Chapter Text
The news of the Choi patriarch’s death spread to the news outlets almost immediately, partly due to Daeyoung’s acquaintances at one of the newspaper outlets in both Japan and Korea. The article reporting of the death took up more ad space in the obituary section, much to Daeyoung’s liking. It led to Jongmin and Hyunwoo insisting that the wake and the funeral be held completely private, away from the prying eyes of the media.
“Choi Hyungsuk, the head of one of the country’s wealthiest families, passed away of natural causes this week. The chaebol is survived by his three children; Choi Hyunwoo, Choi Jongmin, and Choi Seonak, eight grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. The CEO position of the family’s company is now undetermined with the patriarch’s shares up for grabs.”
Hyunwoo put down the newspapers after reading the article that morning, shooting a glare toward his son, who seemed especially pleased with what he did over breakfast. “Did you really have to make this all a show?” He asked.
Daeyoung shook his head. “I didn’t write it that way, I just told my contacts the points that needed to be mentioned,” He said. “The shares grandpa owns are public information, father. In every country he’s got properties in.”
“You do realize that the country we have been living in has inheritance taxes, right? If anything, the only one squandering whatever money we have just so happens to be my only son,” Hyunwoo frowned. “Have those investors of yours been delivering on what they said they’d do anyway?”
“Father, you sound as if uncle Jongmin is the one who will get grandpa’s shares when we all know that you, the eldest in your family, will rightfully receive all of those, however much grandpa still owns in the company,” Daeyoung pointed out.
Hyunwoo knew his son had a point, but there was none in trying to explain how he honestly had no care for it. Hyunwoo was always more than happy to receive whatever he could for as long as he had a place in the company – he would always assure his family that having less of those shares meant having less of a burden. His wife, while relieved that he felt that way, always had that underlying concern that one day, Hyunwoo might see things from Daeyoung’s point of view, or even from Seonak’s point of view.
Despite Daeyoung’s insistence on flaunting their wealth, Hyunwoo and Jina knew that at the end of the day, they are still much better off now than if they got more. Jina, who also came from old money (her family owns one of the country’s major banks that have branches in several countries), knew to teach her children to be content and happy while striving for more purpose in the world. Both Hyunwoo and Jina had even questioned at one point if Daeyoung was really their son and not Seonak’s.
“I don’t think it’s the right time to think about the family business, it’s important to take some time to grieve properly, isn’t it?” Jina said while taking a sip of her tea. “We must all be present at the wake later, Eunhyung and the rest of the staff are making the preparations while we’ve done all we could for the rest. If there are reporters present, no comment as always.”
Daeyoung and Hyemin exchanged looks. “But, mom-” Hyemin tried to interject. “With all due respect, I think the people should at least know-”
“Know what, Hyemin?” Hyunwoo spoke again, making her sit up straight, falling silent. “They know what they need to know. There’s no other news. They’ve already brought up how my father’s shares at the company are up for grabs, that’s all the media circus this is going to get.”
Soohyuk, who had been quiet this whole time, excused himself and brought his plate and cup out from the dining area, passing it to the helper who was nearby and quickly went down to place it in the kitchen. Having heard what happened that drove Juhyun and Seonghwa to leave the estate and return to the city, Soohyuk returned to his room and packed his things. They were all set to leave the estate anyway until the day they would be called to return for the will reading.
He had grown to see how his own parents were from an early age, just by observing how Daeyoung treated everyone and how Hyemin was with her own group of socialites that married richer husbands. Soohyuk had also gotten teased for his family’s wealth, but, like his other aunts and his much younger uncle, he shrugged it off. Daeyoung and Hyemin never even knew that Soohyuk worked for a university newspaper and that he was becoming interested in one of his classmates, a girl named Rie Tachibana, whom he got to see in their philosophy and literature classes.
Soohyuk could only imagine what his parents would say if they found out that he had asked her out. He knew they would grill Rie much like how Daeyoung and Seonak rounded on Seonghwa and Juhyun during the dinner. He took out his phone and glanced at the door before locking it. He didn’t want to be disturbed, much less get caught for now. Maybe when he proposed to Rie, he could, but not for now.
He sat back down on the edge of the bed and tapped his phone’s contacts, to her number. Soohyuk took a deep breath and tapped the video call feature, seeing it ring. Rie’s sudden appearance on his screen nearly made him fall over in surprise.
“Hello? Soohyuk-kun!” She said with a smile.
“H-hi,” Soohyuk smiled back, hoping that his cheeks weren’t red.
“What’s up? I still have to revise that article I’m doing on the school’s cheerleading squad. I heard you’re in Korea, but you seem to be in some hotel?” Rie asked.
Soohyuk shook his head. “It’s the ancestral home, but not really,” He said. He looked down for a moment. “I admit, I just wanted to call you after what’s been going on.”
“Oh-oh yeah, I’m sorry about your loss,” Rie’s tone softened. “I’d visit you if I could. The funeral’s going to be there, I presume?”
“Obviously,” Soohyuk chuckled. “But I could arrange for you to come here if you’d like.”
Rie raised a brow. “That’s a weird way of asking me out. We had a nice time before.”
“Well that was before,” Soohyuk tried to sound cool. “We did agree to another date, didn’t we?” He said, hoping that he wasn’t smiling so wide.
Rie nodded. “Yes we did. When you get back, maybe we could have dinner again, without talking about the newspaper or homework or any of those lectures,” She pointed out.
“Deal,” Soohyuk nodded.
Rie nodded as well. “Must be nice to live like you, huh?” She said, looking a little wistful. “Don’t have to worry about a thing.”
Soohyuk shook his head. “It seems that way, doesn’t it?”
There was a knock on the door and Soohyuk could only wave at Rie before hanging up. He rushed to unlock and open the door and saw Sangmin come in, holding his gaming console. “Soohyuk hyung! Want to play some Mario Kart?” He asked.
Soohyuk shook his head. “Only for a little bit. I’m packing up to leave.”
Sangmin’s head tilted and he looked at the older male with slight concern. “You’re leaving too?” He asked.
“Oh, yes, yes, aren’t we all? Shouldn’t you be packing to go home?” He asked.
Sangmin nodded. “I already did it. I knew we were going to leave the moment Juhyun noona and Seonghwa hyung left the other day.”
Soohyuk let out an exasperated sigh. “Ah right. You think aunt Seonak drove great grandpa to his death?” He grinned.
The younger male laughed out loud. “I wouldn’t be surprised. So, Mario Kart?”
Soohyuk nodded. “Alright, grand prix, okay?” He said, following Sangmin out of the room. He would much rather focus on a confusing race track than have to deal with his own family at the moment.
~
While most of the public took little notice of the Choi patriarch’s passing, the news was arguably the most important among society circles in Korea. Many trust fund bachelors were already making bets as to which Choi family member would take the lead – as Juhyun’s father was the one in Korea and was therefore more public, he was the most obvious choice. Hyunwoo was second place. Seonak wasn’t given a passing thought given that she was based in Switzerland and hadn’t set foot in Seoul, more less Jinju, for years since moving to Geneva.
Even Seonghwa’s family was aware of what was happening, and in turn, sought to travel to the funeral hall where the wake was being held to pay their respects. Seonghwa’s grandmother, whom had viewed Juhyun’s grandfather as a best friend in recent years since their reunion, was especially saddened yet she wasn’t crying. Seonghwa knew this from seeing her take a lot longer to move to the side after almost every visitor paid their respects.
It was an all-black affair, with some of the men looking rather tired – many would compare them to celebrities getting into trouble with the law and are in the midst of a court case. Hyunwoo’s comparison was accurate – that the news of the patriarch’s death was followed by a media circus.
Some politicians – Hyungsuk’s old colleagues or peers – had even arrived to pay their respects and give their condolences to Jongmin, Hyunwoo, and even Seonak. While Hyunwoo and Jongmin were grouped with the tired celebrities in terms of looks, Seonak looked as polished as ever. Maintaining the bob she had not long after the passing along with a full face of makeup. Hyemin of course, took after her aunt-in-law in a freshly-styled hairdo and a full beat.
Juhyun, on the other hand, looked as simple as she had always been – unintentionally meeting the criteria of what was popularly constituted as “quiet luxury.” Seonghwa knew that she had only thrown on the first things she saw in her dressers. She watched the visitors come up to the front, approach the portrait of her grandfather, then leave, but not without passing all of them to greet them briefly before really leaving the place.
She wasn’t particularly close with her grandfather over the years. As far as she knew, she only remembered afternoons when he would take her to the local supermarket and buy her snacks to eat for school in the coming week. Juhyun also remembered summers when she was a child, watching him hover over the cooks in the kitchen, not to criticize their way of cooking, but to ask them about it. It wasn’t something her grandmother approved, but the cooks were grateful nonetheless. They would rather have Hyungsuk than her grandmother hovering over them.
Whenever her grandmother would constantly ask them to pose for photos, the same kind, Juhyun remembered, her grandfather would call her out on it.
“Again?! We just took a lot of photos a few minutes ago!” She remembered him often saying.
When her grandmother died, it was still quite a somber affair. But Juhyun remembered Seonak asking who stands to also inherit parts of her wardrobe. Being the only child on her side of the family, Juhyun’s grandmother basically had everything she could ever ask for and more. Naturally, Seonak got most of her wardrobe, including her jewelry. Those never saw the light of day unless she planned on showing off to her friends, which was almost every week.
The rest of the wardrobe, made up of pieces that Seonak didn’t like or thought was garbage, ended up with Eunhyung. Hyungsuk, of course, did not object.
It was a tense greeting when Juhyun and Seonghwa showed up that day of the wake. She only nodded in acknowledgment when Jihyun and Bin arrived, only for Juhyun to pull Seonghwa away when they planned to approach them. The conversation at the estate was still fresh in her mind, and Juhyun felt like she needed to stand her ground in deciding that she would not attend the wedding unless Seonghwa was invited too.
“Do you think they can change their minds about your aunt’s condition of letting them get married in Geneva?” Seonghwa muttered to her as they walked to the side, a little away from the growing crowd and clusters of people stopping to send their condolences.
“I wouldn’t put it past them, but,” Juhyun sighed. “At this point, I’m starting not to care. If they want to stick with that, then so be it. It’ll save us the time and effort to clear our schedules.”
Seonghwa reached down to hold her hand, lacing their fingers together. “But Jihyun’s your sister,” He said.
“But you are my husband,” She countered with a squeeze of his hand. “I married you, which makes you more important than them to me.”
Seonghwa felt incredibly moved, but it didn’t take away the bit of guilt he felt for Juhyun missing out on Jihyun’s wedding because of him. He also knew Juhyun had a point. They were now more important to each other than everyone in their immediate families. He kissed her cheek and pulled away to get them some water.
As he approached the water cooler to fill two cups, he suddenly saw Seonak making her way over to him. Seonghwa tensed up, trying to make this as quick as possible only for the older woman to stop him. “Seonghwa, hello,” She said with a smile.
“Hello.”
A small smile appeared on her lips. “How are you finding all of this? The frenzy surrounding my father’s passing?” She said.
It’s a trap, he thought. Seonak’s trying to find his weakness. He needed to be careful. “Somber. He was a good man to have many friends come and see him,” Seonghwa replied, trying to be as polite and as formal as possible.
Seonak nodded, taking one of the cups of water from his hand and taking a sip. “Walk with me, will you?” She said, gesturing to the nearby hall where there hardly weren’t any people.
Seonghwa could feel his heart pound as he agreed. The anxiety was growing as he walked alongside Juhyun’s aunt. The very aunt she hated, along the empty hall. Juhyun was going to wonder where he had gone off. He refused to say another word unless she spoke.
And Seonak did. “You know, you could imagine my surprise when I found out that everyone else was invited to your wedding except for me,” She started, taking another sip of the water that was meant for Juhyun. “That’s quite disrespectful, you know.”
Seonghwa reminded himself even more that whatever he said next, Seonak may use against him. “Sorry,” He said, still keeping it as formal and as polite as possible. He somehow had a feeling she was anticipating that he get down on his knees to beg for her forgiveness, that he’d squeal. Seonghwa knew not to explain any further and keep it at that.
“But then again, I suppose it might be out of shame that Juhyun settled,” Seonak said with a simper as they walked. “That girl could potentially have everything, including a high quality husband.”
“...Excuse me?” Seonghwa blurted out.
But Seonak only chuckled, as if expecting the reaction. “Juhyun settled with you. She never got it into her head that she could do so much better, aim much higher. For gods’ sake, she was nearly propositioned by the English nobility. We could’ve had a duchess in this family.”
“What?” Seonghwa was trying to wrap his head around what the older woman was saying.
Seonak sighed, giving him an apologetic look. “Why even waste your time trying to fit in, Park Seonghwa? If there is one thing you should know, even now that both my parents are gone, you will never be enough,” She said.
There it was, Seonghwa thought, as he noticed Seonak take a folded wad of paper out of her purse and handed it over to him. “What’s this?” He said.
“Something for you to think about. I know it’s already been a few years,” Seonak said. “But there’s still time to make things right, let Juhyun be where she belongs. It’s not too late.”
Seonak walked off, tossing the now-empty cup of water into the dust bin. Seonghwa could feel the weight come off him, like the dark cloud had now left and dissipated. He remembered that Juhyun would be looking for him right about now. If anyone told her they saw him walk and talk with Seonak, Seonghwa knew she was going to be curious.
He looked down at the folded wad of papers she gave him. A nagging thought was beginning to surface in his mind. Seonghwa hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was, while he slowly unfolded the paper. The words printed at the top only confirmed his nagging thoughts. To make things worse, most of the paper had already been filled out with both their names.
Application for Uncontested Divorce
~
The executor of Hyungsuk’s will announced that the reading would be done a month later, and everyone left for their respective homes. In the case of Seonak and her family, she opted to remain in the estate while her two daughters and son-in-law stayed elsewhere. The funeral was held just as quickly and as privately, a ceremony amongst the immediate family that made up the entire Choi clan. The three children of the patriarch had only permitted guests and visitors, to pay their respects at the wake. Seonak especially saw to it that not even Seonghwa’s grandmother was invited.
Despite the trying time for the entire Choi clan, Juhyun still brought herself to work. Being in the office served as a welcome distraction from the family members she had to tolerate.She insisted on showing up for work even if Seonghwa told her that it was likely going to be fine for her not to show up for that same reason. Her doing so shocked the employees and supervisors that were part of the new division she was put in charge of: Cosmetics.
A board meeting to discuss the upcoming cosmetic exhibition later, Juhyun returned to her office. Seonghwa was suddenly waiting for her, sitting on the couch. “Hey,” He said, standing up when she closed the door behind her.
“Seonghwa? What brings you here?” She asked.
He was suddenly unsure of whether or not to say it. While he wanted to always be honest with Juhyun, what Seonak proposed he do would only cause them both harm. “I just wanted to see you, how you’re doing,” He took her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “It hasn’t been long, how are you feeling?”
“Fine, really. I’ve had time to process everything. Oddly I’m not so sad,” Juhyun said, looking up at her husband. “What about you? You really worried?” She raised a brow, sensing something different.
Seonghwa smiled. “I need to talk to you about something. It’s about what happened during the wake,” He said, letting go for them to sit down again.
“Oh? What happened at the wake? Did aunt Seonak give you another condescending look?” Juhyun frowned.
He shook his head. “No, it’s something different, actually. She said you were nearly propositioned by an English royal,” He revealed. That much he could say for now, he thought. “Did it really happen?” He was curious.
Juhyun stared at him for a moment. “She said that to you?” and he nodded. “Did he, really? As far as I know, I was sitting next to the woman he ultimately proposed to.”
It was Seonghwa’s turn to be confused. “...What?”
“Lord Oliver Montague of Mayfair,” Juhyun revealed. “I didn’t think he would actually propose to me all those years ago. It was early in college, before Jihan took notice of me. I kind of helped him when he was lost in Sanary-sur-Mer during the summer break, and he thanked me by inviting me to his family home.”
Seonghwa took note of every detail she revealed about the man, unsure whether to feel insecure or not. “Was he handsome?”
“He was good-looking, I admit,” Juhyun said, her expression falling slightly the more Seonghwa asked. “But he was more than 10 years older than me at the time, he wasn’t going to wait to start a family if he proposed to me. The woman I sat next to, her name was Monique Rahman, she ended up becoming his wife. Now she’s Lady Montague.”
“You seem so up-to-date with Lord Oliver’s whereabouts,” Seonghwa noticed.
Juhyun shook her head. “Not really. He just sends me a message every now and then, telling me what he’s been up to. He’s happily married to this day and good for him.”
“Oh, oh good, good for him,” Seonghwa nodded. “Sounds like a good guy.”
She studied his reaction. “Seonghwa…I married you. Aunt Seonak is trying to get into your head the way Rebecca was trying to get into mine,” She assured him, voice low.
“I know, I know,” He replied. His mind was racing. All he could think about was the wad of paper that he tucked under his desk at the museum. “I mean, we could’ve both settled with them, right? But we settled with each other.”
Juhyun raised a brow. “What do you mean?”
There it was, it felt like there was no way to stop what Seonghwa knew he was going to say. Juhyun sensed it too. “I mean, had you settled for that British Lord, and I with Rebecca even if she was the one who left me, we would’ve turned out very differently, right?”
“Seonghwa,” Juhyun stood up. “Are you hearing what you’re saying?”
“Loud and clear,” He stood up as well, a sigh escaping his lips this time. “Lord Oliver’s proposal seems too good to be true to pass on.”
“But I didn’t get proposed to by him, Seonghwa,” Juhyun argued, shaking her head. “I didn’t. Didn’t you hear what I said earlier? Monique Rahman is Lady Montague, not me.”
Seonghwa felt like he was having a mental breakdown the more he pressed on the aristocrat. “You truly are fucking beautiful, you refuse to see that. No wonder you caught the attention of that British guy,” He said. He couldn’t help it. It was like trying to stop a leaking faucet but to no avail.
Juhyun was trying to wrap her head around the things Seonghwa was saying. “What are you accusing me of? You asked me about what Aunt Seonak told you, and I told you, there was nothing going on. I did say he was more than 10 years older than me, and he wouldn’t be waiting long to start a family if he proposed to me then and there,” She approached him and held his hands.
“Is that why you turned him down?”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Seonghwa,” She whispered. “I never had feelings for him. I didn’t look at him the way you think I did. And that was years ago, before I met Jihan. Why are you sounding like I cheated on you?”
Seonghwa sighed and rested his forehead on hers. “I can’t help but think that maybe you’re better off with someone who’s also old money like you-” He was cut off when she kissed him.
Juhyun felt her eyes welling up with tears that silently streamed down her face. She slowly pulled away, her forehead still resting on his. “I’m sorry my family’s like this,” She whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
That only made Seonghwa kiss her again. Juhyun didn’t have to apologize, and he knew that very well. But at this moment, he knew that he hurt her, just as much as he hurt himself. She kept whispering apologies as they lingered.
Juhyun felt like her heart was breaking. It felt like a wound being reopened for the whole world to see once again. She felt like no matter how much she tried to convince him, it wouldn’t do. She was just relieved that no one else was around, or at least overhearing this conversation outside. It was her idea in the first place to pretend that they were in a relationship. It was now making her think that had she not asked Seonghwa back then, things wouldn’t be this painful.
“It’s just as my fault for thinking that…” Seonghwa whispered against her lips.
“You wanted to find out if what aunt Seonak was saying was true,” Juhyun pointed out.
“I’m sorry too,” Seonghwa replied. “I’m so sorry too. You were right about your aunt after all.”
Juhyun nodded. “I know. She’s a real piece of work, isn’t she? She’s even tried to do that to every single niece and nephew she has, even her own kids. That’s her tactic.”
Just then, Juhyun and Seonghwa heard their phones buzz. It was an email.
Subject Line: Choi Juhyun x Park Seonghwa Hidden Camera
They glanced at each other, wondering whether or not to open it. Juhyun felt her heart stop when she went in to check the message itself.
Married couples should know better. Reputation’s in ruins once this gets out.
There was no signature, no indication of who it might have been. The sender of the message seemed like an automated one. Juhyun and Seonghwa viewed the video attachment. The video was mostly dark, yet it was in a familiar-looking room. The outlines of two people against the moonlit curtains of the room could be seen on the bed.
The sounds of a loud tapping soon filled the room alongside heavy breaths and soft whimpers. Juhyun and Seonghwa nearly dropped their phones as they immediately closed the attachments. Just when they thought it could get any worse.