7.3

The sun shone through the large window like a spotlight on the bride and groom. As Joo-eun and Seokhyun looked at each other, they held handwritten wedding vows in their hands.

“My beautiful life has become richer because of you. In our life together, I will strive to make you as happy as you make me, and I will do my utmost to be by your side.” 

Joo-eun read her vows in a clear yet trembling voice.

“From this moment, my existence is because of you. I exist to love you. This heart will remain unchanged, holding onto this love forever.” 

Seokhyun spoke his vows in a gentle voice, pressing each word with sincerity. Following their vows, they exchanged rings they had prepared for each other.

“This kind of wedding is really something. It feels like a real ceremony, not just an event.” 

Junsu commented admiringly.

“It suits Joo-eun perfectly, choosing love like this. It’s the first time a wedding has moved me this much.” 

The setting contributed greatly. Instead of a common wedding hall, the small, sunlit space created a sacred atmosphere. The song prepared by Seokhyun’s colleagues wasn’t loud but heartfelt.

Until yesterday, there was a lingering regret that Joo-eun couldn’t have a lavish wedding, but now that sentiment has completely vanished.

“Right? This is the first time I’ve felt like getting married just by attending a wedding.”

“That much, huh?” 

Chaeyoon glanced at Junsu.

“Maybe I should have a wedding like this too.”

“Would that work? Considering your father is also a company president, there would be a lot of guests.”

“Maybe? Or maybe I’ll just do it twice.”

“Your future bride would be lucky then, getting two weddings.”

As the wedding song came to an end, the bride and groom walked down the wedding aisle. Chaeyoon and Junsu stood up along with the small group of guests. Although the gathering was modest, the applause was fervent, filled with genuine happiness for the newlyweds.

As the ceremony continued, Seonho, who had been at the back all along, was seen stepping out again with his phone in hand.

“Seonho seems busy, huh?”

“It’s Friday, after all. Normally, he should be at the office.”

“But why is he here? He’s not close enough to the bride and groom to drop everything and attend.”

Suddenly, Junsu scanned Chaeyoon from head to toe and then made an unexpected comment.

“You’re beautiful and stunning, but from a man’s perspective, you’re quite daunting. Like a flower on a cliff? Beautiful, but one has to pay a hefty price to pluck you.”

“What are you talking about?”

Such lines are often used when breaking up with someone, aren’t they? ‘The reason I’m breaking up with you is that I’m not good enough and can’t handle you, ha!’ Like that.

“That’s why I’ll stick to dating someone who’s pretty in a normal way, with a normal personality. Like a simple wildflower.”

Chaeyoon looked at Junsu, who was inexplicably giggling, as if he was strange. She usually thought she was good at understanding context, but now she wasn’t sure what he really meant by his words. 

Flowers on a cliff, blah, blah, blah, but the bottom line is that I’m not good as a woman, or does he mean I’m not his type? Well, the feeling is mutual.

“Whatever. I’m not interested in going out with you either.”

Junsu, who was quite popular especially after his father became the president of an affiliate company, suited his rimmed glasses and coldly handsome features. But their conditions had only elevated his desirability.

However, they had never considered each other romantically. Still, hearing such blunt words was unpleasant.

Just then, Seonho gestured for Junsu to come over, and he darted off like a bullet.

Compared to the sacredness of the wedding, the reception was festive. Everyone seemed so joyfully engaged, dancing, singing, and raising toast. The atmosphere was lively, a stark contrast to the more solemn vows exchanged earlier.

Chaeyoon was pleasantly buzzed from the drinks.

“Having fun?”

Seonho suddenly appeared beside her and asked.

“Huh? Weren’t you supposed to have gone back to Seoul?”

She had assumed he had left for Seoul after not seeing him since the wedding.

“I promised I’d take them to the yacht.”

“You? Personally?”

“A friend sees off the newlyweds on their honeymoon, right?”

“Whose friend? Surely you don’t mean Joo-eun?”

“That’s your job.”

“You mean as Seokhyun’s friend? I thought that was more Junsu’s role.”

Chaeyoon looked around for Junsu. Fueled by alcohol, Junsu was lively, making rounds through the hall and keeping the mood upbeat. Clearly, he was too drunk to drive.

“Let’s go. It’s time to send off the bride and groom on their honeymoon.”

“What?”

“Since you’re Joo-eun’s friend, you should help see them off on their honeymoon.”

Chaeyoon, somewhat bewildered, was led by Seonho and ended up sitting in the passenger seat of the elaborately decorated wedding car.

***

Despite having taken a shower, a slight buzz from the alcohol lingered, leaving Chaeyoon feeling oddly buoyant.

“Did I drink too much?”

Normally, she wasn’t this sensitive to alcohol, but it seemed that the fatigue from the long flight and jet lag had accumulated.

As Chaeyoon reached into her suitcase to pull out her usual ultra-soft pajamas, she instead grabbed a red slip and robe set she had impulsively bought recently.

It was quite expensive, but the allure of the silky smooth touch and beautiful color was irresistible—these were the kinds of purchases you didn’t regret when you saw them.

“Hehe, I’ll wear you today.”

The apartment in New York was too cold to wear such a thing, even if she wanted to, so she had been waiting for warmer days. But here in this luxurious suite room, it wasn’t cold at all.

The slip was indeed more suited for a luxurious suite room than a modest student apartment.

“Maybe I should order a bottle of wine to set the mood.”

Today, Chaeyoon was determined to create the right mood.

Humming a little tune, she picked up her bra and panties, then shook her head vehemently and put them back into the suitcase.

“This needs to be felt on bare skin to truly enjoy it.”

The smooth touch of the slip against her bare skin was fantastic.

The red color complemented her pale skin perfectly. The silhouette flowing naturally along her body was so artistic that it made her understand why Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection.

Thoroughly enchanted by her own allure, Chaeyoon spent a long time in front of the mirror, striking various model-like poses. After draping a robe over herself, she hummed and walked into the living room.

At that moment, she encountered Seonho coming out from another room. His hair was wet, and he wore a thick white bathrobe provided by the resort.

Chaeyoon swallowed hard at how sexy he looked, even in the thick, tacky robe.

“Why are you coming out from there? Didn’t you leave after dropping me off?”

Wait a moment. We had come in together, but I never noticed him leaving.

“Thanks for today,” she had said before going to her room to wash up, thinking naturally that Seonho had left.

“My body felt sticky, so I took a shower.”

In this encounter, after they both had used different bathrooms, there was a sense of déjà vu.

“Why here specifically? Don’t you have a villa, a resort, and a hotel on Jeju Island?”

“It’s far. Come here. Let’s have a drink. I haven’t had a drink because I’m on a mission to get the newlyweds to the dock.”

At some point, room service had been ordered; the living room table was neatly set with the golden wine and appetizers that Chaeyoon had intended to order.

Seonho poured wine into glasses and sat on the sofa, revealing a bit of his collarbone as his robe parted slightly—a sexy collarbone that beckoned a touch.

Even bones can be sexy, huh? Get it together, Han Chaeyoon. What the hell are you thinking?

Seonho’s presence was maddeningly palpable. It was natural. He would catch anyone’s eye in a crowd, let alone in this intimate setting.

Despite the spaciousness, the room felt filled with the pheromones he emitted.

Ugh, why did I even wear this provocative slip? What if it looks like I’m trying to seduce him?

No, this is originally my place to stay. It’s his fault for coming out of the shower without saying anything. Han Chaeyoon, act confidently.

“Here.”

Before she could gather her scattered thoughts, Seonho handed her a glass of wine. She was thirsty so she took a sip and the sweet taste of the wine felt familiar on her tongue.

“Huh? This?”

“I brought this for you. Does it suit your taste?”

“Noblemen wine, right?”

Chaeyoon confirmed the wine label.

“You remembered.”

Seonho smiled slightly.