Your Former Wife (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 10

“Contract? That’s absurd. Did you watch some bizarre drama somewhere?”

Otherwise, this situation made absolutely no sense—getting married yet being allowed to freely maintain separate romantic relationships.

Suddenly, he couldn’t comprehend this outrageous statement at all.

“Could it be you’re just making me an excuse because you want to find yourself a boyfriend?”

As his thoughts turned in that direction, his expression grew even more menacing.

“Damn it.”

For some reason, merely entertaining the idea instantly made his head burn hot with anger.

It was just nonsense spewed under the influence of fever—something he could simply brush off and forget. Yet he couldn’t stand how pathetic he felt, still swayed by his wife’s childish proposal.

Apparently, his wife—who had always been quiet to the point of timidity—had captured his attention by doing something she would never normally do, and her behavior continued stubbornly lingering in his mind.

Having reached this conclusion, Sung Jun glared fiercely at the phone carelessly tossed onto the table, as if it were Seo Yeon herself.

After a moment, he walked steadily over to the table, picked up the phone, and typed a message with a blank expression.

[Busy. Don’t wait for me.]

If it were the wife he knew, she’d panic upon hearing he was occupied with work, become flustered, and never dare speak to him again afterward. Yet contrary to his expectation, a reply arrived shortly from his wife.

“Ha….”

And the moment he read it, an involuntary chuckle escaped Sung Jun’s lips.

[Is that so? Just how busy are you? You’re not pulling an all-nighter, are you? Don’t push yourself too hard. Anyway, I’ll wait for you.]

Just where exactly was the timid woman everyone spoke of? The wife who used to watch others’ moods so carefully seemed to have vanished entirely—now Seo Yeon simply said what she wanted, drew her own conclusions without waiting for his reply, and ended the conversation on her own terms.

[See you tonight.]

Sung Jun frowned. Each of his wife’s actions, changed overnight from her former self, had become so shockingly bizarre that it kept provoking him.

*

At that moment.

Seo Yeon attended the regular gathering of the Moran Society, one of the events hosted by her mother-in-law, Hwa Young.

This gathering, consistently held for three years now, was a private club for chaebol daughters-in-law, founded with the intention of appreciating art and enriching cultural knowledge. They typically met on weekday afternoons at the mother-in-law’s residence, enjoying light meals and desserts while fostering camaraderie.

Her mother-in-law, Hwa Young, was Sung Jun’s stepmother, still relatively young in her early forties.

During the early days of their marriage, Hwa Young had treated Seo Yeon rather cautiously and politely, always remaining friendly—likely because she herself, as a stepmother rather than a biological mother, felt uneasy about her position as mother-in-law.

Thus, even when initially suggesting Seo Yeon join the gathering, Hwa Young carefully explained that Seo Yeon—a promising former pianist—was the perfect fit for the Moran Society’s objectives.

Seo Yeon had readily agreed. Back then, she was simply delighted at the prospect of bonding with her new family through her mother-in-law’s invitation.

“Seo Yeon, I’m sorry, but could you please bring more dessert? We’ve run out.”

Yet now, no one present remained unaware that Seo Yeon was attending the gathering not as Hwa Young’s daughter-in-law, but essentially as her personal secretary.

Seo Yeon, seated alone in a corner, looked up at Hwa Young’s voice.

“Yes, of course.”

She nodded calmly and rose from her seat. Satisfied with the reply, Hwa Young smiled brightly and, bringing her teacup to her lips, casually added,

“Also bring some for the other ladies.”

At Hwa Young’s remark, the attendees wore expressions as if they were suffering unbearable discomfort.

They all knew Seo Yeon’s standing had severely deteriorated after her older brother targeted HanKyoung Group in an investigation.

Nevertheless, she remained the wife of Sung Jun—who was still widely regarded as the most likely successor to HanKyoung Group.

Regardless of the circumstances, the weight of that name could not easily be dismissed, making it deeply uncomfortable to witness how disrespectfully Seo Yeon was treated.

Yet none dared intervene against Hwa Young, the de facto leader of the gathering—even if unaccepted as a daughter-in-law, she was, indisputably, still a daughter-in-law of HanKyoung Group.

“Yes, understood.”

Seo Yeon obediently nodded, and the atmosphere—previously tense like walking on thin ice—relaxed slightly. One middle-aged woman, who had openly displayed discomfort earlier, even sighed in relief.

Seo Yeon was well aware that Hwa Young treated her like a secretary or hired help partly to vent her frustrations toward the arrogant in-laws who constantly belittled her.

Among Han Kyung Family, no one except Sung Jun ever treated her as a respected adult—particularly her grandfather-in-law, HanKyoung Group’s chairman, who refused even to receive their greetings after Sung Jun’s father finalized his divorce.

Trapped in this suffocating situation, Seo Yeon—the younger sister of the man who inflicted massive damage on HanKyoung Group and whose relationship with Sung Jun was reportedly strained—had become an ideal target for venting.

“I’d appreciate it if you could bring it quickly—the tea loses its flavor once it cools.”

Even after Seo Yeon had quietly yielded, Hwa Young’s additional comment instantly chilled the gathering’s atmosphere once more.

Everyone looked bewildered, wondering why Hwa Young—herself an unaccepted daughter-in-law—felt compelled to torment Seo Yeon so persistently.

‘Why hasn’t he replied to my message yet?’

But at this moment, Seo Yeon had no mental bandwidth left for Hwa Young’s behavior or others’ reactions—she was too preoccupied analyzing why Sung Jun still hadn’t responded to her message.

She simply nodded impassively and turned away. No one noticed that, as she turned, Seo Yeon wore a sullen expression while slipping quietly from the room.

*

Seo Yeon walked toward the dining room. A housekeeper in an apron recognized her and approached.

“Madam, is there anything you need?”

Seo Yeon offered the housekeeper a faint smile.

“Could you prepare more dessert, please?”

“You could’ve just called me for things like this.”

“It’s fine. Please prepare plenty of tea and dessert—enough for Mother and the guests. I’ll carry it in myself.”

“Oh dear, all right.”

Just as Seo Yeon returned with the dessert and tea prepared by the housekeeper, she noticed a message notification on the phone she’d left on the table.

She quickly checked the sender’s name—it was her husband. Her face brightened as she opened the message.

[7 p.m.]

But almost immediately, she wore a stunned, disbelieving expression at Sung Jun’s perfunctory reply.

‘He didn’t even say he’d come at 7—he just wrote “7 p.m.”? He’d show more consideration messaging a complete stranger than this.’

Reflecting on it, her husband had always been distant and work-obsessed—but why was she suddenly so irritated?

After grumbling inwardly for a while, Seo Yeon checked the time.

‘It’s already 4:30.’

Usually, the gathering would have ended by 3 p.m., but today it dragged on unusually long. Judging from the atmosphere, it showed no sign of concluding soon.

‘What should I do? I promised I’d prepare dinner tonight.’

She’d rushed here abruptly after receiving an unexpected call from Hwa Young, leaving no time to finish her preparations.

Though she knew Hwa Young would surely take offense if she excused herself first, she couldn’t possibly break her promise to her husband—especially now, when she needed his cooperation. Resolved, Seo Yeon rose from her seat.

“Why are you getting up?”

Hwa Young asked as Seo Yeon quietly stood.

“Where are you going?”

Seo Yeon clasped her hands respectfully and replied in a composed tone.

“Mother, I’m sorry, but I’ll need to excuse myself early today.”

At the reply, Hwa Young’s expression soured slightly.

“Why? Do you have other plans?”

It deeply annoyed her that Seo Yeon, without even being told to stay, had already decided to leave.

“Yes. I have a prior engagement, so I must take my leave now.”

Hwa Young expected Seo Yeon to retract her statement once she sensed her displeasure—but instead, Seo Yeon persisted stubbornly.

“Just who exactly do you have plans with?”

The once docile, obedient daughter-in-law—whom Hwa Young could normally control with ease—kept talking back, stirring not just unease but mounting anger in her.

With so many onlookers around, that anger only intensified. Hwa Young’s icy tone instantly chilled the gathering’s atmosphere.

As the female guests exchanged glances, carefully gauging both women’s moods, Seo Yeon—looking troubled—finally conceded and revealed the identity of her appointment.

“…Sung Jun.”

“…!”

Hwa Young’s eyes widened instantly at the unexpected name. Her face visibly stiffened as she cautiously asked,

“…Really?”

“Yes. I’ve arranged to have dinner with Sung Jun tonight.”

Seo Yeon answered calmly.

“…I see. Then you’d better hurry. You shouldn’t keep a busy person waiting. Go ahead, quickly.”

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

Hwa Young waved her hand dismissively.

“No need to apologize. You had a prior commitment—and I’m the one who should feel awkward for thoughtlessly trying to hold you back. Go quickly. You’ve worked hard today.”

Seo Yeon—who had anticipated harsh criticism from Hwa Young for at least several minutes—stared at her in surprise when she let her go so readily. After bowing respectfully to both the Moran Society members and Hwa Young, she quietly left the room.