HWR CH 09

Chapter 9. The Man Who Stole Another Man’s Wife

“Heh… heh…”

Doseok let out a quiet laugh through his teeth.

Afraid he might drop the creature in his hand, he clenched his fist tightly—so tightly that it didn’t matter if the worm inside was crushed to death.

He turned around and hurried out of the shop.

Behind him, a blood-red signboard was revealed.

[If you steal another person’s wife, an irreversible punishment will be delivered.]

But Doseok never noticed the warning.

Instead, he burst into loud laughter.

“Just wait, Ryu Seol-young. I’ll turn my life around by using you as my sacrifice.”

Soon the Bliss Shop was swallowed by thick black smoke.

Doseok himself disappeared within it as well.

When he opened his eyes again, he had traveled back in time.

Just as Doran had predicted.

Her words that visiting the Bliss Shop would allow someone to return to the past had been true.

He had secretly hoped to return to his early twenties.

But the moment he returned to was only six months earlier.

And that created a huge problem.

The cryptocurrency he had planned to buy after returning had already skyrocketed.

His chance to get rich instantly was gone.

Even the lottery numbers he had memorized were useless—they were from a drawing that had happened a year ago.

So he decided to focus on his main job: acting.

He knew exactly which dramas and movies had succeeded.

He knew which roles had made actors famous.

But most of those productions had already finished filming.

Then he heard news about a new program being produced:

“Couple Chef.”

It was the same program he had seen right before he died and entered the Bliss Shop.

And it had become a massive hit.

At that moment, he also remembered that someone perfect for attracting attention on that show was Ryu Seol-young.

Suddenly, everything felt like pieces of a puzzle falling into place.

The advice that he had to choose Ryu Seol-young at the Bliss Shop—

And the reason he had returned to this exact point in time.

“Now I get it. Why else would I return right before this show starts? Isn’t that right, Ryu Seol-young?”

“The reason I had to marry you was exactly this!”

“To succeed on this show, I need your recipes. That’s why I have to marry you and squeeze everything out of you!”

But the woman who had seemed eager to marry him was suddenly running away just before the wedding.

And he didn’t understand why.

All he needed was her recipe book so he could appear on Couple Chef.

Forming a team with Seol-young wouldn’t have been a bad choice.

But he had already prepared an even better option.

Kwon Bo-yoon.

His girlfriend before he returned to the past.

“I’ll lock away the boring wife and go on the show with my fiery girlfriend. That way our chemistry will shine.”

“Ha… my genius plan is almost ready!”

If marrying Ryu Seol-young was the destiny he had changed—

Then Bo-yoon could simply remain his secret lover.

He would hold his wife’s recipes in one hand.

And his girlfriend’s cooking skills in the other.

With that, success was guaranteed.

“Ryu Seol-young… don’t resist at the end.”

“This is destiny. Even if you notice something, you can’t change it.”

Grinding his teeth, Doseok started calling Seol-young.

There was still time before filming began.

He believed firmly that he had already changed fate by choosing Ryu Seol-young as his wife.

There was no way this solid destiny could collapse.

* * *

At last, the first filming day of Couple Chef arrived.

Standing in front of the studio, Seol-young stared at her constantly ringing phone with annoyance.

Ever since the disastrous family meeting at the shrine, Doseok had been contacting her relentlessly.

[Answer the phone, Ryu Seol-young. I’m going to get angry.]

[Don’t you trust me? Why aren’t you answering?

[Seol-young, can’t you give me just one chance to explain?]

[The reason I vomited that day was because my stomach suddenly hurt. Please believe me.]

[Your mother won’t meet me. She must have misunderstood something terrible. Please help me…]

[I really love you. We were going to get married. Please answer me.]

[Seol-young… I need you.]

Seol-young laughed quietly when she read the last message.

Misunderstanding.

Love.

Marriage.

There were many annoying parts.

But the most ridiculous was the last line.

That he needed Ryu Seol-young.

It’s not me he needs.

It’s my recipes.

He knew he could only stand out on the show with them.

Then suddenly a thought crossed her mind.

But how did he know that so clearly?

She remembered the strange words the shaman had said at the shrine.

That there were two people who had returned from the underworld.

What if one is me… And the other is Pan Doseok?

A possibility she had once considered suddenly returned to her mind.

What if Doseok had also visited the Bliss shop?

Then she remembered something he had muttered at Doran’s house the day she was arrested.

“I really am a genius… They told me to choose Ryu Seol-young at the Bliss Shop, but nobody told me how to use her.”

The Bliss Shop.

He had definitely said that.

“…!”

Only now did Seol-young fully understand.

Pan Doseok went to the Bliss Shop before I did.

That was why he was called the “thief of fate.”

That was why she had to catch him.

Her miserable previous life.

The way he approached her deliberately, stole everything, and eventually became the final winner.

Everything made sense now.

It wasn’t just the recipe book he stole.

Whenever a challenge appeared on the show, Doseok always produced the perfect recipe as if he already knew the theme.

Before, Seol-young thought that must have been thanks to his partner Bo-yoon.

But now she realized the truth.

He already knew the show would succeed.

He already knew exactly how to win.

But now—

There was a new variable.

Ryu Seol-young.

You don’t know that I also went to the Bliss Shop.

And more recently than you.

Because of that, Seol-young had already changed many things.

Jae-kyung would not die.

Her mother would not fall ill.

And she would never marry Pan Doseok.

So even if you came back to the past too, I’m still ahead of you.

This time things will never happen the way they did before.

You will not win.

And you will never ruin my life again.

Seol-young’s eyes slowly reflected two colors—

Red and green.

Her gaze was fixed on the couple chef logo engraved at the center of the stage where the chefs would compete.

Her eyes burned with crimson determination and green anticipation.

It was the passionate desire to restore everything to its rightful place.

Just then, someone called her carefully.

“Chef Ryu Seol-young?”

Realizing the voice belonged to a staff member, Seol-young quickly relaxed her expression and turned around.

“Hello, Writer Lee. It’s our first time meeting since the interview.”

“Oh! You remember me? How do you even know my last name?”

“I remember your full name too. Writer Ji-woo.”

Seol-young planned to do her best even in small things.

Be polite.

Respectful.

Friendly but not excessive.

Winning the goodwill of the staff would definitely help during filming and editing.

The junior writer looked extremely happy that someone remembered her name.

“Ah, Chef Ryu. Before filming starts, I’ll explain the format of Couple Chef again.”

Seol-young had already watched the entire program in her previous life.

She knew the format perfectly.

But she brightened in her eyes and replied politely.

“Yes, please explain,”

The format of Couple Chef was simple.

Each team consisted of two people:

One professional chef.

And one participant from another profession.

“Professional chefs are grouped as the expert group, and the others are the non-expert group. Later, one expert and one non-expert will form couples. Also, in the later stages there will be missions inspired by dating shows, not just cooking.”

The junior writer smiled warmly as Seol-young listened attentively.

“Of course, Chef Ryu Seol-young has been assigned to the expert group.”

The staff member handed Seol-young a red scarf.

“Please wear this over your chef’s uniform.”