chapter 08
It was even more shocking than the moment she first discovered his affair.
She couldn’t believe that what she was seeing now—her husband holding another woman’s hand and saying nonsense like “My love has become a sin”—was actually real.
“Lee Seung-oh. You just got caught cheating and you’re about to get divorced. Do you not understand the situation yet?”
“That’s why I’m asking you to choose, Yoon Seo-ha. Do you really want a divorce, or do you want to continue living as husband and wife?”
The two of them had been friends and lovers since childhood.
That’s why Lee Seung-oh knew all too well how much Yoon Seo-ha loved him.
That was the source of his filthy confidence.
“If you’re going to say things like that—about staying together or not—then at least let go of her hand while you say it.”
“No. I can’t let go of this hand.”
Knowing full well that Seo-ha would never abandon him, Seung-oh gripped Ji-soo’s hand even tighter.
“Seo-ha, you already have everything. But Ji-soo only has me. Whether we divorce or not, I’ll love and protect her until the end.”
“Oppa…”
Lee Ji-soo’s eyes welled up with tears as she leaned her head gently against his shoulder.
Was it an illusion that Seo-ha saw a faint, victorious smile on her lips?
Seo-ha felt her mind go blank.
Her earlier composure was gone, leaving behind only miserable humiliation.
All the years they’d spent together, all their loving memories, now cut through her heart like a rusted saw.
“Wait, honey. Let’s—”
Just as the dazed Seo-ha began to speak, she noticed a familiar face behind the “star-crossed lovers” holding hands.
“Secretary Ryu?”
When had he arrived? Even after blinking a few times, it was indeed Ryu Kyung-jun.
He sat on a sofa with his legs crossed, watching silently. When their eyes met, he smirked slightly.
That single smirk brought Seo-ha’s senses crashing back, like a bucket of ice water poured over her.
She would rather tie a yellow rubber band around her waist and bungee-jump off the 63 Building than let Ryu Kyung-jun see her pathetically clinging to her cheating husband.
“What were we talking about?” Seung-oh pressed her.
Seo-ha tore her gaze away from Kyung-jun and took a sip of her now-cold coffee.
The caffeine kicked in quickly, clearing her head.
“…We’re divorcing cleanly, right? Don’t come back later demanding a share of my assets. Almost everything I have was earned before the marriage—it’s not subject to division anyway.”
Seung-oh’s expression went blank for a moment.
“And you’re right—I’m tired of your nagging too. Let’s not drag this out. We’ll tell both our mothers once all the paperwork is done and you submit your resignation.”
“R–resignation?”
Now it was Seung-oh’s turn to stammer. Seo-ha shrugged, just as he had earlier.
“Why so surprised? You didn’t think you could cheat with our housekeeper’s daughter, get divorced, and still keep your job at my mother’s company, did you?”
He must’ve really believed he’d inherit KangYoon Company one day.
What a laughable life plan.
“Don’t bring the company into this. You always said we should keep business and personal matters separate.”
“Cut the crap, Lee Seung-oh.”
It was the first time in her life he’d ever heard Seo-ha curse, and he froze.
“What did you just say?”
“I said shut up, you bastard. I know exactly what kind of animal you are. Now go get your stamp—for the divorce papers and your resignation.”
“M–Miss! That’s too harsh!”
Ji-soo protested angrily, but Seung-oh stopped her and glared at Seo-ha.
“Yoon Seo-ha. Were you always this vulgar?”
“Even if I’ve become vulgar, I’ll still be classier than you and your girlfriend.”
Seo-ha dismissed his ridiculous accusation with a single sentence and stood up.
“No need to smile like that, Ms. Lee Ji-soo.”
When Ji-soo’s name was called, she clung even closer to Seung-oh.
“That man you’re holding onto isn’t some dragon who rose from the gutter—he’s just the gutter itself. After he pays me alimony, I wonder if he’ll even have enough for a one-room apartment?”
It was the most distorted expression she had ever seen on Seung-oh’s face.
Ji-soo’s shocked look was almost satisfying to watch.
The pressure that had been suffocating Seo-ha’s chest seemed to loosen just a bit.
“He’ll probably cheat again, you know. It was easy the first time, so the second time will be a piece of cake. I just hope his next woman is a little better than you.”
She said it not as an insult, but as a near-certainty.
Then she extended her palm toward Seung-oh, who was still sitting frozen on the sofa.
“Hand it over.”
“What?”
“The car keys. We already agreed—each keeps what’s in their own name. Did you forget already?”
Grinding his teeth, Seung-oh pulled out the car keys. Seo-ha snatched them, hooked the keyring around her finger, and smiled coldly.
“Take care. I think I mentioned before that you two make a great couple.”
Click, clack.
Her heels tapped elegantly against the marble floor, fading away to the tune of soft classical music.
“Oppa…”
Seung-oh, left behind, stared blankly at the café entrance until Ji-soo’s timid voice brought him back.
“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault…”
Resting on her knees was the handbag Seung-oh had bought her recently.
Yoon Seo-ha hadn’t even looked happy when she received it, but Ji-soo carried it like the most precious treasure in the world.
He liked that. It made him feel proud.
Next to Seo-ha, he had always felt small and inadequate, but with Ji-soo, he felt like a confident, capable man—the real man he wanted to be.
“No matter how capable a woman is, she should still make her man feel superior. That’s how a man’s spirit thrives. Our Seung-oh needs a woman like that…”
His mother, Ok-soon, had been right.
Yoon Seo-ha was the type of woman whose very existence crushed a man’s pride—until it vanished completely.
“It’s okay. Don’t cry, Ji-soo.”
He picked up a napkin and gently wiped her tears.
“S–Still, I was so touched… when you said you loved me.”
“What do you mean? Haven’t I said that plenty of times before?”
“I–I guess I never really believed it…”
Ji-soo blushed and fiddled with her fingers.
“Because… someone as amazing as you… couldn’t truly love someone like me. Especially when you had such a beautiful, successful woman like Seo-ha by your side.”
Yoon Seo-ha was beautiful.
Her nickname evolved from “Top of ○○ Middle School,” to “Goddess of ○○ High,” to “○○ University’s Miss Athlete.”
And naturally, Seung-oh basked in that attention too—as “the guy next to Yoon Seo-ha,” or “Nam-derella.”
“You’re the pretty one, not her,” he said firmly, as if rejecting that memory.
A soft, joyful smile bloomed on Ji-soo’s face.
“I’ve never heard anyone say that to me before. People always teased me.”
“Teased you? Why?”
“Because… I st-stutter. Because I’m ugly. And…”
She lowered her head.
“Because I’m… p-poor.”
Something inside Seung-oh cracked. He pulled her tightly into his arms.
“It’s okay. You have me now. Forget all that.”
“Oppa, I–I’m fine.”
She gently pushed him away, still trembling with emotion.
“I’m happy just knowing you truly love me. I can live happily with that memory alone. So now… please go. Go apologize to your wife. Tell her you lost your mind and said stupid things.”
“Ji-soo… what are you talking about?”
“Let’s break up. Don’t throw your whole life away for someone like me. You’re meant to live well—with your wife, in a nice house, driving a nice car, running a company someday.”
Finishing her stammering speech, Ji-soo jumped to her feet.
“I’ve been happier than I ever deserved. I’ll never forget you. Th–thank you, Seung-oh oppa.”
“Ji-soo!”
She yanked her hand free from his and bolted out of the café.
Seung-oh couldn’t bring himself to chase her. He just sat there in a daze.
Everything Ji-soo had said was painfully realistic.
If Seo-ha divorced him now, what would he have left?
No house, no car, no job—and he’d even have to move out of his mother’s home.
He’d go from being the son-in-law of a CEO to living in a cramped apartment again, just like when he was a kid.
The thought was horrifying.
“Damn it, Yoon Seo-ha!”
His anger, born from desperation, turned toward Seo-ha—who had been far more decisive than he’d expected.
They’d been together from kindergarten to university before getting married.
He’d always adjusted his life to fit hers.
And not once had Yoon Seo-ha stopped loving him.
“Divorce? She didn’t even ask why I cheated! She doesn’t even think she might’ve done something wrong! Just jumps straight to divorce? Has she met someone else? How could she do this to me?!”
Clutching his head, tormented, he suddenly noticed the handbag sitting next to him.
That foolish woman must’ve left it behind on purpose—to return it.
Inside was a worn-out sky-blue wallet with frayed stitching and the lipstick he’d recently bought her.
His hands trembled as he opened the wallet.
Inside were one debit card, three ten-thousand-won bills, and a small sticker photo of the two of them.
“…Ji-soo.”
He stood up abruptly, gripping her bag in one hand and the photo in the other, and ran outside.
He ran toward Ji-soo’s neighborhood until he finally spotted her across an eight-lane road, shoulders drooping, walking slowly.
“Ji-soo!”
His roar, drawn from the pit of his lungs, startled the pedestrians around him.
“Lee Ji-soo! Look over here! Ji-soo!”
But she didn’t turn around—whether she didn’t hear or pretended not to, he couldn’t tell.
Panicked, Seung-oh dashed into the street, jumping over the median barrier.
SCREEECH!
HOOONK!
“Hey, you crazy bastard! Are you trying to die?!”
Drivers screamed and cursed, but he didn’t care.
“Ji-soo!”
She finally looked up, eyes widening in shock.
“Oppa…?”
“Ji-soo!”
He threw his arms around her tightly, having somehow survived crossing all eight lanes.
“I love you, Ji-soo! Forever!”
“Oppa… hhic…!”
She stood on tiptoe, tears streaming down her face, and their lips met perfectly—like puzzle pieces snapping into place.
As the sound of honking and curses filled the air, the two of them kissed passionately in the middle of Gangnam Avenue—like tragic, romantic movie stars.
“I’ll protect you. I’ll love you forever, my princess. Let’s never part, Ji-soo.”
As Seung-oh kissed away the tears from her eyes, one thought consumed him:
All I need is for Yoon Seo-ha to disappear.
If she’s gone, I can have everything—money, status, and the woman I love.
