NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: Wedding Bells and Warnings
The Golden Dragon Tea House stood wedged between towering skyscrapers, a stubborn reminder of Seoul's past. Ji-hyun's hands shook a bit as she raised the fragile porcelain cup, seeing her image broken in the golden-brown tea. The empty seat where Dr. Lee should have been seemed to taunt them – he hadn't shown up.
"He figured they'd watch us," Sung-min said in a low voice, his tea still full. The private room in the old-style tea house felt both secure and stifling. "If he came here, he'd risk being seen."
Sarah's tablet showed a live stream from security cameras on nearby buildings. "I don't see Trust Tech's people, but they're around. The pendant keeps sending out a signal."
Ji-Hyun felt her father's drives were now safe in a lead-lined bag to stop tracking. The information they held would have to wait. In less than twelve hours, she needed to walk down the aisle at the Crystal Palace Hotel, Seoul's top venue. They planned the wedding in weeks aiming to join two tech giants and cover up a secret from decades ago.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Mrs. Yoon: "Final dress fitting in 30 minutes. Where are you?"
"Go," Sung-min said, glancing at the message on her screen. "We can't make anyone suspicious now. Sarah and I will start to decrypt the drives."
"And the Genesis Lab meeting?"
"Still on." He paused then reached across the table to move a strand of hair from her face. This action felt familiar causing warmth to spread through her despite everything. "Watch out at the fitting. My mother notices more than she shows."
The bridal salon at The Grand Seoul took up the whole fiftieth floor, its windows giving a wide view of the city. Ji-Hyun remained motionless as helpers worked on the custom-designed dress – a mix of traditional Korean elements with modern style, just like the merger it aimed to represent.
"Perfect," Mrs. Yoon said, walking around Ji-hyun like a shark with grace. "The press will eat this up. It respects tradition enough to honor our roots, yet looks modern enough to stand for what's to come." She stopped fixing a crystal pin. "Speaking of the future dear, have you thought about having kids? The Yoon family needs someone to carry on the name."
Before Ji-Hyun could answer, her phone rang with ARIA's unique sound. The AI had been silent since what happened in the server room, its mind still getting used to joining with Min-ah's digital ghost.
"I've spotted something strange in the hotel's security setup," ARIA said. "Someone's been trying to break into the Crystal Palace system many times. They're attempting to get into the wedding venue's tech."
Mrs. Yoon looked at the phone with disapproval. "Work can wait, dear. Today is your wedding day."
"Of course," Ji-Hyun gave an apologetic smile. "Just some final security measures."
But thoughts raced through her mind. The Crystal Palace Hotel was the most secure place in Seoul, with systems Trust Tech had improved. Few could break in – unless...
Her phone vibrated again, this time with a message that chilled her:
"The wedding is at risk. Ghost Protocol has put quantum-encrypted data bombs in the hotel's network. One wrong step and all the secrets both families have hidden will come out. Time is running out, sister. -Min-ah"
"Ji-hyun?" Mrs. Yoon's voice sounded distant. "You look pale, dear."
"Just wedding jitters," Ji-hyun said. But her hands trembled as she wrote back to Sarah: "Come to the hotel. Now. Bring the quantum scanner."
The next few hours flew by with wedding prep and secret system checks. While makeup artists made her look like the perfect corporate bride, Ji-Hyun watched Sarah's progress through ARIA's protected channel. The quantum scanner showed what they dreaded – complex data packets hidden all over the hotel's network, each holding encrypted files ready to send to every big news outlet in Asia.
"I found something else," Sarah texted. "The hotel's guest list. Someone booked Room 2187 yesterday under a name we know: Lee Jun-ho."
Dr. Lee planned to attend the wedding. This thought made Ji-hyun's pulse quicken. But why would he reveal himself now?
A gentle tap broke her train of thought. "Ms. Kim?" A hotel worker walked in carrying a garment bag. "Someone left this for you at the front desk."
Inside, she discovered a traditional hanbok in deep blue tasteful yet understated. A note dropped from its folds:
"Put this on tonight. Genesis Lab. We must find what we lost. We must fix what we broke. -LJH"
"Another present?" Mrs. Yoon showed up looking at the hanbok with disapproval. "That's not right for the ceremony honey. The designers worked for weeks on your dress."
"No," Ji-Hyun agreed, but her fingers moved along the hanbok's embroidered sleeve. The design looked familiar – the same as the one she had on the night of the crash. The night that changed everything. "Just an error."
Her phone vibrated one last time. A text from Sung-min:
"Drives decoded. Ji-hyun... you should see this. Project Genesis didn't just focus on AI. It aimed for immortality. They tried to upload human consciousness into quantum matrices. The accident... It wasn't accidental at all. They needed a young mind, one that could survive the transfer. They picked Min-ah because she showed brilliance. Because they saw her as disposable. Because she was YOUR sister.
P.S. Don't trust my father's security team. They're not there to guard the wedding. They're there to ensure certain guests don't leave alive."
Ji-Hyun gazed at her image in the bridal shop's mirrors. A flawless corporate bride looked back enveloped in silk and secrets. In under eight hours, she would march to the altar toward a man she started to like, before two families founded on deception. And somewhere in the hotel, quantum explosives waited to reveal everything.
But first, she had a midnight meeting at Genesis Lab. This time, she'd ensure Dr. Lee showed up.
Her wrist scar prickled as she felt the hanbok's material once more. In her ear, ARIA's voice blended with Min-ah's: "Watch out, sister. Some bells ring for weddings. Others ring for battle."
As night fell, Seoul's lights began to shine outside the window. Each light resembled a star, held a secret, and ticked down to a wedding. This marriage would either bring two dynasties together or lead to their downfall.
The stakes had risen beyond a simple business merger. Now, it was about staying alive. Ji-Hyun decided she would no longer follow their playbook.