Chapter 33
Standing at the beginning of the virgin road, Iseo’s heart pounded so violently it felt like it might burst out of her chest.
She wished it were all a dream, but everything before her eyes was painfully vivid.
A faint breath escaped from her lips, which betrayed how tense she was.
It should have been the happiest moment of her life, but her face showed no sign of joy, happiness, or excitement.
This was the beginning of a two-year contract marriage.
A deep, inexplicable unease.
Though her heart felt uneasy, the chandelier’s elegant, soft light made the scene before them look stunning—too beautiful to describe.
Noticing her tension, Taeseok gently offered his arm.
She placed her hand lightly on his, and when she fixed her gaze on his profile, unfamiliar emotions began to stir inside her.
It was ironic. A moment that should be filled with joy was instead weighed down with sorrow. Her mind was overwhelmed with tangled thoughts.
Watching her daughter stand beside the groom, Sunyoung’s eyes welled up with tears. In her heart, she wished only for Iseo’s happiness, praying over and over again.
To the sound of music, the two began walking forward slowly.
Taeseok gently pressed the back of Iseo’s trembling hand, and the warmth from his touch brought a subtle moisture to the corners of her eyes.
“You don’t need to be nervous.”
His warmth was oddly comforting in that moment.
Someone was watching them closely.
Pilsun’s face grew colder as she watched the couple enter together.
After losing her son in an accident, she had treasured her only remaining blood relative.
And yet this woman—this nobody from who-knows-where—dared to dream of marrying into the Kang family?
A throbbing blue vein popped out on Pilsun’s temple as thoughts churned in her head.
Even as she watched the bride and groom in their wedding attire, she couldn’t believe it. All she could do was bite her lip hard.
Unlike Pilsun, who looked about ready to explode, Hyejeong and Jitae wore unreadable smiles.
At the same time and in the same place, people were lost in their own thoughts as Taeseok and Iseo walked slowly down the aisle.
Between the soft flower petals falling like confetti and the beautiful music, simple yet elegant wedding rings sparkled on the couple’s fingers.
These rings had been specially crafted—one-of-a-kind in the world.
✦✦✦
After the ceremony, as the newlyweds stepped outside for their brief one-night honeymoon, Sunyoung and Jian approached them.
“Make lots of happy memories, and travel safely.”
“Mother, thank you for everything.”
“I’m counting on you.”
Taeseok exchanged polite words with Sunyoung, but Jian’s expression hardened as he watched them.
A wedding that was too simple for a major corporation. A honeymoon sendoff without any family members from Taeseok’s side. There were more than a few things that didn’t sit right.
“Choi Iseo, congratulations again. Enjoy yourselves.”
“Thanks. See you when I get back.”
As soon as the ceremony ended, Pilsun and Hyejeong left the hotel, and the car they were in filled with heavy silence.
“Mother, are you okay?”
Hyejeong, noticing how pale Pilsun looked, cautiously spoke.
“Maybe we should’ve stayed and at least seen them off for the honeymoon.”
“So now you’re pretending to be a mother? Isn’t that a bit late?”
“Oh come on, why say that? You’re the one who rushed to send Han Taeseok overseas for school when he was young.”
Pilsun bit down on her lip at Hyejeong’s irritatingly calm voice.
“And wasn’t that exactly what you wanted too?”
“Even so, I am still his mother. Whether it’s Taeseok or Jitae, they’re both my sons.”
Pilsun narrowed her eyes at Hyejeong’s smiling face.
Unlike Taeseok’s birth mother, who had come from nothing, Hyejeong’s family owned several companies.
In truth, the Kanghwa Group owed much of its success to the financial support of Hyejeong’s family.
Kicking out the birth mother and bringing in Hyejeong as the new daughter-in-law had been part of Pilsun’s calculated plan for the sake of the company. But before that, Hyejeong had already set her sights on swallowing Kanghwa whole through marriage.
“Do you seriously think this marriage makes any sense? If Chairman Han were still alive, this wedding would’ve never happened.”
“Well, who knows? Maybe he would’ve liked her. She’s pretty.”
At that, Pilsun’s eyes shot up sharply.
“You think that’s funny?”
“Mother, be honest. You’re planning to have them divorce, aren’t you?”
“Why even ask something so obvious? You knew I would.”
Pilsun wasn’t the only one who could see right through the calculating and sharp-tongued Hyejeong.
“But you know, Mother, considering how strongly Han Taeseok pushed for this wedding, I doubt it’ll be that easy to force a divorce. People can’t predict the future. What if there’s a honeymoon baby? What’ll you do if they end up having a child?”
“That’s exactly why you and I need to work together.”
“You know how Han Taeseok looks like he wants to kill me every time I show up. And now you want me to play the evil mother-in-law too?”
“Do you seriously not have any ambition?”
Pilsun’s expression darkened even more.
“You really plan on keeping that girl in the executive director seat forever?”
“You know how our Jitae is. He just focuses on his work.”
Hyejeong’s lips curled into a crooked smile.
“Then again, who knows? If things go well with Hyemi, they might get married. They’re both healthy, so they’d probably have kids soon too.”
At her biting sarcasm, Pilsun cast a cold glare at Hyejeong.
“Ugh. You really only get married once for a reason. I could never do it again.”
“Then should we change the contract? Make it forever instead of just two years? I’d consider it if you want.”
“You call that a joke?”
The sky was unusually blue and clear, and the humidity in the air signaled that summer had arrived.
“When did you even plan this honeymoon?”
They were headed to a small island off the coast of Incheon.
“You said you liked the ocean. So, let’s go see the sea.”
A breeze blew in through the slightly opened window, ruffling Taeseok’s hair, and the gentle, sweet scent drifted toward Iseo’s nose.
The way Taeseok brushed his hair back with one hand—it was almost unfair how good he looked.
“Did we really have to go on a honeymoon? We could’ve just stayed nearby and come back quickly.”
“There’s no such thing as ‘just’ in my vocabulary. This is our first trip together. It should be special.”
Our first trip together.
Hearing that from Taeseok made Iseo’s heart flutter unexpectedly.
“Calling it a honeymoon is generous. What kind of company gives only three days off for a wedding? Ridiculous.”
“You should just be glad you passed the interview.”
“If we had a month off, we could’ve gone to Europe.”
Iseo’s eyes lingered on his face, watching his disappointed expression.
She had never even been in a proper relationship, and now she had a husband all of a sudden.
The scenery flew by outside the window, but her mind was a mess, like tangled threads.
Finally, they arrived.
When she got out of the car, he wrapped an arm around her.
Whether it was the weather or his body heat, a wave of warmth made her cheeks flush.
“W-What are you doing?”
“Did you forget? Starting today, we’re a married couple. Newlyweds, to be exact.”
He smiled as his eyes curved, and her heart pounded uncontrollably.
Why is he acting like this?
Trying to calm her storming emotions, Iseo bit her lip.
“You’re officially my woman now. My wife. Don’t forget that.”
While Iseo was visibly tense, a faint smile hung on Taeseok’s lips.
They entered an unfamiliar hotel.
The elevator dinged at the 15th floor, and Iseo glanced at the single room key in Taeseok’s hand.
“Wait… Don’t tell me we’re staying in the same room?”
“Why wouldn’t we? We’re married. A double room is the standard.”
Her knees almost buckled as she followed him inside, and her pupils shook.
“Wait—just now you said double room, right?”
“As you can see.”
“Isn’t a double room a room with two beds?”
“Was that supposed to be a joke?”
I wish it was a joke.
She had never stayed at a hotel before—not with her debt-ridden life.
How was she supposed to know a double room meant one big bed?
As if that weren’t enough, her face paled.
“W-What is that?”
Following the direction of Iseo’s trembling finger, she saw it: a transparent bathroom, completely visible from the room.
Her mouth dropped open in cultural shock.
For a moment, she imagined someone standing in there with nothing on, and her face turned bright red.
Taeseok let out a quiet chuckle at her reaction.
“What? I like it. We’re married. It’s fine to bathe together, right?”
Before she could respond, he pulled her tightly into his arms.
“Do you want to shower first? Or should we do it together?”
Iseo’s soft chest pressed against Taeseok’s firm one.
