When You Forget Me (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 1

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“I’m sorry for being late. I really am…”

Her fiancé Han Seung Yoon couldn’t continue speaking and abruptly downed two glasses of ice water in quick succession. Between gulps, he kept glancing around nervously. Judging by his demeanor, he seemed inexplicably overwhelmed by extreme anxiety.

During that time, Eun Chae carefully observed him, who appeared utterly flustered. His skin was fair as though he’d just washed his face, the ends of his hair still damp, lipstick smudged on his shirt cuff, and he carried a scent familiar to her. The hotel’s amenities—available in rooms just an elevator ride away—were famously luxurious.

After repeatedly scanning his surroundings, Seung Yoon finally leaned deep into his chair as if he’d confirmed something. Then he stared at her with an odd look in his eyes.

“Yes. I have women I’m seeing. Not just one—many.”

His confession came abruptly. After the sudden declaration, silence engulfed the space. Eun Chae blinked with an indifferent expression, showing no reaction whatsoever. Seung Yoon, the one who’d just dropped the bombshell, swallowed hard instead.

Well.

He’d always been notorious for his messy personal life. Known for his brazen womanizing and reckless behavior, Eun Chae had effectively been treated like a scorned wife even before their wedding, ever since their engagement was announced.

To anyone aware of the situation, this engagement was nothing but a laughingstock. Yet it couldn’t serve as grounds for breaking off the engagement. That was simply how marriages among the upper class worked—lives predetermined from birth, stripped of free will and choice. Thus, one married whomever their family recommended, prioritizing the household’s prosperity and stability over trivial matters like affection.

She’d assumed her fiancé Han Seung Yoon was utterly devoted to living that very life.

“That expression of yours—I really like it, Ms. Song Eun Chae. You don’t even flinch when I tell you I have other women.”

If her fiancé, whom she’d dismissed as nothing more than a clueless playboy, had suddenly met his destined soulmate and was now preparing to recklessly fight for love, then at the very least, she shouldn’t become an obstacle. She herself had failed—but maybe Han Seung Yoon could succeed.

Instead of showing any agitation, Eun Chae wiped her damp hands with a tissue—her fingers had grown wet from fiddling with her condensation-covered glass while waiting for her tardy fiancé. Then she spoke in a flat, even tone.

“If you wanted to call off the engagement, a phone call would’ve been enough.”

If he’d just said that from the beginning, they both could’ve saved time. As she rose to leave, Seung Yoon’s eyes darkened dangerously.

“Are you trying to shift the blame onto me like that?”

Seung Yoon glared at her sideways.

“…What do you mean?”

“Enough with the petty tattling. Let’s be honest with each other, just the two of us.”

“…”

“What I’m saying is, this marriage is merely for appearances. I have no intention of having my freedom and privacy invaded.”

Eun Chae furrowed her brows slightly. His baffling words left her confused, yet one thing was clear—his reasoning held absolutely no weight.

He felt no guilt whatsoever.

This wasn’t about fighting for love. Neither toward her nor his mistress did Seung Yoon harbor even a shred of genuine emotion. To him, Eun Chae was merely a tool to uphold his public image and decorum, and his mistress was nothing more than a means to satisfy base desires.

It was utterly despicable.

“I’d find it far more convincing if you just came out and begged me, ‘Please, let’s call off the engagement—I’ve fallen for someone else.’”

Han Seung Yoon, who had been consistently arrogant, briefly furrowed his brows, but Eun Chae continued without a flicker of expression.

“Who knows? Maybe I’d have even promised to turn a blind eye to your affairs for the rest of my life.”

At that, Seung Yoon openly grimaced, visibly offended—her words rang far too truthful for him to handle.

“Love can freeze to death.”

His eyebrows twitched in irritation. He was clearly making an effort to speak as politely as possible.

“I thought you might be different because you’re smart, but I guess women never change—always going on about that damn thing called love.”

“…”

“Ms. Song Eun Chae, all you need to do is stay quiet and well-behaved at tonight’s engagement party.”

This marriage was rotten to the core. Just a month ago, she’d thought it was merely murky water—but now, Eun Chae felt as though she’d been drenched in filth.

“We’ll hold the wedding three months from now.”

Seung Yoon especially emphasized “three months from now.” Then, without giving her a chance to object, he stood up. While standing, he briskly brushed off his suit jacket with a couple of light flicks.

“That viola—was it? I’ll let you play it to your heart’s content for as long as I live. Maybe even host solo concerts for you.”

Han Seung Yoon’s memory was impressively sharp in this situation—he remembered his unloved fiancée’s major was viola.

She almost felt compelled to shed tears of gratitude.

“I guarantee you, no matter what tricks you pull today, we won’t be calling off this engagement. If you really want it that badly, go ahead and try it yourself.”

Seung Yoon mocked her with refined sarcasm—an obvious dismissal and taunt, knowing full well she’d never dare do such a thing. Then he turned coldly and walked away.

Eun Chae briefly watched his retreating figure with a sense of relief before shifting her gaze. Outside the window, thick snowflakes had already begun swirling through the air. It was only November—this year’s first snow had arrived earlier than usual.

***

Clearly deeply wounded in his pride, Han Seung Yoon grumbled as he stormed out.

The moment he entered the lobby, he was swept up in the crowd. Finding his path slightly obstructed, he cursed under his breath and yanked at his tie with his hand. Then he pulled out his phone and made a call.

Behind him, a tall man took out a business card from his breast pocket. Out of habit, he placed it between his index and middle fingers and set it down on the front desk.

「Kwon Gi Ju, Head of Security Team, DW Group.」

The rectangular card was simple yet elegant.

“My apologies for the severe breach of etiquette.”

Trending

His voice was courteous and calm, a deep baritone. Yet no matter how polished his manners, it couldn’t normalize the absurdity of what he’d just done. After all, at the five-star MK Hotel—even the police might hesitate before forcing entry without a warrant—this man had nonchalantly demanded entry without one.

Rumors had already spread throughout the hotel: he’d reportedly smashed down the door to a VIP suite with an axe, barged into the room, and even struck the VIP in the face.

And now, instead of a warrant, he handed over a business card.

Though the staff member recognized he was putting on a show of civility, his face still flushed with embarrassment.

“We will compensate the hotel fully for any damages incurred.”

He promised to cover all costs—including replacing the suite’s door and providing appropriate compensation for the disturbance that could tarnish the hotel’s reputation. Implicitly, he also offered to prevent any potential news coverage by media outlets sniffing around for a story.

Rather than listing each step of the procedure, the man simply picked up a pen. He then signed his name beside the printed one on the business card.

“We’ll contact CEO Ko separately regarding this matter.”

After placing the pen down atop the elegantly inscribed card, he waited until the staff member carefully collected and set the card aside. Then he turned around again. Han Seung Yoon appeared to have just finished his phone call.

“…!”

Seung Yoon’s eyes met his, and for a moment, he looked flustered—then quickly clenched his fist in anger, clearly still enraged over the humiliation he’d suffered at this man’s hands. But that was all; he certainly lacked the courage to actually throw a punch.

Soon, Seung Yoon averted his gaze first and began walking away. His retreating figure looked so desperate that the man let out a quiet chuckle.

***

The engagement took place at a five-star hotel styled after a traditional Korean hanok.

Amidst the serene atmosphere—enhanced by the exquisite harmony of flowing water along a rugged gorge, miniature cliffs, and gayageum melodies—the heavy entrance doors swung open.

At first glance, it appeared to be an intimate gathering attended only by relatives from both families, but in truth, it was a rare congregation of the nation’s most prominent political and business figures, people seldom seen together in one place.

The problem was, in Eun Chae’s eyes, all those distinguished guests looked like nothing but greedy pigs. And her fiancé—the man shamelessly grinning as if he were a proper groom-to-be, despite having lipstick stains on him even in broad daylight—seemed like a brazen fool.

As for herself, she wore the neatly packaged label of “only daughter of DW Group, a conglomerate that hadn’t fallen outside the top ten in the past decade”…

“How utterly awful.”

Eun Chae suddenly halted at the entrance and glanced at the mirror hanging on the wall. Then she scanned the busy hotel staff, peers her own age. Her hollow eyes soon drifted past the empty air toward somewhere beyond the garden wall.

She’d come here even after enduring that humiliation.

As someone once said—doesn’t she even have a doorbell to ring?

With a sneer, Eun Chae deliberately mussed up her meticulously styled hair.

…Not all struggles are about winning.

Sometimes, a struggle is simply about showing your resolve.

In that instant, Eun Chae turned around without the slightest hesitation.

Leaving behind the scene of both families exchanging greetings, she walked away quickly. Wearing high heels, she recklessly descended the steep staircase.

Glancing back briefly—like a thief fearing discovery—she accidentally locked eyes with her father. Chairman Song Myung Hwan, who had initially beamed with delight, instantly realized something was wrong and his expression twisted harshly.

In that moment, Eun Chae didn’t look back once—she ran for her life. Her father’s furious command must have been issued, because bodyguards surged after her like a dark wave.

Eun Chae sprinted across the empty lobby, pushing forward, ever forward.

Her only thought: get outside and hail a taxi.

But as if mocking her intention, the area right in front of the hotel stood completely deserted.

For a moment, Eun Chae was overcome with bewilderment and wandered aimlessly.

Her fleeting worry of “What now?” was short-lived. Fearlessly, she stepped toward the road.

At that instant—

Screeeeech!

Blinded by a piercing flash and deafened by a jarring screech, Eun Chae collapsed onto the ground. Her ragged breaths fogged the air before her.

“Haah… haah…”

Surrounded by silence, Eun Chae stared blankly at the black sedan glaring its headlights at her.

The sedan had braked so sharply that steam rose from its tires.

Soon, the sound of a door clicking open broke the stillness. A pitch-black figure stepped out from the driver’s seat and looked down at her, seated helplessly on the pavement.

His gaze was direct and weighty.

Eun Chae couldn’t even blink, seized by an uncanny sense of déjà vu.

She strained desperately to determine whether the man before her was a mirage conjured by her longing or flesh-and-blood reality.

Finally, he stepped forward, blocking the headlights behind him. Then, without hesitation, he closed the distance and removed the radio earpiece from one ear.

Eun Chae’s pulse raced—then her breath caught entirely.

Porcelain skin, black hair slicked back with pomade though slightly disheveled, long eyes with piercing black irises.

His appearance matched her memories so perfectly that it felt unreal.

“So this is where you ran off to.”

The man spoke as he removed his black leather glove and transferred it to his left hand. His eyes swept over her startled face, the exposed shoulder, and finally her bare foot where her high heel had slipped off.

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“You haven’t changed a bit.”

At those words, Eun Chae’s body betrayed her will and flinched. Her petty defiance toward her father and fiancé had long since faded into distant memory.

The man personally knelt before her and picked up her fallen high heel. Tilting his head slightly, he examined her disheveled bare foot, and for a brief moment, his handsome face twisted in dismay. At that, her already frazzled nerves snapped completely.

Eun Chae glared at him with bloodshot eyes.

“Kwon Gi Ju…”

The moment she whispered his name, she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.

She’d momentarily forgotten the meaning she’d once assigned to his casually thrown words—and the tragic end that followed.

To Eun Chae, the love she’d been abandoned with two years ago still felt as vivid as if it had happened just yesterday.

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