Chapter 5
She heard the sound of him leaving at dawn, but she didn’t open the door.
This was how she had to say goodbye now.
—
A relationship that had begun when Inyoung was a senior in college was coming to an end like this.
She first met Sunghyeok after he had just been discharged from the military during her fourth year of university, and that was when she fell into her first unrequited love. She thought that love had finally borne fruit at the age of twenty-eight—but it ended in less than two years.
Goodbye, my first love.
No… goodbye, my last love.
Curled beneath the covers, Inyoung etched into her heart with tears the fact that her first—and last—love would come to a close in just one week.
When Sunghyeok returned from his business trip, they would have to file for divorce.
—
Unaware of her feelings, Sunghyeok only stared at her closed door before opening the front door and leaving.
He couldn’t even bring himself to say he was leaving.
Even on the plane, he remained dazed.
How could she say divorce so easily…?
He couldn’t believe it.
Of course, Inyoung was the one holding the upper hand in the divorce.
But he had always thought the prenuptial agreement was just a standard safeguard offered by someone from a vastly more powerful family. He never imagined Inyoung would actually use it.
He had never once dreamed they would divorce.
Yes, being in Inyoung’s home, surrounded by her people, had felt burdensome—but even so, he had wanted to belong within her world.
If he had truly hated it, he would never have married her, no matter how much DA Construction was collapsing.
How could you fall asleep beside someone you didn’t love?
How could you plan a future with someone you didn’t love?
Sunghyeok did love Inyoung. That was why all of it had been possible.
But that love, unable to fully bloom, was now destined only to be broken and trampled.
Where had it gone wrong?
Was it because he had always given in to her, overwhelmed by her presence?
Had that made her think she could simply declare a divorce and it would be done?
Or… had his mother’s casual remark about having a child put pressure on her?
—
Sunghyeok’s mother had always felt uneasy around Inyoung, the savior of DA Construction. Unless Sunghyeok was present, she never called her over or met her separately.
The only thing she had ever said was a passing remark during the last holiday—suggesting it might be nice if they had a child.
Sunghyeok was her only son. Now that he was thirty-two, she had simply hoped for a grandchild. It wasn’t even pressure—just a thought spoken in passing.
—
No matter how much he thought about it, Sunghyeok couldn’t figure out what he had done wrong.
He couldn’t understand why Inyoung had suddenly asked for a divorce.
And yet, because of the prenuptial agreement, the divorce would proceed regardless of his will.
That thought tormented him.
He felt like a fool—for loving her alone for so long, for ending up like this.
On the plane, he couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t eat.
Even after arriving in the United States, he immersed himself in work with his team leaders, surviving only on coffee as he forced himself through each day.
—
On the final morning of the official business trip, the team leaders parted ways with him, planning to shop before returning to Korea on a night flight.
Sunghyeok, however, headed to Los Angeles alone.
He still had a personal matter to attend to.
He went to meet Chaesu, who was living there.
Come to think of it… perhaps Inyoung’s intuition hadn’t been wrong after all.
—
Sunghyeok went to Chaesu’s house.
“I said we could meet somewhere else. Why insist on calling me here…?”
He was displeased.
“I didn’t want to go out with the child. It would only start rumors. We haven’t seen each other in years, and you show up looking like that?”
Chaesu was hurt by his cold reaction, even after two years.
Their breakup hadn’t been clean—but still, two years had passed. Did he really have to act like this?
She didn’t bother hiding her disappointment.
—
The child Injun had shown Inyoung in a photo—the same child Sunghyeok knew about—seemed to be asleep. Despite the voices in the living room, there was no sign of movement.
Sunghyeok didn’t ask about the child either.
“We’re not exactly in a place to greet each other warmly. Just tell me what you want. Why did you call me here?”
“I need to take the child to Korea. Help me settle there.”
Her words struck like a thunderbolt.
“What? Korea? With the child?”
Neither was acceptable.
“Then what, I’m supposed to keep living here like this with the child? Raise them without a father?”
“So you come to Korea? Do you think your family will accept that?”
“If they don’t, I’ll stay with your mother for now. She lives alone anyway.”
Today, Chaesu was completely unreasonable.
“Stop making my life miserable. I’m not the same Joo Sunghyeok who used to be dragged around by you. I don’t expect the money I lent you before—or this money—back. So don’t ever contact me again. And don’t even dream of going to my mother.”
Sunghyeok handed her an envelope.
As if snatching prey, Chaesu grabbed the ten thousand dollars inside.
With that, he turned toward the door.
He didn’t want to stay there any longer.
If he did, he felt like his anger might explode into something worse.
He shouldn’t have come.
She had begged him in a dying voice to come just once, saying she was barely surviving and needed money. So he had made time at the end of his trip to visit—
But it had been a mistake.
He shook off Chaesu as she tried to stop him and left.
—
Sunghyeok returned to Korea.
Naturally, he should have gone home from the airport—but he didn’t want to.
Meeting Chaesu in the U.S. had already soured his mood. Going home meant facing something even worse.
As the car, driven by his chauffeur, headed toward the house, Sunghyeok struggled to organize his thoughts through his pounding headache.
Inyoung’s mention of divorce hadn’t been a discussion or a warning.
It had been a notice.
And he was in no position to refuse it.
He was the one who loved more—and the one who had accepted her investment.
If Chaesu came to Korea as well…
…it would only bring shame to Inyoung.
He wasn’t ashamed of not being born into a wealthy conglomerate family like hers.
But Chaesu—that was something to be ashamed of.
Perhaps he had reached too high for something he was never meant to have.
The sun was something to admire from afar.
If you got too close, the wax wings would melt.
—
Maybe he shouldn’t have married her back then.
No—that wasn’t true. If he hadn’t, DA Construction would have collapsed.
His mother would have had to sell their home and drift from place to place.
At least… he had fulfilled his dream of living as her husband, even if only briefly.
He had wanted even a single day—but they had lived together for nearly two years.
Now, it was time to wake up.
Before Chaesu’s situation came to light.
Before everything turned into humiliation.
—
Sunghyeok made up his mind.
As he stepped into the house, he saw Inyoung sitting on the sofa.
Perhaps by her instruction, none of the servants were visible—not even Madam Ahn.
“I’ve filled out everything I needed to. I’ve done yours as well, so let’s go to the court tomorrow. You don’t object, do you?”
“You’re saying that the moment I walk in… you must really be in a hurry.”
“…Fine. Let’s divorce. Everything in this house goes your way anyway.”
This wasn’t anger.
It was resignation.
Sunghyeok calmly accepted the documents she handed him.
“But…”
Even if they were divorcing, he couldn’t let it end here—now, today.
He had to struggle one last time.
Even if humiliation awaited him, he couldn’t part from Inyoung just yet.
He couldn’t let her go like this.
