Chapter 6.1
“There’s a rumor going around the hotel—you and your fiancée are so in love that you don’t even care where you’re showing affection anymore.”
Kang Taeoh’s blunt remark made Soyu choke mid-bite.
Coughing hard, she grabbed a napkin and wiped her mouth.
“About last night… I really am sorry again.”
There had been more than a few witnesses to what happened at the bar.
Even if she hadn’t heard them, Soyu could already imagine the kinds of embarrassing rumors swirling around them.
She fanned her flushed face, trying to cool down.
“You blush easily.”
“…Sorry?”
“Your face, I mean.”
Taeoh said it casually as he poked at his steak with a fork.
Was that true?
Soyu sat up straighter, surprised he noticed something she hadn’t even been aware of herself.
Before the conversation strayed again, she needed to steer them back to the real topic.
Otherwise, it would just lead to more confusion… or mistakes.
“We can skip the honeymoon if you’re too busy.”
The honeymoon was one of the few important matters they needed to decide before the wedding.
She had assumed he would want to keep things simple, just go through the motions and get it over with.
That’s why she offered to drop it.
“I think I can spare about a week.”
But Taeoh’s response caught her completely off guard.
He had actually been planning for a honeymoon?
The same man who handled the wedding planning like a business deal wanted to spend a whole week on the honeymoon?
It didn’t quite add up.
Soyu stared at him, puzzled.
“What?”
Taeoh replied with a look that said what’s so strange about that?
“…Nothing.”
It felt odd to question him when he clearly wanted to go. She just shook her head.
“Is there a country you’d like to visit?”
“Not a country I want to go to, but there is one I like.”
“Where?”
“America.”
At that, Taeoh’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly.
But Soyu didn’t catch the subtle reaction. Her thoughts were drifting to the past—days filled with freedom, laughter with friends, masquerade parties…
“You must have a lot of good memories there.”
Taeoh’s eyes darkened, focused solely on her.
He wondered—was there a boy in those happy memories?
Even if just a fleeting image, was he still somewhere in her heart?
“Did you have a crush on someone?”
“No, it wasn’t like that. I just liked how I could live however I wanted, like I was someone else for a while.”
Taeoh’s throat stilled again.
Of course.
He put down his fork with a dull clink, even less interested in eating now.
He was just about to suggest they wrap up when Soyu suddenly lit up.
“Oh! Speaking of boys… I just remembered—there was one other Korean student at my school.”
“…”
“I don’t know how I forgot him. His name was Noah. I don’t remember his face clearly, but he had this really deep voice. Kind of like yours.”
“…”
“I wonder what he’s doing now. He once slipped a masquerade party invitation into my locker. I went to the party that night, and…”
Soyu was rambling excitedly, but then caught Taeoh’s expression and trailed off.
Taeoh, however, wanted her to keep going. He suddenly found himself desperate to hear what came next.
“I guess it’s a bit too last-minute to plan a trip to the U.S., right?”
She must’ve taken his silence as disapproval.
“We can go somewhere close instead. Even a domestic trip would be fine.”
“No. Let’s go to America.”
Once again, his answer caught her completely off guard.
“Sorry… what?”
“Let’s go. To America. If that’s where you want to go.”
A strange feeling bloomed between them.
“I’ll ask my secretary to make the arrangements. And the dress—let’s plan to see it next Tuesday.”
Taeoh checked his phone calendar as he spoke.
“I happened to have a meeting cancel that day.”
“We’re going dress shopping… together?”
“Why? Isn’t that what grooms-to-be are supposed to do?”
Soyu let out a small, shy laugh and dropped her head.
“It just… feels like we’re really getting married.”
“We are really getting married.”
“Yeah. I know. It just… feels like we’re actually marrying for love or something…”
What am I even saying right now?
She’d known it—this always happened around him.
Just the slightest slip in her guard, and she’d end up saying something foolish.
“If that’s what you want… I can try.”
“Try what?”
“To love you.”
It hit her like a meteor, the words crashing into her chest.
The impact scattered through her like shrapnel.
Stunned, Soyu struggled to keep her voice steady.
“That’s not something you can force. If love came from effort, no one in the world would be unhappy.”
Her tone was firmer than usual—surprisingly so.
“Well, I think we’ve discussed everything we need to. Should we head back now?”
She thought that drawing a clean line, before getting swept up in emotions, was the right thing—for both of them.
Taeoh didn’t move. He sat still, quietly tapping the table with his fingers.
Having heard from his secretary about Taeoh’s busy afternoon schedule, Soyu gave him a puzzled look.
Shouldn’t he be leaving for his meeting by now?
“Taeoh?”
“That Korean boy you mentioned earlier…”
“Noah?”
“Did that boy leave such a deep impression on you back then?”
The question came out of nowhere, and Soyu tilted her head in confusion.
Then she remembered the recent misunderstanding caused by Jaehyun.
“No way. If he had left a deep impression, I wouldn’t have forgotten what he looked like.”
She answered a bit more coldly than necessary—on purpose.
She had no intention of going through another cold war with Kang Taeoh.
Their relationship, formal but not entirely, was just right the way it was.
“It was just someone I crossed paths with. Nothing more.”
“Is that so?”
Taeoh’s fingers briefly froze in place.
“Even if it had been meaningful, what difference would it make now? I’m marrying you.”
That’s what she said—but now that she’d started thinking about it, the boy’s blurry face was gradually taking shape in her mind.
Come to think of it, his overall silhouette seemed a little familiar.
Was he… as handsome as this man?
“He’s probably living his life just fine somewhere.”
Yeah. That’s likely.
“Having completely forgotten someone like me.”
She vaguely remembered him being known on campus for his good looks
“So don’t worry about it. Right now, the most important thing to me is marrying you.”
“…”
Soyu gave a faint smile.
But Kang Taeoh didn’t smile back.
* * *
Not every moment after her father’s remarriage had been miserable.
The final years of her teens in America had been some of the brightest in Soyu’s life.
“Hey, Hazel!”
“Come with us!”
Hazel. That was the name she had gone by for three years—given to her by her father after watching an old foreign film.
Just being called by that name made her forget the hardships she faced in Korea.
She was happy then.
She had bright, dazzling days—bright enough to bury the darkness of her past.
The town she lived in didn’t have much racism to begin with, and Soyu had become particularly popular.
Her exotic looks, kind nature, excellent grades, and outgoing attitude won people over easily.
It was the total opposite of her time in Korea, where she lived passively between Dahae—who constantly envied her—and Yeonok—who always turned a blind eye to it.
Her school locker overflowed with party invitations.
In a country where party culture thrived, there seemed to be a new one every weekend.
That weekend, she and her friends had planned to attend a masquerade ball hosted by a new student named Noah.
Soyu had only spoken to him once.
He seemed like someone who belonged in a sunset—his presence naturally fitting the golden rooftop where they crossed paths.
But strangely, he never met her eyes directly. It was like he was avoiding her gaze.
All she could do was stare longingly at his profile, dyed in the colors of the sky.
She tried to talk to him again several times after that, but the timing always slipped away.
“I can’t wait!”
This time, she had made up her mind to talk to him properly.
The weekend finally arrived.
Dressed according to the theme with her friends, she wore a rabbit-shaped mask that resembled her own features and arrived at a lavish mansion.
It was far more extravagant than a typical house party.
Is this guy rich or what?
As she admired the glowing pool, fireworks suddenly burst into the sky above.
“Beautiful…”
Clutching the hem of her dress, Soyu stood frozen, entranced by the lights.
Suddenly, a splash from the pool startled her. Water sprayed the ground, making it slippery.
Just as she lost her footing and began to fall toward the pool, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back.
“Oh, my gosh.”
