Chapter 15
Hyun-oh was a gentle person.
Even though they had been together for about six months, their time together was not long, but he always treated Sua, who married at a young age, with care. He never raised his voice.
No, it was the same before marriage. Even when he was young, among his lively friends, he was always a gentle person.
But today his voice was firm and harsh. There was a lot of tension on Hyun-oh’s forehead.
“Do as you wish. But divorce is not an option.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
But she had nowhere to retreat either.
Sua had never expressed her opinion since she was young. The same in married life. She complied with whatever he said. Even if Hyun-oh didn’t come home, used a different bed, or ran away without holding her hand, Sua didn’t resent him and swallowed her opinions.
But not today.
Six months into marriage, except for their honeymoon, the two had hardly had any conversations. There was no touching of skin, no brushing of lips.
It was no longer a marriage of convenience, as the Han Group had disappeared and even that facade had shattered.
The words of Mrs. Cha, who had visited a while ago, suddenly came to mind.
“[It’s time for a divorce. Are you trying to ruin Hyun-oh’s life? Hiding a failing company and not even trying to leave our house?]”
Perhaps it was a natural reaction from Mrs. Cha, but deep wounds were opened in her heart.
Sua clenched her fist.
He probably doesn’t know about the day Mrs. Cha came to see her or have any connection to it. But eventually, he would think like Mrs. Cha.
She couldn’t understand why he was opposing her now.
“Even if Hyun-oh doesn’t want it, I want a divorce.”
“Sua.”
The man’s hand, which had been clenching a fist just moments ago, opened. Without hesitation, his hand reached out towards her.
Sua unconsciously flinched. His fingertips were about to touch the back of her hand.
-RRRRR
An alien sound echoed in the room. Hyun-oh’s phone, placed on the table, rang loudly. His already grim face became even more wrinkled.
“What now?”
Initially, he ignored it. But the call continued to ring incessantly without any consideration.
“…Sigh.”
Hyun-oh spat out an irritated sigh.
His hand, which had been about to hold Sua’s hand, pressed the red button to silence the phone. But silence was frighteningly short-lived as the screen once again displayed “<Director Lee Jae-hoon>.”
-RRRRR
Director Lee Jae-hoon was Hyun-oh’s secretary.
A man who took care of all of Hyun-oh’s work. His right-hand man.
Sua had met him several times.
Seeing the name “Director Lee Jae-hoon,” Sua forced a forced smile and pointed at the phone.
“Answer the call.”
“…It’s okay.”
“Today is a holiday, and Director Lee wouldn’t call for something trivial. It must be something important.”
“This is more important.”
Hyun-oh pushed the phone away.
“No, you’re more important.”
Those words pierced her ears unexpectedly.
Our marriage, you’re more important.
It was just a passing remark, but Sua’s heart pounded.
He wouldn’t know how much she fluttered with each of his casual words. How painful it is.
To the point where Sua wanted to take back all the words she had just said about divorce.
But Sua wasn’t foolish enough to cling to a fleeting hope. She bit her lips and pondered.
Hyun-oh might be flustered right now. Because I, who would never bring up something like divorce first, brought it up.
Tension hung thick between them.
Amidst all this, the phone continued to ring loudly. Despite ignoring it several times, the call returned each time.
Sua urged again.
“If it’s urgent, what will you do?”
Hyun-oh bit his lip and, with a grunt, his voice echoed in the room.
Whether he was angry or not. But eventually, at Sua’s insistence, he reached out and grabbed the phone.
“What’s going on?”
The harsh and low voice reverberated. Although the details of the conversation were not audible, Jae-hoon’s urgent voice sounded busy inside the phone.
“They contacted from China? Why am I just hearing about this now?”
Hyun-oh’s voice sharpened. There seemed to be something important going on. As always, Sua’s husband was busy.
“A meeting right now…? Ugh.”
Hyun-oh sighed deeply and glanced at Sua.
Sua nodded.
“Just go quickly.”
Divorce was different from parting as lovers. Today was not a day where they could simply decide to separate.
Sua had never shown any signs of wanting a divorce to him before. Naturally, she had to give him some time.
Hyun-oh nodded as he made the call.
“Okay. I’ll go now.”
Hyun-oh hung up the call. With a displeased expression, he fiddled with the phone, then looked up.
“Han Sua.”
The man’s complex expression conveyed everything.
“Wasn’t today supposed to be the end of this conversation?”
“…”
“You’re not going anywhere. Hyun-oh, you also need time to think.”
She spoke calmly, trying not to be emotionally involved.
Unlike before marriage when she clung to him, she now tried to hide all her emotions. If she revealed that she liked him, would he leave her out of guilt?
Sua stood up from her seat as if nothing had happened and began to clear her plate and utensils. She turned around and placed the dishes on the sink.
Drip.
She heard footsteps approaching. But if she turned around now, she would see his face.
“Take care.”
She drew the line like that.
We still had time.
It might not be long, but…
—
Contrary to Jae-hoon’s urgency, the video meeting with the Chinese buyers ended more smoothly than expected. They had been concerned about issues in the ongoing contract, but when CEO Hyun-oh took responsibility and explained in detail, they soon understood and agreed to proceed to the next step.
Despite the successful conclusion, Hyun-oh’s expression was not good after the video meeting ended. A long shadow fell over his face as he looked outside. Jae-hoon, who had just finished, stood beside him.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
Deep wrinkles formed on Hyun-oh’s forehead. Despite Jae-hoon calling several times earlier and Hyun-oh not answering, it seemed he was dealing with urgent matters.
Hyun-oh shook his head. His face was still dark. With a burdened heart, Jae-hoon spoke.
“They asked you to come out on your day off.”
“…It’s okay. Is everything finished?”
“Yes.”
“Then, unless it’s something very urgent, don’t contact me today.”
A momentary look of surprise passed over Jae-hoon’s face at those words, but he quickly suppressed his emotions and nodded.
Hyun-oh was a workaholic.
He had been like that even before marriage, but it had worsened after marriage.
It wasn’t strange. Hyun-oh was now thirty-one years old, and his brother, Ji-hyun-jae, was thirty-three. Rumors were circulating in the securities market that one of the two brothers would soon be chosen as the successor by CEO Park Young-jae and given some shares as a gift.
Ji-hyun-jae was the first son of CEO Park Young-jae’s first wife. He was the eldest son of the main house. Just that fact alone was powerful, but Hyun-oh’s mother had no background at all.
So, Mrs. Cha had tried to set up a backing for Hyun-oh and arranged for him to marry the eldest daughter of the Han Group. But…
Things didn’t go well.
Hyun-oh himself knew better than anyone about these circumstances. He was the only one who had no background or power to rely on. The only thing he could rely on was his excellent business sense and wit.
He had to make PY Chemicals a success. That was Ji-hyun-jae’s only weapon.
So, Hyun-oh always immersed himself in work. Sometimes he was so absorbed in his work that he worried Jae-hoon more than anyone else.
But today, he said not to contact him. Something must have happened before he made the call. Jae-hoon concealed his puzzlement and calmly spoke.
“Sir, if there’s anything I can help you with, please let me know anytime.”
After Hyun-oh briefly looked at Jae-hoon and then shook his head, he quickly left. Tension emanated from his back.
Jae-hoon tilted his head at the sight of his boss acting differently than usual.
What could be going on with him?
—
After finishing the meeting at the company, Hyun-oh drove home himself. He couldn’t just sit still in the back seat and wait. Whenever the traffic light turned red, impatience surged, and he tapped the steering wheel nervously.
[Please divorce.]
Sua’s voice, which had said that, came to mind. His mind felt dizzy. Hyun-oh parked the car hastily and rushed upstairs to his home. However, there was no light in the hallway where Sua usually turned it on.
As he opened the door and entered, there was no sweet scent of her that always lingered.
Her shoes were nowhere to be found in the entrance.
Han Sua was nowhere to be found.
She was gone.
