CHAPTER 3: HE FINALLY AGREED TO MEET HER

Seoul Central Hospital.

VIP Ward.

The door opened.

"Grandma!"

Seo Jihoon rushed into the room.

Concern was written all over his face.

He walked straight toward the hospital bed.

"Are you okay?"

"What happened?"

"What did the doctor say?"

Grandmother Seo slowly opened her eyes.

Then she let out a long sigh.

"Jihoon..."

"I'm getting old."

Jihoon closed his eyes.

Of course.

Here it comes.

"Grandma."

"Please get to the point."

Silence filled the room.

Then Grandmother Seo picked up her phone.

After unlocking it, she opened an old photograph and handed it to him.

"This was my oldest friend."

Jihoon lowered his gaze.

In the photograph, two young women stood side by side.

Their arms are linked together.

Bright smiles on their faces.

Dreams shining in their eyes.

For a moment, Grandmother Seo simply stared at the picture.

As though looking back at a life that had long since passed.

"We made a promise."

"A very long time ago."

Her voice softened.

"We promised that one day our friendship would become family."

Jihoon quietly listened.

"I wanted your father to marry her daughter."

A small smile appeared on her face.

"But your father only had eyes for your mother."

Mrs. Seo lowered her head awkwardly.

"And her daughter loved someone else."

"So we never forced anyone."

Grandmother Seo gently brushed her thumb across the phone screen.

"But after that..."

"Life became busy."

"Your grandfather's position became bigger."

"We moved to Seoul."

"Your father was also trying to build his own business."

Her eyes slowly became distant.

"At first, we used to call each other often."

"But gradually..."

Life got in the way.

"When she called..."

"I was usually busy."

"I kept thinking I would call her later."

"But later never came."

Silence filled the room.

Then she continued.

"One day..."

"I received a call."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"She was gone."

For a moment...

Nobody spoke.

A trace of regret appeared in her eyes.

"That's when I realized something."

"When people are still in our lives..."

"We often forget to cherish them."

"But once they're gone..."

"Only regret remains."

Mrs. Seo quietly listened.

Then Grandmother Seo smiled again.

"A few months ago..."

"My car broke down during heavy rain."

"I entered a small restaurant nearby."

"And there..."

"I met my friend's daughter."

"And her lovely daughter."

Mrs. Seo blinked.

"You met them by chance?"

Grandmother Seo nodded.

"We talked for a while."

"Then I came home."

"And shortly after that..."

"I found out about Jihoon's breakup."

The room fell silent.

Grandmother Seo looked at Jihoon.

"After that girl broke your heart..."

"You pushed marriage away."

"You rejected every proposal."

"And that's why I'm suggesting an arranged marriage."

She paused.

"I'm not asking you to marry her tomorrow."

"Meet her."

"Talk to her."

"Understand her."

"We'll give it one month."

"If it doesn't work..."

"You can walk away."

"No one will force you."

Then she smiled gently.

"Because I know..."

"You're never going to look for someone on your own."

Those words hit him harder than he expected.

Because she wasn't wrong.

After what happened...

He had stopped believing in love.

Stopped believing in forever.

The room became silent.

Seconds passed.

Then finally—

Jihoon let out a slow breath.

And lifted his head.

"Alright, Grandma."

Grandmother Seo froze.

Mrs. Seo looked up immediately.

Jihoon's voice was calm.

Steady.

Firm.

"I'll meet her."

"I'll give it a chance."

"And if I believe we can build a future together..."

"Then I won't refuse the marriage."

Tears gathered in Grandmother Seo's eyes.

Not because she had won.

But because a decades-old promise finally had a chance to be fulfilled.

A few minutes later—

"Grandma."

"Hmm?"

"I'm going to meet the doctor."

His gaze swept across the room.

"And besides..."

"You're not staying in the hospital."

Grandmother Seo blinked.

"Jihoon..."

But Jihoon had already made up his mind.

"I'm taking you home today."

"The rest of your treatment will continue at home."

"Understood?"

Grandmother Seo immediately nodded.

"Alright."

Jihoon then turned toward his mother.

"Mom."

"Please stay with Grandma."

"I'll meet the doctor and finish all the paperwork."

Mrs. Seo nodded.

"Okay."

"Go ahead."

Jihoon looked at both of them one last time.

Then he quietly walked out of the room.

Click.

The door closed behind him.

The sound of his footsteps gradually disappeared down the hallway.

Silence filled the room.

A long silence.

Then—

Grandmother Seo suddenly opened her eyes.

The very next second—

She threw the blanket aside and sat up straight.

The weak patient from a moment ago had completely disappeared.

A victorious smile slowly spread across her face.

"See?"

Mrs. Seo looked at her.

Grandmother Seo proudly pointed at herself.

"How was my acting?"

"I convinced Jihoon, didn't I?"

Mrs. Seo rubbed her forehead.

As if she already knew stopping Grandmother Seo was impossible.

"Yes."

"You convinced him."

"But only to meet her."

"He still hasn't agreed to the marriage."

Grandmother Seo immediately waved her hand.

"Oh, be quiet."

"You always think too negatively."

"If he agrees to meet her..."

"He'll agree to marry her too."

Mrs. Seo could only smile helplessly.

"Yes, Mom."

A moment later, the room became quiet again.

Mrs. Seo picked up an apple from the table and began slicing it.

But her thoughts seemed to be somewhere else.

Grandmother Seo noticed immediately.

"Hmm?"

"What is it?"

Mrs. Seo hesitated.

Then softly spoke.

"Mom..."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

She took a deep breath.

Then quietly said,

"Mom..."

"I'm sorry."

Grandmother Seo froze.

"Sorry?"

"For what?"

Mrs. Seo lowered her gaze.

"Because of me..."

"Your dream remained incomplete all these years."

"You couldn't fulfill the promise you made to your best friend."

"I'm truly sorry."

For a few moments...

Grandmother Seo simply stared at her.

Then suddenly—

She touched Mrs. Seo's forehead.

"Are you alright?"

Mrs. Seo blinked.

"What?"

Grandmother Seo put on a serious expression.

"Do you have a fever?"

Mrs. Seo immediately pulled away.

"Mom!"

"I'm being serious."

Grandmother Seo chuckled.

"You really are something else."

Then her expression softened.

"Oh, that?"

"The promise was real."

"But that part wasn't."

Mrs. Seo looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

A nostalgic smile appeared on Grandmother Seo's face.

"We wanted our families to become relatives one day."

"So we enrolled your husband and my best friend's daughter in the same school."

"From nursery school until high school."

Mrs. Seo's eyes widened.

"They studied together for that long?"

Grandmother Seo nodded.

"For years."

"So..."

"Were they close?"

Grandmother Seo smiled mysteriously.

"Very close."

Mrs. Seo froze.

"Very close?"

"Yes."

"So close they couldn't live without each other."

Mrs. Seo instantly stiffened.

Then—

Grandmother Seo burst into laughter.

"I mean they fought constantly."

"They fought in the morning."

"They fought at school."

"They fought in the principal's office."

"They fought before going home."

"My friend and I nearly gave up on our promise."

Mrs. Seo quietly sighed in relief.

Grandmother Seo narrowed her eyes.

"What were you thinking?"

Mrs. Seo immediately looked away.

"Nothing."

Grandmother Seo smiled.

"Oh, you definitely thought of something."

Mrs. Seo could only laugh awkwardly.

But slowly...

Grandmother Seo's smile disappeared.

She turned toward the window.

"Then Jihoon's grandfather received a promotion."

"And we moved to Seoul."

"At first, we stayed in touch."

"We called each other often."

"But little by little..."

"Life became busier."

"I always thought..."

"'I'll call her tomorrow.'"

"'I'll visit her next time.'"

"But life doesn't always give you another chance."

Silence filled the room.

"Then one day..."

"I received a phone call."

Her fingers slowly tightened together.

"And I learned she was gone."

Mrs. Seo quietly lowered her head.

The regret in Grandmother Seo's eyes was unmistakable.

"When someone is still beside you..."

"You don't realize how precious they are."

"You think there's plenty of time."

"But when they're gone..."

"All that's left is regret."

"'I should have called one more time.'"

"'I should have visited one more time.'"

Several moments passed.

Then—

A gentle smile returned to her face.

"Several years later..."

"I met my best friend's daughter."

"Where?"

"At a restaurant."

"It wasn't luxurious."

"It wasn't fancy."

"But somehow..."

"It felt warm."

"It felt like home."

"My car broke down that day."

"It was raining heavily."

"I was hungry too."

"So I entered the restaurant across the street."

"That's where I met her."

"And her lovely daughter."

"We talked."

"We laughed."

"We remembered old times."

Mrs. Seo quietly listened.

"And then?"

A mischievous smile appeared on Grandmother Seo's face.

"Then I found out Jihoon had gone through a breakup."

The room fell silent once again.

Everyone remembered that period.

The time when the always-strong Seo Jihoon quietly shut himself off from love.

Grandmother Seo sighed.

"He already avoided marriage."

"And after the breakup..."

"He rejected every proposal."

"Every single one."

Then—

A victorious smile slowly appeared on her face.

"That's when I got an idea."

Mrs. Seo already knew the answer.

But she still asked.

"What idea?"

Grandmother Seo sat up straighter.

"What if..."

"I married Jihoon to my best friend's granddaughter?"

Mrs. Seo closed her eyes.

"Mom..."

Grandmother Seo proudly smiled.

"And look."

"Operation: Marry Seo Jihoon..."

"Is already half successful."

For the first time that day—

Both women laughed together.

But neither of them knew...

That fate had already begun writing a far more complicated story.

And the title of that story was—

My Sister-in-Law's Brother Wants to Marry Me.

To Be Continued... ✨🖤📖💕

🖤 Author's Note 🖤

Thank you so much for reading.

If you're enjoying the story, please support it by liking, commenting, and adding it to your library. Your support motivates me to continue writing and improve every chapter. 🥹❤️

See you in the next chapter. ✨

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