Did I Ever Love You? (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10

The next morning, Ji Yeon woke with a start and wriggled under the covers, stalling for time.

‘Department Head, you weren’t joking, were you? But what time and where are we meeting? Could they have already sent a message?’

The thought jolted her upright as she scrambled to find her phone.

[Be at the parking lot by 11 a.m. Let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like to eat.]

As expected, a message had arrived early that morning.

“So I’m really spending Sunday with the Department Head.”

She shook her head and sighed, yet the text on her screen remained stubbornly unchanged.

[Department Head, you pick the menu. I welcome your recommendations!]

She’d barely hit send when a reply popped up instantly.

[Then let’s go to a place I especially like. You’ll definitely enjoy it.]

Right on time at 11, she headed down to the parking lot and saw an unfamiliar black German-brand sports car waiting ahead.

‘This isn’t the car the Department Head drove last time…’

As Ji Yeon hesitated, the car window rolled down, revealing Kang Hyun already seated inside.

“Why are you just standing there, staring blankly? Get in.”

“You have two cars, Department Head?”

“I love speed, so I drive this one on weekends. Come on, hop in.”

Ji Yeon timidly slid into the passenger seat beside Kang Hyun.

“Don’t worry—I’ll drive safely, of course.”

Though they’d spent countless hours together at work and had even stayed up all night at his place just yesterday, being alone in the small space now felt strangely awkward and tense. She instinctively turned her head to look out the window.

“Why… why, Department Head?”

Startled as Kang Hyun suddenly leaned toward her, Ji Yeon gasped sharply and jerked backward.

“You need to fasten your seatbelt before we leave.”

“Oh… I’ll do it myself—”

But Kang Hyun quickly reached over and clicked her seatbelt into place.

“Thank you.”

Her voice cracked, tight with nerves.

“Are you uncomfortable being with me?”

“No, not at all! Not uncomfortable at all!”

Ji Yeon’s face flushed crimson, flustered and unable to meet his eyes, she blurted out loudly.

“Manager Ji Yeon, you really are an interesting person.”

Kang Hyun smiled faintly, clearly amused.

It had been a long time since he’d felt this light, this genuinely happy.

Ji Yeon was unexpectedly fun to tease.

At work, she either hid her feelings or kept them carefully restrained, but now her expressions were completely unfiltered—surprise, delight, amusement, dislike, awkwardness—all readable on her face.

The car glided smoothly onto the highway.

“Where are we headed?”

“To Chuncheon.”

“All the way to Chuncheon?”

“Do you have plans this afternoon? If you’re busy, just say so—we can go somewhere else.”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Then just trust me for a few hours.”

‘What on earth am I supposed to talk about with the Department Head for over an hour?’

But Ji Yeon’s worries vanished—conversation flowed effortlessly between them.

Though nothing extraordinary, their small talk revealed far more shared ground than either had expected.

“Department Head, what food do you like? Wait—what food do you dislike?”

“I don’t really dislike anything.”

“There’s got to be something you’re not crazy about, though.”

After a brief pause, Kang Hyun gave an unexpected answer.

“If I had to pick… carrots in curry?”

“Wow! Me too! I love raw carrots, but cooked carrots just taste off for some reason. No one’s ever understood that—this is amazing!”

“I see.”

“One more question! What’s your favorite spot at home? Mine’s the room filled only with books!”

“That’s surprisingly similar.”

“I created that space on purpose because seeing shelves full of books always lifts my mood. It’s incredible how many things we have in common, Department Head!”

‘She’s this happy over something so small.’

Kang Hyun found himself smiling without realizing it, his eyes lingering on her.

Their easy chatter carried them quickly to their destination.

“Alright, from now on, we only speak English. One flick on the forehead for every Korean word.”

“Yes, si~r!”

Ji Yeon playfully saluted like a soldier in response.

But two hours later, her forehead bore three faint red marks from his flicks.

“I had no idea you’d actually flick me, Department Head! It really hurts!”

“The business world is ruthless. Okay?”

Kang Hyun ruffled her hair as he spoke, his face soft with a gentle smile aimed right at her.

The meal in Chuncheon was delicious beyond words, and despite the flicks, practicing English with Kang Hyun was absolutely perfect.

His speaking skills were flawless—on par with any native speaker—and he patiently repeated difficult pronunciations to help Ji Yeon improve.

At this rate, she might owe him lesson fees.

“Thank you, Department Head, for being my practice partner. You treated me to lunch, did all the driving—you really did everything today. Next time, it’s my treat.”

“I was practicing speaking too.”

Department Head… you don’t seem to need any practice at all.

“And if you’re really grateful, cook me some Korean food next time.”

“…!”

“Either at my place or yours—whichever is more comfortable for you.”

“I… I guess so?”

“Well, if you don’t want to, I can’t force you.”

“No! I’d love to.”

Conversations with Kang Hyun always seemed to slip gently—and swiftly—into decisions before she could catch her breath.

“It felt less like a speaking practice and more like a fun outing.”

Back home late that afternoon, Ji Yeon lay by the window, staring blankly outside.

She longed to do nothing, to indulge in pure laziness—but the sight of unpacked boxes wouldn’t allow it.

‘Once today passes, weekdays will swallow my time again—I probably won’t get to finish until next weekend.’

She’d only unpacked essentials and some clothes, leaving several boxes still sealed.

She’d instructed movers to leave everything boxed except clothes and large items, thinking unpacking early would just make organizing harder.

‘I absolutely have to finish at least half today!’

She’d sorted most of her clothes but still couldn’t find that missing dress.

‘Did I lose it during the move? Or did I leave it back at that house? Should I go back and check? I should’ve been more thorough that day—but I was completely out of it.’

Though upset, she lacked the courage to return to that place. In fact, she never wanted to go back.

“It’s way too expensive to just forget about it—and more than that, it’s such a waste. No, better to think of it as bad luck paid off. That dress saved me from all the awful memories tied to that house—and maybe even worse things that could’ve happened!”

Heart sore, she tried to erase the image of the beautiful dress from her mind by keeping her hands extra busy, quickly unpacking more boxes.

Shoes, bags, and books spilled out.

“Oh, this book was here! I’d been wondering where it went.”

She happily rediscovered long-missing items as she sorted each box.

About three hours into unpacking, tucked among boxes of books and stationery, she noticed a small box.

Not a shipping box—just a small document case.

She recognized it immediately; it wasn’t new to her.

Now she remembered—she’d seen it a few times in the storage room of the house she’d shared with Min Woo.

“This isn’t mine—did I accidentally take something of Min Woo’s? If so, I’ll have to meet him or drop it off. Ugh, what a hassle.”

She stared at the unopened box, hesitating whether to open it at all.

People say everyone has a sixth sense—maybe this was one of those moments.

An inexplicable unease crept over her, making her reluctant to pry inside.

“What am I doing, just sitting here staring at a box? I need to know what’s in it so I can decide—keep it or return it.”

Inside the small box lay various documents.

At a glance, they clearly belonged to Cha Min Woo, not her.

“Just as I thought—it’s not mine. I’ll have to give it back to him… later.”

She was about to shove the box aside when her eyes caught an envelope among the papers.

And on it—her name.

As if pulled by a magnet, her hand reached for the envelope.

She carefully opened it and pulled out the contents.

Inside were their marriage registration form filled with Ji Yeon’s details, along with her resident ID card and other official documents.

She hadn’t thought about this ID in ages—she normally used her driver’s license for identification.

These were the documents she’d prepared herself!

Suddenly, the memory returned.

“Min Woo, when would be a good time to register our marriage? Just let me know so I can take leave.”

Not long after their wedding, while she was still working, Ji Yeon finally worked up the nerve to ask Min Woo about registering their marriage—something that had been bothering her.

“What’s the rush? These days, couples wait about a year before registering. Let’s do the same. You never know what might happen.”

His chillingly indifferent response made her swallow her words; she didn’t want to upset him.

She let the matter slide for a while, but it resurfaced when they’d nearly hit two years living together.

Gently, she brought it up with Min Woo again.

“Min Woo, if it’s hard for you to find time, I can go alone to file. They said it’s possible with just the documents.”

“What’s with the panic, Eun Ji Yeon? Worried you can’t hold onto me unless it’s official? Afraid I’ll run off somewhere?”

Back then, hypersensitive and always trying not to upset him, she bit back the pain each of his cutting words inflicted.

“I’ll handle it myself—just keep the documents ready.”

“Alright, Min Woo.”

A week later, Ji Yeon researched online, visited the local community center, gathered all necessary documents, and meticulously filled in her personal information.

While Min Woo changed clothes in his room after work, Ji Yeon knocked and stepped inside.

“Here are the required documents and my ID. I’ve filled in all my information—just add yours and submit it. Let me know if anything else is needed.”

“Fine.”

Without even opening the envelope Ji Yeon handed him, Min Woo tossed it carelessly onto his desk.

He was irritated again by the whole situation.

Why did she keep nagging about something as trivial as registration? Did she think he’d vanish?

If anyone disappeared, it was his Se Ah—driven away because of Ji Yeon.

His warped resentment, unfairly aimed at blameless Ji Yeon, surged once more.

Frustration and anger boiled inside him, demanding release.

Suddenly, he grabbed Ji Yeon’s arm roughly, dragged her into the bedroom, and threw her onto the bed.

“Marriage registration isn’t what matters between husband and wife. If you want to keep me, you’d better offer something special that makes me choose you—when I clearly don’t even care about you.”

Sneering, he shoved himself into her before she was ready.

“Min Woo… please, slow down. Ah… it hurts.”

“Wife, you should be saying it feels good—not that. Aren’t you happy I still want you this way?”

Hearing his cruel words, her heart shattered—but because she loved him, Ji Yeon couldn’t push him away.

Somehow, in that moment, she even thought it was a blessing to be touched by him at all.

Though he claimed to dislike her, once he started, he couldn’t stop.

After thrusting into her all night, he finally fell asleep just before dawn. Ji Yeon quietly slipped from his embrace and watched him sleep, lying face-down.

He can’t hate me that much—if he really did, he wouldn’t even want to touch me.

It’s okay… it’ll get better. Someday…

Comforting herself this way, Ji Yeon endured that unbearable night, body and soul weighed down.

Her hands trembled violently.

On the documents Ji Yeon had prepared, not a single detail of Min Woo’s information had been filled in.

‘No way… no way… Cha Min Woo, you can’t seriously have deceived me like this.’

Her pleasant Sunday had twisted into a nightmare.

Too dazed to even check online, Ji Yeon spent the night wide awake. At exactly 9 a.m. Monday morning, she headed straight to the nearest community center.

“I’d like a family registry certificate, please.”

She handed over her ID, her voice shaking.

With her heart pounding, she finally received the document—and!

Cha Min Woo’s name… wasn’t there.

She requested every possible certificate—but nothing changed.

To Eun Ji Yeon, there was no spouse.