The Wedding Crashers ⚊ Park Jay [ Sequel ]

✗ ten ✗

⚊ chapter ten

I crouched behind a cluster of palm trees, my heart pounding in my chest. The soft rustling of the leaves above barely masked the sound of my ragged breathing.

The salty breeze from the ocean teased at my hair, but I ignored it, my eyes fixed on Jaehyuk and the woman we suspected was his mistress.

Beside me, Sunoo was fiddling with his camera, trying to get the perfect angle without drawing attention. Minji and Kiara were huddled just behind us, hidden beneath a makeshift tent of towels and blankets.

I shot a quick glance back at them, my nerves fraying at the edges.

This was our moment—the culmination of weeks of planning and sneaking around. We had to catch Jaehyuk in the act, and we had to do it now before he realized we were onto him.

But something nagged at the back of my mind, a faint sense of dread I couldn’t shake.

Sunoo nudged me, nodding toward the shoreline where Jaehyuk was leaning in close to the woman. She was laughing at something he said, her hand playfully swatting his arm.

It looked too intimate, too familiar.

My stomach churned. How could Chowon not see this? I wanted to march over there and confront him myself, but I knew better. We needed evidence, something concrete to show Chowon.

"We need to get closer," Sunoo whispered, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I can't get a clear shot from here."

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. We began to inch forward, careful to stay out of sight. But just as we were nearing a better vantage point, something unexpected happened.

Chowon appeared.

She was supposed to be at the hotel, distracted by Jay's careful stalling tactics. But there she was, striding purposefully toward the shore, her face set in determination.

My heart sank. This was bad. We weren’t ready for this. If Chowon confronted Jaehyuk now, without our proof in hand, everything could fall apart.

"Sunoo, stop!" I hissed, grabbing his arm. "Chowon's here!"

Sunoo's eyes widened in panic, but it was too late to retreat. Chowon was already too close, and if we moved, we'd be spotted for sure. My mind raced, trying to come up with a solution, but the sound of approaching footsteps cut through my thoughts like a knife.

"Why are you all hiding?" a voice demanded.

I froze, slowly turning to see Chowon standing just a few feet away, her hands on her hips and a suspicious look on her face. She had caught us. My heart pounded in my chest as I struggled to find the right words.

"Uh, we were just...just..." Minji stammered from behind me, clearly just as panicked.

I desperately searched for a plausible excuse, but nothing came to mind. Chowon's gaze shifted between us and the direction of Jaehyuk and the woman, her brow furrowing.

"What’s going on here?" she demanded, stepping closer.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, a sudden blaring alarm shattered the tense atmosphere. The sound echoed across the beach, sending seagulls into a frenzy and drawing the attention of everyone nearby, including Jaehyuk and the woman.

They looked around in confusion, and Chowon turned on her heel, momentarily distracted.

The fire alarm from the hotel. Of all times, it had to go off now.

I cursed under my breath. This was a disaster. Sunoo and I exchanged frantic glances, realizing we had to act fast. If we could just get the photo before everyone scattered...