Once More, Wife (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1

“Shall I go ahead and order some flowers for you, Manager?”

Secretary Jung, having just finished his work report, cautiously tested the waters with a subtle glance.

The scratch-scratch of the fountain pen came to an abrupt halt, and as expected, the reply came right away.

“What flowers? If you’re done with your business, please leave.”

The deep, calm voice—laden with indifference—settled heavily into the air.

Kwon Chae Ha, the young manager barely twenty-nine years old and the official heir apparent of the Chae Woon Group.

He inherited his father Chairman Kwon’s flawless business acumen and brilliant intellect, making him undeniably Chae Woon’s masterpiece.

His exceptional looks, passed down from his mother—a former actress—left no blemish on his nickname, “The Crown Prince.”

Every feature of his face was perfectly defined: a sharp, bold nose and jawline drawn with a single confident stroke.

His deep-set eyes, dense with melancholy, radiated a gaze so intense and resolute it lent gravitas to his very presence.

And on top of it all, his towering height—nearly 190 cm—always held in an impeccably upright posture.

Truly, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say he possessed everything others envied.

Except his heart held no warmth.

Kwon Chae Ha trusted no one but himself—and cared for nothing beyond work and success.

Secretary Jung fixed his eyes firmly on this handsome, elegant, yet utterly indifferent superior.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason. It’s just… today, you seem a bit out of sorts, Manager.”

Chae Ha’s knuckles turned white as his hand clenched—an unguarded reaction, struck right at the heart of the matter.

Though he rarely showed his inner feelings, today he was laying bare every trace of his emotional turmoil.

“Secretary Jung. No—Mr. Jung. Aren’t you getting to the age where you should step back from work and spend time with your grandchildren? You’re more than qualified for an executive role in one of our subsidiaries—there’s no need to stay by my side, dealing with my difficult self as my secretary. Haven’t I told you this many times already?”

Chae Ha ran a hand through his hair and repeated the same old words he’d said countless times before.

As always, Secretary Jung simply smiled gently in response.

“How could I possibly do that? Without me by your side, our Crown Prince of Chae Woon might just be called a monster.”

Originally, Secretary Jung had served Chae Ha’s older brother for many years, but at his own earnest request, he was now Chae Ha’s secretary.

He and Chairman Kwon—the young man’s father—were childhood friends from the same hometown, which also made their private relationship especially close.

“You’ve grown shamelessly bold with age.”

“When one grows older, things once invisible become clear. Today is your third wedding anniversary, isn’t it? Even if it’s not a grand gift, bringing home just a single flower would surely delight Mrs. Min.”

“Wedding anniversary….”

At that word, a deep crease formed between Chae Ha’s pale, smooth eyebrows.

He soon set down his fountain pen and turned his gaze toward the calendar.

May 24th.

The meaning of this date was just as unmistakable as the bold print on the calendar.

It marked his third wedding anniversary with Min Seol Won—and the day their contractual agreement would officially end.

Suddenly, Chae Ha recalled his wife’s clear, bright face that morning as she saw him off.

Unlike her usual composed demeanor, today Seol Won had gazed at him with unusual tenderness, her lips parting slightly as if wanting to say something.

He nearly bent his head down then and there toward those soft, delicately shaped red lips—

—even though he knew clearly they were bound only by contract.

For some reason, it had been harder than ever to look away from her eyes today.

Over three years, he’d grown accustomed—without even realizing it—to the familiar warmth in her gaze.

No, it wasn’t just her eyes he’d grown used to.

Min Seol Won’s body warmth, her voice, the way she walked…

Everything about her had quietly seeped into his daily life until it felt entirely natural.

When had it started—this realization that human warmth could hold such power?

Ever since he, who could never sleep peacefully, found himself falling into deep slumber beside her, he’d occasionally questioned his own feelings.

And now, at the very brink of their ending, he thought he finally understood.

He had genuinely fallen in love with his wife.

Slowly raising his head, he found Secretary Jung standing before him, wearing a gentle, understanding smile—

a look that said everything without needing words.

“What kind of flower should I get?”

Chae Ha, never one to hesitate once he’d made up his mind, answered immediately.

There was no room for second thoughts here.

“Lily of the valley.”

“Yes, yes! Excellent choice. How would you like it arranged? As a bouquet, or perhaps…?”

“Hold on a moment.”

He briefly turned his eyes away from Secretary Jung, who could hardly contain his joy.

His phone on the desk began vibrating loudly.

An unfamiliar area code. For some reason, a deep sense of unease prickled his instincts.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?”

Pressed by Secretary Jung’s puzzled urging, Chae Ha reluctantly pressed the call button.

“This is Kwon Chae Ha.”

[Ah. This is the Yangyang Maritime Police. Are you the husband of Ms. Min Seol Won?]

Husband… That word unexpectedly pierced his heart, stirring that lingering anxiety once more.

“Yes, that’s right. What’s happened?”

[There’s been an accident. The car your wife was driving plunged off the harbor breakwater. We’ve just located the vehicle, but it appears she was swept away by the waves. We’re currently searching, but the waves are extremely high…]

“…Plunged?”

[Yes. We found her ID inside a bag in the car, which is why we’re calling. You’ll need to come right away.]

Why? How could a perfectly fine car have plunged into the sea? Where was Min Seol Won now?

The questions surged, but none escaped through his clenched teeth.

Only his hand gripping the phone trembled violently, as if possessed.

His eyes, shaken by horror and dread, looked as though he’d just heard news of the world’s end.

Sensing something was terribly wrong, Secretary Jung carefully stepped closer.

“Deputy Manager… has something happened to Mrs. Min…?”

Instead of answering, Chae Ha’s phone slipped from his fingers with a dull thud onto the floor.

From it, a voice echoed frantically: “Hello? Hello?”

But Chae Ha stood frozen, unable even to retrieve it, his body swaying violently.

“Ma—Manager! Are you alright? Manager!”

From the fading edges of his consciousness, the faint scent of lily of the valley drifted to him—

the same distant fragrance from the day he’d first met Min Seol Won.

Three years ago, Chae Ha attended an acquaintance’s wedding.

He rarely attended such events—they weren’t really his style—but business pressure from a key partner had pushed him to make a brief appearance.

Despite being firmly instructed to stay until the end, the ceremony was, predictably, utterly tedious.

Everyone seemed desperate to show off—either flaunting their wealth like nouveau riche or their looks like peacocks.

They all seemed like beings consumed by the need to display something.

Having zero interest in the ceremony, Chae Ha decided to wander off and kill time.

Judging by the length of the vows—likely another thirty minutes at least—he certainly didn’t have the patience for such formalities.

Leaving the lavishly decorated wedding hall behind, he soon found himself in a quieter area.

Finally free from the dense crowd, he could finally breathe.

Just then—

thinking he’d finally found peace—he heard murmuring nearby.

Not only voices, but also the sight of women bustling about caught his eye.

Apparently, he’d wandered near another outdoor hall.

Given the crates full of flowers they were moving, they were likely the decoration crew.

Preferring them to the packed crowd back in the original hall, Chae Ha decided to linger here.

Leaning discreetly against a wall, he watched them with detached indifference.

The scale of the wedding seemed so grand that the amount of flowers brought in was staggering.

But soon, something struck him as odd.

Though clearly four had come together, only one woman was moving the flowers.

She was struggling under the weight—not just carrying flowers, but also buckets of water alone.

The other three lounged comfortably in the shade behind her, watching idly as she worked.

Since they were close to where Chae Ha stood, their voices carried clearly to his ears.

They spoke loudly—deliberately so the working woman could hear.

“Seonbae Min Young, what if she reports us to the owner?”

“Report us for what? It’s only natural for a junior to do the grunt work.”

“But still… what if we get scolded too?”

“Ugh, why are you so nervous about nothing? I’ve got everything under control.”

“I’m just giving her a lesson as her senior. And if word somehow reaches the owner, it’ll just confirm those rumors about their ‘inappropriate relationship,’ won’t it?”

The oldest-looking among them glared spitefully at the woman’s back as she carried the flowers.

As if she hadn’t even heard the phrase ‘inappropriate relationship,’ the woman remained silent and kept moving flowers.

Encouraged, they raised both their volume and the cruelty of their words.

“With no education, no experience, nothing at all—who even is she? Must’ve been flirting with the owner. We’ll have to teach her ourselves that this industry isn’t that easy.”

“Ugh, how vulgar. Does she really think tricks like that will work?”

“Exactly. If you don’t have the ability, you should know your place.”

Chae Ha thought their conversation was painfully transparent.

They didn’t even realize their words stemmed from pure jealousy—petty, ugly envy.

Just looking at his own mother’s circle was enough to know this kind of slander was as common as grains of sand on a beach.

His gaze fixed on the busy woman.

She had pale, delicate skin and a slender frame—but her serene yet determined expression felt strangely compelling.

Like a lone flower blooming in the mud.

But this had nothing to do with him, and he had no reason to get involved.

Chae Ha glanced at his wristwatch.

Though he regretted that his break had ended faster than expected, he decided it was time to return.

He intended to ignore other people’s business and quickly finish his own duties.

Just as he turned to leave around the corner—

something suddenly slammed into his chest with a soft thud.

At the same time, a faint, unfamiliar floral scent drifted to his nose on the breeze.

“…?”

Before he could process what had happened, his eyes locked onto white flower petals scattering through the air.

The scene looked almost like snow falling in spring.

Even Chae Ha, who knew little about flowers, recognized this one instantly—

he’d just seen it in his acquaintance’s wedding hall, held in the bride’s hand.

“Oh…”

He lowered his gaze toward the voice right in front of him.

It was the woman who’d been carrying the flowers, now staring blankly at the crate overturned at her feet.

Apparently, she’d wandered over without him noticing—and their collision had knocked the box from her hands.

Now, a single pure white lily of the valley lay in Chae Ha’s own hand as well.

For a moment, absurdly, it felt as if he’d just caught a bridal bouquet.

Realizing the awkwardness of their collision, Chae Ha opened his mouth to speak—

but to his surprise, instead of immediately picking up the flowers, the woman slowly raised her head and met his eyes.

They were clear, large, and brimming with quiet earnestness.

She looked straight at him and spoke politely.

“I’m sorry. Are you alright?”

Instinctively, without even realizing it, Chae Ha closed his fingers around the small lily of the valley that had fallen onto his palm.