MHLM 05

Chapter 5

So-yul arrived at the hospital and went with Tae-heon to the room next to Chairman Kang’s.

It was where the two families would wait before the ceremony.

Everyone was already there.

Since there had been no time for the customary meeting between the two families, they had already exchanged brief greetings instead.

“This is Ji Min-chae. Min-chae, these are my family members.”

Tae-heon introduced So-yul to his family.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for accommodating this sudden schedule.”

Vice Chairman Kang Jeong-gyun had a gentle and kind-looking face.

“I’m Tae-heon’s mother. I hope we get along well.”

Madam Jin Seon-mi was beautiful and elegant.

“I’m Tae-heon’s youngest brother. Thank you for marrying someone as cold as my brother, sister-in-law.”

Kang Tae-min, the youngest son, seemed friendly enough to casually call a woman four years older than him sister-in-law without hesitation.

“And this is the son of my late second brother. Ye-jun. She’s going to be your aunt. She’s going to marry your uncle.”

“Awnt…?”

Four-year-old Kang Ye-jun, Tae-min’s nephew, stared intently at So-yul from his uncle’s arms before burying his face against Tae-min’s shoulder as if he wanted to hide.

“Hello. I-I’m Ji… Min-chae.”

So-yul greeted them carefully.

I’m even more nervous now that I’m meeting oppa’s family. I feel like I’m going to die from nervousness.

She had known that Tae-heon came from an extraordinary background, but because he had always been Young-ho’s friend to her, she had never really felt the weight of his status.

Now, standing face-to-face with Vice Chairman Kang Jeong-gyun, whom she had only ever seen in the media, and his dignified-looking family, she finally realized just how powerful Tae-heon’s position was.

I’m deceiving people this important.

So-yul lightly gripped the skirt of her dress.

The weight of the deception she had been pushed into felt even more overwhelming.

Now all I can do is pray that Min-chae unni wakes up safely. God, please let Min-chae unni open her eyes. Please…

If she thought about what would happen after this wedding, she truly had to hope for that.

The ceremony was going to be as simple as possible.

First, the family members from both sides, excluding the bride and groom, went into Chairman Kang’s hospital room and briefly greeted him.

To calm her trembling nerves, So-yul took deep breaths using the method she knew well.

Inhale for four beats.

Hold for seven.

Exhale for eight.

She counted the beats by tapping each finger with her thumb.

She was concentrating on her breathing when she suddenly felt a gaze beside her.

It was Tae-heon.

“…I thought it would be best to take one last look before we go in.”

His eyes swept over So-yul’s appearance.

“There’s a loose thread at the back of your neck. Turn around for a moment.”

“Oh! Yes…”

There was a loose thread?

The salon had checked her so carefully, but apparently they had missed it.

I’m glad oppa noticed.

So-yul turned her back to Tae-heon.

She felt him sweep her hair to one side and carefully straighten her collar for a moment.

His touch was gentle.

But So-yul couldn’t see the expression on his face.

Still, it seemed to be taking quite a long time just to fix one loose thread.

Is there something else wrong?

“…Is it… okay now?”

“…Yes.”

After that short answer, Tae-heon immediately turned his gaze toward the hospital room door.

So-yul turned around as well.

As the silence stretched on, So-yul stole a glance at Tae-heon.

Maybe it’s because I’m so nervous.

For some reason, even his face looked tense.

Soon, the secretary received word about what was happening inside.

It was time for the bride and groom to enter.

It’s starting.

So-yul tried to stay calm, but her mouth kept going dry, and her heart felt as though it might burst.

Seeing how nervous she was, Tae-heon held out his hand.

So-yul carefully took it.

It was strange.

Tae-heon oppa is one of the people I’m deceiving.

Yet holding his warm, firm hand somehow made her feel strangely secure.

The secretary opened the door, and So-yul finally entered with Tae-heon.

Chairman Kang lay on the bed with a ventilator attached to him, while the two families sat in chairs arranged on either side of him.

This was the moment So-yul stepped onto the main stage.

Let’s do this well. I have to pull it off perfectly. No one can know that I’m me. Especially Tae-heon oppa.

If he realized that Young-ho’s friend’s younger sister was standing beside him wearing his sister’s face…

She really didn’t want to see the expression that would appear on Tae-heon’s face.

So-yul steeled herself once more.

“Grandfather. This is the bride, Ji Min-chae.”

“Hello, Grandfather. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Ji Min-chae.”

So-yul politely greeted him at the bedside.

Chairman Kang’s eyes, which had been barely open, curved gently.

The sight of that smile made So-yul’s heart ache.

He was a stranger whom she had only ever seen through the media.

Yet even while gravely ill, he was smiling peacefully as though he could finally rest easy because of his grandson’s marriage.

I really did the right thing by not ruining this marriage out of my desire for revenge.

After greeting him, So-yul and Tae-heon read the marriage vows together.

“…Please watch over our future and stay by our side for a long time, becoming a great source of strength for us.”

“…We sincerely hope so.”

They finished reading the vows with a final line expressing their hope for Chairman Kang’s recovery.

Then they exchanged rings.

They placed diamond rings on each other’s left ring fingers, then took Chairman Kang’s hand together.

His hand was so thin from his illness that So-yul’s heart ached even more.

“We’ll live well, Grandfather.”

“…Ki…ss…”

Chairman Kang opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something.

But his words were difficult to hear because of the ventilator.

Tae-heon leaned his ear toward the exhaust port of the ventilator mask.

Since this was the marriage his grandfather had longed for so desperately, he must have wanted to give them some words of blessing.

Tae-heon listened carefully.

“Ki…ss the bride…”

His eyes blinked at the unexpected words.

“What did Father say?”

Jin Seon-mi asked when she saw her son’s dazed reaction.

Ah…

Tae-heon finally spoke.

“He says we should… kiss the bride.”

“What?”

Tae-heon’s family widened their eyes and covered their mouths, trying to hold back their laughter.

Chairman Kang was smiling faintly, too.

“Ahem! Well, it is a wedding.”

Kang Jeong-gyun composed himself and nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Of all things, a kiss. With So-yul.

He felt even more ashamed in front of Young-ho.

His friend had wanted nothing more than for his younger sister to be happy, and now Tae-heon was being forced to kiss her.

But this was a wedding.

And it was being held in front of his grandfather, who was connected to a ventilator.

Tae-heon took a short breath like a sigh.

Then he carefully placed both hands on So-yul’s shoulders as she looked up at him with wide eyes.

To do something like this with Tae-heon oppa…

So-yul felt as though her mind had suddenly gone blank.

Slowly, his sculpted face began to draw closer.

I won’t let anyone bully So-yul anymore. So don’t cry.

Her first love.

She still remembered the hand that had gently stroked her head.

And now she was about to kiss her first love.

Her heart pounded so hard it felt as though her chest couldn’t contain it.

Amid that overwhelming excitement, sadness surfaced like an impurity.

All that would remain for her, as Ji Min-chae’s stand-in, was the memory of their lips touching.

After this, Min-chae would be the one beside him.

To him, this kiss would be a kiss with Min-chae.

I still wish oppa wouldn’t marry Min-chae unni…

Afraid that tears would gather in her eyes, So-yul squeezed them shut.

As Tae-heon tilted his head, he closed his eyes as well.

At last, their lips met.

Thump.

Somewhere, a loud heartbeat seemed to echo.

Then came a sensation so incredibly soft and warm.

It was almost sweet, as if the point where they touched allowed them to melt into each other.

Soon, their lips parted.

Tae-heon felt slightly dizzy for some reason and turned his gaze away from So-yul’s face.

This is only part of the wedding ceremony.

This is nothing more than a kiss with Ji Min-chae.

Once this moment passes, something like this will never happen again. I will never touch my friend’s younger sister again.

That was how he tried to settle his thoughts.

But his gaze kept drifting back toward So-yul.

Both of So-yul’s cheeks were as red as ripe persimmons.

My first kiss… with Tae-heon oppa…

So-yul lowered her eyes, unsure where else to look.

After the kiss, she couldn’t bring herself to meet Tae-heon’s eyes.

Her face felt as though it were burning.

To Tae-heon, the sight somehow looked endearing.

Even though he knew it was So-yul.

Tae-heon’s lips pressed into a firm line.

He felt twice as ashamed in front of Young-ho.

“The two of you have solemnly vowed, before Chairman Kang Deok-heung, to share all the joys and hardships of life together. Therefore, I hereby declare that the two of you are now husband and wife.”

Chairman Kang’s chief secretary declared them officially married.

A smile remained on Chairman Kang’s face throughout, and the rest of Tae-heon’s family applauded with affectionate expressions.

Mi-young and Sang-yoon also clapped along, though their expressions were somewhat sour.

And so, the short wedding ceremony of Kang Tae-heon and “Ji Min-chae” came to an end.