Chapter : 05
When Soyul arrived at the hospital, she went with Taehun to the room next to Chairman Kang’s.
It was the waiting area where both families would gather before the ceremony.
All the family members were already there.
They had already exchanged greetings among the families in place of the formal meeting between the two families, which had been skipped because of the urgent circumstances.
“This is Jiminchae. Jiminchae, these are my family members.”
Taehun introduced Soyul to his family.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for accommodating such a rushed schedule.”
It was Vice Chairman Kang Jeonggyun, whose expression looked gentle and benevolent.
“I’m Taehun’s mother. Please take good care of him.”
It was Mrs. Jin Seonmi, beautiful and elegant.
“I’m Taehun’s youngest brother. Thank you for marrying someone as cold-hearted as my brother, sister-in-law.”
It was Kang Taemin, the younger brother who seemed to have a good personality and casually called even a woman four years younger than himself “sister-in-law.”
“And this is the son of my second brother, who has passed away. Yejoon. She’s going to be your aunt. She’s the person who’s going to marry your eldest uncle.”
“Aunt…?”
Four-year-old nephew Kang Yejoon stared intently at Soyul from Taemin’s arms before burying his face in Taemin’s shoulder as though he wanted to hide.
“Hello. I’m… Jiminchae.”
Soyul carefully greeted them.
‘I’m even more nervous after meeting Oppa’s family. I feel like I’m going to die from nervousness.’
She knew that Taehun came from an extraordinary background, but because he was Oppa’s friend, she had never really felt the weight of it.
But now that she was face-to-face with Vice Chairman Kang Jeonggyun, whom she had only ever seen through the media, and the family members who seemed to possess an unmistakable air of dignity, Taehun’s status finally felt real.
‘I’m deceiving such incredible people.’
Soyul lightly grabbed the skirt of her dress.
The weight of the deception she had been pushed into participating in suddenly felt even more enormous.
‘Now all I can do is pray that Sister Minchae wakes up safely. God, please let Sister Minchae open her eyes. Please….’
If she thought about what would happen after this wedding, she truly had no choice but to pray for that.
The ceremony was going to be conducted as simply as possible.
First, the family members from both sides, excluding the bride and groom, moved to Chairman Kang’s hospital room and briefly greeted him.
Trying to calm her trembling heart, Soyul took deep breaths in the familiar way.
Inhale for four counts, hold for seven counts, and exhale for eight counts.
She counted the beats while touching each finger with her thumb.
As she concentrated on her breathing, she suddenly felt someone’s gaze from beside her.
It was Taehun.
“…I thought it would be better to check one last time before we enter.”
His gaze swept over Soyul’s outfit.
“There’s a loose thread at the back of your neck. Turn around for a moment.”
“Ah! Yes….”
There was a loose thread?
The staff at the salon had checked everything extremely carefully, but apparently they had missed it.
‘It’s a good thing Oppa noticed.’
Soyul turned her back to Taehun.
She could feel him move her hair to one side and carefully straighten her collar for a moment.
His touch was gentle.
But Soyul couldn’t tell what kind of expression he himself was making.
However, it seemed to be taking quite a long time for something as simple as fixing a single loose thread.
Was there another problem?
“…Is it… done?”
“…Yes.”
After giving a short answer, Taehun immediately turned his gaze toward the hospital room door.
Soyul turned around as well.
As the silence stretched on, Soyul secretly glanced at Taehun.
Perhaps because she was nervous, but even his face seemed unusually stiff.
Soon, the secretary received word about the situation inside.
It was time for the bride and groom to enter.
‘It’s starting.’
Soyul tried to remain calm, but her mouth kept going dry and her heart felt as though it might burst.
Seeing her nervousness, Taehun extended his hand.
Soyul carefully took his hand.
It felt strange.
‘Taehun Oppa is one of the people I’m deceiving.’
Yet, holding his warm and firm hand somehow made her feel strangely reassured.
The secretary opened the door, and Soyul finally entered with Taehun.
Chairman Kang was lying on the bed wearing a respirator, while the family members from both sides were seated in chairs arranged on either side of him.
This was the moment Soyul 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 Taehun Oppa.’
If Taehun realized that his friend’s younger sister was standing beside him with her sister’s face…
She really didn’t want to see the expression Taehun would make at that moment.
Soyul steeled herself once again.
“Grandfather. This is the bride, Jiminchae.”
“Hello, Grandfather. It’s nice to meet you. My name is Jiminchae.”
Soyul politely greeted him beside the bed.
Chairman Kang’s eyes, which had been barely open, curved gently.
The sight of that smile made Soyul’s heart ache.
Even though he was someone she knew only as a stranger through the media…
It was heartbreaking to see him smiling peacefully, as though his grandson’s marriage had finally put his mind at ease despite his serious illness.
‘It really was the right thing not to ruin this marriage out of my desire for revenge.’
After finishing their greetings, Soyul and Taehun read the marriage vows together.
“…We sincerely hope that you will watch over our future and remain by our side for a long time, giving us your great strength.”
“…We sincerely hope so.”
After ending the reading of the marriage vows with those final words expressing their hope for Chairman Kang’s recovery, they exchanged wedding rings.
The two of them placed diamond rings on each other’s left ring fingers and then held Chairman Kang’s hand together.
His hand was so thin from being bedridden that Soyul’s heart ached even more.
“We’ll live well, Grandfather.”
“…Ki….”
Chairman Kang opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something.
But because of the respirator, his words could not be heard clearly.
Taehun brought his ear close to the exhaust vent of the respirator mask.
Since this was the marriage Chairman Kang had been eagerly waiting for, he must have wanted to give them some words of blessing.
Taehun leaned closer so that he could hear him properly.
Then—
“Kiss… the bride….”
His eyes blinked at the unexpected words.
“What did Father say?”
Jin Seonmi asked after seeing her son’s dazed reaction.
Ah…
Only then did Taehun open his mouth.
“He says I should… kiss the bride.”
“What?”
Taehun’s family widened their eyes and covered their mouths, trying to hold back their laughter.
Chairman Kang was smiling faintly as well.
“Ahem! Yes, well, it is a wedding ceremony.”
Kang Jeonggyun composed his expression and nodded as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
‘Of all things, even a kiss. With Soyul.’
It was something he felt he could never face Youngho over.
He was being forced to kiss the younger sister of the friend who had desperately wished for her happiness.
But this was a wedding ceremony.
And it was being held in front of his grandfather, who was wearing a respirator.
Taehun briefly caught his breath like a sigh.
Then he carefully placed both hands on Soyul’s shoulders as she looked up at him with wide eyes.
‘Even something like this… with Taehun Oppa….’
Soyul suddenly felt as though her mind had gone completely blank.
Before long, his sculpted face began to draw closer and closer.
“You won’t be able to bully Soyul anymore. So don’t cry.”
She still remembered the touch of her first love’s hand as he gently stroked her head.
To kiss her first love.
Her heart pounded so violently inside her chest that she could hardly contain it.
Amid the overwhelming excitement, sadness surfaced like an impurity.
The only thing that would remain for her, who was merely Jiminchae’s stand-in, would be the sensation of his lips touching hers.
Because Minchae would be the one beside him afterward.
So this kiss would be a kiss with Minchae to him, too.
‘I really wish Oppa wouldn’t marry Sister Minchae….’
Afraid that tears would gather in her eyes, Soyul squeezed them shut.
Taehun, who had been tilting his head, closed his eyes as well.
Finally, their lips met.
Thump.
Somewhere, a loud heartbeat seemed to echo.
Then came an unbelievably soft and warm sensation.
Through the point where their lips touched, it felt almost sweet, as though they were melting into each other.
Soon, their lips separated.
Taehun felt strangely dizzy and turned his gaze away from Soyul’s face.
It was merely part of the wedding ceremony.
This was nothing more than a kiss with ‘Jiminchae.’
Once this moment passed, there would never again be a reason for him to do something like this—to touch his friend’s younger sister.
That was how he tried to settle the matter in his mind.
But his gaze kept returning to Soyul.
Both of Soyul’s cheeks were red like a ripe persimmon.
‘My first kiss… with Taehun Oppa….’
Soyul lowered her wandering gaze.
After the kiss, she couldn’t bring herself to meet Taehun’s eyes.
Her face felt as though it had been placed directly against a fire.
The sight reflected in Taehun’s eyes somehow looked endearing.
Even though he knew she was Soyul.
Taehun’s lips pressed tightly together.
He felt he had wronged Youngho twice over.
“Just now, the two of you solemnly vowed before Chairman Kang Deokheung that you would share the joys and sorrows of life together. Therefore, I hereby declare that the two of you have become a married couple.”
Chairman Kang’s chief secretary declared the two of them officially married.
A smile remained on Chairman Kang’s face the entire time, and the rest of Taehun’s family also applauded with affectionate expressions.
Miyoung and Sangyoon followed along and clapped as well, though their expressions were somewhat awkward.
And so, the short wedding ceremony of Kang Taehun and ‘Jiminchae’ came to an end.
