Postponing Divorce (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8

The moment Kyeong Hee stepped out of the chairman’s office.

Jae Oh, who had barged into Ji Pil’s office without permission, came face-to-face with Grandfather, who flinched in surprise upon seeing me.

It wasn’t as if he’d seen someone he shouldn’t—he looked far too startled. My sharp eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion.

Jae Oh, who had been staring at Ji Pil, lowered his gaze and fixed his eyes on what Ji Pil held in his hand.

It was unmistakably a bundle of photos, and the moment my eyes landed on them, Jae Oh saw Ji Pil hastily shove them back into an envelope—his own gaze instantly sharpening at the sight.

‘What’s this?’

It felt like Ji Pil was hurriedly hiding something.

Just as my curiosity spiked intensely, Ji Pil asked,

“What brings you here without even calling ahead?”

Jae Oh had come to see him about Chae Yoon—specifically, to discuss something that had happened between them. But now…

Having seen Kyeong Hee before entering, then witnessing Grandfather’s startled reaction to me, and now catching sight of those hastily hidden photos—it all felt deeply unsettling, stirring a bad premonition inside him.

Jae Oh, his thick brows slightly furrowed, sat down on the sofa and replied,

“I came because I needed to talk—but is something going on with you?”

His eyes drifted toward the photo envelope Ji Pil had set aside, prompting a cough from Ji Pil’s throat.

“Ahem. What did you want to talk about?”

It was a blatant topic change, clearly meant to discourage further interest.

Jae Oh pulled his gaze away from the photos and finally voiced the reason he’d come.

“Song Chae Yoon wants a divorce.”

Ji Pil’s eyes widened in shock.

“What?! What did she say she wants to do?”

Seeing Grandfather’s flustered, loud reaction—so similar to his own feelings—Jae Oh’s tense expression relaxed just a bit. He added in a flat tone,

“She says she’s been thinking about it for quite a while now…”

His normally even tone wavered slightly.

It was the kind of statement that grew more unpleasant the longer you dwelled on it.

After all, it had been Chae Yoon herself who, back when they married, had brought up the question of divorce.

[“Marriage is just for necessity—once my dad’s company doesn’t need yours anymore, I’ll probably ask for a divorce.”]

The way she’d said it had implied she’d never break off the marriage unless he initiated the divorce himself.

Because of that, he’d never once even considered divorcing her. But now, realizing the person who’d said those very words had been planning divorce all along while staying by his side—it felt like betrayal, making it impossible to focus on work.

The crease between his brows deepened further.

His dark eyebrows furrowed even more as Jae Oh stared straight at the startled Ji Pil.

“What are you going to do?”

Faced with this blunt question, Ji Pil finally snapped out of his daze, blinking blankly for a moment before coming back to his senses.

Ji Pil took a sip of the tea in front of him to settle his nerves, then asked,

“Did she say why she wants a divorce?”

“She graduated from college, found a job—she says she wants to live on her own now.”

After speaking, Jae Oh carefully observed Ji Pil’s expression,

trying to read his reaction. He’d expected Grandfather to immediately insist the divorce wouldn’t happen—but for some reason, Ji Pil wasn’t giving a straight answer.

“…Did she say anything else besides that?”

And now this question.

Jae Oh’s long eyes narrowed sharply.

‘No matter how I look at it…’

Certain something was being hidden, he blurted out,

“Just tell me. What is it?”

“What is what?”

“You’re hiding something from me.”

He’d easily deduced it was the photos Ji Pil held and now stared pointedly at the envelope.

Even though Jae Oh was silently signaling he’d already figured it out and wanted to see them, Ji Pil still hesitated to hand over the photos.

“Should I go look myself?”

Jae Oh stood up as he finished speaking.

Faced with his grandson’s decisive action, Ji Pil sighed deeply and handed him the photo envelope he’d set aside.

Finally able to confirm what he’d suspected, Jae Oh quickly pulled the photos from the envelope.

The moment he looked at them, he froze.

The person captured in the rectangular frame was Chae Yoon. That alone wouldn’t have been an issue—but the man with her immediately set his nerves on edge.

Moreover, the two in the photo looked unmistakably affectionate, leaving Jae Oh utterly confused about how to interpret the scene.

Then Ji Pil’s voice reached his ears.

“At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of it either—but since she’s asked you for a divorce, I guess she really does have someone she likes.”

His frozen eyes reacted at the words “someone she likes.”

Noticing Jae Oh’s gaze shift toward him, Ji Pil continued,

“He’s someone she works with on the same team. I just thought she’d been coming home late because of work lately—I never imagined she’d developed feelings for someone.”

And how could he have? Chae Yoon had liked Jae Oh all along. Ji Pil had never even considered the possibility that she might fall for another man.

He’d learned of Chae Yoon’s feelings long ago.

[“Does Chae Yoon have someone she’s seeing?”] [“…No. I don’t.”] [“But you seem to like someone.”] [“Dad!”] [“Oh really? Who is he? Tell your old grandfather.”] [“…I’ll, I’ll go get more tea.”]

Her face flushed crimson as she hurriedly fled—clearly the look of someone in love.

Why did that innocent, lovely image keep reminding him of Jae Oh?

If only his work-obsessed grandson could show a bit of youthful tenderness fitting his age—it was precisely that kind of sweetness one could only enjoy at this stage of life. Why did that boy always charge forward without looking back?

Just as he felt a pang of regret over his grandson’s maturity beyond his years, he’d heard those welcome words:

[“She seems to like Jae Oh.”] [“Really? Ah, so that’s why she’s been following him around lately.”]

The only woman by Jae Oh’s side—someone who’d never shown interest in any other man and cared only about work—was none other than Chae Yoon.

That Chae Yoon liked Jae Oh—Ji Pil had thought there couldn’t possibly be anything more gratifying. From that moment on, he’d kept a close watch on Chae Yoon—and by extension, Jae Oh.

The more he observed her, the more he appreciated her consistently positive attitude and warm personality.

He’d thought that perhaps a girl like her could gently change Jae Oh—someone who’d lost his parents young and never opened up to anyone but him.

Then Hae Sang passed away.

Ji Pil saw it as the perfect opportunity.

He’d suggested marriage, thinking proximity would naturally foster feelings—but his grandson panicked at the idea of leaving Chae Yoon alone.

It frustrated him—what did he plan to do if she suddenly left?—but he knew emotions had to grow between the two of them, so he refrained from interfering.

Time passed—and now, Chae Yoon had finally brought up divorce.

‘Three years…’

More than enough time for feelings to fade. Even couples deeply in love often grew distant after three years—so of course, her affection for a man who barely glanced her way would eventually cool. It was only natural.

Though it pained him to see Chae Yoon’s heart drift away, he understood—and so Ji Pil said,

“I think I should talk to Chae Yoon first. You just go back to work.”

He expected his grandson to nod and leave—but for some reason, the young man didn’t budge. Worse, his expression as he stared at the photos was positively fierce.

This unusual reaction made Ji Pil’s eyes narrow slightly.

‘Could it be…?’

Watching Jae Oh carefully, he repeated,

“I told you to go handle your work, didn’t I?”

At Ji Pil’s urging, Jae Oh finally looked up from the photos and met his gaze.

“I don’t think I can do that.”

With a fierce look in his eyes, Jae Oh’s next move was to pull out his phone.

Ji Pil immediately sensed his intention.

“If you’re about to call Chae Yoon—don’t.”

Despite the warning, Jae Oh’s hand didn’t stop.

“I said don’t.”

“…”

“Han Jae Oh.”

Only when Ji Pil spoke sharply did Jae Oh finally halt his attempt to call Chae Yoon.

His eyes locked onto Ji Pil’s.

The moment their gazes met, Jae Oh coolly lifted one corner of his mouth and said,

“Why not? I need to call Song Chae Yoon and ask her myself.”

It was a smile that wasn’t really a smile.

The fact that Jae Oh was reacting this way was shocking enough—but what startled Ji Pil most was the wild look in his eyes.

Ji Pil asked the young man who resembled a husband who’d just caught his beloved wife cheating,

“What’s gotten into you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you making such a fuss?”

Making a fuss?

A mocking smile spread across Jae Oh’s lips.

“Then what would you have me do—just sit quietly after seeing something like this?”

Ji Pil’s eyes hardened as he looked at Jae Oh, whose reaction seemed perfectly justified.

“Yes. That’s exactly what you should do.”

It was a calm, resolute answer—without the slightest hesitation.

Tiny ripples flickered in Jae Oh’s eyes as he stared at Ji Pil.

“You never cared who Chae Yoon dated before.”

“…”

“Then you shouldn’t care now, either.”

It wasn’t a wrong statement.

But what he hadn’t cared about were ordinary, private relationships—not secretly developing feelings for someone else behind his back. Jae Oh shot back immediately,

“How is that the same as this?”

“Wasn’t it the same to you?”

Unlike Jae Oh’s angry tone, Ji Pil grew steadily calmer as he held his grandson’s gaze and added,

“At least, that’s how it looked to me.”

His eyes clearly said: you don’t even have the right to be angry.

This was a stark contrast to the Ji Pil of the past, who’d firmly declared divorce impossible the moment they filed their marriage registration.

“If you’ve got nothing else to say, don’t contact Chae Yoon. Just go do your work. I’ll meet with her myself.”

With that final, decisive remark, Jae Oh could only let out a frustrated breath—unable to utter a single word in response.

What could he possibly say? There wasn’t a single flaw in Ji Pil’s reasoning.

“You heard me—I’ll meet with Chae Yoon myself.”

Ji Pil frowned, as if urging him: what are you still doing here? Hurry up and leave.

Jae Oh, who’d been glaring at the grandfather who’d left him speechless, finally looked away and stood up.

Seeing this, Ji Pil thought his grandson might actually listen—until he noticed the photo of Chae Yoon still in Jae Oh’s hand, prompting a short sigh.

“You…”

Before he could add a warning not to go see Chae Yoon, Jae Oh turned and walked away.

“Han Jae Oh!”

Ji Pil’s shout followed him—but it wasn’t enough to stop Jae Oh’s steps.

Leaving Ji Pil behind, Jae Oh exited the chairman’s office and called Woo Jong—not Chae Yoon.

“I’ll send you a photo—look up this employee’s records at Taeil Chemical.”

His commanding tone was razor-sharp.

Not long after,

Chae Yoon’s phone vibrated.

「Hyung Jae Oh」