How Should I Handle My Fujoshi Wife?

"This is what I was mentioning!" Ma Ri gestured at Jiang, trying to express something, but he couldn't follow what she meant.

"Come, come!" Mrs. Ahn took both Ma Ri's and Jiang's hands, pulling them along.

"Sit down, dear!" She gently pushed Ma Ri onto the couch and sat beside her. Ma Ri knew what was going on, so she obediently followed each instruction she was given although it's quite awkward for her. On the other hand, Jiang stood frozen, stunned by the sudden excitement around him.

"May I see your ears?" Mrs. Ahn asked sweetly. Ma Ri tucked her hair behind her ears while looking downward. She wanted to escape immediately. Was she missing something? Was everything spinning out of control? She couldn't quite grasp the strange feelings flooding her. While she was submerged in her own thoughts, Mrs. Ahn already fastened a pair of earrings on her.

"You look even more gorgeous," Mrs. Ahn smiled, gently caressing her face.

"Do you wanna have a look?" she asked, tilting Ma Ri's chin to make her look up. Ma Ri tried to respond, but her throat felt tight, as if a pair of invisible hands were squeezing it. Mrs. Ahn glanced at a servant who passed a mirror to her. She held it up for Ma Ri to see herself. Ma Ri took the mirror, staring at her reflection. Although she took a look at the dazzling earrings which were clearly made of diamond, she couldn't help but stare at her helpless reflection.

"You can give yours now," Mrs. Ahn turned to Mrs. Han with a warm smile. Ma Ri's mother already took her seat while the earrings were being placed. She stood up, but her son intervened, gently guiding her back into her seat.

"Let me do it." He opened the box, revealing a thin, delicate but brilliant chain. He approached Jiang, who wanted to run away from there as soon as possible. He couldn't help but laugh at his own misery as he thought he'd never be afraid of someone in his life. Mi Rae reached out, put the thin necklace around Jiang's neck, but as he did, he locked eyes with Jiang in a menacing glare as if he could crush him with the necklace right there if he wanted to.

"I hope you can protect it well, you know what I'm pointing at, right?" Mi Rae whispered, his voice low and sharp.

To Jiang, the necklace felt less like a gift and more like a coiled snake, ready to strike, hissing into his ear. He paused as he couldn't process how he should react. He remained silent until Mi Rae went back to his seat.

Jiang glanced at Ma Ri to see how she was taking all of this, but she remained motionless, her gaze fixed on the floor like a doll awaiting someone to wind her up.

Jiang suddenly felt stifled to stand there. He stole a glance at his mother, who was engaged in cheerful conversation with Mrs. Han, looking like she was on cloud nine.

"Mom?" Jiang called to seek her attention and as soon as she heard him, she looked at him with questioning eyes. He subtly signaled with his eyes that he wanted to leave.

"Ah! Wait a minute." she bowed politely to Mrs. Han and then approached Jiang.

"What is it? Can't you wait for a while? They'll be leaving soon now that the engagement is complete!" she whispered loudly.

"Mom, please," he had a solemn expression by which he made it clear that he wasn't feeling very well.

"Fine, go ahead." she sighed, sending him off before returning to her conversation. Jiang quickly headed upstairs, feeling a wave of relief as he escaped.

______________________________

In a grand, elegantly furnished drawing room, several high-society ladies were gathered, gossiping over an array of snacks, sweets, and teacups. When Mrs. Ahn entered, the chatter ceased and all eyes turned to her.

"Hello, Mrs. Ahn!" they greeted her warmly. She returned their greetings with a bright, almost radiant expression.

"What happened? Aren't you a bit too beaming today?" one lady teased.

"Oh, really? Hahaha!" Mrs. Ahn laughed lightly as she took her seat. "Maybe I am feeling extra happy today," she grinned.

"Why? Why? What's the news?" All of them leaned in, staring at her as they were eager for gossip.

"It's my son! Finally, I got him engaged!" she announced, beaming with pride.

"What? Really? When? Why didn't you invite us?" The room erupted into a flurry of questions.

"It happened all of a sudden so I couldn't invite anyone! Trust me! I didn't even invite my own siblings! But, I promise I'll throw a grand party for the wedding and all of you guys must have to come, okay?" she assured them with a broad grin.

"Ah! Congratulations! Now Mrs. Ahn is also going to have a taste of having a daughter-in-law." The room buzzed with congratulations after one of them said.

"So, who's the lucky girl?" one lady asked curiously.

"Her name is Ma Ri. You know Mr. Han? Who runs that large import-export business? She is his youngest daughter." Mrs. Ahn's voice was filled with pride, clearly enjoying her moment in the spotlight.

"Oh my! That girl! Isn't she the one who always lingers around Ho Seok? Don't you know her, Mrs. Nam?" one of the ladies said, her eyes widened with shock. She looked at a woman, who was silently sipping tea from a cup. Only after she heard her son's name, she looked at the others.

"Huh? Oh... I… don't really know," Mrs. Nam responded softly, glancing down.

"How would she know? Her son hasn't been home in ages!" another lady chimed in.

"That's true! But… is there any…. problem?" Mrs. Ahn asked the lady who just mentioned Ho Seok, her voice tinged with concern.

"I don't know. But, don't you think she has a bad motive behind approaching your son?" she said, sipping her tea. Mrs. Ahn's face clouded with worry as the seed of doubt firmly planted.

"I think she's right. You need to keep your eyes and ears open. As she didn't get what she wanted from Ho Seok, she went after your son, don't you guys think so?" Another woman added and looked around to check who else agreed with her.

"No, no, you've got it all wrong!" Mrs. Ahn hastily explained the arrangement between them and Ma Ri's family, while the others listened intently as if lives depended on it.

"Even so, it may be because of the property. Be careful so that the girl can't be a bad influence on your son. Otherwise, you'll lose everything." One of the ladies warned her as if she had tons of experience in that field.

Changing the subject, the woman turned to Mrs. Nam. "Speaking of sons, have you heard from yours? Is he still... the same?"

"He is... maybe... I don't know. At this point, I'm really worried." She sighed and replied shortly.

"We can guess! You lose too much weight. Maybe because you're worried about him?" another lady remarked.

"Why bother worrying about such an unfilial son?" one woman muttered.

"Now, that's rude!" Mrs. Ahn shot a sharp look at the woman before going towards Mrs. Nam. She sat beside her and gently placed her hand on hers.

"Don't worry! I heard there's a treatment for it. Are you interested?" she said while consoling her.

"Huh? Really?" Mrs. Nam looked at her with hope in her eyes.

"Yes, a friend of mine had the same issue with her son. She tried everything, from temples to holy places, and nothing worked until she found an exorcist. He told her not to worry. He also said her son was possessed by an evil spirit. And you know what? After six months with him, her son returned to normal, and he just got married! If you'd like, I can introduce you to him."

"Is that possible? Then, you should've informed her about him soon!" A lady nearly yelled out shockingly.

"Yes, please!" Mrs. Nam nodded eagerly.

"Alright, contact me after Wednesday, and we'll arrange it." Mrs. Ahn smiled reassuringly, while the others listened with bated breath.