★Chapter 07 : Guys, I’m Getting Married★
After a short drive, Kim Ha-neul and Kang Ba-da sat facing each other in a quiet cafe, sipping their drinks in silence. Both of them had similar thoughts.
‘How did it come to this!?’
Kim Ha-neul desired a peaceful life.
Kang Ba-da sought to conquer love.
Though their goals differed, their objective was the same—to seduce each other and elicit a confession.
‘Confessing first to Ba-da-ssi would lead to a bad ending.’
Kang Ba-da had chosen a contractual marriage to avoid the attention of men in her family and surroundings. Approaching her first would likely result in rejection.
Consequently, the contract would be terminated, and Kim Ha-neul would be discarded. Thus, Kim Ha-neul believed that he needed to receive a confession from Kang Ba-da first.
‘If I confess first, I’ll lose the upper hand.’
Kang Ba-da had a similar thought.
Biologically, a man’s mating strategy is to seek multiple partners. Although modern society is bound by the institution of marriage, primal instincts imprinted in DNA cannot be ignored.
However, Kang Ba-da had lived her entire life as a member of the Daehan Group. Rather than being taken away by someone else, she would rather destroy it all.
She could bind Kim Ha-neul to her with money for now, but to ‘monopolize his heart, she needed to secure more than just financial power.
“…”
The table of the two remained silent, but their minds were busier than ever before.
‘But what should I do?’
The table was engulfed in silence.
Kim Ha-neul continued to ponder on what to say, but a suitable topic didn’t come to mind easily.
In the first place, he wasn’t particularly good with words. He chose to be a writer because writing was much more comfortable for him than speaking.
‘What do normal couples talk about?’
He had no idea.
He would need to have experienced dating to know.
To have experienced dating was a prerequisite.
For someone like Kim Ha-neul, who rarely uttered a word in a day, selecting a topic for conversation was a daunting challenge.
‘I have to come up with something somehow.’
However, he couldn’t give up here. Kim Ha-neul engaged his brain to its full capacity, desperately trying to extract a plausible conversation topic.
Since he knew nothing about football, that was out of the question.
Engaging in deep discussions was obviously off-limits.
He remembered someone advising him never to talk about military experiences.
He had exhausted all the short-term board games like chess and Go, leaving nothing else. If only he had anticipated this, he would have prepared by watching some dramas.
“Oh, there’s something.”
Was it a stroke of luck or his dedicated thinking? A suitable topic came to mind, and Kim Ha-neul couldn’t help but smile.
“Ba-da-ssi, do you know that the surface area of Pluto is similar to that of Russia?”
How could one not find it intriguing that the size of a celestial body floating in space is comparable to the size of a country?
Recalling the contents of a documentary he had glimpsed in a moment of crisis, he marveled at his brilliant mind. Now, if he could explain it well, even Kang Ba-da would find his intellectual side attractive…
“Yes, that’s right. The size of Pluto is approximately 17.9 million square kilometers. Moreover, Pluto’s diameter is smaller than the maximum length of Russia’s territory.”
“……”
“Oh, and after Pluto was expelled from the planet classification, it was temporarily referred to as a ‘dwarf planet.’ There has been a lot of controversy since then. Eventually, a new category called ‘plutoid’ was created, named after ‘Pluto.’ And in this category…”
Kang Ba-da enthusiastically explained, her eyes sparkling. Watching her, Kim Ha-neul realized his own mistake.
‘…She majored in earth science. Right.’
For a moment, I had forgotten that Kang Ba-da was a woman with extensive scientific knowledge. But there she was, not stopping her words like a fish encountering water.
Now, she even took out the photo materials she had saved on her phone and explained while showing them. She used to be stuck in the research lab all the time, but it seemed like she genuinely loved science.
“But this… It’s quite fascinating.”
As I listened to Kang Ba-da’s stories, I felt my interest piquing. Firstly, she explained things very neatly, and it wasn’t just limited to scientific topics.
“Take a look at this. Doesn’t it look interesting?”
“It looks like a heart, doesn’t it?”
“Yes, that’s why it’s called the ‘Heart of Pluto.’ Its official name is the ‘Tombaugh Regio.'”
“Tombaugh? What does that mean?”
“Oh, it’s named after the astronomer who discovered Pluto for the first time in the 1930s, Clyde Wiiliam Tombaugh. They took the name from there.”
“I see.”
The Heart of Pluto.
If I were to use this later in a web novel, it could turn into an interesting plot. According to Kang Ba-da’s explanation, it’s predicted to disappear within the next ten years due to climate change.
“Pluto (Hades) clearly represented Hades, right?”
The love story of Hades for Persephone is quite famous. If I connect it to the Heart of Pluto and express it as ‘twisted love,’ it could work well.
“It would fit well with the current trend of divorce-themed novels, wouldn’t it?”
After all, Persephone was abducted and forced into a marriage, and she had an affair with her secret lover. If it’s a story of Hades realizing this and divorcing her…
Of course, it would be difficult to make Hades the main character due to the limitations of the material, but using him as a supporting character who gives related quests in a game wouldn’t be a bad idea.
As I laid out these thoughts,
Kang Ba-da vigorously nodded her head.
“Interesting, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Yeah, since the average surface temperature of Pluto is around -248°C, expressing it as ‘frozen love’ would be appropriate.”
“Oh, I should write that down.”
Kim Ha-neul asked Kang Ba-da for a moment of understanding and took out her phone to record the story.
“By the way, Persephone is incredibly pitiful.”
“Well, yes. After all, she was abducted and forced into marriage, spending half of the year trapped underground. But still…”
“Yes?”
“I think she’s relatively happy in the context of Greek and Roman mythology. In that category, most gods are portrayed as rebels, but Hades is said to be quite compassionate.”
Kang Ba-da tilted her head with apparent interest at my words. So I briefly told her the story of Hades and Persephone.
“When Persephone, soaked in sadness, stopped eating and drinking, Hades made an oath to the River Styx, saying, ‘I will definitely send her back later to soothe her.'”
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Read from the original site [ https://moonlightnovel.com/ ]
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“Is that a big deal?”
“When you make an oath to the River Styx, not even Zeus, the grandfather of gods, can break it. Thanks to that, Persephone spends half of the year on the surface.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Kang Ba-da nodded heavily. Suddenly, sensing a change in the atmosphere, Kim Ha-neul raised her head in surprise, and Kang Ba-da cautiously spoke up.
“If… If Ha-neul-ssi ever wants to end this contractual marriage…”
“That won’t happen.”
Because I don’t want to die.
Kim Ha-neul barely swallowed her words.
At his firm response, Kang Ba-da flinched for a moment but spoke again in a cautious tone.
“So, if… If, by any chance, you do want to end this contractual marriage, please make sure to talk to me first.”
“What if I do?”
“Yes?”
“What would you do if I wanted to end it?”
“Um…”
Kang Ba-da couldn’t easily open her mouth, as if it was a quite serious statement. Kim Ha-neul, too, couldn’t easily lift her lips in the tense atmosphere.
How much time passed like that?
Kang Ba-da lifted the corner of her mouth slightly and spoke.
“…I’ll give you half of the year to be free.”
Flutter-
Kim Ha-neul made an effort to lift the corner of her mouth in response to that witty reply. Her lips trembled ever so slightly, unseen by Kang Ba-da.
‘That means she won’t let go, no matter what.’
Well, if rumors spread that a chaebol granddaughter broke off an engagement, it could affect the group’s image. If she feels frustrated, she probably means to go abroad for a while.
‘I absolutely won’t go.’
People often say they don’t trust the police in our country. But globally, South Korea is one of the few countries with good public safety.
Just going to nearby China or the Philippines, and a person’s life becomes trivial for just a few million won. In other words, it means it’s easy to have an “accident.”
‘If I die abroad, they won’t even find my bones.’
Although Kang Ba-da jokingly said those words, there were thorns hidden within. It was a sharp question that served as a kind of warning and a test.
‘A woman who can’t let her guard down.’
At least Persephone had the reliable backing of being the goddess of the earth. I have nothing, so I always have to maintain a sense of tension.
“Ahaha, there’s no way that would happen. I’m so satisfied with my current life.”
Kim Ha-neul, who used the social skills she learned from the military and numerous part-time jobs to the extreme. Kang Ba-da smiled softly as she watched him.
“Wow, you really can’t lie.”
How does it show so clearly?
I thought it was a line that would make an impression, but it seemed to have no effect on him at all. Thinking that way made me feel a little bitter.
‘Should I just kidnap him for real?’
If she were to kidnap Kim Ha-neul like Hades and keep him locked up at home, maybe someday he would look at her like Persephone did. Of course, what meaning would there be in obtaining such feelings? It was quite vexing to see him lying.
‘Well, for now, there’s nothing I can do.’
A relationship forced together by money.
She never expected it to go smoothly from the start. Whatever his intentions were, the fact that he was willing to accommodate her for the time being was satisfying enough.
‘For no reason, I got carried away…’
Kang Ba-da blamed her own flippant mouth. She had learned from books that when situations like this arise, it’s better to pretend not to know and listen to the explanation. But she got excited and blabbered about earth science. Nevertheless, she was grateful to Kim Ha-neul for nodding along and listening attentively.
“…”
As the conversation topic that had picked up momentum began to cool down, the two of them exchanged cautious glances in the face of the heavy silence that settled once again.
It was just like before, with no sound to be heard, but if there was one thing different from before,
“Well, it wasn’t so bad, right?”
“Aren’t you glad?”
Smirk-
They looked at each other and exchanged awkward smiles.
* * *
“Hey, guys, it’s been a while.”
“It’s hard to find a time that works now that everyone’s married. We should start doing couple outings.”
“Well, first, Ha-neul has to get married.”
“I was planning to ask about that today. I heard he has a good friend of his wife. Will he introduce her?”
“What? Is Kim Ha-neul coming too?”
“Yeah, I heard he’s already in the area.”
Everyone widened their eyes in surprise at their friend’s words. It was rare for Kim Ha-neul to participate in gatherings.
Since their friends knew about his situation, they understood it well enough, but it wasn’t as if they didn’t feel a tinge of disappointment. After all, they were only human.
“It seems like he’s starting to want to get married too.”
“Kim Ha-neul seems pretty serious. Hey, the ‘Bachelor of the Century’ who never paid attention even if the most beautiful women followed him around.”
“Well, I thought the same way. But reading the novel he’s writing now, it’s not exactly like that. The title is ‘Life Becomes Amazing After Marriage'”
“…Truly a naive idea.”
Hahaha-
The friends burst into laughter at the same time. With Kim Ha-neul included, out of the four gathered here, two were married, and the other had been living together for five years. It was a joke they could make.
In a time when people tend to avoid marriage, Kim Ha-neul would be closer to the norm, but as always, he was an exception.
“But seriously, when is he coming? What happened to him? The solo guy who’s half-retired is the latest. The world is turning upside down…”
“Sorry for being late. Hey.”
“Hey, hurry up and go… Huh?”
The friend who turned his head with a smile at the familiar voice from behind froze in place. Not only him, but the other friends also looked dumbfounded.
Kim Ha-neul, who couldn’t see their reactions as he took off his coat, sat down and asked the regular restaurant aunt to add another setting.
“But I wasn’t late for the appointed time. You guys just came out too early. Did your wives tell you to leave quickly?”
“No, you… I mean… Kim Ha-neul, sir?”
The friends exchanged glances at Kim Ha-neul’s reaction. Even the friend who organized the gathering seemed unsure as he nodded his head.
“…Did the alcohol here get stronger?”
“Yeah, maybe. I guess it’s because I haven’t had alcohol in a while. Does Kim Ha-neul look cool or something?”
“Oh, you guys too? That’s a relief. I thought my LASIK surgery went wrong and panicked.”
“Come on, let’s have a drink and wake up from this dream.”
“Sounds good.”
“Cheers!”
Kim Ha-neul glared at his friends with a resentful gaze. Ignoring him completely, the friends clinked their glasses together.
“Ahh! Yeah, this taste!”
“Oh, I’m starting to come to my senses now.”
“Where… Oh, it’s still the same?”
“Yeah.”
“The alcohol hasn’t fully kicked in yet.”
Hahaha-
They laughed at each other as they faced one another, bewildered. And soon enough, they began refilling their glasses. Kim Ha-neul opened his mouth while watching them.
“If you’re going to go up to the fourth verse, I’ll just go home.”
“No, damn it! What the hell is going on here? Kim Ha-neul, it’s all because of you! What happened all this time? Did you win the lottery or something!?”
“Yeah.”
“Or did you meet a rare beauty somewhere… What?”
“That’s right too.”
“……”
Clank! Gulp!
Amidst the bewildered friends, Kim Ha-neul filled his glass alone and emptied it in one gulp. After repeating that about three times, he finally spoke.
“Guys, I’m getting married.”
…What?
At Kim Ha-neul’s bombshell statement, his friends froze in unison.
