46. If You’re That Sorry, Kiss Me

“Madam, step on the accelerator... the light is changing. Now, slowly press the brake.”

“Brake.”

Danjung, who was sweating profusely while driving on the road, felt a sense of stability thanks to Secretary Im, who was teaching her well from the side.

“You did well. Now, when the light turns green, slowly step on the accelerator...”

“Like this?”

“Oh my, you did great. Now, shall we put on the blinker and change lanes?”

“Yes.”

Feeling confident at Secretary Im’s praise, Danjung smiled brightly and expressed her gratitude to him.

However, Minhyuk, who had been quietly watching Secretary Im and Danjung from the back, had his brow deeply furrowed.

Danjung, who had decided to drive to the company for road practice, had only managed to cover half the distance, which should have taken 30 minutes, in over an hour.

‘I clearly told her not to smile like that outside...’

Minhyuk was so annoyed that he didn’t even like Danjung smiling at Secretary Im.

But Secretary Im was so focused on Danjung, who was diligently learning while sweating profusely, that he hadn’t noticed Minhyuk’s condition.

Just then, while changing lanes, Danjung accidentally stepped on the brake instead of the accelerator, causing the car to screech to a halt.

“Ma-Madam. Accelerator, accelerator.”

“Ah, yes, yes. Just a moment. Accelerator.”

Danjung hurriedly stepped on the accelerator and fortunately avoided a collision, but she became flustered by the honking from behind.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, Madam. Everyone is like that at first. Thankfully, you have a beginner’s sticker, so cars aren’t coming too close.”

Secretary Im reassured Danjung, but unfortunately, Minhyuk, who was reminded of his past traffic accident, began to look drastically unwell.

His heart was also pounding so hard that it was becoming unbearable.

“Secretary Im.”

Minhyuk, hiding his condition, called Secretary Im in a low voice.

“Yes, President.”

“It seems road driving is too much for Choi Danjung-ssi. Secretary Im, you should drive.”

“Ah, no. I can do it. That was a mistake earlier.”

“Stepping on the brake by mistake can cause an accident.”

“Secretary Im said it was okay, didn’t you, Secretary Im?”

“Yes? Well...”

Caught between Minhyuk and Danjung in an instant, Secretary Im was at a loss as to whose words he should heed.

“I have no desire to die the day before my wedding.”

“I told you I won’t cause an accident. I’ll drive carefully.”

Danjung was so focused on driving that she hadn’t noticed Minhyuk’s worsening complexion.

Moreover, she had just started to enjoy driving and didn’t want to give up here.

She was also confident that she could safely drive to the company, even though she had made a mistake.

“From the start, wanting to learn to drive the day before your wedding is strange. If you cause an accident and the wedding is canceled, will Choi Danjung-ssi take responsibility?”

“I wanted to drive quickly. And I told you I won’t cause an accident.”

“Anyway, let’s stop here for today. Secretary Im! You drive.”

Minhyuk, who wouldn’t budge, pressured Secretary Im in a very firm tone.

“Yes, I understand. Madam, I’ll pull over here for a moment.”

“Yes......”

Danjung knew Secretary Im’s position, so she reluctantly pulled over and sat next to Minhyuk.

‘Hmph! Why did he say he’d learn with me only to interfere!’

Danjung glared at Minhyuk with narrowed eyes.

He was originally a self-centered man, but he was extremely autocratic at times like this.

Minhyuk avoided Danjung’s gaze and looked out the window, trying to calm his pounding heart.

‘Was it not okay?’

Minhyuk had mistakenly thought he had forgotten because Secretary Im was such a careful and skilled driver.

But he didn’t want to show Danjung his weak side, so he deliberately composed his facial expression as if nothing was wrong.

[Minhyuk-ah, how are you going to live as a cripple who can’t even use his arms and legs? Wouldn’t it be better to just die like this?]

However, the words someone had said to Minhyuk after his surgery following the traffic accident began to torment him again.

At that time, the fear of death had been terribly frightening for the child, and he had wished he could feel nothing at all. Then he thought it might be okay to live.

“Minhyuk-ssi, Minhyuk-ssi, are you alright?”

Secretary Im turned the car around and arrived home. Only then did Danjung realize that Minhyuk’s condition was unusual.

He tried hard to pretend nothing was wrong, but his face was pale white and drenched in cold sweat.

“I-I’m alright. Let’s go inside and rest.”

Minhyuk, as if his weakness had been exposed, hurried into the house.

***

Minhyuk entered the house and sat down on the edge of the sofa, loosening his shirt buttons.

“Haa, haa, haa.”

His chest felt tight, and he couldn’t breathe properly because of the terrifying voice he didn’t want to recall.

“Minhyuk-ssi, are you alright?”

Danjung quickly grabbed a towel and came out, wiping the sweat from his face.

She felt like it was all her fault that Minhyuk was like this.

When he said he would learn to drive, she felt like she hadn’t considered his situation and had been too naive.

She also felt terribly sorry for being stubborn and sulking when she told Secretary Im to drive.

Minhyuk himself was equally flustered by his condition.

He sometimes had nightmares about the terrible memories of the traffic accident, but this was the first time he had suddenly remembered it like this.

“Please get me some water.”

“Yes, just a moment.”

Danjung poured water with trembling hands and brought it to Minhyuk.

Then, he took out a sedative from the nightstand drawer next to the sofa among countless other medications.

Danjung was once again surprised to see so many different kinds of medicine stocked in the drawer.

Minhyuk only looked fine on the outside; he was a sick person, just as he had said.

Minhyuk took the medicine and leaned his head back on the sofa to calm down.

“Sob, Minhyuk-ssi, I’m sorry. It’s all because of me...”

Danjung, overwhelmed with guilt, shed tears and apologized to him.

“It’s not because of you, Danjung-ssi. I’m the one who’s sick.”

Minhyuk got up and looked at the crying Danjung, reassuring her in a soft voice.

Then, he gently wiped away the tears flowing down Danjung’s face.

“Still, it’s because I was being stubborn for no reason.”

“If you’re that sorry, kiss me. I think I’ll feel better.”

Minhyuk, who had calmed down a little, looked intently at Danjung and spoke informally.

“Sob... Pfft.”

Only then relieved, Danjung kissed his lips, crying and laughing at the same time.

***

On the day of the wedding that Minhyuk had been eagerly awaiting, Danjung, sitting in the bridal waiting room on the second floor of Le Soleil Hotel, was stiff with nervousness.

But guests constantly visited the bridal waiting room to see the bride, and Danjung greeted them with her unique charming smile.

Then, when the guest Danjung had been waiting for appeared, she smiled even more brightly and greeted them.

“Oh my~ Danjung-ah. You look so beautiful.”

Jinhee, who appeared pushing a stroller, couldn’t help but admire Danjung sitting in the bridal waiting room.

Her friend had always been good-looking, but the expensive and elegant dress, beautiful at first glance, elevated Danjung to another level.

Moreover, the fresh flowers that Yeonju had prepared with all her heart lavishly decorated Danjung’s surroundings, creating the illusion of a princess residing in a flower garden.

“Danjung-ssi~ Congratulations. You look so incredibly beautiful. Like a princess.”

“Thank you for coming~ Thank you.”

Happy in the midst of everyone’s blessings, Danjung was busy thanking not only Jinhee but also her company colleagues.

They all looked at Danjung with a mixture of envy and slight jealousy, but they sincerely wished her happiness.

However, the convivial bridal waiting room also often received visits from guests who were not fond of Danjung.

“Her face is passable. But her family background is just too far below. I mean, what on earth was her sister-in-law thinking when she allowed this marriage?”

“I know... the bride’s side seems to be in a celebratory mood.”

“They just look at a woman’s face and bring her in, so the family ends up in this state.”

Minhyuk’s aunt and his distant relative chattered loudly enough for everyone in the bridal waiting room to hear, as if they had planned it.

It was their way of retaliating for not receiving their share of her older brother Seongjin’s inheritance, which wasn’t in his will.

Moreover, Seongho, the vice president of Le Soleil Hotel and her second older brother, had promised to give them a certain share if Minhyuk didn’t get married or got divorced, so they were even more resentful.

Of course, Minhyuk’s father, Seongjin, had never neglected his wife’s family or his own while he was alive, but shamefully, her greed had no end.

“Hoo~.”

Just as Danjung sighed with a troubled expression, fortunately, Minhyuk appeared at the right time.

“Aunt, thank you for coming.”

“Oh my, Minhyuk-ah, congratulations. The bride is so beautiful~.”

“Congratulations, Minhyuk-ah.”

Minhyuk’s aunt and relative feigned ignorance as if they had never said those things and offered him their congratulations.

“Yes, thank you.”

Minhyuk had already heard what they were saying, but he offered his thanks with a bright smile, like a true groom.

Of course, the smile he showed was a very artificial one he consciously created, but within it, a sense of satisfaction, stability, and happiness about his marriage with Danjung was subtly melting.

‘Was he the kind of kid who could smile like that?’

Minhyuk’s aunt seemed surprised by her nephew’s genuine smile, which she hadn’t seen in a long time.

Then, a sense of guilt for not sincerely congratulating him began to take root in a corner of her heart.

“Aigoo~ Our Minhyuk seems really happy now that he’s getting married. He can even smile like that.”

Minhyuk’s distant relative also felt the same way.

“Hyung, congratulations.”

Just then, Siwoo, who had entered the bridal waiting room, confidently offered Minhyuk his hand for a shake.

His appearance surprised not only Minhyuk but also his aunt and Danjung.

‘Gasp! Why is he here?’

Danjung couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable at the appearance of Siwoo, with whom she had been involved in a scandal.

Moreover, calling Minhyuk “hyung”? And what was with the handshake?

“What brings you here?”

Minhyuk ignored Siwoo’s handshake and regarded him warily.

“Of course, I have to come see my hyung get married.”

Siwoo withdrew his awkward hand and smirked.

Then, he instantly changed his facial expression to an innocent one and headed towards Danjung.

“Wow~ Noona, you look so beautiful. Or should I say, sister-in-law now?”

“?”

“Didn’t I tell you? Actually, Minhyuk hyung is my cousin.”

“Really? I didn’t know. So that’s why~ Anyway, thank you for coming.”

Only then did Danjung understand why Siwoo knew at least something about Minhyuk’s illness.

“Let’s see each other often now, noona.”

“Okay.”

With that, Siwoo greeted Danjung and nonchalantly disappeared.

Minhyuk’s aunt, who had been watching the scene, wanted to say something to the impudent Siwoo, but she had to watch silently because of the share Seongho had promised her.

“Aigoo~ Danjung’s mother, congratulations. I heard you got a chaebol son-in-law, and it’s true. It’s like winning the lottery.”

“This is all thanks to my older brother’s good fortune.”

“Danjung’s mother, instead of that, could you please say a good word to your son-in-law and introduce our daughter to a nice relative if there is one? Even though it looks like this, our daughter is a former Miss Korea.”

“Sister-in-law, couldn’t our son get a job here? If he does well, I won’t pretend I don’t know you.”

Danjung’s relatives were overflowing with people trying to curry favor with Hyesuk in hopes of getting some crumbs, and those trying to make some kind of connection.

“I’ll talk to my son-in-law later. Go on in~.”

“Aigoo~ Thank you.”

“Danjung’s mother has become quite magnanimous since getting a chaebol son-in-law.”

Hyesuk, who was the center of everyone’s envy, became more elated than ever.

“Hey~ Come on! It’s embarrassing for the in-laws to see... keep up appearances.”

Changsu, embarrassed by his wife, whispered to Hyesuk as if talking in her ear.

“If you don’t know, just be quiet. We need to be confident at times like this so the other family doesn’t look down on us. Isn’t that right, son~.”

“That’s right. We also need to confidently demand what we deserve and get what we’re owed~.”

Jeongho, the younger brother who had come to Danjung’s wedding on leave from the military, thought this was quite a windfall.

He had grown up without lacking anything since childhood, but Jeongho, whose greed had only increased with age, had a car he wanted in mind.

“Tsk tsk. Look at these people~.”

Changsu turned his gaze away from such Hyesuk and looked at Yeonju, who was greeting guests alone without her husband, with a pitiful look.

How could she look so beautiful even in hanbok?

Changsu, who had been a fervent fan of Yeonju even before they became in-laws, felt his heart swell just by looking at her.

As the boisterous wedding scene unfolded, Danjung entered the solemn wedding hall according to the emcee’s instructions.

And Minhyuk, holding Changsu’s hand, couldn’t take his eyes off Danjung as she approached him.

When Danjung finally stood before Minhyuk, Minhyuk unknowingly smiled brightly, showing a happy expression.

Everyone in the audience who saw Minhyuk’s smile could tell that he truly loved Danjung.

“Sob.”

Yeonju’s tears flowed endlessly as she watched her son’s happy face.

To think that such a day would come for her too... she felt as if her late husband had taken care of their remaining family.

“He really does seem happy.”

Minhee, watching her older brother’s happy expression, also felt her negative feelings towards Danjung melt away. And her eyes also became moist.