“Now you’re taking your foot out. Even after taking the money.”

“I never wanted the money. Originally, Father unilaterally demanded this contract.”

“Your account already has 500 million won, and your signature is on the contract. Have you already forgotten what you, an adult, decided?”

“Didn’t you call me separately to sign in the narrow car? Exploiting Father’s power and my feelings for Kang-woo.”

For over an hour, the father’s wrongdoings that had started before the marriage continued without interruption.

When the audio file ended, Kang-woo’s eyes were moist.

After Se-ah left, reason and emotion went separately insane. He quickly acknowledged betrayal in his mind. It fit the circumstances, confirmed it with his own eyes on the contract, and above all, Se-ah confessed.

But his intuition was different. The adorable cheeks that blushed every time she confessed to being his first love, the pitiful pupils that appeared every time she whispered “I love you,” and even her tiny body that trembled at his touch.

All of this turned out to be a lie. To say it was acting seemed excessively tender.

As expected, there was another truth. Se-ah had been threatened by her father and this Director all along…

It hurt as if his insides were being twisted.

Unable to protect the woman he loved and left alone to suffer, he felt disgusted with himself.

If only he had given love and trust in time. Instead of sharp words like betrayal ends, he should have said anything comfortably, reassuring her that he was on her side.

On the day he was proposing, he couldn’t hear what Se-ah wanted to confess due to time constraints.

Maybe she was trying to confess the truth that day… Even if he heard it later, he believed in the consideration that it was okay, and even the lump that had been eager for her love confession backed down.

His father had planned things so meticulously. Waiting for the day he would fall apart next to Se-ah, he timed it perfectly to explode when he went on a business trip.

If he hadn’t gone on the business trip, or at least if he hadn’t taken the flight to LA, he might have caught him.

Regret remained for everything related to Jisaea. He was an unworthy man without the qualifications to love.

⭐⭐⭐

Se-ah looked out the window. The night sky seemed cloudy, as if it might rain.

Unlike a honeymoon home, this house wasn’t soundproof. Perhaps because it was on the first floor.

Anyway, it was peaceful as long as it was peaceful, excluding the lingering regrets that couldn’t be shaken off.

She didn’t have to worry about Nam Tae and this Director coming to threaten her anytime, and she didn’t have to be nervous about Kang-woo finding out about her lie. Moreover, she didn’t have to be cautious while confirming his love.

If so, it should have been a good thing, but her heart felt strangely empty. How deeply had Kang-woo anchored himself that without that one man, her heart felt so hollow.
After leaving the window open for a long time, it started to get chilly, so I decided to close the door.

After calming my heart a bit, I was planning to return to Seoul. By then, Kang-woo would have sorted things out.

Even if we happen to run into each other in the middle of Seoul, we could just pass by like strangers who don’t know each other. Just imagining it still hurts my heart, though.

Taking a book, I went to bed. Flipping through a few pages, someone knocked on the door. No one was supposed to visit at this hour, so who could it be? I just pretended not to hear.

However, knock, knock, after about a minute, knock, knock again. Somehow, the thought crossed my mind that it might be Cha Kang-woo with that excessively regular knocking sound.

Could it be that someone who went to Seoul yesterday came back again? It’s not like Busan is right next door.

Se-ah went to the door and listened. There was almost no movement.

“…Who is it?”

“It’s me. Luckily, nothing happened, it seems. Open the door.”

It really was Cha Kang-woo. Suppressing the urge to burst into bitter laughter, I calmly smoothed my voice.

“You can go. Just.”

“I won’t leave until you open it.”

“Do as you please. Fine.”

Se-ah turned off the light and went to bed, lying down. Trying not to pay attention, she tightly closed her eyes and turned the blanket over. What if I don’t open it, what will happen? In the end, she gave up and turned back.

An hour passed like that. Unable to sleep, pretending to be asleep without moving a muscle, Se-ah felt like she was in hell. But seeing that the knocking sound didn’t come again, he probably left…

Feeling relieved, yet somewhat empty-hearted, she listened to his recorded voice on her phone.

A love confession that had accidentally come in once.

“To receive love from Jisaea, I have a long way to go, even the sound of footsteps.”

Even when she heard this part countless times, her heart fluttered every time. Although she kept telling herself in her mind that she wanted to stop, she hated herself for not letting go. Why was she so attached?