MHFM 07

Chapter : 07

“You have to go and live well, our daughter….”

“That’s right, Minchae. You must always stay healthy.”

Miyeong and Sangyoon wiped away their tears as they saw Soyeul off.

The corners of Soyeul’s lips trembled slightly.

‘How can they be so shameless….’

Watching them even put on a tearful performance as though she were really Minchae made her stomach churn.

Taeheon observed them.

The sadness of parents sending their daughter off to get married. On the surface, that was how her parents’ behavior might have looked.

But not to Taeheon, who already knew their circumstances.

‘They’re putting on an act because they’re afraid they’ll get caught.’

A faint sneer crossed his lips.

‘Soyeul….’

Unlike those parents, the emotions reflected on Soyeul’s face seemed somewhat complicated.

Was Soyeul also trying to act sad? Or was she simply unwilling to do this?

‘How much does she actually agree with this situation?’

He was curious, but there was no way he could ask.

Leaving Miyeong and Sangyoon behind, Soyeul got into Taeheon’s car.

Her heart was pounding as though she were getting into a car headed straight for the gates of hell, but amid all that, there was some welcome news.

“Before we go home, I’d like us to visit Grandfather together. After the wedding, his condition miraculously improved in the early hours of the morning.”

“What? Really?”

A bright smile soon spread across Soyeul’s face.

She was genuinely happy, as though it were her own affair. She had felt so sorry for Grandfather when she saw him at the wedding.

Both Chairman Kang and Taeheon must be able to breathe a little easier now.

And yet, part of her felt slightly out of place because the happiness of Taeheon’s family could never be completely hers.

Before long, the two arrived at the hospital.

When they entered the hospital room, Chairman Kang greeted them with a broad smile while sitting propped up against a motorized bed.

“Minchae, have you been well?”

“Yes, Grandfather. Have you been well too? On the way here, Taeheon oppa… Taeheon told me that you’ve gotten much better.”

Taeheon.

That way of addressing him felt strange to Taeheon.

She had once been a little girl who barely came above his waist and called him “oppa.”

Now, even though she had grown into an adult who would be taller than his shoulder when wearing heels, in Taeheon’s eyes she still looked young.

So for the time being, he was going to be “Taeheon” to Soyeul?

“That’s right. I think you, Minchae, are this old man’s lucky charm. I was barely hanging on, and then suddenly I regained my strength after you two got married.”

Chairman Kang’s face was bright as he told them about the miraculous experience.

Even Taeheon thought it was like a miracle. No matter how many times he looked at his grandfather’s healthier face, it was a pleasant sight.

But the more pleasant it was to see, the more he found himself unable to look toward Soyeul.

That expression on his grandfather’s face was all thanks to Soyeul, whom he was pretending not to recognize.

Please let Ji Minchae wake up soon. Let everything return to its proper place before anyone notices.

That was all Taeheon could hope for.

“I’m really glad. I’ll pray that you recover completely soon and can leave the hospital.”

“Thank you. I want to go home soon too. Minchae, you go home first and take good care of yourself.”

Chairman Kang said this as he took Soyeul’s hand. His hand was so warm.

“Here, and this is a present from your grandfather to my lucky charm.”

When Chairman Kang gestured to the chief secretary standing beside him, the secretary handed Soyeul an envelope.

It seems like spending money. Since Grandfather is the chairman, maybe he’ll give me around 100,000 won? 200,000 won? He shouldn’t give me that much. I really am sorry, but….

Soyeul opened the envelope for now.

Instead of the bills or check she had expected, there was a single card inside.

It was black.

“It’s a credit card with no limit, so use it however you like. You can swipe it for anything my lucky charm wants!”

Soyeul was startled at the words no limit.

“N-No, Grandfather! How could I accept something like this…? It’s okay. I have some savings.”

Even though money was tight, she had saved a little at a time. She had done so because she didn’t think Miyeong and Sangyoon would pay her hospital bills even if she became seriously ill.

At the mention of savings, Taeheon, who was standing nearby, quietly smiled.

‘Refusing a card with no limit and saying she’ll spend her own money instead… No matter how you calculate it, that’s a loss for her.’

Besides, she was only twenty-two. How much money could she possibly have saved?

The way she refused a conglomerate chairman’s card while saying she had money saved up herself was… well….

‘Cute.’

Yes.

She was cute.

She had grown up without him realizing it, even saving money now, and she was so admirable that he felt like he wanted to pat her on the head.

Had he ever looked at someone’s inefficient behavior and felt this way before?

Even though he knew she was Soyeul, a faint smile escaped the corners of his lips.

Chairman Kang seemed to feel the same way and let out a hearty laugh.

“You even saved money at such a young age? That’s impressive. Keep the money you worked so hard to save, and use this for your spending money from now on.”

“As Minchae said, you really don’t have to give me anything. I’ve already prepared something.”

Realizing that he was smiling, Taeheon composed his expression and took something out of his wallet.

It was a black card, just like the one Chairman Kang had given her.

It was a promise he had made to give her anything she wanted in return for the marriage.

Whoever she was, it was his responsibility for the marriage he had entered into.

“Oh my, what’s this? Our lucky charm has two cards now. You’re going to be richer than me. Since it’s come to this, just choose whichever one you feel like and use it.”

Chairman Kang laughed heartily.

Soyeul smiled awkwardly. How could she possibly have two such incredible things…?

Soyeul refused once again, but Chairman Kang did not back down either.

“You shouldn’t refuse something an elder gives you. Just take it and use it well.”

At those words, Soyeul truly could no longer refuse.

“Thank you, Grandfather….”

“That’s right! You’re part of our family now, so you must always stay healthy and happy, my lucky charm.”

Chairman Kang held her hand even more tightly as he said this.

At his warm and kind appearance, Soyeul’s nose tingled.

She felt a sense of family from Chairman Kang that she had never felt even while living with her blood relatives.

It reminded her of the time when she had lived with her adoptive parents and her oppa as a child.

“Yes…. I will. Thank you so much.”

Soyeul’s eyes became moist as she answered in a choked voice.

Even though this moment could never completely belong to her.

Even so, it was a warm moment she wanted to cherish for a long time.

Some time later, the two left the hospital room.

“We’re also going to stop by the district office and register the marriage.”

Taeheon said this inside the elevator as they headed down to the underground parking lot.

‘After going through with the wedding, there’s no reason to put off registering the marriage.’

Once it was legally established, his wife would be Ji Minchae, and this marriage would be concluded with her remaining Ji Minchae in every sense.

Taking a fake bride there and registering her as though she were herself was a workaround.

But they had already held the wedding with that fake bride. What worse thing could happen just because they added one more registration?

However.

‘…It’s here. The first mission.’

Soyeul, who had already prepared herself for this situation, opened her mouth as calmly as possible.

“Th-That’s actually what I wanted to ask you about. There’s something I’d like to request regarding the marriage registration.”

“What kind of request?”

“I-I’d feel better if we could talk somewhere quiet….”

“I’ll have the driver leave us alone, so we can talk in the car.”

After arriving at the underground parking lot, the two went to the car.

Registering the marriage was something Miyeong and Sangyoon had been determined to get done as soon as the holiday was over.

But ironically, they couldn’t even register the marriage until Minchae woke up.

“Ahhh, seriously! Why is the world doing this to us when we’ve lived such good lives?!”

Miyeong nearly went crazy when she learned about it.

Even from Soyeul’s perspective, it was almost funny how absolutely nothing seemed to be going their way.

Anyway, from this point on, Soyeul had to come up with an excuse for why they couldn’t register the marriage immediately.

“I-I actually dream of becoming an actress.”

This was the real Minchae’s story. Originally, she had been going around auditioning here and there.

“But I heard that getting the title of a married woman at such a young age could have a negative impact on casting.”

In reality, young married actresses could sometimes be limited in the roles they were offered.

“We held the wedding privately, so there haven’t been any reports about me. I think it should be fine as long as it doesn’t show up in official documents…. So I’m sorry, but could we possibly postpone the marriage registration for a little while?”

Of course, this was all an excuse. The real circumstances were different.

A few days ago, Minchae had lost her ID at a drinking gathering.

The original ID was required for marriage registration, but even though they were identical twins, their fingerprints were different, so Soyeul couldn’t get a replacement on Minchae’s behalf.

A proxy application also required the person’s consent to be expressed, which was impossible for Minchae while she was in a coma.

The excuse that Miyeong and Sangyoon had desperately racked their brains to come up with was what Soyeul was now reciting.