CH 5

The Funeral Home.

The parlor for grandfather’s wake was as vast as his reputation, teeming with countless mourners.

“How did a wedding turn into a funeral?”

“I know, right… We didn’t expect the chairman to pa*s away so suddenly. I heard Chairman Yoon and his wife are both in critical condition.”

The relentless stream of visitors each stole glances at me, whispering amongst themselves. Though I couldn’t hear their words, I felt as though I could decipher their conversations just from their gazes.

They must have been discussing the blazing headlines and media frenzy. After all, I had lost all my relatives in the blink of an eye and became the sole heir on my wedding day…

“If both of them pa*s away too, it’ll be a disaster. They left only their only daughter behind, with no son.”

“Who will be the successor? Will the daughter take over?”

“No way… She’s just an anchor, what does she know?”

This wasn’t the first time. The cold, calculating attitudes of people were something I had grown weary of in my previous life, so I was fine. However, occasionally my heart ached as I looked at Jihan, who was greeting the visitors by my side.

He’s not even my official husband yet.

It was repulsive to see him standing next to me, welcoming people as if he were already my husband.

As we continued to receive the visitors, a familiar group approached from afar.

“I can’t believe Chairman Yoon pa*sed away like this… Yesterday was the wedding… Representative Seo is such a good person, helping out like this.”

With a somber expression, the Vice Chairman of W Group, Youngmin, approached us, but took Jihan’s hands instead of mine.

Jihan seemed to glance at my reaction for a moment before nodding to Youngmin and leading him towards the parlor.

“No, Vice Chairman Kim, let me escort you to your seat.”

“Alright… The lady might not know much about this, so let Representative Seo help her a lot. I feel relieved to have you around.”

Kim Youngmin was a man with a heart as dark as a venomous snake.

His gaze clung to me as he followed Jihan, and I could feel his eyes on me. He had also contributed significantly to the merger of W Group with Hojin.

It seemed that both of them had been laying the groundwork for this for a long time.

Swallowing the anger that threatened to explode, I turned to Jihan and asked, “Are you close to Vice Chairman Kim Youngmin?”

“We’re close enough. We’ve met a few times for business.”

A feeling of disillusionment welled up from deep within my heart at his calm lie. How could I have not seen through this shallow deception?

“Let’s talk for a moment.”

I left the bustling parlor and headed outside the hospital.

Jihan followed me wordlessly, taking the lead.

It had only been a few days since we had fled the wedding venue, and now we were in a funeral parlor. From the first day, he had come to stand by my side without any hesitation.

The situation was eerily similar to my previous life.

If things continued like this, Jihan would seize the opportunity of my parents’ sudden death and try to take over W Group under the pretext of being my husband.

As we stopped at a secluded walking path outside the sparsely populated ward, Jihan halted as well.

“Please leave now.”

“What are you talking about? I’m not just a visitor; how can I leave?”

“We didn’t even complete the ceremony. We’re not husband and wife yet.”

Our engagement, which had been made only a year ago, was all we had.

He furrowed his brows at my request for him to leave and clenched his jaw tightly. It was his habit when he felt displeased. At first, his eyes seemed to waver in confusion, but they soon settled down into a calm expression.

“Ah, I understand that you’re not in your right mind to think rationally.”

“…”

“Both the chairman and vice-chairman are here to keep watch; how can I leave?”

He spoke so tenderly to me that his demeanor seemed genuinely husband-like.

“We can redo the ceremony on a better day. You need me now; what does the formality matter?”

Whether he believed in his own childish reasoning or not, his gaze was now more resolute than before. Jihan still seemed to believe that this marriage was valid.

“Just let me handle the troublesome inheritance and succession issues. You should rest.”

Jihan pretended to comfort me with repulsive words while pursuing his own interests.

In my previous life, I had been deceived by his sweet words, but now I could see him clearly.

The first thing I noticed in his eyes as he reached out to hold my hand was deep-seated greed. The moment I pulled my hand away from Jihan’s, a strange ringing sound echoed through the silence.

“…Wait a moment.”

Jihan took out his ringing cellphone from the inner pocket of his jacket. He glanced at the unfamiliar number that hadn’t been saved and bit his lower lip.

Our eyes met for a moment, but Jihan quickly turned his head away.

The temperature of his attitude had changed drastically from the rigid posture he had just a while ago.

Why is he so fl**tered?

It was as if he had received a call he couldn’t take in front of me.

As I stared at his deepening eyes, memories from my previous life slowly overlapped.

Wait a minute. If my memory serves me right…

Five years ago, around this time, Jihan received a phone call and didn’t return until the funeral was over. When he finally arrived, he was still in the same suit he had been wearing. My suspicion gradually became a certainty.

“It seems urgent. You should answer it.”

At my blunt words, a myriad of emotions flickered across Jihan’s eyes.

Still hesitating with the ringing phone, he picked it up just before it disconnected.

“Hello. Uh. Now? I can’t do it now.”

Saying that, Jihan glanced at me as if to gauge my reaction and turned his body away.

“I said I can’t.”

His voice, now lower and more restrained, sounded unfamiliar.

I faintly guessed who the person on the other end of the line was, the one who was making Jihan feel awkward. There was only one person who could make the great Seo Jihan so fl**tered.

Chae Serin.