Unicorn
Jinseong Seoul Hospital, Gastroenterology Department, Endoscopy Center.
The groom-to-be, Jung Jae-ho, sat slumped in exhaustion after finishing a procedure.
"Doctor Jae-ho, did you finish the EMR?"
"All the polypectomy notes are done. No bleeding, clips held well."
"Off duty today, right? By any chance…"
"Taking my parents to a hanbok fitting."
"Wow. Really not much time left. You must be happy."
Not much time left, indeed. Three more weeks and the wedding.
Over the past two months, Jung Jae-ho had carved out time wherever he could to help with wedding preparations. Kim Yu-ra, relatively free, had taken on most of the work—though Jung Jae-ho’s parents were footing 90 percent of the bill.
Venue contracts. Brand roundups and dowry consultations for appliances and furniture. Discussions with the officiating pastor over meals about the marriage covenant. By the time of the rehearsal shoot, he’d been on the verge of collapse.
There had been moments he’d wanted to just fall down from the schedule’s pressure…
Yet one thing had kept Jung Jae-ho going.
Soon I’ll be united with Yu-ra.
Kim Yu-ra. The companion God had granted him in life.
This wasn’t a marriage of convenience. If he’d wanted that, he could’ve married a church member with far better background than Yu-ra.
But Yu-ra was someone who could complete his faith journey—she’d guarded her body and heart until her mid-thirties, just like him.
Diligent, devoted to church life, a grateful and lovely partner who always affirmed his efforts weren’t in vain…
And she was beautiful. Above all, a virgin.
Jung Jae-ho glanced at the couple ring on his finger.
Not just a couple ring—a chastity ring.
14K white gold, plain band with no decorations… but engraved on the inside was a Bible verse:
"Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit."
He’d engraved it to vow that both his and Yu-ra’s bodies belonged to God.
They’d exchanged the rings at a chastity vow meeting, under the guidance of the youth pastor. A holy moment.
"Hey, Doctor? You still wear that?"
"It cost 250,000 won, but to me, this is more important than a wedding band."
"Haha…"
Jung Jae-ho planned to wear the chastity ring even after marriage, instead of a wedding band. The wedding band was worldly formality; the chastity ring was proof of a lifelong covenant.
After a holy wedding night, looking at this ring would always fill him with pride.
He had to feel proud…
He’d looked forward to the wedding night so much. Truthfully, Jung Jae-ho hadn’t expected to wait this long. In his late twenties, he’d thought he’d do it sooner.
The reward for his long wait was finally approaching.
But one thing troubled him.
He hated to show it, and knew doubting itself was sinful, but he needed certainty.
Was Yu-ra really a virgin?
If not, the chastity ring and vow meant nothing. Jung Jae-ho was honestly anxious.
Lord, take away my anxiety. Don’t let me blaspheme Sister Yu-ra. Don’t let my disbelief defile her.
He placed a hand on the chastity ring and prayed—to dispel his doubts about Kim Yu-ra, who was marrying in three weeks.
He knew how he must look to others.
Someone might call him creepy… Wanting a bride who was pure before marriage but sexually active afterward was, after all, an ordinary desire.
Still, Jung Jae-ho didn’t care.
He just wanted to complete his long journey of patience and be happy.
I know this heart that doubts my future wife is not mine. Please don’t let false suspicion destroy me.
Jung Jae-ho sighed, thinking of his post-work schedule.
Today was the final hanbok fitting with both mothers at a custom shop in Apgujeong. No time for dinner, it seemed.
He’d better hurry.
And under no circumstances would he show Yu-ra the anxiety he carried inside.
Just then, a text buzzed.
Yu-ra’s ex-boyfriend, Joo Sung-hyun. Jung Jae-ho’s face hardened.
Joo Sung-hyun, saying he’d come to his ex-girlfriend’s wedding.
Jung Jae-ho was genuinely baffled.
I didn’t even send him an invitation—why’s he messaging me? Does he really plan to sit in the guest seats at the wedding venue? Because he wants to eat safe steak and abalone butter-fry at a luxury hotel banquet? What a strange person…
Then a thought struck him.
"A pretext… has appeared."
Joo Sung-hyun attending the wedding? That was something Yu-ra would hate.
No matter how they’d dated for two years with almost no physical contact, staying pretty and pure—still, he was her ex-boyfriend, her last boyfriend. Even worse, a CC. If Joo Sung-hyun sat in the guest seats, Yu-ra would feel uneasy.
For her sake, he had to stop him.
Go to Joo Sung-hyun, politely apologize on her behalf, ask him not to come to the wedding—and if the chance arose…
I could ask indirectly.
Jung Jae-ho immediately called Kim Yu-ra.
"Hey, Yu-ra? I’m so sorry, but can you go to the hanbok shop alone today? A conference came up at 7 PM that I can’t push back. I’ve already taken advantage of your help with wedding prep so many times… I’m sorry."
The lie came out too naturally.
Not something Jung Jae-ho usually did, but right now he wanted to hide it.
I’ll apologize later. Yu-ra.
Right after work, Jung Jae-ho drove himself to Annam City. His heart was racing.
Yu-ra’s ex-boyfriend was coming.
Jung Jae-ho. Only son of a medical family. Pre-marital chastity advocate.
To me, Kim Yu-ra wasn’t being blatantly doubted.
Jung Jae-ho wanted to meet me because, unless I spoke up, he had no way to confirm the truth. Given his family background, he’d likely already done background checks on church cell groups or family long ago.
So I’d deliberately given him a pretext.
An apology for the wedding invitation.
Yu-ra had thrown the stone, but it was awkward for her ex to deliver the apology. Still, rationalizing was easy: She’s stressed too—I’ll take the burden for her.
Jung Jae-ho, armed with a pretext, was coming.
A doctor who publicly declared pre-marital chastity and that his partner must be chaste too.
His statements appeared in church bulletins’ youth features, summer retreat seminar videos, and medical mission return worship services. He’d vowed to uphold his principles even if the world mocked purity.
He didn’t seem like a real unicorn.
Based on Jung Jae-ho’s career and age, my rough estimate was 2 / 30 / 3 years and 10 months ago.
One girl he couldn’t refuse during his undergraduate years, and another during his time as a military doctor who got her hopes up for marriage only to be let down. Maybe he’d felt guilty and become more obsessively vocal about pre-marital chastity.
About six minutes later…
"I’m sorry. I’m late."
"……."
"You’re… Joo Sung-hyun, right?"
Finally, Jung Jae-ho appeared.
Slightly lean build, horn-rimmed glasses, a broader forehead than in Yu-ra’s SNS photos. He smiled awkwardly, apologized for being late due to parking, then…
Started rambling. I had no choice but to tune him out for now.
"It’s natural you feel upset. Yu-ra made a mistake… though of course, not all mistakes are forgivable. I understand. Yu-ra wasn’t careful, and as her future husband, I failed to care for her properly."
"……."
"I apologize on her behalf for the mobile invitation incident."
It was because of the numbers floating above his head.
"Please, just… don’t come to the wedding. Joo Sung-hyun?" (0 / 0 / -)
A clean 0.
Seeing someone whose words and actions aligned, and being wrong after piecing together scattered clues—it had been a long time.
Even when I’d lost my ability, I’d mostly guessed right. After regaining it, I’d been 100 percent accurate. But this time, I’d failed miserably. A rare species, even for me.
It was disconcerting, but my feelings weren’t the issue now.
My original plan was just to spark a doubt.
As the wedding date approached, I’d steadily add fuel to grow the suspicion. The finale would come right after the honeymoon—that’s the most painful method, I thought.
But I decided to tweak the details. If I followed the original plan, two people would die together.
Still, I couldn’t just blurt out that Kim Yu-ra was a slut, so I laid the groundwork.
"Doctor Jung? Yu-ra and I dated beautifully for just under two years."
"Yes?" (0 / 0 / -)
I told him what he’d hoped to hear. Deliberately calm.
"On weekdays, we’d study together at the library, then grab a quick coffee at a nearby cafe. I’d walk her to the bus stop. I think I even put my arm around her shoulder. And for the first three months, Yu-ra refused that."
Jung Jae-ho hesitated, then the corners of his mouth slowly rose. He hadn’t caught my intent yet.
"Yes, go on." (0 / 0 / -)
"Weekend dates were only on Saturdays. Yu-ra always prioritized church on Sundays. Honestly, she struggled a lot. She said it was hard to be with a non-believer, like she was being tested."
"If it’s Sister Yu-ra… if it’s Yu-ra, yes. That sounds like her." (0 / 0 / -)
A bright smile spread across Jung Jae-ho’s face, but only briefly.
He was starting to feel uneasy around me.
Of course—he’d been told exactly what he desperately wanted to hear, even without asking. This was normal.
"We broke up because of pre-marital relations."
"Wait, Joo Sung-hyun? Hold on." (0 / 0 / -)
"Back then, Yu-ra was so cruel. She wouldn’t let me into her place, refused to travel during breaks, throwing a tantrum… Even on our first anniversary, I was rejected. Yu-ra said it wasn’t a sin before God, but it wasn’t allowed before marriage."
"……."
Jung Jae-ho’s smile vanished completely, his face pale. He kept glancing at me, reluctant to accept it.
"Yu-ra always kept boundaries while dating me. You can see it as us breaking up over differing views on pre-marital relations. Seeing you, it seems Yu-ra finally found a partner who shares her values."
His eyes went hollow, frozen.
Then came a long, uncomfortable silence. Over five minutes passed without a word.
Jung Jae-ho must’ve realized my words were all lies.
Whether he’d hear the real Kim Yu-ra I knew was up to him. If he wanted to look away, he could leave after thanking me for protecting Yu-ra.
"Tell me… as it is. Please."
(0 / 0 / -)
Jung Jae-ho, face twisted in pain, asked for the raw truth.