The Eldest Son Transforms into a Bouquet of Sorrows
When guests began to arrive in earnest, Jang Namhun had become nothing but a disposable sack of barley.
That was only natural. The faces of everyone invited to this wedding were far too dazzling.
“Congratulations, Director Kang.”
“Thank you for coming despite your busy schedule.”
He had only found out the truth late because this was a wedding where no one received a wreath.
Names alone were enough to identify the famous actors and established talents.
Even high-level executives from the broadcasting company whose faces Namhun recognized.
As soon as the people from entertainment agencies and singers appeared—and especially the idol members he had once trained—the scene turned chaotic and he slipped away to the corner.
He felt it would be awkward to face them.
Then, right on cue, he slipped in and discovered something shocking.
“MC Yoo Joo-hoon, the national MC?”
‘This wedding of a camera director and a fan-club president isn’t supposed to have such a powerful network.’
‘Ugh, this is a burden.’
Sing for me in front of these stars?
But no matter how much Jang Namhun was startled, the wedding had already begun.
* * *
“Next is the groom’s welcome song.”
Laughter erupted from all directions at Yoo Joo-hoon’s words.
Everyone knew Kang Seokho’s singing ability too well.
They figured he had chosen this to raise the mood, since he was known for his humorous personality.
Well, only one person had a different thought.
“Everyone will be shocked.”
Kang Seokho’s skill had grown tremendously.
It was a level that could be called earth-shaking.
Seeing Seong Yujin, the bride who had been waiting in vain, Namhun realized she had kept the vocal-training secret from him.
‘Mr. Seokho, show me the result of your hard work.’
Watching Seokho’s obvious tension, Namhun’s palms were sweating too.
Then the guests began to murmur.
“Eh? Isn’t that Sera?”
“Who’s Sera?”
“Fusion violinist Sera, don’t you know? She’s been super hot lately.”
“She’s not carrying a violin?”
Some knew her, some didn’t, but Sera was a young musician whose name had spread lately.
The one most surprised by the unexpected appearance was none other than Namhun.
‘Why is he here at the wedding?’
Rehearsals had clearly had a different accompanist.
Namhun sensed that Seokho’s plan was far more elaborate than expected.
When Seokho’s eyes met Namhun’s across the room, she gave a tiny wink.
Only then did Namhun realize Sera had been involved in every step of this event.
‘I see. They’re on good terms.’
Actually, Seokho had come looking for Namhun after hearing info from Sera.
He finally relaxed a little.
Seokho had been unusually nervous during rehearsals.
With his own wedding and a full guest list, tension was inevitable.
But if Sera, the person he knew, would accompany him?
Seokho could cover any mistake.
‘Focus, Mr. Seokho.’
The hardest part for a layman singing is getting the rhythm right on the introduction.
No one starts the song before counting.
The moment Seokho sat at the piano and began playing, he unconsciously looked for Namhun.
Namhun, who had been watching him, signaled with a hand gesture the instant their eyes met.
“One, two, three!”
Seokho, whose hair had turned completely white in fright, finally managed to sing on the correct beat after seeing the signal.
“Whoa, that went in smoothly!”
“What? Why is it so stable?”
“I thought it was an obvious comedy stage…”
“Director Kang’s singing is actually pretty good.”
“Did Director Kang sing like this before?”
“No, he was completely off-key…”
The guests’ astonished murmurs grew louder at Seokho’s transformed ability.
Namhun felt quietly proud in response.
‘I taught him.’
Of course, the person most surprised was the bride herself, Seong Yujin.
How much practice had he done to improve so much?
Seong Yujin, who finally understood Seokho’s effort, began wiping away tears.
The problem was that Seokho’s own emotion spiked at the sight.
His excitement made the rhythm speed up.
‘Oh no!’
Namhun tried to signal again, but Seokho’s gaze was locked on the bride.
Then Seokho, who had read the situation, hit the piano keys harder.
Seokho flinched at the sound and quickly regained his flow.
“Phew.”
Namhun loosened his tie and let out a long sigh.
It felt like watching a child who had been left by the river.
After Seokho finished the song without a single mistake, applause broke out everywhere.
“The groom is amazing!”
“The bride must be so happy~!”
“How much did you practice?”
“You don’t have to practice anymore for karaoke.”
Even Namhun, who had shared the grueling rehearsals, had tears in his eyes.
In the end, effort never betrayed Seokho.
As Seokho wiped Seong Yujin’s tears with a handkerchief, MC Yoo Joo-hoon quipped,
“Ah… that was an extremely moving moment. The person about to sing the next song must be trembling right now, right?”
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
Namhun felt the same.
Asking him to sing on stage in this emotional atmosphere was downright unfair.
‘Even if Yujin is my fan, the groom will never win.’
But he soon chuckled to himself.
Who cares who wins or loses in this situation?
This wasn’t a competitive stage like a music show or audition.
It was a celebration of two people’s marriage.
Thinking that way eased his heart a little.
“Now let’s begin the second welcome song.”
It was Namhun’s turn.
Seokho stayed at the piano while a man assigned as Namhun’s stand-in slowly walked forward.
As everyone’s eyes followed him, Namhun, sitting alone in the very back, quietly accepted the microphone secretly handed to him by a staff member.
* * *
Old memories resurfaced.
Evil Spirits had disbanded when the company collapsed under financial crisis.
Namhun’s first album was prepared in that difficult time.
Fortunately, violin and piano sessions were handled by their friend Sera, cutting costs.
Hearing her familiar playing made him feel like he had returned to the recording studio of that era instead of the wedding hall.
Namhun sat in place and began the first verse softly.
“On an ordinary day, you approached me.”
The stand-in began lip-syncing right on cue.
“Wow, what a voice!”
“Who is this? It’s so soulful.”
“Which agency? Is he a rookie?”
“What song is this even?”
The guests murmured, but Namhun remained completely absorbed.
* * *
“Hey, what’s the title of this song?”
Jo Wonhyeong answered bluntly when asked by a friend.
“Forever Only You.”
“Oh! This is Namhun’s song, right?”
“Yeah, title track from his first album.”
“Why is it used as a wedding song? You two weren’t on good terms.”
“We weren’t on bad terms? I composed this song.”
“Eh? You made it?”
“I did the composition and arrangement. Lyrics by Namhun.”
“What? I thought it was because of Evil Spirits’ internal conflict.”
“Conflict, yeah… it’s not entirely false, but it’s complicated. Anyway, Namhun and I mended our past issues. If we hadn’t, we would have worked on the album together?”
“That makes sense…”
The friend wanted to ask more but held back.
He knew the memories of that time weren’t great for Jo Wonhyeong, the former leader of Evil Spirits.
Eventually, Jo Wonhyeong quit the singer life due to a dispute with the company and now worked as a composer.
“But who is that man over there? Do you know him?”
“Hmm…”
Jo Wonhyeong had been active in the industry for nearly twenty years.
Even pre-debut newcomers knew most composers.
Especially young male soloists were rare.
As he stared at the man, a thought struck him.
“Hey, he’s lip-syncing?”
“Eh? No way… He really is. Why lip-sync for a wedding song?”
“Who knows.”
At that moment, the introduction ended and the man suddenly set down the microphone and walked out.
“…What’s going on?”
“He got caught lip-syncing and ran away?”
“Is this a hidden camera prepared by Director Seokho?”
Even the other guests, including the bride Seong Yujin, were bewildered.
Only the staff who knew the behind-the-scenes, the ones who had orchestrated the event—Seokho and Sera—and Namhun sitting alone in the back were calm.
Namhun, who had stably finished the introduction, slowly stood and began walking down the wedding aisle.
MC Yoo Joo-hoon, who noticed him late, shouted,
“Hey, over here!”
The guests turned toward the back.
As expected, many familiar faces from years ago appeared.
But he felt no interest.
He was too focused on the song.
Walking slowly down the aisle, Namhun spotted one man among the background faces.
“…Wonhyeong hyung is here too.”
—You wrote the lyrics on purpose?
—It’s your solo debut song. Write a first-love lyric. You’ve been chasing girl idols all this time, you lucky bastard.
—When did I?
—Don’t lie. Honestly, it hurts, kid.
We were just close friends.
If he told the truth, Wonhyeong wouldn’t believe him.
‘First love.’
After squeezing the answer out for days, he had no choice but to make it up.
—That guy… was emotional.
Drinking whiskey on the spot and scribbling the lyrics, Jo Wonhyeong was quite satisfied.
He had even stolen his prized whiskey without batting an eye.
—So who is she?
—Want to know?
—I’m dying to know. Who took the heart of Elixer, who’s prettier than any girl.
—Yoo Yeon.
—Yoo Yeon? Who?
—Someone I love more than anything in this world.
At those words, Wonhyeong slapped Namhun’s back hard.
—Damn it, you crazy kid. You’re about to debut and you’re already dating? No scandals!
Namhun answered with a grin.
There would be no scandals.
Wonhyeong had learned at Namhun’s parents’ funeral that Yoo Yeon was his younger sister.
[If I could give you everything, I wouldn’t mind]
[I’ll stay by your side forever]
Yes.
This song was a complete expression of the emotion he felt when his late-young sister Yoo Yeon was born.
After going through so much, Namhun had immersed himself in the song more deeply than ever.
Right now, his family was just his three younger siblings, since he had lost his parents in an accident.
* * *
As the distance to the bride grew closer, Seong Yujin’s expression came into view.
Surprise, bewilderment, and joy.
A mix of countless emotions made Namhun smile.
‘You haven’t changed much from when you were young.’
Except for a more refined look, it was still the same old you.
So you still remember me?
Standing in front of the bride and groom, Namhun poured all his strength into the chorus.
Even during today’s morning practice, the high note felt a bit out of reach.
‘Can I do it?’
Looking at Seokho and Yujin’s faces, Namhun thought it was possible.
Right now.
[I’ll stay by your side forever!]
As he hit the final high note, Namhun stretched his arm holding the microphone upward.
At the perfect moment, fireworks prepared by staff exploded.
Bang! Bang!
“Wow…”
As everyone’s attention fixed on the sudden fireworks, Namhun unfolded the magic trick he had hastily prepared during rehearsal.
He never imagined he would use the personal magic he had learned on a past variety show here.
“Oh my.”
“It’s a flower.”
“Hydrangea. Pink.”
Suddenly, instead of the microphone, a single pink hydrangea appeared in his hand.
He tucked the microphone into his shirt sleeve and grabbed the hydrangea hidden in his jacket sleeve with a simple sleight.
It required quite a bit of practice to perform quickly in front of so many eyes.
Namhun locked the button on his wrist so the hidden microphone wouldn’t fall, then walked slowly.
He inserted the hydrangea into the center of the bouquet Yujin was holding and whispered,
The flower language of pink hydrangea was “a girl’s dream.”
—Do you know the meaning of this flower?
—What is it?
—It’s a girl’s dream.
—Wow, you’re giving me your dream? That’s an overly generous gift.
This was Seokho’s planned stage with Namhun’s added surprise during rehearsal.
Seong Yujin’s eyes widened at the realization.
“Congratulations on your marriage, Yujin! Congratulations, Mr. Seokho.”
Namhun sincerely breathed a sigh of relief without messing up the script Seokho had prepared.
Sighs of relief escaped from the crowd, and the guests’ chatter finally reached his ears.
“Ah, what an amazing performance.”
“I got goosebumps. It was terrifying.”
“Is this live or what?”
Applause erupted from all sides, and someone even mistook the wedding hall for a concert venue.
“Encore! Encore!”
Then, suddenly, the sobbing Yujin rushed toward Namhun and began to cry loudly.
“Oppa, oppa…”
“Ah…”
Namhun was taken aback and the guests started murmuring.
In an instant, the wedding hall transformed into a concert hall with the feeling of an old boyfriend crashing the party.
‘Help me.’
Namhun sent Seokho an agonized look, but Seokho ran over, tears streaming, and hugged him.
‘Who is this guy?’
Namhun awkwardly stood holding both the bride and groom.
“Ah…”
Even the famous national MC Yoo Joo-hoon fumbled in confusion.
“Ah, that was an incredibly moving welcome song… I’ve never seen a groom’s song surpassed by a wedding song before, haha.”
Holding the situation together with his best MC skills, Yoo Joo-hoon humorously wrapped it up.
“Everyone, the couple mentioned they’re planning to have children, so let’s do the encore at the after-party. Everyone okay with that?”
To somehow calm the situation, Namhun shouted with all his might.
“Yes!!!”
The surprised pair finally separated from Namhun.
Perhaps because of Seokho’s successful surprise stage, the two men exchanged glances and hugged warmly again.
Then Seong Yujin, the bride, forcefully pulled them apart and looked bewildered.
“What are you two doing right now?”
Namhun, forcibly separated from Seokho, noticed something strange between the bride and groom.
【Comprehension / Understanding】 – 100LT
【Proficiency / Mastery】 – 100LT
【Immersion / Focus】 – 100LT
【Digestibility / Execution / Expressiveness】 – 100LT
【Condition】 – 100LT
【Audience Reaction】 – 100LT
【Overall Score】 – 100LT_
The song “Forever Only You” had reached a perfect 100 across every metric.
Then, as the guests began to buzz again, Namhun quietly stepped back and let out a long breath.
The nightmare had ended without a single scandal.
But deep down, he knew this was only the beginning of the journey he had chosen as the eldest son of the nation.