From Divorce to Dusk Chapter 2.3

“Hello, Jaekyung-nim.”

“Ah, yes… hello.”

The man who had been informing him of his schedule just moments ago had gone outside with him, then returned a few minutes later to greet Jaekyung.

“I am Oh Seunghwan, Director Han’s secretary. Starting today, I will be assisting you as well, Jaekyung-nim.”

Ah, so he was his secretary.

“Ah, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The ceremony will begin in 10 minutes. It would be best to prepare. I will send people in, so please have them do a final check.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“And I thought you should be aware of the wedding proceedings, so I’m here to inform you.”

Secretary Oh handed Jaekyung a single A4 sheet of paper. On it was a list of the wedding’s cue sheet. Seeing this, he realized that the press conference had also been this man’s work. Like someone about to start a performance, he read through the cue sheet and told Jaekyung what he needed to do. It was so complicated and there was so much to do that he couldn’t tell if this was a wedding… or just a show.

“If you have any questions during the proceedings, please look at me and I will assist you.”

“…Can’t I ask Director Han?”

No matter how he thought about it, it seemed faster and better to ask the person who would be right next to him rather than trying to summon someone from afar with a look….

“You may ask Director Han as well. However, the director has people he must meet with throughout the ceremony and will be busy, so please call for me whenever possible.”

In short, don’t bother him. Understood. Jaekyung nodded his head.

“Do you have any other questions?”

“…Um, are we going on a honeymoon? I haven’t heard anything about it.”

“Ah, you will not be going on a honeymoon. The director is very busy and was unable to take a vacation. As soon as the ceremony is over, we will escort you, Jaekyung-nim, to the house prepared in Cheongdam.”

Was it a relief? Or not? The fact that he wasn’t even disappointed must mean he hadn’t expected anything. Was he getting used to their lives and their actions? Jaekyung smiled bitterly.

◆

‘A whirlwind.’

If he had to define the wedding in one word, that would be it. He was dragged here and there, and by the time he came to his senses, he was at the wedding venue, facing Han Taesuk and reciting their wedding vows.

“I solemnly swear to forever love, respect, and trust Park Jaekyung, and to fulfill my duties as his faithful partner.”

Watching the man speak the memorized lines impassively, without even blinking, Jaekyung felt no emotional stirring in his heart. The thought, ‘I’m really marrying this man,’ didn’t even cross his mind. All he could think was the useless thought, ‘So it’s possible to say these sentences with absolutely no emotion. Is this why the divorce rate is so high?’

“I, Park Jaekyung, take Han Taesuk as my partner….”

He had memorized the prepared wedding vows in the waiting room and recited them without a mistake. It was just like reading a book, no, it didn’t even have that much feeling. It was on the level of reading a notice he happened to see passing by. To always love, respect, and trust… of these three, not a single one would be kept. Other than fulfilling duties, these marriage vows were nothing more than a scrap of paper.

After the wedding ceremony, there was a press conference. Usually, it was celebrity couples who held press conferences after their weddings, but this wedding was being used for marketing by both Jaewang and NI—to present a friendly corporate image to the public—so they had no choice but to show their faces to the public. He had to keep smiling and look at the camera lenses, to the point where the corners of his mouth were about to twitch.

“Where do you plan to go for your honeymoon?”

The questions, just like at the wedding announcement press conference, came from a pre-arranged guide. He had assumed Han Taesuk would naturally take charge of the answers, but he passed the microphone to Jaekyung. As if testing him.

Jaekyung took the microphone, saying, “Thank you.”

“We’ve decided to go to Northern Europe.”

“Is there a reason you chose Northern Europe?”

“I mentioned it was a place I had always wanted to visit, so Director Han prepared it for me.”

“So, you received the honeymoon destination as a gift.”

Ah, this question wasn’t in the guide. Jaekyung hesitated, wondering whether he should answer or not. His eyes met Secretary Oh’s. He couldn’t read his expression. Then why did he tell me to look at him when I’m in a difficult situation? He’s not going to be of any help. He had no choice.

“That expression is perfect. I received it as a gift. It’s the best gift of my life.”

As Jaekyung spoke with a hint of shyness, the reporters burst into laughter. The atmosphere was good. He had certainly thought so….

“How could you answer all the reporters’ questions like that?”

“I thought you’d become some kind of celebrity.”

“Tsk, tsk, on the very first day of your wedding… be careful from now on.”

“Yes… I’m sorry.”

He just hung his head low as if he had committed a mortal sin. As soon as the press conference was over, he was summoned to a room on the 5th floor of the venue, with the Chinese characters for ‘Gung-ho’ written on it. Inside, about a dozen people from NI Company were seated. The chairman, the director, the contract president, the hotel president, the food president… and so on. The sight alone was suffocating. As if they were all cut from the same cloth, the atmosphere was equally stifling to Jaekyung. They all pointed fingers and sneered at Jaekyung for answering an unscripted question, calling it an undignified act.

“Secretary Oh, make sure the reporter who asked that question never comes near NI again.”

“Yes, I understand, Director.”

“Jaekyung.”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know how they taught you at Jaewang, but we are different. I will assign someone to you, so fix your way of speaking, your behavior, everything, one by one. Furthermore, it is said that disaster comes from the mouth. Always be careful of what you say and reduce unnecessary words as much as possible.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“You may go and rest now.”

“Yes.”

They had become family today, yet he couldn’t even get a proper introduction to anyone, let alone a greeting. He was treated like a troublesome pest that had entered the household and was kicked out. Jaekyung looked at the back of Secretary Oh walking ahead of him and looked outside through the long windows lining the corridor. He could see Han Taesuk talking with a government minister. Reporters swarmed around him, while around Jaekyung, there was no one.

“Um, Secretary Oh. Are we going directly to Cheongdam?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“In that case, I would like to see my mother.”

“I’m sorry, but that is not possible. The director will be going to the airport. He has a 7-day business trip to the United States scheduled. On the surface, it is stated that you are going on a honeymoon, so you, Jaekyung-nim, must also appear to be moving with him.”

Another thing he was hearing for the first time. He had only heard that he was busy in the waiting room earlier. He hadn’t heard that he was going on a business trip to the US. Did that mean he wouldn’t be coming home for 7 days? He had expected to be rejected on their first night of marriage anyway, but as expected… he doesn’t disappoint his expectations.

“You, too, Jaekyung-nim, please refrain from going out for 7 days. You just need to stay in the mansion.”

“The gallery…”

“Director Ji also said that you do not need to come in for 7 days. And from now on, I will be emailing you your daily schedule, Jaekyung-nim. You just need to follow that schedule.”

“…I understand.”

As Jaekyung listened to Secretary Oh’s words dryly, he remembered his answer about the honeymoon destination.

Northern Europe… it was a place he had wanted to visit once. He thinks he even had the childish thought, ‘I should go and enjoy my freedom once before I get married!’ But would he have that chance now? Of course, as the partner of NI Company’s Director Han Taesuk, there would be opportunities to go on business trips abroad. There would probably be many. But that path would not be the one Jaekyung wanted, the path of a couple together.

◆

After going to the hospital and resting for a full day, his cold disappeared as if by magic. He came to the convenience store a little early and was organizing the inventory. Just then, the month had changed, and a new event poster had come in. As he was looking at it, a familiar word caught his eye, and Jaekyung let out a small laugh.

“Northern Europe…”

It was an event where you could buy snacks, enter on social media, and one person would be chosen by lottery to be sent to Northern Europe. Jaekyung carefully unfolded the poster and stuck it on the door.

“Does anyone actually win those things?”

The store manager, who was wiping the glass door, asked in a voice full of disbelief. Well… he had never paid much attention to these kinds of events, so he had never thought, ‘Do people win?’ but now that he looked at it, it was a reasonable question to have.

“By the way, Mr. Jaekyung, I told you it’s okay to take another day off and come in.”

“Ah, it’s alright! I think my body was just struggling because I was doing something I wasn’t used to. I’m fine now. And you must be tired from being here all day, manager-nim.”

“Well, I’m grateful, but… if you’re sick, don’t hesitate to tell me. Got it?”

Tell me if you’re sick… even a complete stranger says this to him… but when he was in that house, no one ever did. On the contrary, they would say, If you’re sick, hide it. Don’t show it. Don’t show any weakness. That’s all they ever said….

“Yes, thank you.”

Even if the manager’s words were just empty courtesy, Jaekyung was grateful and thanked him sincerely. After the manager left for the day, Jaekyung put on the convenience store vest and looked around the small store once more. If the snacks were not displayed properly, he would stand them up, organize them, and if the position was strange, he would rearrange them. It had only been a few days, but it seemed to suit his aptitude surprisingly well. He even had the thought of maybe opening one or two convenience stores and managing them later, but then he shook his head. No. Let’s do and experience more things. There must be a lot of things I can only do now.

“…Huh?”

After making a full round and finishing the organizing, Jaekyung, with a satisfied smile, saw a black sedan parked across the crosswalk with its hazard lights on and blinked his eyes. It was a familiar car. One he had seen for 5 years, and one he had just seen across the crosswalk from the pharmacy a short while ago….

No way. It can’t be. Why would that person come here? How would he know to come here?

Jaekyung’s hands trembled. Should he check? Should he go out and look at the license plate.