“Hello.”
“Do you know who I am?”
“You’re my mom’s friend.”
Lola was impressed by the child’s memory, having only seen her a few times.
“You’re really smart. You have a good memory.”
“I hear that often.”
Now that it wasn’t the first time he had heard such praise, Kellen arrogantly said that and slipped into the entrance.
“That kid is a bit cocky by nature.”
Dylan said with a grumble. Lola chuckled lightly.
Hamza, who had approached them, greeted the two.
“Dylan, I heard you’re getting married to Lola soon? Congratulations to both of you.”
“Thank you.”
Lola shyly smiled as she accepted Hamza’s greeting.
“I can’t express how happy I am that my brother-in-law is finally getting married,” Hamza said playfully. Dylan let out a short sigh and replied. “Yeah, thanks. I didn’t expect my brother-in-law to be happier than me.”
“Let’s not just stand here, let’s go inside.”
Carrying Kelvin, Dylan walked alongside Hamza into the house. Gia and Lola followed closely, chatting amiably with their arms linked.
******
The atmosphere in Mariana’s house, where the family gathered for a joyful meal, was lively. It felt like a long time since they had experienced such a bustling atmosphere.
Zach seemed to really enjoy this vibe, unable to stop smiling. Mariana, with a gentle smile, served food to the two children. The kids were eagerly eating their rice with their spoons.
“Hamza, have a drink. Dylan, you too.”
Zach poured vodka into Hamza and Dylan’s glasses.
“Yes, thank you, Father-in-law.”
Zach had a habit of endlessly offering drinks to Hamza when he was in a good mood. After his father stepped down from management, he had been busy and hadn’t been able to visit his in-laws often, which made Hamza feel very sorry. So, when Zach poured him a drink, he didn’t refuse and drank whatever was given to him.
For Hamza, who wasn’t good at drinking vodka, it was quite a struggle, but he didn’t show any signs of discomfort and matched Zach’s mood. At such times, Gia would worry about Hamza and scold Zach.
“Dad, this person isn’t good at drinking, so please just let him drink moderately today.”
“Gia, if you keep siding with Hamza, Dad will get upset.”
“If Dad gets upset, Gia will be sad. Oh, Dad. Are you really upset?”
Gia, who played the role of the atmosphere maker, spoke in a voice full of affection and fed a wrap to Zach.
“Dad, oh… you have to try this. It’s delicious.”
Zach, seemingly not displeased with Gia’s affection, instantly wore a smile on his face as if he had never been upset.
“Hamza, I should say this now, but I actually didn’t want to send Gia off early. Dylan is a bit stoic and lacks fun, but Gia is different. She’s so pretty and cute in everything she does. So I wanted to keep Gia by my side for a long time.”
Lola, who was sitting quietly next to Dylan, was listening. Mariana occasionally added side dishes to Lola’s bowl, kindly telling her to eat more. Dylan showed no expression on his face.
“Hamza probably doesn’t know how lonely I felt after sending Gia off for a while.”
“Thank you for raising Gia beautifully and sending her to me, Father-in-law. I will cherish Gia and treat her well for the rest of my life without making her cry.”
“Hamza speaks so well that it’s hard to dislike him. Now! Drink up.”
Zach quickly emptied a glass of vodka.
“Dad, don’t just drink vodka; you need to eat some meat, too.”
Worried that her dad would get sick from only drinking, Gia diligently picked up meat with her chopsticks and fed it to Zach. Zach’s face, which was happily accepting the food, was filled with laughter.
“Gia, if you’re too friendly with your dad, Hamza might get jealous.”
With a flushed face, Zach said, glancing at Hamza with half-closed eyes. Gia glanced over at Hamza. He quickly waved his hands.
“I don’t get jealous over such things. It’s nice to see a father and daughter being affectionate.”
“Is that so?”
Zach, who had burst into hearty laughter at Hamza’s words, turned his gaze towards Dylan and Lola, sitting side by side, and his expression softened even more.
As a few glasses of alcohol were consumed, Zach became more talkative, which was also one of his drinking habits. It had been a long time since everyone had gathered like this, and thinking that Dylan was finally getting married made it hard for Zach to suppress his excitement, leading him to unintentionally speak out of turn.
“It’s nice to see you two sitting together so affectionately. You know, guys around Dylan’s age are already getting married and having two or three kids, but since he’s been so quiet until now, I thought he might have a hidden girlfriend somewhere.”
