Chapter 11. I’ll Give You a Divorce
“The boiler pipe suddenly had a problem, so it’s only working in young master’s room.”
“W-What? Then could you at least give us a ride to the terminal now so we can go back to Seoul?”
Tae-sung stepped closer to Butler Kim and pleaded. But Butler Kim scratched the back of his neck with an apologetic look.
“Well, the thing is… I have night blindness, young master. So driving at night is a bit…”
“What, seriously…?”
Tae-sung lost his words.
So they really couldn’t escape.
Did this mean he truly had to sleep in the same room with Hae-young? His face hardened.
Just then, Hae-young stepped forward from behind him toward Butler Kim.
“It’s fine, Mr. Kim. We’re okay. Could you just prepare one more blanket for us?”
“O-Of course!”
Apparently eager to escape the awkwardness, Butler Kim nodded enthusiastically and quickly disappeared.
Once he was gone, Tae-sung stood there with a troubled expression. Hae-young lightly patted his shoulder.
“Let’s just sleep. Don’t be overly sensitive and make things difficult for Mr. Kim, okay?”
Her casual tone, like she was talking to an army buddy, made Tae-sung squawk back.
“Sensitive?”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s not like either of us is blushing over sharing a room anymore, right?”
As Hae-young replied with her usual blunt expression, Tae-sung raised his head slightly, sighed, and stared at her again.
He felt unfairly treated for some reason.
Even so, wasn’t there a basic rule that men and women shouldn’t sleep in the same room together?
How could she be so indifferent and unbothered?
‘What, does she not even think of me as a man?’
The spark of competition lit in Tae-sung’s eyes, like he’d just been reduced to a rolling rock.
With a faint hint of impure intent, he stepped closer to Hae-young and asked,
“You really okay with this?”
“With what?”
“Sharing a room with me.”
Tae-sung lowered his upper body close to hers on purpose, voice thick with implication.
As his face suddenly drew nearer, Hae-young instinctively leaned back to maintain a safe distance.
His annoyingly handsome face approached quickly, and her breath caught.
His pupils, illuminated by the moonlight, stared straight at her, and her heart felt heavy.
Just for a moment, Hae-young’s gaze flickered.
But almost immediately, she composed herself, put on her emotional armor, and firmly pushed Tae-sung’s forehead back with her finger.
“Such a flirt.”
“Hey!”
“Go wash your feet. Don’t stink up the place.”
Hae-young turned and walked toward the room in an exaggerated huff.
“Hey, come on! My feet don’t stink!”
Tae-sung protested at her retreating back.
From afar, Butler Kim watched the two with a satisfied smile and took out his phone to call Chairman Joo.
“Yes, sir. I handled it just as you ordered.”
Neither of them would ever know.
That the boiler had never actually been broken.
“Ahh, that feels good.”
Hae-young made a gruff, old-man-like noise as she walked into the room.
That raspy voice hooked Tae-sung’s gaze mid-motion while he was tidying up the bedding.
Tae-sung’s eyes ran over her like a peacock in a daze.
Baggy pink pajama pants stretched at the knees, a yellow T-shirt that said “Class 3-2,” and a blue towel wrapped around her neck labeled “Byeongpoli Sports Day.”
His once-sharp eyes curved ever so slightly with each clashing, tacky item she wore.
And yet, they somehow formed a strange, radiant harmony.
Maybe her personal color is “tacky.”
As Tae-sung seriously pondered that, Hae-young walked over and tapped his leg.
“Hey. Switch spots with me.”
“What?”
“You sleep by the door. It’s drafty and cold.”
At her bold request, Tae-sung responded with a grumble.
“Did you reserve the inner spot or something?”
“Isn’t it basic manners to let the girl sleep on the warmer side?”
“You’re a girl?”
Tae-sung asked, still bitter over how she’d treated him like a rock.
Hands on hips and eyes curling sweetly, Hae-young answered.
“Not just a girl—your lifesaver.”
“What?”
“I rescued your doll. Shouldn’t I get some special treatment?”
“Who praises themselves like that?”
“Grandma always said, if it’s good, you should spread the word far and wide.”
Hae-young bulldozed through with confidence, and Tae-sung shook his head like he was exhausted.
Yet, he stood and moved to the bedding where Hae-young had been standing.
He carefully grabbed her shoulders and guided her to the warmer inner side.
“Stay put and don’t hog the space.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll stick to the wall.”
She happily dove into the blankets.
With the bright innocence of a seven-year-old, she burrowed in.
Watching her, Tae-sung smiled without realizing it—then snapped back to seriousness.
‘What the hell, Joo Tae-sung? Why are you smiling?’
But the second he scolded himself, the smile on his face deepened.
“Here, your doll.”
That pure, dust-free smile she gave while handing him the doll clung to his brain like sticky glue.
That girl from the countryside.
Loud and unrefined.
She barged into his life and made everything harder.
Yet, in that one moment, everything he’d used to define Cha Hae-young vanished.
In place of all the adjectives and labels, there was only her smile—
Clean like mountain spring water, cool like the autumn breeze.
And even now, that smile lingered in his mind.
His resolve to get a divorce hadn’t changed.
It wasn’t like he’d fallen for her.
But just like how some things in the world shine simply by existing—
That night, her smile had come to him like that.
For just a fleeting moment, Tae-sung had been sucked into it like a black hole.
Then, with a crooked laugh, he pulled himself out.
As he peeled away the sticky memory of her smile, he thought:
Someday, far in the future—
Even if they became strangers,
That smile would probably stay with him.
Late at night, Hae-young tossed and turned, unable to sleep in the unfamiliar bed.
She might’ve seemed like the tough type, but when it came to sleeping, she was surprisingly sensitive.
She turned from her side to lie flat, pushing off the blanket a bit.
It felt too warm, likely because of the boiler. She fanned her shirt to cool down.
That’s when a low voice, as cool as the early dawn air, came from beside her.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
Unlike his usual teasing tone, Tae-sung’s voice held genuine concern, and Hae-young awkwardly cleared her throat.
“Ahem. Nah. Just can’t sleep.”
In the deep silence of the early morning, her voice felt strangely loud.
Ironically, though there wasn’t a single light, it felt like the person beside her could see right through her.
Then, the sound of rustling blankets broke the stillness, followed by Tae-sung’s voice.
“See? That’s why we should’ve pressured Mr. Kim to drive us.”
“He said he had night blindness. What could we do?”
“That was a lie. He doesn’t have it. Grandpa probably told him not to.”
“Huh…?”
When Tae-sung flat-out claimed it was a lie, Hae-young turned toward him sharply.
Their eyes met.
“……”
“……”
Lit only by faint moonlight, they stared at each other in silence.
Their light breathing passed between them like a ping pong rally—ping, pong, ping, pong.
It was Hae-young who finally broke the volley.
Trying to lighten the mood, she spoke in a slightly exaggerated tone.
“Haha! You should’ve warned me. I didn’t know anything…!”
“You wouldn’t have believed me anyway.”
Unlike her playful tone, Tae-sung’s was calm and steady.
Feeling even more awkward, Hae-young mumbled while avoiding his eyes.
“You didn’t have to take it so seriously…”
She muttered, reminded of how they bickered that day at the supermarket on New Year’s.
Then suddenly, she stopped grumbling and looked directly at Tae-sung.
“Joo Tae-sung.”
“What.”
He had his eyes closed now, lying on his side.
But because he wasn’t looking, Hae-young found it easier to speak.
“Do you… like someone?”
Tae-sung’s eyes flew open.
When he didn’t respond, only mouthing words, Hae-young continued.
“I saw a photo in your room the other day.”
She recalled the day she’d tried to prank him with the cockroach toy—
and the photo she’d seen, with the words scrawled on the back:
‘With my first love, Min-joo noona.’
As Hae-young quoted the words written behind the photo, Tae-sung’s eyes went wide.
“How did you…?”
“I’m sorry I snuck in. But I saw the back of the photo by accident—it fell.”
She offered a clean, concise explanation, then asked again:
“Was it because of your first love… that you wanted the divorce so badly? Was I in the way?”
“That’s not the only reason. I just didn’t like being a married guy in my senior year of high school. Even without her, I didn’t think I could handle being with you.”
“……”
“Honestly, our first impressions of each other were the worst. Right?”
As she listened to his flat tone, Hae-young swallowed dryly and asked,
“…Then did you confess to her?”
“No. I got rejected. I confessed last year. Then she went abroad.”
“R-Rejected?”
Hae-young stammered, caught off guard by the unexpected turn.
She hadn’t imagined someone like Joo Tae-sung getting rejected.
Despite being a jerk, he was annoyingly impressive.
“She’s two years older than me.”
“……”
“Guess I was too young.”
He spoke with a dry chuckle, recalling the past.
Lying on his back now, he said wistfully,
“So originally…”
“Originally?”
“I was going to confess again when I turned twenty. As an adult.”
“Oh…”
Hearing the innocent, hopeful plan made a small sound escape between Hae-young’s lips.
She had never truly loved someone before.
So she didn’t really understand.
But even if it was just a high school boy’s first crush, Tae-sung’s feelings seemed surprisingly deep.
So Hae-young said something without even realizing it.
“Stick to your plan.”
“…What?”
“Confess. When you turn twenty.”
“……”
“If it works out…”
“……”
“I’ll divorce you.”
Not knowing that I’d end up falling for the boy beside me, Ju Taesung.
Like a fool.
