WRL 11

Chapter: 11

Oppa!

Hyunseo let out a hollow laugh in disbelief. How bold.

Did she have this side to her? It was truly unexpected. Min Taeyeon, the woman he knew from the company, was someone you would never imagine behaving this way. She was neat, proper, responsible with her work, and had good relationships with everyone — the kind of woman who always said yes.

“I misjudged her.”

He muttered softly, and soon after, the sound of the door closing followed. When Taeyeon lifted her head, Choi Hyunseo was already gone. Left alone, her anger only grew.

To him, she was nothing more than a replaceable part. Something disposable. But then again, in a company, employees are always like that. If you consider the company as a machine, employees are merely components.

Replaceable parts — easily swapped out. The only reason he couldn’t replace her was because this position wasn’t just any part. It was the place of Yunwoo’s mother, and Choi Hyunseo’s wife.

To ordinary people, a wife isn’t a replaceable component, but a relationship filled with warmth, blood, and emotional bonds. That meant she wasn’t just a subordinate employee like in a typical workplace.

Thinking that way didn’t feel entirely bad. Yet the reason she kept sighing was because, deep down, she wanted to gain even a little piece of Choi Hyunseo’s heart. Was it even possible?

The way his eyes had filled with moisture when he saw Yunwoo’s dying mother. The three days after her death, when he looked ashen and weighed down by sorrow. Seeing Yunwoo, there was no way he could ever forget that woman.

Could she truly gain even a fraction of such a man’s heart?

She wouldn’t know unless she tried. After all, she had entered the home of the man she secretly loved, taking the position of his wife — how could she leave without trying anything? Still, as time passed, exhaustion crept in.

* * *

The hottest topic on MIU Group’s internal messenger was undoubtedly the wedding of Choi Hyunseo and Min Taeyeon. The fact that Taeyeon had once worked in the PR department drove all the female employees wild.

“Do you know who Min Taeyeon is?”

“The quiet girl from PR? She had a good personality and seemed quite capable.”

“She’s a fox among foxes.”

“Exactly. Not just capable — exceptionally so.”

Shin Noeul overheard their sarcastic remarks. He wasn’t openly dating Taeyeon, but their relationship wasn’t simply that of a landlord’s son and a tenant in a rooftop room, nor just a younger friend and older brother.

Maybe that’s why he was here.

At the point when her wedding was only two days away, wandering the streets of Itaewon like this meant he had clearly lost his mind.

The fading summer heat still clung to the air, and Itaewon at rush hour felt unbearably noisy and stifling. After hesitating for a long time, Noeul finally called Taeyeon. Her familiar voice answered.

“Oppa.”

“Taeyeon, I’m near your place.”

With just one road separating Itaewon and Hannam-dong, it felt like two different worlds. Looking toward Hannam-dong made his thoughts grow even more tangled.

“Could we grab a cup of tea for a moment?”

It was dinner time. Hyunseo usually came home late, and even if he came early, it wouldn’t matter. Taeyeon found herself wanting to see Noeul, just once.

“I’ll come out right away.”

“I’ll step out for a bit.”

When she told Mrs. Leecheon, who was holding Yunwoo, the woman smiled and nodded.

“Oh, you really should go out once in a while. You’ve been stuck at home too much, madam. Take a walk, meet a friend. The director won’t be back for quite some time.”

“Yes.”

The café in Itaewon was bright and crowded. Walking inside, Taeyeon realized how long she had been cooped up at home. Back when she worked, she had coworkers, dinners with Noeul, and beers after work. Now, all of that felt like a past life.

“Oppa.”

Seeing Taeyeon enter, Noeul’s heart throbbed painfully. If he had known she would leave so suddenly, he wouldn’t have hesitated for so long.

A love that never fully ignited. A sister-like figure he wished happiness for. The emotions he’d wandered through finally crystallized into love — but by then, too much time had passed.

When he finally confessed, Taeyeon politely declined. Yet, knowing her goodwill, he wasn’t disappointed. After both became assistant managers, things had even seemed hopeful.

A promising future together — dating, marriage, dual incomes — had stretched out before them. Then suddenly, she disappeared. He thought she’d return, but instead, he received shocking news: her mother said Taeyeon had given birth and was about to marry.

Unable to believe it, Noeul went to the hospital himself. In a VIP room, he saw Taeyeon holding a baby, standing beside a man.

That man was Choi Hyunseo — the heir of MIU Group. Someone far beyond competition.

Seeing the three of them together drained all the strength from his body. So he gave up. And yet, it still drove him mad.

Suppressing the storm inside, Noeul lifted his hand.

“Hey, sit down. It’s been a while. What would you like?”

“Just an Americano.”

He brought the coffee. They sat in silence, but Noeul felt the heavier weight.

“Is the baby doing well?”

“Our Yunwoo? He’s growing well. Stronger now, eats more too.”

Seeing Taeyeon’s face light up as she spoke, Noeul felt a crushing sense of defeat — as if he were facing not only Hyunseo, but their child as well.

“The wedding’s the day after tomorrow. I came to see your face once.”

“Thanks, oppa.”

Her calm gratitude made his loss feel deeper. Was this really why he came?

He smiled and lifted his coffee, hiding his emotions behind the cup. Watching him, Taeyeon’s heart grew heavy too.

Maybe I shouldn’t have come.

She had stepped out lightly, but seeing Noeul made her uneasy. He had always been her dependable neighborhood oppa. Someone who knew her struggles and helped her.

Yet guilt crept in — because his face overlapped strangely with Hyunseo’s. Her public husband. Meeting the man who once confessed to her, two days before her wedding — it felt wrong.

Even though this wasn’t a marriage of love, she found herself trapped in such pointless emotions.

She swallowed a sigh with a gulp of hot coffee.

“Are you happy?”

A frightening question. What did happiness even mean? If it meant good food, good clothes, and money, she should be happy.

Triple her former salary — all saved. By that standard, she should be happy.

But could she truly say that?

Clinging to a man she couldn’t reach, holding onto a threadlike hope, carrying the secret of Yunwoo’s birth — it felt like walking a tightrope.

“Why does a bride look so gloomy?”

“Brides always look like this. I’m dieting.”

“You just gave birth. Why diet?”

“Then I need to even more. A bride should look pretty.”

Empty words — yet her weight really had dropped.

* * *

Stuck in traffic, Hyunseo closed his tablet after scanning the reports. None of them pleased him.

“If they’re going to work like this, they might as well resign.”

Just as he turned his head in irritation, he spotted a café — and through the window, a familiar face.

Min Taeyeon.

And the man sitting across from her.

They were smiling brightly, clearly enjoying themselves. Had he ever once seen Taeyeon smile so freely? The thought made his chest tighten with irritation.

Hyunseo pulled out his phone and snapped a photo, not even knowing why.

Zooming in, it was unmistakably Taeyeon — red lips spread wide, neat white teeth. Anyone could see she was beautiful.