Chapter 39
It wasn’t right to let anyone, especially Hyun-oh, fall into Jiheon’s trap.
“What’s with your attitude towards oppa? We’re family, so it’s natural to lend each other money. When did I ever refuse?”
“When will you be able to pay it back?”
Jiheon’s words stopped at Sua’s sharp question. Silence lingered between them for a while. Then Sua shook her head.
“…See? Mom’s money from selling the house hasn’t even been spent for a year. But now, you’re borrowing money from Hyun-oh. When will you pay it back?”
“I’ll pay it back soon! You don’t understand, but starting a business requires a lot of initial investment. That’s why… Do you know how crucial this moment is?”
“At a crucial time, you’re out drinking like this, oppa?”
The smell of strong alcohol emanated from his mouth. Not beer or soju, but the strong scent of whiskey. It was the same smell as from her father’s mouth.
A nauseating smell that turned one’s stomach upside down.
Then Jiheon spoke.
“You don’t know anything about business. Just shut up and connect me to Hyun-oh. Our company is really in trouble.”
“I don’t want to.”
“What? Then I’ll have to contact Hyun-oh myself.”
At the mention of doing it himself, nausea rose. It felt like the food she had eaten today was churning inside her. Sua gritted her teeth.
“…Fine, try it that way. I’ll stop you no matter what. I won’t just stand by.”
Sua’s usually quiet and inconspicuous words carried strength. There was a glint in her eyes.
“Try reaching out to Hyun-oh. I won’t just stand by, even if you’re my brother.”
She hadn’t even thought of that method.
But when pushed into a corner, even a mouse bites a cat. In the moment of Jiheon’s hesitation, she turned and returned to the dinner gathering place. Sua, who had been absent for a while, was greeted by her colleagues.
“Where did you go?”
“We thought you ran away, Sua. Huh, we didn’t expect you to run away on the first day, even if the work is tough.”
“Did you run away from the dinner gathering?”
Amidst the noisy chatter of the people, Sua’s heart, which had been beating fast until a moment ago, gradually calmed down. As her mind cleared a bit, she smiled.
“I just went out for a bit to have a drink after a long time and get some fresh air. I’m sorry. Did you wait long?”
“No, you can’t handle alcohol, can you? Then stop drinking. Drink water, water.”
The caring words of her senior. But what Sua needed now wasn’t water but something else.
“No, I… Give me a drink, please. My stomach is burning.”
Forcing a smile, she received a glass of soju and drank it in one gulp. As soon as the soju flowed down her throat, it burned her chest black.
***
11:30 PM.
Hyun-oh was sitting deep in the chair in his home office, legs crossed, checking company documents. He had placed the files on his lap after reading through the reference materials he needed for tomorrow morning’s meeting. His gaze shifted to the clock for a moment, then back to the files, but before long, it returned to the clock.
“Hu…”
Time seemed to have stopped.
It was all because Han Sua wasn’t home.
Hyun-oh hadn’t realized how big and empty his house was. Even though Sua had entered the house where he had been living alone, there was nothing strange about it. But lately, whenever Sua left, he found himself checking for her absence.
Without Sua, time didn’t pass, and the house felt desolate.
“Are you adapting well to work?”
Today’s first day at work, the first company dinner.
He remembered Sua’s face when she left in the morning, tense and nervous. Was there something wrong?
“Ha… Impossible.”
Didn’t Sua say that? She wasn’t a child. At twenty-five, she was old enough to work at a company.
But why was he so worried and why did he keep thinking of her face?
Hyun-oh finally threw the documents on the desk and held his head in his hands.
“Hu…”
Just as a long sigh echoed in the study, the awaited sound finally came from Hyun-oh’s phone.
*Ding Dong*
Hastily grabbing the phone, he saw that the awaited message had arrived.
“Mr. Hyun-oh, sorry for being late. The dinner is over now. I’m about to head back. I’ll take a taxi soon.”
The dinner gathering place today was ten minutes away from Hyun-oh and Sua’s house.
Would there be a taxi available at this hour? No, even if there were, Hyun-oh didn’t feel comfortable with Sua, who had been drinking, taking a taxi alone. It was too late to send a driver, and it would take too long.
He immediately sent a message.
“I’ll come pick you up now.”
“You’re coming now, Mr. Hyun-oh? No, it’s okay… You don’t have to… It’s fine. I’ll be there soon.”
“I’ll be there soon. I’ve already left.”
Hyun-oh quickly got up from his seat and grabbed the car keys. Thinking of Sua waiting on the street, his feet quickened.
***
“You really didn’t have to come, Mr. Hyun-oh…”
Sua whispered, looking down at her phone, and Chaeyoung, who was standing next to her, leaned in. Her steps were staggering from the alcohol.
“Sua, should we go?”
“Uh, yeah. Let’s do that.”
The group dinner was already over. Most of the employees had gone home first. However, Chaeyoung, clinging to Sua’s arm as if unwilling, whined.
“Why are you going home? Let’s go for a second round, just the two of us.”
“Now?”
Sua’s eyes widened. It was already approaching midnight. She had to go to work tomorrow as well.
But Chaeyoung had been famous for her drinking since college. She kept drinking without hesitation, as if a mere sip during the dinner wasn’t enough.
“Of course. Just one more drink.”
Yoon Dam, the boss, intervened as Chaeyoung hung onto Sua’s side.
“Hey, Chaeyoung. Stop it.”
“Why?”
“You should go home. Sua, you probably felt nervous on your first day at work today.”
“Really?” Yoon Dam raised her eyebrows and gestured for her to leave quickly.
“Uh… Yes. Thank you.”
“Sua, are you really leaving? Are you sure?”
Chaeyoung looked at her with sad eyes. Her big eyes were so cute that Sua even felt like giving in to what she wanted.
But she needed to come to her senses. Hyun-oh was about to arrive soon.
“Um… Yeah. Also… My husband is coming to pick me up.”
At that, Chaeyoung sighed.
“Ah… it’s still couple paradise and solo hell. Got it. Well, married women should be sent off, right?”
“Right, Chaeyoung. Let’s have one more drink.”
Chaeyoung frowned at Yoon Dam’s words.
“Why should I drink with my brother?”
Then she pursed her lips. While chatting with them, a black car quickly stopped in front of Sua. It was Hyun-oh’s familiar car.
“See you tomorrow!”
She waved energetically to Chaeyoung outside and got into the car as if jumping. As soon as the car door closed, Sua turned her head to look at Hyun-oh.
“Thank you for coming to pick me up.”
“Let’s go.”
Seeing her fasten her seatbelt, he gently started the car.
***
Fortunately, there wasn’t much traffic on the way home, probably because it was late. Only the passing city lights tickled Sua’s eyes.
“Ha…”
A long sigh escaped her lips.
Her first day at work.
Even though her friend Chaeyoung had taken good care of her, starting a new job wasn’t easy. It was a company she had come to through a friend’s introduction. The pressure to do well was immense.
Then came the dinner gathering. But above all…
The sudden appearance of her brother Jiheon still made her fingertips tremble.
[Then I’ll have to contact Hyun-oh myself.]
His words were as terrifying as thunder and lightning. Her brother, whom she always feared like the sky, seemed to straighten up at those words.
It was terrifying. Not only because he suddenly attacked her, but also because she was afraid that he might contact Hyun-oh in response to her demand for money, causing trouble.
She should have divorced him right away.
In the end, was having three months with him not just her selfish desire to be with him a little longer?
“I’m sorry.”
An apology slipped from her lips. Then, Hyun-oh raised his eyebrows as if asking what was wrong. Unable to tell him that Jiheon had come, Sua quickly shook her head and made a clumsy excuse.
“I’m sorry for making you come to pick me up late. I could have gone alone.”
“I know you can come alone.”
He smiled, but then gently sighed as if he had realized something.
“I came because I wanted to.”
“…”
“I couldn’t bear being alone in the house without you.”
His low voice filled the small interior. His breath felt so warm against her skin that it seemed to burn.
“I can’t handle being alone in the house without you.”
