The Villianess's Redemption (HYUNJIN ff) ✓

44.A New Chapter, A New Life

Chapter 44: A New Chapter, A New Life
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3 years later

Y/N's POV

It’s been three years since the incident that changed everything—the Seo brothers, the constant fear, the uncertainty. Three long years, and yet, it all feels like yesterday sometimes. I remember the terror of thinking I might never escape my fate, the nights I spent wondering if I’d ever truly belong here. But now, waking up beside Hyunjin, in a world that has become my new reality, I feel… content.

The morning light streamed through the curtains, casting a warm, golden glow over the room. I blinked lazily, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes. The bed was soft, warm, and I could hear the faint sounds of birds outside. It was peaceful—something I had longed for during those chaotic days.

“Has my sleepyhead finally woken up?” Hyunjin’s voice interrupted my thoughts, and I looked over to see him standing in the doorway, holding a tray of breakfast. His smile was as charming as ever, that teasing glint in his eyes that always made my heart skip a beat.

I gave him a goofy smile, unable to resist the warmth that spread through me. “Yes, my dear hubby. Your sleepyhead is awake.”

That word—hubby—still felt surreal. We had been married for a year now, but it still brought butterflies to my stomach every time I said it. Hyunjin walked over to me, setting the tray down on my lap, and leaned in to kiss my forehead softly.

“You better eat up. It’s a big day today,” he said, sitting beside me on the bed.

I grinned, picking up a piece of toast. “Oh? What’s the big event?”

He smirked, taking a bite of his own breakfast. “Eliza’s baby shower and gender reveal, remember?”

I nearly choked on my toast, laughing. “How could I forget? You’ve been reminding me about it for days!”

Hyunjin chuckled, reaching over to steal a piece of fruit from my plate. “Well, you tend to forget things when you’re too busy with your royal duties, Mrs. Kim.”

I rolled my eyes playfully, nudging him with my elbow. “Oh please, like you’re not just as busy.”

We ate together, exchanging playful banter as we always did. Hyunjin loved to tease me, and I loved teasing him right back. It was these little moments—these normal, happy, domestic moments—that made me realize how far we had come. How much everything had changed.

I had thought, at one point, that maybe I’d return to my own world. That once I changed my fate, I’d wake up back in my bed, in my old life. But nothing like that happened. I stayed. And though I missed my loved ones back in the real world, I had grown attached to the people here. To Hyunjin. To the life I had built.

As I finished my breakfast, Hyunjin suddenly called out, “Y/N…”

I froze, the name echoing in my mind. Y/N. My old name. My real name.

I shot him a shocked look. “Hyunjin, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?”

He gave me a cheeky smile, shrugging as if it were no big deal. “I can’t help it. I really wish I could call you that, you know?”

I sighed, shaking my head. “I’m Isabella now. That’s who I’ve become.”

“If you say so,” Hyunjin replied, the smile never leaving his face. He gathered up the tray and stood. “Now hurry up and get ready. We’ll be late for Eliza’s baby shower if you keep lazing around.”