Chapter#1 [Byungju & Sora] We’re Getting Married!
When Yulhee saw the newly posted title on the company announcement board, she unconsciously took a deep breath.
The two names written side by side were very familiar to her. But at the same time, they were also common names.
‘Right… it must be someone else with the same name.’
She tried to convince herself it couldn’t be the people she knew, but her breathing wouldn’t calm down.
Maybe it was because of the coworkers who kept glancing at her, making strange sounds that were somewhere between sighs and gasps. Their curious looks were a clear hint.
With trembling hands, Yulhee moved her mouse cursor over the post title.
It felt like finding a mysterious note stuck on the windshield of a car parked in a no-parking zone—knowing it’s probably a parking ticket, but still hoping it might just be an advertisement.
Just like that, she slowly clicked the mouse.
[We invite you to our wedding!
We met in a dazzling summer and spent a no-longer-lonely autumn together.
Our love, warm enough to melt winter snow, has borne fruit, and now we wish to become one in the fresh spring.
We sincerely hope you will join us for this meaningful occasion…]**
Scrolling down past the cheesy message, she saw a photo of the bride and groom hugging.
The young bride smiled brightly in her flowing dress. Even with heavy makeup, the mole on the tip of her nose was clear.
Yulhee turned her head and looked at the seat to her left. As expected, it was empty.
Sora, an intern in Business Team 2 and Yulhee’s assistant, was often absent, so it wasn’t surprising.
“Come on, ma’am. People need to breathe while working. And I have a back problem, so I can’t sit too long.”
Whenever Yulhee scolded her, Sora would respond cutely with excuses.
The mole on her nose—something she said she waited eight months to get at a famous plastic surgery clinic in Gangnam—was very noticeable.
This time, Yulhee stretched her neck and looked at the seat in front of her. It was empty too.
When she turned back to the monitor, she saw the groom smiling lovingly at the bride.
His hair, slicked all the way back with wax, looked unfamiliar, but she could still recognize him.
“I thought Manager Park Byungju and Assistant Manager Kang Yulhee were dating?”
At someone’s voice—too loud to be called a whisper—Yulhee felt her heart drop.
As expected, Byungju was her longtime boyfriend. They had been together for four years. They were even planning to get married this year.
And now, he was marrying someone else. Not just anyone—but Sora.
Yulhee couldn’t understand this simple fact at all.
Just then, the people who needed to explain everything appeared in the office.
“Sora! Manager Park! Are you really getting married?”
“When did you two even start dating? I had no idea!”
Before Yulhee could approach, coworkers gathered around them, asking questions.
“Haha, it just happened somehow,” Byungju replied casually.
Standing behind the crowd, Yulhee let out a hollow laugh without realizing it.
People turned to look at her, their expressions strange.
As their curious gazes moved between her and Byungju, he smiled even wider and said,
“Finally, we can get rid of that annoying rumor that we’re dating. Right, Assistant Manager Kang?”
“Oh my, so it was all just a rumor?”
Since office relationships could be troublesome, Byungju had asked Yulhee to keep their relationship a secret.
“Imagine telling everyone about dating and marriage at the same time later. Wouldn’t that be fun?”
Even so, everyone suspected them. They had been asked hundreds of times if they were dating, but they always denied it.
And now, he was still denying it.
“I’ve even handed out wedding invitations, and you still don’t believe it? Please stop. You’re making Sora uncomfortable.”
Byungju said this seriously, wrapping his arm around Sora’s shoulders. Some female coworkers squealed at the sight.
“But Sora, your father’s name sounds familiar… could it be…?”
“Yes, that’s right. Director Kwon Soon-sik is my father.”
“Oh my!”
The employees were shocked, but Yulhee wasn’t.
Sora didn’t have impressive education or qualifications, so it was obvious she had strong connections to get into such a big company.
Even when she heard Sora might become a full-time employee despite her poor work attitude, Yulhee had already guessed she had a powerful background.
But that wasn’t what Yulhee cared about.
“…Manager Park, can we talk for a moment?”
At Yulhee’s cold voice, Byungju’s expression stiffened slightly.
But he quickly recovered and replied casually,
“Oh, is this about the new product launch event? Then let’s go to Meeting Room 1—”
Ignoring him, Yulhee walked out of the office.
Whispers followed her, but she kept walking.
Even though she didn’t say where to meet, Byungju came to the emergency staircase.
It was a place where they used to secretly meet.
“What’s going on? Why are you and Sora—”
Yulhee confronted him immediately but couldn’t say the word “marriage.”
She still didn’t want to accept reality.
“When did this even start? How could you both lie to me all this time—!”
“Yulhee.”
Byungju sighed, looking irritated and tired.
“Does that even matter right now?”
“What?”
“We both knew this wouldn’t work out.”
“…What are you talking about?”
“My mom will never accept you as her daughter-in-law. And I’m not going to hurt her just to marry you.”
Yulhee already knew his mother didn’t like her.
But he was the one who promised to get her approval this year.
Now he was pretending to be a dutiful son.
“Sora is pregnant.”
He said it as casually as talking about the weather.
Yulhee froze.
“Our love has borne fruit…”
The words from the wedding invitation flashed in her mind.
He hadn’t just cheated—he even got Sora pregnant.
“Anyway, I’m sorry.”
His apology sounded completely insincere.
“Call me trash, slap me—do whatever you want.”
Yulhee raised her hand without thinking—but lowered it.
Not because she couldn’t hit him, but because she didn’t want to ease his guilt with just a slap.
Byungju, who had shut his eyes expecting a slap, slowly opened them.
Then he smirked, as if he expected this.
“See? We still have to work together. Let’s keep things professional.”
He patted her shoulder like encouraging a subordinate and opened the stairwell door.
“Let’s stay cool about this. Cool, okay?”
