Kyle
I left the house angrily, followed by a loud thud as I slammed the front door behind me.
"Kang Seohyun! Come back!" I heard my mother yell after me. I always hated being called that name, it reminded me of everything I never fit into. I didn't care how angrily or how much she yelled from the house, I just grabbed my car keys from my pocket and pressed the button to unlock the car door immediately.
I knew that if they called me to visit, then it would just end up like this. In a fight. But now I had every right to be mad. My parents had given me an insane ultimatum.
"Your cousin Jinseok is getting married." My mother broke the silence suddenly, as we ate dinner.
I just glanced up silently as I took another bite from my gejang.(a traditional Korean dish made by marinating raw crab in soy sauce or a spicy chili-based sauce (yangnyeom gejang). It's known for its rich umami flavor and smooth, buttery texture.)"Well, good for him." I had nothing else to say. Jinseok wasn't here to be congratulated, and we weren't close enough to immediately call him and lick his ass because he was brave enough to ask some girl's hand in marriage.
My parents just looked at each other, like they were discussing something silently. I saw the way my mother made her eyes sligthly wide, whlie a nervous glint appeared in my father's deep blue eyes. I already knew that they were up to no good.
"Kyle, my son." My father suddenly spoke up as he put down the cutlery. I heard the seriousness in his voice, so I did just like him. I wiped my mouth with the napkin, put down the cutlery, and give him my attention.
"We think it's time for you to to get married too."As he said that, my eyebrows furrowed automatically. I felt that it will end badly. "I thought we already talked about this." I said as I clenched the napkin in my lap. "My attention is completely fixed on my job and on my position, so I can be a suitable leader for the company in the future. And I don't have anyone in my life right now anyway."
I saw as my mother shut her eyes and my dad opened his mouth to say something, but my mother preceded him. "You have to get married!" She spoke up in a harsher tone as she slammed her chopsticks down on the table. I furrowed my brows more, and the napkin became more crumpled in the trap of my fist. "Your father will retire soon, how could he give his most precious treasure to someone who does not provide himself with a personal background?"
I bit my cheek inside. My parents never change. Of course, to my father, his children were never the most precious treasure. It was always the company. And my mother. Selfish and always want to please everyone's expectations about our "perfect" family.
"What will be my benefit with a wife on my side?" I raised my voice slightly, even that I tried to hold back my anger. I felt I will explode soon. The servants hurried to the table to take away the plates and cutlery. I couldn't help but notice that they started with the knives. I don't blame them.
"Who will be your heir?!" My mother continued her brainstorming, reflecting my irritation in her voice. "And let's not talk about the fact that everyone talks about you, why don't you have a wife at your age! You will turn thirty this year!"
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment before to collect my strenght and stay calm. I opened my mouth to speak up when my mother preceded me.
"Get married or forget about that the company will be yours." She spat out the words with an unwavering face. I stopped breathing for a moment, and the blood ran cold in my veins. This woman was always insane all my life, but now, she outdid herself.
"What did you just say...?"
"You heard me well, son!" She straightened her posture and turned towards my father. "Tell him Reginald." My father let out a quiet sigh. His wrinkles appeared on his forehead as he put on his serious face whenever he started a converstation with me. "We decided son. You accept it or not, it's up to you."
I was not able to hold back anymore. I slammed my fist on the table, which caused the glasses to rattle, and I started to yell .
"It's nonsense. Have you two lost your minds?!How can you force your own son to do something like this? Who would be more perfect for this role if not me?! Who else would you give the company to?"
"Kyle, behave yourself and stop talking to your mother like this!" My father slightly raised his voice. He was always so protective over my mother, even if she was the biggest culprit. "I give a shit about behavior!" I stood up and continued yelling, to which my mother stood up too and screamed at me.
"Is this how I raised you? Who do you think you are, acting like this at the table?! If you are so happy with your current life, then we will give the company to someone else from this family!"Her collected demeanor broke. If we weren't in a situation like this, maybe I would have even smiled.
"I won't leave it at that." I said before I threw the crumpled napkin on the table.
I replayed the happenings again and again in my head as I drove. I drummed on the steering wheel as I thought hard. I can't let this happen. I can't let anyone have this company.
As I was thinking and not paying attention I almost crashed into another car, but I turned the steering wheel in time. I slowly parked on the side of the road, stopped the car, and looked in front of myself. My hands were shaking, but not because of the fear that I almost had an accident, but because I was on the edge of losing everything I had worked for through the years.
What am I going to do...