightened his back even more.

The reason he wanted them to live under the same roof was clearlydifferent, but that didn’t matter.

“And shouldn’t we get to see our pretty new son-in-law’s face more often, too?”

Of course, that confidence lasted only a moment.

Unlike the others, who took Il-joo’s words as nothing more than a flippant old man’s joke, Lee Ah-seong clenched his jaw hard, clearly forcing down some emotion.

Chae Il-joo felt his mood perfectly, and ignored it anyway.

At least, that’s how it looked to Go Ha-jin.

“Let’s hold the wedding as soon as possible. There’s no benefit in dragging it out, and the two of them seem to be getting along just fine.”

Once again, Il-joo spoke in a tone closer to a command.

“Chairman, just a moment-”

Unable to hide his dissatisfaction, Lee Ah-seong cleared his throat and tried to stop his husband.

Being called Chairman between spouses felt strange in itself.

“Before the wedding, I think it would be best to confirm each other’s health conditions.”

“Of course.”

“And as for the dowry, the gifts, and the formal offerings…”

Ha-jin had a feeling about where this was going.

He’s probably going to suggest keeping things modest.

After all, there was no need to attract more public attention.

But the words that followed left both Ha-jin and the man playing his father visibly shaken.

“I want it done at the highest level.”

“…Pardon? The highest… level?”

“Yes. The highest. You may not know this, but marriages in our family inevitably attract attention. Even if we don’t intend to show it off, it must be done at the highest standard, in accordance with our family tradition.”

Ha-jin glanced at Chae Woo-seok.

This was something they hadn’t anticipated.

Given the Chae family’s current situation, Ha-jin had assumed they’d want a quiet, discreet ceremony.

Clearly, he was wrong.

“If there’s anything specific you want…”

Ha-jin’s “father” spoke carefully.

There was a clear ulterior motive in the air.

“Cash or real estate would be best, wouldn’t you say?”

“Hm…”

Ha-jin shot his father a brief look, telling him to go along with it.

He didn’t know how much money they were aiming for, but that was Woo-seok’s problem to solve, whether by persuading his parents or finding the funds himself.

“Think of it as… a sign of trust.”

“You’re right, Father. Trust is important.”

For the first time, Ha-jin inserted himself into the adults’ conversation.

He kept his smile intact, politely affirming Lee Ah-seong’s words.

“That’s why there’s something I’d like to receive as well… Chairman.”

He turned toward Chae Il-joo, who had been silently empowering Lee Ah-seong by allowing all this.

“Say it. Anything.”

Ha-jin smiled innocently.

“The Blue Moon.”

All eyes in the room snapped to Ha-jin’s mouth.

“W-what did you just ask for…?”

“Oh! Don’t you know it, Father? The Blue Moon, it’s a blue diamond.”

He looked at Lee Ah-seong with a puzzled expression, as if to ask how he could possibly not know.

Anyone with even a passing interest in art or jewelry would’ve heard the name.

It was practically legendary.

“You must not understand what that is-”

Lee Ah-seong’s face flushed red.

Of course he knew.

There had even been a time when he’d desperately wanted it himself.

But the current owner was unknown, and its value was nearly impossible to quantify.

The last time it appeared at auction, over a decade ago, it had sold for 30 million dollars, roughly 35 billion won at the time.

Even then, people had said the price was absurdly inflated.

“Ha!”

Then suddenly, Chairman Chae Il-joo’s laughter filled the room.

Lee Ah-seong, who’d been about to protest, fell silent, and even Ha-jin, who’d just said something outrageous, stared at him in a daze.

“Our son-in-law has a bold appetite! It seems you’ve been raised with a great deal of love, my in-law.”

At some point, Il-joo’s choice of words had changed.

He was already calling him son-in-law and in-law.

“Very well. I’ll give it to you.”

Still laughing, Il-joo made the promise in a voice thick with amusement.

“If I can’t secure it in time, I’ll give you something even better, so don’t be disappointed.”

“…Thank you, Chairman.”

Ha-jin was stunned.

He’d only thrown that out as a warning, let’s not start throwing around ridiculous numbers.

The plan had been to negotiate from there.

But Chae Il-joo had taken it whole.

“He really is quite adorable, don’t you think?”

Il-joo asked his son beside him for confirmation.

At that moment, Ha-jin’s eyes met Woo-seok’s again.

“He is. Now that I’ve gotten to know him.”

With the gentle curve of his eyes, Woo-seok said it clearly: Well done.

****

“Ha… what are we supposed to do about this?”

Ha-jin greeted Woo-seok, who had just come home, with a half-defeated expression.

He didn’t even bother getting up, just sprawled across the sofa, completely drained.

It wasn’t even anger anymore; he simply had no energy left.

“What do you mean, what do we do? You asked for the Blue Moon, did you really not expect this much?”

“That was bargaining! Bargaining! Did you really think they’d bite that hard? Who in their right mind would actually accept that?!”

A few days after the family meeting, a lawyer from SHS had visited.

He delivered the prenuptial agreement they’d discussed and left.

Ha-jin had been like this ever since opening it.

The clauses were… absurd.

“Fine, whatever about the rest, but how am I supposed to bring 20 billion won in cash as a dowry?!”

“That’s why a blue diamond would’ve been-”

“That’s not the point! Who receives 20 billion in physical cash, not even a transfer?!”

He finally vented all the frustration that had built up.

At that, Woo-seok let out a low sigh and stepped closer.

“Ha-jin.”

“…W-what, why?”

Woo-seok spread Ha-jin’s legs where he sat on the sofa and slid his knee between them, settling in.

Then, without warning, he leaned down and cupped Ha-jin’s face.

“You talk more than I expected. I don’t recall ever telling you to earn that money yourself.”

He gently held Ha-jin’s cheeks, lifting his chin so their eyes met.

His tone was soft, almost soothing, as he closed the distance.

“R-right…? I might’ve… o-overreacted a bit…?”

“A bit?”

“No! I mean- I said something unnecessary. You’ll handle it all anyway, right…?”

Woo-seok found moments like this incredibly amusing.

It felt like he could hear Ha-jin’s thoughts spinning in real time.

That frightened expression, like he was bracing for something, failed completely at hiding his nerves.

It was so transparent it was almost funny.

Funny enough to make Woo-seok want to tease him even more.

“Shouldn’t we sort out how we address each other first, Ha-jin?”

“I told you not to call me that!”

The heat spread from Ha-jin’s cheek all the way to his ears.

Was it really just hearing a name, one that wasn’t even truly his, that made him react like this?

Or was he just naturally weak to physical contact?

Either way, Woo-seok didn’t dislike the warmth under his palm.

“A-and if we’re talking about titles, you should get yours straight first.”

At this rate, Ha-jin’s face might actually burst.

Every time Woo-seok’s thumb brushed his cheek, the heat intensified.

“What do you mean?”

Finally snapping, Ha-jin shoved at Woo-seok’s chest.

Woo-seok considered resisting just to tease him more, then stopped.

If he pushed any further, Ha-jin really might combust.

“Hah… you’re twenty-eight, right?”

Another habit became clear.

Ha-jin hated having his weaknesses exposed.

When he was at a disadvantage like this, he tried even harder to appear strong.

At first, Woo-seok had thought he was just a stubborn, sharp-tongued con artist.

Now, he understood, this was how Ha-jin protected himself.

“So?”

He was still flushed, yet pretending to be calm.

Despite the way he kept licking his dry lips, his voice came out sharp.

“I’m twenty-nine on paper. If we’re fixing titles, shouldn’t you be calling me hyung?”

It was almost playful.

Woo-seok had done his own digging into Ha-jin’s past, yet strangely, everything before the name Go Ha-jin was completely blank.

No records. No history. Nothing.

So there was no way to know whether this was true or not.

There was no evidence Woo-seok had missed.

He decided to shelve that question for later.

For now, teasing Ha-jin was far more entertaining.

“…You’re right. Hyung.” (hyung – a term used by younger males to address older males in a friendly way)

Woo-seok’s low voice slid out, rough and slow, like it was scratching along Ha-jin’s throat.