Postponing Divorce (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 13

About an hour later.

Chae Yoon came downstairs to the first floor, fully ready for work, only to be met with an unexpected scene.

“Chae Yoon, you’re home.”

What caught her off guard wasn’t Ji Pil—it was Jae Oh sitting next to him.

Normally, he’d rush out of the house as soon as he finished getting ready for work, yet today, for some reason, he was calmly sitting on the living room sofa, sipping tea.

‘I thought he’d already left for work…’

Just as Chae Yoon was wondering why he was still there, Ji Pil asked,

“When did you get back?”

Startled momentarily by the unusual sight, Chae Yoon quickly averted her gaze from Jae Oh and replied,

“A little after six.”

“I see. You’ll eat before heading out, right?”

Chae Yoon had something she wanted to say to Ji Pil anyway, so she nodded and answered, “Yes.”

Ji Pil stood up from his seat. Seeing this, Chae Yoon naturally followed him toward the dining room.

But she barely managed a few steps behind him before she had to stop.

Because she wasn’t the only one entering the dining room.

Her eyes widened slightly as she saw Jae Oh confidently and calmly walking ahead of her, following Ji Pil without a hint of hesitation.

‘Did he stay home just to eat breakfast?’

If that were the case, why now of all times?

Chae Yoon had intended to ask Ji Pil whether he’d told Jae Oh what she’d said to him. Her reason for asking stemmed from Jae Oh’s persistent calls throughout yesterday—from lunch until dinner.

She hadn’t answered them because she didn’t want to talk to him, but it had still weighed on her mind.

He’d never called her repeatedly like this before. In fact, he rarely contacted her at all—so the fact that he kept reaching out clearly meant he had something important to say.

Curious about Jae Oh’s purpose, Chae Yoon pondered what he might want to say to her.

There was only one plausible explanation: the conversation she’d had with Ji Pil.

[Grandfather, I’m not seeing Assistant Manager Lim.] […] [Since Oppa didn’t believe me, I just admitted it and left. But… I still like Oppa.]

Judging by Ji Pil’s reaction after their talk, Chae Yoon had assumed he wouldn’t relay their conversation to Jae Oh.

After all, Ji Pil had accepted her claim that she still liked Jae Oh and wanted a divorce, partly because he’d known all along about her feelings for Jae Oh yet never stepped forward.

But that reasoning applied *only* to her lingering feelings for Jae Oh. The fact that she wasn’t involved with Hyun Min wasn’t something that needed hiding—so Chae Yoon wanted to ask Ji Pil directly.

If Jae Oh had called her because he’d learned the truth, his purpose would surely be to apologize.

Until now, she hadn’t cared whether he misunderstood her or not—but if he were to sincerely say, “I’m sorry for jumping to conclusions about you,” Chae Yoon would happily accept it.

But if he wasn’t planning to apologize…

‘I really don’t want to talk to him.’

Just remembering the look in his eyes—when he wouldn’t believe her—still hurt.

If she saw that look again, Chae Yoon feared she’d truly start resenting him.

And she didn’t want to resent him.

That was how she’d felt since yesterday.

It was fine if her heart ached because he showed no interest in her—but resenting him would mean the memories she still held of him, the moments when she’d liked him, would fade away.

[Let’s get married.]

He’d said it out of pity and necessity, but she’d been so happy just because he’d reached out first.

[Oh, something urgent came up—I probably won’t make it for dinner.]

Even though he’d canceled every time, she’d still felt excited heading to their meeting spot.

Those fleeting, trembling moments when she’d liked him were among the happiest memories of her life.

That’s why she didn’t want to lose them. To preserve them, she needed to avoid arguing with Jae Oh—which was precisely why she’d wanted to avoid facing him for now. Yet today, of all days, he was doing something completely out of character.

Just like the saying “the calm before the storm,” a foreboding sense that something was about to happen settled over her.

As she stood frozen in place, a deep, resonant voice brushed against her ears.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

His tone was flat, his expression as indifferent as it had been in the room—making it clear his only purpose for having breakfast was to eat.

Moreover, the anger or coldness she’d seen when he first brought up divorce was nowhere to be found. Chae Yoon concluded that, overnight, Jae Oh had somehow reverted to the Han Jae Oh she once knew.

It was a bit bitter realizing it took him only a few hours to sort out his feelings—but this was still far better than being hurt by his words again.

Having reached that conclusion, Chae Yoon finally moved her feet.

Entering the dining room with Jae Oh, she quietly stared at the steaming bowl of rice and soup placed before her.

“Let’s eat.”

With Ji Pil’s words, an awkward breakfast began.

Aside from the clinking of spoons against bowls, not a single word passed between them at the table.

When about half the rice had been eaten, Chae Yoon’s lips parted slightly.

“Grandfather, I’ll stay at a hotel from today until I find a place of my own.”

All movement ceased except for Chae Yoon’s.

In the absolute silence—no breath even audible—she felt both Ji Pil’s and Jae Oh’s full attention shift to her. Carefully, she lifted her eyes to look at Jae Oh.

Her gaze was cautious and gentle, yet her eyes were filled with resolve.

“You saw the divorce papers I left in the study, right? Please sign them soon.”

Upon hearing her firm declaration—clearly stating she intended to divorce him as soon as possible—Jae Oh unconsciously clenched his teeth.

His jaw tightened visibly, and his eyes, fixed on Chae Yoon, grew rigid.

Chae Yoon noticed the flicker of emotion cross his face—but dismissed it as insignificant.

She assumed he was just momentarily startled, and that he’d be fine again soon. With that thought, she shifted her gaze from Jae Oh to Ji Pil.

Ji Pil looked surprised too—though not as much as Jae Oh—and seeing that made Chae Yoon uneasy.

‘He probably didn’t expect me to leave so soon.’

But she couldn’t stay in the house either, so she tried to voice her stance despite the discomfort.

“The house…”

Her carefully worded sentence was cut short.

“No.”

Jae Oh had interrupted her.

At the firmness in his voice, Chae Yoon turned to look at him.

His dark eyes, now locked sharply onto hers, carried an odd sense of pressure.

That overwhelming aura—the kind that could pin a person down with just a look—was something she’d witnessed once before, when she’d visited his company.

She’d been secretly shocked then by the expression he’d worn toward a vendor who’d ignored his words, as if he’d tear them apart. He’d never once shown her that look or expression before.

Yet now, he was staring at her with eyes almost identical to that moment.

Why?

She hadn’t made a huge mistake like a vendor would, nor had she said anything outrageous—so why was he looking at her like that? Confused, Chae Yoon met his gaze directly and spoke.

“I’m not asking for your approval, Oppa.”

Her voice was quite cold. The corners of Jae Oh’s eyes hardened further.

His stare grew sharper, but Chae Yoon didn’t look away.

Their gazes clashed tensely in midair.

After silently holding Chae Yoon’s unyielding eyes, Jae Oh finally moved his lips.

“Grandfather, are you okay with Song Chae Yoon staying at a hotel?”

As Jae Oh turned to Ji Pil for his opinion, Chae Yoon’s eyes widened in surprise.

Noticing her subtle reaction, Jae Oh finally tore his eyes away from her and looked toward Ji Pil, who’d been quietly observing the situation.

“I don’t mind. What about you?”

His tone, prodding Ji Pil for an answer, sounded so flat it bordered on emotionless—but his eyes told a different story.

They seemed to be forcefully suppressing a swirl of turbulent emotions.

Though chaotic and conflicted, one feeling came through clearly:

Jae Oh didn’t want to let Chae Yoon go.

She wasn’t sure exactly where that feeling came from—but it didn’t feel bad.

‘If he’s starting to feel something, even just a little…’

Thinking this might be his last chance, Ji Pil gave a small nod of agreement.

“I’d actually feel more at ease with Chae Yoon nearby. It’s reassuring.”

The moment Ji Pil finished speaking, Jae Oh turned to look at Chae Yoon.

His eyes, now holding the answer he’d wanted from Ji Pil, silently asked, “What now?”

Chae Yoon’s expression flickered with bewilderment—she hadn’t expected Jae Oh to react this way. After taking a small breath to steady her suddenly ragged breathing, she spoke.

“It’s awkward sharing a room with you when we’re getting divorced soon…”

“Then use another room.”

As if determined to cut her off, Jae Oh immediately offered a solution.

“Yes, if that’s your concern, we can do that. It’s not like we don’t have spare rooms.”

With Ji Pil backing him up too, Chae Yoon was genuinely flustered. Her large eyes began trembling visibly.

Her earlier premonition—before even coming in to eat—had been right.

‘I should’ve just gone straight to work.’

She cursed her own foolishness for being fooled by his indifferent expression.

But regretting the past wouldn’t change anything. What mattered was the present, so Chae Yoon swallowed a sigh and voiced her stance once more.

“No. I just want to leave.”

“Why?”

“I already told you.”

“That’s why I’m asking why. I’ve given you solutions for everything.”

His gaze, demanding to know what the problem was, was stubbornly persistent. And his lips looked so set on offering a suitable solution to whatever she said that Chae Yoon momentarily lost her words.

‘Why is he suddenly acting like this?’

To him, she’d always been someone who might as well not exist. On top of that, he still believed she was seeing Hyun Min. In that case, the right thing to do would’ve been to just let her go—as the Han Jae Oh she knew would have.

Yet here he was, convincing even Ji Pil to keep her by offering her a separate room.

‘Why on earth?’

As Chae Yoon grew increasingly curious about why Jae Oh was going this far to stop her from leaving, Ji Pil spoke up.

“Let’s discuss this matter gradually for now. Let’s just finish eating first.”

At Ji Pil’s attempt to defuse the situation, Jae Oh resumed his meal.

Seeing this, Chae Yoon frowned once before lowering her gaze to the white rice in front of her.

The glistening rice should’ve stimulated her appetite—but it was already long gone.

Her mouth felt dry, so she set down her chopsticks and took a sip of water.

She didn’t even notice Jae Oh’s eyes resting on the chopsticks she’d just put down.

After finishing the uncomfortable breakfast and heading to work, Chae Yoon handled her urgent tasks half-heartedly, her face heavy with worry.

‘To call or not to call?’

She was torn over whether or not to phone Jae Oh.

The reason she wanted to call was her curiosity about his true intentions; the reason she didn’t want to was the same as why she didn’t want to talk to him.

‘What should I do…’

Stuck, unable to decide, she simply stared blankly at her phone—when it suddenly vibrated.

「Oppa Jae Oh」

Her eyes widened instantly at the name on the screen.