My Husband's Lover (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
Hae Yeon stood in place, watching Lee Su Rin and Han Yoon Seo walk toward her, and felt her thoughts grow tangled in an instant. Were those two ever close?
For a moment, she stared blankly, unable to grasp the situation. Coincidentally, this combination of people who weren’t exactly friendly toward her reminded her of Chairwoman Yoon’s meeting the previous day.
“Why are you two here at this hour? What kind of pairing is this? Wait—actually, it’s been so long since I’ve seen either of you!”
Do Hee, who had already approached them, exclaimed in flustered surprise. After all, anyone could tell this was an odd meeting.
One was a working professional, and the other was constantly busy with outside activities—they were both occupied individuals. Moreover, Su Rin hadn’t been in Korea for the past few years and, even back then, had only ever met Yoon Seo in official capacities.
Since there was no personal rapport between Yoon Seo and Su Rin, why were they here together? And besides, this was a department store—a place for personal leisure like shopping. Do Hee couldn’t help but feel suspicious, yet she forced a bright smile, mindful of Hae Yeon.
“Hello, Do Hee. It’s been a while—since I got back last time.”
“I haven’t seen you in ages either, Miss.”
Though Do Hee had just blurted out a chaotic greeting, Su Rin warmly offered her regards, while Yoon Seo greeted her politely. Do Hee was left speechless. To any observer, this looked like a genuinely happy chance encounter.
“I ran into Yoon Seo here by coincidence. Somehow, we ended up walking together.”
“Wow, perfect timing!”
Do Hee grinned, amazed by this unexpected meeting. Su Rin’s eyes crinkled with amusement.
“Yeah, really lucky timing—.”
Su Rin’s gaze, which had been fixed affectionately on Do Hee, slowly shifted away, her voice still tinged with laughter.
“Don’t you think so?”
Click.
“Ms. Hae Yeon?”
Hae Yeon, who had just appeared with the sound of heels clicking, now stood slightly beside Do Hee. As she stepped forward another half-step, Su Rin’s smile deepened.
“Yes, indeed. Coincidences really are fascinating, Ms. Lee Su Rin.”
A smile spread across Hae Yeon’s lips. Anyone who knew the truth would understand how this meeting had come to be. Yet Hae Yeon played along with Su Rin’s pretense.
“Huh? What’s this? Do you two know each other?”
Surprised by Su Rin and Hae Yeon’s friendly exchange, Do Hee’s eyes widened as she looked back and forth between them.
And understandably so. Su Rin had left the country around the time of her older brother’s wedding—she hadn’t even attended the ceremony and hadn’t returned to Korea since. So seeing her now acting familiar with someone Do Hee knew left her thoroughly startled.
A gentle smile bloomed in Hae Yeon’s hazel eyes.
“We’ve met before, Miss. Nice to see you again, Ms. Lee Su Rin. First at the pub, and now here by chance—it seems we’re destined to meet.”
“I’m glad too, Ms. Hae Yeon. ‘Destiny’—I like that. I still remember clearly what you said last time; it left a strong impression. Let’s share more good conversations today.”
Outwardly, the mood seemed warm and cordial, but Yoon Seo, who knew the truth, shot them a discreet, weary look.
Only Do Hee, completely unaware of the underlying situation and simply acting spoiled, failed to notice. An odd tension hung in the air, perceptible only to the three who understood what was really going on.
“Hey, come on! Don’t just talk to each other—include us too!”
“Haha, alright, Miss.”
“It’s probably about time everyone’s had lunch. How about some tea?”
The last suggestion came from Yoon Seo. Having remained silent until now, she suddenly spoke up upon noticing the increasing crowd of shoppers passing by. Since they couldn’t keep talking in the middle of the aisle, everyone agreed and moved to another location.
The four of them entered a relatively quieter café, ordered drinks, and headed to an empty table. Hae Yeon and Do Hee sat together on one side, while Su Rin and Yoon Seo sat opposite them, the round table between them.
“Su Rin unnie, why did you come to the department store?”
Do Hee turned to Su Rin. Unable to ask the awkwardly distant Yoon Seo, she repeated her earlier question to Su Rin, whom she’d known intimately for years.
Do Hee well understood that Su Rin wasn’t idle just because she’d returned to Korea. With the MiBon Group’s intense succession battle underway, it was surprising to see her here on a weekday evening—and naturally, Do Hee couldn’t help but worry.
“There’s someone I need to make a good impression on.”
It was an uncharacteristic thing for Lee Su Rin—someone who inspired envy and admiration everywhere—to say. Do Hee’s eyes widened as she leaned forward toward Su Rin, seated directly across from her.
“What do you mean? Someone you need to impress? Don’t tell me you have a boyfriend—or maybe someone you like?”
“……”
When Su Rin only smiled quietly without answering, Do Hee, brimming with curiosity, was about to speak again—when the vibration bell on the corner of the table suddenly shivered.
“Oh! Our drinks are ready. I’ll go get them—don’t anyone move!”
Do Hee sprang up, earnestly repeating her instruction before dashing off. As soon as she disappeared, Hae Yeon shifted her gaze across the table. The person now in her focus was Yoon Seo, sitting neatly and sipping her coffee.
“I didn’t expect you’d come here, hyung—.”
Hae Yeon drawled out the last syllable, her eyes curving faintly upward—and in that instant, the atmosphere shifted once again.
“Whether this was Chairwoman Yoon Myeong Gil’s coercion or Ms. Lee Su Rin’s persuasion—or perhaps both.”
“What are you talking about, Dong Seo? I’m here because of an event this week.”
True to her former news anchor background, Yoon Seo always used honorifics with her junior Hae Yeon, and her current reply sounded utterly natural—showing no trace of an attempt to conceal a lie.
In her mind, she replayed what had happened just hours earlier.
[Can we talk?]
The text message that arrived after her late morning with Cha Do Hoon came from none other than Lee Su Rin—an unexpected sender.
Though unsettled upon seeing the sender’s name, and still undecided even after Chairwoman Yoon’s one-sided conversation, Yoon Seo ultimately replied with agreement.
Su Rin, apparently more urgent than expected, called while Yoon Seo was walking to her study.
“It’s been a while, Ms. Han Yoon Seo.”
“Let’s skip the pleasantries, Ms. Lee Su Rin. Why are you calling? We’re hardly close enough to be chatting like this, are we?”
And it was true—they weren’t just not close; their relationship was rather strained. Well, at least from Yoon Seo’s perspective. If Su Rin were to become Do Ha’s wife, Do Hoon’s position—her own husband’s—would undoubtedly become even more precarious.
Thus, Yoon Seo’s anxiety was entirely one-sided, though she was certain Su Rin knew that all too well.
Seated comfortably on a deep auburn sofa, Yoon Seo gazed at a large painting hanging on the study wall as she slowly absorbed Su Rin’s words.
“Then that’s fine by me. I figured your mind must be busy too.”
“If you’re saying that, you must have something beneficial to offer me, Ms. Lee Su Rin?”
Yoon Seo deliberately replied with a languid tone. Su Rin’s position wasn’t favorable either, and there was no point in showing weakness to that cunning woman.
With nails clean and neatly trimmed—befitting a refined scholar’s upbringing—Yoon Seo drummed lightly on the armrest. It was an unconscious display of anxiety she couldn’t otherwise reveal.
“What you want is easy to understand.”
At that hushed reply, the ambient noise in the study fell abruptly still.
“If I become involved with Mr. Cha Do Ha, you’ll be able to claim the position you desire.”
The position I desire.
She had come here like a purchased bride, enduring verbal abuse from a husband beneath her in both caliber and character. She’d even weathered mistreatment from her in-laws, persisting stubbornly within the Cha family—
All to become a true power player in Gil Myeong Group.
Was this now merely compensation for the person she’d become? Or had her ambition always overflowed this way?
Either way, what truly mattered was this: with each passing day, with time’s steady flow, that desire only grew stronger. That alone was what counted.
‘Not yet.’
Yoon Seo shook her head. Though she’d just heard the very words she’d longed for, she wasn’t foolish enough to snatch the “demon’s hand” offered right before her eyes.
“If it’s the position I want, things were better when Min Hae Yeon was Cha Do Ha’s wife. Besides, why should I trust your words and help you?”
“Ms. Han Yoon Seo—I’m the MiBon Group’s heir. Do you really think the mistress seat of Gil Myeong Group holds any appeal for me?”
It was a valid point. As Su Rin said, if she became Cha Do Ha’s wife, she herself would be at a greater disadvantage. Moreover, having observed Su Rin closely for years, Yoon Seo had seen just how genuine her feelings for Cha Do Ha were.
Still, Su Rin’s sinister proposal wasn’t yet convincing enough.
“But even if that’s true—if Mr. Cha Do Ha wants it—”
Yoon Seo’s sentence was neatly cut off. The moment her words were interrupted, Su Rin’s tone also turned curt.
“I doubt you don’t know what Do Ha oppa is thinking.”
“……”
Su Rin’s decisive tone carried the unspoken implication: “If you truly don’t know, then this proposal is void.”
Yoon Seo herself knew how absurd her own statement had been. Cha Do Ha, who had a strained relationship with Chairwoman Yoon, clearly held no desire for the top seat at Gil Myeong Group. Yoon Seo, more sensitive than most to matters of greed, understood that well.
“Besides, Ms. Han Yoon Seo—it doesn’t seem like you have many choices left.”
From the very beginning, this game had been as good as decided.
“……What do you want?”
“Everything. All of it.”
By now, both had slipped into informal speech, but neither paid it any mind.
To Yoon Seo’s question—which was nearly an agreement—Su Rin replied in the sweetest tone she’d used all conversation, almost as if speaking to a lover.
“I need all the information about what happened a year ago.”
“You must have already looked into it.”
“Whoever did it was too skilled—there’s nothing I can find. Besides, I need the eyes of someone close. Specifically, the eyes of the person who would’ve been happiest about that incident.”
Su Rin didn’t yet know that Min Hae Yeon was inevitably destined to be driven out sooner or later. Now, with the chance to accelerate that outcome—and if Su Rin could handle it cleanly—this was precisely what Yoon Seo herself had wanted most.
Yoon Seo straightened her posture. She began slowly revealing to Su Rin the calculatedly precise memory of “that day.” Su Rin listened so intently that not even a breath could be heard; by the time the story reached its climax, she erupted in anger and even let out a disbelieving laugh.
Of course, Yoon Seo hadn’t told her everything. After artfully concealing a sliver of truth, she finally finished speaking—and a long silence followed.
After a stretch of quiet, Su Rin finally concluded the lengthy call.
—I’ve heard your story well. I now have somewhere I need to go. Would you like to come along, Ms. Han Yoon Seo?
Returning smoothly to polite speech, as if offering an extra token of gratitude, Su Rin had already reverted to her original self. With no reason to refuse, Yoon Seo accepted the invitation.
And that was how she’d ended up face-to-face with Min Hae Yeon now.
‘What did Su Rin say back then? Did she tell me to find out for myself?’
Pushing aside her thoughts, Yoon Seo naturally turned her gaze to Min Hae Yeon’s face.
“Alright! Here are your drinks, unnie!”
Do Hee, who had quickly returned from the pickup counter, handed out the drinks gently. Without anyone prompting them, the three women smoothed their expressions, offered Do Hee brief words of thanks with smiles, and resumed their interrupted conversation.
“Su Rin unnie, so did you finish shopping for that person you wanted to impress? If not, I can help!”
“Thanks, but it’s all taken care of, Do Hee.”
Though Su Rin addressed Do Hee, Hae Yeon didn’t miss how her gaze shifted toward herself. Seeing Su Rin’s meaningful, narrow eyes, Hae Yeon finally understood the entire situation.
The “person Su Rin wanted to impress” was herself, and “it’s all taken care of” meant she’d already met with Hae Yeon.
But that realization changed nothing about the present. Thinking this, Hae Yeon grew bored.
Though she was unavoidably playing along with Su Rin and Han Yoon Seo’s intentions, the conversation had devolved into trivial small talk, which only deepened her weariness. As if sensing this, Su Rin shifted the topic.
“…But, Do Hee—how’s Do Ha oppa doing now? You know I wasn’t in Korea when it happened… I did see him recently, but I’m still worried.”
Rarely hesitant, Su Rin spoke guiltily, fiddling with the handle of her black mug. Her slender fingers, touching the dark ceramic, appeared starkly pale in contrast.
Hae Yeon reflexively recalled something upon hearing Su Rin’s concerned tone—the way Do Hee had reacted during dinner just before meeting these two. True to her suspicion, Do Hee’s hand, mid-sip, froze in midair.
Hae Yeon’s eyes hardened too. A flicker of anger stirred within her toward Su Rin, who wore worry like a mask yet callously disregarded Do Hee’s feelings—someone she’d treated like a younger sister for so long—all for her own ends.
At the same time, Hae Yeon felt a pang of guilt, remembering her own actions at the restaurant earlier. She, too, had just done the exact same thing to Do Hee.
This won’t do. I have to stop this. Unable to erase from her mind Do Hee’s tearful expression from the restaurant, Hae Yeon quickly moved to cut off Su Rin—but someone else got there first.
“Do Ha oppa’s fine. It’s all in the past now. Still, I’d rather you didn’t bring it up, Su Rin unnie.”
Hae Yeon turned her head instinctively to the side. To her astonishment, the one who’d just interrupted her own thoughts was none other than Do Hee herself. Watching Do Hee speak firmly, each syllable deliberate and clear, Hae Yeon felt as if someone had sharply flicked her forehead—suddenly, her mind cleared.
At last, Hae Yeon understood. Both at the restaurant and now, Do Hee’s reactions stemmed solely from worry that Hae Yeon might still be frightened or anxious about the incident from a year ago.
Feeling warmth bloom in her chest, Hae Yeon reproached herself for falling short compared to Do Hee. Beneath the table, she reached out and tightly grasped Do Hee’s hand.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
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