"Marry Hyuna? She's just a kid, Mom," Damian replied. The man, now dressed neatly in his suit, looked at his mother in disbelief.

"Ask your father, don't ask me," replied a woman in a tight tiger-print dress typical of socialite mothers. She spoke with a sarcastic tone, clearly disliking the topic of discussion.

"I don't mind marrying Hyuna. The problem is whether she wants to or not."

Seeing the argument between his son and wife, Reza took a deep breath. "Damian, you've known Hyuna and her family well since you were kids. So what's the problem?"

"The problem is I'm no longer young, Dad. And she? She hasn’t even graduated from college yet."

"She’s already defended her thesis, just waiting for graduation. Besides, age isn’t the determining factor for marriage. It’s better if the man is more mature than the woman so he can take care of her, right?" Reza asked while sipping his coffee.

Regita, his wife who had been hugging the sofa cushion and changing TV channels, now looked at Reza. "Dad, don’t you remember that Hyuna has been pampered since she was little? Her behavior isn’t much different from a twelve-year-old. Do you really want Damian to take care of a child like that?"

"Well, it’s okay if she’s pampered by her husband. Hyuna has never been in a relationship before. I’m sure she can accept Damian as her husband. The girl is very innocent. Once she’s informed, she’ll surely become a good wife for our son."

"I feel like a pedophile now."

Reza looked at Damian. "So what do you want to do? I’ve already given you leeway to marry Riana, your girlfriend. But what’s the result? She’s busy with her career, isn’t she?"

"Mom doesn’t agree with Damian marrying Riana either. If that happens, our child will be neglected because his wife is always working." Regita chimed in. Actually, she had no problem with a wife who also worked, as she herself did the same.

But Riana was too focused on her career that she even refused to marry. Regita was okay with Riana, but her refusal made Regita upset.

"What does Mom want, then? I don’t agree with Riana, and I don’t agree with Hyuna either. If Mom never agrees with any woman I’m involved with, how will Mom ever have grandchildren?" Damian asked with a flat expression.

"Mom wants you to get married soon, considering your age is quite mature for a man. But Hyuna is too young for you, Damian. Can she take care of you?"

Damian fell silent. He didn’t agree but also didn’t reject the idea of this arranged marriage. As a 28-year-old man, he had lost respect for mere debates.

"A wife doesn’t just have to take care of her husband. She’s also a partner who should walk alongside him. I can’t guarantee that Hyuna will be the ideal daughter-in-law for your mother. But I’m confident that Hyuna can be a good wife according to what you want," Reza explained.

Syahreza and Pramana had been friends since high school. They hadn’t planned to arrange marriages for their children when they grew up.

However, the idea emerged when they saw that their children were dependent on each other. If united, they would surely make a complementary pair.

Hyuna, a 20-year-old girl with a pampered and childish attitude but also cheerful and obedient. Pramana couldn’t believe his daughter needed to find a partner on her own.

Meanwhile, Damian, the mature man, seemed too grown up that after breaking up with Riana, Syahreza wasn’t sure if his son would find a better replacement.

Isn’t it a fitting match between the childish Hyuna and the fatherly Damian?

"Okay, I don’t mind marrying Hyuna. But does she agree? I don’t want her to be forced to marry me when she could find a younger and more stylish guy."

Reza smiled meaningfully at Damian’s words. Meanwhile, Regita just stared in disbelief.

Ah, well. It’s useless to forbid it. If Damian agrees, there’s no reason for Regita to reject it. For her, the important thing is that her son is happy.

***

"Marry, huh? Okay," Hyuna replied enthusiastically while hugging a brown teddy bear.

Pramana and Natalia exchanged glances. The 39-year-old woman then looked at Hyuna. "You’re going to be married, Hyuna. You know what marriage is, right?"

With innocence, the girl nodded firmly. "So what? I’m grown up, almost graduating too. Why is it a problem if I’m getting married?"

"You’re being arranged for marriage. Usually, people refuse arranged marriages. Why are you agreeing so easily?" Natalia asked in surprise, recalling how she herself had resisted her arranged marriage before agreeing.

"As long as I still get pocket money, right?" Hyuna asked, to which Natalia nodded.

"You’ll get money from Damian, not from us anymore," Pramana explained.

Hyuna nodded. "I can still buy candies, right?"

Pramana looked at his wife and then nodded. The girl smiled happily again. "If so, I don’t have to worry. As long as I get money and can still buy candies, I don’t mind," she said, hugging the teddy bear tighter.

"But this is marriage, dear. It’s not the same as your current life. You will really experience real life, not just playing around," Natalia explained worriedly.

The girl then took a deep breath and looked at her parents seriously. "I know you’ve always considered me a child who can’t do anything. That’s why you never allowed me to go out at night just to watch a concert, never let me go on vacation with friends, never allowed me to live in a dorm and be independent during college, and even never let me work."

"Mom, Dad, my life has been too monotonous for someone in their twenties. This is the first time you’re allowing me to leave the house, even if it means becoming someone’s wife. But maybe my future husband won’t be as strict as you in raising me. The point is, I hope after marriage, I can know what real life is like. Facing problems like adults and solving them on my own. Besides, maybe if I’m married, you’ll see me as an adult and not just a child anymore. I really want to learn to be an adult and handle my own problems. I might face difficulties, but I’ll be happy because it’s my choice."

Both parents were silent after hearing Hyuna’s explanation. It was undeniable that they had raised their daughter very strictly. This was because of Hyuna’s childish behavior even though she was twenty years old.

But they didn’t know that behind her childish attitude, their daughter actually had such deep thoughts.