MY TRUE DEMON: BECOMING A DEMON BRIDE

“I should have known the moment I stepped into that wedding hall… my life had already started breaking without me noticing.” The hall is too bright. That is the first thing I notice as I stand in front of the mirror inside the bridal room. White lights, soft curtains, expensive flowers everywhere. Everything looks perfect in a way that feels fake. My wedding dress fits too well, like it was made for a happy story I am not sure I belong in. I look at my reflection, Han Seo-Yeon. Today I am supposed to become a wife. But my hands are cold. Not normal cold… the kind that does not go away even when I rub them together. My fingers keep trembling slightly as I adjust the veil on my head. I try to smile at myself, but my lips don’t follow. Outside the room, I can hear people: Laughter, chairs moving, glasses clinkingand cameras being tested. Someone says loudly, almost proudly: “Seo-Yeon is getting married at last. This is wonderful.” Another voice answers with teasing laughter. “Min-Jae that rascal… he really did it. He actually married someone like her. He is lucky beyond belief.” There are more voices after that. Compliments. Admiration. Envy disguised as congratulations. I should feel happy hearing all of that. But my chest tightens instead. Because the groom… is not here. Lee Min-Jae, he is not here. … I keep telling myself maybe he is delayed. Maybe something urgent came up. Maybe traffic. Maybe business. Maybe anything small that makes sense. But my phone is silent. The coordinator’s footsteps outside are faster now. I hear her speaking into a phone, her voice trying to stay calm but failing halfway through sentences. “Still unreachable… yes… I called again…” My father and mother are outside too. I can picture them without seeing them—my father standing straight like he is holding everything together by force, my mother forcing a smile that does not reach her eyes. Inside me, something uneasy grows slowly, not panic yet. Just… a feeling. Like standing too close to the edge of something you cannot see. My memory starts pulling me backward without permission. … Three years ago. There was a great rain all over Seoul. I remember the rain more than anything else. I was working late that night. My small marketing company office had almost no one left except me. The clock was already past the hour when normal people go home, but I stayed because deadlines don’t care about tiredness. When I finally left, the sky was already crying heavily. I ran into a small café entrance to avoid the worst of it, clutching important documents against my chest. My hands were full, my umbrella was inside my bag, and of course—everything slipped at once. Paper scattered. Some fell outside into the rain. “No… no, no, no…” I remember muttering, half to myself, half to the world. I stepped back out quickly, bending down, trying to gather everything before it got destroyed. And that is when I heard him. “Looking for this?” A voice above me. I looked up slowly. A man was standing there holding my soaked documents in one hand, keeping them dry under his jacket. He was not rushed. Not annoyed. Not like someone helping out of pity. Just calm. Too calm. “I found them for you,” he said simply, like it was nothing. “My name is Lee Min-Jae.” I remember blinking at him for a second too long. He was… clean. Sharp suit. Neat hair. Confident posture. The kind of man who looks like he never struggles to open any door in life. I bowed quickly. “Oh… thank you, sir.” He shook his head slightly. “Jae,” he corrected. “Call me Jae.” Something about that made me pause. Most people I met in work always kept distance, titles, formality and boundaries. But he removed it instantly. Like it didn’t matter. “Want some tea?” he asked casually, glancing at me. “You look cold.” I should have said no. I should have gone home. But I nodded. We went inside the café. That night, time felt strange. We talked for hours, about work first, then about life, then about things people normally hide. He spoke about business like it was something already conquered. I spoke about my struggles like they were normal. At some point, I asked him: “So… what is your plan in life, Min-Jae?” He leaned back slightly, smiling faintly. “Maybe success,” he said. Then after a pause, “Maybe marriage too. Life is short. Better to live it fully.” It sounded simple. Too simple. Before I left, he gave me his umbrella. I still remember how he placed it in my hands carefully, like I mattered in that moment more than anything else. “Take it,” he said. “I’ll get another one.” I smiled without thinking. “Thank you… Jae.” That was the beginning. After that, everything moved quickly. … First date by the Han River. I remember running there like I was afraid he would disappear if I was late. He was already waiting when I arrived, hands in his pockets, looking at the water like he owned the silence around him. He turned when he saw me. “You came,” he said. Like he was surprised I would. That day we took photos. Ate small snacks. Talked about nothing and everything. He introduced me to a few of his friends who called him “boss” or “Mr. Min-Jae” in that respectful way. And I felt proud. Proud that someone like him chose to spend time with me. Later, he told me about his startup. “We’re close to something big,” he said. “But I need funding. Just a little push.” He looked at me then. And I remember that look clearly now. Not desperate. Just… knowing. “Your marketing café has good reach,” he continued. “It would help me. Just this one time, Seo-Yeon. I will make it up to you.” I laughed softly. “You always say that.” “I always mean it,” he replied. I believed him because I wanted something as always, relationship and stuffs. So I helped. I introduced him to people I knew. I worked late nights for his presentations. I stayed up when my body was begging me to sleep. I fixed slides. I edited proposals. I even used my own connections when he needed them. And every time I looked exhausted, he would say: “When I succeed, it will be because of you.” It became something I held onto. Something I trusted. … Back in the present. The bridal room door opens again. This time, it is not a staff member. It is someone from outside, breathing heavily, holding a phone like it is dangerous. “Miss Seo-Yeon… please… you need to see this immediately.” Something in her voice makes my stomach drop. People gather behind her. The phone screen lights up. A livestream. At first, I don’t understand what I am looking at. A different wedding hall, larger, more expensive, filled with cameras, reporters, and guests. A groom stands at the center. It couldn’t be: Min-Jae. And beside him… Ha-Rin, my best friend. My vision shakes slightly. The sound in the room becomes distant, like I am underwater. Someone behind me whispers, “Is that…?” But I already know. The groom at that wedding is the same groom who is supposed to be mine. My legs moved before my mind does. I don’t even remember leaving the room. I just start running, still in the wedding dress, still in full makeup, still in a day that is no longer mine. The city outside is loud, but I cannot hear it properly. Only one thing repeats in my head. Why? When I reach the hotel, I push through doors, people turned around in confusion when they saw me. And then I see it. The hall is full. The ceremony is really already happening. Min-Jae is standing at the front and Ha-Rin is holding his arm like she belongs there. Guests turn. Cameras turn. Everything turns toward me. I stop in the middle of the entrance. My breathing is heavy. My voice comes out broken. “Why…?” Min-Jae turns slowly. He looks at me like I am an inconvenience that interrupted something important, not shock, not guilt., just annoyance. And then he speaks. “You actually came.” That is all he says at first. Like I was not supposed to. My heart drops. “Explain this,” I say, my voice shaking now. “Tell me this is a mistake.” He exhales lightly, then smiles. That smile… I have seen it before. But it was never real. “You really believed everything, didn’t you?” he says. “Seo-Yeon… you were useful.” The word hits harder than I expect. Useful. He continues, voice calm like he is discussing business. “You helped me connect to clients. You supported me when I had nothing. You built part of this company with your hands without realizing it.” I shake my head slightly. “No… you said you loved me.” He laughs once, short and cold. “I said many things.” My vision blurs. Then Ha-Rin speaks. Soft voice, almost gentle almost enchanting. “We’ve been together longer than you think.” My chest tightens. She looks at me directly now. “And you were just… in the way.” The room remained silent except for camera clicks. Min-Jae finally says the final thing. “I… never loved you.” Not loud, not emotional. Just final. Something inside me breaks quietly. Not like glass. More like something deep snapping where no one can see. I turn away slowly. But I don’t feel my legs properly anymore. I just walk out. Outside, rain starts again, or maybe it never stopped. … Later, I find myself at a bus stop, sitting, soaked, still wearing the dres, still wearing the ring. I stare at it for a long time. Then suddenly, the rain above me disappears. I look up casually. A black umbrella is there and a man is standing in front of me. His presence feels wrong in a way I cannot explain, too calm for the storm around us. “My name is Kang Si-Hwan,” he says. His eyes stay on me like he is reading something deeper than my face. Then he says something impossible. “I know exactly how much your heart hurts.” I don’t respond. My throat is too tight. He steps closer slightly, and the air feels heavier. Something about him feels like a beginning I did not choose. He smiles slowly, almost kindly. “Han Seo-Yeon…” he says. Then his voice lowers. “Would you like revenge?”