Episode 4
Taking a deep breath again, Lee Seo, who had been thinking about what would have happened if it hadn’t been for that man, exhaled deeply.
It’s okay, Choi Lee Seo. It’s nothing. You’ve overcome worse things before. This moment too will pass. So don’t worry.
As Lee Seo tried to calm her breathing, the voice of the man echoed in her ears.
“Breathe slowly, keep going like that. One more time, slowly.”
In the meantime, the wedding had begun.
It was a grand wedding.
As the woman had said last night, from politicians to figures in the legal field, the wedding venue was filled with celebrities and high-profile guests.
Sitting in her seat inside the venue, Lee Seo’s mind was a whirlwind of thoughts.
Despite her complicated feelings, the ceremony proceeded smoothly, and a relative of the bride who was supposed to catch the bouquet stepped up.
At the moment the bouquet was thrown.
The bouquet, which had been flying through the air, landed not in the hands of the relative, but in Lee Seo’s arms.
Caught off guard, Lee Seo didn’t know what to do, and in that moment, the emcee quickly spoke up.
“Looks like the bouquet has a different owner. Beautiful lady, do you know that if you don’t marry within six months, you’ll have to stay single for the next three years?”
Laughter filled the venue.
Among all the people laughing, there was only one person who didn’t.
“Good. You need to get married too.”
The bride’s face, with her lips pressed tightly together, was contorted in frustration.
Not only were the eyes of the crowd focused on her, but now the bouquet was in her hands too.
One more set of eyes focused on Lee Seo.
A few steps away, Lee Seo, holding the bouquet, caught the attention of Tae Seok, whose gaze was locked on her.
Her pale cheeks, which had seemed on the verge of collapsing, had turned a soft pink, like cherry blossoms in the spring.
Despite her labored breathing and the feeling of being close to death, a warm smile, like spring sunlight, spread across her lips.
In the meantime, Lee Seo walked over and handed the bouquet back to the bride’s relative, and the bright, beaming face was now etched in Tae Seok’s mind, like a tattoo in his eyes.
“We’ll now begin the group photos.”
At the emcee’s announcement, Lee Seo quickly took her place next to the bride, and Tae Seok began to follow slowly behind.
His tall figure drew the attention of hundreds of eyes.
“That man, is he the representative of the Ganghwa Group?”
“He’s like a model.”
“Seriously, with that wealth and looks, he must never be hungry.”
“Is he still single?”
“I heard women from prominent families have been lining up to date him, but he doesn’t seem interested. That’s why the Ganghwa chairman is desperate to get him married.”
The whispers among the women now shifted to Lee Seo.
“That necklace she’s wearing, the one around her neck, it’s over two thousand dollars. How did she get it?”
“Two thousand?”
“It’s the new limited edition from T brand.”
“She’s the bride’s best friend, so I bet she could get something like that easily. Haven’t you heard? Joo Hee only hangs out with people who are on her level.”
“Shh! You’ll be heard.”
“Her friends are pretty different too.”
After the wedding ceremony, the reception began, and inside the grand hotel, the bride, now in a new dress, was greeting guests with the groom.
“You’re Joo Hee’s friend, right? The one who caught the bouquet.”
“Yes.”
As if they had been waiting, the women at the same table bombarded Lee Seo with questions.
“Are you college friends? Or high school? I heard you’re her best friend.”
“Didn’t Joo Hee go to school abroad, both high school and college? You must have come a long way for the wedding.”
“We’ve known each other since we were little.”
“I see. But that necklace is the new limited edition, right?”
Lee Seo’s necklace glistened brightly under the lights.
“I wanted to buy it, but since it’s new and limited edition, I couldn’t. Seeing it in person, it’s even prettier. It’s supposed to be really hard to get. How did you get it?”
“I guess I was lucky.”
“Well, since you’re Joo Hee’s close friend, I bet getting things like that is no trouble for you.”
“Does your father work in the same field as Joo Hee’s dad? A lawyer? A prosecutor? Or a member of the National Assembly?”
The women kept firing questions at Lee Seo, and slowly, her brow furrowed.
“It seems like you have a lot of questions. But today’s not about me, it’s about Joo Hee. Why don’t you focus a bit more on the bride?”
An awkward silence filled the air. Lee Seo, trying to escape, quickly stood up and walked away.
The money and power.
Things that didn’t matter to her were everything to the people here. Lee Seo felt a simmering discomfort rise in her chest as she exhaled a hot breath.
Once the reception ended and the newlywed couple left for their honeymoon, people began to leave the venue one by one.
Just as the bride’s mother had said, they had rented the entire hotel for the wedding, and now, the place seemed much quieter.
I need to leave quickly. If I stay any longer, I’ll suffocate to death.
Wanting to get out as quickly as possible, Lee Seo hurried to the restroom.
After changing into clothes she had prepared earlier, she carefully placed the diamond necklace back in its box and made her way to the lobby.
“Are you Mr. Kim Doo-sik?”
“Yes.”
“Please pass this on to Madam. She’ll know what it is.”
Lee Seo made sure to show the assistant everything inside the shopping bag, including the clothes, bag, and necklace, confirming they were all there.
“Got it. I’ll deliver it.”
Feeling lighter after completing her task, but also anxious about what might happen if she stayed longer, Lee Seo’s phone rang less than 30 minutes after leaving the hotel.
“Hello?”
[“I thought you ran away, but now you’re picking up the phone? You’ve got some nerve! What the hell is going on here?”]
The voice of the bride’s mother was sharp and angry over the phone.
“What’s going on?”
[“You’ll find out if you come here. If you don’t want to be taken away, come to the hotel lounge right now!”]
The call abruptly ended. Taken aback, Lee Seo quickly turned and rushed back to the hotel.
Not long after, she arrived at the hotel.
Entering the lounge, the bride’s mother and the assistant were already there.
The woman’s face, now flushed red, quickly approached Lee Seo.
“I’m sure I told you.”
“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Why are you doing this?”
“Didn’t I tell you to return everything I gave you to my assistant?”
“I gave everything to your assistant. So, what’s the issue?”
“Are you still lying?”
The woman’s voice, sharp as a knife, echoed in the lounge, and Lee Seo’s face slowly hardened as she tried to make sense of what was happening.
“What do you mean, lying?”
“There’s no way you didn’t steal it. Do you even know how much that necklace was worth?”
“Who are you accusing of stealing?”
“The necklace I gave you. It’s missing!”
“What?”
Lee Seo’s face began to turn red as she became flustered.
“What do you mean? I definitely gave it to you in the case, along with the other items.”
“Oh really? So you’re still going with that story? Should I call the police?”
“You can call them if you want. I’m happy to cooperate.”
Lee Seo’s face was frozen in disbelief as the assistant stood by quietly.
“You heard that? What are you going to do about the necklace?”
“I don’t know what kind of assumptions you’re making, but I really didn’t do it.”
“Assumptions? I’ve seen enough people like you to know exactly what’s going on.”
“Watch your words.”
“Call the police right now.”
“Please, go ahead.”
The tension between Lee Seo and the woman was suffocating.
“This is why you need to be careful with things you don’t have. You couldn’t help but keep it, huh?”
“Look at you, lady.”
“Lady? Did you just call me ‘lady’? How dare you!”
As the woman’s hand moved toward Lee Seo’s cheek, someone quickly grabbed her wrist.
Outside the hotel, after the wedding had ended, Secretary Min, having spotted Tae Seok, quickly stopped the car.
“Representative!”
“What is it?”
“Why haven’t.”
