The Main Character is Obsessed With a Foreign Substance – Chapter 4-34

Epilogue

It was a clear afternoon.

Early May, with spring vibrancy in the air. The season when flower scents resonated throughout the world had arrived. Amidst this blessed, gentle weather, people moved about busily.

Hwamyeong, now renowned worldwide beyond Korea, had its affiliated hotel’s Great Hall brightly open. Today, a wedding was being held in this Great Hall where even wealthy people couldn’t secure reservations. It was said that even a president’s children or relatives would have to wait years to book this place, yet today, even the outdoor garden hall on the rooftop was wide open. This was because one of the wedding principals preferred an outdoor ceremony.

One of those principals was looking into a mirror with obvious tension on his face. Several people were busy styling his hair.

“…”

Suhwan swallowed hard. He had indeed told Hwalyeon that he’d prefer an outdoor wedding, but he didn’t know it would be held here. Though he understood it couldn’t be helped, the pressure of having to hold the wedding in front of an enormous crowd kept tightening his chest.

How did it come to this? Suhwan would have preferred a modest wedding with just family and close friends from both sides if possible, but it didn’t turn out that way. Hwamyeong had grown into a much larger corporation than he had expected, and HS, which had become an affiliate, was achieving remarkable growth each year.

Executives and investors began worrying that HS, which had merged, might become independent, and naturally, their attention turned to the Hwamyeong chairman’s cousin and HS’s second son. It was a natural progression that there would be a subtle pressure for the two who had maintained a long engagement to marry. Even Hwalyeon, who had wanted to kill Seunghyun at every opportunity, eventually had to promote their marriage. Moreover, in a way that proudly displayed it to the world.

“Haah.”

Marriage. Of course, Suhwan naturally wanted to marry Seunghyun, and he was still very happy, but pressure was pressure. Despite it being a joyous day, he barely held back another sigh that threatened to escape.

His reflection in the mirror looked unfamiliar. Perhaps because he didn’t usually dress up properly, the sight of himself in a black tuxedo seemed like someone from a TV show. Usually, he would take compliments from others as mere pleasantries, but today, having deliberately dressed up, he felt he could agree with such remarks.

“Suhwan.”

“Ah.”

While he was thoroughly absorbed in his reflection in the mirror, someone approached Suhwan. When he turned his head, a woman appropriately dressed as a wedding guest was looking at Suhwan with surprised eyes.

“You look really handsome today.”

“Thanks.”

Heeyoung was looking up at Suhwan with wide, round eyes. Her gaze seemed proud, like a parent who had raised a child well, making Suhwan feel somewhat embarrassed.

Well, it wasn’t wrong. He was a character in a novel, and Heeyoung was the author who had created him. In a way, Heeyoung was like his parent.

But such thoughts now felt strange. Perhaps because so much time had passed since his manifestation, Heeyoung now felt more like an old friend.

“Have you seen Seunghyun too?”

“No.”

“Why?”

Honestly, Suhwan was so desperate to see Seunghyun right now that he could hardly bear it. But because they couldn’t see each other’s faces before walking down the aisle, he couldn’t go to him. So he wanted to ask Heeyoung how Seunghyun was doing, but she shook her head as if it were obvious. Then she said with a disgusted face:

“I’ll be seeing him in the research lab all the time anyway, so why bother?”

“Haha.”

Heeyoung, who had spent six years in pharmacy school together and now was a researcher at HS, had grown increasingly wary of Seunghyun. It seemed she never had much affection for him from the beginning. It wasn’t unreasonable. She knew as much about Seunghyun as Suhwan did and had experienced his dark side firsthand. While Suhwan loved even that aspect of Seunghyun, Heeyoung could not. Perhaps it was natural.

“I want to see Seunghyun.”

“You’ll see him plenty on the wedding aisle later.”

“Wedding aisle…”

Thinking about meeting Seunghyun soon, Suhwan unconsciously blushed. It was hard to imagine how beautiful and handsome Seunghyun would look today. Even he, who didn’t think of himself as particularly good-looking, appeared like a different person when dressed up like this. How much more so for Seunghyun, who was already beautiful on normal days? He worried he might faint when they faced each other at the wedding aisle.

“Anyway.”

Watching him, Heeyoung shook her head. Although she had created this setting, seeing Suhwan still so deeply in love with Seunghyun after all these years gave her a strange feeling—partly exasperated, partly reassured. And clearly, Seunghyun was still just as deeply immersed in this Suhwan, unable to extricate himself.

A match made in heaven. The phrase naturally came to mind. Confirming once again that their feelings would remain unchanged, Heeyoung subtly smiled.

“I heard you’re going to Europe for your honeymoon?”

“Yes, for a month.”

“And then straight to America?”

“That’s right.”

Suhwan nodded at Heeyoung’s question.

Seunghyun’s study abroad had been decided long ago. He was going to the United States immediately after graduating from university to pursue his doctoral program. But to avoid further postponing the wedding, they decided to hold the ceremony right after university graduation, and then head to the United States as soon as the honeymoon ended. The timing was perfect since American universities typically start their fall semester.

Of course, Suhwan would follow him too. They couldn’t live apart right after getting married. Fortunately, as Hwamyeong had become a global corporation and made significant inroads into the American market, there was plenty to do there. Suhwan would work at Hwamyeong’s American branch. He was both excited about this new life ahead and slightly worried whether he could do well. Seeing him, Heeyoung nodded.

“It’s okay. You’ll do well.”

“Thanks.”

Suhwan smiled brightly. He wasn’t too worried since Seunghyun would always be by his side from now on. As time passed, his feelings hadn’t cooled at all; rather, they had grown stronger, and he firmly believed they would continue to do so.

“Suhwan, congratulations on your wedding!”

“Director Yunhyun.”

Company people, led by Yunhyun, flooded into the waiting room. They made a fuss over the well-dressed Suhwan. By now, after five years, Suhwan had long shed his troublemaker image. Especially those around him could no longer even remember the delinquent Jin Suhwan.

“Really, congratulations. You two are perfect together.”

“To think that the couple of the century is finally getting married, it’s so moving.”

“Haha.”

Surprisingly, Suhwan and Seunghyun’s love story was quite popular with people. The two were an alpha and omega couple who looked good together even on the surface, and since their engagement, they had been so lovey-dovey that it seemed like they were already married, which made others envious. Usually, strategic marriages among royal families prioritized benefits over love, resulting in cold, showcase couples, but not these two.

Additionally, the dramatic story of HS rising from rock bottom to clear its name and revive had become a major topic. Suhwan had become known as the century’s great lover who had engaged with Seunghyun solely out of love when HS had no hope. Some said he had noticed the potential of the new drug faster than anyone else and profited from it, but most didn’t think so. Because of this, Suhwan received more attention than he deserved.

The couple of the century. The century’s great lover. These embarrassing titles still felt unfamiliar, and Suhwan didn’t know how to handle them.

And of course, not everyone was just happy.

“Sob, sob, Suhwan, don’t get married.”

“Hamin.”

Suhwan looked down with troubled eyes at Hamin who was clinging to him. In fact, during these five years, incidents with Hamin couldn’t be left out. After seeing HS’s new drug treat a European epidemic, Hamin convinced Samyeong’s chairman to actively collaborate with Hwamyeong. Since Hwamyeong was also practically new to the bio industry, they were able to grow rapidly by cooperating with Samyeong.

In the process, Hamin persistently courted Suhwan without giving up. But he was repeatedly outmatched by Seunghyun, and Suhwan’s heart was unwavering, leaving no room for him to wedge in. Nevertheless, it was quite remarkable that even after five years, he was still crying inside the wedding venue.

“Oh my, how can you do this on such a happy day? We’ll be leaving now.”

“Don’t touch an alpha who’s already taken!”

“Hahaha.”

Yunhyun pretended not to hear and led Hamin out of the waiting room. Watching them, Suhwan became even more flustered, and Heeyoung patted his shoulder with a laugh.

“I’ll wait in the guest seats too.”

“Ah, okay. See you later.”

After the well-wishers had ebbed away like the tide, Suhwan finished his preparations. Before he realized it, he was being led out of the waiting room by the guides. From that moment, his heart began to pound wildly. He knew he would be nervous, but he didn’t expect to be this nervous. Although the outdoor venue was open all around, Suhwan felt as if he were trapped in a confined indoor space.

The elaborate flower decorations before his eyes, the red carpet path, the countless people seated in the guest sections on both sides, the carefully selected few journalists—none of it properly registered in Suhwan’s eyes.

And at that moment, someone approached Suhwan.

“Ah.”

It felt like only one person was in color in a faded world. Seunghyun, dressed in a white ceremonial outfit unlike himself, was staring at Suhwan.

They had seen each other in their wedding attire during preparations, but this felt different. Actually, it felt new every time he saw him. And especially now. His bright hair, as if crafted from sunlight, matched the white ceremonial outfit almost too perfectly. Especially on the sun-drenched rooftop.

Suhwan approached Seunghyun as if entranced. Seunghyun too was looking at him with somewhat dazed eyes. Perhaps they were thinking the same thing.

Their gazes intertwined, and Seunghyun extended his hand first. Suhwan grasped his hand, which was clad in ceremonial white gloves. Since Suhwan was also wearing gloves, he was grateful not to be holding bare hands that were damp with nervousness.

The path to the officiant was quite long. When they had come to rehearse, the wedding aisle had seemed shorter than expected, but now it was different. Suhwan walked slowly, barely managing to move properly as his feet kept getting tangled. Fortunately, Seunghyun, walking beside him, matched his pace.

“To love, trust, rely on, and respect each other for a lifetime…”

The officiant’s words sounded somewhat distant. Suhwan vaguely realized that he needed to answer first. He said he vowed in a slightly nervous tone. He worried that it might not have been audible because it was so soft, but no one said anything. Soon, Seunghyun’s voice was heard.

“Yes, I vow.”

It was a resolute voice. While Suhwan was looking at him with moved eyes, the ceremony quickly progressed to the ring exchange. With trembling hands, Suhwan took out a pair of rings from his chest pocket.

Though they had already matched couple rings and worn them for years, the wedding rings looked far more special. After looking down at the intricately crafted rings, Suhwan placed a ring on Seunghyun’s finger. Strangely, he wasn’t nervous at all now. The wedding ring, perfectly fitting Seunghyun’s finger, slipped onto his ring finger as if being drawn in.

After exchanging rings, they came to the final part of the ceremony. The two faced each other.

The last part of the vow was a kiss. Their gazes naturally intertwined.

And at that moment, someone appeared before Suhwan’s eyes. It was seventeen-year-old Seunghyun. When they first kissed in the old school building, Suhwan had his eyes tightly closed, so he couldn’t see his face clearly. But just like then, Suhwan’s heart fluttered.

Next was twenty-year-old Seunghyun smiling at him. Their first kiss then wasn’t particularly innocent, but it still made his heart pound when he recalled it. Suhwan took a step closer to him.

Twenty-six-year-old Seunghyun was still beautiful, and also emanated a somewhat mature aura. They held each other’s ringed hands, interlocking their fingers. As Suhwan tilted his head first, Seunghyun followed suit. The moment their lips met felt like it would never end.

Then, when their lips parted, Suhwan impulsively whispered.

“I love you, forever.”

“…!”

Seunghyun looked at Suhwan with surprised eyes, then smiled, lifting the corners of his mouth. At that moment, sunlight shattered and fell upon Seunghyun’s face.

“I too, love you forever.”

Though no one told them to, they kissed again. Although they would be teased by acquaintances for exchanging the vow kiss twice, it didn’t matter at this moment. They kissed as if they were the only two people there.

A huge round of applause continuously poured out for the two who looked so happy. Small flower petals fluttered around, as if blessing them.

To continue loving and being happy forever. Suhwan murmured inwardly.

The May sunlight was warmly shining upon them.

The End of “The Main Character Becomes Obsessed with a Foreign Substance”

Author: Hyacinthus B

Hyacinthus