Postponing Divorce (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 5

Chae Yoon’s strangeness began the day after their first conversation.

[Do we really have to keep talking like this?]

After the conversation ended like that, Jae Oh couldn’t properly see Chae Yoon’s face for a full two days.

He could understand her not being there at night since he came home late, but in the mornings—even though she hadn’t overslept—Chae Yoon was nowhere to be found in the house.

He figured it could happen once, but when it stretched into the second day and then the third, he couldn’t just let it go and finally asked Ji Pil.

[Where did Song Chae Yoon go?]

Ji Pil replied with eyes full of confusion, clearly having no idea.

[Chae Yoon went somewhere?] [I asked you first.] […I don’t know, so you call her.]

She wasn’t the type to disappear without telling Ji Pil, and Ji Pil’s continued pretense of ignorance struck him as odd too.

After this kept happening repeatedly—not just once or twice—Jae Oh could no longer ignore it and finally pulled out his phone.

「Song Chae Yoon」

He found Chae Yoon’s number in his contacts, tapped the call button, and held the phone to his ear.

Just as his expression began to sour from the seemingly endless ringing tone—

Chae Yoon answered the call.

Hello?

“Where are you?”

Why?

Her evasive reply immediately creased his already furrowed brow.

Seriously—just like last time, and now again, she only asked “Why?” instead of giving a straightforward answer.

The last conversation had been like this too. Something definitely seemed off, but since he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was, Jae Oh grew even more frustrated, deepening the wrinkles between his brows. With a heavy sigh, he finally spoke.

“Why do you think I’m asking? Because I’m curious where you are.”

…I’m right now…

Just as Chae Yoon was about to answer, a stranger woman’s voice cut in.

Chae Yoon, did you finish everything I asked you to do?

Ah, Team Leader. Yes, just a moment.

At the unexpected sound of “Team Leader,” his knitted brows suddenly relaxed, and his sharp eyes stiffened in surprise.

What on earth was going on?

Before he could even process it, Chae Yoon’s voice came through again.

Oppa, I’m busy, so I’ll hang up.

She hung up immediately after speaking.

Jae Oh stared blankly at the screen, utterly dumbfounded, while Woo Jong—who’d been carefully watching Jae Oh’s mood during the call—asked cautiously,

“Why… are you like this?”

“…”

“Managing Director?”

Seeing Jae Oh frozen in dazed silence, Woo Jong called out to him again. Jae Oh let out an exasperated breath and muttered,

“She must’ve gotten a job somewhere, right?”

Leaving behind Woo Jong, who looked completely baffled by his words, Jae Oh dialed Ji Pil.

What?

“Did Song Chae Yoon get a job?”

Why are you asking me? Ask Chae Yoon herself.

It was the exact same response he’d gotten that morning.

“Grandfather.”

What?

“I’m asking—where did Song Chae Yoon get hired?”

Jae Oh.

“Yes.”

No matter how sternly you speak, my answer won’t change. Don’t waste your time—just hang up.

A vein began to bulge on his otherwise smooth forehead.

This wasn’t some elaborate runaround—what on earth were they playing at?

“Did you two conspire together?”

What nonsense is that? Don’t you have anything better to do? Your grandfather’s busy, so I’m hanging up now.

The unproductive call ended. Having been rejected by his grandfather yet again, Jae Oh reached to call Chae Yoon once more—but Woo Jong spoke first.

“Managing Director. Chairman Choi is on the line.”

His hand, poised to dial Chae Yoon, froze mid-air.

“Should I tell him you’ll call back a bit later?”

After a brief hesitation, Jae Oh answered.

“No. Connect me.”

Meanwhile, having hung up on Jae Oh due to someone calling her, Chae Yoon finished her assigned tasks and checked her call history.

At the very top was Jae Oh’s name.

「Jae Oh Oppa」

Though he hadn’t called again since their last conversation, she knew he must now be aware that she’d taken a job somewhere.

Her eyes drifted toward her employee ID.

「Employee Song Chae Yoon」

The company Chae Yoon had joined was Taeil Chemical.

Taeil Chemical was a subsidiary Jae Oh had built upon CS Chemical, the company formerly managed by Hae Sang.

Even before being absorbed into Taeil, CS Chemical had never dropped out of the industry’s top five for several years.

That meant its technology and performance were exceptionally strong—and this had been precisely why Jae Oh proposed marriage to her.

Chae Yoon hadn’t minded at all handing over the company Hae Sang had painstakingly built to Jae Oh. On the contrary, she felt grateful that she could do something for him, and she proudly watched as he steadily established his position within the Taeil Group using Hae Sang’s company as a foundation.

But now that she’d resolved to end her marriage to him, she could no longer simply stand by and watch.

If she divorced Jae Oh, she’d inevitably grow distant from Ji Pil too—and then she’d truly be on her own.

Of course, the dividends from her shares in Taeil Chemical alone were more than enough to live comfortably, but she didn’t want to leave everything entirely in others’ hands—so she chose to join the company.

Thus, she secretly applied to Taeil Chemical without Ji Pil’s knowledge, and right after receiving her final acceptance notice, she told Ji Pil.

Upon hearing the news, Ji Pil was delighted and even praised her as admirable—but Chae Yoon couldn’t fully enjoy his praise.

Because she needed to tell him she wanted to divorce Jae Oh once she’d settled into the company and gained some experience. That was also why she’d prepared the divorce documents—but hadn’t signed them yet.

Yet now, Jae Oh had somehow discovered she’d gotten a job.

Feeling the bitter weight of knowing Jae Oh still saw her as anything but a woman—and burdened by the fact she still hadn’t told Ji Pil—Chae Yoon’s eyes grew heavy as she realized the time had finally come to hand over those divorce papers.

The morning’s conversation with Chae Yoon kept replaying in Jae Oh’s mind, making it hard to focus on work, so he wrapped up only his urgent tasks and left the office immediately.

True, it was already well past eight o’clock, but for him, that still counted as early—and at this hour, Chae Yoon was likely already home. So he hurried toward the house.

As he neared home, impatience filled his dark eyes. Eager to learn exactly what had happened to Chae Yoon over these past few days, he pressed harder on the accelerator.

The car sped up.

Finally, his vehicle turned into the alley leading to their house.

Just as his impatience began to ease, knowing he’d arrive soon—

An odd sight caught his eye.

‘Song Chae Yoon?’

His foot eased off the accelerator. He stopped the car and stared at Chae Yoon standing in front of the gate.

She was waving cheerfully toward a car parked before her.

Her smile was exceptionally bright—as if she were in a genuinely good mood.

His gaze sharpened as he watched her.

‘Could she possibly be drunk?’

At the fleeting impression that she might be intoxicated, a cold glint entered his dark eyes.

Just then, the unfamiliar car in front of Chae Yoon started moving.

Jae Oh’s eyes turned to the car’s license plate. After a quick glance at the number, he pressed the accelerator.

Meanwhile, Chae Yoon stopped mid-step, blinded by the bright headlights shining directly on her.

“Ugh, what the heck.”

Already dizzy from drinking, the added glare made her irritated, and a frustrated sound slipped from her plump lips.

For a moment, annoyed, she refused to move—wanting to see who the driver was. But the instant she saw who had just parked right in front of her house garage, her eyes widened in shock.

“Oh? It’s Jae Oh Oppa.”

Realizing the person who’d annoyed her was Jae Oh, Chae Yoon instantly forgot her irritation and broke into a shy smile as she repeated his name once more.

“It’s Jae Oh Oppa.”

Though it was a smile he’d never seen before, Jae Oh easily recognized it as the effect of alcohol.

“How much did you drink?”

Even with his question, Chae Yoon only kept beaming brightly without offering any real response.

Just as he’d thought—she was clearly not in her right mind.

His eyes flicked once more toward where the stranger’s car had disappeared before he asked,

“How did you get all the way here?”

He expected a meaningless reply—but surprisingly, her answer came quickly.

“Assistant Manager Lim gave me a ride.”

Her pronunciation was perfectly clear—almost convincingly sober.

But Jae Oh, preoccupied with wondering who exactly this Assistant Manager Lim was and whether they were male or female, failed to notice Chae Yoon’s actual condition—and in that moment, she began to move.

Her slender legs, heading toward the gate, staggered after only a few steps.

“Huh?”

Seeing Chae Yoon wobble, Jae Oh quickly moved toward her.

Thud.

His firm arm caught her before she could fall.

From the momentum, her body pressed against his—and with her now even closer, Jae Oh looked down at her small face, his arm still supporting her supple waist.

Perhaps it was because this was the first time seeing her since that day, or maybe because he’d never seen her drunk before—but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her hazy, half-lidded gaze.

He kept staring so intently that Chae Yoon, seemingly uncomfortable, was the first to break eye contact.

She raised her hand—not to push his arm, but his chest—and gently said,

“I can walk by myself…”

If he believed those words and let go, she’d undoubtedly fall straight to the ground.

Just how drunk was she that she couldn’t even assess her own condition?

What if something happened to her like this?

Annoyed by the fact she’d drunk to the point of incoherence, he clicked his tongue and retorted,

“You nearly toppled over—good luck walking.”

As he tried to straighten her posture, Chae Yoon spoke.

“Oh? This is the tie pin I gave you.”

Hearing her words, Jae Oh’s gaze lowered.

The tie pin he was wearing now had indeed been a gift from Chae Yoon.

[Oppa. This is a present.] [What is it?] [A tie pin. I bought it thinking of you. Even if you don’t like it, please don’t throw it away—just wear it often.]

She’d given it to him even before their marriage, and since the design wasn’t bad, he’d worn it occasionally—but she’d never acknowledged it until today, when she suddenly showed great interest.

Wondering why, he watched her quietly—until Chae Yoon asked,

“Why do you wear this?”

“Should I throw it away, then?”

It wasn’t a particularly funny reply—but a bright smile bloomed at the corners of Chae Yoon’s lips.

Her smile was so radiant that, even under the faint glow of the streetlamp, it burned vividly into his vision.

Jae Oh’s eyes flickered faintly as he stared at her. If it was just his eyes reacting, why did his chest feel oddly unsettled?

In that puzzled moment, her soft voice called out to him.

“Oppa.”

Her voice snapped him out of his daze, as if he’d been under a spell.

Still slightly disoriented, Jae Oh gave a small nod and answered,

“What?”

“Jae Oh Oppa.”

Even after he’d answered, she kept calling his name repeatedly—making him wonder if this too was part of her drunken antics—so he chose not to respond to her second call. But somehow interpreting this differently, Chae Yoon suddenly burst into light laughter.

His puzzled gaze turned to her.

“Why are you laughing?”

“It’s funny how you don’t answer when I call you twice.”

Was that really why she was laughing?

“You find a lot of things funny.”

Unconvinced by her reason, Jae Oh gave a noncommittal reply and helped her stand straight. Finally, Chae Yoon managed to stand firmly on both feet.

At least for now, she wasn’t swaying—so Jae Oh said to her,

“You said you could walk by yourself—so go ahead and walk.”

He’d expected her to confidently stride off—but her feet didn’t move.

“What are you doing?”

Meeting his expectant gaze urging her to walk, Chae Yoon moved not her feet, but her lips.

“Oppa.”

“Stop calling me and just walk.”

Thinking it was just drunken nonsense, Jae Oh replied blandly and fixed his eyes on her feet.

But then, her voice reached his ears.

“Should we get divorced?”