"Speak now or forever hold your peace!" the priest's voice boomed through the chapel. I stood at his right, the white wedding dress feeling like a noose around my neck.
Beside me, CEO Han Eun Woo stood, his hair impeccably styled, his posture rigid as the leader of Han Group, the world's foremost conglomerate. His eyes were fixed on the priest with an expression that screamed he just wanted this entire charade to be over.
And he was right. I shouldn't even be standing here... I snuck a glance over my shoulder and saw her—Secretary Lee Yoon-Ah. Her hair was swept into a ponytail, she wore her standard secretary attire, and her face was a perfect, emotionless mask as she stared straight ahead.
'She. She was the one who was supposed to be here...' But since we're clearly not at the series finale yet, I guess he has to marry me first, right? Well, not on my watch.
As the ultimate fan of [ Love at First Spreadsheet ] and the founder of its very first fan club, I swear—I, Austra Law—will save my beloved leads from another fifteen-plus episodes of pure angst and needless drama by removing myself, the villainess fiancée, from the equation entirely.
The priest scanned the silent audience before settling his gaze back on me and CEO Han. He lifted his holy book, cleared his throat, and prepared to deliver the final lines.
"Then, if no one objects to this union, by the power vested in me, I now pronounce—" His words were severed by another, louder voice.
"I object!"
My voice cut through the ceremony, shocking everyone, especially the two leads. The old priest sputtered, struggling to form a coherent word. "Wh-What...?"
CEO Han turned to me, his eyes a storm of confusion and utter disbelief. "Austra? What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.
I met his dazzling grey eyes with a triumphant smile, placing a hand over my heart as I delivered my lines like the perfect, self-sacrificing villainess-mob.
"CEO Han, I have no desire to marry you, and my decision is final."
As the words left my mouth, a wave of stunned murmurs rippled through the guests from both families. Secretary Lee Yoon-Ah watched, silent, her face a mirror of CEO Han's shock. I could feel the furious glares from my parents and his, burning into the back of my skull.
Gathering the heavy fabric of my veiled wedding dress, I strode down the aisle, past the sea of faces staring at me as if I'd lost my mind. But inside, I was celebrating the single greatest moment of my well... both of my lives.
'Finally! I've ripped out the root of their conflict! No more will my disgusting, cliché existence interrupt their perfect love story. Take that!' I mentally jeered, looking toward the heavens.
'Hehe, I just shattered your pathetic script, Mr. Writer. Now they can skip the whole season of misery. And I guess... I'll be safe too.'
I pushed open the heavy chapel doors and stepped outside, a proud, unshakeable smile on my face. That's right. After so many freaking attempts, I had finally executed [ Operation: Ship the Leads ] to perfection.
I hurried through the grand hotel, putting distance between myself and the wedding chapel. My eyes darted around, desperately searching for a place to change out of this suffocating gown.
Suddenly, a hand closed around my wrist—a strong, firm grip that wasn't painful, but left no room for argument.
I whirled around to find CEO Han himself, standing there with the classic dramatic backlighting making him seem to glow, his chest heaving as if he'd sprinted the entire way.
"CEO Han? What are you—"
My question died as a second hand grasped my other wrist. This one was smaller, softer, but its grip was just as determined. I turned to see an equally breathless Secretary Lee on my other side.
"Secretary Lee... What are you two doing here?"
The two of them held me fast, their gazes locked on me before shifting to glare at each other over my head.
"Secretary Lee, unhand her. I need to speak with my fiancée!" CEO Han commanded, his eyes boring into Lee Yoon-Ah.
"With all due respect, Sir," she fired back, her voice tight. "You heard her. She is no longer your fiancée. So perhaps you should let her go. I need to speak with her."
The tension in the air became so thick it was hard to breathe. And all I could think was, 'How in the world did it come to this?'
Oh, right. It all started that day. The day everything changed.
* * * * *
Five Weeks Ago...
[ I can't, Yoon-Ah... I'm sorry, but I have to go to America now... ]
"You freaking stupid, hand-sculpted-by-God-looking man, why can't you?! Huh?! You are literally the most powerful guy in the country!" I shrieked at my six-inch phone screen.
A furious bang on the wall from my neighbors followed—my yelling was definitely piercing the thin walls of my shoebox apartment.
It was my day off, and I was celebrating in the best way I knew how: by watching my beloved, almost-religious K-drama. There's nothing quite like the experience of a live stream on a piracy site, complete with a million ads, when you can't afford a subscription.
I'd made it to episode eighteen—the classic, heart-wrenching separation scene. Ah, the agony! Why did the writers have to put my favorite leads through this?
The production team must have cranked the rain machine to its absolute maximum, because both leads were drenched. Lee Yoon-Ah, the heartbreakingly beautiful and hardworking secretary, had tears streaming down her face, indistinguishable from the pouring rain.
CEO Han Eun Woo approached, offered her an umbrella, pressed her hand around the handle... and then walked away in that infuriatingly dramatic slow-motion.
"You beautiful, stupid man... sniff..." I was crying now too, my own tears blurring the screen as I huddled under my blanket, glued to the drama and staring just inches from the screen.
Then, Secretary Lee let the umbrella fall to the ground, the camera capturing its drop from three different angles. She ran—a shot repeated in a blur of fast motion—before finally executing the legendary, soul-crushing back hug in the rain.
The look of sheer shock in Han Eun Woo's eyes shattered my heart for the... I'd lost count. The OST, "If Only I Could," swelled in the background, twisting the emotional knife even deeper.
The camera zoomed in on Lee Yoon-Ah's perfect, trembling lips for the moment every fan waits an entire season for. "Oh, come on! Just say it! Please, Yoon-Ah, you have to tell him!"
[ I-I lov— ]
—FZZT!
My screen went black. The charger had pulled out of the socket.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!"
I couldn't believe it. This was a literal crime against fangirl-kind! At the absolute climax! I launched myself from my bed, scrambling over a landscape of abandoned ramen cups and coffee mugs, my eyes frantically scanning for the charger.
I found it tangled on the far side of my bed. But my heart sank. The cord wasn't just unplugged—it was severed, cleanly cut.
How? Why now?! Of all the rotten luck!
I glanced at my small window, its view blocked by the building next door, and saw the rain was still pouring down in sheets. I let out a heavy sigh. "Well... I can't let a little thing like a catastrophic cord failure stop me from my destiny."
Resolved, I pulled on my overworn hoodie, snatched the black umbrella from its place by the door, and marched out into the storm, determined to find a convenience store and salvage my night.
With the image of my beloved leads frozen mid-confession burning in my brain, I became a woman on a mission. The convenience store was my battlefield, and I was its fiercest warrior.
I burst through the sliding doors, a gust of rain and dramatic purpose following me in. My eyes scanned the aisles with the precision of a hawk. Shampoo? No. Snacks? Skip. There! The electronics section.
I snatched the cheapest, most generic-looking charger off the hook, not even bothering to check the price. My priorities were clear: K-drama confession first, financial responsibility never.
I slapped the charger and a few damp bills onto the counter. The bored cashier moved in slow motion. Come on, come on! My fingers drummed an impatient rhythm. The beep of the scanner felt like a starting pistol.
Receipt? No time. I grabbed my prize and was out the door before the cashier could utter a "Thank you."
Back outside, the rain was a relentless downpour. I fumbled with my cheap, black umbrella. The button stuck. I cursed, jamming my thumb against it until it finally burst open with a loud SHWUP, a flimsy shield against the storm. I clutched the charger to my chest like a holy relic and started power-walking home.
The streets were slick and shiny, painted in the blurred colors of neon signs and car headlights. My apartment building was just across the wide, four-lane road. So close.
I skidded to a halt at the pedestrian crossing, the traffic light a glaring, taunting red.
"Come on, turn green," I muttered, my breath fogging in the chilly air. The "Don't Walk" signal was a silent, red-eyed judge.
I shifted my weight from foot to foot, the anticipation for that confession scene coiling tighter in my stomach. I barely registered the sound of tires hydroplaning on the wet asphalt.
All I could think about was getting back, plugging in my phone, and finally witnessing my OTP confess and kiss. The anticipation was a physical ache, a coiled spring in my chest.
To calm my frantic heart, I did the only thing that made sense—I went to my lullaby, the song I'd played a thousand times this week.
I tapped my phone awake, and there it was.
──────────────────────────────
Now Playing...♪
◦✦ IF ONLY I COULD✦◦
Love at First Spreadsheet OST
◄◄ [ ▶ ] ►► ━━━━━●────────── 02:14 / 04:27
♡ ↻ ⋮⋮ … ⤴
──────────────────────────────
The play button was a promise. The first, gentle piano notes spilled out, followed by the singer's haunting voice—a familiar balm to my soul. The title, "If Only I Could," resonated deep within me, echoing a longing I could never quite voice.
Listening to the soaring melody, I tilted my head back and gazed up into the weeping sky.
I stared into the heavens, a soft whisper escaping my lips, carried away by the wind and rain. "If only I could... just see you two together, even once." A wry smile touched my lips at my own foolishness. How could I ever meet them, right? The universe's rules were absolute.
Fiction was fiction. Reality was... this. I knew it was an impossible wish, but it couldn't hurt to dream, could it?
The light finally flickered to green.
Pulling my umbrella lower against the downpour, I stepped onto the zebra crossing. But a screech of tires—a sound I hadn't registered—suddenly filled the world.
—SCREECH!
A massive white truck, its headlights blazing like twin suns, was right there, hidden until the last second by the dome of my black umbrella.
Contrary to the fast-paced scenes I adored, reality slowed to a crawl. Every detail was hyper-clear. 'So, this is why characters in anime and K-dramas always use transparent umbrellas,' I thought with a strange, detached amusement. 'Hehe... I guess this is my finale.'
And then, everything went black.
~Blink-Blink~
A cold droplet splashed against my cheek, pulling me from the nothingness. My vision swam, then focused on the scene before me.
The woman standing in front of me was drenched, water dripping from her hair and clothes. And I was holding an empty, glass of water.
My mind short-circuited. I knew her. I'd watched her, cheered for her, cried for her, from behind a screen a thousand times.
A single word, spoken in a voice that was smooth, cold, and utterly unfamiliar, escaped my lips as I stared in pure, uncomprehending disbelief.
"Lee... Yoon-Ah?"