II - 55

I-ryeong couldn’t comprehend what she had done to deserve being placed in such an absurd situation. Her vision blurred, and she felt herself slipping away.

The people around her began to whisper, their laughter tinged with mockery.

She bit down on her tongue so hard that it left a metallic taste in her mouth. Her nails dug into her palms as she clenched her fists tightly.

Trapped like a monkey in a zoo, she fought to stay conscious, refusing to collapse or shed tears.

Summoning every ounce of strength, she lifted her chin and stared at the woman with wide, defiant eyes.

“You’re really something! How dare you raise your face so brazenly? Do you even know who I am before laying your hands on my husband?”

Slap! The sharp sound of a hand striking flesh echoed through the office.

Caught off guard, I-ryeong staggered from the force of the blow. Her cheek instantly flared red and began to swell.

It was the first time in her life she had been struck by someone—and over an affair she hadn’t committed.

“I heard you were promoted to assistant manager recently. Just wait and see—I’ll drag you out of that position myself.”

Overwhelmed by unbearable indignation, tears finally spilled from her eyes.

“Why… why are you doing this to me? Director Kang! Please, say something!”

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do.”

Clutching her throbbing cheek, she pleaded with Suk-tae for an explanation, but he refused to intervene.

Unbeknownst to her, someone secretly filmed the entire scene.

Under the title, “Mistress Punished by the Wife,” the video spread like wildfire. Among her colleagues, she was branded as a homewrecker.

Despite the misunderstandings and rumors, she clung to her dignity. She begged Suk-tae to clear her name, even suggesting he post a public notice in the company lobby, but he adamantly refused.

Whenever she passed by, employees whispered behind her back, calling her shameless and cruel.

Her rapid promotion became a badge of dishonor. Rumors spread that she had slept her way to the top, securing her position through illicit means.

Though desperate to defend herself, no one stood by her side. To them, she was filthier than a cockroach.

Her body grew gaunt, her bones visible beneath her skin. Even her usually distant parents grew concerned as she visibly wasted away.

This betrayal shattered her trust in people. No matter how loudly she protested her innocence, no one listened. Unable to endure the selfishness of the group, she walked away from the place where she had once nurtured her dreams, leaving everything behind.

---

With great difficulty, she confessed all her secrets.

“This… this is everything.”

Tears streamed down her face, and she began hyperventilating.

“That’s not all.”

I-jun, who had silently listened to her story, pressed her further, his face hardened with tension.

“I know you’re hiding something. So tell me everything.”

“Do you… do you even believe me?”

Her once pale face now flushed red with emotion.

She had no more to say, yet he kept urging her to continue. Regretting ever opening up, despair consumed her.

“No, it’s not that. Really…”

I-jun rose from his seat and moved beside her.

He embraced her tightly as she sobbed uncontrollably, patting her back gently while swallowing his own rage, unable to voice it.

When her sobs subsided, I-jun handed her a handkerchief.

“Trust me. Because I believe you, give me your phone.”

He extended his hand.

“Why do you want my phone?”

Her red-rimmed eyes blinked in confusion.

“You said messages kept coming in. Let me check it.”

“But…”

She had kept every message she received from Suk-tae’s wife, refusing to delete them.

At first, she read each message carefully, despite the pain they caused, because she believed in her own innocence.

But the relentless stream of curses—nearly ten messages a day—left her emotionally drained.

Even after blocking the number, the messages continued, sent from different numbers.

“I don’t want you to see them.”

“If I lose my patience, I’ll take it by force.”

He ground his teeth, ready to seize the phone if necessary.

But he didn’t want to exert any more pressure on her already fragile state.

“Hand it over before my patience runs out.”

“You really…”

Hesitating, I-ryeong finally handed over her phone. She quietly leaned into his embrace, wiping away her remaining tears.

“Did you receive messages even in Greece?”

His gaze darkened as he quickly scanned the blocked messages.

The dates revealed she had received messages even during their honeymoon.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“It’s just…”

The blocked messages were filled with curses, as if they would only end when she died.

I-jun sighed deeply, frustrated that she hadn’t told him about the ongoing harassment after their marriage.

“You should have confronted her, ended it somehow. Why did you let this drag on?”

“…”

I-ryeong stared at him, her lips trembling.

After the incident, she had gone to the police station, intending to file charges against the director, his wife, and her colleagues. She even considered hiring a lawyer to ease her anger.

But before she could file a complaint, she hit a wall. The director’s wife claimed she had been assaulted by I-ryeong and filed a countersuit, presenting medical records from the hospital she visited on the day of the incident.

In reality, it was I-ryeong who had been injured. Her scalp bled from having her hair pulled so violently, and the slap had torn the inside of her cheek.

“I didn’t have the strength to fight back. I was barely alive, like a half-dead corpse.”

Unlike Suk-tae’s wife, she hadn’t thought to go to the hospital. She dismissed her wounds, believing they would heal on their own.

Only after her injuries had healed did she realize how foolish and naive she had been that day.

“So you just let it be?”

“There was nothing I could do.”

The sense of loss from that day resurfaced. She had suffered alone, unable to confide even in her parents.

It was later revealed that Suk-tae’s wife was a distant niece of the CEO, and the company had hoped I-ryeong would leave on her own.

Despite being entirely innocent, I-ryeong was forced out of the company with no other choice.

As she recalled that day, tears streamed down her face once again.

I-jun held her tighter, then stretched his arm to pick up the phone. Pressing “1,” he was immediately connected to the marketing team.

“Connect me to Baek Hyun-wook.”

Yesterday, jealousy might have consumed him, but today was different.

“This is Baek Hyun-wook from the marketing team.”

The call connected to Baek, I-ryeong’s direct supervisor.

“Baek? This is Vice President Seo I-jun. Cha Eun-ryeong will be out on an external assignment today.”

“Understood.”

Hyun-wook responded succinctly without asking any questions and ended the call.

The couple remained embraced for a long while afterward.

“Are you feeling calmer now?”

Her tears had stopped, and she gave a small nod in response.

I-jun gazed at her intently. Her tear-streaked face wasn’t grotesque—it only evoked pity. He regretted not holding her sooner.

“There’s something I’ve been hiding from you.”

“Do you want me to hear it?”

“Yes. That’s why I brought you here—to listen.”

His typically impassive expression gave no hint of what he was thinking.

What could it be? Anxiety crept in, but she quickly reassured herself. Whatever it was, she was certain it couldn’t be worse than her secret. She signaled she was ready to listen.

“Before I begin, this might come as a shock to you.”

“I understand.”

Forcing her lips into a faint smile to show she was okay, she braced herself.

“I already knew about you. Even before you joined the company.”

“What do you mean, you ‘knew’ beforehand?”

Her smile faltered, and her lips slackened at his unexpected words.

I-ryeong’s mouth hung open in disbelief, unable to close.

Had they crossed paths somewhere? She scrambled through her memories, searching for any connection between them, but nothing came to mind.

I-jun read the confusion in her eyes.

“Director Kang Suk-tae.”

“Wh-who?”

The tension in her body traveled through the fingertips still resting on her shoulder.

It was understandable that she was shocked. I-jun patted her shoulder gently and continued.

“He was recently promoted to director. Kang Suk-tae.”

“Di-director…”

I-ryeong bit down hard on her lower lip, trying to steady her trembling emotions.

So the Kang Suk-tae he mentioned earlier wasn’t a stranger after all.

Was poetic justice something that only existed in movies? The news of Suk-tae’s continued success despite his wrongdoing filled her with despair.

“Director Kang will be attending the alumni gathering I mentioned to Manager Kim earlier.”

Given Suk-tae’s penchant for showing off, it was unsurprising he wouldn’t miss such an event.

“That gathering isn’t one I can skip just because I don’t want to attend. It was founded by senior alumni years ago.”

With members spread across various industries, especially those in business like I-jun, skipping it wasn’t an option.

“If I want to keep tabs on things, I have no choice but to go.”

I-ryeong listened silently, pinching her thigh to stay composed.

Still, tears flowed ceaselessly. Though she didn’t want to cry anymore in his arms, her resolve kept crumbling.

“I knew about Cha Eun-ryeong because of Kang Suk-tae. He mentioned your name at last year’s gathering.”

She grew uneasy, unsure why her name would come up in a gathering unrelated to her.

Surely, it couldn’t be what she feared.

“Did you spread your legs in front of my husband with that pretty face of yours? My husband confessed! He said he slept with you!”

Suddenly, the vile words of Suk-tae’s wife echoed in her mind.

Knowing Suk-tae, he likely used his wife’s accusations as fodder for gossip. Her fists clenched tightly, trembling with anger.

I-jun firmly wrapped his hands around I-ryeong’s trembling ones, holding them securely.