That Night's Circumstance (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
“…Uh, my phone…”
Soo Yeon finally managed to speak after a long while of hesitating in the suffocatingly heavy atmosphere.
In Ho had entered the hospital room over an hour ago.
He’d walked in with a dazed expression and silently sat down on the sofa.
Ever since, he’d just blankly stared into space.
They’d only been apart for a single night.
Yet something must have clearly happened to him during that time.
Somehow, Soo Yeon felt she could guess what that something was.
“Hyung, I got a call from Mother. Where did you leave your phone?”
Early that morning, Myung Woo suddenly opened the hospital room door and came in, looking flustered as he handed over an unfamiliar phone.
Just hearing the word “Mother” made Soo Yeon jump in alarm. She half-rose from her bed and looked down at the phone Myung Woo held out.
The call timer was still steadily ticking—evidently, Young Sun hadn’t hung up yet.
Soo Yeon bit her lower lip hard, more flustered than she’d ever been before.
She couldn’t begin to guess why Young Sun would call so early in the morning—even reaching out to Myung Woo.
She hesitated briefly.
Should she pretend she wasn’t feeling well enough to answer?
She absolutely didn’t want to take the call pretending to be In Ho.
But if she didn’t, she could vividly imagine how overly dramatic Young Sun—already a doting mother—would react.
In the end, she took the phone and held it to her ear.
Immediately, a worried voice—one she couldn’t even recall hearing recently—pierced straight into her ears.
—”Son! What on earth is going on? Hospitalized?!”
“Oh, it’s nothing serious…”
—”Nothing serious? The whole world is talking about how you collapsed and got hospitalized!”
Soo Yeon squeezed her eyes shut.
Apparently, a news article had already been published.
Otherwise, there was no way Young Sun could’ve known about her hospitalization so early in the morning.
She’d only checked herself in because her headache had gotten so severe that she hadn’t managed to deliver a single line on set, and she felt she was wasting everyone’s time.
She never dreamed it would turn into a news story.
Only now did she start to grasp what In Ho’s words the previous day might have truly meant.
“You could’ve at least talked to someone before doing something like this! Just because it’s not your problem, you go ahead and act without thinking? Do you have no sense of responsibility at all?”
Now that she thought about it, that was exactly how it had been.
Even while burning with fever and barely conscious, In Ho had stubbornly refused to go to the hospital.
He’d clung to his refusal even when he looked half-dead, so she’d simply assumed he must just really hate hospitals.
Of course—some people dislike the distinct hospital smell, or find hospitals claustrophobic.
She’d dismissed it as something trivial like that, never giving it much thought.
But now, she was certain it might not have been that simple after all.
Perhaps In Ho didn’t just vaguely dislike hospitals—maybe he hated how even his smallest actions would instantly become headlines and fodder for public gossip.
That’s why he’d reacted so sensitively to her checking him in without consulting him.
Soo Yeon let out a heavy sigh.
At that moment, an unwelcome voice pricked her ears.
—”Son, I’m coming to the hospital right now. Oh—does your bride happen to be there? She’s not answering her phone.”
Soo Yeon’s eyes flew wide open as she hurried to reply.
“No, no! You really don’t need to come. I didn’t actually collapse—it’s just that I might have pushed myself a bit too hard lately. So… so I decided it’d be best to rest for a few days and came to the hospital myself…!”
—”If that’s the case, I’m even more worried! You’re the kind of kid who’s never once glanced at a hospital in your life—if you’re going that far, you must be seriously unwell. I’m so upset I can’t even speak properly.”
Soo Yeon’s flustered excuse only made Young Sun even more dramatic.
She could only bite her lower lip helplessly.
She knew In Ho was deeply cherished by his mother, but she hadn’t realized just how much.
While she understood Young Sun’s urge to rush over to her precious son, given the circumstances, Soo Yeon desperately wanted to avoid meeting her.
Pretending to be In Ho while talking to Myung Woo was already excruciating—just imagining facing Young Sun made her dizzy with dread.
Frowning deeply, Soo Yeon wrestled with her thoughts.
What should she say?
If she were In Ho—if she really were In Ho…
“No, please don’t come. I think I’d feel even more uncomfortable if you did. I checked in specifically so I could rest properly, so I just want to be alone for a few days.”
Soo Yeon strained every fiber to mimic In Ho’s voice as best she could.
That was just how In Ho always was.
Even with a mother who adored him, he never acted affectionate and always clearly voiced his own opinions.
Whenever she’d met In Ho’s cool demeanor toward Young Sun, she’d always rationalized it by telling herself:
His cold expression was just one of his many facets, and his detached tone wasn’t meant to hurt—it was simply his honest way, even with his parents.
She never imagined that memory would prove so useful now.
—”What do you mean, you want to be alone? If you’re sick enough to be hospitalized, someone should be by your side! Wait a minute—does that mean your bride isn’t there right now?”
But Young Sun wasn’t an easy opponent.
Caught off guard by the sudden turn toward herself, Soo Yeon momentarily lost her words.
What was she supposed to say now?
That she was there? But what if Young Sun asked to speak to her? Yet if she said she wasn’t there, Young Sun would definitely throw a fit either way.
In that brief moment, Soo Yeon wracked her brain harder than ever before.
She was certain she’d never even tried this hard during her college entrance exam.
Thankfully, her naturally sharp mind pulled through for her.
She quickly moved her lips.
“I told her to go home. Myung Woo’s here too, and since I only came in to rest, I didn’t want to burden her.”
She thought that sounded enough like something In Ho would say.
Fortunately, though Young Sun didn’t seem fully satisfied, she didn’t press further.
“It’s so early. I think I woke you because of my call—please go back to sleep for a bit longer.”
Soo Yeon ended the call with a polite farewell.
She didn’t want to continue this uncomfortable conversation any longer.
Thankfully, Young Sun didn’t contact her again after that.
So Soo Yeon firmly believed the matter had been resolved.
Yet she never expected to face In Ho looking like this—his expression anything but ordinary.
“…”
Soo Yeon held her breath, repeatedly stealing glances at In Ho.
Even her hesitant attempt to speak—using the phone as an excuse—received no reply from him.
Was he purposefully pretending not to hear, or truly lost so deep in thought that he didn’t register her words?
Either way, one thing was certain: In Ho didn’t look well at all.
She kept chewing on her lower lip.
She was worried about him.
His expression was unusually dark.
He looked exactly like someone facing an unbearable problem.
Enduring difficult situations without complaint was something Soo Yeon knew all too well.
That’s why she could assert with confidence what his sorrowful expression truly meant.
Right now, he was likely caught in an emotional whirlpool—the first he’d ever experienced in his life.
And without knowing how to escape, he was helplessly being consumed by it.
Soo Yeon let out a quiet sigh.
From her past experience, the best thing in situations like this was to think about nothing at all.
And if In Ho’s emotional storm stemmed from something involving Young Sun, then there was absolutely nothing she could do.
This was ultimately an issue between Young Sun and herself—so if it needed resolving, she had to do it herself.
After a long, thoughtful pause, Soo Yeon carefully spoke.
“Did you… happen to receive Mother’s call?”
The moment the words left her lips, In Ho’s eyes instantly sharpened and locked onto hers.
That alone was enough for Soo Yeon to be certain.
He must have seen it all, then.
He’d finally witnessed Young Sun’s unexpectedly harsh and cold side—something he’d never imagined could exist.
Soo Yeon forcefully swallowed the sigh rising in her throat.
So it had happened after all. She’d hoped so badly he wouldn’t find out…
She never wanted him to see how pitiful she’d become.
An oppressive silence stretched between them.
After a long while, In Ho finally spoke, his face clearly troubled and confused.
“…Was it like this… from the very beginning?”
Soo Yeon stared blankly back at him.
But she couldn’t bring herself to answer—instead, she quickly averted her eyes.
His gaze felt strangely warm—almost unfamiliar.
It kept making her throat tighten.
An indescribable emotion welled up inside her, and she felt a tiny spark ignite at the base of her throat.
That small flame crackled softly, leaving her mouth parched.
She swallowed hard.
She wanted to speak.
To tell him it wasn’t like this—that at first, his mother had truly been the warm mother-in-law he knew her to be.
Until the truth about her adoption came out—that’s how it had been, without a doubt.
So many words she’d never managed to tell him filled her mouth.
Yet she couldn’t bring herself to share Young Sun’s story.
Just imagining how pitiful In Ho must now see her made her unable to utter a single word.
She’d already been exposed as an adoptee—how could she possibly tell him she’d also endured such harsh treatment from her mother-in-law behind his back…?
Soo Yeon slowly blinked her eyes.
She was practically a tragic drama heroine.
All misfortunes piled onto her at once—never a single peaceful day in her life.
It sounded like the kind of life that only existed in melodramas.
Yet that was precisely the weight Soo Yeon had carried until now—and would continue to carry forward.
That’s why she couldn’t bring herself to answer.
Even if the whole world pitied her, she desperately hoped that at least one person—In Ho—would never look at her with sympathy.
After all, despite their marriage of convenience, he was the one who’d always made her heart flutter—sharing meals, coffee, and even sleeping beside her.
Though their relationship had completely shattered since the adoption secret came out, he was still deeply lodged in her heart.
That’s why she never wanted to become someone pitiful in Seo In Ho’s eyes.
That was the reason she couldn’t say anything at all.
“Hah—how could that even be possible?”
“…”
“All this time… why didn’t you say anything…?!”
In Ho, who’d been waiting for her reply, finally burst out with a pained, self-loathing frustration.
His eyes wavered wildly, utterly lost.
Just that alone made Soo Yeon feel deeply wretched and heartbroken.
She pulled her gaze away from him and, almost reflexively, moistened her dry lips.
“It’s fine. I’m…”
“…”
“I’m really okay.”
Honestly, this much didn’t even matter anymore.
Compared to everything she’d endured in life so far, this was nothing.
And yet…
Even though her mind firmly believed that, her chest kept aching.
In Ho’s eyes—fixed firmly on her—were filled with an unmistakable remorse she’d never seen before.
And that kept making her heart ache with sorrow.
She couldn’t lift her lowered face.
Her emotions were entirely beyond control.
If even briefly her eyes met his…
If his voice—now calmed—somehow pierced her ears again…
Then the tears she’d barely held back would surely come pouring out like a flood.
That’s why.
Consciously avoiding his gaze, Soo Yeon turned her back to him and lay down.
Until night deepened and dawn’s faint light arrived,
begging for sleep that wouldn’t come was the only thing she could do.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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