House of Cards || Daerin

4. New York to London

HAERIN

"Damn, this is nice," I muttered under my breath, glancing around the luxurious business class cabin. How rich is Hanni?

"It definitely is," my coworker Hyein agreed, wide-eyed, as the rest of the team and our boss shuffled to find their seats.

We’d been hired to design every aspect of this two-day wedding the outfits, themes, venues, food, everything.

The notice was short, almost absurdly so, but when we saw the amount of money on the table, no one hesitated to accept.

After all, this was the first wedding in the Marsh family, as Minji had told me.

Apparently, their parents had passed when they were young, leaving only Hanni and her younger sister to carry on their legacy.

Despite that, the sisters had managed to grow the century-old business, only multiplying the family’s wealth.

We were all staying at the mansion where the wedding would be held, alongside the other guests. Honestly, this was more like a paid vacation than work.

I found my seat and slumped down without a second thought, sinking into the soft leather.

God, I’ll never fly economy again.

"Dude, you can roll this up for privacy? What the hell?"Hyein gasped, fiddling with the privacy screen next to her seat.

I chuckled at her excitement. "Enjoy it while it lasts," I said, closing my eyes. "We’ll be waking up in London."

___

"This is crazy," I muttered as we all stood there, staring up at the massive mansion looming before us.

It looked like something straight out of a medieval fairytale.

"Alright, we’ll head to the hotel now. Don’t screw this up, and assist the clients with whatever they need," our boss, Giselle, said sternly before she and the others left.

Only three of us—me, Hyein, and Yunjin—would be staying here at the mansion with Minji and Hanni, helping them with everything.

We’d be designing the layout of the wedding, handling their ideas, dress codes, all of it. Meanwhile, the others would manage things like decorations and expenses from our office in London.

"Let’s go, girls," I said, nodding toward the gates that slowly swung open, revealing the estate’s breathtaking architecture.

"Kang!" Minji’s voice echoed across the courtyard as she came running toward me, her face lighting up with pure joy. She threw her arms around me in a suffocating hug. "It’s been way too long!"

"Minji, I can’t breathe,"I gasped, but she just laughed, squeezing tighter.

Hanni followed behind her, walking with grace in a stunning red dress, greeting the others warmly.

"Then die,"  Minji teased, finally letting me go.

"This place is unreal," I said, still in awe as I glanced around the property. "Did you marry a princess or something?"

"Well, yeah," Minji shrugged, pulling Hanni closer by the hand.

"Hey, Hanni, it’s been a while," I smiled, pulling the older woman into a gentle hug.

"It has," Hanni smiled back, her warmth palpable. 'Thank you so much for coming all this way. It means the world to us.".She glanced between the three of us, her voice genuine. "Please, rest up today. You’ve already done us such a favour by agreeing to help."

As if they hadn’t paid for everything

"Oh, and you three are our only guests for now," Hanni added as we walked inside.

I couldn’t help but marvel at the interior—the high ceilings, the intricate details. It felt like walking through a museum.

"Except Danielle," Minji pointed.

Danielle?

"Well, she’s family," Hanni clarified with a smile.

After what felt like hours of wandering through this labyrinthine mansion, Hyein and Yunjin were shown to their rooms. Finally, it was my turn.

"And the room at the very end of the hallway is yours, Haerin. Don’t think of yourself as just here for work—you’re Minji’s friend, so you’re like family to us," Hanni said kindly, her soft smile tugging at my heartstrings.

Despite everything she’d been through, there was something so resilient about her.

"Thanks," I replied, dragging my suitcase along the beautifully adorned hallway.

There wasn’t a single family portrait in sight—just a few pictures of two little girls, who I assumed were Hanni and her sister.

I stopped in front of the room at the far end. How many rooms does this place even have?

As I turned the handle and stepped inside, I froze.

There, seated on the couch, was a woman I hadn’t expected to see.

Her dark hair spilled down over her shoulders, her shirt sleeves rolled up to her elbows as she typed on her laptop, completely unaware of my presence. Her face was hidden, but there was something about her that instantly unsettled me.

Before I could say anything, her phone rang. She picked it up, her voice low and seductive as she spoke, "She’s a wedding planner?"

I blinked, confused, wondering if I’d stepped into the wrong room. Was this someone else’s space?

"Twenty-six? yeah, I figured she’d be younger," she continued, turning on the speakerphone.

"Her parents divorced when she was six, Mother died of cancer when she was ten," the voice on the phone said, and I could feel my pulse quicken.

That sounds a bit too much like me, but it couldn't be.

The woman on the couch stopped in her tracks, immediately turning off the speaker and ending the call. Slowly, she turned to face me, her fiery eyes locking onto mine.

For a moment, we just stood there, staring at each other.

Recognition flashed across her face—this was the woman I’d run into in the elevator yesterday.

What?

She chuckled softly after a beat of silence, her lips curving into a smirk. "Followed me all the way from New York to London? Am I that enchanting, darling?"