34 – 34.
Ssshhhhh. The sound of rushing water from the bathroom echoed gently in the quiet room.
Looking down at the disconnected phone with a startled face, I slowly replayed the recent conversation with Hanyeo-won in my mind.
“Hanyeo-won, it’s me, Yoo-chan. I’m, I’m sorry…I’m late, right…?”
As soon as I answered the call, I introduced myself with a greeting.
“Ah…”
She also showed a reaction as if she recognized me.
“Sorry…”
But she abruptly ended the call along with the apology.
It was as if she was avoiding me.
“…Let’s try again. Let’s try again.”
Calming my startled heart, I tried calling Hanyeo-won again.
Ring, ring, ring. I heard the sound of the call connecting.
[Right now, you cannot answer the call…]
Soon, it abruptly cut off.
She had rejected the call.
“…Um, I must have pressed the wrong button. Yeah. You must have been really surprised…”
Unable to accept the fact that she was avoiding my calls, I made an effort to call her again.
But this time…
[The power is off, please leave a message…]
This time, she completely turned off her phone.
“…R-really…?”
It was obvious that she was avoiding me.
“Why… why is this happening…?”
Caught in considerable shock, I stared blankly at my phone.
Various speculations flooded my pale mind.
Among them, there were more than a few corners that pointed to reasons for avoiding contact.
Unfortunately, most of the reasons were my fault.
My vision blurred.
“Is it over?”
Marilyn, who had finally come out of the bathroom, wrapped herself in a robe and took a seat on the opposite sofa.
Noticing that my reaction was strange, she cautiously approached and spoke.
“…What’s wrong? What happened?”
“……”
As I reflexively shifted my gaze, our eyes met in silence….
“I have to go see her right away.”
Realizing that now was not the time to be like this, I quickly stood up.
“…I… I think I need to go out for a moment.”
“What…?”
I hastily prepared to leave the hotel.
“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”
As I thought about how I had no money, I earnestly asked Mayeonseo, who had followed me.
From Noble mtl dot com
“I’m sorry, but can you lend me some money for a taxi?”
“…What?”
“The situation is urgent right now, so let’s talk later….”
And at that moment.
“What are you going to do if you go?”
“…Huh?”
I snapped back to my senses at Mayeonseo’s cold tone.
“You’re going to Hanyeo-won, aren’t you?”
“……”
“She didn’t ask to break up or didn’t answer your calls, right?”
She must have even eavesdropped on us or had a clear understanding of the situation.
“Then. Is it over?”
A slight shiver ran down my spine.
“Well, let’s meet and talk first!”
“Why?”
“Why? Because we haven’t been in contact all this time…!”
“What if they agree to meet?”
“Well, um…”
I couldn’t hide my uncertainty and nervously shifted my gaze.
In response, Mayeonseo let out a short sigh, sat me down on the bed, and gently tried to console me.
“Yoochan. They’ve already fallen for you.”
It didn’t provide even the tiniest bit of comfort.
“They could have found someone else while you were gone.”
“Hey.”
“Can you guarantee that’s not the case?”
“Well, they’re not that kind of person.”
“Is that why things turned out like this?”
“……”
Unable to refute her words, I just glared at her for no reason.
The words “It’s all because of you” rose up to my throat, but I desperately suppressed them.
“Their feelings were only to that extent. To fall for something so trivial. Pathetic.”
But Mayeonseo did not stop criticizing.
“…Take it easy.”
“I did take it easy. But do you think I feel good about being tainted by a trashy woman like that? It really doesn’t sit well with me.”
She poured out her criticism fiercely, her expression icy cold.
In her indifferent tone and cold gaze, there was a simmering anger.
Her madness, which hadn’t been seen for a while, seemed to pass by momentarily.
“…There’s no point in arguing with her here.”
Regardless of what happened, the first thing to do was to face the person involved and have a conversation.
Whatever conclusion was reached, it was the right thing to do.
With that judgment, I prepared myself to meet Dahyewon again.
“…But I still have to go.”
If Mayeonseo wouldn’t help, I was willing to go even on foot.
“…Really? If you want to go so badly, then go somewhere.”
Mayeonseo, who took out her wallet from her bag without hesitation, handed me a black card.
And she looked straight into my eyes and said, mocking me.
“Go. Show off that you’ve become my summon.”
“…!”
As I reached out my hand towards the card, I froze at her words.
“He would love that, wouldn’t he? Right?”
I couldn’t bring myself to move my hand any further.
Whether this or that, the fact remains that I betrayed Hanyeo-won.
There were various circumstances in between, but she understanding my circumstances was a separate matter.
…In the first place, expecting understanding from someone is not something people do.
“You’re not taking it? This is a pretty useful black card. Buy some flowers on your way. …I don’t know if she’ll like them.”
As I put my hand down, annoyed by Mayeonseo’s sarcastic tone, I suddenly stared at her with a cold expression.
“You… Is this why you haven’t contacted me all this time?”
Come to think of it, it was strange.
Everything was flowing for Mayeonseo’s sake.
As if everything was arranged around her.
It couldn’t be helped to suspect her, even if it was just a coincidence or two.
And it was even more so because she was Mayeonseo.
“…If that was the case, you wouldn’t have come to Korea.”
But Mayeonseo confidently refuted the suspicion without any hesitation.
“Who would bring you here for your sake? If I had come, I would have killed her first. And do you think I would let you live, knowing what kind of mischief you can do?”
“…!”
With her eyes flashing, she emitted a menacing aura and expressed her hatred for Hanyeo-won.
It was a fierce enough sight to make me take a step back unconsciously.
“…Yoochan.”
Taking a deep breath, Mayeonseo calmed her anger and expressed her sorrow to me.
“I understand that you’re confused right now. But I hope you won’t doubt me because of it.”
Seeing him speak like this, it didn’t seem like a genuine gesture, aiming for something.
…For now, that is.
“…Sigh….”
Enveloped in a difficult and stifling feeling, I let out a heavy sigh and plopped back onto the bed.
I couldn’t come to a normal judgment on what to do with this.
“Don’t be too disheartened.”
As Ma Yeon-seo approached me, she gently stroked my back and comforted me.
“Now I’m here.”
She really had no talent for comforting.
*
The next day.
Having fallen into a deep sleep and waking up early in the morning, I used Ma Yeon-seo’s phone to find out what had happened while I was gone.
And then.
“What is all this…?”
Finally, I checked out the reputation that had been spreading on the internet.
[‘National Husband’ Kang Yoo-chan, the modern-day Cinderella?]
[Number one salesperson in South Korea, Kang Yoo-chan brings about the economic butterfly effect.]
[PD Lee Hyun-seok reveals his intention to produce a drama about ‘Kang Yoo-chan ♥ Ma Yeon-seo’….]
Before I knew it, I was being treated as a patriotic romanticist who had brought in the American heroine Ma Yeon-seo, along with the strange nickname ‘National Husband’.
In just a few days, I became an overnight sensation, swept away by a raging torrent.
“Crazy.”
As I stared in disbelief at the scene unfolding beyond the small screen, I trembled and anxiously searched within myself.
I witnessed firsthand the history of a mad buildup that began with a simple news flash.
Even as the person at the center of it all, I couldn’t help but be amazed. It was like something out of a movie.
“Mayeonseo!!”
This had to be her doing.
“…Did I do it?”
“Hey, what’s this?”
I thrust my phone at the just-awakened Mayeonseo, demanding an explanation for this clearly deliberate buildup.
“Oh…that.”
Contrary to my expectations, she calmly admitted to being behind the whole scheme.
“It was our doing.”
Her nonchalant tone left me speechless.
“You said you didn’t do anything yesterday!”
“…Well, that’s true when it comes to Hanyang. Did you think we came to Korea without any strategy?”
Mayeonseo informed me that rumors about me had already spread from the United States.
With servants in the house, no matter how strict the surveillance, there were limits to how much we could control the information that leaked.
“We just took advantage of it. My value has increased, and you’ll be safer now that you’re famous too.”
It was a win-win situation. Killing two birds with one stone.
In that way, there was nothing for me to say either.
Complaining about free rides from one to ten, how much would it change?
“Well, still, that national husband was too much! I haven’t even gotten married yet!”
“You’re about to, though?”
“…What?”
Nonchalantly throwing out a bombshell remark, Mayeonseo casually stretched her arms upward for a stretch.
“What did you just say? That I’m about to get married? With you?”
And then, she glanced at me hurriedly and calmly said.
“The wedding officiant has already been decided. Someone quite important.”
“W-wedding officiant…?”
“Yeah. The President of this country.”
“What?”
Around lunchtime.
We got into a luxurious Korean sedan that came to pick us up, and as we were escorted from the hotel, we drove down the road.
It was none other than the road leading to the Blue House.
“Why were you so nervous? It’s just an old man anyway.”
“…D-do I look like I’m not nervous right now? The President, you said the President…!”
As I raised my voice in response to Mayeonseo’s calm words, I suddenly glanced at the bodyguard in the driver’s seat and quickly lowered my voice.
“How did I end up in this situation?”
With no intention of being used in Mayeonseo’s media play, I tried my best not to follow the official schedule.
…I clearly intended it to be this way.
Without my knowledge, the image of the “Nation’s Husband,” which was created, pushed me forward.
-It’s not difficult to be absent, but perhaps my image will deteriorate as a result?
Naturally, I couldn’t bring myself to sprinkle ashes on the feast table in front of everyone, so I had no choice but to go along with it while crying and grinding mustard seeds.
“You’re really crazy. Everyone has gone crazy. It’s obvious that everything has gone insane.”
Honestly, as someone with a small capacity, all of this felt burdensome to me.
“hahahaha. Nice to meet you!”
Finally, I met President Kim Cheol at the Blue House, and he was exactly as I had seen on TV, with a dignified aura.
It felt strange to meet someone whom I had only encountered through TV in person.
“Now that I see you like this, you’re a very good match. Isn’t that right, honey?”
“Yes, that’s right. You two go well together. Hoho.”
Kim Cheol and his wife welcomed us warmly, revealing that they were big fans.
I was truly impressed by a love story that seemed like destiny or something.
So, lunch flowed naturally as everything had been planned in advance.
“Now. You must be hungry, so let’s have our meal. The food here is quite good.”
“We’ve heard a lot about it.”
“We’ll enjoy it gratefully.”
“…We’ll enjoy it.”
Because of that, even Ma Yeon-seo, who had treated everyone impolitely regardless of the other party, strangely put on a somewhat modest appearance.
“Did she act this well?”
It seemed like there was a camera, as if it was attempting image-making.
Some people were merely avoiding occasional questions.
“Oh, by the way. It’s not yet confirmed that Yeonseo Yang will completely transfer to Korea, right?”
“We are still negotiating the minor details.”
“Hmm… Then I can’t just sit still.”
Kim Cheol had promised one suggestion as if to show off, subtly conscious of the camera installed on one side.
“If Yeonseo Yang decides to transfer to Korea, I will take charge of the ceremony at our wedding!”
It was a promise to personally officiate, as agreed beforehand.
“Have you never officiated before?”
“Well, I’ll try it this time! If it’s not too much trouble, how about it?”
“Well, it would be an honor if you do. Right?”
“…I think the same.”
Watching the three people who had already entered the realm of “pros” from the side, I silently poured out sincere admiration.
Kim Cheol subtly took on the image of supporting the transfer, while Ma Yeonseo gained the position recognized by the president.
The business was reaching an exhilarating climax.
“Save me…!”
Having finished the lunch while receiving the president’s full support, I barely escaped from the Blue House, my mind racing.
“I want to go home.”
Ideally, I wanted to just go back to the hotel and rest.
“Oh, I have a meeting scheduled with the chairman of the Korean Awakening Association in two hours.”
“Ga, Chairman of the Awakening Society…?”
“I originally didn’t plan to meet. But they insisted so much that I agreed.”
Unfortunately, I couldn’t catch a break from Yena and Mayeonseo.
“Please, save me!!”
The life of the “nation’s husband,” Kang Yuchan, had just begun.
*
As Yuchan struggled to adapt to the unfamiliar world.
“….”
Hanryowon, trapped in a dark room, stared silently at the monitor with a puzzled expression.
[Seoul City, considering increasing medical research budget at Seoul Sun Hospital.]
[“Couple of the century” President Kim Cheol and Oh Chan….]
[“I will definitely recruit them,” said Lim Mi-yoon, Chairman of the Awakening Society, expressing her confident determination….]
The news from the hospital where her little brother worked and the stories of Yuchan and Yeonseo, whose stock prices were soaring, filled the screen….
“….”
Hanryowon, who had been staring at the monitor emotionlessly, suddenly lifted the corners of her mouth and started laughing.
hehehehe.
It was a face that seemed to go crazy with amusement.