Side Story 6
What was it like at the first wedding?
Suhyeon recalled their first wedding in her mind. Though it wasn’t at this place, she had gone dress shopping then too. She had planned to go alone, but Park In-ok, conscious of others’ eyes, had come along with her.
She remembered how Park In-ok would smile contentedly at every dress Suhyeon tried on, telling the staff, “Isn’t our daughter beautiful? No wonder Director Do fell for her.” While wearing that kind-hearted expression, behind the scenes she would tighten Suhyeon’s corset until she could barely breathe, meticulously decorating her like a doll to be presented to others. Trying to make the doll she was selling appear more valuable.
“Seol Suhyeon.”
…Ah.
The low voice broke Suhyeon from her bitter memories, and she hesitantly looked up. Jeonghan’s eyes were fixed on her.
“If nothing catches your eye, you can say so.”
“What? Oh.”
Suhyeon suddenly realized she had been lost in thought while looking at the wedding dress catalog.
“Besides what’s in the catalog, we have other exclusive pieces, so please feel free to ask,” the manager said with an effort to smile.
Seeing the manager’s uncomfortable expression, worried they might go elsewhere, Suhyeon quickly replied, “No, it’s fine. I was just momentarily distracted… I’m sorry. I’ll look properly now.”
As Suhyeon lowered her eyes back to the catalog to concentrate, something immediately caught her attention.
“Oh, this one’s pretty.”
The manager’s face relaxed into a relieved smile as she looked where Suhyeon was pointing.
“You have excellent taste. Though it looks simple, when it catches the sunlight, it sparkles mysteriously like jewels. We often recommend it for outdoor weddings.”
“Really?”
Suhyeon’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at the photo again. After hearing the explanation, she could vividly imagine how the dress would shimmer in the sunlight.
“Do you like it?” Jeonghan asked while studying her expression, wanting to make sure she wasn’t just settling.
“Yes, I do.”
Seeing her slightly flushed expression wasn’t fake, the corners of his lips slowly curved upward.
The manager, watching them both, continued with a smile, “It’s a Jean Selma design, so it’s quite rare and special. Would you like to try it on?”
“Yes, I would.”
When Suhyeon nodded readily, the manager stood up and said, “While you’re fitting, we could try a few others…”
“No, this one is enough.”
Suhyeon replied while looking back at the catalog. The manager beamed at her response.
“You really love it, don’t you? Alright then. We’ll prepare it, so please follow me, both of you.”
Following the manager’s lead, Jeonghan and Suhyeon moved to the fitting room.
Another staff member waiting inside addressed Jeonghan, “Groom, please wait on that sofa for a moment. Bride, please follow me.”
Jeonghan froze momentarily at being called “groom.”
His gaze fixed on Suhyeon’s delicate figure as she followed the staff member.
“…”
After quietly watching her disappear behind the velvet curtain, he sat on the indicated sofa.
“Groom.”
That word he’d just heard somehow stuck in his mind. He knew it was probably what they called every man who came here. Men were “groom,” women were “bride.”
Walking through the corridor earlier, he had noticed several fitting rooms like this one.
Today they had reserved the entire dress shop, but during her previous wedding, there wouldn’t have been such consideration.
Even choosing a dress wasn’t this easy back then, and he felt bitter realizing he hadn’t paid any attention, focused only on work.
You must have been alone then.
Alone choosing a dress, alone during fittings, alone with no one to see how you looked in it.
His heart ached imagining Suhyeon alone in a place filled with couples about to be married.
What had she been thinking then? Though he knew he couldn’t turn back time, deep regret welled up inside him.
I shouldn’t have left you alone there…
As Jeonghan sat there with a troubled expression, he suddenly heard the staff member’s voice.
“Opening the curtain now.”
He looked up as the velvet curtain was drawn back.
Jeonghan froze.
There stood Suhyeon in a pure white flowing dress that revealed her delicate shoulders, wearing a bright tiara atop her loosely tied hair.
The mystically gleaming dress sparkled with an enchanting light under the illumination. Jeonghan’s gaze traveled along her fragile frame, then slowly returned to meet her face.
At his serious, silent gaze, Suhyeon smiled shyly yet sweetly.
“How do I look?”
Jeonghan stood up from the sofa and approached her.
He walked toward her while looking straight at her, then stopped directly in front.
Their eyes met at close distance.
Suhyeon returned his gaze, which held a strange flickering emotion, with a smile.
Jeonghan, who had slightly furrowed his brow, drew in a breath and lowered his gaze. He lifted her hand and kissed it over the lace glove.
Then, meeting her eyes again, he said with a still serious expression:
“Did I ever tell you?”
“…Tell me what?”
Still holding her hand, Suhyeon blinked and asked.
“That at the first wedding, I fell for you without even realizing it when I saw you in your dress.”
“Really…?”
Suhyeon blinked at these words she was hearing for the first time.
Jeonghan slightly furrowed his brow.
“And now, I’ve fallen again. For Seol Suhyeon in her wedding dress.”
“…”
Suhyeon smiled, her eyes curving beautifully. Jeonghan kissed her forehead.
“Ah.”
Though Suhyeon’s cheeks turned rose-colored, conscious of the staff’s presence, she didn’t lose her smile.
The manager, who had been keeping her distance to avoid interrupting their moment, approached.
“Are you pleased with it?”
“Yes. We’ll take this one.”
Jeonghan answered without taking his eyes off Suhyeon.
It was the kind of gaze that would make any woman’s heart flutter.
The staff held their breath at his intensely wavering gaze that seemed to show just how much he had fallen for the woman before him.
So envious. Really.
The staff watched enviously as the Cheonkyung Group chairman couldn’t take his eyes off his bride, even though this was their second wedding.
After choosing the dress, the couple had a light brunch at a rooftop café.
As Suhyeon lifted her coffee cup after finishing the meal, she asked him.
“Don’t you need to go to the company?”
With wedding preparations overlapping, Jeonghan’s schedule was even busier. That’s why they had deliberately chosen to have a quick meal at a brunch café.
Jeonghan replied, curving the corner of his lips:
“I have time for coffee.”
“That’s good.”
Suhyeon smiled with relief. Actually, she wanted to spend a little more time together. It had been a while since they’d gone out together, given how busy Jeonghan was.
As Suhyeon smiled softly, Jeonghan took her hand across the table and played with the ring on her finger.
“I’m sorry.”
“…What?”
Suhyeon looked at Jeonghan with questioning eyes. His gaze had become more subdued than before.
Slowly caressing her slender finger and the ring, he said in a low voice:
“For not being able to come to the dress shop with you during the first wedding.”
Suhyeon shook her head.
“It’s okay. Back then, it would have been more burdensome if you had come.”
“…Still.”
Jeonghan’s gaze moved from her finger to her eyes. His serious eyes fixed on her.
“I shouldn’t have let you go alone.”
“…”
Though actually her stepmother had come with her that day, Suhyeon just smiled quietly without mentioning it, as if to say it was fine.
Jeonghan met her gaze and said quietly again:
“I’m sorry.”
“Really, it’s okay.”
Suhyeon said, pulling at her lips, and after looking at him for a moment, she began to speak again.
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