Ch.209209. An Unexpected Guest

“What is it, what do you mean it was a joke?”

A sharp voice came from behind Park Sehyun, in the direction of the bridal waiting room. The owner of that voice was, well, Jin Jiyu—no need to specifically mention who it was.

“Oh, Jiyu. It’s been a while. Has it been almost six months since we last saw each other?”

“We just saw each other at the building entrance earlier, so why the sudden greeting now?”

Jin Jiyu, a woman with long black hair flowing down past her waist, replied coldly. She apparently hadn’t noticed that I was deliberately changing the subject.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I’m just happy to see you.”

“I’m happy to see you too since we haven’t met since graduation, but isn’t it a bit much to greet each other twice in such a nice place?”

“It’s not like we’re bowing to each other, so what’s the problem? More greetings are better.”

When I spoke jokingly, Jiyu smiled slightly.

“Fine, it’s been a while for me too. Here, take this.”

She held something out to me, and when I took it, it was an envelope containing a wedding gift of money. On the back of the envelope, in the lower left corner, her name “Jin Jiyu” was written in Chinese characters.

“Nabi asked me to give this to you directly.”

“Thanks. I’ll put it to good use. By the way, are you staying for dinner after the ceremony?”

“Yes, I paid money, so I should eat. We also need to catch up on everything we’ve missed.”

Jiyu held out her right hand to me. Wondering what she meant, I looked at her palm, and she stared at me as if asking if I’d forgotten something.

…Oh, she wants to shake hands. Belatedly realizing this, I took her hand and shook it lightly, but Jiyu narrowed her eyes at me.

“Hey, why are you suddenly holding a woman’s hand like that?”

“Huh? What, weren’t you offering a handshake?”

“I wasn’t asking for a handshake, I was asking for my meal ticket. I paid money, didn’t I?”

“Oh, you were asking for a meal ticket? You should have said so.”

I misunderstood her intention again. Awkwardly withdrawing my hand, I laughed sheepishly.

“You don’t need a meal ticket here. You can just eat.”

“Ah, I guess it’s different since it’s at a hotel, unlike regular wedding halls.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Jiyu nodded slowly, then turned her gaze toward Park Sehyun.

“Is she collecting the gift money?”

“Yeah, I asked her to help me with that.”

“Really? She’s finally doing something good for once.”

“If it’s good, it’s good. Why add ‘for once’?”

They’ve only exchanged a few words, but both of them are looking at each other with suspicious eyes. It seems these two still don’t think highly of each other.

Well, this situation is my fault for playing a prank with the blind date. I should fix this before it gets worse. I put my hand on Park Sehyun’s shoulder and whispered quietly enough that Jiyu couldn’t hear.

“Hey, Sehyun? Just let it go this time. Then I’ll really set you up on a blind date later.”

“What kind of person will you introduce me to?”

“I’ll ask Nabi if she has any nice female friends. How about it? Is that a deal?”

“…Okay, deal.”

The negotiation ended with a dramatic agreement. I patted her shoulder to indicate that I would keep my promise, and Park Sehyun cleared her throat awkwardly.

“Yeah, I did something good for once. What, am I not allowed to do good things?”

“What’s with her? Did you eat something bad?”

Jiyu asked in visible confusion, not expecting Park Sehyun to respond like that. I took the opportunity to quickly resolve the situation.

“Let’s both stop here on this happy day. Look, more guests are arriving.”

After guiding a middle-aged couple who had arrived, I returned to my position and assessed the situation.

Their argument seemed to have fizzled out, but Jiyu was staring at me as if she still had something to say.

“Are you going to help receive guests too?”

“She’s already helping with that.”

“That’s true, but the more people, the better. Like just now, if someone asks questions or gets confused, we need to respond right away.”

“…That sounds like you’re asking for my help.”

She’s quick-witted as well as smart. When I winked after having my intentions exposed, Jiyu shook her head as if disgusted.

Although her reaction seemed negative, the fact that she didn’t leave suggested she was willing to help.

“Fine, whatever. I need to see her face at least once anyway, so I’ll be generous and help out.”

“Her? Who else is coming?”

“Well, they left from Cheorwon, so they should be arriving soon.”

My head spun at Jiyu’s meaningful smile. Did I know anyone who lived in Cheorwon? Who could that be?

As far as I remembered, none of our classmates lived there. Could it be someone I don’t remember?

“Someone I know? Who is it?”

“You didn’t answer my question either. So I won’t tell you.”

“Hey, why are you being so petty?”

“What’s petty about it? Now we’re even.”

“How is that the same? Not telling me makes me more curious. Who’s coming?”

“Well, should I give you a hint?”

I’d prefer to just hear the name outright, but getting a hint is better than nothing. I nodded after preparing my own guesses.

“Sure, give me a hint.”

“The hint is… the person coming now is someone you know well.”

“How is that a hint? There’s no information I can use to figure it out.”

I complained in disbelief, but Jiyu ignored my grumbling and suddenly turned her head.

“Look, they’re coming now.”

“What? Really?”

Surprised, I turned around and indeed saw someone walking toward us. But their outfit looked a bit—no, very—unusual.

A drab green beret, a military uniform with dense digital patterns, a straight gait, hands swinging back and forth without going into pockets. Clearly a private first class on leave. His identity was…

“…Lim Hansol?”

It definitely looked like Lim Hansol, though I could hardly believe it. I stood there with my mouth open. Why was he here when we’d lost contact? Was I seeing things?

While I was still dumbfounded, Lim Hansol approached with a bright smile and stood right in front of me.

“Siwoo! Congratulations. I heard you’re marrying Nabi?”

“Uh… yeah. Thanks. But you… are you really in the military?”

I asked again because I couldn’t believe it. He was wearing combat uniform and a beret, and his skin was slightly tanned, so he was definitely a soldier. But until I heard it from him directly, it wouldn’t feel real.

“Yeah, I made private first class two months ago.”

“Oh… really? So you enlisted not too long ago.”

While I was mentally calculating when he might have enlisted—about three or four months ago—Lim Hansol suddenly hugged me. Though surprised by the sudden physical contact, I quickly regained my composure and hugged him back, patting him.

“It’s been about half a year since we last saw each other? It doesn’t seem that long, but it feels like forever. Have you been well?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve been good. Have you been well too?”

What a stupid question to ask someone who just enlisted. I realized my mistake too late, but Lim Hansol didn’t seem to mind.

“I’ve been doing great. My senior soldiers treat me like family.”

“R-really? That’s good to hear. So how’s military life? Is it manageable?”

“I haven’t been in long, so I’m still learning. What about you? You must have been busy with wedding preparations. Did everything go well?”

“Well, I had a lot of help from people around me, so it all worked out.”

We ended our embrace. Seeing him up close again, I noticed his tanned skin more clearly than before, which made my heart ache a bit…

“Hey, I called you here, but you’re ignoring me?”

Just as I was about to ask Lim Hansol about his personal situation, a sharp voice came from behind. It was Jiyu, who had crossed her arms and finally spoke up.

“Oh, sorry. Jiyu and Sehyun, have you been well?”

“Oh yes, we’ve been veeeery well.”

Park Sehyun didn’t answer right away, instead meeting my eyes before shaking her head and approaching Lim Hansol. From her expression, it seemed she had a lot to say.

“Hey, Lim Hansol. Why haven’t you been in contact all this time? Was that rumor true that you went to Saudi Arabia and started living with some girls?”

“…What? Who am I supposed to be living with?”

Jiyu’s voice suddenly turned cold. If I left things as they were, she would start questioning him about everything except work. Thinking this, I opened my mouth to mediate.

“Hey, guys? First…”

“Jiyu, Sehyun. I know you have a lot of questions, but let’s talk about that later. Right now, Siwoo needs to receive guests.”

“But still…”

“Well… you have a point.”

Lim Hansol’s words were so reasonable that the other two had nothing to say in response. Having silenced Jiyu and Park Sehyun with just one sentence, Lim Hansol looked at me briefly and then rummaged through his pocket.

“Oh right. Siwoo, this is my wedding gift. Take this money and make sure you live happily with Hwa Nabi. Got it?”

“Huh? No, it’s fine. How can I take money from a soldier? You don’t have to give me anything.”

Taking money from a soldier for a personal event would be truly shameful. It’s not like I’m that financially desperate.

This would be completely inappropriate. Thinking this, I shook my head in alarm.

“I’ll just accept your good wishes. Really, the money isn’t necessary.”

“No, why accept just my wishes when you can take the money too? Even though I’m a soldier, I’m not so broke that I can’t give a wedding gift to a friend. So take it. It’s my sincerity.”

Lim Hansol emphasized the word “sincerity” and forcibly placed the envelope in my hand.

Oh, this is really money I shouldn’t accept. What should I do? I want to return it immediately, but since he called it his sincerity, I can’t refuse.

“No, hey. This is…”

Just then, the door to the bridal waiting room suddenly opened, and Hwa Nabi came out wearing a wedding dress.

She first looked at me, then scanned the surroundings before finally noticing Lim Hansol in his military uniform.

“…Oh my?”