Chapter 7.1
Silence filled the car.
Soyu sat quietly, her face thoughtful as she stared out the window.
She had never been very talkative, but Taeoh couldn’t help glancing at her now and then, wondering why she kept her lips so tightly sealed.
Still, he couldn’t figure out what was wrong.
“I want to stop by your father’s hospital before we go to the boutique.”
In the end, Taeoh broke the silence without knowing the cause of it.
Soyu turned her head and looked at him.
“Why there?”
“I just thought it would be right to say hello. I mean, I am his son-in-law.”
“Oh… okay. Thank you.”
He had expected her to appreciate the gesture—but her reaction was flat, almost cold.
No one had ever treated Taeoh like this before.
Even the driver began to glance nervously at him through the rearview mirror.
“I already bought some flowers and fruit earlier.”
“I see.”
Taeoh wasn’t angry—more than anything, he just felt tight in the chest.
He was itching to reach out, gently turn her pale cheek toward him, and ask what was wrong.
Whatever the issue was, he just wanted to fix it.
“What’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why are you upset?”
“Why would I be upset?”
Exactly.
There was no reason for her to be angry—but she clearly was.
Even Taeoh, known for his sharp mind since childhood, couldn’t fully grasp Soyu’s quiet emotions.
“Taeoh.”
Just as his thoughts were starting to spiral, Soyu finally spoke again.
“Who was that woman earlier?”
By “that woman,” she had to mean Seri, the one they ran into in the lobby.
Taeoh had been so focused on Soyu that he had almost forgotten about the brief encounter.
“Lim Seri. From Clover Group.”
He didn’t want to get into the details. All he wanted was to understand what Soyu was feeling, so he kept it short and factual.
But Soyu frowned, clearly unimpressed.
And honestly, Taeoh was just as frustrated.
He had told her the truth, yet somehow, it only seemed to upset her more.
“You think I asked because I don’t know who she is? I’m asking what kind of relationship you two have.”
That was harder to answer.
He had known Seri since they were kids, through family connections, but there wasn’t any special relationship between them.
They weren’t friends, or close, or enemies. Just… acquaintances.
If he had to define it—
“She’s just someone I know?”
But Soyu already seemed to be jumping to conclusions. To her, Taeoh’s hesitation sounded like he was crafting a lie.
Her emotions, which had seemed calm, suddenly surged again.
Seri’s smug attitude and Taeoh’s voice overlapped in her mind.
She had never even given him her heart—yet somehow, it felt like it had been thrown aside.
It might sound silly to him, but right now, that’s exactly how she felt.
“…So it’s true. Your first love.”
“What?”
Soyu bit her bottom lip hard.
“So I was just your rebound, wasn’t I? You picked me because you were heartbroken.”
Taeoh couldn’t make sense of what she was saying.
“So I’m supposed to play my part, be used for a while, and then be tossed aside when you’re done?”
“What are you even talking about?”
“Then why do you keep being so nice to me?! You almost made me think it meant something!”
She was so upset, her voice rose with emotion, her face flushed red as she lashed out at Taeoh.
“And the thing with my dad’s hospital too. Why are you trying so hard to act like the perfect son-in-law? You’re just making this harder for me!”
Her voice was so loud, it echoed inside the car.
Silence returned, this time heavier and far more awkward than before.
Even Soyu looked startled by her own outburst and quickly covered her mouth.
“Was my voice… too loud just now?”
“Yeah. Very.”
Taeoh’s calm, soft reply made Soyu wish she could disappear.
She had gotten angry—for something she knew she had no right to be angry about.
Even she hadn’t expected to lose control like that.
Come to think of it, ever since returning from the U.S., she hadn’t let herself be this honest about her emotions.
But around Taeoh, she couldn’t help it.
When she was mad, she got mad. When she was happy, she smiled. With him, she didn’t hide how she felt.
It was the only time she let her walls down.
And it wasn’t like Taeoh was someone she could take lightly.
He was someone she should be cautious with—someone important.
So why did he keep unlocking the gates she had shut so tightly?
She didn’t want to get hurt by someone ever again.
“…Anyway, what I’m trying to say is—don’t be so nice to me.”
“Why shouldn’t I?”
“Because…”
Am I really starting to fall for this man?
Please—let that not be the case.
“Because… you still haven’t gotten over your first love.”
“And the fact that I haven’t—does that mean I should treat you badly?”
I’m not even allowed to ask for love from this man.
Even if he never gives me a single bit of affection, I have no right to complain.
“What’s really going on? Did something happen between you and Seri?”
She couldn’t bring herself to say it—that Seri had told her the truth behind this marriage.
Soyu turned away and stared out the window again.
As her father’s hospital came into view in the distance, she spoke in a quiet voice.
“Honestly… doesn’t everyone want to marry their first love?”
The conversation was spiraling in a direction Taeoh couldn’t follow.
He tried, but he couldn’t catch up with her emotions.
“Are there really people who don’t?”
It took Taeoh a while to answer.
Even then, he couldn’t bring himself to say what was truly in his heart—that she had been his first love all along, and that standing here with her now overwhelmed him more than words could say.
Soyu didn’t remember their past yet. Dropping that kind of confession on her now would only weigh her down.
The last thing he wanted was to become another burden to her.
He loved her so much that holding back his feelings had become second nature.
He planned to confess one day—once she remembered everything, and once she no longer felt the need to run.
It wouldn’t be easy. But he would endure.
“…Yeah. Of course I feel that way too,” he said quietly.
But when honesty is exchanged without truly understanding each other’s hearts, the words are little more than empty shells.
Soyu had asked, hoping for a real answer—and ironically, when he gave one, her heart stung as if she’d been struck.
“…Okay.”
Whoever his first love had been, she must have been incredibly special.
How lucky—to be that person for someone.
That old saying suddenly came to mind: A man’s first love follows him to the grave.
She had no right to feel this bitter… and yet, a faint bitterness filled her mouth.
“Dad.”
She called to her father more softly than usual, warmth in her voice.
He didn’t move. Not even a flicker.
Taeoh stood by her side, holding a bouquet and a basket of fruit. He bowed deeply and respectfully.
Soyu turned to look at the nurse, eyes quietly pleading.
The nurse shook her head, her expression apologetic.
“He still hasn’t regained consciousness. The doctor said it’s a blessing his condition hasn’t worsened.”
She added in a hushed voice that Soyu’s stepmother hadn’t come to visit—not even once. Then she stepped out of the room.
“Dad, I’m here.”
Time had stopped for her father since the accident.
Even the muscles in his face were frozen in place.
Would she ever see his smile again?
Some said it was a hopeless wish. But for Soyu, it was the reason she kept going.
Her father had given her everything. He had loved her more than anyone in the world. That love was how she had made it this far.
“I’ve been so busy… I haven’t been visiting as often. I’m sorry.”
Tears fell silently from Soyu’s eyes, one after another.
The sight was so painful, Taeoh had to clench his hand just to keep steady.
“I want to introduce someone. The man I’m going to marry. Vice President Kang Taeoh, from Kanghwa Hotel.”
Taeoh quietly stepped around to the other side of the bed.
