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Chapter 12
Juyoung closed her stiffening eyes.
She had been reading documents since before going to work. The difference from yesterday was the content of the documents.
“Did someone actually bring this as a list?”
No matter how much she thought about it, no sane person could do something like this.
Think about it—what parent in their right mind would want to marry off their only daughter to a drug addict?
A chuckle escaped her lips.
“…Well, he is right next to me.”
Yesterday, immediately after parting with Bae Seonghun, Juyoung had asked Secretary Shin for the documents. She had already received information on the men listed by Choi Kwon-yong through Secretary Shin once before. But on the day Bae Seonghun came to her house, she had shredded them all.
She thought she would never have to see them again.
Foolish.
She had judged the man Bae Seonghun without truly understanding him.
Juyoung put a drop of eye drops in each eye and closed her eyes again, letting out a sigh.
“So annoying.”
What Choi Kwon-yong wanted wasn’t marriage to Bae Seonghun—it was for her to marry one of the four men on the list.
Bae Seonghun was chosen simply because he was the most “presentable” on the surface. Nothing more.
So there was no need for her to cling to him.
At a time when the internet was ablaze with rumors of a romance with Bae Seonghun, marrying another man would damage her image. Actually, it would cause damage.
But what could she do?
Bae Seonghun was worse than any image damage.
Ziiing. Her phone buzzed briefly. A message had arrived from Secretary Shin.
Juyoung grabbed her phone and coffee cup and got up. She left her study for the kitchen, placed the coffee cup in the sink, grabbed her bag, and stepped out.
Clunk—!
Something blocked the door as she opened it. Judging by the rough sound and the force blocking the door, it was a fairly heavy object.
What is this? She hadn’t ordered any deliveries.
Even if she had, no delivery person would leave an item in a way that blocked the door.
Juyoung grabbed the doorknob with both hands and pushed hard to open the door, even using her shoulder at the end.
Finally stepping outside, she saw what had been blocking the door.
“What is this?”
It was a white wooden box.
On the box, in large letters, it said: “Organic Cabbage Juice.”
For some reason, the face of a certain madman came to mind.
No way.
He had no justification for this.
Even thinking this, his face appeared in her mind, and Juyoung called Secretary Shin.
—Yes, boss?
“Secretary Shin, did you happen to send me cabbage juice?”
—Huh? Cabbage juice? No, I didn’t send it…
The answer was clear.
The cabbage juice had been sent by a certain madman—Bae Seonghun.
As proof, Juyoung found a document envelope hidden behind the box, previously concealed by the cabbage juice.
The envelope felt luxurious. Its brown color reminded her of a famous luxury brand.
Juyoung brought the envelope inside, untied it, and checked the documents inside.
What scheme is this now?
She licked her lips and glared at the papers. They were the draft of a marriage contract for the two of them, which Bae Seonghun had prepared yesterday.
—If you want to drink it, I can check which brand of juice is best for you.
Before opening the envelope, Juyoung had switched her phone to speaker mode. Secretary Shin’s voice came through.
Juyoung put the documents down and picked up the phone, switching off speaker mode and holding it to her ear.
“No, I’m fine.”
Even then, her eyes didn’t leave the papers.
Blue text on the contract caught her attention:
[One year after the marriage date, Choi Juyoung and Bae Seonghun will rewrite the contract. At this time, they shall discuss reasons for divorce and clearly state them in the contract.]
“Some madman sent cabbage juice to my house, and now it’s such a hassle.”
Shwaa—
Under the cascade of water from above and the steam filling the bathroom, Bae Seonghun stood.
He brushed his hair back and tilted his head. The water stung his face, but he kept his eyes closed.
“Mom and Dad, Seonghun, want you to truly be happy.”
He regretted visiting his parents two days ago.
If he had known he would hear something like that, he would have made an excuse not to go.
“Give your heart to someone else, build your own family. Be happy.”
“Of course, we’re not forcing marriage. If you don’t want to marry, you don’t have to. You already have a family.”
“We just don’t want you to be completely alone. Being alone becomes a habit later. You know what I mean, right?”
Min Yuyeong understood.
She knew the wounds Bae Seonghun carried would not heal, no matter how much love and care he received.
And those wounds would torment him for life, buried only with death, unless he changed.
“Sigh…”
He brushed the hair sticking to his face back again and turned off the shower.
As the water stopped pouring from above, the steam floated upward.
Seonghun left the shower and stood before the sink.
He wiped the foggy mirror, which gradually reflected his image.
Beneath dripping hair, his dull eyes stared back.
Bae Seonghun was empty inside.
Marriage…
He had never dreamed of marriage. Even now, he hadn’t, and he always assumed he would marry someone he met through arranged meetings.
But deep down, Seonghun never wanted to marry.
They wished for him to be happy and told him to find someone to share his heart with. What a contradictory thing to say.
Of course, he knew his parents had treated him and his siblings equally and raised them all with care.
But what could he do? Some people are born twisted by nature.
“Still… since they’re so happy, maybe I should try.”
He could still vividly remember Min Yuyeong bouncing with excitement after saying she wasn’t sure about something.
Even his father, Bae Seongwon, had shown subtle expectations at dinner.
If his parents wanted his marriage so badly, he had to fulfill it.
But if news of his engagement to Choi Juyoung got out now, Min Yuyeong would surely blame herself for causing Seonghun to decide to marry.
Not entirely wrong, but Seonghun didn’t want her to feel guilty.
So he thought of the romance rumor.
A story that they met at a matchmaking meeting, liked each other, became lovers, and eventually married.
The process to marriage might be tedious, but it was the most ideal way not to worry his parents.
“Anyway, I was going to marry them thinking of my parents.”
Seonghun grabbed a towel and left the bathroom. Just then, his phone vibrated briefly.
[1:00 PM, CS Department Store]
His expression slackened.
The blunt text, conveying only the purpose, felt both strange and funny.
“This is already fun,” he muttered.
Bae Seonghun planned the ideal marriage for his parents.
Relieving them of the burden of “Bae Seonghun” was his way of repaying them, who had raised a non-biological child as their own.
Yes.
Bae Seonghun was adopted.
After the morning meeting, Juyoung toured the department store with Secretary Shin.
She observed what caught customers’ attention and what performed poorly, organizing her thoughts as she went.
“Boss.”
Secretary Shin spoke up.
“May I ask what you meant this morning?”
“This morning… oh, the cabbage juice?”
“Yes. If the source is unclear, I can handle it.”
“He may be crazy, but the source isn’t unclear. I’ll deal with it myself.”
As she finished speaking and turned,
“Crazy guy.”
A lazy voice whispered in her ear.
Juyoung froze. Her stiff neck turned toward the owner of the voice, like an old doll.
“Is that my new nickname?”
A chill ran down her spine instantly.
