Chapter 44 : I’m In Charge Today.
‘Who the hell does this guy think he is?’
Ha—
Left alone, Kang Byeol let out a disbelieving laugh. It was so ridiculous, she couldn’t even find the words.
– I think you’re mistaken.
– I made sure to prepare for this in advance.
– If you don’t trust me, you can check for yourself.
Kim Ha-neul’s words flashed through her mind like a scene from a movie. Where was he getting all this confidence from?
Did he really not know who she was? That thought crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. No, this had to be just Kim Ha-neul’s personality.
– He’s not as easy as he looks.
She remembered Kang Taeyang’s words. Did he somehow know this would happen? She was starting to understand why that man had been protecting Kim Ha-neul.
This guy was clever. He’d turned what Kang Byeol thought was her biggest advantage—the marriage—into his own weapon.
Sure, he could be lying, but who would risk something that could be exposed in just a day?
‘If he’s acting, he deserves an award.’
She had been groomed as a successor since she was young, meeting countless people along the way.
Thanks to that, she prided herself on being able to spot lies better than anyone.
And from what she could tell, Kim Ha-neul had been 100% sincere. His unwavering gaze and the way his entire presence radiated confidence made it clear.
“…He’s arrogant, that’s for sure.”
You really couldn’t judge a person until you met them face-to-face. On paper, she’d thought he was nothing special, but now, seeing him in person, it was different.
Still, she wasn’t sure if it was arrogance or confidence. Objectively speaking, Kim Ha-neul wasn’t at her level in terms of ability.
If he was just relying on the support of Kang Bada and Kang Taeyang, he was in for a rude awakening.
‘But at least she picked a decent husband.’
Now she was starting to understand why her younger sister had chosen him. When he’d stepped forward, the relief in Kang Bada’s eyes had been undeniable.
Growing up in such a chaotic environment, constantly pushed around by circumstances, Kang Bada must have seen Kim Ha-neul’s firm values as a solid foundation to lean on.
To be honest, if he had just stood by and done nothing, she would’ve quietly buried the whole thing—for the sake of her sister’s future, marriage included.
‘Alright, Kim, my brother-in-law, let’s see what you’re really made of.’
I’ll judge for myself if you’re truly worthy of standing by her side.
* * *
“Congratulations to both of you!”
“Oh my, congrats! When’s the wedding?”
“Haha… We’re thinking of taking our time with the ceremony.”
The day after meeting Kang Byeol.
Early that morning, Ha-neul and Kang Bada visited the orphanage. They needed witnesses to sign their marriage registration.
– So, who should we ask to be witnesses?
– I can’t think of anyone. Maybe the lawyer who helped with the contract or someone from security?
– Hmm, that could work, but…
Bada didn’t seem too thrilled with the idea, so Ha-neul suggested the people from the orphanage instead.
Asking his family would just cause a commotion, and Bada’s family wasn’t even an option. The people from the orphanage were the only ones they both knew well enough.
“Are you sure we’re the right people to be your witnesses?”
“Of course! You have no idea how much you mean to us. We’d love for you to do it.”
“And me?”
“Of course, we wouldn’t forget you, Mr. Park.”
“Hehe.”
Luckily, both signed the document without any hesitation. Since everything else was ready, all that was left was to submit it.
“Unnie, are you really marrying Oppa?”
“Yeah. Will you congratulate us, Yena?”
“So, does that mean you won’t come here anymore?”
Yena looked up at them with her usual blank expression. In response, Kang Bada gently smiled and stroked her hair.
“No, I’ll still come to visit you, Yena.”
“Until when?”
“Hmm… Until you want me to stop?”
“Can you promise?”
“Of course. Here!”
Kang Bada held out her pinky finger to Yena. After a brief hesitation, Yena carefully reached out and locked her pinky with Bada’s.
They hooked their pinky fingers.
Stamped it with their thumbs.
And even pressed their palms together.
“This seems more complicated than the marriage registration,” Ha-neul said with a chuckle.
“For Yena, it’s worth it,” Bada responded warmly.
“Yena, do you want to come with us? We could grab your favorite ice cream.”
“Hmm… No, I don’t want to go.”
“What? What did you just say!?”
Everyone was shocked by her unexpected refusal. It was the first time Yena had ever turned down an offer to go out.
“Not in the mood for ice cream? How about pork cutlet?”
“No, Yena is busy.”
“Huh?”
Whoosh—
Yena turned and walked off somewhere. Mr. Park, seeing a look from the headmistress, quickly followed her, leaving the rest of them speechless.
“Did I… do something wrong?”
“It’s not your fault, Bada. She looked like she was really thinking hard about something. There must be a reason.”
“Maybe she’s working on a drawing.”
“A drawing?”
The headmistress nodded. She glanced at the door Yena had gone through, smiling awkwardly.
“Actually, after you both left yesterday, Yena woke up late. Without saying a word, she wandered off, so I quietly followed her.”
“Yena left without saying anything?”
“Yes, and when I found her, she was in the lounge drawing. Even though it was late, she wouldn’t stop and kept working.”
“Hmm…”
Both Ha-neul and Kang Bada sighed together. Everyone knew Yena had a remarkable talent for art, but they were concerned it might turn into an unhealthy obsession.
Some artists use their work to relieve stress, sometimes becoming so fixated on it that it leads to problems, and those situations usually don’t end well.
“Do you think we should take her to a doctor?”
“For now, it’s probably best to let her be. Drawing might be her only way of managing stress.”
“That makes sense.”
Pat, pat—
As they fell silent, lost in thought, the headmistress gently patted them on the back. With her usual warm smile, she spoke again.
“I forgot to mention something important. Yena’s actually preparing a gift for both of you.”
“A gift?”
“Yes, she’s been in the art room all day because she wants to show you something she’s drawn.”
“Oh no…”
As Kang Bada started to go after Yena, the headmistress raised a hand to stop her. Seeing Bada’s confused look, she explained further.
“For now, let’s give Yena some time to prepare without any pressure. Just like it’s important to receive love, learning how to give it is equally important.”
“But…”
“Don’t worry, we’re making sure she eats well. Mr. Park and I are taking turns checking on her, and it probably won’t take her much longer.”
At the headmistress’s reassurance, Kang Bada hesitantly nodded. Sensing the growing tension, Ha-neul quickly changed the subject, knowing that staying longer would only make them more worried.
“Well, we need to stop by the district office, so we’ll head out for now. Please give us a call if anything comes up.”
“Of course, and congratulations again on your marriage.”
“Thank you.”
After saying their goodbyes, they both left the orphanage. Without wasting any time, they headed straight to the district office and submitted their marriage registration.
“Oh my, it’s rare to see couples coming in together to submit the paperwork these days. You two look wonderful together!”
“Haha… Thank you.”
“Oh, but I notice you’re not wearing rings yet. Are you saving that for the wedding ceremony?”
“Yeah, something like that, I guess?”
Most of the civil servants they’d dealt with before were pretty quiet and just focused on their work, but the one helping them today was unusually chatty.
Maybe it was because of Kang Bada’s appearance. From the moment they walked into the office, they could feel all eyes on them. No matter when it happened, that kind of attention always felt a bit overwhelming.
“All set! Congratulations on your marriage!”
“Thank you.”
With the paperwork finally done, Ha-neul and Bada stepped out of the district office, exchanging slightly awkward smiles.
“So, we’re officially married now.”
“Y-Yeah, I guess we are.”
Being legally married didn’t change much for him. He had already been living with the mindset that we were married, so it didn’t feel all that different.
But going through the process together, signing the paperwork, and having people congratulate us—it definitely gave the moment a strange new feeling.
“…Do you think it’s weird that we’re not wearing rings yet?”
“Y-Yeah, maybe it is?”
Ha-neul had read somewhere that many couples don’t wear their rings until after the wedding ceremony. But most people wear couple rings before that, so maybe we did seem a little out of place.
Even though there was no reason to care about what others thought, it still felt a bit awkward not doing what everyone else does.
“Come to think of it, we haven’t spent much time together lately. How about we go shopping or something?”
“Yes, I’d love that!”
Kang Bada quickly nodded in agreement. For a brief moment, he thought back to when they first met, and it sent a shiver down his spine. But he pushed the thought aside.
‘It’ll be fine today.’
Things were a lot different now. Steeling hifself, he recalled the message he had received a few days ago.
──────────
Uju Bank – Daehan Media
Deposit: 37,200,000 KRW.
──────────
When he first saw the number, he thought he must have read it wrong. He counted again and again before finally calling the CEO.
“Do you think 20,000 views are a joke? Your readership is off the charts. If I’d known, I would’ve asked for 8 million, not 7.5. Ugh…”
“So, this is real?”
“Yeah, kid. Normally, we settle and pay next month, but you’re getting special treatment as one of our rising stars. The contest prize will take longer, though, so sit tight.”
He was stunned after hearing the response. If he was already making this much, he couldn’t even imagine how much more he’d earn on a bigger platform.
‘No wonder everyone’s desperate for a big hit.’
Of course, this still didn’t compare to Kang Bada’s level of wealth, and online readership would naturally decline over time. But if he could keep up the current pace and finish around 300 chapters, he’d be earning tens or even hundreds of times more than what he’d made so far.
‘And if it gets turned into a webtoon…’
The thought was so surreal that it didn’t even feel real. He had finally reached the point where he could order delivery without worrying about the extra fees.
‘I’ve already taken care of gifts for the family.’
Handling such a large sum of money for the first time had led him to splurge a bit. He’d sent health supplements and a massage chair to his parents and given Kim Gureum a nice allowance.
Now, the only person left was Kang Bada.
He couldn’t repay her for everything she’d done for him just yet, but at least he could stop feeling like he was always taking from her.
‘I’m in charge today.’
It was important to fuel up before facing a battle. He needed to prepare mentally before dealing with Kang Byeol.
With that thought, he grabbed the steering wheel. Kang Bada, who had naturally settled into the passenger seat, was quietly watching him.
“You should buckle up.”
“You’re not going to do it for me today?”
“Do what?”
She gave him a teasing smile and glanced at the seatbelt. Yesterday’s memory popped into his mind.
At the time, everything had happened so quickly that he hadn’t realized how awkward it was. But now, it was clear she planned to tease him about it.
‘Amateur move.’
Click—
He unfastened his seatbelt and leaned over toward her. Startled, Kang Bada quickly shook her head.
“W-Wait! I was just kidding…”
“Stay still.”
If she thought she could catch him off guard this easily, she still had a long way to go. If she got flustered over something this small, she’d never get the upper hand.
As he buckled her seatbelt, their eyes met, and for a brief moment, they were close enough that it felt like they were about to kiss.
“…”
“…”
Ahem, ahem—
Realizing how awkward the moment had become, he quickly clicked the seatbelt into place and cleared his throat. The atmosphere inside the car felt heavy for a moment, and they both stayed silent, nervously swallowing before breaking the tension.
“So, where are we going?”
“I… made a reservation somewhere!”
“Wow, really?”
“Yeah, you can look forward to it.”
The conversation was still a bit stiff, but it eased the silence, and soon the mood began to return to normal.
‘Just stick to the plan.’
He had crafted the perfect date based on Kang Bada’s social media posts and tips from her hairstylist, Ryu Yeon-hwa. As long as he stuck to the plan, it should be a success.
“You’re not overdoing it, right?”
“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
“Alright. I’ll trust you today.”
“Leave it to me.”
Vroom—
With a smooth shift, the engine purred as the car sped forward.
