Chapter 04

The Golden Hour

The wedding of Jang Hyunwoo, vice president of Taesan Corporation, was held at a luxurious wedding hall with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Han River.

Considering that the groom was the eldest son of the chairman of Taesan Corporation, a company ranked among the top twenty conglomerates in the business world, and the bride was the youngest daughter of a prominent financial group’s chairman, it was no surprise that the venue was packed with an enormous crowd of guests and reporters even before the ceremony began.

As soon as the car pulled into the parking lot, Gunwoo raised an eyebrow at the bustling crowd outside the window.

“Don’t tell me I have to push my way through all those people?”

“That’s correct.”

Team Leader Choi, who was serving as Gunwoo’s secretary for the day, turned off the engine and got out. He then opened the rear door for him.

“Please get out, Young Master.”

The title Young Master, which seemed intended to acknowledge him as the chairman of Taesan Corporation’s son, felt awkward.

If he had things his way, he would have turned the car around and headed straight to the airport. But he held back for Hyunwoo’s sake.

Before getting out, Gunwoo took a black mask from his pocket and covered his face.

“Wouldn’t it be better to take off your mask? You’ll probably have a lot of pictures taken once you go inside.”

“That’s exactly why I’m wearing it. I doubt anyone will recognize me anyway, but I’d rather not have my face plastered everywhere.”

After stepping out of the car, Gunwoo lightly brushed off his coat and straightened his clothes. Then he opened the trunk and took out his backpack.

“You’re taking that inside?”

“Yes. I’m planning to leave as soon as I’ve watched the ceremony.”

“I’ll drive you to the airport. You can leave your luggage in the car—”

“No, thank you. I can manage on my own, so you don’t need to worry about me.”

Gunwoo shut the trunk with a thud, slung the backpack carelessly over one shoulder, and started walking. Team Leader Choi followed behind him.

“Is that guy a celebrity? Or maybe a model?”

“Right? He has such a presence. But isn’t that Team Leader Choi standing next to him?”

“If it’s Team Leader Choi, then he must be the vice president of Taesan’s secretary. Wait, it is him! Then who’s that man?”

Dressed entirely in black from head to toe, Jang Gunwoo stood out even with his mask on.

Ignoring the blatant stares directed at him, Gunwoo entered the building and headed toward the wedding hall entrance.

Hyunwoo, who had been greeting the guests, spotted Gunwoo first and greeted him warmly.

“What took you so long? I nearly wore my neck out waiting for you. Wow, you look like a completely different person dressed up like this.”

Gunwoo fiddled with his stiffly styled hair, looking uncomfortable with the makeover Team Leader Choi had practically forced him to accept.

“Hey, hey! Don’t touch it! You look great. Someone might mistake you for a celebrity, Jang Gunwoo!”

“What celebrity?”

“Oh my, did the vice president just call him Jang Gunwoo?”

“I heard he lives abroad. He must be that… half-brother.”

The surrounding guests whispered among themselves, exchanging knowing looks after overhearing Hyunwoo. Their eyes were filled with curiosity as they cautiously avoided saying the word illegitimate son aloud.

Meanwhile, Gunwoo greeted Dongwan and Myeonghee with a slight bow instead of a proper greeting. They hurriedly turned to welcome other guests, seemingly trying to conceal their displeasure.

“Why did you bring your backpack? Team Leader Choi, take Gunwoo’s bag for him.”

“Yes, sir. Please give me the bag. I’ll leave it at the reception desk.”

With so many eyes on him, Gunwoo couldn’t very well refuse. Reluctantly handing his backpack to Team Leader Choi, he asked, “Where’s the bridal waiting room?”

“Go around that way. Luna’s been waiting for you, actually. Hurry up and go say hello.”

Gunwoo nodded, then slipped the envelope he had prepared into the pocket of Hyunwoo’s tuxedo.

“Here’s your wedding gift. I put the card you gave me in there, too. All right, good luck!”

Gunwoo turned around and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Curious about the unusually thick envelope, Hyunwoo discreetly opened it. His eyes widened.

“You little punk! What are you, Mansour or something?”

Inside the envelope were no fewer than one hundred hundred-dollar bills.

Unlike the wedding hall entrance, the area outside the bridal waiting room was bustling with female guests. The lively chatter abruptly stopped when a large, imposing man dressed in black and wearing a mask appeared.

Just as everyone’s attention turned toward him, Luna, who had been tilting her head and studying Gunwoo, suddenly widened her eyes.

“Could it be… Jang Gunwoo?”

She clapped a hand over her mouth in astonishment, but a moment later, she sprang to her feet and rushed toward him.

“Whoa, Bride! Please don’t run!”

Her voluminous wedding dress swayed as she hurried forward. Ignoring the people who anxiously tried to stop her for fear she might fall, Luna came face-to-face with Gunwoo, reached out, and swiftly pulled off his mask.

“Wow! It really is Jang Gunwoo!”

Gunwoo bent forward slightly to meet Luna’s eye level as she stared at him in amazement.

“You haven’t grown at all.”

“And what did you eat to get this tall?”

“Ha! Listen to you calling me ‘you.’ Anyone overhearing us would think we were friends. How about giving me back my mask?”

“Nope!”

At her childish response, Gunwoo let out a small, helpless chuckle.

Still, he had never imagined that Kim Luna would end up marrying his older brother. As far as Gunwoo remembered, Hyunwoo had always treated Luna, who was ten years younger than him, as nothing more than an adorable little sister, no matter how persistently she followed him around.

He had heard that both families had initially opposed their relationship. Even so, Luna had managed to win love despite their age difference, and Gunwoo found himself admiring her all over again.

Although Luna was five years younger than him, the two of them had always gotten along like friends. Now, however, Gunwoo realized that their relationship needed to change.

Straightening his posture, he gave her a respectful greeting.

“Congratulations on your wedding, sister-in-law.”

“What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“I have to call you that now, don’t I, sister-in-law?”

Apparently tickled by the unfamiliar title coming from Gunwoo’s lips, Luna burst into laughter.

“Sister-in-law? Is he Vice President Jang Hyunwoo’s younger brother?”

“Really? The vice president had a younger brother like him?”

Growing self-conscious under the surrounding guests’ curious whispers, Gunwoo awkwardly scratched his cheek and lowered his gaze.

Noticing that the mask she had taken from him was now crumpled in her hand, he gave up on getting it back and took a step away.

“Well, we’ve said our greetings, so I’ll be going.”

“What? You can’t just leave! We have to take a picture together!”

“I’ve seen your face, so that’s enough. It was good seeing you. Live happily ever after with my brother, sister-in-law.”

“Hey, Jang Gunwoo!”

Gunwoo casually waved and left the bridal waiting room.

— The wedding ceremony will begin shortly. We ask all guests currently in the lobby to enter the wedding hall—

An announcement echoed through the venue.

Blending in with the other guests, Gunwoo entered the wedding hall and took a spot in a corner near the back, well away from the family seats in the front row.

Soon, the lighting changed, and the ceremony began.

— Please welcome the bride and groom with a big round of applause! Here they come!

The bride and groom appeared amid the blessings of the assembled guests. They looked handsome and beautiful, perfectly suited to each other, as though they had stepped out of a painting.

Gunwoo applauded enthusiastically as he watched them.

— It is now time for the bride and groom to bow to both sets of parents.

After quietly watching the ceremony unfold in its elegant atmosphere, Gunwoo slipped out of the wedding hall.

He had completed the task of attending the wedding of the only person who had ever treated him like family.

Now, it was time to return to where he belonged.

After retrieving his backpack, Gunwoo left the lobby without a backward glance.

The moment he stepped outside, the cold air hit him.

Since the wedding hall was located some distance from the main road, he would have to walk quite a while before he could catch a taxi.

“Maybe I should’ve asked Team Leader Choi to drive me after all.”

Without a phone, there was only one real inconvenience: he couldn’t check navigation or call a taxi.

With no other choice, Gunwoo adjusted his backpack and looked around before heading toward the road that led to the bridge.

That was when it happened.

“AAAAAHHHH!”

Screams and commotion erupted all around him. Gunwoo stopped in surprise, wondering what was going on, and heard people shouting nearby.

“Someone fell off the bridge!”

“Someone’s fallen into the Han River! Call 911! Hurry!”

People who had witnessed the accident unfold right before their eyes were in an uproar.

“Look over there! I can see someone’s hands flailing around!”

The weather had been bitterly cold for days, and thin sheets of ice had formed across parts of the river. Yet the spot where the onlookers were pointing had been completely broken through, and someone was struggling in the water.

Gunwoo noticed that the person’s movements were gradually slowing. His eyes narrowed.

After quickly estimating the person’s location, he took off running.

Anyone who fell into a river with water this cold in the middle of winter had to be pulled out as quickly as possible to have any chance of survival. If even a few minutes passed and they missed the golden window for rescue, they might end up pulling out a lifeless body instead.

“Hello, is this 911? Someone’s fallen into the river beneath XX Bridge! Was it a suicide attempt? I have no idea! Just hurry up and get here!”

“Hello? Is this the police? Someone’s fallen into the river!”

Calls reporting the accident came from every direction. The confusion and commotion grew louder as people scrambled around, unsure what to do.

Then, another scream erupted from the crowd.

SPLASH!

“Ahhh! S-s-someone else just jumped in!”

A dark figure plunged into the water.

As the onlookers stood frozen in disbelief, sirens began to wail in the distance.

Deep underwater, Gunwoo struggled to reach the woman who was losing consciousness and sinking.

He finally managed to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. Removing the mask that covered her face, he pinched her nose shut and pressed his lips against hers without hesitation.

Dahee’s eyes fluttered open for an instant before she lost consciousness again.

Breathing air into her through her parted lips, he kicked his arms and legs with all his strength, propelling them toward the surface.

With the help of the paramedics who had just arrived, Gunwoo managed to get her safely out of the water. Dahee remained unconscious the entire time.

“This patient’s pulse is erratic, and her breathing is unstable. She’s also showing signs of severe hypothermia. We need to get her to the hospital immediately.”

“Sir, are you all right?”

“I’m fine! Take care of her first!”

Under Gunwoo’s calm direction, the paramedics moved swiftly and efficiently as they assessed Dahee’s condition.

They were about to load the woman into the ambulance when they noticed that, despite being unconscious, she was clutching the hem of Gunwoo’s coat tightly.

They tried to pry her fingers loose, but she wouldn’t let go.

“Haah, seriously…”

“Sir, get in with us for now!”

There was no way he could go to the airport soaking wet anyway.

With no other choice, Gunwoo climbed into the ambulance and took off the coat the woman was gripping so tightly.

Even for a healthy man, the water temperature in the Han River during winter was far colder than expected. Drenched from head to toe, Gunwoo began shivering without even realizing it.

“Sir, here. At least cover yourself with this.”

“But, Team Leader, this patient looks like that celebrity—”

BEEEEEP!

“Team Leader! The patient’s breathing…!!”

Gunwoo pushed his way through the frantic paramedics and gently shook Dahee. He quickly checked her breathing, then shouted,

“She’s about to go into cardiac arrest! Get the defibrillator! Hurry! Move!”