Chapter 3
The incident began a month ago, when Yoo-joo happened to run into her old college classmate, Joo-young.
That day, she had finished her piano academy lesson and stopped by the department store on her mother’s errand. She had gone there earlier to buy clothes for her younger brother, Ki-joo, but since they didn’t have his size, she had placed an order. Now, she was told to pick it up.
Yoo-joo wanted to say, “Do you think we can afford to buy clothes at a department store right now?” But she knew she would only get scolded, so she kept her mouth shut.
When Yoo-joo nodded silently, her mother, Young-ok, added casually,
“Make sure you pay for it too.”
Sighing, Yoo-joo checked her bank balance on her phone. The tuition she earned teaching elementary school students piano wasn’t much. She had no idea what else she could cut down on.
How many months can I split this into installments?
While she was worrying, someone tapped her shoulder.
“Yoo-joo, right? Chae Yoo-joo. Oh wow, it’s been forever!”
It was Joo-young, her college classmate. Or more precisely, former classmate—since Yoo-joo had dropped out during her sophomore year.
“Oh… Joo-young. It’s been a while.”
To Yoo-joo, it wasn’t exactly a welcome face. Not a single classmate—or even her old high school friends—were faces she wanted to see. They were all connected to Gong Seol-ah.
“This is perfect! My appointment got canceled, and I didn’t want to just go straight home. Let’s grab a coffee—I’ll treat. You’re free, right?”
Joo-young babbled on cheerfully.
“Sure, why not. I’ve got time.”
The words came out opposite of how she really felt. Refusing was the hardest thing in the world for Yoo-joo.
And so, she ended up sitting in a café for over two hours, forced to listen to Joo-young’s endless chatter.
By the time Yoo-joo’s Americano had gone completely cold, Joo-young dropped a piece of news that made her heart sink.
“Oh, by the way—Seol-ah’s getting married the month after next. To who was it again…? Oh right, the only son of Hyun Hospital’s director. Doesn’t that match perfectly with her family’s big law firm? Birds of a feather, right? Honestly, unbelievable.”
Seol-ah’s… getting married?
Under the table, Yoo-joo clenched her fists so tightly that sweat began to form in her palms.
“She was the first among us to land a title as an adjunct professor, and now this marriage… she’s completely at her peak.”
“……”
“But you know…”
Joo-young’s finger, which had been tracing circles on the rim of her empty coffee cup, suddenly stopped.
“Do you think Seol-ah has ever lost anything in her life? Probably not, right? Having everything like this… it’s not easy.”
“…Probably not.”
Because she was always too busy taking from others.
That’s the kind of person Gong Seol-ah was.
Yoo-joo couldn’t even remember how she got home that day. The first thing she did was pull out her phone and search online. News articles and social media posts about the marriage were already everywhere.
“A Fateful Meeting Between Pianist and Doctor—The Birth of a Century’s Couple”
“The Perfect Union of Hyun Hospital and Law Firm Yul—Business and Society Abuzz With Their Marriage”
Just the headlines alone made her stomach churn as if she might throw up.
Does Seol-ah really deserve to live this happily?
On social media, Seol-ah’s smile was dazzling, radiant. Yoo-joo’s fingertips froze cold. An overwhelming urge to destroy that smile surged within her.
Seol-ah, why are you doing this to me? What’s your reason?
She had once begged desperately, hoping it would end.
But Seol-ah had only narrowed her eyes and looked at her as though the question was insignificant, even bothersome. Then, curling her lips in a faint mocking smile, she had spoken a single word.
“Just because.”
The pain of those years, the shattered future, the trampled dreams—all came rushing back.
The anger and resentment she had tried so hard to forget swelled up, ready to explode.
Do you think Seol-ah has ever lost anything? Probably not.
Joo-young’s voice echoed in her ears.
Then you should lose something too. Feel what I felt, Gong Seol-ah.
That very day, Yoo-joo broke the five-year savings account she had painstakingly built from her meager earnings. Neither her mother nor Ki-joo knew about this money. It was supposed to help her move out and live independently someday, but she felt no regret.
After falling for a couple of scams, she finally found a real errand agency. Through them, she gathered information about Seol-ah’s fiancé, Hyun Seung-hyuk.
There was only one place Yoo-joo could approach him: the H Hotel, where he stayed on the last day of every month.
She planned everything carefully. The final night he would be at the H Hotel before the wedding—that would be D-Day.
She resolved to seduce him. An agent from the agency would secretly take photos of them entering the hotel room together and send them straight to Seol-ah.
Yoo-joo knew better than anyone that Seol-ah’s pride wouldn’t allow her to go through with the marriage after seeing such photos.
And yet, after risking everything to spend the night with him, she couldn’t bring herself to send the photos. She wasn’t sure why. But she remembered clearly the sudden pang in her chest as she watched him asleep beside her.
Instead of sending them, she texted the waiting agent to cancel. Strangely, she felt a sense of relief.
She could just go back to her life as before. That was all.
“This should be the place…”
Yoo-joo stood in the lobby of the S Hotel, gazing toward the banquet hall. The place was eerily quiet, as if no events were scheduled today.
“That’s strange…”
Muttering to herself, she turned anxiously.
Today, Seol-ah and Seung-hyuk’s wedding was supposed to take place here, in this very banquet hall. But the silence made her wonder if she had the right location.
It had already been a month since she had spent the night with him. Yoo-joo’s life had returned to its usual quiet rhythm, revolving only around home and the piano academy.
But the problem was that the memory of that night had etched itself too deeply. Like a stone thrown into a still lake, it sent ripples through her once calm existence.
The heat of his gaze, the warmth of his body, the strength of his hands holding her, the tingling sensation in her toes—
And most of all, his scent.
It was a cool, refreshing fragrance, like a forest after rain, or pine trees in the damp air.
Someone once said that human memory is stored through smell.
Whenever she caught even a faint trace of that scent, her heart would jolt, and she would instinctively freeze. Even knowing it couldn’t possibly be him, she would still turn back, holding her breath.
Did I get the date wrong? By now, the ceremony should have been well underway.
Yoo-joo turned to leave. For some reason, she had been fixated on this day for an entire month. Though the marriage had nothing to do with her anymore, the thought wouldn’t leave her mind.
She told herself it was just to confirm that Seol-ah’s wedding—no, Hyun Seung-hyuk’s wedding—was happening as planned.
But in truth, even she didn’t know why she had come.
“What are you doing, Chae Yoo-joo? Acting like a fool.”
The absurdity of her own behavior made her laugh bitterly.
Who was she to worry about anyone else?
As she stepped out the hotel’s main entrance, that same cool scent brushed past her nose—the exact fragrance from that night, damp pine carried on the air.
“…Ah.”
She turned instinctively, and froze.
The man was standing right behind her, their eyes locking.
It was him.
Her heart plummeted, her breath caught, and even the air around them seemed to stop. Stunned, mouth slightly open, Yoo-joo stood frozen for several seconds before finally breaking his gaze and trying to walk away.
But she couldn’t. His hand closed firmly around her wrist.
“I think I know you.”
His lips curved as if into a faint smile.
“…I don’t know who you are.”
Yoo-joo exhaled sharply, trying to pull her wrist free.
But his grip only tightened, full of an unmistakable resolve not to let her go.
“No, you do.”
“No, really, I don’t.”
She shook her head furiously, a chill running down her spine.
“H Hotel. Room 304. Does that ring a bell?”
His eyes narrowed, and a sly smile tugged at his lips.
Yoo-joo was speechless. She could feel the heat spreading across her cheeks.
“Let’s grab a coffee.”
He loosened his grip slightly, giving her the chance to snatch her wrist back and step away. Her heart pounded violently in her chest.
“I don’t have time.”
She bowed quickly and turned, but he moved swiftly to block her path.
“Then make time. Because thanks to you, my wedding just got canceled.”
