“Ms. Min Tae Eun…… knew about my existence even before the marriage.”

Shocked by those words, Woo Jin couldn’t leave Seo Woo’s house and turned back. He could see her crying. But at this moment, he didn’t have the presence of mind to meaningfully appreciate her tears.

“……What did you say?”

“……”

“Say it again!”

He approached with big strides and grabbed Seo Woo’s shoulders as he asked. In all the time he had known Woo Jin, this was the first time he had such a frightening face. But Seo Woo did not back down. Because there was no longer any reason to hide.

“Hmph. At least that woman seems to have some loyalty. Or should I say she’s too much of a coward to confirm the truth?”

“What?”

“On the day of your wedding, I went too. How could I restrain my curiosity? I wanted to see what the woman marrying you looked like.”

“……”

“At first, I just went to look. But…… she was pretty. She had a different vibe from me. So I got jealous. When I came to my senses, I was reaching out to shake her hand.”

“What…… what on earth did you do!”

“What did I do! Can’t I even say ‘please take care of my man’? Can’t I say that much to the woman who luckily took that place instead of me!”

As Seo Woo’s previously unknown misdeeds were revealed, Woo Jin couldn’t control his anger. The blood vessels in his entire body seemed to expand frightfully, about to burst. He couldn’t even see Seo Woo’s crying face.

Not once had he noticed that Tae Eun knew about Seo Woo’s existence. Not for a moment had he doubted.

Why, why did she do that?

His past actions flashed through his mind. That moment on their wedding night when he rushed to Seo Woo’s hospital, leaving behind the sleeping Tae Eun.

It was a moment that would have weighed on his heart with regret for a lifetime, even if Tae Eun didn’t know about Seo Woo’s existence. But to think she knew about Seo Woo. He had thought her lack of questions when her husband ran out at dawn was due to her still indifferent personality lacking affection. But it turned out Tae Eun didn’t ask because she knew everything.

When I rushed out at dawn…… what feelings did you watch me with?

Though it wasn’t a burning love, until now he had thought they were having a relatively happy married life.

……For you, every moment must have been hell.

His heart crumbled.

“Now I’m invisible to you? You can only see that woman? What on earth is she!”

Seo Woo snarled. It was behavior very unlike Park Seo Woo. But even in that moment, Woo Jin was greatly irritated by Seo Woo repeatedly calling Tae Eun ‘that woman’.

No one could refer to Tae Eun that way. Especially not Park Seo Woo.

“‘That woman’? Watch your words.”

A chilling warning could be read in his low murmuring voice. Though not explicitly expressed in words, it was sufficiently threatening and vicious. But his warning did not stop there.

Looking down at her with emotionless black eyes,

“I’ll say it again, don’t you dare come near Tae Eun.”

“……”

“Before I snap.”

He delivered the final warning in an even more emotionless, indifferent voice. Then he turned around and strode away from Seo Woo. As his figure disappeared into the entrance, she collapsed on the spot.

She couldn’t understand what had just happened. How Woo Jin could become such a different person, and how he had gone so far away in the meantime.

Now tears wouldn’t even come. Instead, a voice of resentment towards Woo Jin flowed out.

“You bastard. Everyone else is one thing…… but you shouldn’t do this to me! Yaaah! Seo Woo Jiiin!”

* * *

On the way home.

Woo Jin gazed at the dazzling neon signs blurring his vision and fell into thought. Tae Eun’s indifferent reactions, having to pretend not to know despite knowing everything, kept overlapping and pressing on his conscience.

He should have cut off Seo Woo more clearly, more quickly. But whenever he saw Seo Woo’s large eyes brimming with tears, Seo Jin’s face, identical to hers, would overlap. It seemed as if Seo Jin, not Seo Woo, was crying. As if he, not she, was looking at Woo Jin with resentment.

That’s why he couldn’t be harsh to Seo Woo. Though emotionally it was completely over between them, he couldn’t cut her off perfectly. He always wavered when she said she was ill. But he never knew that his oversight would come back to Tae Eun.

“Ha…… damn it.”

A bitter curse churned in his mouth. He thought that he could no longer be dragged along by Seo Woo. Thinking he needed to cut off everything related to Park Seo Woo, he called Director Park to give instructions.

“Director Park, it’s me. From now on, handle everything related to Park Seo Woo at your level.”

Surprised by his sudden stern attitude, Director Park stammered, so he emphasized once more.

“Don’t even report to me.”

With Director Park’s voice quickly withdrawing after questioning, he ended the call.

Something he should have done long ago. But even though he knew, he didn’t dare put it into action, thinking Seo Woo might make an extreme choice.

But now the situation has changed. Tae Eun knows about Seo Woo’s existence. Therefore, if all this comes back as pain to Tae Eun, Woo Jin was determined to cut it off cleanly, even if he had to make any sacrifice.

Moreover, having endured this much, Seo Woo should have had enough time to accept their breakup. So they should be able to avoid the worst-case scenario.

He couldn’t even remember how he had driven here. Even as he climbed the stairs after parking the car, his mind was filled only with thoughts of Tae Eun.

He had no idea how to start or what to say when he saw her face upstairs. But now that he knew, he couldn’t just let it pass.

He intended to confess his relationship with Seo Woo in a way that would hurt Tae Eun as little as possible.

He pressed the door code. Imagining Tae Eun still awake, as it wasn’t that late yet.

* * *

Tae Eun, who had fallen asleep, startled awake at the presence felt from the front door. Upset, she had drunk two glasses of wine she had prepared to drink with Woo Jin, and must have dozed off. As she got up from the sofa, she saw Woo Jin just entering the living room.

It was a moment that instantly sobered her up.

“You’re back early?”

“Yeah. Work finished quickly. But…… looks like you were having a drink?”

“Ah, yes. Just…… my mind was a bit complicated.”

She didn’t say why her mind was complicated. But Tae Eun saw it. The subtle change in his expression.

“Do you want a glass too?”

“Sure. Let’s have a drink together.”

He didn’t refuse, taking off his suit jacket and draping it over one side of the sofa, loosening his tightly knotted tie as he sat down.

“I’ll bring out the snacks you like.”

“No. It’s fine. This is enough.”

“I should at least bring a glass.”

“Are you going to drink more?”

She’s already over her limit. If she drank more, who knows what might happen, so she shook her head.

“Then, it’s fine. I can drink from this.”

“But I was drinking from that glass.”

“So what? It’s not like you’re a stranger, drinking from your glass.”

Pulling Tae Eun down as she was about to get up, he poured wine into the glass she had been drinking from. He downed the clear liquid in one go, as if his insides were burning. He seems to be in a bad mood. Tae Eun could read that at once.

She thought that Park Seo Woo’s condition might have been worse than expected. That might be why he was in a bad mood after meeting her.

“Didn’t you say you had something to tell me?”

When he spoke, Tae Eun felt a mix of emotions. At first, she had thought of carefully bringing up the topic of children. Whether he truly didn’t want children, or if he had made up his mind because she was infertile.

But now, somehow, it didn’t seem right to talk about that. Because she thought that maybe he didn’t want to have children because of Park Seo Woo. So in the end, Tae Eun didn’t even bring up the topic of children and shook her head.

“It was nothing. Thinking about it, it’s a problem I can solve on my own.”

“What is it?”

“Just, this and that. It’s not something you need to worry about.”

“Tell me. What is it?”

“Um, I wanted to go visit grandmother together when you have time. Since grandmother can’t remember, I thought if we visit more often, maybe she’ll remember you.”

“Alright. Let’s visit often on weekends. That’s not a big deal.”

“If you’re busy, you don’t have to force yourself. You only get weekends off from work…… there’s no need to trouble yourself unnecessarily.”

“How is that trouble? Visiting grandmother.”

At those kind words, Tae Eun felt her throat tighten.

Why are you so kind? This is why I keep having hope. If you’re not going to love me, don’t give me this much affection.

Tae Eun muttered to herself as she felt Woo Jin’s hand brushing her fallen hair behind her ear. Even in this moment, resenting herself for her heart fluttering at his touch.

But then the hand that had been hovering near her ear grazed her cheek and gently lifted her chin to make her face him.

“Is it…… my turn now?”

Was it just her imagination that she saw a small whirlpool in his eyes that seemed to have much to say? No, it wasn’t imagination. Because words she could never have imagined flowed from his mouth.

“You met Park Seo Woo, didn’t you?”

“!”

“Why…… didn’t you tell me?”

She felt the effects of alcohol rushing back. Because she had never once imagined that he would bring up Park Seo Woo first.

Was that why? Tae Eun’s pupils shook violently and began to wander. She didn’t know how to react. Why does she feel so small in front of this truth when he was the one who did the immoral, bad thing?

Perhaps it’s because she can no longer pretend not to know about his affair.

What should she do now? Should she reveal the heartache she felt every time he rushed to Park Seo Woo at dawn? Or should she calmly wish him well as he goes?

Just thinking about it brought overwhelming confusion. But since he had brought it up, she couldn’t avoid answering.

“……How did you know?”

“I just came from meeting Park Seo Woo. She told me everything. That you knew everything all along.”

As expected, he met Park Seo Woo. Now that he no longer needed to hide meeting his mistress, he had become painfully honest. Who knew a person’s honesty could be this heartbreaking.

But he empathizes with her pain.

“All this time, how…… how did you endure?”

So tenderly and bitterly at that.