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Psst! We're moving!
“Where are you going? You worked late tonight...”
Secretary Won’s panicked voice trailed off as Seok-kyung emerged from his office.
“I’m leaving.”
“Huh?”
“See you tomorrow.”
“Ah, yes. The chauffeur is waiting—”
“No need. I’ll drive myself. Tell him to go home.”
Without waiting for a response, Seok-kyung strode out briskly.
Damn this neighborhood. He had sworn never to return, yet here he was again.
The narrow alleyway stretched endlessly before him, and an involuntary sigh escaped his lips.
This time, he resolved to move her out of this place no matter what.
With each step, curses and resolutions alternated in his mind until finally, the rusted blue gate of Eun-chae’s building came into view.
To his surprise, the flimsy gate swung open with just a few shakes.
“How can it be so poorly secured?”
How could anyone feel safe living here?
As expected, the dim light from the small kitchen window illuminated the scene. His memory served him well—it was exactly where he remembered.
Another sigh escaped him.
BANG BANG.
He pounded on the door with his fist.
“Who is it?”
Before he could answer, the door opened to reveal Eun-chae in an oversized striped T-shirt and pajama pants, her makeup-free face still strikingly beautiful.
“Seok-kyung?”
“Do you open the door without checking who it is? Or were you expecting someone?”
“What brings you here?”
“You shouldn’t leave your door unlocked in such a dangerous neighborhood.”
Both fired their words at each other in rapid succession.
“Enough! Answer my question. Why did you come here?”
Finally, Eun-chae raised her hand to cut him off.
“What do you mean by that resignation letter? How do you plan to repay my money if you quit?”
“I’ll borrow or find a way to pay it back.”
“Is that all it takes? Who throws a resignation letter at their CEO without even getting department head approval?”
“What do you want me to do?”
“What’s the problem?”
He knew. He damn well knew what troubled her heart, yet he asked anyway.
He hadn’t wanted to bring this up, but...
“Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
Her eyes silently questioned whether he truly felt nothing.
“It’s fine. It’s just a marriage of convenience between families.”
“Was that how you thought when we got married?”
“What?”
“Did you treat me like that because there was someone else?”
“No.”
Though he hadn’t been celibate before marrying Eun-chae, he had never cheated or juggled relationships.
“So why now? Am I... am I easy to toy with because I have nothing?”
“How can you...”
Seok-kyung was too dumbfounded to feel anger. Absurd accusations like this only left him exasperated. Yet, he couldn’t deny it outright.
Because if he did, it would imply she was somehow special to him.
“What do you expect from me? You’re the one who said you’d do anything to keep working at the company.”
His own words sounded cold, even to him. But that wasn’t the end.
“Did you think I’d take you back as my wife?”
Silence descended.
Time seemed to stop, and the air grew suffocating.
Even as he watched her pupils tremble violently, Seok-kyung pushed further, determined to corner her completely.
So she’d never dare submit another resignation or think of leaving him again.
“Look where you stand. Do you really think you’re in any position to care about my fiancée?”
He pulled the resignation letter from his pocket, tore it to shreds, and threw it on the ground. Then, he thrust the apartment key into her frozen hand and turned to leave.
Spring, they said. So why was the wind so biting, and the moonlight so achingly blue?
---
Seok-kyung was right. Not a single word he said was wrong.
Eun-chae stared blankly at where she stood—the tacky brown-tiled entrance, the flimsy door offering no security, and the basement studio reached by climbing half a flight of stairs.
This was her reality.
Worrying about Seok-kyung’s fiancée and quitting her job to sever ties with him was laughable given everything she had to shoulder.
It was bad karma. Pure bad karma.
In this situation, all she could do was quietly continue working at the company, regardless of whether he married or not.
Ethics and conscience? She might as well throw those to the dogs.
“Why are you standing outside?”
“Ah!”
Startled by her mother’s sudden appearance descending the stairs, Eun-chae nearly collapsed.
“What’s with you? Doing exercises under the moonlight? Why is the door open in this cold?”
“What are you doing here, Mom? How are you in Seoul?”
“I fought with your uncle.”
Her mother scrunched her nose irritably, brushing past Eun-chae to enter the room.
Eun-chae recognized the Hermes bag her mother clung to during desperate times, the heavy makeup, and the overpowering perfume. She closed her eyes.
The silence meant Seok-kyung hadn’t crossed paths with her mother. Thank goodness.
She quickly gathered the torn pieces of the resignation letter, tossed them in the trash, and slipped the apartment key into her pocket.
“Are you really stuck in this dump forever?”
Her mother kicked at the thin mattress in the corner.
“This neighborhood has the cheapest rent.”
“Of course it’s cheap. Charging more for this place would be robbery.”
“Sit down.”
Ignoring her mother’s grumbling, Eun-chae closed the door and stepped inside.
“Let’s go to a hotel.”
“A hotel?”
“You know I can’t sleep without a proper bed.”
“Just sleep here tonight. Where’s the money for a hotel?”
“Don’t be like that. Your uncle already nagged me enough. Are you going to start too?”
“He has a point, Mom. Where does he get the money to pay off credit card bills like that?”
“Hey!”
Her mother snapped, and Eun-chae fell silent.
One more word, and she’d be subjected to her mother’s endless ranting instead of sleeping tonight.
“How about a motel instead of a hotel?”
“No.”
Arms crossed, her mother glared stubbornly.
“Mom, please.”
“The hotel decorated everything pink for cherry blossom season. Let’s go to Brown Hotel. I already booked it under your name.”
“Booked?”
Brown Hotel? A five-star luxury hotel!
Eun-chae bit her tongue to avoid shouting nonsense. Memories of vacations and spa treatments at the Brown Hotel flickered in her mind, tempting her.
Think positively. With reduced loan interest payments, this was a reward for three years of hard work.
“Just this once.”
“Alright, alright. Just this once.”
Her mother beamed, rushing to put on her shoes.
Though spending so much money was daunting, she decided to let it slide—for tonight.
“Are we taking a taxi?”
“We’ll take the subway.”
“Come on, walking into Brown Hotel? Even if we don’t drive, at least take a taxi.”
“If you don’t like it, cancel the booking. We’ll stay home.”
“Ugh, fine. You’re so stubborn.”
Despite her complaints, her mother’s steps were light with excitement. Humming faintly, she seemed thrilled about staying at a luxury hotel.
After preparing for work and taking the subway, they arrived at Brown Hotel in downtown Seoul. Despite everything, it was only 8 PM.
But as Eun-chae entered the lobby, she froze upon seeing a familiar figure approaching.
Her mother bumped into her from behind.
“Ouch! Why did you stop...”
“Eun-chae? What brings you here?”
Hyun-woo greeted her warmly, feigning surprise.
“Manager Hyun-woo? What are you doing at a hotel?”
“I had a client meeting here and was just leaving. But what about you?”
“Ah, I...”
Eun-chae cursed her forgetfulness. She had envied him earlier for having a meeting at Brown Hotel but failed to remember.
“Who’s this? Someone from your company?”
“Ah, Mom.”
Her mother stepped forward, gently nudging Eun-chae aside.
Facing Hyun-woo, she extended her hand.
“I’m Eun-chae’s mom. And who might this handsome man be?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Kang Hyun-woo, Eun-chae’s colleague and team leader.”
Hyun-woo shook her hand awkwardly.
“Oh, a manager?”
Her mother’s face lit up.
“I hope my daughter isn’t causing trouble at work.”
“Not at all. She handles tasks exceptionally well and has been a great help. She recently became a full-time employee.”
“Oh, really?”
Oh no, please don’t mention that.
Eun-chae subtly shook her head at Hyun-woo, but it was too late.
Hearing about her promotion, her mother turned to Eun-chae with a grin.
“You should’ve told me sooner! We must celebrate tonight.”
“Haha, yes, haha.”
Eun-chae forced an awkward smile, dreading what was coming next. Her mother would surely launch into a lecture about her salary increase and why she agreed to stay at the hotel so easily.
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