Chapter 93: Venom in the Mirror and Shadows at the Altar

“I’d… like that. But are you sure you’re okay with it?”

For my part, I was grateful if Do-yun was willing to go with me. It was much better to just show my face briefly and then go hang out with him than to spend the whole time smiling like a robot and greeting strangers.

However, Do-yun had rarely appeared at official events or social gatherings until now. Going to a place like a wedding, where figures from the business world congregate, meant he might receive a lot of unnecessary attention. But Do-yun answered with a refreshing smile.

Seeing his bright response, I strangely started looking forward to Saturday.

The scale of the wedding was as massive as expected. I heard the reason for the marriage was a “shotgun” situation. At the entrance of the grand hotel wedding hall, the groom—the man who must be my classmate’s younger brother—was dressed in a black tailcoat, bowing repeatedly to the guests. The man was somewhat short and lanky, and his eyes went wide as I walked up to him.

“Seung-hyeon Hyung?”

“Hey, hi. It’s been a long time. Congratulations on the wedding.”

He was a complete stranger to me, but I greeted him with a smile for now. The man grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously.

“Hyung! Why has it been so long? You didn’t answer any of our calls, so I thought you were dead.”

“Sorry, I changed my phone a while back and wiped my contacts. I got scolded by my grandfather once.”

I probably blocked you. He was definitely the type I’d stop hearing from. Sure enough, the man had dark circles under his eyes, and his overall impression wasn’t great. He spoke with a disappointed face.

“It wasn’t fun without you, Hyung. Not many girls showed up. Hah, if I hadn’t made a mistake, I could be enjoying a free life like you.”

Those were certainly inappropriate words coming from a groom getting married today. I hid my unpleasant expression as best as I could, but suddenly, he glanced at Do-yun standing beside me. Do-yun greeted him politely with a smile.

“Hello.”

“Ah, this is my younger brother. Choi Do-yun.”

“…Ah.”

After a brief silence, the man looked Do-yun up and down as if he understood something, then whispered to me.

“You must have had a hard time too, Hyung.”

I didn’t know exactly what he meant by “hard time,” but it was clearly something negative. The way he looked at Do-yun was disrespectful. However, Do-yun didn’t offer a rebuttal and simply kept smiling. The man spoke to me, acting friendly.

“You have to stay until the photos are all taken, okay?”

“Of course.”

That’s why I came. Fortunately, there were so many guests that I was able to slip away moderately well. I went to a corner restroom and washed my hands thoroughly. My mood was soured because that guy’s hands had been so sweaty.

Anyway, I’d seen the groom and greeted him, so my job was done. Once Do-yun returned from paying the gift money on my behalf, I figured we could just clap from a corner of the hall and then get out of here. It would be even more tedious if I ran into my classmate, that guy’s older brother.

But the truly unpleasant event happened in a completely unexpected place.

“…Choi Seung-hyeon?”

I looked up at the mirror and saw a man in a suit standing there. It took me a long time of staring at him to remember who he was. My brow furrowed automatically. Oh, hell.

“…Han Won-ju?”

“Wow, I move back to Korea after a long time and I run into someone I actually want to see?”

The moment he smirked, my whole body went rigid.

To think this guy was a mutual acquaintance here too… Thinking about it, it was obvious, but I hadn’t anticipated it. I heard he went to Japan after I beat him up back then, but I’d completely erased him from my memory since then.

The eldest son of Hanseong, whom I hadn’t seen in years, hadn’t changed a bit. He still looked like a treacherous sycophant, and he was still built like a tank. I shook the water off my hands and turned around, speaking expressionlessly.

“Right. I heard you might not be able to have kids; did you ever get that treated?”

When I spoke while pointedly glancing between his legs, Han Won-ju’s smirking face cracked.

“Cut the crap. I’m perfectly healthy, okay?”

The fact that he went straight to cursing told me I’d landed a solid hit on his vitals back then. As I sneered silently, Won-ju bit his lip, tried to compose himself, and put on a mean-spirited face. Then he said something out of left field.

“Hey, what a waste. If you were going to break off the engagement with Joo Ri-ah, I should have had you marry my sister.”

My brow furrowed slightly. What was he talking about all of a sudden?

“You know the adults in our family suggested a marriage talk with you before, right? I was the one who recommended it.”

He naturally took a step closer to me.

“Just asking in case, but are you interested in meeting my sister? She’s still single.”

This guy is truly insane.

I tried to ignore him and walk out, but Han Won-ju blocked my path and whispered.

“Then we could become real family. I’d welcome it. I think… it would be pretty good, living with you.”

“Are you out of your mind?”

The look in his eyes as he scanned me was like a slimy snake. When I glared at him, Han Won-ju burst into laughter, raised both hands as if surrendering, and said:

“Hey, it’s a good day today. You’re going to hit me again? Wouldn’t that be a nuisance to Ji-woo?”

“Well, if you know how to distinguish time and place, that won’t happen, will it? It’s a bit much to act like a dog in heat at a friend’s brother’s wedding.”

Simultaneously, a memory from a bar a few years ago played back in my head.

I didn’t want to think about what this bastard tried to do when he lunged at me back then, so I kept my mouth shut. Han Won-ju glared at me for a moment, then snorted as if he found it absurd.

“Fine, it’s all my fault. I’m the only one who gets jerked around by Choi Seung-hyeon and loses out. Same for Noh Jae-shik, and Su-jeong.”

I flinched the moment I heard the name Noh Jae-shik. Even though I knew Do-yun wasn’t there, I found myself glancing at the restroom entrance. Seeing that I was a bit flustered, he looked incredibly excited, as if he’d finally achieved his life’s goal.

“You were sobbing back then, saying how hard it was because of your dad. So I got you something good, and you just ignored my sincerity.”

He chuckled as if mocking me. But his words suddenly made my eyes snap open. I spoke in a hushed voice.

“That ‘Su-jeong’… are you talking about drugs?”

“Do you know how much that cost? You threw a fit saying you couldn’t take it and spilled all that precious stuff on the floor. Though, it was fun watching the other guys lick it up like dogs.”

My eyes narrowed. So that means… I never actually did drugs?

A realization flashed through my mind like a bolt of lightning. I replied while calmly pretending to remember.

“That’s why you lunged at me to force-feed me. And that’s why I smashed your head with a bottle.”

“…The word ‘force’ is a bit much. Between us.”

Crazy bastard. I was just taking a guess, but it seems it was true. It was even more shocking that he didn’t deny it. He was a much more dangerous guy than I thought. Goosebumps broke out all over my body.

Then he said, “Now that Ji-woo is married, we won’t meet as often as before, so feel free to contact me whenever you change your mind. You know my number hasn’t changed, right?”

He licked his lips.

“Or I might come find you first. To celebrate my return.”

But the moment he slowly reached his hand toward me, someone grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.

“What the—?” Han Won-ju shouted irritably.

To my surprise, the one holding him from behind was Do-yun, who was smiling politely. I don’t know if it was because the hotel restroom lights were dim, but he looked like a statue that had suddenly emerged from the shadows.

Because his features were so sharp, the shadows were deep, and even though he was smiling, it didn’t look like he was laughing at all. Instead, he looked incredibly intimidating. Do-yun spoke in a soft voice.

“My apologies. I thought you were my brother.”

He then came to stand right beside me. The sycophantic Won-ju seemed a bit flustered when Do-yun, who was taller than him, looked down at him. Without saying much, he made a “tsk” sound and practically fled the restroom. He didn’t forget to glare at me one last time before leaving.

Meanwhile, as soon as he left, Do-yun’s expression turned into one of worry as he looked at me. I watched that magical change of expression with a somewhat fascinated heart.

“Hyung, are you okay? You look a bit pale.”

Looking back at the mirror, I really was deathly pale. When had my face become like this?

“Oh, no. I was just a bit surprised.”

Do-yun hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but… did something bad happen with that person in the past?”

“Yeah, a few years ago…. Some things happened.”

I gave a vague answer. Honestly, I was a bit dazed and lightheaded because I’d just learned for the first time that ‘Choi Seung-hyeon’ had never actually done drugs. To be precise, I was both happy and bewildered. I had thought it was strange that I didn’t have withdrawal symptoms…. I just assumed it was because I’d lived diligently since being reincarnated.

But to think he’d never done them in the first place! However, in the original work, Choi Seung-hyeon was definitely a drug addict. I felt like cutting ties with that guy was a stroke of genius. If I had continued to keep in touch with him or, heaven forbid, drank anything at the bar that night a few years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to escape it either….

Meanwhile, Do-yun watched my expression closely and asked cautiously again.

“Is he the person you fought with the day before your company interview a long time ago?”

“Yeah…. Huh? How did you know?”

It wasn’t something I specifically needed to hide, but I was startled that Do-yun pointed it out so accurately.

Do-yun gritted his teeth slightly, then immediately smiled softly and put his arm around my shoulder. He asked as he led me out of the restroom.

“I’d suspected as much for a while. More importantly, do you want to leave now? I’ve already paid the gift money.”

“…Already?”

I hesitated a bit before answering. “Still, we should take the photos.”

“Alright. Actually, I found out there’s a band performing nearby. You mentioned your new movie is about a band. I think it would be a big help.”

“Oh…! Right. Let’s go later.”

The story about the band movie I’d told Do-yun was actually a lie, but I nodded vigorously anyway. I felt a bit guilty, but I didn’t exactly hate that Do-yun remembered every little thing I said.

In that moment, my mind was so cluttered with various thoughts that I didn’t notice Do-yun glancing back once more toward the direction where Han Won-ju had gone.