The Bad Husband - Chapter 22
A clear sky without a single cloud.
The gentle breeze blowing through the outdoor ceremony venue of the hotel was unusually warm for the weather these days, as if trying to prove that today was an auspicious day.
Amidst it all, Woo Jin’s appearance as he welcomed the carefully selected guests was so flawless that it made onlookers gasp in admiration.
“Ah, what luck does Jung Man Ok have? Not only is she getting a son-in-law from a chaebol family, but the son-in-law looks like that? What, I thought an actor was standing there.”
“I know, right? He’s tall and has a great body. You could believe it if someone said he was an actor.”
“Ohoho. Isn’t that right? Our son-in-law is quite a catch, isn’t he?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Who would have thought Tae Eun, that child, would be so filial after giving us so much grief during her teenage years? Our Jung Man Ok suffered so much, but now she’s finally being rewarded.”
Amidst the endless shower of praise, Ji Eun looked at Woo Jin with a proud face as if he was her own son rather than her son-in-law. It seemed the saying that you could feel full even without eating was meant for moments like this. That was exactly how Ji Eun felt right now.
When she first thought of raising Tae Eun, she hadn’t foreseen this far ahead. It was just a choice to survive among people who pointed fingers calling her a wench and laughed that she ended up remarrying despite acting so high and mighty. She calculated that no one would be able to criticize her if she was a stepmother trying her best to embrace an ill-mannered teenage stepdaughter while also taking care of her husband’s ex-wife’s mother who had dementia.
For that, Tae Eun had to be a bad daughter, and Ji Eun had to perfectly play the role of a new mother trying to embrace such a daughter no matter what. Thanks to that, she was now in a position to proudly receive people’s envy, so the meaning of this wedding was truly special.
Although it was Tae Eun getting married, it was her life that would change because of it.
“Ah, now our Lawyer Min is practically guaranteed the position of Seoul mayor. With a pretty wife and a son-in-law who’ll do anything for her, he’ll push his father-in-law forward.”
“Well, it hasn’t happened yet.”
Ji Eun showed a subtle smile as she alternated her gaze between Min Kyung Hoon and Woo Jin who were greeting the guests. Then, when her eyes met the cold Young Ja beside her, she flinched in surprise and looked away.
The public humiliation at the formal meeting made her grit her teeth in anger just thinking about it again, but she also found comfort in the fact that Young Ja was Woo Jin’s aunt, not his mother. No matter how close they were from raising him, Young Ja was ultimately a stranger to Woo Jin since she didn’t give birth to him. Just like how Tae Eun was to Ji Eun.
After finishing a brief conversation, Ji Eun stood beside Min Kyung Hoon as she ushered people inside. Thinking that today was a good day and she should shake off bad thoughts, Ji Eun put on a full smile and faithfully played the role of the kindest stepmother in the world.
However, Young Ja watched Ji Eun with emotionless eyes the whole time. Her cold gaze seemed to thoroughly know the real Ji Eun hidden behind that smile. Then, seeing Woo Jin grinning from ear to ear, she felt inexplicably upset.
“What are you so happy about that you’re smiling like that?”
“Then should I cry on my wedding day, Aunt?”
“That’s how I feel like doing. I want to cry.”
Thinking about it again, this marriage was not right. At first, she was angry at Tae Eun for not knowing her place, but now she detested Tae Eun’s family members who were eagerly waiting to make a pushover out of Woo Jin even more. In the end, unable to hold back, Young Ja turned around and went inside the wedding hall. Seeing her leave, Woo Jin greeted the guests again.
No matter what anyone said, today was an extremely happy day for him.
* * *
In the bridal waiting room, Tae Eun’s best friend Hye Jin and a helper stayed by her side. Hye Jin kept admiring her appearance.
“Hey, our Tae Eun is so pretty. In my life, including before and from now on, there won’t be a prettier bride than you.”
“It’s because the dress is pretty. It’s expensive, you know.”
“Don’t say silly things. You would have been pretty even in a cheap dress. Right?”
As if seeking agreement, when Hye Jin asked the helper, she also strongly nodded.
“Of course. I’ve assisted many brides, but this is the first time I’ve seen someone as beautiful as our bride. It’s not just prettiness, but elegance.”
At the helper’s praise, Hye Jin nodded proudly as if she was the recipient of that compliment.
“See? She’s on a different level, right? It’s all because she’s a natural beauty. She was born with it from head to toe.”
“Oh my, is that so? No wonder…”
“Really, what luck does Seo Woo Jin have? To get someone like you… Ah, I’m tearing up because it feels like such a waste.”
In fact, the tears Hye Jin shed didn’t have that meaning. Hye Jin was Tae Eun’s closest friend and knew her family situation better than anyone. So she was happier than anyone that Tae Eun was finally escaping that hellish house and entering the protective embrace of a reliable husband.
Understanding her feelings, Tae Eun patted Hye Jin who was wiping away tears.
“Why are you crying? I’m not even crying.”
“I know, it’s annoying that I’m tearing up for some reason.”
Hye Jin hugged Tae Eun and received comfort as she cried for a while. Only then did this marriage feel real. Actually, up until the moment she was getting her makeup done and putting on the dress, Tae Eun felt like she was dreaming. A dream that would end as soon as she opened her eyes. A dream from which she would have to return to the real hell.
She was afraid. Afraid that all these moments would disappear like an illusion.
If I return to the real hell, what should I do? My heart that had swelled with hope of escaping now felt like it could never go back to that hell.
With those feelings, she had come this far. Even while riding in the car with Woo Jin, she kept wondering if this man beside her was really the Seo Woo Jin, or if he was really the man who would become her husband.
But the more she pondered it, the more she felt disconnected from reality.
It seemed to be because their relationship hadn’t slowly developed emotions, but had progressed at lightning speed from meeting to marriage within the short span of two months.
Even Cinderella wasn’t like this Cinderella. A modern-day Cinderella, Min Tae Eun.
The sudden change in her life didn’t feel real. But watching Hye Jin crying beside her, the sense of reality finally hit her.
“I guess… I’m really getting married.”
“Boo hoo hoo. Of course. Of course. Your hardships are over now. Live receiving only love for the rest of your life under the protection of a great and reliable husband. You’re more than deserving of it.”
Tae Eun nodded, looking at Hye Jin’s sobbing face. Now the feeling of happiness washed over her. Hye Jin’s sincerity in wholeheartedly blessing this marriage moved her heart. But then, something happened that pushed her, who had barely returned to reality, back into a dream.
Tae Eun, who was patting Hye Jin, slowly blinked her large eyes once.
She couldn’t believe it.
“Grand…mother?”
No matter how many times she closed and opened her eyes, her grandmother’s unreal appearance became a bit clearer.
At her surprised voice, Hye Jin moved away and as the wheelchair pushed by the Jang nurse got closer, tears welled up in her large eyes that held her grandmother.
“How did you get here…?”
“Still, since you’re her only granddaughter, I thought your grandmother had to see you. She made a special request too.”
The Jang nurse answered instead of her grandmother. And at that answer, Tae Eun kept nodding and expressed her gratitude.
In fact, after being rejected by Ji Eun, she hadn’t thought she would be able to see her grandmother at the wedding. Knowing Ji Eun’s personality, Tae Eun couldn’t arbitrarily bring her grandmother.
So this moment felt even more unbelievable.
The one person who earnestly wished for her happy marriage more than anyone else.
Tae Eun reached out and held her grandmother’s wrinkled hands.
“Grandmother, Tae Eun… is getting married.”
“Our Tae Eun is?”
“Yes.”
“To whom?”
“To a good man.”
“That cattle thief?”
Tae Eun smiled and hugged her grandmother. Her body that had become much thinner and smaller in the past few years fit snugly into her arms.
These days, the duration of her grandmother’s memories had become even shorter, but it was okay even if she couldn’t remember.
Because I remember you.
Because I remember every moment spent with you.
“You have to… live happily.”
She didn’t know who her grandmother was talking to, but Tae Eun nodded.
“Yes, Grandmother.”
Despite the helper’s concerned gaze about her makeup smudging, she ended up crying. Just the fact that her grandmother was watching over her wedding made it feel like it would be the happiest wedding in the world.
But then, a sharp voice rang out in the bridal waiting room.
“Oh my! Are you crazy! How did that old woman get in here? Huh?”
It was Ji Eun. She had followed in after seeing the Jang nurse wheeling her grandmother’s wheelchair into the bridal waiting room.
“Min Tae Eun! I told you! That old woman is absolutely not allowed! Are you out of your mind? Are you determined to humiliate the family?”
“She’s my grandmother. Please watch what you say.”
Tae Eun wiped away her tears and spoke clearly, but Ji Eun ignored her and raised her voice as if throwing a fit.
“Are you in your right mind? I clearly said this old woman is not allowed! Now that you’re marrying into the Jang family, are you completely ignoring what I say? I won’t allow it! Absolutely not! Take this old woman and leave right now! Right now, unless you want to see me go crazy!”
Ji Eun pointed firmly at the entrance with her finger and commanded the Jang nurse. As if she really would go crazy if they didn’t leave immediately. But in the end, Ji Eun was unable to get her way. Because a voice filled with more rage than her hysterical one overwhelmed the atmosphere in an instant.
“She is my specially invited guest. So mind your manners.”
Long legs covered in a black suit stepped into the bridal waiting room, exuding a fierce charisma. Intimidated by his force, Ji Eun opened her mouth as if taken aback, stammering.
“Oh, oh no… Seo son-in-law? Why on earth?”
“I heard Tae Eun’s grandmother took care of her for a while when she was young. So I thought she deserved to watch this wedding more than anyone.”
“No. But still, shouldn’t you get our permission first? How can you do this without even mentioning it…”
“Because I thought you would be uncomfortable. Like this, as you can see.”
As Woo Jin gestured at the situation as if pointing it out, Ji Eun pursed her lips in displeasure.
“That’s because the old woman is not right in the head. What if she makes a scene at an important wedding?”
“That’s why I invited her as my guest. Even if a scene occurs, it’ll be on my side, so there’s nothing for you to be embarrassed about.”
At his words hitting the mark, Ji Eun flinched as if stung and cleared her throat before speaking sullenly.
“Since you put it that way, I understand. Then I’ll get going.”
Determining that she could not win against Woo Jin with words or any kind of excuse, Ji Eun eventually backed down and left the bridal waiting room. She didn’t forget to glare at Tae Eun and her grandmother as she left, but Tae Eun wasn’t scared at all. Because Woo Jin was standing firm between them, gesturing for her to leave quickly.
After waiting for Ji Eun to completely disappear, Woo Jin turned around and made a request to the cameraman.
“Could you please take a photo of the three of us?”
At his request, Hye Jin stepped aside for a moment, and the cameraman took a few shots of Woo Jin, Tae Eun, and her grandmother together. Tae Eun expressed her gratitude to him in a tearful, small voice.
“Thank you so much.”
“It’s nothing.”
As he smiled as if it was no big deal, an unexpected voice from her grandmother flew over his face.
“Cattle thief.”
The cameraman didn’t miss the moment of bursting laughter and pressed the shutter again. Even after the photo session ended, Woo Jin couldn’t bring himself to leave her alone as she kept crying, so he sent everyone out for a moment. Then, in the bridal waiting room with just the two of them, he knelt down in front of her to meet her eye level.
“If you keep crying like this, I’ll really become a cattle thief like your grandmother said. So let’s stop crying now. Okay? People will think you’re being sold to me.”
“It’s because I’m so grateful. So very grateful. I really didn’t expect Grandmother to be here…”
“What do you mean? Of course she would be.”
“Many people can’t even do that obvious thing. At first I didn’t know, but I think… I’m marrying well.”
A smile spread across Woo Jin’s lips at those words.
“No, you’re just realizing that now? You really have no sense of reality.”
With those words, he placed a short kiss on her lips. That brief touch of his lips reminded her of the two deep kisses they had shared before, making her face redden.
“Now stop crying and let’s get ready. The ceremony will be starting soon.”
“Okay.”
Watching her nod, Woo Jin turned to leave. As she watched his back, she felt her heart swell with emotion.
Woo Jin’s unexpected actions were simply moving. She felt like the happiest bride in the world.
As she sat there clutching her bouquet, footsteps approached again. Thinking Woo Jin had come back in, she raised her head, and in that moment, her eyes that had been immersed in emotion widened hugely.
Click clack.
The luxury high heels clicking on the marble floor, and that woman with a large portion of her small face covered by oversized sunglasses and a barbour coat was…
“Hello. You know me, right?”
Park Seo Woo.
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
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