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Chapter 32
Startled by Tae-gun’s sudden appearance, Hyeon-jeong nearly toppled backward, but he quickly caught her body. Covering her parted lips with his hand, he whispered softly.
“Shh.”
Her wide, startled brown eyes softened with moisture the moment she realized it was Tae-gun. Her stiff body seemed to relax as she melted into his arms.
Feeling the warmth of her skin against his palm, Tae-gun forgot where they were and what situation they were in—his lower abdomen ached with tension.
“Damn it.”
He had specifically told the manager to open the door only after Hyeon-jeong was dressed. In fact, Tae-gun had been hiding inside a small room at the wedding shop long before she arrived, waiting for the right moment to take her out of there. He had bribed the manager and even arranged for the building’s CCTV to be disabled during this time.
But the manager, who had assured him everything would be handled perfectly, made a critical mistake. He had called Tae-gun in after stripping Hyeon-jeong out of her wedding dress—but before she had been dressed in other clothes.
He had meant to curse only inwardly, but the words had slipped out.
Contrary to him, the one surprisingly calm in this moment was Hyeon-jeong. Maybe she was too shocked.
“…Why?”
Her damp brown pupils widened again as she studied him.
“It’s nothing.”
Avoiding her bare body as best he could, Tae-gun shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around her. With the large coat draped over her petite frame, only her face peeked out.
Blinking, Hyeon-jeong realized only then that she was still in her underwear. Blushing furiously, she lowered her head. Tae-gun, his own neck flushed red, tried to keep calm as he carefully fastened each button of the coat.
As he rolled the long sleeves up to her wrists, Hyeon-jeong quietly caught his arm and asked,
“What are you doing here?”
Her voice was barely above a whisper, but her gaze kept darting nervously toward the curtain as if worried about who might overhear. Though joy was clearly written across her face, she still frowned, as if to scold him for being reckless.
Tae-gun gave a quick glance to the manager by the curtain. The man nodded and discreetly slipped out.
“It’s the bride’s final dress fitting,” the manager explained to the others outside. “Usually at this point the groom also tries on his tuxedo, so they can match together.”
“Oh, I see,” Jaeseok replied excitedly.
“Before that, though, I want to see her in the final dress. Only then can I choose a tuxedo that matches, right?”
Hyeon-jeong froze in fear. What if Jaeseok barged in suddenly?
“What do we do?”
She was wearing Tae-gun’s coat instead of a wedding dress, and she was still in his arms. If they were caught, it would be over. Her throat went dry. But unlike her, Kang Tae-gun looked completely unconcerned. Did that mean he didn’t care if they were found out? She was terrified that Young-wook might accuse him of being a stalker again.
She heard footsteps approaching—Jaeseok coming closer. Her heart pounded, ready to leap out of her chest at the thought of the curtain being pulled open.
“The bride is resting for a bit,” the manager lied smoothly. “Wedding dresses are heavier than expected. It would be better if you changed into the tuxedo first before she gets too tired.”
“Then let’s do that,” Jaeseok agreed.
“Would the parents like to help pick the tuxedo? These days, fathers- and mothers-in-law often choose together.”
“Oh, really? Then we should do the same. Honey, let’s go.”
“Our son-in-law has such a good figure, everything will look great on him anyway. I’ll stay here.”
Still clinging to Tae-gun’s arm, Hyeon-jeong listened tensely to the conversation outside. She frowned at the compliment about Jaeseok’s figure, but when Young-wook said he’d remain behind, her eyes widened in alarm. She glanced up at Tae-gun, who found her reaction so endearing he nearly hugged her on the spot.
How long had he wanted to see her again, to rescue her? The joy of having Hyeon-jeong in his arms was overwhelming.
Tae-gun patted her soothingly, smiling as if to say, Don’t worry, I’m here.
“You can’t stay behind, sir. If mother-in-law is going, the father-in-law should accompany her too.”
“Hahaha, well, if my son-in-law insists, I have no choice.”
At being called “father-in-law,” Young-wook roared with laughter.
Soon the sound of people leaving filled the air, and then the curtain area fell silent. The manager slipped back inside, eyes shining.
“You can come out now. Everyone went up to the second floor.”
“Thank you,” Tae-gun said politely. Then, lifting Hyeon-jeong into his arms, he finally answered her question.
“What am I doing here? I came to see you.”
“…”
“I told you I’d be there when you needed help.”
“But still… how did you…”
How had he known exactly where she was? Relief welled up in her chest, and tears spilled down her cheeks before she could stop them.
Even though she didn’t want to cry, the tears kept falling. Tae-gun, holding her close, gently patted her back.
“It’s okay now.”
Was this a dream? In her despair, the only person she could think of was Kang Tae-gun. Yet the familiar scent of his cologne and the firm arms around her reminded her this was real.
“Hurry. There’s no time. This way…” the manager urged.
Tae-gun moved quickly, clutching her tightly against his chest with each long stride.
Hyeon-jeong buried her face in his shoulder, hugging his neck, eyes closed, soothed by the rhythm of his breathing. For the first time in a while, she felt safe, free of all worries.
She heard the wedding shop door shut behind them, then the heavy echo of Tae-gun’s footsteps across the lobby floor. Conscious of possible CCTV, she held him even tighter.
A moment later, a gust of cold wind tousled her hair before she was gently lowered into the soft seat of a car.
Opening her eyes, she looked at Tae-gun, who slid in beside her and closed the door. Though she hadn’t seen him many times before, she couldn’t explain why he felt so dear, so familiar. She felt sure they had once been closer before she lost her memory.
Wiping at her tears with the back of her hand, she didn’t want the first thing he saw after so long to be her crying. She wanted to face him properly, to apologize for everything that had happened with Young-wook, and to tell him how glad she was to see him again.
“Let’s go,” Tae-gun instructed.
At his order, Secretary Kim in the driver’s seat started the car.
Tae-gun’s hand gently stroked the back of Hyeon-jeong’s head, as if to comfort her, while she kept crying uncontrollably. Her sobs, hiccupping and broken, made him worry. What if she collapsed again, like before?
“Hyeon-jeong… uh…”
In the face of her tears, he felt like a broken machine, awkward and stiff.
He had no idea how to comfort a crying woman. The last time he’d done anything like this was when she had been a child, and he’d made her cry by mistake—so he had apologized then. Since then, not even a cat had been soothed by him.
Thinking hard, he grabbed some tissues.
“Is your injured leg okay?”
That was the best he could come up with. Handing her a few tissues, he watched her dab at her eyes.
But when she finally lifted her face, his chest clenched at the sight. Her eyes and nose were red, her lips swollen, faint bruises still marking her forehead and the side of her face.
Even though he’d heard about it from her caretaker, seeing it with his own eyes was unbearable.
“What happened to your face?”
“Ah…”
Caught off guard, Hyeon-jeong quickly ducked her head, hiding her forehead with her bangs. Unlike the dimly lit wedding shop, the bright daylight in the car revealed her pale skin—and the bruises all too clearly.
“I fell… I’m not very good with crutches.”
She couldn’t meet his gaze, fumbling through the lie. Tae-gun decided to respect her wish to keep it secret—but that didn’t mean he would forgive Young-wook.
“Until your leg heals, I’ll have to carry you everywhere.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine. I’ve gotten used to it now.”
She tried to protest, but Tae-gun’s tightly pressed lips made it clear he wouldn’t budge.
“Then… where are we going now?”
“To my house.”
