Chapter 2: APPARENTLY, NOT A DREAM
[THIS feels too real to be a dream.]
Even so, Nikolai ignored that small voice in his head as he continued to hug Mona as tightly as he could.
The last time he held his wife's body, it was stiff and cold.
He almost broke out in tears after remembering how Mona died right in front of him.
It gave him a shudder.
[Ah, I don't want to think about that anymore.]
"I've missed you, Mona," Nikolai whispered, savoring the warmth and softness of Mona's body. She was alive. His wife was alive and breathing. Even if it was just a dream, he was still grateful for the opportunity to hug the love of his life once again. "I've missed you so much."
"Nikolai, have you gone crazy?"
"I must have," he said, closing his eyes as he nuzzled Mona's neck. Ah, his wife smelled as good as he remembered. "I didn't know how I lived without you all these years."
No wonder he was so unhappy even after gaining his parents' approval.
[But none of that matters now.]
He couldn't help but kiss the sensitive side of Mona's neck– an action that would always elicit a giggle from her.
But, much to his surprise, he heard a low growl instead of a giggle from his wife.
"Nikolai, I'm warning you," Mona threatened coldly. "If you don't let me go in five seconds, I'll punch you. Do you want the reporters to have a field day if your ex-wife sued you for sexual harassment, huh?"
Hmm?
If this was a dream, then why was Mona still angry at him?
[Shouldn't my dream feature an ideal situation for me?]
He honestly thought he had dreamt of the moment he divorced Mona in order to change it. Even if it was just a dream, he still wanted to change the past and fix his mistake.
"Five, four, three, two, one…"
Nikolai immediately broke the hug, then he stepped away from Mona with his hands raised in surrender.
"What was that for, Nikolai?" Mona asked while wiping the side of her neck with a tissue. It was the part that he kissed earlier. "Is this a new form of harassment? I'm going to divorce you even without this."
Divorce?
Right, this was the day he divorced Mona.
"I've changed my mind, yeobo."
"What?" Mona complained, knitting her eyebrows. "And why are you suddenly calling me 'yeobo?'"
"Because you're my wife."
"I won't be your wife anymore once I sign the divorce papers that you brought here."
He frowned, cursing his past self for his stupidity.
[But, fortunately, the past me decided to send the divorce papers to Mona in person.]
If his past self just mailed it, then his wife would have signed them already.
"Yeobo, I don't want a divorce."
"But that's what I want," Mona said in a tired voice, then she picked up the divorce papers on the table. "I just need to sign these– Nikolai!"
His wife yelled when he pulled out his lighter and lit up the divorce papers.
Yes, he set those damned things on fire before he snatched it away from Mona so that his wife wouldn't get burned accidentally.
"President!"
It was Glenn Jang, his university-friend-turned-secretary, who came running towards them with a bottle of water in his hands.
Then Glenn poured water on the divorce papers.
"Are you alright, President?" Glenn asked worriedly. "Did you get burned?"
'President' and not 'Vice-chairman?'
Ah, right.
[Around this time, I was still the thirty-seven-year-old president of Moonasterion Electronics– the flagship subsidiary of the Moonasterion Group– and not yet the forty-year-old vice-chairman of the parent company.]
"I'm fine," Nikolai said before Glenn nagged at him again. "But this is too realistic to be a dream…"
He trailed off when blood suddenly began dripping from his nose.
Glenn and Mona both turned pale.
"President!"
"Nikolai-ssi…?"
Hearing Mona address him formally instead of 'yeobo' hurt like hell. But he only had himself to blame. Unfortunately, he couldn't think straight anymore since his consciousness was quickly fading away.
"If this is a dream, then I hope I see you again when I wake up," Nikolai said, smiling sadly as he closed his eyes. "Let's not divorce, yeobo."
***
"PRESIDENT, you're finally awake!"
Hmm?
Nikolai was surprised when he saw Glenn as soon as he opened his eyes.
[Am I still dreaming?]
He abruptly got up and looked around, only to find himself on a sofa inside a cramped office-like room.
[This office looks familiar…]
"We're still in Mona-ssi's café, President," Glenn informed him. "Mona-ssi lent us her office so you could rest."
Nikolai blinked, still confused. "How long was I out?"
"Five minutes," his secretary said. "I was just about to bring you to the hospital."
Only five minutes had passed, huh?
[But I'm still in the same dream.]
Obviously, it was not a normal occurrence.
[This might not be a dream, after all?]
"Nikolai, can you be honest with me?"
Hmm?
Ever since Glenn became his secretary, he rarely addressed Nikolai by his first name to separate their private lives from work.
[If he called me by my name, then it must be serious.]
"What is it, Glenn? If you have something to say, spill it already."
"You're acting strange," Glenn said in a serious tone. "Just this morning, you were very adamant about divorcing Mona-ssi in order to be promoted as the vice-chairman."
Right.
That was his father's condition: for him to divorce Mona first in exchange for getting a promotion.
"What happened, Nikolai?" Glenn asked worriedly. "Are you really okay?"
"I'm okay," Nikolai said firmly. "In fact, I'm really happy right now."
After all, he could safely conclude now that it wasn't a dream.
[This is reality.]
He didn't know what happened, but it seemed like he had gone back in time.
[Fortunately, I returned before Mona and I got divorced.]
It was a surreal experience, and to be honest, he still couldn't believe it.
But he also couldn't afford to miss this god-given opportunity to fix his past mistakes.
[I still don't understand what exactly is happening– but I do know one thing.]
"This is my last chance to make everything right," Nikolai whispered to himself. "I will not divorce Mona."
"But the Chairman will definitely get mad if you don't divorce your wife, President," Glenn reminded him worriedly. "Knowing your father, he will not stay quiet if you disobey him. Moreover, he might take back your long-awaited promotion."
He smirked bitterly. "To hell with that. Whether my father demotes or disowns me, I'm not changing my mind."
"Uhm, what if you end up unemployed, President?"
"I have enough cold cash and buildings under my name to maintain my lifestyle, even without working. And I can always start my own company."
"But I'm sure the Chairman will do everything in his power to stop you from doing that…"
"Then I'll send Abeoji to prison."
"Excuse me?"
"I've been keeping the evidence of my father's tax evasion and embezzlement just in case," he said, shrugging. Fortunately, around this time, his past self had already collected the evidence against his father in case he went back on his word regarding his promotion. "I'll use them to send him to prison if I have to."
Glenn gasped in disbelief. "You'll really do that, Nikolai?"
"You better believe me, Glenn," Nikolai said firmly while nodding. "No one and nothing in this world can stop me from fixing my marriage."
***
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