Keep it in the Family (213) - Family Dinner VI (Patreon)

Kim Ari's POV:

It might've been Ari's imagination, but there was an unsettling dark miasma clouding those beautiful women. They looked almost angelical in comparison to the hostile presence they were exuding.

Her eyes moved back to the main attraction, the sole reason her mother was here, dressed in her best.

Jae-il had merely glanced their way briefly, his expression betraying the faintest hints of a warning towards both of them.

It took a split-second for both sisters to go from looking like jealous tigers, to acting like docile kittens.

'Ah...'

She glanced back at Jae-il, whose face was impassive. As if he were not at all bothered by the interruption. "Did you want something, Mia Noona? Su Ah Noona?"

Mia's entire visage seemed to redden upon being addressed directly. "Oh, um, well, Su Ah said—"

"We heard that you were touring Ari Noona." Su Ah finished her sister's sentence, walking fully into the room, dragging her sister along. "We just wanted to see if you two needed anything~!"

The older sister looked radiant, clad in an elegant off shoulder black dress and an overcoat which contrasted well with her pale, creamy complexion. Her makeup was elegant yet not overdone—adequately tasteful. And her hair was pinned up, exposing her neck and her beautifully formed collarbones.

Mia, unlike her younger sister, was a little more brazen in style. With blonde hair, it gave a pop of personality, as well as her red dress, and bright eye shadow that was visible to anyone nearing her. She had a scarlet shade lipstick, while Su Ah opted for something darker.

Su Ah had a much more reserved aura to her, with her hair loose in gentl e waves in contrast with her sister's, and even a flower placed carefully among the locks.

Both beautiful. Both on a whole different calibre than the average woman.

And both having eyes glued on her.

Ari noticed how Su Ah's gaze went to Jae-il, to her, then back to him, to Jae-il, to herself. Mia wasn't better at hiding hers. The distaste was very much palpable, the death threats, glaring, in a way. And Ari couldn't understand where or why was that aimed at her? She'd just been making casual conversation with Jae-il.

Was it perhaps the nature of the conversation that caused that kind of reaction? Or perhaps the simple fact that her visit to their home had a motive that was anything but a casual family visit? After all, it was pretty obvious to anyone that both of them were being paired.

It must have been that.

Ari found herself somewhat... intimidated.

She didn't like how Mia had taken to standing beside her on the bed, and Su Ah had decided to sit on Jae-il's desk. And how they both continued to stare at her.

Jae-il, for his part, remained calm and collected. "We're fine, Noona. Thank you for checking. We were just talking."

"Oh, really?" Mia blinked, her gaze shifting to Ari. "Anything interesting?"

"Just... getting to know each other." Ari replied, trying her best to smile.

"How nice." Mia's smile widened. "Sorry, Ari... we didn't mean to interrupt your conversation, just making sure our dear brother here is being a good host and isn't boring you with some mindless sports talk." She let out a little laugh. "He can be so dull sometimes~"

The jab was playful.

Jae-il rolled his eyes. "I'm sure Ari Noona is perfectly capable of telling me if I'm boring."

"Oh, he's not boring me at all. In fact, he's been a wonderful host." Ari replied smoothly, choosing to ignore the thinly veiled hostility. "I was just telling him how much I admire his career." She added with a small, polite smile directed at Mia. "It must be a great source of pride for your family."

Mia's smile tightened a fraction.

Su Ah spoke up from her perch on the desk. "It is. We're very proud of him." Her tone was flat, devoid of any real warmth. She crossed her legs, her movements deliberate and almost cat-like. "But I'm sure a woman of your... caliber... has many more interesting things to talk about than just sports. What do you enjoy doing, Ari?"

The question was innocent enough, but the way Su Ah's eyes sized her up, made Ari feel like she was on trial.

She took a deep breath, maintaining her composure. "I... well, I enjoy reading, mostly. And music. I play the piano."

Mia tilted her head, while Su Ah's eyes shone with interest. "Reading? What sort of books do you like?"

"Oh, a bit of everything, really. Fiction, non-fiction... classics." She answered, then thought about it, and added. "I also like books on economics and business. My father is in the finance industry, so..."

Su Ah nodded, looking thoughtful, while Mia's smile seemed to grow strained. "That's... very impressive. I don't read much myself. I'm more of a hands-on kind of person."

Ari nodded, unsure of what to say to that. The conversation was quickly turning into an interrogation. And, in her mind's space, she had the impression of being slowly strangled by twin snakes.

"That's valid. Everyone has their own ways of learning and enjoying themselves. I think reading is just a habit I picked up." She tried to keep it light.

"And do you... have any other hobbies? Or interests?" Mia asked, her tone a little too casual.

Ari glanced at Jae-il.

Mia's eyes followed her gaze, and her lips twitched.

'Well, this is going downhill quickly.' Ari thought bitterly.

"Besides music and reading, I... enjoy cooking." She decided to answer, trying to shift the conversation to something less... loaded. “Though I don’t really have much time for that.”

"What about the opposite sex?" Mia pounced on that, her tone now openly challenging. "Any boyfriends? Or... are you more focused on your studies right now?"

"I... I prefer to focus on my studies, for now." She replied, her voice a little cooler than before. "Though, if I were to get a boyfriend... I'd like to make it someone who will match up to Jae-il's brilliance."

Su Ah turned to give Ari a surprised, wary look. Mia simply stared, as if she couldn't believe what had just come out of Ari's mouth.

But Jae-il himself let out a hearty chuckle, shaking his head. “You flatter me, Ari Noona.”

“......”

“......”

Ari felt herself blushing. She wasn't exaggerating. Not really. That young man, at the ripe age of 15, and he had the reputation of being not only a sports star with potential and talent for a long and successful career, he was also the prodigal son of a businessman.

Whoever caught that eye would need to meet expectations of both households. He had a whole nation and his family's company waiting on his heels, ready to strike and sell tickets and merchandise, ready to jump over fences, cameras, anything to get a glimpse of him, or make money from him.

Ari herself felt she was quite adequate, overall, for a potential future marriage for the Cha, but was not blind to the fact that the world's gaze was incomparable to hers in the long run, when considering what she would be competing with in terms of potential suitors for his hand in the future.

And, it looked like Jae-il's sisters were barricading that front and making the path a lot harder for her, or anyone else, to take.

"It looks like our dad is pushing you towards him, huh?" Mia tapped her chin in thought.

"Well, he is a... promising young man. And my parents think so too."

Mia smiled.

It wasn't the kind of smile Ari would ever want to see again. But she wasn't one to simply stand by and not reply. She understood how the world worked, after all, and her position was important to her family. Even though she disliked these power dynamics, she was not immune to them.

Despite her best behavior, she was growing increasingly incensed with the siblings, who seemed intent on making things difficult for her.

They'd already known full well what Ari and her parents came here for.

Not that Ari herself came with a script and with a list of compliments and flattering words to butter the Cha boy, no. She was even against the idea, but if there were expectations, she had no choice but to try.

So, despite being on her best behavior and her parents teaching her proper etiquette, this situation wasn't amusing for her, or fun.

So, it might've been her imagination, but she had the urge to bite back at this extremely impolite conversation and even more so the siblings.

Ari looked up at Mia, whose one side of the face was partially covered by her hair. "I mean, if Jae-il agrees to it, we might become in-laws~"

That took all three by surprise.

Mia's eyes blinked in a daze, as if she couldn't believe her ears. Then, she shook her head, before breaking in laughter. She began laughing maniacally, holding her belly while on the bed and shaking left and right, unable to stop or control the unhinged sounds.

Su Ah kept her eyes fixated on the scene unfolding, not adding anything of her own.

"Excuse us, Ari Noona."

Jae-il said, all of a sudden, as he grabbed Mia's arm and walked out the room, a strong grip pulling the older sister outside.

As for Ari herself, she just realized the cold sheen of sweat gathering at her temple.

That wasn't the laugh of a mentally sane person.

A/N: Almost done with this mini-arc, then probably another one, and then back to football.