Chapter 1
“Chloe, I really hope my sister get remarried.”
“I wish you wouldn’t dwell on the past like that.”
Where is that dog barking from? It’s driving me insane.
Chloe thought as she looked at the affectionate couple sitting in front of her, fingers intertwined.
It was supposed to be a well-deserved break for her, finally finding herself in a hotel after months of battling with her thesis. The hotel lobby was luxurious, the rooms spacious, and the bedding pristine. She had planned to relax and unwind in this upscale hotel, shedding the accumulated fatigue from her struggles with her paper.
Until she met the couple of cockroaches, that is.
I swear, if I knew I’d encounter these cockroaches, I’d never have stepped out of the house.
If these cockroaches had handed me an invitation, and worse, started discussing their remarriage, I would have lost it completely.
“Dur, it’s definitely you. How can we have the exact same thoughts?”
“Well, we’re meant to be, after all.”
The man sitting beside her, wearing an expression of lovesickness, was once Chloe’s husband. And next to him, chuckling away, was the woman who would soon become his new wife, Melvin Garrett, Chloe’s step-sister.
Ah, now she’ll be Dur’s instead of Garrett.
The woman who was once Garrett watched with tired eyes as the two lovers exchanged affectionate gestures.
The days of anger and tears over her husband and step-sister’s betrayal were long gone.
“This hotel… it’s 120 gold per night.”
As she listened to their banter, she couldn’t help but feel like the precious time she’d paid so dearly for was slipping away with every passing moment.
Chloe was just tired and feeling like her money was being wasted. All she wanted was to get rid of these unwelcome guests as soon as possible and soak her body in the hot springs on the top floor of the hotel.
“In that sense, Chloe, I hope you find your destiny soon.”
“Exactly. It’s been two years since I’ve been alone… Oh.”
Melvin burst out as if a dam had burst, interrupting her.
“Could it be… you still haven’t forgotten Dur?”
“Come on, Melvin.”
Dur raised his eyebrows and spoke gently, his expression showing pity for Chloe.
“No, that’s ridiculous.”
For the first time, Chloe retorted against Melvin’s absurd speculation. But Melvin continued, undeterred.
“It’s been two years since the divorce. You haven’t even met a single man during that time.”
“Don’t you know I’ve been busy writing my thesis? Where’s the time for dating?”
“Then why did you reject all the introductions?”
“That’s… ”
For the first time, she was at a loss for words. Contrary to their words, she hadn’t been unable to forget her ex-husband.
Chloe and Dur’s marriage didn’t last even a year. Considering their six-year engagement, it was embarrassingly short.
After preparing for six years, the marriage couldn’t even last a year. But how much quicker would a marriage end when it’s entered into after even less time together?
Chloe had no confidence. Not in meeting new people, not in opening her heart, and certainly not in avoiding being hurt by sudden breakups.
“Of course!”
Melvin, who echoed Chloe’s sentiments, sprang up from his seat.
“Sis, Dur used to be your husband at one point, but now he’s going to be my husband. My man!”
“Alright, then sit down. Can’t you have some manners?”
“And you’re lecturing me about manners when you’re coveting someone else’s man?”
“Speak properly, Melvin. You’re the one who coveted someone else’s.”
The bastard child their father brought home one day had taken everything from Chloe and then left. Even her husband in the end.
“Profit…!”
As Chloe hit the nail on the head, Melvin’s face flushed red. Unable to contain her anger, she stormed out of the room.
“Melvin, wait!”
With Dur chasing after Melvin, the scene came to an end. All eyes in the cafe were now focused on Chloe, left alone.
“Sigh…”
Chloe buried herself deep into the couch. But no matter how many times she shifted, sitting still remained uncomfortable.
“Damn jerks.”
Why did the plush sofa of a 5-star hotel feel so hard? It must all be because of those jerks.
Chloe looked regretfully at the expensive drink left over and then stood up. She had planned to leave the cafe before Melvin and Dur returned.
“Are you leaving already?”
That voice came from behind her.
“It was fun. Too bad.”
A voice tinged with a strange laughter. Chloe couldn’t miss the mocking undertone. And she wasn’t the type to stay silent even when being mocked by someone she’d just met.
“You seem to have a penchant for laughter. Finding amusement in trivial matters.”
“I guess I just like slapstick comedy.”
With a chuckle, the man shrugged his shoulders. A vein popped on Chloe’s forehead.
What would happen if an ordinary person said, “What are you looking at? Mind your own business!” They would surely quickly leave without a tail. But apparently, that wasn’t the man’s style. Instead of apologizing, he naturally replied that he liked slapstick comedy. And he seemed to find amusement in Chloe’s reaction.
So Chloe thought the man must be drunk. Surely his hair would be disheveled and his face as red as an apple. After all, drunks couldn’t distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors.
But the man was perfectly sober. Not just sober, but immaculate. So immaculate that the word itself seemed insufficient. Thus, Chloe closed her mouth, which had been about to unleash a barrage of insults.
From his neatly combed hair to his crisp shirt collar and tie, to his upright posture and arrogantly crossed legs. No matter how much she examined, she couldn’t find any signs of drunkenness in the man.
“So, Chloe became even more frightening. From years of experience in healthcare, a man who speaks like that sober isn’t normal. Most of the time, a few screws are loose.”
Above all, look into those sinister eyes. They’re so jittery, clearly he seems like a madman.
Quickly, Chloe’s mind spun, concluding that there was nothing good about getting involved with that man. Keeping her temper in check in front of a lunatic was an easy task.
“Unfortunately, the melodrama ends here. As you can see, the actor has stormed off.”
Hopefully he won’t ad-lib. Chloe thought so as she rose from her seat. She didn’t want to see Dur or Melvin’s faces again.
“They’ll be back soon. Are you just leaving?”
However, the man didn’t easily accept Chloe’s escape.
“I’ve never looked forward to Act 2 of a melodrama this much.”
“…Sorry, but that’s not me.”
Hold it, Chloe Garret. The other person is a lunatic.
“Well, from your perspective, it’s probably not very interesting.”
This guy?
Chloe’s face, which had been smiling, turned sour. If nonsense followed, she was ready to pounce like a lioness.
But the man wasn’t like that. He happily observed Chloe’s change in expression and twinkled his eyes.
Clack-clack, the sound of heels approached. Had Dur succeeded in soothing his wife? Dur walked, holding Melvin in his arms, towards Chloe.
“Look, the actors are coming. Act 2 is possible.”
“Ha…”
It was too late. I was late after all. Chloe had no choice but to meet her angry sister head-on as she approached like an angry bull.
“You must be pleased. You get to see the melodrama you wanted so badly again.”
What’s so fun about this?
Chloe murmured as she sat back down. The man glanced at Chloe’s drooping shoulders and opened his mouth softly.
“Shall I make it fun for you?”
“Huh?”
“You’re not the lead, it’s boring.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
The question wasn’t followed up. Melvin, with her long legs elegantly splayed, was already approaching Chloe.
“Yes, sis. I understand now.”
“What?”
“Your heart, sis. Our Dur is so wonderful. It’s understandable that you still have feelings.”
“Sorry, but I have as much interest in Dur as I do in a talking squid.”
To Chloe, Dur was just a talking squid.
“How can I believe that?”
Whenever you say you understand. Melvin’s face quickly became disgruntled.
“If you don’t want to believe it, then don’t.”
“Of course there’s still feelings!”
Chloe wanted to refrain from wasting energy on trivial matters. But the most terrible thing in this situation was being misunderstood as unable to forget Dur, who looked like a dried squid.
That’s why, impulsively, she opened her mouth.
“Sorry, Melvin. I’m meeting a man.”
“W-What?”
Instead of Melvin, it was Dur who spoke.
