Chapter 10 …
Jaeha looked equally bewildered, glancing back and forth between me and Nam Jinwoo.
Nam Jinwoo… Right, that was his name. But to think he actually knew Yoon Jaeha — that was completely unexpected.
Jinwoo, too, looked genuinely surprised.
“You said you were on your honeymoon. Don’t tell me… you’re married to Jaeha?”
His eyes fell on the arm wrapped around my waist. He already seemed half-sure, but asked again just to confirm.
“You two know each other?”
This time, Jaeha looked at me as he asked.
“We met yesterday. In a park in New York.”
“Ah, so that’s what it was. I was wondering which idiot would let his beautiful bride wander around alone on her honeymoon. Turns out that idiot was you, Jaeha.”
Jinwoo said with a teasing grin.
“You two must be friends. What a surprise.”
“Yeah. We went to high school and college together. He was my closest friend in the States. Right, Jaeha? Or was that just me?”
Jinwoo chuckled and looked at Jaeha playfully.
“Cut the nonsense.”
Seeing how casually they spoke to each other, I realized they really were close friends — best friends, even. That made it all the more surprising.
“I missed your wedding because of something important that day, but so it was you, Yesol, who became the bride, huh?”
Jinwoo tilted his head slightly, as if trying to recall something.
“But wait, didn’t the article say the bride’s name was Han Yeji? Did the bride change or something?”
The moment he said that, Jaeha’s face hardened. His eyes darted around quickly before he grabbed Jinwoo’s arm and hissed,
“Keep your mouth shut.”
Jinwoo looked even more shocked.
“What’s wrong? Don’t tell me it did change?”
Maybe he was just confused about the name or thought he’d remembered it wrong, but Jaeha’s overreaction only made things look more suspicious.
Jaeha started leading Jinwoo away to a quieter corner of the room.
Even then, Jinwoo craned his neck to look back at me and shouted,
“See! He’s leaving the bride alone again! Yesol, seriously, why did you marry this guy?”
I bit my lips to stop myself from laughing.
‘This guy’s hilarious. Who would’ve thought someone could bicker with Yoon Jaeha like that? How refreshing.’
Jaeha, meanwhile, was busy trying to shut Jinwoo up, covering his mouth every time he said my name. The two of them stayed outside talking for quite a while, not returning to the party.
I took the champagne Jaeha had handed me and only let it touch my lips. The sweet aroma made me want to down the entire glass and shake the empty one over my head, but I held back.
My friend Hyunah had made me promise never to drink unless she was with me.
I could easily finish a whole bottle of soju, but once I got drunk, I had a bad habit of getting overly affectionate — with anyone. Man or woman, it didn’t matter; I’d start touching whoever was nearby. Hyunah said it was a miracle I hadn’t caused any disasters yet and told me to drink only when she was there to keep me in check.
So even though I really wanted to drink tonight, I decided to behave.
Left alone in the unfamiliar party hall, I looked around. People were chatting in small groups, glasses in hand. My stomach grumbled a little, so I grabbed a small plate and picked up some neatly arranged finger foods. As I started nibbling, a woman with a strong perfume scent stepped beside me, picking up the same hors d’oeuvres and asking,
“Mrs. Yoon? Why are you by yourself?”
I had definitely been introduced to her earlier, but after meeting so many people, I couldn’t remember who she was. Smiling politely, I replied,
“Jaeha’s just catching up with an old friend.”
When I glanced toward where Jaeha and Jinwoo were talking, the woman followed my gaze and asked,
“How did you and Mr. Yoon meet? I’m dying to hear your love story.”
“Ah…”
That was… a tough question. She was probably just curious, but I suddenly felt like a criminal being interrogated. We hadn’t exactly prepared a backstory for this fake marriage.
As I tried to think of a way to dodge the question, the woman — her nails perfectly manicured — popped a canapé into her mouth and said,
“Everyone was shocked, you know. Yoon Jaeha was famous for keeping women at arm’s length, and suddenly, he’s married!”
“Ah… I see.”
I looked toward Jaeha again, silently begging him to come rescue me, but he was still deep in conversation with Jinwoo.
“So? Come on, tell me. Where did you meet? How long did you date?”
Her tone almost sounded like a challenge, as if daring me to spin a good story. I gave her a wary look and said,
“I’m sorry, that’s a bit personal.”
Her disappointed expression said everything. She clearly didn’t like that answer.
Then a familiar voice came from behind me.
“And what are you two ladies talking about that’s so interesting?”
It was Jaeha. The woman’s eyes lit up the moment she saw him, a smile tugging at her lips.
“I was just asking about your love story, Mr. Yoon. I was so curious how you two met.”
“Oh, really? Should I tell her, honey?”
He slipped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. The woman’s expression faltered for just a moment. Her gaze landed on the hand resting on my shoulder, lingering there. I suddenly got the feeling she might be one of those countless women who had once wanted a date with Yoon Jaeha — or perhaps, worse, one who’d actually been with him before.
“Where we met doesn’t matter,” Jaeha said smoothly. “What matters is that it was love at first sight.”
At that lie, the woman’s face stiffened. She tried to hide it, but her lips trembled slightly. I started to worry that this might escalate into a hair-pulling catfight.
“I was shocked too,” Jaeha continued, playing the role perfectly. “I never believed in love at first sight, but the moment I saw her, I knew I couldn’t let her go. Meeting my wife was the greatest gift of my life.”
Then he kissed the top of my head. The woman bit her lip hard enough to turn white.
“How surprising,” she sneered. “A month ago, you told me you had no interest in women. That you were too busy for romance.”
“I was too busy to date,” Jaeha replied calmly. “So I went straight to marriage. I wanted her too much to waste time.”
Her face twisted in rage. Anyone could see there was history between them. Even a passing dog would know.
“You should’ve just told me you were getting married,” she said bitterly. “Would’ve made it a lot easier to give up, Mr. Yoon.”
With that, she turned on her heel and stormed off, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.
Jinwoo, who had returned just in time to witness the tail end of the scene, tried to lighten the mood.
“See? I told you — you married the wrong guy. Why did you marry him, anyway? He’s cold, a total workaholic, can’t even clean up his past, and he’s no fun at all. Such a waste of a bride.”
He clicked his tongue dramatically and shook his head, then leaned closer to whisper,
“You should’ve married someone like me. I’m clean, you know — no scandals. So, what do you say? When the contract ends, wanna marry me instead?”
At the word “contract,” I looked at Jaeha in shock. He sighed and muttered quietly,
“He wouldn’t stop pestering me, so I told him everything. Don’t worry. He’s not the type to blab.”
So Jinwoo knew — that our marriage was fake, and that it even had an expiration date.
Strangely, I felt a faint sense of relief. At least someone knew I wasn’t actually a married woman.
When I looked at Jinwoo again, he winked playfully and smiled.
And for a brief moment, I couldn’t help but think —
If only my fake husband had a smile as soft as his.
