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The messages were consistently curt.
He wondered if she wanted to see him driven to madness.
Despite his internal denials, telling himself he didn’t care and wasn’t meeting her out of desperate longing, it wasn’t true.
He was simply curious about her well-being, wondering if anything was amiss.
He questioned why her messages were so brief and why she refused to make time for him.
Was it because of Joo-eun’s presence last time?
He was certain it was. There was no other explanation.
“Seok-kyung?”
“Huh?”
Startled by the voice calling his name, Seok-kyung abruptly turned around.
“What’s wrong? Why are you so surprised?”
Joo-eun asked, smiling, as she entered the wedding planning office.
“Surprised? Why?”
“The planner is here. Come in.”
Seok-kyung nodded and followed her to the planner.
“These two wedding halls are the most popular. They’re available on your chosen date, so you can choose whichever one you like.”
“Isn’t this hotel where S Group’s granddaughter got married?”
“Yes, you know it well. That’s why many people inquire about it. Of course, the cost is quite high, so most people only inquire.”
“What about this one?”
Joo-eun pointed to another photo the planner had spread out.
“This is a newly opened place. It’s a conference center built by W Hotel, and you can hold weddings on weekends. It’s in Incheon, but it’s Songdo, so it’s not complicated. It will be fine for your guests.”
“I see. What do you think, Seok-kyung? I like this one better.”
Seok-kyung, taken aback by the sudden question, straightened his posture.
His mind was preoccupied with Eun-chae, causing him to miss most of their conversation.
“Anything is fine with me. Do as you please.”
“Still, your guests will be coming too, Seok-kyung.”
“Where is this place again?”
When Seok-kyung asked the planner again, the planner gave a slightly awkward smile and replied that it was in Incheon Songdo.
“This place will be fine.”
“Right? Then we’ll decide on this wedding hall.”
At Joo-eun’s words, the planner nodded and wrote it down in her notebook.
“Next, shall we choose the studio, dress, and makeup shop?”
The planner showed various companies on her tablet and explained them slowly to Joo-eun and Seok-kyung.
“What do you think? I’m thinking of choosing a Wong designer dress, as I mentioned last time.”
“Yes, whatever you like.”
“Which studio is better? What kind of concept do you want to shoot?”
“I don’t know... just do what you want.”
Seok-kyung answered vaguely.
In truth, he had no intention of investing much effort into this wedding, making the entire situation feel awkward.
He now appreciated how Eun-chae had simplified all the wedding preparations.
“Hmm...”
But Joo-eun was not Eun-chae.
“Planner-nim? Can you give us a moment alone?”
“Yes? Ah, yes...”
At Joo-eun’s cold tone, the planner glanced at them briefly, then gathered her notebook and left the meeting room.
Once the door was closed, Joo-eun turned her head sharply towards Seok-kyung.
“What are you trying to do?”
Her tone was sharp and cutting.
“What?”
“Do you have another woman?”
“What?”
“What’s your relationship with Lee Eun-chae?”
“What are you talking about?”
Seok-kyung did his best to conceal his unease.
He couldn’t understand why Eun-chae’s name had suddenly surfaced.
Hadn’t she dismissed her suspicions?
“If not, why can’t you focus on this wedding?”
“It’s not like that.”
“You’re not focusing right now.”
Joo-eun said sharply.
“Whether it’s Lee Eun-chae or anyone else, if you’re seeing someone, break it off quickly.”
“I told you it’s not like that.”
“I want my man to focus on me. Even if it’s a political marriage and we don’t have feelings for each other, I want my fiancé to focus on me.”
She seemed genuinely angry, with flames flickering in her eyes.
Seok-kyung merely sighed briefly and didn’t respond.
He found it hard to believe that he was the “my man” Joo-eun referred to.
Perhaps everything had been wrong from the start. He now realized the beginning of this marriage was flawed.
Assuming he had understood her, Joo-eun smiled again and called the planner.
However, Seok-kyung pushed his chair back and stood up.
“Seok-kyung?”
“Sorry, let’s decide later.”
“What?”
“I’m not in the mood to look at this right now.”
“Not in the mood?”
Joo-eun was incredulous and hurriedly followed him, but she couldn’t catch up with Seok-kyung’s steps.
He needed to see Eun-chae immediately.
He needed to know why she was avoiding him, what she wanted, and what he could do to help.
Only then would everything become clear.
________________________________________
Startled by the doorbell, Eun-chae, who was eating dinner, rushed to the intercom.
Seok-kyung’s expressionless face filled the screen.
Why? How?
She had clearly stated her mother was visiting, so she didn’t know why he had come to her apartment.
Bang bang.
When she didn’t answer, Seok-kyung pounded on the door with his fist. Each knock made her heart pound.
“Open the door, Lee Eun-chae!”
Seok-kyung shouted from outside the door.
What should she do?
She had successfully avoided him for a week. If she could hold out for two more weeks, she could disappear from this apartment like smoke.
As she deliberated, the front door clicked open.
It was too late when she realized she hadn’t changed the front door password.
As soon as Seok-kyung entered and saw Eun-chae, he walked straight towards her.
“What, what are you doing? Coming into my house without permission!”
“Consider it lucky that I haven’t been coming in without permission until now.”
“I, I said my mother was here!”
“Your mother? Do you think outsiders can enter this apartment so easily? I’ve already checked at the first floor to see if there were any visitors.”
With piercing eyes, Seok-kyung emphasized each word.
“Besides, do you think she would stay quiet knowing you’re living alone in such a nice apartment?”
Eun-chae swallowed, realizing her lie had been exposed.
Even if they had been a couple in name only, Seok-kyung couldn’t possibly be unaware of Eun-chae’s mother’s personality.
Her mother was known for her naivety, and it was obvious that negative rumors about her persistence even after the bankruptcy had spread.
She had even carried around her uncle’s credit card, showing it off to old acquaintances as if to say she wasn’t defeated.
“Why are you avoiding me, anyway?”
“Av-avoiding you? What are you talking about?”
“You’ve been avoiding me constantly lately.”
“I haven’t.”
Eun-chae avoided Seok-kyung’s gaze.
Wasn’t this kind of intrusion unfair? She was in the middle of trying to disentangle herself from him.
Eun-chae truly wanted to cry.
Hate, resentment, and a love that overshadowed them all. She had barely found a way to breathe amidst the chaos.
For him to appear like this, asking why she was avoiding him, as if she meant something to his life, was unfair.
“You haven’t? You’re avoiding me right now!”
Seok-kyung grabbed Eun-chae’s chin and turned her towards him.
“What is it? What’s the reason?”
“I’m tired and annoyed!”
Eun-chae shook her head violently, pushing Seok-kyung’s hand away.
“Annoyed?”
“Yes, I’m annoyed! I’m really tired of this!”
How could she make him stop this strange obsession with her? How could she end this meaningless relationship once and for all?
The answer didn’t take long. She had pushed him away once before, and it was quite simple.
“When you first tried to have me, I thought I could go back to being your wife, back to your side. I thought if I used your feelings, I could climb back into high society, since my life is so miserable now.”
Eun-chae stared straight at Seok-kyung, spitting out the words coldly.
“But you have a fiancée? You’re getting married soon? What’s the point of sleeping with you, of moaning beneath you? You’re not my man!”
“Lee Eun-chae.”
“Do you know what’s the worst? It’s me, unable to forget the man I used to love, even while being held by you.”
“What?”
“Didn’t you hear? I can’t forget the man I love, even in your arms!”
Only their ragged breaths echoed in the silence.
She expected him to explode in anger, but instead, she saw sadness in Seok-kyung’s eyes, causing her to swallow her words.
She hadn’t meant to hurt him, but to eliminate his baseless obsession with her.
“You thought of another man in my arms?”
“......”
“So, there was someone else. You gave him your heart, even if you didn’t give him your body.”
What...?
Did he believe she hadn’t cheated on him? Did he trust her?
“Seok-kyung...”
“And I didn’t even know...”
Seok-kyung muttered quietly to himself. Suddenly, his eyes, fixed on Eun-chae, flickered with blue flames.
“Is it still the same?”
“......What?”
“Do you still think of that man when you’re in my arms?”
Eun-chae didn’t answer. Her earlier bravado had vanished, and her lips wouldn’t move.
As Seok-kyung stepped closer, she retreated. Soon, her calves and back touched the back of the sofa.
“Wh-why are you doing this?”
“To make sure.”
“Make sure of what?”
“To see if you really have time to think of another man when you’re in my arms.”
Eun-chae bit her lip tightly.
She knew she shouldn’t let him hold her, but the thought that this might be the last time made her want to.
She wanted to be held by him so many times that, even if she never saw him again, she could live with the sensations etched into her body.
“Why aren’t you running away?”
Eun-chae flinched at Seok-kyung’s question.
“You want to be held by me, even though you can’t forget the man you love?”
No, because that man you love is you.
Eun-chae gripped the sofa’s headrest tightly.
Could she bear the consequences of what was about to happen?
“You’re a bad woman.”
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