Chapter 26. Haeyoung-ah

Haeyoung’s gaze naturally went to the arms that were tangled together.

Minju, noticing him, awkwardly smiled and pulled her arm away.

“Oh my, sorry. It’s such a habit. Even if they’re young, a married couple is still a married couple.”

Even her apology was smooth and confident.

“I’ve known Taeseong for a long time. You’ll understand, right?”

It was the kind of attitude that looked down on people from above.

Even someone as slow to notice as Haeyoung could feel it clearly.

That unnie was using kind words to cover up that she was looking down on her.

Haeyoung saw through her game and gave a small smile.

“There’s nothing to understand or not. It already happened.”

“Sorry~”

“If anyone’s going to get hurt messing with someone who already has a partner, it’s you, unnie.”

“Hey, Cha Haeyoung. What are you saying to your noona….”

“That’s why, for your own sake, be careful. Even if it’s not with Joo Taeseong.”

Haeyoung kept a straight face, nodded once, and walked past the two of them.

“Hey, Cha Haeyoung!”

Taeseong turned to call her, but Minju grabbed his arm.

“It’s okay, Taeseong. What Haeyoung said isn’t wrong.”

After Minju’s words, Taeseong turned back around.

“Sorry, noona. She’s not usually like that. We’ve just been fighting since last week.”

“What’s she usually like?”

Minju asked with a gentle smile.

“Usually…”

Taeseong suddenly fell into deep thought and spoke in a serious tone.

“She was weird. Like a crazy person.”

“…What?”

Taeseong didn’t notice Minju’s shocked tone and kept talking.

“She had a loud voice and was kind of dumb.”

He furrowed his brow as if remembering the first time he saw Haeyoung. But soon, like a flower blooming in spring, his expression brightened.

“But she was brave.”

The smile spread slowly across Taeseong’s face like sunlight.

“Sometimes, she looked surprisingly scared, too.”

He paused briefly, then laughed a little.

“Even though she doesn’t seem like it, she’s cute sometimes.”

“…I see. You two got close quickly. I heard you met in January and already got married.”

Minju twisted her lips slightly as she listened to his words.

“You’ve grown up, Taeseong.”

“That’s a compliment, right?”

Minju reached out and patted his head.

“Of course. When did you grow up so much? I used to pat your head from above, but now I have to reach up.”

“I’ve been taller than you for a while now.”

Taeseong replied casually, and Minju pulled her hand back and shook her head.

“No, it’s not just your height. You just seem bigger than me now. Everything about you.”

“……”

“That’s why I said you’ve become a man.”

At her meaningful words, Taeseong’s eyes widened for a moment.

Inside the banquet hall’s restroom, one side of the makeup room was packed with women fixing their makeup and adjusting their clothes.

Minju came in after talking with Taeseong to fix her makeup too.

After drinking a few glasses of champagne, she noticed her lip color had faded and took out her lipstick—when someone cheerfully called her.

“Oh my, Minju!”

“Bora…?”

“Yes, it’s me! Choi Bora!”

“Oh wow, long time no see.”

Since Bora was the daughter of Taeyeong Corporation’s CEO and they had been somewhat close before she studied abroad, Minju put on her business smile.

“Did you move back to Korea?”

“Oh, I came back for a family event and just tagged along to Chairman Joo’s birthday banquet.”

“I followed my grandfather here, too. I’ve been going on blind dates lately, but they’ve all been duds. I thought I might meet someone decent here.”

“I see.”

Minju turned her head toward the mirror and opened her lipstick.

It was a silent signal to end the conversation, but Bora continued chatting without noticing.

“But don’t you think Chairman Joo is amazing? Letting Taeseong get married in his senior year of high school, and to a girl from an ordinary family, too.”

“……”

“Honestly, if Taeseong had waited a few years, so many great marriage proposals would’ve come in. I bet there are lots of families who still think it’s a waste.”

Even with Bora’s noisy chatter, Minju calmly reapplied her lipstick with practiced ease.

“Honestly, since Taeseong followed you around like a puppy when he was little, I thought you two would end up married.”

Minju finished applying her lipstick, put it back in her mini bag, and turned to face Bora.

“Right? I thought so too.”

“…Huh?”

“Taeseong confessed to me, you know. A year ago.”

Minju answered seriously to what was clearly meant as a joke, and Bora’s lips parted in surprise.

“I turned him down because he was underage. I didn’t think he’d end up married so soon.”

Minju gave a forced smile, lips curled up politely.

“If I’d known, maybe I should’ve shamelessly accepted his confession.”

But the faint anger that rose from feeling something precious had been taken couldn’t be hidden behind a smile.

Minju came out alone again, stomping her high heels into the ground as she walked.

There were too many people around to show her anger openly.

But it was hard to calm the burning rage inside her.

“…Where did that weird girl come from.”

Minju bit her lip and muttered.

Taeseong used to only look at her—from when he was little until he became a teenager.

So she took it for granted.

Even a year ago, she hadn’t rejected his confession because she didn’t like him.

To her, just starting university, his confession felt like a shackle.

So she turned him down gently.

People always want to explore the world, knowing the tree will still be there when they return.

But now, that tree was gone. She never thought he’d get married.

Just like Bora said, despite his young age, many families had their eyes on Taeseong as a husband.

It wasn’t just her—everyone had been waiting for him to grow up.

And now, he was married before even becoming an adult.

“Ha… What is this.”

The real problem wasn’t that Taeseong got married.

A relationship on paper could be cleanly cut off.

But feelings…

Feelings don’t cut so easily.

Even if they’re cut, the edges are messy.

And…

Taeseong’s eyes lit up when he talked about that girl.

Just like they once lit up when he looked at her.

Thanks to Chairman Joo wanting to keep the banquet from getting too stiff, the event flowed smoothly into its second half.

After walking around greeting people, the chairman finally got on stage and picked up the microphone.

The noisy crowd quieted down.

Haeyoung stood near the stage, while Taeseong stood far back near the exit.

They both looked toward the chairman like everyone else.

The chairman began his speech, thanking everyone and mentioning the nice spring weather.

Just then—

Ping—.

All the lights went out, and the fire alarm blared.

The peaceful banquet turned into chaos in seconds.

There were screams, the sound of glass and plates shattering, and people bumping into each other trying to escape.

“Fire! Fire! Everyone run!”

Someone shouted, trying to help others escape.

Staff soon appeared to guide people, but the place was still in chaos.

Haeyoung stood frozen, trembling.

“Dad, Dad! It’s hot!”

“It’s okay, Haeyoung. It’ll be okay. I’ll save you.”

Fire was a trauma for Haeyoung. This was her first time facing it again in person.

“Haa, haa.”

If the lights were still on, someone might have noticed her and helped.

But now, people were too scared, using their phone flashlights just to see their own way out.

And Haeyoung, who had left her phone in the car, couldn’t even do that.

She couldn’t move forward or ask for help. She closed her eyes.

“Dad, Dad…”

A voice full of longing slipped out.

Maybe it was a cry for help.

Like when she was a child, and her whole world was her dad.

As Haeyoung kept calling for her father—

“Dad—”

“Haeyoung-ah.”

Like a lie, someone answered her voice.