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“A wedding again?” Tae-ryeong’s mind was racing as she silently watched the beautiful bride through the window. Kang-joon didn’t say a word, didn’t ask why she was quiet, but quietly looked at the same spot as Tae-ryeong. As if he knew why she was hesitant. Her heart ached with sadness at his silent waiting. “What am I to him that he acts like this? He’s such a fool.” After a long silence, Kang-joon slowly spoke.
“They say all brides in wedding dresses are beautiful.”
Tae-ryeong thought so too. Dressed in a pure white wedding dress, with elegant makeup and a dazzling tiara, it was impossible not to be beautiful. Especially today’s bride, blooming like the queen of the flower garden, was even more stunning.
“You’re right, Kang-joon, the bride is beautiful.”
“When did I say she was beautiful?”
Drawn by his indifferent tone, she turned her gaze and met Kang-joon’s eyes, which were staring intently at her.
“Just now you…”
Kang-joon chuckled.
“You have to listen to the end of what people say. I was about to say I don’t know if she’s beautiful.”
“You don’t know if she’s beautiful?” Why on earth? It was at that moment that Tae-ryeong looked back at the bride through the large window.
“But I think you would be beautiful.”
Tae-ryeong looked at Kang-joon with wide eyes. She had no immunity to compliments and didn’t know how to react. She just bit her lip.
“I want to see you in a wedding dress.”
Why did this man keep saying such embarrassing things? Why did he always make her heart flutter like this?
“Can you do that for me?”
Even then, Kang-joon didn’t take his eyes off Tae-ryeong’s face. Her trembling eyes, her tightly bitten lips, her slightly uneven, delicate breaths—they all told him what his wife was deliberating. “She always makes things so difficult, doesn’t she? I guess I’ll just have to make it easy for her.”
“What’s a wedding anyway? If we both dress up nicely and exchange vows, that’s a wedding.”
Despite his calm tone, Kang-joon desperately wanted to see the woman he loved in a dazzling wedding dress. Their previous wedding had been a mere formality. He hadn’t properly looked at the bride, nor had he wanted to.
“Formality and procedure aren’t as important as the heart.”
As long as his wife maintained the name Yoo Tae-ryeong, formalities and procedures couldn’t be broken. Not even the marriage registration, which needed to be corrected before the wedding. Legal issues could be handled when the time was right. But he wanted to have a wedding again. With Joo Se-hee, not Yoo Tae-ryeong. He planned to have a proper, grand wedding later, but for now, this would suffice. There was no harm in doing good and beautiful things multiple times, right? Isn’t that what a remind wedding is for?
“Think of it as just the two of us having a party, renting out an entire place we like.”
“See? It’s easy and simple. So just give in, Joo Se-hee.” But his wife’s lips, which had parted as if to agree, closed again. Her thick eyelashes, cast down, fluttered like dragonfly wings. Kang-joon, impatient, made his final stroke.
“No one will know, just the two of us, in secret.”
He had considered inviting Gyeong-jin and Jae-woo as witnesses but decided against it, opting for a sweet temptation instead. “Are you still not going to wear a wedding dress even with this?”
“Just nod your head. I’ll take care of everything, okay?”
His wife slowly lifted her head and stared at Kang-joon with moist eyes. “Surely, she’s not refusing out of pity, is she?” Just as worry flooded him, his wife carefully whispered, “This time… you won’t leave me and go somewhere else, will you?”
Kang-joon’s chest clenched for a moment. He remembered himself leaving immediately after the wedding, without even a glance. Even if it was a substitute marriage, it must have been painful. Embarrassed, Kang-joon stroked his chin with a long finger and murmured, “Where would I go?”
“Now my only place is by your side, Joo Se-hee.”
“I won’t go, I won’t go.”
“And a honeymoon too?”
His animalistic instinct kicked in. He felt like he had to say they would go on a honeymoon too. He hadn’t thought that far, but Kang-joon quickly replied, “Of course we have to go, it’s the most important thing.”
Instead of answering, his wife looked at Kang-joon for a long time with moist eyes. As his heart felt like it was shriveling up, his wife smiled shyly and nodded her head. What was that smile, what was that nod? The dark world finally brightened. “So this is what it feels like. For the light of the world to turn off and on with one glance, one smile from the woman I love.” But he put the smile aside for a moment. Kang-joon spoke with a serious expression, “Let’s set the date right away.”
Strike while the iron is hot. If they set the schedule immediately, she wouldn’t be able to go back on her word later.
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Why am I a Timid Roar? - September 26, 2021
Two days later, at the CEO’s office of Hanshin Motors headquarters. Director Yoon double-checked, his voice trembling, as if he couldn’t believe his ears.
“So, sir, you mean to say… you want to clear not just one day, but three whole days before your business trip to the US?”
“Please say no,” Kang-joon simply nodded at Director Yoon, who was looking at him with tearful eyes. He knew it was trouble when Kang-joon asked for all a week’s worth of approvals and reports right after the weekend. “Why are you doing this to me? If you keep this up, I’ll resign.” As Director Yoon pondered how to rebel, Kang-joon said,
“Push your abilities to the maximum, Director Yoon, and clear it. Then I’ll give you a two-week vacation after I get back from the US.”
For Director Yoon, it was the most welcome news he had ever heard. Especially if he could skip a week of the murderous schedule after the US trip. And he could finally take the vacation with his family that he hadn’t been able to take in three years since becoming Kang-joon’s secretary and staying in Germany.
“I will do my best.”
“One more thing. Is your sister, Director Yoon, still a wedding planner?”
“Did I even mention that?” Director Yoon racked his brain and recalled mentioning it in passing a year ago. “His monstrous memory must activate even for trivial things.”
“Yes, she is.”
Director Yoon awkwardly accepted the envelope Kang-joon handed him.
“The payment is ten million won.”
“…?”
“The condition is to create three plans by tomorrow, according to the contents inside.”
He felt like doing it himself. But then Kang-joon held out a credit card. It wasn’t even a corporate card, but a personal one.
“You’ve worked hard. Go to the department store and let your wife pick out her own bag. And Director Yoon, your bonus will be deposited separately. Exactly three times your sister’s payment.”
“Thank you, Mr. President!”
“Ah, this crazy third-generation chaebol class!” Despite the heavy workload, Kang-joon was a respectable chaebol who didn’t engage in abusive power tactics. Director Yoon pledged eternal, fervent loyalty and left the office. Only then did Kang-joon look at his calendar and quickly crunch numbers. His business trip to the US was for participating in the Korea-US Business Roundtable alongside the President. The US schedule was 3 nights and 4 days, but while he was there, he also needed to visit the European branches and partner companies. The conclusion was a trip that would take at least 10 days. But the most important thing was the schedule after his return. A murderous schedule, incomparable to now, awaited him. That’s why he wanted to have the wedding somehow before the trip. Even if it had no legal effect, he wanted to put a metaphorical shackle on Joo Se-hee’s heart. Every time he saw his wife changing these days, he fell into a happy yet uneasy illusion. As if his wife was hiding wings behind her back. Hoping it was just a baseless fear, Kang-joon fixed his gaze back on the tablet.
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Dora signed a stock sale agreement to sell all its shares to Ino Fashion. Only the Fair Trade Commission’s corporate merger approval remained. The news was widely reported, and using that as an excuse, Tae-ryeong visited Dora in the afternoon. It had been 3 years and 9 months.
“Wow, 20 billion won, that’s amazing. It’s not my money, but my hands are trembling, Se-hee.”
Jin-kyung still looked incredulous. But Tae-ryeong, the real owner of Dora, simply smiled calmly.
“But Se-hee, aren’t you trusting me too much?”
“Did you secretly pocket some money behind my back?”
“Hey! What do you take me for? I haven’t, and I don’t have the brains for that!”
“I know. I trust you because I know you too well, and I entrusted it to you, you know? That’s why I’m grateful. I wouldn’t have been able to endure without you.”
Jin-kyung and Alicia had something in common: they were free spirits who hated anything complicated. They were party animals who preferred playing over studying and working. Tae-ryeong put Jin-kyung in charge of Dora, giving her appropriate carrots and sticks, and commanded from behind. When they listed it as a public company, she made sure Jin-kyung held 100% of the shares. However, she had also drawn up a contract and had it notarized.
“I’m the grateful one. Would I be enjoying such luxury if it weren’t for you? I’m thinking of going on a world tour once I step down as CEO.”
Even as a nominal CEO, she hadn’t been able to truly enjoy herself. Jin-kyung knew that once Ino Fashion acquired Dora and Yoo Tae-ryeong became Joo Se-hee again, her role would end. Until recently, Jin-kyung had held 100% of Dora’s shares, but she had recently transferred them all to Se-hee. Se-hee had given her a substantial sum for her hard work, and Jin-kyung was satisfied with that. It was better to benefit from a smart friend for life than to betray her now and suffer greatly.
“Jin-kyung, I want you to stay with the company, by my side. I’ll proudly become the CEO of Ino Fashion under my name, and you’ll assist me as the creative director.”
It was a tempting offer, better than being unemployed, but Jin-kyung couldn’t accept it. Being the CEO of Dora wasn’t much of a problem, even if she winged it, because she just had to do what she was told. But in a large corporation, her shortcomings would be exposed in an instant. Why would she subject herself to such humiliation?
“What abilities do I have? Ugh, I don’t have the confidence.”
Tae-ryeong gently took Jin-kyung’s violently shaking hand.
“You don’t have the ability to forge your own path, but your ability to assist and complement is outstanding. Until now, whenever I created the framework, you were the one who fleshed it out and executed it. You’re very capable, Kim Jin-kyung.”
“Se-hee…”
Tae-ryeong was sincere. Jin-kyung was a talent who could shine brighter than anyone if properly guided. Moreover, knowing how Jin-kyung would change and what kind of life she would lead without a job, Tae-ryeong had no intention of letting go of her hand.
“I came here to offer you a scout offer in advance. I’ll treat you like royalty…!”
Suddenly, Jin-kyung hugged Tae-ryeong and began to sob, repeatedly saying that Tae-ryeong was like a mast in a vast ocean to her.
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Kang-joon arrived home past 10 PM. The bright, lit space, the warm air, the faint scent of his wife lingering in the air. But his wife was nowhere to be seen. When he called her on his way home, she had clearly said she was at home. Anxiety and unease spread in Kang-joon’s eyes as he scanned the house. He couldn’t understand himself. He had heard his wife say she loved him. She had even agreed to their private wedding. He knew perfectly well what that meant. But why was he more anxious? He called her phone, heard a ringtone from the kitchen, and headed there. Kang-joon’s expression became subtle as he picked up his wife’s phone ringing on the dining table. His own number was on the screen, and the saved name was…
“Timid Roar?”
“Why am I? Where do I look like one?” Just then, he heard the door lock being pressed and the front door opening. He went to the living room, and his wife, holding bags as if she had been to the supermarket, smiled and approached him.
“You got here fast, didn’t you?”
“Of course, because I missed you.” Kang-joon held out his phone to his approaching wife.
“I worry, so always carry your phone with you.”
“I was just going to the supermarket nearby, so I didn’t take it.”
“Can I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
After calling his wife’s number and hearing it ring, Kang-joon calmly asked, “Why am I a Timid Roar?”
His wife’s lips, like flower petals, parted slightly. Kang-joon moved closer to his wife, who clearly looked flustered. Sensing danger, his wife subtly stepped back, avoiding his gaze. “Where do you think you’re going to escape to?” Noticing her hesitation, he quickly slipped his hands under her shoulders and behind her knees as she turned away, and lifted her into his arms. A cute scream burst from his wife’s lips as she instinctively wrapped her arms around Kang-joon’s neck.
“Kyaa! I’m sorry!”
That apology wounded Kang-joon’s pride even more. He truly felt like a timid roar. With his lips pressed tightly, Kang-joon strode towards the bedroom, and his wife carefully asked, “Why are we suddenly going to the bedroom?”
“Why do you think?”
Instead of answering, Tae-ryeong slowly lowered her long, trembling eyelashes. Whether she knew how beautiful even that look was, making his heart ache, he didn’t know. Kang-joon carefully lowered his wife onto the bed as if handling glass. Looking down at his wife with an intense gaze, he deliberately and slowly pulled down his tie.
Is there any need to say it in words? He’d just show her, through his actions, how much of a bold roar he was.
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