ALL NOVEL Chapter 27
The wedding ceremony was quite elaborate and beautiful from my perspective, while also being simple. It didn’t include all the long-winded ancient rituals, only consisting of a simple vow, the exchange of ceremonial gifts, the couple’s pledges, and a few necessary procedures before ending.
When it was over, there were quiet murmurs around us along the lines of, ‘Is that all?’ Contrary to my expectation of having to stand all day, the swiftly concluded ceremony felt rather awkward.
However, I knew this was also Hyuk Dojin’s thoughtful consideration. His actions were solely for me, to accommodate me.
It was the Young Cult Leader’s wedding, after all. Naturally, it should have been grander and more magnificent than anyone else’s. Well, setting aside grandeur and magnificence, it would have undoubtedly involved all sorts of elaborate rituals.
But thanks to the streamlined wedding, when I returned to my room, I felt just slightly dazed.
The sun hadn’t yet fully set in the sky. Since the wedding had begun after noon and concluded within an hour, it was only natural. Still, wasn’t it too simple?
“Let me help you down, Miss. Ah! No, I should call you ‘Madam’ now, shouldn’t I?”
Joo Hwarin moved her hands towards my head and opened her eyes wide.
‘Madam’… It still felt unfamiliar, so I shook my head slightly.
“Please call me as before for now. It feels strange…”
As I trailed off, Joo Hwarin smiled broadly.
“Understood. Ah! But from now on, you must also speak informally to me. I may be the youngest of the Joo clan, but you are now officially the wife of Young Cult Leader Hyuk Dojin. If you continue to use honorifics with me, it will confuse those around us, so please speak casually.”
I turned my head, loosening the hair tie and removing the hairpins as I looked back towards the mirror. I smiled faintly at the composed yet youthful appearance of Joo Hwarin.
“Yes… I suppose so.”
It wasn’t a long time, but in that short span, I knew how precious and miraculous it was to meet good people. That’s why I could speak casually with Joo Hwarin.
“There, all done…”
“Are you finished?”
Joo Hwarin’s voice was overlaid by a deep but gentle voice. I looked towards the door in the mirror.
Hyuk Dojin entered, opening the door with a smile. He observed Joo Hwarin, who was preoccupied with removing the ornaments from my hair, then grinned slightly, closed the door, and approached us.
Hyuk Dojin instructed Joo Hwarin to step aside before lifting his hands towards my head. Startled, I tried to rise from my seat, but Hyuk Dojin’s large hand gently pressed down on my shoulder.
“Here, just a moment…!”
“I’ll undo it for you.”
Despite my flustered protest, Hyuk Dojin simply smiled, seeming unbothered. As the curtain fluttered slightly, the late afternoon sunlight pierced through the gap, grazing Hyuk Dojin’s side.
It was as if he had donned a golden robe, the scene perfectly reflected in the mirror. I settled my twitching shoulders, and Hyuk Dojin’s hands moved towards my head once more.
It was serene.
Only the soft sounds of rustling, tapping, and clicking could be heard.
A completely different feeling from when Joo Hwarin had done it. A peculiar, ticklish, embarrassing sensation that made me want to close my eyes.
I rolled my eyes to look at Hyuk Dojin’s reflection in the mirror. He was gazing at my hair, but as if sensing my wandering gaze, he lowered his eyes to meet mine. The corners of his lips curved upwards in a soft smile.
Startled, I quickly bowed my head. I fidgeted with my hands resting on my thighs and bit my lip.
The gentle breeze and pure air.
I learned just how beautiful the sunlight was and how it could bring peace to one’s surroundings.
I learned it from Hyuk Dojin.
* * *
Tok-tok, a few strands of hair that had been tied up slipped down at the small sound. As if waiting, a breeze blew in. The window must have been slightly open, as the wind that seeped through the gap ruffled my hair, tickling my cheek.
In the quiet, peaceful atmosphere, Hyuk Dojin’s voice opened softly.
“How is your body feeling?”
“I’m alright.”
“If any part of you is in pain or discomfort, don’t hide it and let me know. That way, I can help you.”
“…”
At his words, I tightly closed my mouth.
After our conversation yesterday, Hyuk Dojin had left. I had waited for him, but he didn’t return, and truthfully, I had wondered if I might be abandoned like this.
However, when I opened my eyes, he was sitting beside me, holding my hand with a composed expression, as if nothing had happened. Wondering if he hadn’t slept at all, I asked, but instead of answering, Hyuk Dojin inquired first if I had slept well.
When his hands touched my forehead and cheeks, which had slightly chilled from the cool night air, I involuntarily drifted back to sleep, comforted by their warmth.
In the end, because of that, I had to eat breakfast late and rush through my preparations, but that brief moment of peace had been quite enjoyable.
Hyuk Dojin didn’t ask me anything further.
He didn’t ask if any part of me was hurting, if what I had said yesterday was true, if it was a lie, how I was ailing, or what my illness was…
The mountain of questions he could have asked, he didn’t voice a single one.
Nor did he ask why I had come here if I was ill, or if I knew this was a fraud. He didn’t reprimand me or blame me, simply showing his usual demeanor.
I rolled my eyes upwards to look at Hyuk Dojin. As if sensing my gaze this time as well, he smiled faintly at me in the mirror’s reflection.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
“No. It’s just…”
Why did I look at him? I’m not sure. I just looked. If I didn’t look, my eyes would wander there anyway, and my gaze would shift there even if I didn’t intend to.
Unable to find the words to explain, I opened and closed my lips a few times before tightly shutting them in a straight line.
Hyuk Dojin didn’t press me and simply smiled. After silently observing his expression, I opened my mouth again.
“Don’t you have anything to ask?”
His hands paused ever so briefly. But they soon resumed their motion. Without losing his smile, Hyuk Dojin opened his mouth.
“Is there anything specific you would like for dinner? Since today is a joyous occasion, I will arrange for something special to be prepared with extra care.”
“…Chicken sesame soup.”
“I’ll have it prepared.”
I let out a small sigh at his smiling gaze. That wasn’t the kind of question I meant.
Was he intentionally avoiding it, or was he refraining from asking out of consideration for me? I quietly observed his smiling lips, unable to discern his thoughts. What was he thinking…?
“Why are you staring at my lips so intently?”
I blinked at the voice coming from right beside me. Our reflections in the mirror showed we were positioned very close together. If I turned my head, our lips and cheeks would practically touch.
“Well…”
His lips parted softly.
“Shall I give them to you?”
“N-no.”
Unable to hide my flustered feelings at our proximity, I immediately responded.
Hyuk Dojin gazed intently at my reflection in the mirror, slightly lifting the corners of his mouth as he spoke softly.
“It seems the opposite is true.”
“Pardon?”
“Sowol’s words, that is.”
“My… words?”
The question of whether he had anything to ask? I looked at him with a puzzled gaze, and Hyuk Dojin nodded his head and shrugged his shoulders.
Did I have something I wanted to ask him? I stared at him intently before slowly opening my mouth.
“How was I today?”
“You were beautiful. Like a fairy.”
“…Thank you. But I meant something else.”
After observing Hyuk Dojin tilt his head in the mirror’s reflection, I twisted my body to face backwards.
He lowered the hand that had been arranging my hair and looked down at me. Meeting his gaze, I asked:
“Did I make any mistakes or act strangely?”
Even though many elements had been cut and simplified, there were still things I had to do.
There were things Joo Hwarin had occasionally taught me that I had to learn – the way to recite the vows, how to respond, the manner of exchanging rings, and so on.
Although not complicated, she had said these were essential basics I needed to learn. So I had studied them and tried to apply them today.
However, since the actual format was slightly different from what I had expected, I had stumbled and likely made mistakes. That’s what I was asking about.
It was fortunate that he found me beautiful and pretty, but what occupied my mind more was whether I had caused him any inconvenience.
“Did I… do anything embarrassing or inappropriate?”
Hyuk Dojin blinked a few times, silently observing me before lowering his raised arm.
His large hand gently grasped my twisted shoulder and turned my body to face the mirror once more.
“How does it look to you?”
“Huh?”
I opened my eyes slightly wider at his unexpected question. Hyuk Dojin smiled.
“How does Sowol’s reflection in the mirror look?”
I turned my still-twisted jaw to face the mirror.
Hyuk Dojin’s hands caressing my hair, and beneath them, my wide-eyed reflection.
As I hadn’t yet removed my makeup, my appearance still felt unfamiliar… but also somewhat beautiful. My revitalized complexion and rosy cheeks radiated a warmth, a sense of being alive.
Without saying a word, I simply gazed at the mirror, and Hyuk Dojin’s voice dropped down upon my head.
“You made no mistakes.”
“Is that… so.”
“Yes. And even if you had made a mistake, everyone would have been too enraptured by your beauty to even notice.”
At his words, I allowed a faint smile to grace my lips. I appreciated his kindness, at least.
Rather than scolding, reproaching, or questioning me, these playful words brought me joy.
Hyuk Dojin resumed the motion of his paused hand, undoing the remaining ties.
Just as a brief silence seemed to fall, Hyuk Dojin’s voice flowed out once more.
“There were so many things I wanted to ask today.”
“…”
“On the eve of our wedding ceremony, I wanted to ask what my intentions were, if there was any deception, if you truly had less than six months left, if there was a cure… I wanted to ask so many things. As I watched you sleeping, I resolved to ask you as soon as you opened your eyes in the morning.”
But he didn’t ask anything.
Hyuk Dojin’s hands moved diligently.
“Yet, when I saw you open your eyes in the morning, I had no thoughts at all. Just as it is natural to close your eyes when falling asleep, when I saw you open your eyes to wake up, that simple act felt so joyful. So, I didn’t ask.”
His hands slowly descended, lightly moving as if massaging or caressing the back of my neck.
His warm touch settled upon my usually cool skin.
“So, I won’t ask again in the future, either.”
In the moment when a rustling sound seemed to reach my ears, the chair let out a creak.
Hyuk Dojin gently leaned his body forward, enveloping me in an embrace.
It was warm. While his embrace was warm, the warmth of the sunlight that had touched Hyuk Dojin’s body was also transferred directly to me. I parted my lips slightly.
I had forgotten.
The warmth of sunlight.
With this body, I had come to view sunlight as a threatening factor that could harm or even kill me. A scorching, stifling element that tormented me.
But the warmth transferred from Hyuk Dojin, reaching me, made me realize that I was still a living human being, alive until death.
“Until I draw my last breath, I have no intention of asking.”
It was through Hyuk Dojin that I came to understand such things.