“It would be quite a mood downer to give only formal speeches at a solemn wedding! Now! Let’s hear how much the groom loves the bride who has yet to appear! Shout it out with all your might so she can hear you and come out!”
The MC, none other than a famous comedian, was the one leading the event. Thanks to the connection made during a fan meeting in England, the comedian was able to take on the role of the MC for the wedding.
Despite the playful remark from the MC, the groom, Kim Seonghoon, looked flustered but soon raised his voice.
“Hyesook, I love you!”
“Ah, your voice is too soft. Do you think the bride will come out with that level of shouting? Shout a bit louder!”
“Hyesook, I love you!!”
The wedding hall resonated with his shout. Kim Seonghoon’s face was already flushed red, and the merchants from Namhang seated in the guest section burst into hearty laughter at the sight of the couple.
Soon, accompanied by Wagner’s wedding march, Lee Hyesook entered in a dazzling wedding dress.
Holding Lee Hyesook’s hand was none other than Youngguk. While it was common for children to act as flower boys and girls, it was an unusual sight to see a bride walking in hand-in-hand with her grown son.
Youngguk and Kim Seonghoon faced each other. Youngguk conveyed his feelings with his eyes as he handed his mother’s hand to his stepfather.
They had become close enough to understand each other’s hearts just by looking into each other’s eyes.
Watching the two, Lee Hyesook’s eyes welled up with tears, and the merchants seated in the guest section also felt their hearts swell with emotion.
Everyone knew how hard Lee Hyesook had lived with her only son at the fish stall in Namhang since her youth.
“Oppa, you’re cool.”
As Youngguk returned to the guest section, his new stepsister Jisoo, sitting beside him, nudged him and gave him a thumbs-up. The person officiating the wedding was none other than the chairman of the Namhang Merchants Association.
He was usually known for his red marine hat and beard, but today, he had neatly styled his hair with mousse and trimmed his usually scruffy beard.
“Now, next up is a congratulatory song for the new groom and bride!”
As the congratulatory song began, Youngguk moved again.
However, it wasn’t to the microphone. Instead, Jisoo stood in front of the microphone, and Youngguk sat at the piano seat prepared on one side of the wedding hall.
As Youngguk’s long fingers danced naturally over the keys, Jisoo began the song with her clear voice.
It was as if they had been siblings from birth, and the guests, as well as the new groom and bride, smiled warmly at the sight of the affectionate brother and sister.
“Oppa, I’m going to America.”
It was after the wedding ceremony. They were all having a meal at the buffet hall operated by the hotel.
Yeonsu, who was sitting next to him, suddenly delivered unexpected news. Youngguk asked again to confirm what he had heard.
“America?”
Yeonsu nodded briefly in response to Youngguk’s question.
His mind grew complicated. America, there was no memory of Yeonsu filming a movie in America in his past life. As if reading Youngguk’s thoughts, Yeonsu added.
“I want to study screenwriting and directing in America.”
Ah.
At that moment, a fragment of memory passed through Youngguk’s mind.
Yeonsu had been a representative actress known for her pure and innocent image in her past life. Moreover, her acting was so outstanding that she was among the most popular actresses in the country.
And if there was something unique about her, it was that she had once taken on the role of a director for an independent film.
It was an event he hadn’t remembered much because he wasn’t interested in actresses in his past life. Studying directing in America would likely influence her future career as an independent film director.
“By the way, are you still attending school, oppa?”
“I’m busy filming a movie in Hong Kong, and I have domestic activities too, so I took a long leave of absence. I take 3 credits during every seasonal semester, but at this rate, I don’t know when I’ll graduate. It might take a very long time. Haha.”
He was laughing as he spoke, but it wasn’t a lie. With a continuous filming schedule, he had no proper time to attend school.
Although he was making up 3 credits every seasonal semester, graduation seemed a long way off. The head of his department even joked that Youngguk would end up in the 10th grade.
A lot had happened in the past three years. Not only had Youngguk himself changed, but so had others.
Even Yeonsu, who had always seemed like a child, had matured enough to be called a young lady. At their first meeting, he hadn’t even recognized her.
Moreover, Shin Jaehee, the president of the academic society who had taken lectures with them, had already passed the bar exam and entered the Judicial Research and Training Institute. Also, senior Kim Dongjin, who always talked about rugby, was said to be left with only the third stage of the bar exam.
It was then.
While Youngguk was lost in thought,
“Oppa, is it really okay if I go to America?”
Yeonsu asked, putting down her chopsticks with a sound.
Yeonsu felt her insides boiling. Even though it had been a long time since she had seen Youngguk, the first thing he said was, “You’ve grown a lot, haven’t you?”
When she heard the news that Ajumma was getting married, she dropped her filming schedule and headed straight to Busan.
She said she was there to congratulate Ajumma on her wedding, but she was actually hoping to see Youngguk. After all, she hadn’t seen him even once since her high school graduation.
“It would be good. If you go to America and learn directing, it will be very helpful for future movie or drama filming. By the way, that’s very admirable. It’s not common for an actor to study directing.”
‘How could he?’
Even though she said she was going to America, Youngguk didn’t seem to think it was a big deal. Instead, he kept rambling on about where to find good Korean food in New York.
‘Sigh.’
Yeonsu swallowed a deep sigh. No matter how she looked at it, it seemed this man would never see her as a woman.
Youngguk had become even more handsome than she remembered. Maybe it was because he had just returned from filming a movie in Hong Kong, but she heard that Chungmuro was also eager to get a hold of him.
Even among fellow actresses, stories about Youngguk were frequently heard. Many actresses wanted to meet him, but none of them had even managed to get his contact information.
A famous entertainment magazine had also tried to follow and investigate Youngguk’s private life, but they couldn’t find a single clue related to any scandals. As a result, there were even rumors that Youngguk might like men instead of women.
‘Could it be true?’
Yeonsu glanced at Youngguk, who was enjoying the buffet beside her. No matter how she looked at it, she felt like she had to let go. If the other person only saw her as a younger sister and not as a woman, what else could she do?
At that moment, Jisoo, who was sitting across from them, gave a small cheer.
‘Unnie, hang in there!’
During the past three years, Yeonsu had occasionally visited Namhang while filming in Busan, and she had kept in touch with Youngguk’s mother, which allowed her to become close to Jisoo.
Jisoo even sang about wanting Yeonsu to become her sister-in-law, and they had become close enough to share their feelings.
Alright,
“Oppa, do you have some time today?”
Even if she was going to leave, she decided to leave without any regrets.
After sending off his mother and stepfather, who were dressed nicely in hanbok, in the wedding car.
Youngguk thanked the Namhang merchants and the agency staff who had come all the way from Seoul to Busan.
After seeing everyone off, two people walked along the dockside. They were none other than Youngguk and Yeonsu.
‘When did she grow so tall?’
In just three years, so much had changed. Even Yeonsu, who had looked quite small, had grown a lot.
Step.
The two walked in step along the path next to the breakwater. It was a place deep within Namhang, so there were no tourists in sight, only locals.
The two walked silently. Only the seagulls in the sky looked down at them, flapping their wings.
‘What should I say?’
Yeonsu was also contemplating. Although she had called Youngguk out to this place, she couldn’t think of what to say.
After a long pause, a fishing boat passing by suddenly sounded its horn.
Honk!
The unexpected horn startled the seagulls, which cried out, and the waves rippled. Yeonsu was also startled. The horn, which seemed to wake her from her thoughts, caused her to trip. She lost her balance and fell towards Youngguk.
Thud.
The two fell together, landing on the ground. Luckily, Youngguk had cushioned Yeonsu’s fall, landing in a puddle of water but preventing her from getting hurt. Although his butt was wet, it was better than getting injured. But that wasn’t the problem.
……!
Their eyes widened as if on cue. They were face-to-face, just a hand’s width apart. Yeonsu’s face turned red, and so did Youngguk’s.
“Ah, sorry!”
What was she sorry for? But the words came out without her realizing it.
Yeonsu hurried to get up but lost her balance again, falling back towards Youngguk.
Thump thump.
Youngguk felt his heart racing. He had always thought of Yeonsu as a younger sister. But why was his heart beating so fast now?
In his past life, he had been terrible at romance. He had been so obsessed with acting that he had no interactions with women.
It was the same in this life. Maybe because of his past experiences, even his agency found it strange that he wasn’t dating anyone, although they welcomed it.
Thump thump.
Youngguk and Yeonsu’s eyes met. Her long hair reached her waist, and her deer-like face turned as red as a persimmon, looking at him.
Had he been wrong to think of her as just a younger sister? If not, why was his heart still racing so fast?
‘To hell with it.’
It was then.
Yeonsu’s lips moved towards Youngguk’s. She had to go to America anyway.
Youngguk, who would be busy with overseas location filming, might not have another chance to meet her again. If she let this opportunity slip, she might regret it forever.
The moment their lips met, Youngguk’s eyes widened, but he didn’t avoid her lips.
Thump thump.
The sun shone brightly, splitting the waves and glittering like jewels. Their faces overlapped by the sea, and their heartbeats echoed as if they were underwater.
At that moment,
The captain of the ‘Youngguk-ho,’ who had been watching from a distance, rubbed his eyes in surprise and hurriedly turned the fishing boat in another direction. He had recognized Youngguk from afar and sounded the horn.
He had felt bad for heading out to sea right after attending the wedding early in the morning. Seeing Youngguk again made him happy.
A contented smile spread across the captain’s face, as if he were looking at his grown son.
