Chapter 4: Reunion
Jae-kyung looked down at Seol-young with a bewildered expression.
“Seol-young…?”
Holding her as she suddenly burst into tears and cried out words he couldn’t understand, he gently pulled her closer and comforted her. Yet he couldn’t hide the strange look on his face.
He had been assigned to an overseas branch and was just about to board his flight.
He had even suggested several times that Seol-young come study abroad with him, but she had refused every time.
So from his perspective, it was only natural that he couldn’t understand what was happening now.
“Seol-young, did you have some kind of dream?”
Hearing that, Seol-young suddenly realized that none of this was a dream.
This is real …!
No matter how many times she closed and opened her eyes, nothing changed.
I’m really at the departure gate, seeing Jae-kyung off …!
That meant—
She had truly returned six months ago.
Back then, refusing Jae-kyung’s suggestion to go to America with him had been the obvious choice.
She couldn’t leave her mother alone in Korea.
She couldn’t abandon the restaurant she was running.
And besides, she had believed that their paths in life were different from the start—he would inherit a large corporation, while she would continue living her ordinary life.
But now…
She had returned to that moment.
Just then, the image of the old signboard reading “The Rose Garden” flashed through her mind, along with the place filled with flowers and trees.
[Your Husband Is for Sale]
[You only get one chance.]
[Choose your destined partner and live your life again.]
When it said to live life again… it wasn’t a dream.
The misfortunes that began right after sending Jae-kyung away.
The life that spiraled into absolute disaster after marrying Pan Doseok.
If she had been given another chance to change the outcome—
“…!”
At that moment, Jae-kyung spoke.
“Seol-young… did you change your mind?”
“…?”
“Are you coming with me?”
Even in the past, Jae-kyung had asked her a similar question.
Back then, she had answered like this:
“I can’t do that. I’m sorry, Jae-kyung.”
Now, the present Seol-young began with the same words.
“I can’t do that.”
But then she added something she hadn’t said before.
“But don’t go, Jae-kyung.”
If she had really returned to the past…
If she had truly been given another chance—
Then she had to stop the accident that would happen to him.
And the most certain way to prevent that accident was simple.
He must never leave.
Seol-young pleaded with all her sincerity.
“Don’t go. Please.”
Jae-kyung was startled by the expression on her face.
His eyes widened.
For some reason, his heart began pounding violently.
“Jae-kyung… don’t go. Stay here with me. Please.”
“Can you tell me… why you’re acting like this?”
“I’ll tell you when the time comes. I promise.”
For now, just trust me.
Seol-young whispered softly.
* * *
Now that she had returned six months into the past—
Seol-young stopped Jae-kyung from leaving for the United States.
If he stayed in Korea, he would never board that New York flight.
His life would be safe.
That was the first action Seol-young took to change the future.
Then she immediately ran to see her mother.
Not the hospital.
Not the intensive care unit.
She needed to confirm that Eun-hwa was safe at home.
But the person she met in front of the gate of her house was someone completely unexpected.
Her friend—
Doran.
“Doran…?”
Something was strange.
Doran’s face was far paler than usual, and her eyes seemed unfocused.
It was as if she were speaking to a version of Seol-young that existed in another time or dimension, staring into empty space as she spoke.
“It’s a chance to fix what went wrong. Don’t miss it.”
“It’s a chance to fix what went wrong. Don’t miss it.”
The voice she had heard at the Bliss Shop.
Had that voice been Doran’s?
Seol-young felt dazed.
When she finally came back to her senses, Doran was already walking away in the distance with her back turned to her.
Seol-young took a deep breath.
Remembering her friend’s words, she stepped inside the house.
As soon as she entered, she heard voices chatting in the living room.
One was her mother, Eun-hwa.
The other was Pan Doseok.
Around this time, Doseok had begun visiting their home frequently and getting close to Eun-hwa.
He was probably laying the groundwork for his scheme—winning over her mother so he could use Seol-young.
Seol-young slowly took a deep breath.
In this life she had regained, she would never repeat the same mistakes.
Doseok’s crimes had been carefully planned over a long time.
She couldn’t rush either.
She would remain calm.
She would think carefully and act wisely to stop him.
At the same time, she could never let anyone know that she already knew what would happen in the future.
Her ultimate goal was only one thing:
To return every piece of misfortune and despair to Pan Doseok.
This time, I won’t let you make my mother sick.
Marriage? Don’t even dream about it.
The recipes, money, and reputation you stole from me—I’ll take them all back.
Every single thing.
No… I’ll take back double.
And in the end, she would make sure he faced ruin completely alone.
Seol-young steadied her rapidly rising breath and walked toward the living room.
Soon the friendly conversation between the two became clearer.
“…I had no idea until now. I always knew Doran said good things about you, but who would’ve thought you had such spiritual abilities too, Doseok?”
Hearing her mother’s voice again—alive and well instead of lying in an ICU bed—almost made tears spill from Seol-young’s eyes.
But she bit down hard and held them back.
Soon Doseok’s voice followed.
“I’ve actually hidden it for a long time. Some people say it’s a special gift like you did, but others point fingers at Doran and me, calling us siblings with shaman blood.”
“Oh my…”
“And sometimes it’s painful to know bad things before they happen. Maybe because we’ve lived in the same neighborhood for so long… you feel like my own mother, and Seol-young feels like my younger sister. That makes it even harder to pretend I don’t know…”
“Hmm? Pretend you don’t know… what?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“Nothing? Come on, Doseok. Tell me. Is something bad going to happen to our family?”
Hearing her mother’s voice fill with worry, Seol-young clenched her fists tightly.
Ah… So this is how you controlled my mother.
Doseok spoke as if he had hesitated many times before finally saying it.
“Honestly, it’s uncomfortable to say this… but you need to take care of your health, ma’am. By the end of this month—or maybe early next month—you might collapse badly. I… feel that kind of energy.”
Pretending to predict danger.
Then actually causing that danger to happen.
That was Doseok’s method—perfectly gaslighting his victims.
By doing that, he turned her sick mother completely to his side and made her pressure her only daughter to marry him.
“I—is that really true?”
Hearing the fear in Eun-hwa’s voice, Seol-young stepped out from the hallway where she had been leaning.
Doseok clearly hadn’t noticed she had come home.
The moment he saw her, panic flashed across his face.
“S-Seol-young…”
“Oh, my daughter. When did you get here?”
Seol-young carefully controlled her expression.
She was furious—but she hid it completely and spoke as if she knew nothing.
“What are you two talking about so happily?”
“Well… that is…”
After briefly looking at her worried mother, Seol-young turned her gaze toward Doseok.
She gave him a gentle smile and asked casually:
“Oppa… do you want to become my mom’s son-in-law?”
“W-What?”
“Well, you’ve been getting pretty close with my mom lately.”
“Ah, that’s because I…”
Seol-young smiled more charmingly and provoked him.
“Oppa. If you’re interested in me, just say it directly to me.”
“Not to my mom.”
Inside her mind, Seol-young thought:
Pan Doseok…
Now I’m the one who will deal with you.
You’ll fall into the same trap you once set for me.
