BTCG 03

Chapter 3 …

[Ladies and gentlemen, this is Korean Air flight KE215 bound for New York. For your safety and comfort during the flight…]

As I found myself boarding the plane, I wanted to deny reality altogether.
Was this just a terrible nightmare? I quietly pinched my cheek to check—but all I felt was the sharp sting of pain.

“Would you like some wine, sir?”

The flight attendant asked the man sitting beside me politely.
Without even lifting his head, he raised a hand slightly to refuse.

I could understand why he was furious—his bride had vanished right before the wedding, after all.
But still, shouldn’t he at least say thank you to the sister-in-law who was dragged in as a substitute bride?
Just one word of gratitude?

From the car ride to the airport, to the lounge, and now on the plane, he hadn’t looked at me once.
Not a single glance. Not a single word.
It felt like I didn’t even exist to him.

His entire focus was on talking with his chief secretary and reviewing documents.
I might as well have been a random extra in the same tour group.

Maybe… maybe he was just too embarrassed to face me because he was overwhelmed with guilt?
After all, who wouldn’t be?
Seeing his fiancée’s younger sister stepping up as a sacrificial stand-in—it must’ve been awkward, right?
Yeah, that must be it.

Still, not saying anything felt wrong.
A simple “You worked hard today. Thank you for helping me out. I’ll never forget this favor!”
Was that so hard?

Even though we were seated side by side, the first-class seats were so spacious that he felt miles away.
I rested my chin on my hand and stared at him, silently sending a laser-focused message:
Look at me already and say thank you!

But no—he was completely absorbed in his laptop screen, eyes glued to documents.

We did technically get married today, but this was the first time I’d actually seen his face up close.

And yes—he lived up to the rumors.
They said he was as handsome as a celebrity, and… they weren’t exaggerating.

Beneath thick brows, his cool eyes gleamed sharply.
His sculpted nose and tightly sealed lips radiated the confidence and authority of a young leader already commanding many.

At first, I was glaring at him to get his attention, demanding gratitude…
But at some point, I just got lost staring at the perfect lines of his profile illuminated by the screen light.

“Stop staring.”

He didn’t even glance at me, but those were the first words he’d spoken to me all day.
I blinked in surprise, then shot back defensively.

“I can look wherever I want. What’s it to you?”
“If you have nowhere else to look, try the window. The view’s much better than this side.”

Still not looking at me—just typing away, his eyes fixed on the monitor.
Was my noble sacrifice really being ignored this completely?

“Excuse me.”
“……”

He ignored me again.

“Hey. Brother-in-law!”

That got his attention.
His sharp eyes finally turned toward me, and the movement of his well-shaped brows betrayed irritation.
Leaning closer, he spoke in a low, firm voice.

“Watch your mouth. Right now, you’re Han Ye-ji.”

What the—? He wanted me to keep pretending to be my sister even here?
I glanced around. Aside from us, there were only three foreign passengers in first class.
How could they possibly know whether I was Han Ye-ji or Han Ye-sol?

“Are there reporters here too? There’s no one around!”
“Keep your mouth shut and stay quiet. Unless you want to ruin everything.”

His tone was icy—far too harsh for someone talking to the woman who had just saved his wedding.
I let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“Excuse me, but is that really all you have to say to me? Shouldn’t you be grateful right now?”

At this rate, I wouldn’t get a word of thanks—just a lecture to stay out of the way of his “performance.”

“I’m not saying you have to thank me, but come on! Don’t you think this is going too far?
If the wedding hadn’t gone through, your company would’ve taken a huge hit, right?
I basically saved you from bankruptcy! The bride ran away and—mmmph!”

What—?

Before I could finish, his lips were on mine.

My eyes flew wide open, my brain completely blanking out as his large hand cupped the back of my head, pressing his lips even harder against mine.

Despite the suddenness, his lips were surprisingly soft.
He moved just slightly, catching my lower lip gently between his own.

Wait—are we… kissing?

Was this what it felt like for your mind to go blank?
I couldn’t even react—just sat there as if my soul had left my body.

Then, as my lower lip slipped from his, he murmured in a deep, low voice that only I could hear:

“There’s a magazine reporter behind us. I told you to keep quiet.
Unless you want to be the star of a tabloid scandal, stay still.
If you run your mouth again, I’ll shut it with my lips next time too.”

He pulled away smoothly, his long fingers brushing my cheek in a strangely delicate gesture—
completely at odds with the cold, dangerous look in his eyes.
It was almost… gentle.

“President Yoon Jae-ha, correct? I’m Kim Gwan-woo from Missy Club Magazine. You two look wonderful together! May I get a quick interview?”

A real reporter suddenly appeared behind us.
I instinctively turned my face toward the window.
Neither my sister nor I had ever appeared in the media before, so he couldn’t possibly recognize me—but guilt makes you paranoid.

“Sorry, no interviews. Flight attendant! Since when can anyone just wander into first class?”

The man raised his voice, and a male attendant rushed over to escort the reporter out.

“Only ticketed passengers are allowed, sir. My apologies. Please step outside.”

“President Yoon! Is it true that this marriage is a calculated arrangement to counter the JK Group?”

Even as he was dragged away, the reporter clung to his question, embodying the spirit of journalism to the bitter end.
Other passengers craned their necks to watch the commotion.

When his secretary returned from the restroom, the man snapped at him irritably.

“Where have you been all this time?”

The secretary blinked, bewildered by the scene, while the reporter continued snapping photos.
Soon, first class regained its calm—but my heart was still pounding like a trapped fish.

I hadn’t even had time to move before he’d stolen my lips.
Humiliation burned my face, and tears pricked at my eyes.

Was he insane?
Even though I understood it had been to cover up the situation with the reporter, I couldn’t bring myself to speak another word.
Not out of anger this time—but out of shame.
I couldn’t bear to look at him again.

I refused the in-flight meal and pretended to sleep, but there was no way I could.
One line kept echoing in my mind, along with one face.

A marriage of calculated strategy.

My sister—the real bride—had been dating someone for three years.
A normal office worker.
Their marriage was forbidden, and despite her protests, our family proceeded with this business alliance instead.

She and this man had never even gone on a date.
They’d met for barely thirty minutes during the family introduction.
She refused the marriage until the day before the ceremony—but, as always, her objections were ignored.

Now I wondered if she’d been right to run away.

This wedding should never have happened.
I should never have been the one standing in the bride’s place.
How could a corporation’s financial loss outweigh a person’s life?

In that moment, I hadn’t realized what a mistake I’d made—
a choice that would bring misery to both me and my sister.

Otherwise, I wouldn’t be on a plane to New York,
having my lips stolen by a stranger I’d just married.

My sister deserves happiness.
The thought of her being dragged back, forced to live as this man’s doll-like wife, made my chest ache.

This marriage must be annulled.