A Thrilling Divorce (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14

Ji Sung repeatedly tried entering the password several times, his face scrunched in frustration and anger.

“Ugh, damn it. This is really pissing me off.”

He took a deep breath, pulled out his phone from his bag, and dialed So Myung’s number.

After the phone rang for a long while, someone finally answered. Ji Sung immediately started shouting without hesitation.

“Hey, why’d you change the password? Huh?”

[Mr. An.]

“…….”

Realizing the person who answered was So Myung’s mother, Ji Sung was flustered and momentarily lost his words.

[So Myung’s asleep.]

Her voice was calm as always.

“Oh, yes.”

[Since you’re breaking up anyway, don’t make such a fuss over a changed password.]

“What? Mother-in-law!”

[So Myung mentioned a bit about it to me. She’s not feeling well right now, so talk to her tomorrow.]

“Mother-in-law……”

[I’m hanging up.]

“Mo……”

The call had already ended. So Myung’s mother, always composed and intelligent, remained perfectly calm even in this situation.

Ji Sung had been worried about what to do if she told him to work things out with So Myung.

But now he felt irritated by her mother’s attitude, which seemed to take their breakup as a done deal.

‘Is she ignoring me? Right now?’

Ji Sung huffed, then silently stared at the document envelope in his hand before firmly pressing the elevator’s down button.

He couldn’t understand why he felt so strange—after all, this divorce was exactly what he’d wanted.

He tried convincing himself it was just because everything had gone wrong today and nothing had worked out.

Even as he got into his car and started driving, he kept mulling over So Myung’s and her mother’s behavior.

After entering Ra Hee Chae’s officetel by typing in her password, he found her rushing toward him and hugging him as soon as he stepped inside.

“Oppa, you’re here?”

“Yeah.”

“Oppa, did you give her the documents?”

“No, I couldn’t.”

Upon hearing he hadn’t delivered the documents, Ra He. stared at him with wide, surprised eyes and asked,

“Why?”

“So Myung wasn’t home.”

“Really? Then why didn’t you just leave them inside and come back?”

“She changed the password.”

“Well, isn’t that a good thing?”

“…….”

Ra Hee Chae looked at Ji Sung’s unusually dark expression that day, clearly baffled.

“Oppa? You’re not seriously mad about the password change, are you?”

“No, why would I be?”

Ji Sung instantly regretted his words. He realized too late that he should’ve been more careful around Ra Hee Chae, who became overly sensitive whenever So Myung was involved.

“You’ve looked off ever since you walked in.”

“No, it’s nothing like that. I’m just tired from work today.”

“You never understand how I feel. Do you even know how hard this is for me?”

“I know. Okay.”

As Ji Sung tried to soothe the sulking Ra Hee Chae, his thoughts drifted back to So Myung.

‘So Myung never acted like this.’

So Myung was the complete opposite of Ra Hee Chae—she was an eternal optimist, always bright and full of energy.

She was the kind of woman who had endured ten whole years of Madam Jung’s difficult mother-in-law treatment without a single complaint—something no other woman could manage. Whenever he was tired, she’d quietly take care of him without saying a word.

But Ra Hee Chae constantly demanded his attention, repeatedly insisting only she was suffering and endlessly craving affection.

Though he adored her youthful beauty, there were times when her hypersensitivity—so unlike So Myung’s—left him utterly exhausted. Today, all he wanted was some peace.

“Do you think she’ll agree to the divorce?”

Ra Hee Chae’s eyes sparkled brightly as she asked Ji Sung.

“Still… I’m not sure.”

Ji Sung was startled to realize he’d just lied without even noticing.

‘Why am I acting like this?’

Unable to meet Ra Hee Chae’s piercing gaze, he looked away.

“Oppa?”

“Yeah?”

“Things are tough now, but this is something we absolutely must do—for our future. You understand, right?”

Hearing those words, Ji Sung looked at her and answered,

“Yeah.”

“I’ve staked everything on you, Oppa.”

“Yeah, Ra Hee Chae. I know.”

Ra Hee Chae leaned her head against Ji Sung’s shoulder and said softly,

“I trust you, Oppa.”

Her words filled Ji Sung with confusion.

‘Right… someone who loves me this much.’

He forced himself to calm down, looked at Ra Hee Chae, and managed a faint smile.

The next morning, So Myung and her mother were driving somewhere in So Myung’s car. Their destination was her father’s gravesite.

For a moment in front of the grave, both fell silent. Tears welled up in So Myung’s eyes, despite her efforts not to cry.

So Myung’s mother plucked some weeds from around the grave and spoke softly.

“Honey, our daughter’s here.”

“Dad, I came.”

“Please watch over our So Myung as she starts anew from heaven.”

“Dad, I’ll live well.”

So Myung felt truly lucky to have such understanding family.

They sat side by side, backs turned to the grave, gazing up at the sky.

“The sky is really beautiful today.”

Seeing her mother act as if nothing were wrong, So Myung’s heart ached.

“Mom, you wanted me to live well, but……”

“You’re living well right now. Is divorce a crime?”

“I… just feel like a total failure. I always thought things like this only happened in dramas.”

“So Myung, your life belongs to you. In today’s world, is divorce really such a big deal? Our daughter is so beautiful and wonderful. You can always start over. Honestly, Mom would rather see you divorced than stuck in a miserable marriage, slowly withering away from heartache. Even if you live just one more day, I want you to be happy.”

“Mom, I’ll work really hard and take good care of you someday.”

“You being right here with me—that’s all the filial piety I need. I don’t want anything else. I just want you to be happy. Our So Myung is such an optimist. I believe in you.”

“Mom…”

So Myung clung to her mother’s embrace like a little child.

‘Right. Let’s start over.’

She strengthened her resolve and steeled her heart once more.

After driving her mother home, she headed back to her own place.

She was in a hurry—she needed to water her plants right away.

While waiting for the elevator in the underground parking lot, she checked her phone and saw a missed call from Ji Sung, followed by a call log.

‘Mom?’

It was definitely Ji Sung who’d spoken to her mother. Yet her mother hadn’t mentioned their conversation—clearly to spare her worry.

She wondered why Ji Sung had called, but she refused to call him back. It wouldn’t be easy, but she wanted to erase him from her heart, as if she’d never met him at all.

Though she’d made up her mind to divorce him, ten years of memories with him still lingered inside her.

With a bitter expression, she stepped into the elevator.

She kept steeling her resolve over and over, preparing herself for their separation.

She got off the elevator and entered her home.

The house, far too big for one person, felt hollow and empty. She immediately changed clothes and rushed to the balcony to check on her plants.

She filled her watering can, gave water to each pot, then misted the leaves with a spray bottle.

This place was So Myung’s sanctuary. People could hurt her, but her plants—so long as she cared for them—always rewarded her with lush green leaves that brought peace to her heart.

After watering, she started tackling the overdue cleaning. Whenever she sat still, thoughts of Ji Sung crept into her mind like tiny crawling insects she couldn’t shake off.

She decided she had to keep her body moving constantly to keep her thoughts at bay.

Just then, her phone started ringing. It was Ji Sung.

So Myung sighed deeply, stared at her phone for a moment, then reluctantly answered.

“Hello.”

“Are you home?”

Ji Sung’s voice came through the receiver—the same gentle, familiar voice that used to whisper sweetly to her.

So Myung’s eyes widened in surprise, and she stayed silent for a moment, leaving only static in the line, until Ji Sung spoke again.

“I talked to your mom yesterday.”

“Oh.”

So Myung replied coldly.

“You changed the password.”

“Yeah.”

“…….”

“Bring the documents.”

“Okay.”

“Will you come right after work?”

“Yeah.”

“Hang up.”

Without waiting for his reply, So Myung ended the call in a frosty tone.

‘Right. Let’s finish this quickly.’

She took a deep breath and shook her head.

‘The Ji Sung I knew is gone.’

She resumed cleaning, scrubbing the floor vigorously with a cloth.

On Ji Sung’s end, So Myung’s demeanor left his heart aching.

‘Selfish bastard.’

Yes—he truly was an endless egoist. Ever since he’d started living with Ra Hee Chae, he kept comparing her to So Myung.

From start to finish, So Myung and Ra Hee Chae were completely different. Where So Myung’s every action used to feel suffocating, Ra Hee Chae now struck him as relentlessly sensitive, nitpicking everything and trying to control him.

That had once seemed attractive.

But now, why did his heart feel so conflicted at the thought of So Myung agreeing to the divorce? His mind was tangled in knots, making clear thought nearly impossible.

He finished work, got into his car, and let out an involuntary sigh.

He started the engine and began driving toward the house where he and So Myung had once lived together.

Meanwhile, Do Ha was almost home after wrapping up his schedule when his phone rang loudly. He checked the caller ID—it was a number he’d never seen before.

Frowning in confusion, Do Ha answered.

“Hello.”

[Oppa.]

A familiar voice came through the receiver.

‘Seo Bin?’

“…….”

For a moment, Do Ha lost his words and focused only on driving. Then, a bright, bubbly voice chimed through the line.

[Oppa? Why aren’t you saying anything?]

“Why’d you call?”

Do Ha replied in a low, curt tone.

[Why else? To talk about our marriage, of course.]

“Are you insane?”

[Come on. You know as well as I do that we’re getting married either way.]

“I will never marry you.”

[Our opinions don’t matter here.]

“You…… seriously.”

[Look, since things have come to this, I really want to marry you and live happily. We loved each other once, didn’t we?]

“Don’t bring up the past. And don’t contact me again.”

[Oppa, do you really think you can win against the Chairman?]

“Ugh, let’s just drop this.”

As Do Ha tried to hang up, Seo Bin quickly interjected in a panicked voice.

[I’m on my way to you.]

“What?”

Instantly, fury blazed in Do Ha’s eyes.

He was so angry he felt like he might lose his mind. He couldn’t understand why she kept bothering him like this.

Although they’d once loved each other, the wounds she’d left in him ran far too deep.

All that remained of her in his memory was pain—he wished he could delete her entirely from his mind.

[I already asked the Chairman. Your home address.]

“Turn around right now.”

[I’m already here.]

“Go back.”

Do Ha coldly ended the call. He parked in his apartment’s underground lot and stepped out of the car, his head dizzy from all the stress.

He stood still for a moment to catch his breath, then walked toward the elevator, sighing repeatedly.

Soon, the elevator stopped and the doors opened.

Do Ha stared uneasily at his apartment door. Sure enough, standing right in front of the entrance was Seo Bin, dressed flamboyantly and clearly dressed to impress.

He glared at her menacingly.

“Oppa?”

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Seo Bin called out to him cheerfully.

But he ignored her completely, typing in the front door’s password.

The door soon opened, and as he tried to push inside, Seo Bin grabbed his arm.

“Let go.”

“Oppa, just talk to me for a moment.”

“I said go away.”

“Oppa, don’t waste time. You know better than anyone that a marriage between us is mutually beneficial for our companies.”

“I never once considered our company’s interests when I was with you.”

“I know. You liked me for real.”

“I forgot about you a long time ago. I truly never want to get involved with you again. Please, just go.”

“Oppa… I can’t forget you.”

“Enough. Let go of me.”

Do Ha forcefully yanked his arm away, stepped inside, and slammed the door shut.