My Wife with Scholar Syndrome

Don't Hate Me

After some time, the two families eased past the initial awkwardness and grew more comfortable. Conversation shifted from general topics to the future marriage and life of the two children.

"In the future, you'll have to forgive our Hanni. This girl has been spoiled rotten by me since she was little," mother Pham admitted, transitioning from praising their children to acknowledging their flaws.

"In-law, what are you talking about? Hanni will be my daughter-in-law, so of course, I'll spoil her too," Mrs. Kim chimed in, using the term in-law for each other.

Hanni continued eating silently without interrupting.

"Oh, right, there's something we'd like to ask Hanni."

"Hmm?" Hanni looked up eagerly when called.

"This girl only knows how to eat. The adults are speaking to you," mother Pham teased lightly.

Embarrassed, Hanni put down her chopsticks and smiled sheepishly at her parents. "Auntie, please go ahead. I'm listening."

"Auntie?" Mrs. Kim teased, hinting playfully at Hanni.

Coughing awkwardly, Hanni corrected herself with a red face. "Mom,"

Mrs. Kim grinned broadly, her eyes narrowing with happiness. "Here's the thing. I know you young couples prefer living independently. So, I've talked with your dad. If you and Minji want to live on your own, we can prepare a house for you in advance."

Hanni was taken aback. She hadn't expected Minji's family to offer them a place of their own. Surprised expressions mirrored on father Pham and his wife's faces. Naturally, they wished for their daughter to live independently after marriage for easier mobility.

"Hanni, what kind of house do you like? Haerin will arrange it," Mr. Kim added.

"Yeah, leave it to me," Haerin nodded in agreement.

Hanni subconsciously glanced at Minji, who remained withdrawn and unresponsive to her gaze.

"It's fine, you can decide. Minji won't mind," Mrs. Kim reassured Hanni.

Realizing Minji couldn't contribute to the decision, Hanni thought for a moment before replying, "Mom, I'd like to live at your house for a while. After I become more familiar with Minji, we can move out on our own. Is that okay?"

"Of course, that's absolutely fine." Mrs. Kim replied happily, delighted by her daughter-in-law's decision.

Although Mrs. Kim had already discussed it with her husband and was willing to let Minji live alone, she was still worried deep in her heart. She feared that her daughter might suddenly have a fit when she couldn't see her. While she believed that Hanni would work hard to take care of Minji, she also knew that Hanni had no experience dealing with Minji's illness. Mrs. Kim was concerned that Minji might scare Hanni away.

"Then with this, we'll prepare the house first. You can move in whenever you want to," Mr. Kim said cheerfully.

After discussing this topic, the decision had been made, and the atmosphere around the dinner table was completely relaxed. The fathers of the two families continued their idle chat about state affairs and people's livelihoods, while the mothers talked about skincare.

Haerin felt a bit famished at this time, so she picked up her chopsticks and lowered her head to eat. Then, the others also started to eat. Hanni turned her head to observe Minji and found that she was still immersed in her own world, her head down with the plate in front still holding the fish slices that Hanni had just picked for her.

Do I wake her up or not? Hanni hesitated, wavering between waking Minji up or not. She remembered what Grandma Kim had said before.

"Sometimes Minji would become silent and not care about the people around her. It was likely that she was thinking about something, just needed to wait until she finished, then she would wake up by herself."