The table went silent.
Tae-sung had just lifted his glass of water to his lips when Mrs. Park's words landed.
"I heard your son is gay."
For a split second, his mind went blank.
He choked.
Water went down the wrong way, and Tae-sung nearly spit it out, coughing hard as he quickly turned his face away from the table. He covered his mouth, embarrassed, his ears burning as he struggled to regain his composure. The clink of his glass against the table sounded unnaturally loud in the sudden silence.
Mr. Park reacted immediately.
He turned sharply toward his wife, his eyes darkening with unmistakable anger. The warmth he had shown all evening vanished in an instant.
"That's enough," he said firmly, his voice low but dangerous. "Why would you ask such an unnecessary question?"
Then he turned toward the Kim family, his expression softening with genuine regret.
"There's no need to answer that," he said apologetically. "I'm very sorry for my wife's behavior."
Mrs. Park, however, showed no sign of backing down.
"What's wrong with asking?" she replied coolly, as if she had said nothing offensive at all. "If Tae-sung marries Soo-bin, then we become family."
She folded her hands neatly on the table.
"We have the right to know, don't we?" she continued. "And if someone asks during the wedding, what are we supposed to say?"
Her words cut deep.
Across the table, Tae-won's expression changed completely.
The indifference vanished from his face, replaced by raw anger. His jaw tightened, his eyes hardening as he shot a furious look at his mother. His fingers curled slowly into a fist under the table.
Tae-sung slammed his glass down lightly but firmly.
"Mom," he said sharply, turning toward her. "No one will ask."
He leaned forward, his voice strained with frustration.
"And I'm marrying Soo-bin—not her brother."
But Mrs. Park didn't seem to hear him at all.
Or worse—she chose not to.
"You think I don't know?" she said, her voice colder now. "I heard there were videos circulating about him before. About him being gay."
The words hung in the air like poison.
Soo-bin felt her chest tighten painfully. Her hands trembled in her lap, her face draining of color, shame and fear crashing over her all at once.
Tae-sung couldn't take it anymore.
He stood up slightly from his chair, his voice rising for the first time that evening—loud, raw, and filled with desperation.
"MOM, PLEASE STOP!"
The entire table froze.
His shout echoed sharply in the elegant space, cutting through the tension like a blade.
The words hung in the air like a thunderclap.
The Kim family was completely shocked—Mr. Kim, Mrs. Kim, and especially Soo-bin, who felt as if the ground beneath her feet had suddenly disappeared. Her ears rang, her chest tightening so painfully that for a moment she forgot how to breathe.
Soo-bin slowly lifted her head.
Her voice was quiet, but it trembled with disbelief.
"…Did you investigate our family?"
The table fell silent again.
Across from her, Tae-sung's expression changed. The frustration on his face deepened into something heavier—conflict. He loved his mother. He always had. But he also knew her. He knew how her overprotectiveness, her need to control everything around her, would one day turn into something that made his life unbearably difficult.
And tonight, that fear was unfolding right in front of him.
Mrs. Park met Soo-bin's gaze without hesitation.
"Yes," she said plainly. "So what?"
Her tone was unapologetic.
"I'm marrying off my dear son," she continued, her chin lifting. "I should do proper background checks, shouldn't I?"
Soo-bin turned slowly toward Tae-sung.
Their eyes met.
He looked just as frustrated as she felt—jaw clenched, shoulders tense, caught between loyalty to his mother and the injustice happening right now.
Before anyone else could speak, Tae-won suddenly stood up.
He looked directly at his mother, anger clear in his eyes.
"Mom," he said firmly, "you're doing wrong."
Mrs. Park turned sharply toward him.
"Tae-won—stop," she snapped, clearly trying to shut him down.
But she had already lost control of her emotions.
Her anger spilled over.
"I'll say it clearly," she said coldly. "I only came for this meeting because it was for my dear son. Otherwise, I wouldn't even sit at a table with a family like this."
The words hit like a slap.
Mrs. Kim's eyes widened in fury. She straightened immediately, her voice sharp and unwavering.
"I also came only for my daughter," she said. "If not, I would have left the moment you involved my precious son."
Her hands trembled, but her voice did not.
Tae-sung leaned forward urgently.
"I'm sorry," he said quickly, trying to calm the situation.
But Mrs. Kim was no longer pacified.
"And whatever my son does," she continued fiercely, "if you people think it will affect Soo-bin's life—"
She turned and looked Soo-bin straight in the eye, her gaze filled with painful resolve.
"—then I believe Soo-bin will not be happy in this family."
Soo-bin's heart shattered.
"And because of that," Mrs. Kim finished, her voice steady but final, "I will not give approval for this marriage."
The room felt like it was closing in.
Before the silence could crush them further, Mr. Park stood up abruptly.
He glared sharply at his wife—an unmistakable warning.
"That's enough," he said firmly.
Then he turned toward the Kim family, his voice strong, decisive, and sincere.
"I give my approval for this marriage."
Everyone froze.
"And whether anyone agrees or disagrees," he continued, "this marriage will happen—because my son loves your daughter."
He looked at Soo-bin gently.
"We like Soo-bin," he said, his voice steady and sincere. "And I give you my promise—we will treat her like our own daughter."
The room seemed to grow quieter as his words settled.
He paused for a moment, as if choosing his next words carefully, then added with unmistakable clarity,
"We do not care about anything else."
There was no hesitation in his tone, no doubt.
"This," he said firmly, looking directly at the Kim family, "is my approval."
Mrs. Kim sat very still.
Her heart was still bruised, the sharp words from earlier lingering painfully in her chest. She had been hurt—deeply. A mother never forgets when her child is looked down upon, and the wound did not disappear so easily.
But she also knew something else.
With just one person opposing, she could not destroy her daughter's happiness.
Her gaze shifted instinctively toward Soo-bin, then to Tae-sung.
She saw the way he looked at her daughter—not with arrogance or ownership, but with care. The way his attention never left Soo-bin, the way his voice softened when he spoke to her, the way he instinctively protected her, as if she were something precious.
As if she were a princess.
That alone spoke louder than any argument.
And then there were Mr. Park's words—honest, firm, unwavering.
Slowly, Mrs. Kim felt her resistance loosen.
The tightness in her chest eased. The anger she had been holding onto softened, melting into something quieter—relief.
Her shoulders, which had been rigid all evening, finally relaxed.
She took a small breath, then nodded once.
A faint smile appeared on her lips—not wide, not celebratory, but real.
Reassured at last.