Chapter 3. Your Husband Is for Sale
Where… is this?
Blinding sunlight streamed into Seol-young’s half-open vision.
I was at the police station. I was arrested for stalking… and Jae-kyung…
The moment she remembered the terrible news about him, her eyes slowly closed again and tears welled up.
But the next moment, Doran’s face suddenly filled her mind.
No—rather than remembering it, it felt as if Doran had taken over her entire vision.
It was an incredibly strange sensation.
Seol-young quickly sat up.
As she did, the breaking news that had poured over her right before she collapsed overlapped with Doran’s voice, echoing loudly in her ears.
“I’m sorry. Han Jae-kyung is dead.”
At the same time, the four mysterious characters—“Bliss Shop”—appeared before her like a hallucination and overwhelmed her entire body.
Was this a dream, or reality?
She was too confused to tell.
She couldn’t even figure out where she was or which parts were real anymore. Everything was mixed together in chaos.
Only then did she vaguely guess.
Ah… maybe I died too.
With eyes filled with both fear and resignation, Seol-young slowly looked around.
As her eyes gradually adjusted to the overwhelming brightness, the surroundings began to come into view one by one.
When a person dies, they say they go to heaven or hell.
Which one was this?
But somehow, it didn’t seem like either.
It didn’t match heaven’s white image or hell’s dark red one.
Instead, everything around her was green.
The place where Seol-young stood looked like a vast forest, filled with large trees, grass, and flowers.
This place…
An odd and deep sense of peace washed over her.
The refreshing scent of trees, the earthy smell of soil beneath her feet, birds singing, butterflies flying around.
Among them, one pure white butterfly brushed lightly against her cheek.
Everything felt unbelievably vivid.
Am I… actually alive?
With that small hope in mind, Seol-young stepped forward carefully, feeling the soft soil under her feet.
Before long, she saw a transparent-looking hanok building in the distance.
Is this a botanical garden? Or maybe a flower shop?
As she approached it, she noticed a small sign.
It was simple, but beautifully carved into a wooden board with careful engraving.
The silver-white letters, faintly glowing, read:
Bliss Shop… Bliss Shop…
Wait.
She had heard that name before.
Before coming here—before she died, most likely.
When was it?
Where?
Who had said it?
Bliss Shop.
Where exactly was this place?
As if enchanted, Seol-young found herself walking toward it.
When she stood in front of the door, it opened silently on its own.
As if it had been waiting for her for a very long time.
Ah… this must be a dream.
Seol-young thought that because of the sign she saw once she entered the shop.
The place that looked like a flower shop had the following explanation written inside.
[Your Husband Is for Sale.]
[You only get one chance.]
[Choose your destined partner and live your life again.]
Selling husbands?
Choosing a destined partner?
And… living life again?
Ha.
There was no way something like this could exist in reality.
Seol-young felt pathetic.
She should have been trying to stay clear-headed, yet here she was having ridiculous dreams.
Because of Pan Doseok’s actions, her mother was on the brink of death.
Her friend Jae-kyung had even gotten into an accident while coming to help her.
And what was she doing?
Dreaming nonsense like this?
I need to wake up.
She had to go see Jae-kyung.
She had to go to her mother.
And she had to make Pan Doseok pay.
She had to fix everything that had gone wrong.
Just as Seol-young turned around to leave—
A voice came from deeper inside the shop.
It sounded both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.
“It’s a chance to fix what went wrong. Take it. Don’t miss it.”
Seol-young quickly turned toward the sound.
But instead of a person, countless flowers had bloomed before her.
She had no idea what was happening.
Yet somehow, her body moved on its own.
Among the countless flowers, one stood out.
A single flower shining brighter than the rest.
Her hand slowly moved toward it, as if pulled by an invisible force.
It was a large, unknown flower glowing with pure white light.
The moment her fingers touched the flower—
A brilliant light burst out, illuminating everything.
[Congratulations! You have correctly chosen your husband.]
A hot breath escaped Seol-young’s lips.
The dazzling light almost blinded her.
Even the soft texture of the flower petals felt real.
Everything was overwhelmingly vivid.
What is this? Is this really a dream?
She had only chosen a flower.
Why was it saying she had chosen a husband?
And who exactly was that husband?
Why wouldn’t it tell her?
Don’t tell me… it means Pan Doseok, my original husband?
Or someone else?
Questions piled on top of questions.
This was an incredibly strange shop.
No—
It felt like an incomprehensible illusion.
Agh… please wake up. I don’t have time for this…
Seol-young squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head hard.
Then she slowly opened them again.
Unfortunately, the dream didn’t end.
Instead, a clear message appeared before her.
[Now you must pay the price for the husband you selected.]
[The payment is not money.]
[‘Capture the thief who stole your fate.’]
[‘And find your true husband.’]
Catch the thief?
And find her true husband?
Who were they talking about?
Standing in the center of the dreamlike shop, a sudden realization flashed through Seol-young’s mind.
If there was a thief…
Could it be… Pan Doseok?
She swallowed nervously.
[You must capture the thief and find your destined husband.]
[Only then will the payment be complete.]
[Remember: if you fail to pay the price for your husband, you will be treated as the thief and receive a terrible punishment.]
As Seol-young stared at the message from the Bliss Shop, her body slowly became enveloped in brilliant light.
* * *
“…Seol-young? Ryu Seol-young?”
Someone’s voice broke through the heavy silence.
Seol-young’s eyes, which had been immersed in the green garden and dazzling light, widened as if accepting reality again.
The first thing she saw was Han Jae-kyung’s face filling her vision.
“Jae-kyung…?”
His face was full of worry.
“Seol-young, are you okay?”
Seol-young quickly reached out and touched his cheek.
Warmth spread from his skin.
His delicate face—almost like it had been sculpted by a god—trembled slightly under her touch.
This was real.
Han Jae-kyung was alive.
“Han Jae-kyung…!”
Seol-young threw herself into his arms.
“You didn’t die—you’re alive! You were alive…!”
She clung to him tightly and burst into tears.
For a long time, she stroked his back and buried her face in his chest.
The despair she had felt when she heard he died disappeared all at once.
She was simply grateful that he was alive.
Thinking everything she had experienced earlier must have been a dream, Seol-young began speaking rapidly.
“I’m so glad you didn’t get on that plane. I thought you were on it. I thought you crashed while coming to see me…”
But then Jae-kyung spoke.
“Seol-young.”
“…Yes?”
“I haven’t gotten on the plane yet.”
“…What?”
Something suddenly felt strange.
Only then did Seol-young look around.
First of all, this was not the police station.
It wasn’t the police station where she had collapsed after hearing the news of the plane crash.
This was…
An airport.
And this moment was not the present she remembered.
This was the past.
Seol-young remembered this day clearly.
About six months ago.
Before all the misfortune began.
Before her mother collapsed.
Before Pan Doseok stole Ryu Seol-young’s entire life.
She had returned to the day Han Jae-kyung was leaving for New York.
