Chapter 6: Bride Meets Lab Coats
1339 Words
The fluorescent lights of the Kang Group R&D building were bright enough to land an airplane. As Sophia Hwang stepped through the glass doors, her badge dangling awkwardly from her brand-new blazer, the familiar scent of sanitizing spray and freshly brewed instant coffee greeted her like a long-lost friend.
She was back.
Back in the lab.
Back with her people.
Back where nobody cared if she was married to the president of the Kang Empire or the crown prince of Mars.
Well… almost nobody.
The second she crossed the lab threshold, however, a klaxon-like sound blared across the room.
“THE BRIDE RETURNS!” screamed a robotic voice, followed by the appearance of Jisoo and Jihye—her favorite chaotic twin researchers—in lab coats and party hats. They fired twin confetti cannons that exploded into a cloud of biodegradable glitter.
Sophia nearly choked on a streamer.
“What the—”
“DON’T MOVE!” Jihye yelled dramatically, pulling a measuring tape from her coat pocket and charging forward.
Jisoo tackled her from the other side with a camera. “Smile like you just married a billionaire against your will!”
Sophia blinked. “I did.”
“Exactly. So give us that ‘I’m married, mildly traumatized, and still fabulous’ look!” Jihye commanded.
Sophia gave them what could only be described as a hybrid expression of existential confusion and photogenic despair.
Click.
Jisoo grinned. “That’s going on the department corkboard. Right next to the ‘Austin Ate the Experimental Yogurt’ report.”
“IT WAS LABELED ‘STABLE!’” shouted a familiar voice from the other side of the lab.
Austin Min, Director of R&D and walking golden retriever in human form, appeared holding two cups of iced coffee. His caramel-colored hair flopped stylishly over his forehead, and his sleeves were rolled up like he was auditioning for Hospital Playlist.
“Welcome back, Madam President’s Favorite Science Wife,” he said with a smirk and a dramatic bow.
Sophia groaned. “Please don’t start.”
“Oh, don’t worry, I started two weeks ago. You just weren’t here to witness the performance,” he teased, handing her the iced coffee. “Rumor has it, you're contractually obligated to smile at your husband’s public appearances. Blink twice if you need rescuing.”
“Blink three times if you want him replaced,” added Jihye.
“I’m fine, thank you,” Sophia said dryly, sipping the coffee. “Mostly.”
Austin leaned against a bench. “You know, I always thought you’d marry a botanist or a guy with a weird mushroom collection. But sure—go for the CEO with the emotional range of a brick.”
Sophia raised an eyebrow. “He owns the lab.”
Austin nodded thoughtfully. “He’s got that going for him. But does he know the difference between an exothermic reaction and a divorce proceeding?”
“Debatable,” she muttered.
***
By mid-morning, Sophia had almost convinced herself that life was normal again.
Almost.
Because she was halfway through calibrating the particulate sensors when an intern knocked timidly at her bench.
“U-Um… Dr. Hwang?”
“Yeah?” she answered without looking up, tightening a screw.
“There’s… um, a guy here? With flowers. For you.”
That got her attention.
“Describe this guy.”
“Tall. Expensive suit. Drama aura. The kind of guy who ruins lives on accident.”
Sophia groaned. “I swear—”
Moments later, Ethan Kang strolled into the lab like it was his runway and he was the cover model for Forbes: Stoic Husbands Edition.
Every head turned. The twins ducked behind lab equipment like meerkats.
Austin, still sipping his coffee, muttered under his breath, “Here comes trouble with a jawline.”
Ethan walked up to Sophia and placed a bouquet of blue hydrangeas on her bench like it was a business transaction.
“You forgot your lunch,” he said, deadpan.
Sophia squinted. “Those look suspiciously like flowers, Ethan.”
“They’re edible.”
Austin coughed. Loudly. “Of course they are. What’s next? Chocolate microscopes?”
Jisoo whispered to Jihye: “This feels like a Hallmark movie where someone’s gonna end up baking cookies and falling in love.”
Sophia stared. “And instead of texting, you brought an edible bouquet into a sterile lab?”
“It’s wrapped in lab-safe material,” Ethan replied, unfazed.
Jihye gasped. “Did he custom-package romance?”
Austin made a face. “I’ve got data sheets with less effort.”
Sophia tried not to smile. “You’re impossible.”
Ethan shrugged slightly. “You married me.”
Austin clapped. “Tragic. You had so much potential.”
Ethan shot him a look. Austin smiled back like a man with zero regrets and a clipboard full of sarcasm.
As soon as Ethan left, the entire lab practically combusted with whispered screams.
“Oh my God, he SMOLDERED,” said Jisoo.
“I think the bouquet winked at me,” added Jihye.
Austin nodded solemnly. “If this were a drama, she’d be in labor by now.”
Sophia launched a pipette at him.
***
Later in the breakroom, Sophia sat with a bowl of instant ramyeon and her face buried in her hands.
Austin slid into the chair beside her. “You okay, Princess Bride?”
“No,” she groaned. “People are emailing me wedding-themed pitch decks.”
“Tragic. Want me to spill something on your laptop?”
“I’m tempted.”
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You know, there’s a rumor that your husband has a secret underground lair filled with tie clips and vintage cologne.”
Sophia side-eyed him. “That’s oddly specific.”
“Just keeping you informed.”
She poked at her noodles. “It’s weird. He’s… nice sometimes. Like a human. Then he turns into a Kang again.”
“Classic shapeshifter behavior.”
Sophia snorted. “Thanks, Austin.”
He gave her a gentle look. “Anytime. Just remember—if he ever makes you cry, I have access to the fire suppression system.”
“And a forklift,” Jihye added, poking her head in. “For body disposal.”
Austin grinned. “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
***
By 2:47 PM, the particle filtration prototype combusted—again.
Sophia sprinted over. “WHAT happened now?”
Jihye held up the remains of the device. “It gently burst into flames.”
“Localized combustion,” Jisoo added cheerfully.
Austin handed her the clipboard before she could ask. “Already documented. Signed. Sealed. Possibly cursed.”
Sophia sighed. “I love you guys. You’re chaos gremlins, but you’re mine.”
“Better than being Kang property,” Austin muttered under his breath.
“Hey!” Sophia jabbed a finger at him. “No more Kang jokes today.”
He raised both hands in surrender. “Fine. I’ll wait until tomorrow.”
***
That night, she received a text from Ethan:
Ethan Kang:
Dinner at home. Mrs. Kang is making hotpot. You’re invited.
Please come. If not for me, then so she stops testing broth on me.
Sophia:
Coming for the mushrooms. Not for you.
Ethan:
Acceptable.
She didn’t smile.
Not really.
But Austin noticed the corners of her mouth twitch as she packed up.
And from the lab bench, the twins cackled like witches discovering a love triangle subplot.
***
That evening, over hotpot:
Mrs. Kang beamed like a proud empress, chatting about Sophia’s childhood obsession with volcanoes and how she once declared she’d marry a scientist or an astronaut.
Ethan quietly pushed more mushrooms into her bowl.
Sophia pretended not to notice.
But she did.
And when he let her steal the beef from his side of the pot, she didn't argue.
She just kept eating.
And wondering—dangerously—what would happen if this marriage of paper and lies became something… more.
Something real.
Something that Austin would never let her live down.
- Writer
