Side Story 15

Gwihyeon’s wedding preparations were progressing steadily. However, the wedding faced a significant disruption due to an unexpected event that no one had anticipated. It was because of a dating rumor involving a popular idol singer from a newspaper known for breaking celebrity news related to their private lives.

The article included photos of the idol singer on a late-night car date with a woman at the Han River, and the reporter kindly revealed that the woman with him was the daughter of a conglomerate family, specifically mentioning that she was the daughter of the chairman of a pharmaceutical company, who was about to get married. It didn’t take long for specific details about the daughter of the pharmaceutical company to be revealed.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to just openly reveal the names to the newspaper? If they had, people wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to find out who this daughter of the pharmaceutical company about to get married is.”

Gwihyeon, who slammed the sports and entertainment newspaper loudly on the table, sent a disgusted look towards Ra-yoon, who was still sitting on the sofa opposite with a face that wasn’t fully sober. The two were currently at a villa owned by Chairman Jeong of Baekya Foods, away from the public eye.

“Even without mentioning the names, those who already knew could figure it out, right? People are really smart, you know? I’ve been getting so many calls that I had to turn off my phone. Ah! I was going to set my SNS to private too but ended up not doing it. It’s too obvious if we go to such lengths.”

“I will tell Chairman Jeong that I want to break off the engagement. I cannot handle you, Ms. Ra-yoon.”

“Then they’ll probably release a marriage announcement from my side soon, right? My father definitely plans to get rid of me this time.”

After taking a sip of ice water and putting it down, she said with a resolute expression.

“I cannot accept a woman who flirts and goes around with other men before marriage as the head of my household. Even if I hit rock bottom, I am still the 18th-generation descendant of the Seorae Jeong family.”

“It doesn’t matter to me whether you break off the engagement or not, but can you find another woman who can shoulder as much money as me from a household as reputable as mine? I’m the one you carefully selected from the trash recycling bin, aren’t I?”

 “Do you know yourself to be such a person?”

 He asked with a cold expression.

“Seeing this, they’d say we’re a perfect match, wouldn’t they?”

“Ms. Ra-yoon.”

“Sure, Gwihyeon. Think carefully about this. Wouldn’t it be better to use this as an opportunity to negotiate for something more favorable from our fathers?”

Gwihyeon narrowed his eyes sharply and tapped his finger on the armrest. She was right. Finding another woman with conditions similar to hers would not be easy, and they could demand even more using this situation as leverage.

“So, this is about ensuring privacy even after marriage?” 

“Roughly similar.” 

“No drinking or seeing other men, both are not allowed.”

“Anyway, it’s an arranged marriage, so why be so strict? Besides, Gwihyeon, you probably have at least one other lover, right?” 

“I don’t.”

Ra-yoon’s eyes widened slightly at Gwihyeon’s unexpected answer. 

“That’s a sobering statement.” 

“I’ll say it again, no drinking or seeing other men. If you don’t plan to be faithful in our marriage, I’ll call it off here. While finding someone with conditions as good as yours might be difficult, I’ll do my best to sift through the recycling bin.”

“Fine. Give me some time to think.”

“I’ll wait for your answer until midnight.”

With that, Gwihyeon got up and left the room. 

“Wait, how am I supposed to get home if you’re taking the car we came in?” 

Ra-yoon looked out the window with a shocked expression as she watched the car Gwihyeon was in leave the villa.

***

Gwihyeon’s wedding venue was hastily changed from a hotel to a villa in Suwon. This was to prevent rumors from spreading that the daughter of the pharmaceutical company, the protagonist of the scandal, was marrying the son of Baekya Foods at a hotel in Seoul. To avoid this, the groom’s side canceled the reservation at the hotel and changed the venue to the front yard of the villa.

Ra-yoon and Gwihyeon reached an agreement by allowing some drinking instead of Ra-yoon’s meeting with other men, thus averting a crisis. Although Gwihyeon briefly paused when Ra-yoon mentioned organizing “men” instead of “a man,” he soon stated calmly that he would document her promise.

It was a bit of a headache, but it wasn’t entirely bad for Gwihyeon. Ra-yoon’s father, Chairman Lee, expressed his regret to his son-in-law by giving him ownership of a golf course frequented by VIPs. As Gwihyeon had anticipated, he gained more through her misconduct.

The following week, Gwihyeon and Ra-yoon stood facing each other in front of the courtyard of the Suwon villa, dressed not in tuxedos and wedding dresses, but in traditional Korean wedding attire. Despite the awareness of their wedding, Ra-yoon was not drunk today. Sober, she looked quite like a respectable young lady.

“I was worried about the tight schedule, but it seems the preparations have been meticulous.”

Siyeon, dressed in hanbok, sat at the main table for the ceremony. The round table was covered with a white tablecloth, and various neatly arranged dishes were placed in large and small brass bowls. Ijun picked out a well-cooked chestnut from the braised short ribs in a brass bowl and gently fed it to Siyeon.

“Many renowned Korean chefs are here. Your mother must have gone to great lengths.”

To abruptly summon these renowned figures, his mother had to pull every string she knew. She meticulously prepared the food gifts for the guests attending the wedding, wrapping them in beautifully colored cloths. Gwihyeon might have been more concerned because she wasn’t her own child. Ijun, now a parent himself, could understand his mother’s heart even more.

“I think the traditional ceremony is nice. Maybe we should have this kind of ceremony for our Si-moon in the future.”

“Instead, why don’t we do it again ourselves?”

The two whispered as they looked at the bride and groom standing in their wedding attire. The guests were all seated, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Listening to Ijun’s words with a smile, Siyeon glanced casually toward the entrance, but her expression hardened. Eunhye was standing just inside the door, glaring fiercely at Gwihyeon. Even from a distance, Siyeon could tell that her emotions were filled with anger and resentment. 

“…Ijun.”

Siyeon called Ijun in a calm voice. Ijun, noticing Siyeon’s unsettled expression, followed her gaze and immediately stiffened when he saw Eunhye. They had changed the wedding venue and date to avoid media attention, but Eunhye had somehow found out. The problem was that the wedding, being open like a neighborhood festival, allowed relatively free access to outsiders.

“…Will it be okay?”

“It’ll be fine.” 

Siyeon asked with a worried look, and Ijun nodded slightly to reassure her, then gestured lightly to call over a nearby security guard. After whispering something to him, the guard nodded as if he understood and quickly moved to another position. It seemed he had been instructed to prevent any action Eunhye might take. 

“This is awkward.”

Ijun looked briefly at Eunhye and said bitterly. Seeing Eunhye, who had been called a sister-in-law in the past and might become one again in this life, was not a comfortable feeling.

“But what’s that all about?”

At Ijun’s puzzled question, Siyeon, who had tried not to look at Eunhye, turned her head back toward Eunhye. Siyeon’s eyes widened in surprise. Eunhye wasn’t alone. Yoonsoo was standing right behind her. Siyeon couldn’t take her eyes off Yoonsoo, who seemed to notice her gaze and looked in her direction.

The moment their eyes met, Siyeon thought of Eunkyung. At the same time, she realized Yoonsoo might not be a suitable match for her. The problem was not his privileged background, but his meddlesome nature. Thinking of how Eunkyung was flustered and confused because of Yoonsoo, Siyeon felt a heavy weight on her chest.

Why are you with Eunhye, oppa?

Siyeon asked Yoonsoo with her eyes, but he immediately averted his gaze with an indifferent expression.

“At least she’s not causing a scene here, bringing her new lover.”

“She’s probably not his girlfriend.”

“If she’s not his girlfriend, why is he here with her? Well, it’s quite amusing to attend your girlfriend’s ex-lover’s wedding together.”

“Dad said Yoonsoo’s dad is close to your dad.”

Siyeon calmly responded, trying to settle her complex emotions. Naturally, her birth parents were also present at Gwihyeon’s wedding. She briefly wondered if Yoon-soo had come with his parents instead of Eunhye, but just seeing him standing next to Eunhye was enough to unsettle her deeply.

However, amidst the complexity of this wedding venue, there was someone who felt more conflicted than anyone else. Gwihyeon’s expression froze coldly the moment the bride and groom turned to face the guests. He immediately noticed Eunhye standing among the guests, staring at him intensely with eyes full of anger. 

“…” 

Nevertheless, Gwihyeon met Eunhye’s gaze with a cold look, not avoiding her. When Eunhye took a step forward, the man standing behind her grabbed her shoulder, trying to stop her. The security guards around reacted sensitively to her movement, but when Yoonsoo grabbed Eunhye, they stopped moving. However, they still stood around, keeping an eye on Eunhye.

“…Is she the one involved in that lawsuit?”

Ra-yoon, sensing the subtle tension between Gwihyeon and Eunhye, spoke to him in a low voice so that only he could hear. However, Gwihyeon just stared straight ahead, not responding. 

“It seems there’s going to be a storm brewing. I thought she was a naive miss, but she surprisingly enjoys this kind of style?” 

“…” 

As some people recognized Eunhye, they started whispering to each other. Although Eunhye did nothing, her mere presence had already made the situation unbearable for the Suwon family. Despite knowing, they pretended not to notice, and the wedding proceeded nervously, with everyone on edge, fearing what might happen.