Unlawful Devotion

A Kiss for Good Luck

For all her life, Chae Yoon is proud of the fact that she can walk into any situation with confidence and a clear mind, armed with the ability to assess any room she enters or any person she meets and be able to respond accordingly. Pursuing a career in negotiations felt natural, almost like a given, with her emotional and intellectual acumen. But all that pride seems to have vanished as she stands on the receiving end of the immigration officer's scrutinizing gaze.

The man on the other side of the glass turns his attention back to his computer screen for a moment to type in some of her supposed information. Her knuckles are beginning to turn white with how tight she grips onto the strap of her bag.

"Business or leisure?" he suddenly asks in a gruff tone.

"Leisure," she replies, hoping that he does not dwell on her voice cracking in trepidation. Being interviewed at immigration, whether or not one is on the right side of the law, holds the power of making one feel apprehensive. So, the anxiety of being questioned after handing over a fake passport and including a wanted man in her itinerary is beyond anything she had ever felt before.

"And you are traveling alone?"

His voice carries the tone of professional interrogation with a hint of curiosity that sent alarm bells ringing inside her head. Most of the travelers going aboard the ferry with her have been eyeing her like a piece of meat since she arrived at the terminal, and so his questioning was not entirely misplaced.

Without truly thinking of the consequences of her next words, she blurts out, "I am actually on my honeymoon."

Surprise lights up his features before he glances down at her ringless hand. "I see," he murmurs, tapping on his keyboard. "That man your new husband?"

She follows his line of sight with her own to see Tae Gu standing behind the yellow line with an air of confidence that she envied. Overnight, he managed to transform himself back to the man she met on the other side of the screen. Naturally swept back hair, light stubble covering his chin, and scars marring his olive skin. He stands there in a simple black shirt and jeans, looking like a model in the sea of plain-looking people, and raises an eyebrow at their inquisitive stares.

"Tell him to come over so that I can process his documents together with yours," he adds.

Left with no choice, Chae Yoon beckons him to come forward. When Tae Gu stops to stand beside her, she immediately latches her arm around his and pastes a bright smile on her face. "Yeobo," she croons, ignoring his surprised amusement in order to communicate how their relationship is to be perceived. "Would you mind telling this kind officer the itinerary for our honeymoon?"

His brief moment of disconcertion transforms into a soft, loving gaze that takes her aback. "Leave it to you to forget our plans even before getting on the ferry," he playfully chastises, embodying the adoring husband persona in the blink of an eye, before turning to the officer. "Our destination is actually Beijing. After docking, we will be taking a train over to the capital."

To her chagrin, the other man continues to question their travel plans, and dread begins to pool at the pit of her stomach. Has he figured out who they really are? "Seems like quite the journey," he comments, typing on his computer. "Why not take a plane? That would have been more ideal than this option."

"This girl has a fear of flying, so traveling by plane was never really an option for us," Tae Gu smoothly replies, offering a succinct answer that cannot be refuted and leaving her impressed. "And besides, the last thing I want is to make my beautiful wife unhappy on our honeymoon. Isn't that right, my darling?"

At that cheeky addition, she tightens her grip on his arm, digging her nails into his skin as a warning, and responds in a sugary sweet tone that has him grinning like a cat who ate the canary. "I am the luckiest girl in the world."