BTCG 02

Chapter 2 …

Father asked carefully, and Grandfather replied firmly.

“The media doesn’t know Yeji’s face anyway, right? Just go ahead with the ceremony first! Reporters, politicians, and big-name business figures are all attending. Do you have the guts to stand there and say, ‘Sorry, the bride’s gone missing, so the wedding’s canceled’?”

I was so dumbfounded I could hardly breathe. Cancel the wedding? What kind of comedy movie was this supposed to be?!

But Grandfather was deadly serious. Too serious — and that made it even scarier.

“What do we tell President Yoon?”

“He doesn’t want this wedding canceled either! Of course not! The stock price skyrocketed as soon as the marriage was announced. There’s no way he’d give up the synergy this union will create.”

Grandfather stood, leaning on his cane placed between his knees, and glanced at me before continuing.

“First, hold the ceremony. We can sort out the rest later. Either find Yeji and sit her down at the altar, or just marry Yesol off instead. It doesn’t matter which one of you gets married. What matters is that the alliance is made.”

The moment those words left his mouth, all eyes turned to me again.

Father motioned for me to come over.

“Wait a second.”

I took a step back.

“I must’ve heard that wrong, right? You want me to stand in as the bride? Do you even hear yourselves right now?”

But the atmosphere in the sitting room was as if the decision had already been made.

***

“You mean unnie’s gone missing? She ran away?”

“Shh! Keep your voice down. For now, you’ll have to play her role. We’re running out of time.”

“No way… this is insane!”

My reaction made Dad frown even deeper. Though he lowered his voice, his tone remained firm.

“Can’t you talk a little more gracefully?”

He rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply.

“How am I supposed to send such a thoughtless girl to President Yoon?”

“You seriously want me to marry in my sister’s place? That’s ridiculous!”

“There’s no other choice. Every news outlet is covering this wedding. If the reporters find out the bride’s missing, it’ll be front-page news and a social scandal. It’s not just my reputation or your grandfather’s that’s at stake — what about President Yoon?”

Dad kept going, not even pausing for breath.

“Think about it — Yoon Jaeha, the brilliant young Korean entrepreneur, ranked the 7th most influential person and the No.1 CEO young people want to emulate — what happens if word gets out that he was dumped by his bride on his wedding day? His image, his company — they’ll both be ruined!”

“And why exactly is that my problem? What does any of this have to do with me?”

Dad ignored my protest and stepped closer, gently taking my hand. His gaze softened slightly.

“Yesol, please, just help me this one time. Canceling the ceremony would be a major blow for me too. Just go through with the wedding for now — we’ll find your sister and set things straight afterward.”

Everyone in Korea knew about the upcoming marriage between Daehos Group and Myeongil Group. It had dominated the social and economic headlines for days.

After the announcement, both companies’ stock prices soared. Even the stock of the hotel hosting the wedding had climbed.

If the wedding were canceled now, the financial losses would be unimaginable.

Still — using me as the substitute bride to save the economy?

What a joke.

“It’s only thirty minutes. The ceremony will be over before you know it.”

“Just the ceremony, right? You’re serious?”

“Yes. That’s all.”

“Does the groom know? Does he even know my sister’s missing?”

“He knows. President Yoon’s in a tough spot too. But this wedding is just as crucial for him. He’ll probably be grateful you’re stepping in.”

I stared blankly at Dad. Me? A stand-in bride? Was there an even bigger farce in the world than this?

***

People often asked if my sister and I were twins — that’s how much we looked alike. After the famous Cheongdam-dong makeup artist worked her magic on me, even I couldn’t tell if I was Han Yesol or Han Yeji. Our relatives could barely tell us apart either.

The bouquet trembling in my hands wasn’t because I was nervous — it was pure anger. As I walked down the aisle holding Dad’s arm, one question kept echoing in my mind: Who am I, and where the hell is this?

Thankfully, the press had been barred from entering the hall, so at least I didn’t have to worry about being photographed. Still, I kept my head low just in case.

Someone was walking toward me — the groom, in polished black shoes and a tailored tuxedo. I tilted my head slightly to look at him.

Was he always that tall? His face, striking and refined, belonged to one of Korea’s most popular chaebol heirs — practically a celebrity.

He wasn’t just born with a silver spoon — his talent made even that meaningless. A prodigy who graduated early from a top American university and became president of Myeongil Group far sooner than anyone expected.

His business acumen was so outstanding that no one dared call him a nepotism case. It was no wonder his marriage had become the nation’s hottest news.

The only time I’d seen him before was during a brief family meeting at a restaurant. He’d been so busy he only stayed for thirty minutes. I barely remembered his face.

Now, he took me from Dad’s hand — like a product being transferred — and led me to the altar where the officiant waited. Standing beside him, my head barely reached his shoulder.

As the former opposition leader — now serving as officiant — droned on with a tedious speech, I prayed silently: Just get this over with. Once the ceremony’s done, I’m out of this nightmare.

Linking arms with a stranger I barely knew, I forced a bright smile and walked down the aisle as the newlyweds began their “joyous” procession.

***

The moment I entered the bridal waiting room, I ripped off the veil and threw it onto a chair. The white gloves that reached my elbows were annoyingly tight. I tugged them off in frustration and tossed them on the floor.

“Could you take this off, please?”

I turned my back to the assistant, gesturing for her to unzip the suffocating dress. She appeared holding a sleek, elegant outfit — a “Cheongdam-dong daughter-in-law” style ensemble.

“Please change into this.”

“Why would I wear that?”

“You’ll need to greet the guests and wear it on your way to the airport.”

The airport?

Oh right. The honeymoon. Of course, the assistant had no idea what was really going on.

“Oh, I’m not going to the airport.”

I pushed my back toward her again, insisting she just unzip the damn dress.

“But, ma’am, your mother said you should wear this on your way to the airport.”

As she kept bringing up the honeymoon, I wanted to scream that I wasn’t the real bride.

This ridiculous charade was over!

But I bit my tongue. When Mom entered the waiting room, I plastered on a fake smile and asked,

“I can leave now, right? It’s over?”

Mom glanced at the assistant, then sent her out of the room. She lowered her voice like a ventriloquist.

“What are you talking about? You have to go to the airport. There’ll be reporters there too.”

“What?”

“The honeymoon tickets are already booked. If you cancel now, what do you think will happen? Rumors! People will say the marriage fell apart in a day — the gossip columns will explode! Just go on the honeymoon.”

I stared at her, my mouth hanging open in disbelief.

“This is insane!”

“Just think of it as a trip. President Yoon’s busy anyway — he won’t even have time to see you. He has meetings in the U.S. You two can just… travel separately.”

“Mom, are you even listening to yourself? You want me to go on a honeymoon with a man I just met — my sister’s fiancé?”

“You’ve already played the part. You have to finish it properly. Go on the honeymoon — that way there won’t be any rumors.”

Her words were so absurd that I couldn’t even reply.

A stand-in bride and a stand-in honeymoon?

Was this even real life?