True Marriage After Divorce - Chapter 37

Choi A Rin and Cheol Yong exited the lawyer’s office and entered a franchise cafe that caught their eye.

A Rin, completely drained, plopped down heavily on the first chair she saw.

“I’ll go order. You want lemonade, right?”

A Rin nodded slightly at Cheol Yong’s words. Left alone, A Rin stared blankly out the floor-to-ceiling window.

‘It’s fortunate that there’s a way. But something doesn’t feel right.’

First and foremost, she felt upset about being caught up in this situation.

“Why are they doing this?”

Her heart felt heavy with the unbearable ordeal. Shortly after, Cheol Yong returned with the order and sat across from her.

He placed the lemonade in front of A Rin and inserted a straw for her.

“That was a cruel building owner.”

Cheol Yong, gauging A Rin’s mood, spoke carefully.

A Rin remained silent at Cheol Yong’s words. She knew better than anyone how exhausting it was to harbor feelings of hatred.

She didn’t want to waste emotions by cursing others in any situation.

“They say you can’t judge a book by its cover, but this is really unexpected. Ah.”

Cheol Yong continued speaking even though A Rin didn’t respond. Suddenly, he clapped his hands as if remembering something.

“Oh, right. Boss, I talked to the flower shop owner next door last evening. They’ve been told to leave too.”

“What?”

A Rin, who had been silent until now, asked in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“I heard they’ve been running the flower shop for a long time.”

“Yes. About 7 years, they said. Looks like something’s definitely going on.”

And so, the day passed without any progress, filled with all sorts of speculations.

[This is the timeline separator]

Three days passed while searching for ways to save Memoria Yeonnam branch. Early in the morning, Ha Yeon was entering a building not far from Memoria Yeonnam branch.

“Oh my, Executive Director. What brings you to such a humble place?”

A middle-aged man wearing a fedora and a shiny suit quickly approached upon seeing Ha Yeon.

“Have you been well?”

“I’ve been doing well, thanks to you, Executive Director.”

Ha Yeon, who had gone up to the second-floor office, suddenly turned around and asked the middle-aged man.

“Sir, you’ve spoken with the owners of Memoria and the building where Pin Flower is located, right? I didn’t see any notice about relocation on my way here.”

The man flinched at Ha Yeon’s words but quickly masked his expression.

“Of course. Everything’s been settled cleanly, so don’t worry. Memoria agreed to leave by the end of this month, and the first and third floors of the next building…”

“Wait a moment, sir. This month? There’s barely a week left this month? You’re saying the Memoria owner agreed to leave?”

“That’s right. It’s already been agreed upon, so there’s no need to worry at all.”

Ha Yeon frowned, feeling uneasy. She recalled a conversation she had with A Rin yesterday when she happened to pass by Memoria Yeonnam branch.

[Ms. Choi, were you in Seoul?]

A Rin responded to the friendly greeting with an awkward smile.

[Huh? Oh, yes. I had some business. What brings you here, Executive Director?] [I have some business too. Would you like to grab a quick coffee?]

A Rin hesitated a bit but accepted Ha Yeon’s offer.

[If the Yeonnam branch is doing so well, have you thought about expanding to a larger scale?]

Ha Yeon asked, hiding her plans that were still in preparation and couldn’t be disclosed yet.

[Well, we’re just starting to establish ourselves, so I’m still cautious about moving the store.] [I see, that makes sense.] [Actually, for various reasons, we did try to relocate the Yeonnam branch. Ah, never mind.]

Ha Yeon recalled A Rin’s expression sinking at that moment.

[Is something wrong?]

At Ha Yeon’s question, A Rin quickly composed her expression. But A Rin was wearing an awkward smile that anyone could see through.

[No, it’s nothing. Just some thoughts that come with running a business, I guess.]

Seeing A Rin draw a line as if telling her not to ask further, Ha Yeon couldn’t press on.

Recalling yesterday’s events, Ha Yeon’s eyes narrowed.

“Sir.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Are you sure you’ve spoken with the Memoria owners and everything is settled?”

“I-I told you it was, didn’t I?”

Ha Yeon didn’t miss the man’s trembling fists.

“Can I trust that there’s not even a hint of falsehood in what you’re telling me right now?”

Faced with Ha Yeon’s repeated questioning, the middle-aged man fell silent.

“I’d like to think that an intelligent man like you, Mr. Shin, who owns several buildings, wouldn’t be that kind of person.”

Ha Yeon stepped closer to the man.

“I’m sure you haven’t forgotten that if there’s even a slight dispute or falsehood, this contract becomes void, and you’ll have to pay twice the deposit I gave you as a penalty.”

The middle-aged man’s face turned pale. Seeing this, Ha Yeon was certain.

‘So he was trying to force Memoria out.’

Ha Yeon felt despair. In her mind, she recalled a conversation she had with Yu Hyun during their good times.

[Ha Yeon, I’m going to create the most famous dessert shop in Paris, France. I’ll make desserts so delicious that even the French will have to acknowledge me, a Korean. I want you to be part of my dream.]

Yu Hyun’s dream was to make desserts in France. His skill in making desserts was so exceptional that even the school professors coveted him.

Yu Hyun never had plans to return to Korea in the first place. But he was in Korea now.

Ha Yeon was consumed by guilt. She even thought that perhaps Yu Hyun had returned to Korea unable to bear it because of her betrayal.

The guilt of seemingly ruining Yu Hyun’s dream persistently tormented her. That’s why she wanted to help Yu Hyun, albeit belatedly. She couldn’t send him back to France, but she wanted to help his shop grow much more than it was now.

“How did things end up like this?”

Ha Yeon staggered in despair. She waved off her secretary who tried to approach her.

‘What started as a gesture of goodwill has instead pushed them to the edge. How should I fix this situation? I don’t want to be hated.’

How much would Yu Hyun resent and hate her if he knew the truth… Ha Yeon felt dizzy.

‘I should have been honest with Ms. Choi back then. I should have told her that I was in the process of buying the Memoria building and the surrounding area. But not to worry. They could continue operating Memoria Yeonnam branch as before, and if they wanted a larger store, I could provide it.’

Ha Yeon was filled with belated regret.

Although there was quite a bit of self-interest involved, Ha Yeon was also one of the people who wanted to see Memoria grow. Until she learned this fact, even Ha Yeon herself could confidently say so.

“What should I do?”

Ha Yeon’s head throbbed at the irreparable situation.

[This is the timeline separator]

The next morning,

Last night, A Rin had talked with Yu Hyun on the phone all night.

A conclusion was reached.

Let’s hang on as long as we can for now!

Although it was a somewhat unsatisfactory conclusion, looking for another store location in the meantime seemed like the best option for now.

Just as A Rin entered the bathroom, the pink phone on the table vibrated.

-Executive Director Min Ha Yeon

“Executive Director? What’s the matter so early in the morning?”

A Rin checked the caller and quickly pressed the answer button.

“Yes, Executive Director.”

[Ms. Choi, is this a good time to talk?]

“Ah, yes. It’s fine. What’s the matter?”

[You’re in Seoul, right? Could you spare some time this morning?]

“Today?”

[Yes, today.]

A Rin was flustered.

“Ah, I have somewhere to go today. I don’t think I can make it…”

[I’m sorry. I won’t take up much of your time. You need to meet me before you go where you’re planning to go.]

A Rin found Ha Yeon’s forceful behavior strange.

‘She’s not the type to be so rude.’

Though it was a short time, the Min Ha Yeon that A Rin had directly experienced was an extremely sensible woman who strictly separated personal and professional matters.

Her behavior now was unusual, and A Rin sensed there must be a reason.

“Alright. Then.”

[Thank you. I’ll head to the Yeonnam-dong area. Is 10:30 okay?]

“Yes.”

[And I’m really sorry. Can you keep our meeting a secret from Yu Hyun?]

“What?”

[I’ll explain everything when we meet.]

A Rin stared at the disconnected phone for a long time.

“Somehow, I have a bad feeling about this…”

And A Rin’s intuition was right on the mark.

[This is the timeline separator]

Two hours later.

A Rin sat face to face with Ha Yeon.

Dark circles were prominent under Ha Yeon’s eyes, as if she hadn’t slept well.

“I’m sorry. I was too forceful, wasn’t I? I had something I really needed to tell you.”

Ha Yeon said with an awkward smile.

“It’s okay. What’s the matter?”

“Actually, I think I need to ask for your forgiveness.”

“Pardon?”

A Rin was taken aback by Ha Yeon’s words.

“I’m truly sorry.”

A Rin was perplexed by Ha Yeon’s sudden deep bow and apology.

“What do you mean…”

“I bought the Memoria building.”

“What?”

“And I bought the building next to it too.”

But at Ha Yeon’s following words, A Rin was at a loss for words.

Ha Yeon’s words swirled around A Rin’s ears, unsure of what she was saying.

Ha Yeon, fidgeting with her fingers, continued in a weak voice.

“To explain myself first, I thought you had finished talking with Mr. Shin. I didn’t know Memoria would be forced out.”

“…”

“My plan was to tell you and Yu Hyun that if you wanted to continue Memoria Yeonnam branch in that location, you could, and if you wanted to move, you could relocate to one of my owned buildings. I’m sorry it turned out like this.”

A Rin couldn’t hide her confusion at the sudden flood of information.

“Wait, wait a moment, Executive Director. I’m a bit overwhelmed by all this sudden information.”

A Rin quickly organized what Ha Yeon had just said.

“So, we’re being forced out because you bought the building, right? But why are you arbitrarily saying that if Memoria relocates, you’ll provide the new store?”

After grasping the situation, A Rin saw Ha Yeon in a new light.

There was only one reason she would do this. A Rin knew but demanded an answer from Ha Yeon anyway.

“Executive Director.”

“…I’m sorry, Ms. Choi.”

Seo Yu Hyun, Min Ha Yeon’s former lover.

‘Is it because of Yu Hyun? Is that why… you did this?’

A Rin knew that Ha Yeon couldn’t forget Yu Hyun.

Ha Yeon’s eyes were full of lingering attachment when she looked at Yu Hyun. That gaze was so similar to how Jae Hyuk used to look at her, she couldn’t miss it.

But Yu Hyun maintained a cold attitude as if to confirm that he had no feelings left for Ha Yeon.

A Rin thought that perhaps Yu Hyun was drawing a line with Ha Yeon because he liked her. That’s why she felt uncomfortable when she saw Ha Yeon.

But…

‘This isn’t right. Even if it’s for Yu Hyun’s sake, you shouldn’t act so arbitrarily and make things difficult. Even if it started with good intentions, you shouldn’t inconvenience others like this.’

It’s not like the end justifies the means.

With emotions welling up, A Rin clenched her small fists.

Maybe it was because Ha Yeon reminded her of Jae Hyuk from the past, but A Rin found Ha Yeon’s actions quite offensive.