CHAPTER 46

Siyeon sat on a white, round chair surrounded by charming flowers. Even though she witnessed his angry father, she didn’t show much shock on her face.

Ijun thought that Siyeon probably wouldn’t be too surprised even if he didn’t come back as he continued to watch her calmly.

“You said in 40 minutes? I’ll get ready.”

Ijun calmly replied, averting his gaze from her. Unless wings sprouted on his back, he had no choice but to marry Siyeon.

“I’m giving you a warning in advance. It’s better not to vent your anger on the security team.”

“Do you think I would? They are the ones who brought me here to prevent today from becoming my grandfather’s memorial day.”

Although CEO Jeong was irked by Ijun’s words, he left without further comment. He had to inform his in-laws and father, who were still anxiously waiting, that the ceremony would proceed smoothly.     

His father had left, leaving the bride’s waiting room chillingly silent.

Ijun glanced briefly at Siyeon, then dejectedly slumped onto the sofa where CEO Jeong had been sitting just moments before. His face reflected complete resignation.

“Ah, these damned people.”

Ijun, looking at the wound on his backhand, cursed outright.

As Ijun walked towards the departure gate, a group of people suddenly appeared out of nowhere, apologizing continuously, and subdued him without any remorse. Although he had never heard of them falling behind in sports, professionalism was indeed different. They were pros.

Ijun craned his neck from side to side, lightly touching his right shoulder, and turned it. His whole body shuddered.

CEO Jeong emphasized the importance of handling Ijun’s body delicately and not hurt him in any way. His father ordered to bring Ijun back safely, as long as he could walk into the venue with the security company personnel.

“Think it’s fortunate that I came?”

He asked, glancing at Siyeon. Despite witnessing all this, she was looking down at the bouquet in her hand with a calm face.

“I thought you had more important things to do than a wedding. Where were you trying to go?”

“A week-long overseas business trip. I’m quite busy.”

“No matter how busy you are, you should have had the wedding first.”

Ijun looked at Siyeon as if he couldn’t believe her words, then shook his head as if admitting defeat.

“I didn’t realize Choi Siyeon was such a scary woman.”

“Am I scary?”

“Kind of.”

“…”

He replied nonchalantly, as if he meant no offense, then turned on his cell phone and dialed someone. The red marks left on his cheeks were visible from a distance. Siyeon stared at the redness for a moment before turning her attention elsewhere.

“It’s me, I didn’t make the flight and now I’m at the wedding. Cancel the schedule you set.”

As the call connected, Ijun spoke in an irritated voice. The person on the other end seemed to have known about his escape beforehand, given his mention of not catching the plane.

“That’s how it turned out. I know you’ll be back at the office on Monday.”

Ijun abruptly ended the call after a brief conversation, and silence enveloped the two once more. Siyeon, peering at Ijun looking at his phone, inquired.

“Who was it?”

“Manager Kim.”

He replied shortly, and Siyeon immediately knew who he was talking about.

“Did Eunhye know too?”

“Even if others don’t, Manager Kim should know.”

Her heart sank a bit more.

“…What were you planning to do from now on?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because I’m curious.”

“…My father-in-law is associated with Yeongjin, who was a collaborator of Baekya in the past. About ten years ago, at your request, I kneeled in front of my grandfather and pleaded with him to help Yeongjin…”

Speaking into the air, he turned his head towards her.

“I won’t ask about your messy circumstances, so don’t be curious about anything either.”

When Yeongjin was mentioned by him, she hardened her expression. Ijun seemed to have looked into her background.

Her biological father, ironically, had been the same person who, over a decade ago, had earnestly received Siyeon’s help, claiming to be her lifelong savior. It was easy to imagine what he might have thought. Perhaps he believed that she had plotted and exploited Baekya Foods.

“I… died at twenty-seven in winter. And for some reason… when I opened my eyes, I had returned to being seventeen. So, that’s why I knew about Mr. Yeongjin.”

Siyeon couldn’t understand why she brought up this topic herself. Perhaps it was an instinct not to invite further misunderstandings from him.

However, Ijun remained unimpressed. He seemed to think she fabricated the story to evade an awkward situation. Yet, his lack of reaction wasn’t an absence of response.

“If it’s the winter by your twenty-seventh birthday, there isn’t much time left ahead.”

Ijun tilted his head slightly, speaking.

“…What’s that supposed to mean?”

“There’s no law that says the same thing can’t happen again. I’m genuinely worried.”

“…I’ve never thought about that, but I guess it’s possible.”

Ijun might have dismissed her words as nonsense, probably considering them as something she made up without much thought. But Siyeon, upon hearing his words, actually contemplated the possibility.

At times, she had pondered such thoughts. Could it be that, just as she had secured the gift of a gracious life, her own allotted lifespan was gradually diminishing? Perhaps that’s why she couldn’t live a long life in her previous existence and ended it so emptily.

In this current life, just like how she and Eunhye had grown up in different households, could it be that she would, once again, not make it past twenty-eight years old?

“People even speak nonsense so seriously.”

“….”

Ijun briefly glanced at Siyeon’s hardened expression, then lowered his gaze back to his phone. With a determined and somewhat frightening focus, he scrolled through the content on his phone.

Perhaps he was reading an important document, or maybe he was deliberately engaging in another activity to avoid talking to her.

Suddenly, Siyeon recalled something Eunhye had mentioned.

“…Grandma recently met that monk and said that the owner of Baekya would return to his place.”

Eunhye was convinced that Siyeon would marry Ijun. Siyeon couldn’t completely dismiss the monk’s words.

However, she wanted to refute Ijun’s idea that everything was already predetermined. She didn’t want to believe that Gwihyeon would eventually leave this world, and Eunhye would inevitably marry Ijun.

If that were true, she had resolved to change that future. By marrying Ijun, she wanted to prove at least one thing wrong in the monk’s prophecy.

“…”

As Siyeon sat in a bewildered and fearful state, people began to enter the room. It was the makeup team to prepare Ijun as the groom.

Seeing them, Siyeon steadied her resolve. Gwihyeon was still alive, her parents awaited her in the wedding hall, and today, the one marrying Ijun was not Eunhye, but herself.

“Groom, could you take off your outerwear?”

The team swiftly unfolded their equipment, surrounding Ijun in an instant. A full-length mirror appeared, and a mobile dressing room was swiftly assembled in the available space.

Siyeon silently observed as the team started to handle Ijun’s hair and makeup.

“Sir, we can hide this red mark, but it seems difficult to cover the bruise… If we try to cover it, it might worsen the bruise. What should we do?”

The hairstylist, observing the marks on Ijun’s cheek, cautiously asked for his opinion. While the red mark could be concealed with makeup, the bruise seemed challenging to hide. The hairstylist was expressing concern that trying to conceal it might make it worse.

“I come from a distinguished family, and having any marks is problematic. Let the face be as it is.”

“But it might not look good for the guests to see… What does the bride think?”

Ijun seemed indifferent, and if Siyeon didn’t intervene, he would undoubtedly walk down the aisle with a face that clearly showed he had been beaten. Siyeon sighed inwardly and spoke up.

“…Let’s prioritize the health of the precious heir and the Director’s dignity. Please remove the redness and ensure that the bruise is not touched by any foreign substance for later treatment.”

The designer’s expression brightened. As Siyeon finished speaking, the staff immediately began bustling around.

“Sir, the bride is incredibly beautiful.”

“She’s been beautiful since she was young.”

Ijun glanced briefly at Siyeon and responded nonchalantly. His tone wasn’t about admiring her beauty but simply stating a fact. Strangely, his words made her heart flutter a bit.

Due to the time constraints, they had to change clothes in intervals while doing the makeup. Ijun only managed to change his pants in the temporary dressing room. The shirt and jacket were scheduled to be put on after the makeup was completed.

“Are we ready… oh…”

At that moment, the CEO’s secretary opened the waiting room door. He looked perplexed as he glanced at his watch, noticing that preparations were still ongoing.

“How much time left?”

Ijun asked.

“About 10 minutes.”

“make it 8 minutes.”

The secretary nodded as if understanding. To save time, Ijun swiftly unbuttoned up the shirt while seated. A staff member swiftly moved, bringing a shirt hanging on a portable rack.

As he took off his shirt, a well-built, muscular upper body emerged. The female staff, wide-eyed, exchanged embarrassed glances, their faces flushing.

“Sir, is this a bruise on your back?”

“…”

The designer asked in a puzzled voice, but Ijun didn’t respond, quickly changing into the new shirt. When Siyeon looked at him, he was already buttoning up.

Exactly 8 minutes later, Ijun was perfectly groomed as the groom. Two more minutes passed, and Siyeon stood at the entrance to the main wedding hall, holding onto Ijun’s arm.

“…You’ll come to regret this.”

Ijun spoke, keeping his gaze fixed forward, only his lips moving. At that moment, the doors to the wedding hall slowly opened on both sides, and the applause of well-wishers showered the couple.

“I’ve already had enough regrets.”

She glanced at the radiant aisle, where a bright light was pouring down, and quietly moved her lips.

“The bride and groom are entering.”

Today, Ijun and Siyeon became a married couple.