Affectionate Obsession - Chapter 1

“What did you just say?”

Yeonhee stared blankly at Sera, who was sitting across from her.

“Hmm, was my voice too quiet?”

Sera blinked, her face devoid of any malice.

“I asked if you could marry in my place.”

Yeonhee let out a hollow laugh.

Even hearing it again, the words were absurd. But Sera wasn’t finished.

“I’m not asking you to do it for free. I intend to pay you handsomely.”

The added words were even more outrageous.

Yeonhee felt a surge of laughter well up in her mouth, but she didn’t show it.

She decided to hear them out.

She wondered what kind of compensation the person speaking so confidently would offer.

“If you go down the aisle in my place, I’ll give you 100 million won as compensation, and an additional 400 million won if you maintain the marriage for a year.”

For a moment, Yeonhee’s eyes darted wildly.

Sera, as if she had anticipated this reaction, smirked. Yeonhee felt her pride wounded, unable to hide her emotions.

It was an amount of money she had never even imagined.

Then, Sera moved her lips again.

“So, to put it simply, it’s like we’re swapping lives for a year, Yeonhee and I.”

“…….”

“To be blunter, I’m buying one year of Shin Yeonhee’s life for 500 million won.”

Yeonhee clenched her hands, clasped neatly on her lap.

500 million won. It was money she couldn’t even touch, even if she worked her entire life. Yet, why was such a large sum so easy for Yoon Sera?

If she could, she would have scoffed, telling Sera she didn’t need such money and to find someone else.

But she couldn’t, precisely because she was in need of money. The larger the amount, the better.

“Doesn’t it sound fun? You and I, if we just swapped clothes and walked out right now, people would think I’m Shin Yeonhee and you’re Yoon Sera.”

Sera’s expression was unnecessarily bright as she spoke the absurd words.

Yeonhee felt goosebumps rise. But there was no room for rebuttal.

“It’s really strange. How can we look so alike?”

Sera leaned forward, her gaze fixated on Yeonhee’s face.

Yeonhee also stared intently at Sera’s face. It was a face that, even to her own eyes, was chillingly identical.

It was so uncanny that she almost thought heaven had sent her an opportunity, knowing she was in need of money.

“What do you say?”

Yeonhee held her breath again at the question directed at her. Sera wore an even more serene expression than before.

Yet, the words that flowed from her crimson lips, though feigning indifference, were sharp.

“The offer I made to Shin Yeonhee.”

“…….”

“Should we pretend it never happened?”

Yeonhee pressed her lips together tightly.

Her confused mind was not clearing up at all. However, she felt that if she didn’t answer immediately, Yoon Sera would storm out.

Suppressing a sigh, Yeonhee squeezed her eyes shut.

The image of Yeonjeong, suffering in a hospital bed, flashed in her mind. Then, as if possessed, her lips moved.

“No. Yoon Sera’s offer……”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it should be forgotten.

“I accept.”

It was an offer too sweet to refuse.

Yeonhee stared at the dress.

The dazzlingly white dress was adorned with countless, glittering beads.

According to what she had heard from Yoon Sera a few days prior, it was a dress made by a world-renowned designer.

She recalled being told it held a value that could not be measured in monetary terms.

“……It’s beautiful.”

Yeonhee murmured in a small voice.

When Yoon Sera first mentioned the dress, Yeonhee had scoffed.

Dresses are all the same, what was a dress of immeasurable value? Even if it was a marriage for a corporate merger, it was still a dress she would wear, so how grand could it be?

To Yoon Sera, someone in the same situation as her would be less than a bug on the street, so she never dreamed that such a valuable dress would be put on her.

Yet, as she looked at the dress she had never dreamed of, it finally felt real.

This absurd marriage was truly happening.

For a moment, Yeonhee’s pupils, which had been focused on the dress, lost their focus and became hazy.

‘Let’s have you stay here from today. Meals will be room service when it’s time, and aside from that, there shouldn’t be any particular discomfort, right?’

These were the words she had to listen to immediately after accepting Yoon Sera’s offer.

‘I don’t like signing contracts for things like this; it feels like leaving evidence, and I’m not so foolish as to blindly trust Shin Yeonhee, whom I met today.’

‘I need time to sort things out.’

‘Well, are you talking about the job at the luxury boutique? If that’s what you mean, there’s no need to worry. The same applies to other things.’

Yeonhee blinked silently.

As if interpreting her silence as affirmation, Sera smiled with great satisfaction.

Sera clasped her arms and elegantly walked away.

She stopped behind Yeonhee.

Sera gently placed her hands on Yeonhee’s shoulders, applying pressure with her fingertips.

Following that touch, Yeonhee turned her body helplessly and bit her lower lip. Unlike the gentle touch, she felt an overbearing force.

When she stopped moving her legs, she saw the woman who had brought her here.

Wasn’t she Yoon Sera’s secretary?

Sera pointed at the woman with her finger and said in a cheerful voice,

‘This secretary is quite competent. So, you can tell her anything. Whatever Shin Yeonhee desires, this secretary will handle it all, so let’s resolve any issues through her.’

With those words, Yeonhee’s confinement for fifteen days was practically sealed.

Her mobile phone was confiscated by the secretary, severing all connections to the outside world.

Yoon Sera visited the hotel suite every two days, or at the latest, every three days.

At first, the face that was so identical it sent shivers down her spine became familiar with repeated viewings.

Was that why?

Two days ago, Yeonhee, without any reservations, asked Sera, who had visited the suite, a question.

‘Who is the man I’m going to marry? I mean, the man Yoon Sera was supposed to marry.’

It was a vague curiosity.

On one hand, she thought it was reasonable to ask, as he was someone she would be living with for a year.

But what did Yoon Sera say to that question?

‘You’ll find out when you go to the wedding venue, won’t you? You’ll know in two days anyway.’

‘…….’

‘Shin Yeonhee, you just need to take my money and stand in my place on my wedding day. It’s a year traded for money, so does it matter who the husband is?’

Yes, that seemed to be it.

Though she spoke indirectly, the conclusion was ‘You don’t need to know.’

It was utterly arrogant.

She herself was a ridiculous figure who had sold her time for money, but how could she be so confident when she was the one finding a substitute bride?

Yeonhee felt like letting out a hollow laugh but suppressed it.

“Could you brace your stomach a little more?”

Suddenly, a helper standing beside her spoke.

Lost in thought, Yeonhee nodded and took a deep breath.

As she felt the pressure on her abdomen, breathing became difficult.

Despite the discomfort, Yeonhee closed her eyes and endured.

The burdensome dress was quickly put on.

Yeonhee had to move quickly without even having time to admire herself in the dress.

As she emerged from the fitting room, she saw the secretary on the phone.

“Yes. She just changed into the dress. Everything is proceeding without a hitch so far, and the ceremony should begin soon.”

Just by hearing Secretary Lee’s words, Yeonhee could guess who she was talking to.

It must be Yoon Sera, the only daughter of RM Group, the woman who had sent her here in her place.

Yeonhee waited in silence.

The call soon ended, and Secretary Lee took a couple of steps towards Yeonhee.

“You must hurry, as there isn’t much time until the ceremony.”

That was all Secretary Lee said.

With the wedding ceremony imminent, there was no explanation about the groom.

It was frustrating, but Yeonhee stubbornly pressed her lips together.

No one present would listen if she voiced her complaints.

After finishing her makeup at the salon, the luxury sedan she immediately got into stopped in front of a hotel, considered the best among five-star hotels.

She knew RM Group was formidable, but everything she encountered exceeded her imagination. Because of that, she was momentarily stunned.

“President Jung will likely be waiting at the entrance to the venue. Though it’s unlikely, if President Jung says anything, just agree and give a brief answer.”

Yeonhee snapped back to reality upon hearing Secretary Lee’s voice as she hurried her steps.

President Jung.

Was that the man who would be her husband?

Yeonhee wanted to ask, but she didn’t.

As Sera had said, it was a marriage that was going to happen anyway, and there was no turning back now.

“I will be assisting you again after the wedding, so please handle things well until then.”

Yeonhee nodded.

After moving discreetly to avoid people for a while, she finally saw a spacious hall, and just as Secretary Lee had said, a man in a tuxedo stood at the entrance to the venue.

Yeonhee lowered her head deeply.

No matter how many times she looked, Yoon Sera and Shin Yeonhee were so identical that it was hard to find any differences. Still, she couldn’t help but feel nervous.

Deceiving someone was always frightening and difficult.

Nevertheless, she resolved to finish what she had started, and by then, she had arrived next to the man.

Her heart pounded. Her mouth felt dry, and her hands, holding the bouquet, trembled slightly.

It was just the beginning, but she felt an indescribable fear that this absurd lie would be exposed at any moment.

But then, an unexpected voice came from the man standing right beside her.

“It’s been a while.”

Her heart seemed to plummet. The voice, filled with playfulness, contrary to her expectations, made Yeonhee even more nervous.

But something felt strange.

The man’s voice sounded somehow familiar.

“You seem quite nervous, my bride.”

The moment the man’s voice reached her ears again, Yeonhee, forgetting she was hiding her face for fear of being discovered as a fake bride, snapped her head up.

And the moment her eyes met the man’s.

“Why, why……”

With a startled expression, Yeonhee dropped the bouquet she was holding.

“You seem very surprised.”

Her heart was pounding as if it would burst, but the man’s voice, piercing her ears, was remarkably calm.

With an unperturbed face, he picked up the bouquet that had fallen to the floor and placed it back in Yeonhee’s hand.

Yeonhee clutched the bouquet tightly with trembling hands.

The sudden wave of tension made her throat dry, and her Adam’s apple moved uncontrollably.

Then, the man’s voice once again penetrated Yeonhee’s ears.

“You’re still as beautiful as ever, my bride.”

Yeonhee’s pupils shook even more violently.

It was Jung Junhyeok.

If this situation wasn’t a dream, the man in the tuxedo was undoubtedly Jung Junhyeok, the man she had abandoned ten years ago.

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