Chapter 2: I’ll Never Forgive You

Leaving behind the stunned crowd and the frozen looks on their faces, I walked briskly back to the bridal waiting room.

I quickly gathered the belongings I had left behind. And just as I stepped outside the room, Seo Ji-Han was already there, reaching out to grab my arm.

“What the hell do you mean by that?” His voice was low, clipped, and barely restrained.

From behind him, I could feel the dozens of judgmental eyes of guests boring into us.

My heart pounded violently.

“Yoon Yeo-Jin.”

“Exactly what I said—I’m not going through with this wedding.”

Ji-Han blinked slowly, still struggling to grasp the reality of what was happening.

As I turned away, his face twisted in disbelief, completely thrown by my declaration.

“What’s going on?”

“Is the bride running away or something?”

The murmurs of the reporters quickly turned the already tense air frigid. Then came the relentless sound of camera shutters clicking.

Reporters, sensing a scandal, immediately sprang into action.

“Shoot it! It’s a scoop!”

As I began to back away, the cluster of photographers who’d been lingering aimlessly now swarmed forward like bees to honey.

I dashed for the elevator, shoving past them as they tried to block my path.

“Follow her!”

My dress flared behind me like a white flame, and in the distance, I caught sight of the chairman and vice president—Ji-Han’s grandfather and father—both their faces contorted in horror.

I jumped into the elevator, jabbing the close button as the paparazzi surged toward me.

How could something like this happen?

Once the doors slid shut, the noise and chaos were sealed off.

Only then did I slump back against the wall, finally alone. My heart was still pounding, too shocked to settle.

“Haah… ha…”

Hot, ragged breaths slipped past my lips.

My hand clenched around the elevator railing, trembling violently.

Ever since I realized I had returned to the day of my wedding, my heart hadn’t stopped racing. An eerie sense of dread had followed me everywhere.

I scanned the elevator interior with wary eyes—something felt wrong.

Then, my phone rang.

An unfamiliar number lit up the screen, its chime cutting through the silence like a blade.

“…Hello?”

– “Is this Ms. Yoon Yeo-Jin?”

“Yes… speaking.”

– “This is Daejin Hospital. We’re calling to inform you that Yoon Tae-Guk and Yoon Ji-Young—your parents—were in an accident. We need family confirmation.”

The phone slipped from my hands and hit the floor with a sickening thud.

– “Hello? Ms. Yoon Yeo-Jin? Can you hear me?”

At that moment, the elevator arrived in the lobby with a soft chime, and the doors opened.

Was it… because I had returned to the past? Had my mind been so shaken I forgot this part?

How could I have forgotten about that?

“Why… why now, of all times?”

May 28th.

It wasn’t just the day I was to marry Seo Ji-Han. It was the day my grandfather and parents had their fatal accident.

I stumbled forward. My legs felt weak and unsteady beneath me. I almost collapsed more than once.

As I reached for the car door parked in front of the lobby, a strong hand yanked my wrist.
I spun around on instinct.

Ji-Han.

Breathing heavily, glaring at me with a rage I had rarely seen in his normally composed face. He looked like a bomb ready to detonate.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

“Let go of me.”

“Get back upstairs. Now.”

The harder I tried to pull away, the tighter his grip became. My resistance only seemed to infuriate him more. His face twisted into a scowl.

Of course he’d be furious. I had just publicly humiliated him and tainted the name he’d worked so hard to build.

“Yoon Yeo-Jin!”

I twisted my captured arm with all my strength.

“Let go! I said, Let go! I have to get to the hospital.”

At the mention of the word hospital, Ji-Han froze. His expression shifted from fury to startled confusion.

His grip loosened slightly.

“There’s been an accident. My parents… and grandfather… they’re in critical condition.”

“…What?”

“So let go. Now.”

I wrenched my arm free and clutched my wrist as I turned toward the car.

Climbing into the driver’s seat, I started the engine in a panic.

Through the side mirror, I saw Ji-Han on his phone. His eyes glinted—like he had just gotten confirmation.

That look…

That sharp glint in his eyes made my hands tremble on the steering wheel.

“Please… please be okay.”

I didn’t want to lose my family again. I bit my lip hard, trying to keep the tears from spilling.

* * *

I drove into the hospital’s nearly empty parking lot and slammed the car into a space.
Then I ran.

People stared, but I didn’t care.

I pushed through the crowded lobby and jumped into the elevator. It stopped on the VIP floor.

Unlike the bustling lobby, the corridor here was quiet and eerie.

I sprinted to the end of the hall, where a group of security guards stood.

There—a familiar figure among them.

Attorney Park Hyeon-Ik, my grandfather’s long-time legal advisor and W Group’s trusted lawyer.
He stood from his seat as the echo of my high heels rang down the hallway.

“Uncle!”

“Yeo-Jin… Why did you take so long?”

Take so long?

No… No, it can’t be…

My heart dropped at his words.

He was still in a suit, having likely rushed here from the wedding the moment he got the news.

“How… how are they? My parents and grandfather—what’s their condition?”

He rushed to me, clasping my trembling hands in his wrinkled ones.

His eyes landed on my white wedding dress—and in those misty eyes, I saw sorrow. And devastation.

“Chairman… The chairman passed away.”

The words shattered me.

I couldn’t stop the scream that tore from my throat.

Just like before…

I stumbled into the hospital room, unsteady on my feet.

Once the sliding door closed behind me, the heavy weight of loneliness crushed me.

There they were—my parents, lying unconscious on their hospital beds.

And I couldn’t hold back anymore. My sobs broke free.

“Not again… not again.”

I’d thought I could prevent it this time.

I’d hoped coming back would change it all.

But it was just foolish hope, wasn’t it?

“I thought… I thought I had more time.”

My grandfather and my parents—they had always been punctual people. They had delayed the wedding ceremony because they were late.

Then came the call.

A tragic accident. My grandfather died on impact. My parents, though critically injured, hadn’t survived long after.

Standing at their bedsides, I broke down again. The tears wouldn’t stop.

“Why… Why couldn’t I save you?”

In my past life, I ran from the wedding hall the moment I heard of the accident.

W Group was among the top five conglomerates in the country—founded and built by my grandfather.

The tragedy made headlines everywhere.

And there I was—thrust into the role of sole heir, unprepared, unprotected.

The media turned it into a spectacle.

[W Group: Granddaughter to Inherit as Sole Successor? What Does the Future Hold?]

[“A Celebration Turned Funeral”—How the Marriage of the Century Became a Corporate Crisis.]

Just when I thought I had no one left in the world…

The only hand that reached for me was Seo Ji-Han’s.

He was the only family I had left.

I really believed you…

You said I didn’t need to worry. That you’d take care of everything.

You told me to grieve, and you’d handle the company.

In the chaos of succession wars and management disputes, Ji-Han pushed for a merger between W Group and Hojin Group—all while pretending to protect me.

I brushed a hand over my unconscious parents’ hands, their skin cold beneath my fingers.

You must’ve thought I was just a clueless little girl.

But I’m no longer the naive 29-year-old Yoon Yeo-Jin from before.

I won’t let you take W Group.

The company my grandfather built, the legacy my parents devoted their lives to—it won’t be yours.

I won’t let things go your way again.

Even if I can forgive others, I’ll never forgive you.

If you want W Group, I’ll take it.

If you want Hojin Group, I’ll take that too.

In this life, you won’t get a single thing you want.

Click.

The door behind me creaked open.

Footsteps approached slowly.

Attorney Park Hyeon-Ik placed a warm, steady hand on my shoulder. That single gesture broke the dam inside me.

He had been the only one on my side in my past life. The only one I could truly trust.

“Yeo-Jin… Chairman Seo’s funeral arrangements have begun.”

“…”

“I’ve notified the shareholders of his passing. So far, there’s no significant movement.”

Shareholders…

I could still hear their voices—scoffing that I was too young. That I was a woman. That I had never been groomed to lead.

In the last life, Ji-Han manipulated them and orchestrated the merger at the shareholder meeting.

“Uncle.”

He flinched slightly at my voice.

“Keep tracking the shareholders. An emergency meeting will be called soon.”

Though the shareholders were quiet after my grandfather’s passing, they began to stir after news spread that my parents were in critical condition.

If nothing changed, the management rights would fall into the hands of Vice President Kim Young-Min—which, in effect, would give all power to Seo Ji-Han.

“And one more thing. Look into Seo Ji-Han’s background.”

“Why, Ji-Han? He’s your husband now.”

His eyes filled with worry. Clearly, he had heard about the wedding.

“You’re not planning to call it off, are you?”

To him, I had always been the obedient, quiet girl who never raised her voice.

He looked truly shocked by this side of me.

And it was understandable—rejecting a marriage alliance with the stable and powerful Hojin Group at a time like this sounded reckless.

“Things are awful right now. This engagement could stabilize your position.”

“…”

“Ji-Han might be an illegitimate son, but he’s still Hojin’s heir.”

“No. I’m not marrying him.”

I had no interest in building my foundation on something so fragile.

“I’m calling off the engagement.”

He stared at me, completely stunned by the word calling off that escaped my lips.

I may not be able to change the past—but the future is still mine.

Seo Ji-Han will never become the head of Hojin Group. I’ll make sure of it.

Yoon Yeo-Jin