Bora quickly turned her head and went her way, and Si Hyun resumed walking.

“Wait, what was that…?”
It was a moment that lasted maybe three or four seconds, extremely short, but Mi Joo accurately captured the strange vibes that passed between the two women.

Upon reaching the conference room, Si Hyun sighed and crossed her arms, asking,

“What’s the matter?”
“Uh, I had something to ask.”
Mi Joo shook her head.

“I think I don’t need to ask after all.”

((()))

Si Hyun had a busy day. First of all, she sent an email to Woo Jin with a document outlining the divorce details.

She requested that exactly half of the security deposit be transferred to her account as soon as possible.

Since Woo Jin had made the reservations for the wedding and honeymoon, he should cancel them himself.

She would send back the received gifts by quick service the next day.

Woo Jin, the cause of the divorce, would bear all the penalties for breaching all contracts.

It was a highly businesslike email detailing such matters.

At lunchtime, she also went out and bought a new phone. With it, she called her stepmother.

“What time is my stepfather coming home today? I’ll stop by after work around dinner time.”

No, we’ve already had a prewedding meeting and seen the groom’s face, why do you need to come again?
Although her stepmother was noticeably annoyed, Si Hyun unilaterally announced.

“I have something to tell you. I’m not planning on staying for dinner, so you don’t need to prepare anything.”
After work, Si Hyun headed towards her stepmother’s house.

“I’m here, stepmother.”
“Why did you come alone, where’s your husband?”
As her stepmother came out to the living room and asked, she must have expected Woo Jin to visit with her.

The detached house of her stepfather, in the eyes accustomed to a tenpyeong oneroom, seemed suddenly spacious. The only space in this large house that Si Hyun could use was one small room she shared with a maid.

Fortunately, her stepfather had come home early from work. Si Hyun waited for her stepfather and his wife to sit down on the sofa, and then she spoke.

“I’ve divorced Woo Jin.”

The two had expressions like team members who had heard the news in the morning. To the bewildered couple who stared blankly as if asking, ‘What did I just hear?’ Si Hyun reiterated firmly.

“Not just a simple fight, I’ve already cancelled the wedding venue.”
Before asking the reason, her mother was first worried about her daughter.

“What will our Ah Hyun do then? She must get married this year!”
“I don’t know when I will get married. Maybe I might not do it for the rest of my life. So, don’t worry about me, if there’s a good person, let Ah Hyun get married first.”
“Is that what you’re saying now?”
Her father suddenly burst into anger.

“If you let a parentless niece grow old as a spinster, and then hurriedly marry off my daughter, what would people think?”
It was amusing that her father, who was still unconcerned about anything other than the gaze of others, knew clearly what she had suffered at home, yet feigned ignorance.

“If you were so afraid of others’ eyes, you should have treated me better. How would you feel if I went out and told everyone I was treated like a motherinlaw at home.”
This time, her mother jumped up.

“You, is that how you talk to the people who raised you like their child?”
A face she hadn’t dared to look at properly since childhood out of fear. Even as an adult, she was somehow subdued and couldn’t look at that face properly. But for the first time, Si Hyun stared hard at it.

“Could you say that in front of my parents’ graves? That you raised me like your child.”
“Oh my, look at what she’s saying. Did you hear that?”
Her mother looked as if she was about to fall back at any moment.

“I appreciate that you didn’t kick me out and kept me at home. I will repay your kindness someday.”
After saying that, Si Hyun stood up with her bag.

“I won’t be visiting during holidays in the future. I might attend Ah Hyun’s wedding if you want, but otherwise, it will be more comfortable for both of us if we live as strangers.”
Her parents opened their mouths halfway and looked up at Si Hyun. They had a look in their eyes that seemed to ask if she had gone mad. Of course, because Si Hyun had never spoken so audaciously before.

“I’ve been grateful. I hope both of you stay healthy.”
After bowing her head, Si Hyun left her father’s house.

As she walked out of the garden, her legs were shaking. Her heart pounded as if it was about to burst out.

Si Hyun had grown into an adult now. She didn’t have to be afraid of being chased out, or getting scolded. Even though she knew this in her head, it was a scary thing to break the habits from childhood, and until now, she used to shrink reflexively in front of the stepfather and his wife.

It was not easy to assertively express her thoughts in front of such people and even declare a severance. In fact, she had just put up a brave front with all the strength she had.

“Won’t you stay here?”
She felt like her stepmother might come out any moment to grab her hair, but in the end, such a thing did not happen.

You did well, Si Hyun.

As she came out to the main gate, Si Hyun finally exhaled the breath she had been holding in, and someone unexpectedly spoke from behind.

“Is it because of that man?”
Si Hyun was startled and turned around. Her stepsister Ah Hyun was following her out of the main gate.

“Are you talking about the man we met at the hotel? Is it because of him that you broke off the marriage?”
It seemed she had been listening to the conversation, thinking she wasn’t home because she didn’t show her face. Ah Hyun, in a cardigan and arms crossed, was looking at Si Hyun as if she was amused.

“Eventually, you were going to a better man, but my brotherinlaw ended up being pitiful. Oh, is he no longer my brotherinlaw?”
Angered by her asifIknewit attitude, Si Hyun retorted.

“Don’t blabber. The one who cheated was not me, but him.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Ah Hyun responded sarcastically.

“So, you won’t be dating that man from now on?”
Although she was infuriated, Si Hyun realized something. Ah, if I get entangled with Tae Ha, people will think that I was the reason for the breakup.

“No.”
Si Hyun answered firmly.

“Then you can tell me about him. What does he do? How old is he? How did you meet him?”
She seemed interested in Tae Ha, whom she had only met once.

“Why should I tell you about that?”
“You said you’re not going to date him. So there’s no reason not to tell me, right?”
“I don’t want to get him involved with someone like you either. Did he and I have some feud in a past life?”
“What?”
Ah Hyun’s eyes widened. Whenever she did that, she reminded Si Hyun of her mother. Si Hyun showed a clenched fist with a solemn expression.

“I hope you succeed in the marriage that I couldn’t. Fighting.”

Upon returning home, Tae Ha was waiting down at the front of the studio apartment building.

“Where have you been? You’re not in good health.”
His eyes were full of concern. It seemed he didn’t know that Si Hyun had gotten a new cell phone, and had been waiting without being able to contact her.

“Tae Ha.”
Si Hyun spoke quietly.

“Don’t wait for me like this in the future.”

lu lu lo la ▪️ net (lululola.net)