To My Brother’s Friend - Chapter 36

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 36
“Do speak your mind.”
“When the ceremony takes place, would it be acceptable for me to sit in the family section?”
Han Young-sook, meeting his gaze directly and asserting her claim with such confidence, was already as good as family to Hee-jo.
To win someone’s heart completely.
For a stranger—someone with not a drop of shared blood—to step forward so earnestly on her behalf.
It was never an easy thing to do.
Hee-jo’s character was proven sufficiently by Han Young-sook’s very attitude alone.
“Of course it should be so.”
Chairman Beom smiled, his thoughts turning inward.
‘How fortunate it would have been if the family had simply supported this.’
With a fresh pang of regret, Chairman Beom drained his glass with evident satisfaction.
“The sooner you have a child, the better. Isn’t that right, Hee-jo?”
Hee-jo faltered, her eyes lifting to Chairman Beom.
His smile was deliberately benevolent, yet his eyes held no warmth.
The chill beneath his words was unmistakable.
There was no room for a child between her and his grandson.
End this charade as quickly as possible and divorce.
Only then could Kwon Yeol marry a woman of appropriate standing and finally produce a worthy heir.
“Grandfather.”
Kwon Yeol’s voice dropped low.
Clear displeasure colored his tone at his grandfather’s rudeness.
Before he could say anything more, Hee-jo quickly spoke up.
“Yes, Grandfather. I’ll do my best to… hurry along.”
Chairman Beom laughed with satisfaction, a low chuckle rumbling from his chest.
“That’s right, that’s right. Our Hee-jo cares so much for her grandfather. And you, Jae-yeol—you should find a good person soon too.”
“Grandfather, why are you skipping over me?”
“As for you, Jae-yeol…”
“You mean you’re not worried because I’ll find someone good on my own—I understand. I’ll make sure to move quickly with my partner and bring you good news as soon as possible to live up to your expectations.”
The youngest, Jae-yeol, grinned and jested, prompting Chairman Beom to exhale softly and shake his head.
“When… when will you ever grow up…?”
The sharp tension eased momentarily, but Hee-jo remained rigid with anxiety.
Even as the cold sweat trickling down her spine gradually cooled.
* * *
After the meeting concluded.
As Hee-jo was about to leave, Jae-yeol approached and whispered low.
“I’ll repay the debt from taking you to the hospital last time soon, sister-in-law.”
Caught off guard by the term, Hee-jo hesitated, and Jae-yeol grinned before drifting away.
“What was that about?”
Kwon Yeol, who had drawn near, asked, and Hee-jo gave a small shake of her head.
“…No, it was just a greeting.”
Kwon Yeol’s gaze lingered briefly on Jae-yeol’s retreating figure before softening. He opened the path with courteous deference toward Han Young-sook.
“Shall we go then, Teacher?”
Hee-jo accompanied Kwon Yeol in seeing Han Young-sook off to the Transmission Hall.
In the quiet car, Han Young-sook spoke first, observing Hee-jo’s complexion through the rearview mirror.
“Beom Executive Director.”
“Please, call me more casually, Teacher.”
“That wouldn’t be proper. Not to the young master of the Beom Family.”
Her voice was affectionate, yet she was drawing a clear line—something Kwon Yeol could not fail to understand.
“I apologize on behalf of my mother for her rudeness today.”
“Hehe, an apology? It was actually quite a pleasant time. It may just be my impression, but she seemed somewhat less sharp than before.”
“Teacher.”
Hee-jo, sitting beside him, grasped her arm with concern, but Han Young-sook instead squeezed Hee-jo’s hand firmly while meeting Kwon Yeol’s eyes.
“Hee-jo, if anyone ever bullies you, never endure it in silence. Bare your claws, raise your voice. That’s perfectly fine. Isn’t that right, Beom Executive Director?”
Kwon Yeol answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Yes, of course it is. It should be that way.”
“Did you hear that?”
Han Young-sook finally offered Hee-jo a gentle smile.
Feeling the warmth of a teacher who stood as her ally within the thorned fortress walls of the Beom Family, Hee-jo’s throat grew tight.
Soon the car came to a stop before the Transmission Hall. Before opening the door, Han Young-sook added casually.
“I can trust you with our Hee-jo, can’t I?”
“Yes. I will always stand by Hee-jo’s side. I promise you.”
“Then I’m relieved. You’ve worked hard today. Hee-jo, you go inside and rest now. You must be exhausted, body and spirit alike.”
“Let me help you inside, Teacher.”
“Enough. Don’t treat me like some frail old woman in the back room. Go on now. I’m not that decrepit yet. And Beom Executive Director, don’t you come either. I absolutely despise being fussed over.”
Han Young-sook waved her hand dismissively, yet Kwon Yeol stepped out of the car anyway and opened the rear door himself.
Hee-jo also accompanied her carefully to the main gate.
Only after confirming that her teacher’s figure had disappeared deep into the inner courtyard did the two of them return to the car.
Kwon Yeol approached first and opened the passenger door for her.
“…Thank you.”
Kwon Yeol gently tapped the bridge of Hee-jo’s nose—not hard enough to hurt.
“Ah.”
“How can you still say things like that? It’s only natural.”
Hee-jo pressed her lips together firmly and quickly slipped into the car before her cheeks could flush any deeper.
The driver’s door closed shortly after, and only the quiet breathing of two people settled in the narrow interior.
In the silence where even the engine sound had not yet begun, Kwon Yeol gripped the steering wheel and gazed intently at Hee-jo.
“Teacher doesn’t know, does she?”
“…No.”
After that brief answer, Hee-jo pressed down on her burning lips.
She had promised to be honest about everything, yet there was one truth she could never speak aloud, even unto death.
The moment I reveal that Teacher Han already knows everything… this precarious peace will shatter.
Kwon Yeol never granted a second chance to anyone who had betrayed his trust even once—he simply turned away with cold finality.
Even Hee-jae, in life, used to say that Kwon Yeol’s almost obsessive decisiveness frightened her.
The thought of his displeasure, of him perhaps even invoking contract termination, constricted Hee-jo’s breath.
Her grip on his hand tightened with desperate force.
There was nothing more terrifying than losing him.
“Don’t worry too much about what Grandfather said today.”
At Kwon Yeol’s casual consideration, Hee-jo nodded and swallowed the secret whole.
Another thing he didn’t know—the way Chairman Beom had summoned her separately and torn her heart to shreds—none of it mattered anymore.
If it meant staying by his side, she could bear this weight alone.
“You worked hard today.”
“You too, oppa.”
The intensity of their gazes deepened.
Kwon Yeol cradled her cheek in his large hand and slowly lowered his head.
Just as he fulfilled his role as her husband, I too had to fulfill my role as his wife.
In this brief, searing moment that would sustain the rest of my life.
Hee-jo closed her eyes as if entranced.
Lips that had merely brushed softly at first now parted, and Kwon Yeol’s breath pressed deep within.
Hee-jo accepted him with a low moan, surrendering to the intimate caress that enveloped her.
In the narrow confines of the car, their breaths mingled slowly, adding an intoxicating warmth that consumed them both.
It was an invasion so bittersweet it made her forget this was a contract relationship that would end in a year.
* * *
Time passed swiftly, and the wedding day arrived.
The ceremony proceeded in strict privacy.
Even amid the rush, Kwon Yeol personally visited to see Hee-jo’s dress, and he selected the rings—the tokens of their vow—with his own hands.
At last, Hee-jo stood in her pristine white wedding dress upon the Wedding Aisle, bathed in brilliant light.
The space beside her was empty.
They had originally planned to enter together.
But Kwon Yeol, honoring Hee-jo’s wish to reserve that spot for Hee-jae, had defied his family’s objections to make it happen.
“The bride will now enter.”
Hee-jo, holding a lush bouquet of pale pink peonies and pure white lily of the valley, took her first step slowly toward him.
‘Brother, are you watching?’
Amid the tension that threatened to burst, Hee-jo spoke silently to Hee-jae in her heart.
‘Just for one year, I’ll be happy beside Kwon Yeol oppa.’
Then Kwon Yeol emerged to meet her, grasping her slender hand firmly.
The two of them gazed in the same direction and began walking forward together.
“We will now exchange rings.”
Identical rings were placed on each other’s ring fingers.
“We will now share the vow of the kiss.”
Kwon Yeol met Hee-jo’s eyes.
Amidst the torrent of gazes, their eyes held only each other—fathomless emotions rippling within those depths.
“I’ll do well.”
Whether those words were meant for me or a vow to Hee-jae, I couldn’t say.
At the gravity in Kwon Yeol’s gaze, Hee-jo couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
Hee-jae would surely have laughed too, had he witnessed this moment.
He would have chided them for being so serious on such a beautiful day.
At the sight of Hee-jo’s smile, the corners of Kwon Yeol’s eyes softened as well.
Soon, their lips met as cheers erupted from all around them.
The countdown to their one-year contract marriage had begun.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————