He didn’t want to be a nuisance to a woman who had declared it was over, and he wanted to show a polite side of him even after the breakup.
He had thought that as the time without each other lengthened, the longing wouldn’t just be his alone.
Would she miss him a little, too? Would she contact him first? He had been waiting with such hopes.
But then….
He wished to see his wife again, even if it meant becoming a numbskull.
He wished to see his wife’s face once more, even if it meant being harshly turned away at the door.
“Who is it?”
He heard someone asking from the side.
An elderly lady living next door had opened her door and poked her head out curiously due to the sound of him knocking on the gate.
“…Do, Do Ha?”
“Ah… How have you been?”
Facing the face he had often seen since childhood, Do Ha bowed his head in greeting.
“It is Do Ha. I was wondering who. It’s been a long time.”
“Yes. Have you been well?”
“Yes, we’re the same. I heard about you guys from Hyun Seo.”
“You heard.”
Do Ha averted his eyes in embarrassment.
“Goodness… You should have lived well.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Hyun Seo must have had a hard time. It’s sad about the daughter and the mother, but you should have treated Hyun Seo well.”
“…You’re right.”
He, more than anyone else as a husband, should have treated Hyun Seo well.
It was always a thought he had by himself, but hearing it from someone else felt different. Each word was like a thorn being deeply embedded in him.
“Do you happen to know how Hyun Seo is doing these days?”
“Hyun Seo said he was going somewhere. He left with a big suitcase a few days ago.”
Do Ha, who felt something strange for a moment, asked with a parched voice.
“Where? Where is he going?”
“I’m not sure. He said he was going far.”
His heart sank with a chilling feeling.
“Far?”
“He didn’t tell me where.”
Far? Just how far is far? Where has he gone?
“Did he say he’s coming back?”
“I don’t know. He said he would be away from home for quite a long time and asked me to take care of things.”
“…”
He felt his head going blank.
“Seeing you don’t know this, you guys really are strangers now. Ah, goodness… Hyun Seo was having such a hard time…”
The lady next door spoke with pity towards Do Ha, who stood like a dumbfounded fool.
“Why don’t you ask Hyun Seo’s friends? They might know.”
“…Yes, I’ll do that. Thank you for letting me know.”
Do Ha bowed his head respectfully and slowly turned around.
After getting in the car and closing the door, he took one more look at the wornout house before starting the engine.
Hyun Seo had disappeared. Even the shadow that sometimes shone through the window was gone.
The house, even from the outside, felt silent, and the warmth that used to emanate from it was gone.
Only a chilling atmosphere was circling around the completely empty house.
From the first time he saw it in his childhood until now, a warmth like the atmosphere of spring had always flowed from the house, but now a cold like midwinter was emanating from it.
After the separation from his wife became unbearable, he occasionally visited this neighborhood from his childhood.
His heart would feel heavy just passing by this house.
Even though he was told not to come, he couldn’t dare make a pointless visit, but just seeing the lights on when he passed by the house eased his anxiety a bit.
It had always been this way since his childhood. Whenever his heart felt cold, this place had been his refuge.
It wasn’t because this neighborhood only had good memories. Do Ha never liked this neighborhood, but the only thing he liked here was this house.
It was a simple and unexceptional house, but he liked the people living there.
But now, he had lost that refuge.
The only refuge left for him was Hyun Seo, but with her departure, he was left with nothing.
As he had such thoughts, he felt as if his entire body was being consumed by anxiety.
She was a woman who had never disappeared from his life even once. The world without her was more desperate than he had imagined.
It felt as if he had fallen into a vast, pitchblack sea, struggling alone.
Should he ask Hyun Seo’s friends as the lady next door suggested?
Do Ha hurriedly picked up the phone. But soon, he was hit with a hollow realization.
Hyun Seo’s friends. He didn’t know the phone number of even one of them.
After a moment of contemplation, he dialed the number of Director Choi.
“Yes, Manager.”
“Director Choi. Is it possible… to find a person?”
“It should be possible in most cases.”
“How long will it take?”
Do Ha asked hastily with an anxious face.
“I would have to check to be sure, but it shouldn’t take long. But why…”
Director Choi, taken aback by the unusual question asked by the manager who usually never inquired about such matters, carefully asked back.
“Is there someone you’re trying to find?”
“My wife.”
“Excuse me?”
To Director Choi, who asked back in surprise, Do Ha gave instructions in an urgent voice.
“I want to find her. As soon as possible…”
“Yes, Manager. Then I will proceed immediately.”
Upon hearing the word ‘wife’, Director Choi, who was quick to catch on, did not ask further and answered swiftly.
“Contact me as soon as you find her.”
“Yes, understood.”
After the call with Director Choi, Do Ha finally exhaled.
Fortunately, it seemed it wouldn’t take much time to find her, which brought a sense of relief.
It felt as if he had been holding his breath and now it was finally coming out, as if he could finally relax a little.
This place felt like a thread that had connected him to Hyun Seo. But now, he had lost even that thread.
Could he grasp it again? He wanted to believe that the thread hadn’t completely severed.
If he could somehow reestablish the delicate thread of connection with her, it felt like he could do anything.
“Hyun Seo, I don’t think I can let you go no matter what.”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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