Chapter 11: Co-habitation Contract (2)

The ceremony began, and Hye-kyung entered wearing her wedding dress. Seeing her friend shining brightly under the lights brought tears to Minjoo’s eyes. They had been friends since middle school. The fact that so much time had passed was striking, and it reminded her of her mother. If her mother had seen Hye-kyung getting married, she would have been as happy as if her own daughter were getting married. On the other hand, she envied Hye-kyung for having someone reliable by her side.

After the main event, it was time for group photos. The photographer instructed that those who would catch the bouquet should stand next to the bride, so Minjoo quickly moved to do so. Standing next to Hye-kyung, a high school friend in the back row whispered to Hye-kyung.

“Nam Hye-kyung, who is that? The groom’s friend? Your friend? He’s really handsome.”

“Who? Can you introduce me?”

“The one sitting in the second row, to the left of the photographer.”

Hye-kyung’s friends teased her, asking if the man was an ex-boyfriend or something, wondering why he was staring at Hye-kyung like that. Only then did Hye-kyung, who had been focused on the photographer, look towards the front. Her face crumpled with displeasure.

“…Why is that jerk at my wedding?”

Hye-kyung looked at Minjoo, who lowered her eyes. Gihyun, still calm, was intently focused on Minjoo, specifically on her.

“Bride, smile brightly. You need to look the most beautiful.”

The photographer’s directive broke the tense atmosphere. Everyone focused on taking the photo. Minjoo smiled earnestly. She could feel Gihyun’s intense gaze every time she lifted the corners of her mouth. However, when he saw Minjoo’s outfit, his expression darkened slightly.

After the group photos, the moment to catch the bouquet arrived. The photographer called for Minjoo, and she stepped forward slightly with Hye-kyung. As the photographer gave advice on how to throw the bouquet, Minjoo listened with nervous anticipation, determined to catch it perfectly.

“Bride, throw the bouquet!”

Following the photographer’s signal, Hye-kyung threw the bouquet. Minjoo caught it gracefully. The photographer praised the coordination between Hye-kyung and Minjoo, making Minjoo feel a bit better. Holding the lily of the valley bouquet, Minjoo smiled sincerely. In doing so, she didn’t notice Gihyun staring blankly at her as he had earlier.

Suddenly, the photographer called for the groom.

“Groom, try throwing the boutonnière. To any friend in the back.”

Hye-kyung’s soon-to-be husband threw the boutonnière from his chest as instructed. A young man who looked like a friend of the groom caught it.

“Does the groom’s friend have a girlfriend?”

“No, he doesn’t.”

“That’s good. Come out. I should have asked the person who caught the bouquet first. Do you have a boyfriend? If not, it’s fate to get linked this way.”

The photographer asked Minjoo. In this sudden situation, Minjoo looked at the photographer with a flustered expression. Even more flustered was Gihyun, who abruptly stood up and scrunched his handsome face in anger. His expression became even colder.

Assuming that Minjoo had no boyfriend due to her silence, the photographer actively paired the two.

“Please stand between the bride and groom. Yes, that’s good. The man is proactive. Let’s take the photo.”

In the end, Minjoo took a photo side by side with a stranger. Thankfully, Gihyun did not interfere. Instead, his cold gaze continued to pour from beyond the lights.

***

Minjoo ate among her friends. During the meal, she was bombarded with unnecessary questions.

“Minjoo, do you have a boyfriend? Seeing you catch the bouquet, I guess you do. When are you getting married?”

“Nowadays, people just catch them regardless. Cha Minjoo, how about the guy who caught the boutonnière earlier? He seemed really happy to be paired with you.”

“Minjoo, you’re studying late, right? What are you studying?”

Minjoo continued to deflect the barrage of questions with smiles. Eventually, she excused herself, claiming she had to leave.

The awkward situation didn’t end there. As she was leaving with her shopping bag and bouquet, someone approached her at the entrance.

“Excuse me, you’re the one who caught the bouquet, right?”

When Minjoo turned around, the man from the photo was standing there.

“Did you enjoy the meal?”

“…Yes.”

“Are you on your way home? Where are you going? To the subway station?”

“I’m taking the bus…”

“I’m taking the bus too.”

The man continued to chat amiably. Just as Minjoo was about to put up a wall again, a car horn sounded loudly. Both the man and Minjoo turned their heads in surprise. A car slid down and stopped. It was a car Minjoo was familiar with.

“Cha Minjoo.”

Rolling down the window, Gihyun called her name.

“I’ll take you home.”

Gihyun was emphasizing that he knew her name and her home. Although he was speaking to Minjoo, his gaze was directed at the man next to her. Every time Gihyun raised his eyes slowly, there was a palpable hostility.

The man looked awkwardly at Minjoo. Minjoo didn’t want to make a scene. She first spoke to the man from the photo.

“I’m going to take a taxi because my feet hurt. Goodbye. Gihyun, it’s been a while. Take care.”

She rejected both men fairly and turned to walk away. Only after she was out of both men’s sight did she take a deep breath.

Struggling up the hill in her high heels, Minjoo saw Gihyun standing by a utility pole halfway up. It seemed that Gihyun’s statement about not waiting was limited to “in front of the library.” Minjoo walked calmly. As she got closer to Gihyun, he spoke first.

“Today…”

“Thanks for today. For taking me home.”

Minjoo cut him off and spoke first. She avoided eye contact and continued.

“The clothes you gave me are at home. I’ll pack them and return them.”

“……”

“Just wait a little…”

“I know you don’t want to owe me anything and refuse to take anything. I also know you’re stubborn and can’t let go of your fixation. You barely touch me or decide whether to talk or not…”

Gihyun, spilling words like an outburst, finally stopped at Minjoo’s blank expression. He bit his lip with a face full of self-loathing. It was obvious that he was nervously fearing to upset Minjoo.

“I’m sorry.”

“……”

“You don’t have to say you’ll return it.”

Minjoo stopped talking as well. She felt uncomfortable. She walked up the hill, feeling a heaviness in her chest.

Maybe it was a kindness she could have accepted at least once.

Even if she continued to ignore him, Gihyun kept coming. She hadn’t expected it to last a year. How much longer should she push him away before he would give up?

With thoughts about Gihyun, she entered the building’s entrance. She opened the old door and stepped onto the stairs that seemed even more precarious today. The moment she put her weight on her foot, she felt as if the ground was giving way. Her body tilted backward instantly. Before she could grab the railing, she fell backward. There was a dull thud and a severe shock throughout her body. She was breathless. Minjoo lay sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, slowly losing consciousness. She thought she heard someone calling her name faintly.

***

“Didn’t I tell you to inform the building manager about those stairs? Are you saying it hasn’t been fixed despite multiple reports? Is this your excuse now? It would have been solved if you had called a repair person. …If you were so worried about the building owner and manager, you should have reported it. Otherwise, you would have been told to buy the building and remodel it yourself.”

A voice continued to scold someone. After a thorough reprimand, a command to leave was given. Minjoo forced her eyes open. She saw an unfamiliar ceiling. She felt intense pain in her upper chest. Turning her head, she saw Gihyun and a secretary who was greeting him. Gihyun, with his brows furrowed, turned his body and, noticing Minjoo blinking, immediately approached her.

“Are you awake?”

“…Yes.”

“Don’t get up. Your body’s in a mess right now.”

Her head was already throbbing, and her collarbone felt like it was tearing. Her torso felt immobilized. Minjoo couldn’t even muster the strength to get up and lay limply on the bed. Still, she tried to understand the situation and asked Gihyun.

“How did I end up here?”

“I heard a loud noise and found you collapsed.”

Minjoo grasped the situation. She thanked him calmly.

“Thanks for taking me to the hospital.”

“……”

“You must be busy, so you can go. I’ll handle it.”

Gihyun bit his lower lip tightly. He remained standing there without leaving.

“I saw the indentation in the stairs and thought of all kinds of things. I wondered if you had deliberately fallen even though you could have grabbed the railing. I wondered if I had said something wrong that pushed you mentally.”

“……”

“If you’re fine, I’d just accept that you’re pushing me away or putting up walls. But if you’re lying here and tell me not to worry, I’ll go crazy.”

“…Park Gihyun.”

“Can’t you just think of it as me using you? Isn’t it okay to use me when you’re sick? Even if I’m just there next to you, I could eventually give up on you. I could also drift away.”

Gihyun spoke of assumptions and twisted his face in pain. He eventually left the room. Minjoo looked at the empty space left by Gihyun and sighed deeply.

She turned her head around. Whether Gihyun had seen it or not, a newspaper was placed by her bedside. It was folded in half, showing a specific page, not the front page. The newspaper seemed oddly out of place. Minjoo squinted as she lay there and examined the article.

Park Jong-hwan, Chairman of Seyoung Group, Passes Away – Who Will Succeed Seyoung?

The article mentioned that Chairman Park Jong-hwan had died of a cerebral hemorrhage yesterday.

Gihyun, who should have been at his grandfather’s funeral, was here instead. A heaviness settled in a corner of her heart.