Tensegrity

After meticulously nagging the president, madam ended the call. “Let’s go have dinner later.”

“Yes.”

It is notified after a decision was made, but it doesn’t really matter. Soon after, madam also called Executive Director Min and told him to come home in the evening.

When they arrived at the studio, they were greeted by a florist dressed in a simple manner, as in the case with people with creative professions. As it is a studio, Jun-Kyung imagined that flowers and various flower-related products would be placed all over the place, but it was not at all. Except for the fancy floral decorations, it was rather reminiscent of a luxury lounge.

As Jun-Kyung sat down at a stylish sofa table in gold and marble, the florist brought a large album. It was a portfolio that edited an existing work.

“Hmm. In just four years, the trend has changed again.”

Madam mentioned a trend from 4 years ago. Jun-Kyung didn’t know there were other marriages at the time. As far as he knows, the last daughter’s marriage was long before that.

“We exclude artificial beauty and try to mix and match as close to nature as possible.”

“It’s still a wedding, wouldn’t white be better?” Madam asked.

“Of course.”

A serious conversation between the two began without the marriage party. Actually, Jun-Kyung was very grateful for that. He only knew that flower decorations were used in weddings, but  didn’t know where and how they were made and hung, and also he didn’t care.

In the midst of serious discussions about decorative flowers, the florist often reached out somewhere, and the staff brought samples of flowers each time. It seems like there was a separate studio in the building where the flowers were kept.

After watching her for over an hour, Jun-Kyung knew for the first time that there were so many different kinds of white flowers in the world. Even flowers that look the same were given complex names according to the shape of their petals.

“Which one is better?” He honestly doesn’t know what’s different. While smiling vaguely, madam smelled each scent.

“This one smells strong. Remove the strong ones and use the lighter scents. It’s not good for  kids.”

The ‘kid’ she just spoke of didn’t seem to be Executive Director Min.  Again, madam smiled happily as she looked at Jun-kyung.

“It’s still early days, so there are a lot of things to be careful about.”

“Oh, this is?” The florist, who noticed her attitude, suddenly looked at Jun-Kyung.

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? He is a new member of our family.”

“I didn’t notice. Congratulations.”

The gaze of the other person who greeted Jun-Kyung very warmly was slightly shaken. She must have heard that it was her son’s wedding, but suddenly was surprised to find that a man appeared as a new member of the family.

“Excuse me, are you an Omega?”

Male Omegas were widespread in movies and TV shows, but in reality, they were not common. The probability of encountering a male Omega is lower than the probability of meeting a celebrity in real life.

“Yes.”

“Ah, that’s right.” The florist who found the answer belatedly laughed a lot cooler than before. She seemed relieved to resolve some unanswered questions. “That’s why you only do boutonnieres without bouquets. I was wondering if the bouquet was made elsewhere.”

“Oh, why bother? Why would I do it separately?”

“I know, right?”

The florist laughed and took out another album. Jun-Kyung wondered what Boutonniere was, but he knew it when he saw the album. It was a floral ornament for men. There was another hour of discussion over it. She even made some samples on the spot and put them on Jun-Kyung’s jacket. He doesn’t know what’s different, but madam picked one over another. He thought that was over it, but he was wrong.

“Can I see what I asked for before?”

“Yes. It’s ready.”

Soon the staff brought a large basket of flowers that was very nice and colorful to look at.

“Is there anything else I can modify?”

“No, I like it. Do you have the address?”

“Yes, it’s the place you always send. Since you’re here today, would you like to use your own card? Or shall I write it as before?”

“No, I will write it.”

Then the florist brought a pretty card. Madam, who received the fountain pen, wrote a short message. Jun-Kyung can see who it is even if he didn’t mean to because they were sitting close. It was a birthday card for Lee Si-Eun.

“When the wine arrives, I will send it.”

“That’s good.”

The florist carefully placed the card in the center of the basket.

“Let’s go now.”

As if all the chores were over, madam got up from her seat. Jun-Kyung had already contacted the driver, so the car was waiting in front of the building. The florist came out of the building and said goodbye.

It was the time of a traffic jam, so the car stopped repeatedly. It was a short distance, but it felt like it would take quite a while. Madam, who had her back tilted and her eyes closed, quietly opened her mouth.

“It’s her birthday soon.”

“Yes.”

At first, Jun-Kyung wondered who she was talking about, but it turns out to be Lee Si-Eun. Even though he heard that they were close, he didn’t know that madam would personally pack a birthday present.

“What a pitiful kid.”

“Yeah?” He couldn’t figure out what was going on. He doesn’t feel sorry for Si-Eun Lee though.

“If it weren’t for that, our house would have a new family member before you.”

He doesn’t know what it is, but if it’s Taewon’s new family…Does that Executive Director Min and Lee Si-Eun are in a relationship? Does Executive Director Min know that madam knows about between the two? What’s going on? Jun-Kyung gulped down his dry mouth.

“If it’s a new family member…?”

As he carefully spoke his words, madam who stood her up looked at Jun-kyung.

“Don’t you know?”

He smiled and shook his head to mean he didn’t know.

“Oh, did Jun-kyung come to our house after that? Everyone was hushed, so that may be it.”

“What do you mean?”

Could it be that the whole family dates each other openly? Yet, as soon as he found out about Jun-Kyung’s pregnancy, did he abandon Lee Si-Eun and is pushing for a marriage? Is Jun-Kyung allowed to do this? All sorts of thoughts ran through his mind.

“That girl, Si-Eun Lee. In fact, she was actually about to marry my oldest child.”

As expected, if Jun-Kyung had not intervened, she would have married Executive Director Min. Still, how did he suddenly propose to a woman like that and break it? Does he have a conscience or not? After the baby is born, Jun-Kyung will somehow become entangled with the Min family. He couldn’t guess why Executive Min would do this for his nephew and not his child.

“If only he hadn’t suddenty gone like that.”

“What?”

Where is she going with this?

“It’s Hyun-Jun. The eldest son of our house who went first.” (T/N: the eldest is dead.)

Thoughts that had raged like a storm disappeared in an instant without a trace. In the vacant place, a bitter stillness took its place. At the same time, Jun-Kyung felt a great sense of relief. His stomach churned when all the tension suddenly eased.

‘So that’s why.’

It is only now that he fully understands why Executive Director Min said that he did not need to be particularly concerned about her even though their family is intertwined.

“There are few people who know about it externally before officially announcing the engagement. I didn’t bring it up in case it would be bad for Si-Eun Lee’s future.”

“I see.”

“Did Executive Director Min not say anything?”

“He said they are just childhood friends.”

“He should’ve told you about it in advance before seeing her at the meeting. He should’ve taken care of it.”

“It’s okay.”

Madam’s reaction was the same as his mother’s, as if she’s also a middle-aged mother. At once, she scolded Executive Director Min for not being courteous to his marriage partner. In case there are more incidents like this in the future, she added that Jun-Kyung asks her if Executive Director Min doesn’t talk about it.

“Anyway, is the relationship between the couple more important, or is a friend more important? Jun-Kyung is also not the type to ask about elsewhere.” (T/N: She means Jun-Kyung is not gossipy)

“Haha. I would have asked you sooner or later.”

“Still. Did the in-laws care too? A young lady pretended to be close. Ah, I’ll have to call them separately.”

“No, you don’t have to.”

“No. The sooner this misunderstanding is resolved, the better.”

As expected, the mother-in-laws keep in touch. How can madam know so well the psychology of parents that even her child Jun-Kyung does not know? She was on the phone right away with Jun-Kyung’s mother.

At first, she smiled and said hello, and talked about how she came to arrange flowers for the wedding with Jun-Kyung today. She shared that she prepared a birthday basket for someone that’s like her niece and naturally brought up Si-Eun Lee’s story while subtly leaking the type of relationship between them.

“If my eldest had been alive, she would have been a daughter, not a nephew… That’s what happened in life.”

A tactless person may not be able to catch it right away, but it is a different story for a mother. Jun-Kyung’s mother must have understood her perfectly.

Something annoying similar to a thorn in the throat fell out. She is the fiancee of a dead brother. Talking on the phone while crying must have been related to that. It must have been even more heartbreaking since it’s a close childhood friend.

‘It’s really not a big deal.’

It is true that such a relationship is objectively meaningful, but less meaningful compared to an internal relationship. Although she’s older than Jun-Kyung, it is time for Lee Si-Eun to get out of the past and make a fresh start.

Madam, who finished the call, smiled generously. It was the same for Jun-Kyung.

(T/N: I’m so sorry for infrequent updates. I am drowning in paperworks at the moment.)