At last, today, she would marry her ex-husband, Kim Hyun, for the second time.

From early morning, after a warm bath in the tub, Seoryeong sat in the powder room and began her preparations. Wearing nothing but a slip that shaped her figure, she combed through her long hair with a cold, expressionless face. She hid the sharpened blade of her inner thoughts and mechanically, almost absently, ran the comb through her hair.

When the steady, crisp sound of polished shoes approached, she glanced toward the mirror and saw Lee Wooshin standing there in a tuxedo, holding white peonies. Without a word, he stepped closer, handed her the flowers, and took the comb from her hand.

“What’s this for?”

“The bouquet I mentioned last time. I told you I’d pick it up from the airport.”

“They haven’t wilted?”

Looking at the lush flowers as if surprised, she recalled having heard that pure white peonies were one of the most favored bouquets among brides. Seeing them now, she had to admit they really were beautiful.

She didn’t know who had made them, but the thought crossed her mind that Wooshin had been remarkably careful in bringing them here. Men who spent their lives outside the home were usually neglectful of domestic details, but he had an odd way of being attentive in unexpected places.

Seoryeong brought the peonies to her nose and inhaled their fragrance. At that moment, warm lips pressed down on the crown of her head.

“Can I help you into your dress?”

“What?”

“To me, a wedding means this: standing in front of everyone and vowing that I’ll only ever have sex with this woman for the rest of my life. Declaring that I’m the only one allowed to touch the hem of Han Seoryeong’s skirt.”

“What are you—”

“So, I figure if I’m the one to take it off later, I should be the one to put it on too.”

“......”

“Put your hands on my shoulders.”

He bent down so she could more easily step into the dress. Seoryeong slipped her legs in almost without thinking, moving compliantly as her husband directed.

The zipper slid up, and his lips brushed the back of her head again. With only the two of them here for the wedding, it was far too late to keep up formalities. Wooshin swept her long hair over one shoulder, exposing her clean nape, and ran his hand over it.

Seoryeong flinched, but didn’t pull away. Soon, the dress, falling neatly to her ankles, fit her perfectly. The reflection in the mirror was elegant and lovely.

“Seoryeong.”

A large hand clasped her waist.

“When should we have a beautiful child who looks like you?”

“......!”

Her nape went rigid. She needed to control her expression, to ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) look like the shy, happy bride, but the unexpected words made the skin beneath her eyes twitch.

Through the mirror, Wooshin was staring straight at her. She couldn’t read him at all.

“...A child?”

“Well, if you don’t want to, I’ll have it.”

“What—”

Her face broke out of its composure from sheer disbelief, but then her gaze met his, deadly serious. A sudden chill spread through her chest.

“Living in war zones doesn’t make you want to start a family. You’d rather they were dead than alive. I’ve seen enough men wailing over wives and children dragged away to be sick of it. That’s why I never wanted a family. I didn’t need one.”

“......”

“But Han Seoryeong, you...”

He stared at their perfect reflection as bride and groom, then lowered his head. His heated forehead rubbed insistently against her shoulder, and his grip on her waist was so unyielding it hurt.

“You make me want to risk my life again.”

“......!”

“You make me want to protect you, even if it costs me everything.”

The thick veins on the back of his interlaced hands stood out.

“So maybe that’s why I want to bring a child like you into this world.”

His low voice wavered slightly.

“Just because it’s your child, this fucked-up world might seem a little better. I want to show that child your face, your smile, your scent. To brag that this is the world I got to have.”

“......”

“I’ll make sure our family isn’t worn down or unhappy.”

He furrowed the bridge of his reddened nose and hid his face again, but his crumbling expression was already fully exposed. The hot breath against her nape was molten, like poured metal.

She needed to make him drop his guard. She couldn’t ruin the mood. And yet, her mouth moved on its own.

“What if no matter how hard we try, it doesn’t happen?”

She thought to herself: I probably can’t conceive. This body that had been driven mercilessly for so long—nothing healthy could take root in it. Infertility, or near enough.

She didn’t need a test to know. Maybe it was the poor diet growing up; her first period had been years late.

And yet, even worrying about it seemed absurd now. All that was left was to leave this man.

“Then Han Seoryeong will just be my baby.”

Wooshin gave a quick, sly smile.

“I’d be fine with that.”

“......”

“I’ll carry you in my arms for life. What’s there to worry about?”

His thick voice grazed her neck in a light bite. A sudden headache stabbed at her temple, and Seoryeong frowned.

While she steadied her dizzy breathing, someone knocked at the door—it was the landlady.

“Let’s go.”

He held out his hand.

It was time for the bride to make her entrance.

***

In her first wedding—when she’d been so shy—she could now say it was a blessing she couldn’t really see ahead of her.

If she’d looked Kim Hyun full in the face then, she would’ve been a beet-red mess. And this time...

“Phew...”

The warm, smiling faces in front of her were painfully vivid.

It seemed the landlady had spread the word through the entire village; from elderly couples with silver hair to small children, everyone had gathered to congratulate the young foreign couple.

The faces of strangers beaming pure affection at the bride made her heart pound.

They clapped while sharing plates piled high with lamb and pouring drinks. The strains of the tar—a stringed instrument—floated gently on the warm breeze.

Beneath the hanging wisteria blossoms, their violet flowers cascading downward, Seoryeong forced herself to smile while her cheeks trembled.

Her expression must have been amusing, because soft chuckles rippled through the air. Wooshin, wearing a faint smile, kept his eyes fixed solely on his wife. His relaxed eyes and gentle mouth looked content.

Seoryeong’s hands itched to strip that brazen face off him right there. Yet, seeing him pull off the tuxedo so well made something in her chest swell.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I just can’t believe it, no matter how I think about it.”

“Can’t believe what?”

“That you told me you loved me.”

“......”

“Never take it back.”

Wooshin took a ring case from his pocket, and she couldn’t help but remember the first wedding. They’d exchanged rings then too, but she’d lost hers before she’d even really seen it.

She had simply been washing her hands outside, and it had slipped right down a public bathroom drain. She’d been utterly stricken. She couldn’t stand how useless and small she felt, always causing trouble for Kim Hyun.

Too ashamed to confess, she’d kept silent for days—until one day he claimed he’d lost his ring first, fumbling to cover it up.

She’d known exactly what he’d done—making up a mistake just to spare her. That was the kind of dear, tender husband he’d been.

“I got a slightly smaller size this time. Tight, so it hurts a bit.”

“......”

“And if you think about how cramped it always was for me inside you, that’s even better.”

She gave his shoulder a light punch at his suggestive raise of an eyebrow. He coughed, but Seoryeong, with a complex mix of feelings, simply stared at the silver ring.

It was a beautiful ring. Which made her want to wear it even less. Yet when she held out her hand, the small shackle slid onto her fourth finger. Applause broke out again from the onlookers.

“I can’t live without Han Seoryeong now.”

“......”

“You’re my only reason. The only reason to do anything, or not to.”

He smiled handsomely and bent down, holding the back of her neck as he swallowed her stiff lips.

The gentle kiss announcing a new beginning made her close her eyes without thinking. It wasn’t their first kiss, but it felt strange. Heat bloomed inside her.

First and last. Beginning and end...

She parted her lips willingly and tilted her head. Heat spread in an instant. His tongue slid into the gap, bringing with it his warmth, his rough and soft breath, his unbelievable confession—everything.

Saliva mingled thickly as their lips locked tighter. Their noses brushed, but he didn’t pull back. I love you, he whispered, their foreheads touching.

The cheers of the crowd hovered around her ears, then seemed to fade away. Their lips met again, his hungry pull leaving only him vivid in her senses.

She glanced sideways at an eagle crossing the sky and closed her eyes. Wooshin looked happy. That made Seoryeong happy too.

Finally... Lee Wooshin was ripe.