The Bad Husband (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10
“Yeah. So, when do you plan to hold the wedding?”
A momentary silence fell after Chairwoman Jung’s blunt question, because that single line carried enormous meaning.
It wasn’t just a simple inquiry—it was an approval of their marriage.
The approval from Chairwoman Jung, the most powerful figure in the Jangwon family, meant no one else could possibly overturn this union, no matter how fiercely they opposed it or how furiously they protested. Thus, Young Hee, who had most actively resisted, began foaming at the mouth.
“Mom… Mom, what you just said… You can’t possibly mean you’re giving them permission to marry… right?”
No way.
Beside her, Young Sook repeatedly insisted it was impossible and denied it outright. However, instead of answering their questions, Chairwoman Jung fired off another question—this time directly at Woo Jin and Tae Eun—to deliver the final confirmation.
“Yeah. So, when’s the formal meeting with both families?”
“Mom-m-m-m!”
Even as Young Sook called out to Chairwoman Jung in a near-fainting state, receiving no reaction, Young Hee calmly rebutted, fully aware that excitement wouldn’t reverse the situation.
“Mom, marriage is one of life’s most important rites—it’s not something decided so easily. You only have one grandson, and this is about welcoming your future granddaughter-in-law. How can you decide after just one meeting? Especially under these circumstances?”
“That’s right, Mom. This isn’t something you decide on the spot like this…”
“Are *you* going to live with them? Are *you* the ones getting married?”
Chairwoman Jung retorted sternly, momentarily silencing both Young Hee and Young Sook.
“Well, no, but…”
“That’s precisely my point. *Woo Jin* is the one getting married, and it’s *his* future wife he’ll be living with. So why are *you* telling them what to do, making all this noise? If Woo Jin has decided to marry, why are *you* interfering from the sidelines?”
“Mom, we absolutely have the right to speak! Our older brother and sister passed away—besides us, who else does Woo Jin have? And Sister Young Ja has an even stronger claim! Sister, please say something! Don’t just sit there silently!”
Frustrated, Young Hee nudged Young Ja, finally cracking the calm facade Young Ja had maintained up until then. She set down her teacup with a faint clink and looked alternately at Woo Jin and Tae Eun. Though her gaze was cool and indifferent, its unreadable intent made it all the more uncomfortable.
At last, for the first time since the two had entered, Young Ja opened her lips.
“I’m neither the type to order someone to marry, nor to forbid it. After all, this isn’t even a setting where permission is being sought. So no matter how much you raise your blood pressure and exhaust yourselves opposing it, Woo Jin will marry. Isn’t that right, Woo Jin?”
Her voice was monotonous, devoid of any discernible rise or fall in tone.
At just that voice, Tae Eun instantly understood how strongly Young Ja controlled herself. Indeed, it was said Young Ja was the daughter most resembling Chairwoman Jung among the three—and clearly, that wasn’t an exaggeration.
“S-sister… Still, how can you say something like that…”
“Don’t waste energy arguing over something already decided. Stop before it becomes any uglier.”
That elegant yet bone-piercing remark left even Young Hee and Young Sook speechless, their shocked mouths snapping shut. Only then did Woo Jin meet Young Ja’s gaze, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips.
Truly, this was Seo Young Ja—the formidable woman of the Jangwon family.
“You’re right, Aunt. I’m absolutely proceeding with this marriage. I wouldn’t have faced Grandmother and my aunts without being that certain.”
Young Ja’s eyes rounded slightly as she looked at Woo Jin—but she wasn’t smiling. Her facial muscles had simply moved that way, revealing nothing of what she truly thought.
“Oh, and since it’s come up, let me add one more thing. We’ll hold the wedding within two months—and after the wedding, we’ll move out and live separately.”
“What? Woo Jin! What do you mean by that?”
“We’d like to start our life in a villa in Hannam-dong.”
“Oh dear, oh dear! What on earth is he saying? So you’re planning to leave Grandmother all alone in this vast Jangwon estate?”
“Exactly! Even if you stayed here, the distance between the main house and the annex is so great it’s practically living apart. Why must you go all the way out just to live separately? Doesn’t that make Grandmother lonely?”
“Why would Grandmother feel lonely? She lives in Auntie’s annex, and both of you visit her constantly.”
Though the three women’s expressions soured at this, Chairwoman Jung alone nodded. She fully understood why Woo Jin had made such a decision.
From their very first meeting, they’d been eager to pounce on Tae Eun—and if the newlyweds lived in the annex, the three Jangwon witches would constantly summon Tae Eun there, draining her dry. Woo Jin had clearly foreseen this scenario.
In short: a preemptive blockade against the in-law world—and Chairwoman Jung firmly believed this was an exceptionally wise choice.
“Woo Jin! How can you say something so hurtful? We’re not like you—we’re married daughters, outsiders to this family!”
“For supposedly being outsiders, you move in and out awfully freely.”
“Hey!”
Having briefly calmed down thanks to Young Ja, Young Sook’s blood pressure spiked again, and her venomous gaze turned toward Tae Eun.
“Did she, by any chance, say she doesn’t want to live with our mother?”
In truth, the idea of moving out was completely new to Tae Eun—something she hadn’t anticipated at all—and she was utterly flustered, mind spinning. What should she say? Her priority, she decided, was calming down her already agitated aunts.
So, while gently reassuring Woo Jin, she met Young Sook’s sharp gaze and spoke clearly, in a quiet but firm voice.
“No, Aunt. Regarding that point, I’d planned to discuss it separately with Mr. Woo Jin…”
“Go live separately.”
Suddenly, a new voice cut in—splashing cold water over the already heated atmosphere of the reception room.
It was Chairwoman Jung’s voice.
“You’ve decided well. Go live separately. I think that would actually be more comfortable for me, too.”
“Mom! What do you mean by that? Telling them to move out!”
Young Hee sharply questioned her, but Chairwoman Jung ignored the query and instead reiterated firmly to Woo Jin:
“I don’t want to be treated like a burdensome old woman who must be cared for out of obligation—that bruises my pride. I’m not some lonely elder living entirely alone: there are plenty of staff here, and Young Ja is always by my side. I have no desire to become the sort of harsh old woman who clings to her granddaughter-in-law. Who lives with their mother-in-law in today’s world?”
“Mom, even so, this is too much! You’re nearly ninety!”
Trying to ground her in reality, Young Sook mentioned Chairwoman Jung’s age—but it made no impact whatsoever. Then Chairwoman Jung uttered one final sentence, encompassing everyone present, neatly sealing the matter:
“I… am Jung Man Ok of Jangwon. And I’m not dead yet.”
Her voice—dignified and powerful, utterly inconceivable for someone nearing ninety—silenced everyone completely.
The living legend of Korea.
The business titan who, instead of a idle husband, single-handedly raised her many children—starting as a peddler and building today’s Jangwon empire. Thus, the mere name *Jung Man Ok* evoked not just grandeur, but deep emotion. If even outsiders felt this, imagine how overwhelming it was for her own children, who had witnessed it all firsthand.
Just hearing her name brought tears to their eyes.
“Oh, Mom… Who doesn’t know that? I only said it because I worried you might feel lonely. Watching a sweet granddaughter-in-law by your side would surely bring you so much joy.”
“Are they marrying just to fawn over me? Don’t turn me into some bitter old crone.”
“Really, Mom… When have I ever done that?”
Ultimately, Young Hee—who had earlier erupted pathologically—conceded. Beside her, Young Sook also fell silent. If Chairwoman Jung said it, it was so. No matter how displeased they were with this marriage, there was no room for objection.
A faint smile spread across Woo Jin’s lips: right there, in that seat, Chairwoman Jung’s single statement had secured everything he wanted. And Young Ja didn’t miss seeing it.
“Then, Grandmother, we’ll take our leave now.”
“Huh? What? You’re not staying for a meal?”
“Truth be told, this meeting was arranged so abruptly that Ms. Tae Eun must be quite overwhelmed. So I’d like her to have a more relaxed meal.”
Though annoyed murmurs erupted here and there at Woo Jin’s overtly protective tone, Chairwoman Jung smiled and gestured with her hand.
“Right. Meals should be enjoyed in comfort. After all, we all eat to live.”
Before Tae Eun could even speak, Woo Jin seized her wrist and stood up. Flustered, she hastily bowed to Chairwoman Jung and her aunts, then allowed herself to be pulled out by him.
After Tae Eun left, Young Hee let out a pained groan.
“Just look at how Woo Jin speaks! Good heavens! Haa… poor Sister Young Ja—how unfair this is! Even if we set ourselves aside, Sister—you raised Woo Jin so carefully, doted on him while he clung to you—and now he’s practically handing him over to *that* household!”
Recalling the meager family background—barely filling a single page—Young Hee clicked her tongue in disdain. However lovely Tae Eun might be, coveting the Jangwon family with such a lineage bordered on criminal, in her eyes. And at those words, Young Ja closed her eyes, suppressing rising fury.
Charity.
The perfect word.
After all, she hadn’t poured *everything* she had into Woo Jin just to accept someone from such an insignificant family as Jangwon’s future granddaughter-in-law.
To Young Ja, who’d naturally divorced due to infertility, Woo Jin had been a gift from heaven. Moreover, as the child of her especially beloved older brother, she’d genuinely felt even deeper affection for him. In every way except birth, Woo Jin was her own flesh and blood.
Thus, how devotedly had she raised him? Young Ja had given him everything—far beyond what even biological parents would offer. In that sense, it was fair to say a portion of his life inherently belonged to her. Yet, one sentence Woo Jin had hurled at her years ago—triggered by a certain incident—always gave her pause:
“Never interfere in my life again! This isn’t *your* life, Aunt—it’s *mine*! You have no right to do so.”
No *right*.
After all I’ve done to raise you—how I’ve cherished you so deeply.
You ungrateful brat!
“Ugh, this is so frustrating! Looks like Woo Jin’s completely bewitched by that strange aura! And Mom—you just gave approval on the spot? You should’ve opposed it!”
At Young Hee’s reproach, Chairwoman Jung waved her hand wearily, as if exhausted, and rose to leave the reception room. Left behind, the three women sat in silence—a cauldron of desolation and seething anger.
“He’s truly, thoroughly enchanted. Just how does she bewitch a man so completely? She may look innocent, but she’s more cunning than a nine-tailed fox!”
“Exactly. I’ve never seen Woo Jin like this before!”
Listening to her younger sisters’ furious voices, Young Ja recalled Tae Eun’s gentle hand, just moments earlier, soothing the enraged Woo Jin. Like Chairwoman Jung, Young Ja—her most similar daughter—had seen the same thing. Yet while they observed the same scene, their interpretations differed starkly.
Chairwoman Jung saw in Tae Eun’s actions the qualification to become a Jangwon family member; Young Ja, however, viewed it precisely as proof she could *never* belong in this household.
How dare she attempt to control Jangwon’s future leader.
For now, she was merely calming Woo Jin’s anger—but it was glaringly obvious what she might grasp and wield later. Though the world’s greatest power usually rested in men’s hands, history proved it was often the women behind them who truly held the reins.
“Oh, Sister! Please say something! Are we really just going to stand by and watch? Are you seriously handing Woo Jin over, lock, stock, and barrel, to that fox?”
“What can we do? Do you still not know Woo Jin? Once he decides on something, he *will* see it through.”
Though she replied gently to her sisters’ urgent pleas, Young Ja’s thoughts were far more chilling than her words suggested.
They believed marriage was the end goal—which was why they fought so desperately to stop it. But Young Ja thought differently.
Married couples aren’t fated to stay together forever. After all, she herself was divorced, and her two younger sisters treated remarriage—or even divorce—as a natural, expected step.
Marriage wasn’t the end—it was the beginning.
If they couldn’t block the wedding, they’d simply take a detour. Sometimes, such indirect methods proved far more effective. By then, even Woo Jin—who’d impulsively rushed into marriage in a moment of passion—would settle down, and starkly realize that burning emotion alone doesn’t sustain a marriage.
And for Woo Jin, heir to Jangwon, a mere divorce record wouldn’t tarnish his standing one bit.
After all, countless women were ready to wage bloody battles just for the chance to sit beside him.
That deep, rich aftertaste of tea lingering on her tongue today? Exactly to her liking.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
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Chapter Comments (9)
Inline Comments (2)
Every time Seo Woo spoke, the lips painted the same color as hers felt strangely
The alleged mistress is showing more courage than the legitimate wife!
“You’re pathetic.”
She is pathetic and you are pathetic too dragging your innocent wife in your messy life
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He couldn’t provide her the sense of security she needed all the time
Yes get way from this annoying man..he is only good at making excuses
Just leave her alone you jerk !!..she is exhausted 😔