Marriage With Your Older Brother - Chapter 1

Divorce was… astonishingly easy.

“The court declares a divorce under case number 2020, by mutual agreement.”

As soon as the word divorce fell from the judge’s lips, my eyes squeezed shut.

The moment I’d dreaded, the burden that had weighed me down for so long, had ended in mere minutes. Something that had gripped my life so painfully for years crumbled like dust.

A marriage devoid of even a speck of meaning. Five years of struggle, effort, and patience—all condensed into a single, pitiful piece of paper.

“It’s really… finally over.”

I opened my eyes slowly, feeling the sting at the corners.

Across the courtroom stood the man who had once been my world—my husband of five years, now a stranger.

Seo Jihan.

My fingers curled into tight fists. My nails dug deep into the flesh of my palm. After all the countless arguments and cold wars, all the battles we fought like enemies under one roof. I had nothing left to show for it.

I lost everything—My family, the warmth of a home, the place that had been my last refuge in the world. I was stripped bare, left with nothing, and it was all because of that man who now looked at me with indifferent eyes.

“Why don’t you let me manage your maternal family’s company? I’m your husband, aren’t I?”

“Lean on me, Yeojin. Let me help you.”

Even if it had been a political marriage between families, I had chosen to believe him.
I’d clung to the hope that maybe—just maybe—our marriage could grow into something real.

But the man I placed my trust in betrayed me.

For five years, behind my back, he whispered love to the woman who had once been my closest junior, Chae Seorin.
And all that time, I had no idea.

“Let’s get divorced. Walk away now, and I’ll give you my shares in Hojin Group.”

“You know you’re not capable of managing W Group. That’s why you handed it to me, right?”

“Why are you being so pitiful? You chose to trust me on your own. This is all I’m willing to do for you.”

He constantly used his pitiful little shares as leverage, pressuring me to divorce.
Even after devouring my family’s company, he had the audacity to act like I should thank him for leaving me with the scraps.

I really believed in you.

Betrayed by the two people I had cherished the most. I should have never introduced Seorin to him. If only I hadn’t… maybe, just maybe, this marriage wouldn’t have ended in such devastation.

But what’s the point of regretting it now?

The walls of the courthouse felt suffocating. I couldn’t breathe.

I pushed my way out, walking faster and faster, just trying to escape. By the time I reached the crosswalk in front of the courthouse, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist—tight.

Breathless and flushed from running after me, Jihan stood there.

“Wait… we need to talk.”

“Talk? I think everything that needed to be said was already said in front of the judge.”

When you demanded the divorce so coldly, you didn’t seem to want to talk.

Now, confronted with my cutting voice, Jihan furrowed his brow and looked irritated.
I glanced down at his hand gripping my wrist. Realizing what he was doing, he hurriedly let go.

“Yoon Yeojin.”

He called my name in that deep, familiar voice— But now, it sounded foreign. It didn’t reach me anymore.

And that was the moment I heard her voice.

“Oppa.”

A soft, sugary voice floated over from behind. I turned around, dreading what I already knew.

It was her—Chae Seorin.

He brought her… to the divorce hearing?

“I waited for so long outside.”

Seorin cast a sweeping glance at me—then, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, she melted into Jihan’s arms.

He hesitated, mouth half-open like he wanted to say something to me, but when she clung to him, he closed his mouth again.

“Why don’t you go inside?”

“I wanted to be the one to welcome you out, oppa.”

She answered with such sweetness, then flicked her gaze toward me, eyes brimming with smug delight.

It was like she was trying to provoke me—Leaning into him even more, almost possessively, while never breaking eye contact with me.

I let out a bitter laugh I couldn’t hold back.

Chae Seorin, you’re not even human.

Seeing her wrapped in my husband’s arms—laughing, smiling like nothing was wrong—made me feel sick. My insides twisted so hard it felt like they were being ripped apart.

I turned away, unable to stomach it any longer.

And that’s when I heard her voice again.

“Unnie.”

That fake, sickening title stopped me in my tracks.

“We’re getting married soon. We’re starting with the marriage registration… because I’m pregnant.”

“Stop it. What are you doing, saying that now?” Jihan grabbed her sleeve and shook his head in frustration.

But I’d heard those words before.

I remembered the day she came to me with that smug smile—

“I’m pregnant. With your husband’s child.”

She said it so casually. As if she had no shame. The words hit me like a bullet. I clenched my trembling lips shut.

“Unnie, I’m really grateful to you.”

“What?”

The words didn’t make any sense.

“Thanks to you, I got to be with oppa. I’ll live the rest of my life grateful.”

I stared at her in stunned silence.

Then Jihan pulled away from her and walked over to me.

“Take care of yourself. I’ll see you when we finish the paperwork.”

How could he say that? So casually?

Take care? After everything?

“I hope you don’t live well.”

I spat the words out through clenched teeth.

I hoped they’d both be miserable. Just like me.

I turned and walked away, forcing myself to move like I was okay. But the farther I got from him, the clearer our memories became.

That big, cold house where all I did was wait for him. Even when he ignored me, I held onto him. Because he was the last family I had.

I gave everything to protect that marriage. I clung to it, hoping, praying that things would get better.

But in the end… all I got was betrayal. From the two people I trusted most.

Tears poured down my face as I stood at the crosswalk. The light turned green, and people began to cross.

But I couldn’t move.

“Hah…”

The betrayal, the rage, the heartbreak… it all surged up and choked me.
Tears blurred my vision. That’s when I saw it—

A car.

Racing toward me with no signs of slowing down.

Is it… coming at me?

I stared, frozen. The car kept coming, faster and faster.

Maybe… death would be easier.

Just as I closed my eyes—

The headlights flashed, and the driver’s face became visible.

That man…!

I saw the mole by his narrow eyes and remembered; He was the one Jihan always called when he didn’t want to get his hands dirty.

“AAAAAHHH!”

Someone screamed.

The screech of brakes tore through the air, and in the next moment, my body was airborne.

Agonizing pain rushed in all at once.

Even as I fell, I couldn’t stop looking at him. The man who had once promised me forever.

Don’t tell me… you really tried to kill me?

Why?

I reached for Jihan, who stood amidst the crowd watching it all unfold. He looked stunned as his face contorted.

You didn’t have to go this far.

I gave you everything you wanted… so why?

As if to confirm my worst fears, he just stood there—watching me fall.

“Someone call an ambulance!”

The sound of sirens drew near.

Strength drained from my limbs. Darkness crept in.

And I closed my eyes.

* * *

My eyelids fluttered with a faint tremor as I opened them slowly.

Out of the suffocating darkness, I awoke—Only to feel an unfamiliar, crisp sensation brushing against my fingertips. It wasn’t pain. It was… fabric?

Did I… survive?

The last thing I remembered was the sound of metal crashing, my body flung into the air, and the certainty of death washing over me.

In those final moments, I had prepared myself. I had felt the end coming.

But as my vision cleared, what greeted me was neither blood nor chaos. It was a smooth marble floor beneath me. A pristine white rug spread out like a cloud.

And then—a camera shutter clicked nearby.

“Bride, this time look straight at the camera. Hold your bouquet right at the center.”

Click, click, click—

The rapid fire of the camera gradually slowed. Standing before me was a photographer, peering at me like something was off—like I wasn’t doing what I was supposed to.

“Bride?”

Bride…?

Panic surged through me as I spun around, eyes wide and scanning my surroundings. A shiver crawled across my skin like icy needles.

I knew this place.

The long table lined with wedding portraits. The rows upon rows of white wedding florals arranged with flawless symmetry.

No… it can’t be.

“Bride! Please don’t get up so suddenly—you’ll trip!”

As I sprang to my feet, the high heels caught beneath me and I nearly toppled over.

A woman—probably a bridal assistant—rushed over, steadying me in a hurry.

I shoved her hand away without thinking and grabbed one of the picture frames on the table.

My hands trembled as I stared down at the photo.

It was me.

Me and Jihan, both smiling like we were in love.

A radiant bride and a proud groom.

Why… why is this photo here?

It felt like someone had struck me in the back of the head. My vision swam. I turned to face the photographer again, my voice shaky and demanding.

“What day is it? Right now—I mean today. What’s the date?”

“Today?” He blinked. “It’s May 28th. It’s your wedding day, isn’t it?”

May 28th.

That was… the date of our wedding.

The wedding we held five years ago.

My entire body began to tremble.

I stumbled toward the mirror, needing to see—needing proof.

And there she was.

A woman in a pure white wedding dress. Hair swept elegantly into a half-up style. Staring back at me in shock.

It was me.
But it was the me from five years ago.

I gasped and slapped a hand over my mouth.

“…Ha!”

A weak cry escaped my throat.

The dress— That exact wedding dress, the one I wore when I married Jihan.

The Swarovski crystals glittering beneath layers of tulle. The high neckline hugging my throat. Everything down to the tiniest detail was the same.

What… What is going on?

I remembered the car hurtling toward me with terrifying clarity.

I remembered dying.

And yet, here I was—unharmed. Not a single wound. Not even a bruise.

This wasn’t a hallucination.

“Bride?”

That voice snapped me out of my daze.

No. I need to get out of here.

I had to see this for myself—to understand what kind of nightmare or miracle this was.

“Bride, wait! Where are you going?”

Ignoring the voices calling after me, I fled the waiting room and stepped into the main hall.
What I saw stopped me cold.

An enormous wedding hall filled with guests and reporters, bustling and shining under bright lights.

Am I dreaming?

My mind felt blank. Everything around me felt too vivid to be an illusion—yet too impossible to be real.

I tried to breathe. If this truly was my wedding day… then Seo Jihan should be here.

The man who stole everything from me.

The man who tried to kill me.

I would find him. And when I did, I’d demand to know why.

As I searched the crowd, I began to hear the murmuring of the guests.

“Where’s the groom?”

“Maybe he stepped out for the restroom?”

Right. Jihan wasn’t at the altar.

I scanned the hall, and my eyes landed on an elevator just as its doors opened.

Jihan stepped out.

The sight of him made my breath catch in my throat.

I could still see it—His expression when I was dying.

The way he stood frozen among the crowd as the car hit me.

“Where did you go?” I stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

Jihan stared at me with wide eyes, clearly caught off guard.

“I just went to the car for a moment. But what are you doing out here? You should be in the bridal suite.”

He said it so nonchalantly, brushing off the question. But I noticed something was… off.

His tuxedo jacket was wrinkled near the hem. And at the collar of his crisp white shirt—there it was.

A faint smear of red.

Lipstick?

It was subtle, barely noticeable. But my heart thudded violently in my chest.

No way.

No. It can’t be.

Please, not again.

“What’s this?” I pointed directly at the spot on his collar.

Jihan glanced down and forced a sheepish smile.

“Oh… I must’ve brushed against a woman in the elevator. It must’ve gotten on me then.”

That… isn’t where lipstick would land from a brush-up.

As I tried to process his excuse, another elevator opened.
And out stepped Chae Seorin.

My heart dropped.

She looked surprised to see me in the hall instead of the bridal suite.

“Yeojin unnie?”

She approached with a bright smile. And I saw it clearly now—the lipstick she wore.

The exact same color.

“You look stunning, unnie! I was just shocked to see you out here, that’s all.”

“…”

“What are you doing out here?”

She spoke so casually, as if she hadn’t just been in an elevator alone with my groom.

Disgust crawled up my spine.

I could already picture it— The two of them, tangled up somewhere hidden, even on my wedding day.

How could you?

My lips trembled violently.

“You two… why did you come up together?”

I finally managed to speak, though my voice trembled with rage.

The two of them exchanged a brief glance—an awkward flicker of their eyes in midair.

“What are you talking about? Look, let’s get you back to the waiting room.” Jihan reached for my arm.

“Yes, unnie. Let’s go inside. We haven’t taken photos together yet!”

Seorin smiled as she looped her arm through mine.

In my past life, I had shared so much with Seorin. I trusted her so deeply. Introduced her to my husband.

All while she was secretly with him.

How much of a fool did I look like to them?

If this was a dream, I wanted to wake up.

But it wasn’t. My mind grew sharper by the second.

This wasn’t fantasy.

I didn’t die.

I’m alive—And I’ve come back.

With every memory of my past life still intact. This was my second chance. The betrayal that crushed me once? I would never let it happen again.

This time… the one going to hell won’t be me. I would do whatever it took. Even if it meant destroying my husband.

“Why is there such a commotion with the guests around?”

An all-too-familiar voice rang out from behind.

I turned.

Approaching us were Jihan’s father, Vice President Seo Minguk, and his grandfather, Chairman Seo Mujin.

“I think she came looking for me while I was gone. It’s nothing,” Jihan said, trying to wave it off with a calm smile.

But I couldn’t hold back anymore.

I curled my lips into the brightest, most polite smile I could muster.

“No. It is something.”

My voice rang through the hall like a bell, low and resolute. People began to turn toward me.

“What do you mean? What’s going on?” Jihan looked confused, his brow furrowing.

It’s about to happen.

The “incident” hasn’t occurred yet.

Because I’m about to make it happen.

“Father-in-law. Grandfather.”

I looked straight at the two elders, who now wore expressions of curiosity and concern.

I gave them the most radiant smile of my life.

“I’m not going through with this wedding.”