II - 60

“Are you taking his side just because he’s your friend?”

“Not only me—everyone around saw it too. Don’t tell me you’re planning to claim you don’t remember because you were drunk?”

“Who says I don’t have friends? I’ve got a truckload of them!”

If they weren’t in the police station, Suk-tae would have thrown a punch at Hyuk-joon right then and there.

He wanted to call any of his classmates from the lounge bar who might take his side, like Hyuk-joon was doing for I-jun. But reality dictated that he couldn’t call anyone.

“Then, Senior, call whoever you think witnessed it. I’m curious who’ll show up.”

“You… seriously…!”

Suk-tae was consumed by the urge to sew Hyuk-joon’s mouth shut. If sewing wasn’t an option, he thought about punching him to silence him instead.

Slap! The sound of impact rang out. In an instant, Suk-tae staggered, his head snapping halfway to the side.

“H-honey?”

“Dear… my baby…”

Though both Suk-tae and his mother were visibly shaken—

“Ah! H-honey!”

Without hesitation, Suk-tae’s wife, Hana, slapped his cheek again with no sign of wavering.

I-ryeong was startled by Hana’s sudden appearance.

She had felt some relief when Suk-tae called his mother instead of his wife, thinking it meant Hana wouldn’t be here. But seeing her now still made her uneasy.

“Are you okay?”

I-jun whispered softly as he held her trembling hand.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Even if I say I’m fine, you won’t believe me. I really am fine.”

I-ryeong gave a small smile, trying to reassure him despite his lingering concern.

The anxiety of reuniting with Hana after two years crept up on her, but she suppressed her emotions as much as possible.

[Are you happy now? Is that all that matters to you?]

[You destroyed my family, and now you dare get married?]

[You’ll suffer the same fate!]

The messages she had forced herself to forget flashed through her mind.

Suddenly dizzy, I-ryeong unconsciously tightened her grip on I-jun’s hand, sweat forming on her palms.

She was overwhelmed by tension and couldn’t gather her thoughts.

“Can you hold on?”

I-jun voiced his concern again, guilt creeping in for dragging her into this unnecessary situation. He watched her carefully, gauging her reaction.

“...”

She wanted to tell him she was fine, that he didn’t need to worry.

But the surge of anger lodged in her throat prevented her from speaking. She wanted to scream that she wasn’t fine, that her head felt like it was spinning out of control.

“It’ll be over soon. Just hold on a little longer, okay?”

This time, I-jun’s voice and grip on her hand grew firmer.

Back then, she had been alone, but now she wasn’t. He reassured her with every ounce of his being that he would never leave her side.

“Mm… I’ll try.”

I-ryeong managed to respond, though her lips barely moved.

She gritted her teeth, holding back tears, nodding slightly to show she would endure this nauseating space because he was by her side.

And so, the couple stood together, hands tightly clasped, watching the spectacle unfold between Suk-tae and his wife.

“Kang Suk-tae.”

Hana’s voice cut through the air like ice as she called his name.

“Hana, not here… Let’s talk about this later…”

“Is this what it’s come to? Coming in and out of police stations now?”

Suk-tae grabbed Hana’s arm, trying to calm her down, but she shrugged him off.

“Can’t you live quietly for even one day?”

Hana brushed off his touch as if wiping away a bug clinging to her skin.

Her eyes filled with contempt as she stared at her husband.

“That’s not the point, honey. Listen to me. I have my reasons, but hitting me like that without hearing me out—how could you do that?”

Suk-tae squirmed under her gaze, unable to look away even for a moment.

“Dear, Suk-tae is right. Even so, how could you hit your own wife? Look at how badly hurt he already is.”

Suk-tae’s mother also chimed in, trying to mediate on her son’s behalf.

“Mother. Did I ask him to come here injured?”

“Dear, Hana…”

But Hana’s icy expression left both mother and son cowering.

“You know full well that this man can’t get his act together. That’s why you called me here, isn’t it?”

“Honey, please calm down. Just calm down.”

“Calm down? Would you calm down if you were me? Your hobby seems to be humiliating me. How many times has this happened? Can’t we just live peacefully?”

Hana was oblivious to her surroundings. The state of her husband’s battered face didn’t register either.

From the moment she received the call from her mother-in-law asking her to come to the police station, her boiling anger had been impossible to contain.

“What’s your limit? Where’s the bottom for you? Do I have to die? Will that satisfy you?”

Hana’s sharp, anguished cries made I-ryeong’s hair stand on end.

The Hana she remembered always defended her husband. She had stubbornly denied her husband’s wrongdoings and relentlessly targeted I-ryeong, treating her like prey.

Even reading her text messages had been enough to terrify I-ryeong.

“Enough! Calm down and keep quiet! This is a police station, not a place for marital disputes!”

Finally, the exasperated officer shouted a warning.

An eerie silence fell over the police station. In that fleeting moment, I-jun released I-ryeong’s hand.

“Nice to meet you.”

With his hand now free, I-jun bowed deeply toward Hana and extended his business card.

“Junior Seo I-jun at your service.”

Hana’s eyes flickered as she examined the card.

[Seo I-jun, Executive Director of AE Cosmetics]

The contents of the business card startled her.

When she had entered the police station and caught sight of I-ryeong, the fragile hold she’d maintained on her composure for years shattered. She couldn’t understand why the two were in the same space, and in a fit of rage, she slapped her husband’s cheek.

During all this, she hadn’t noticed the man standing beside I-ryeong—her husband, no less.

“Do you know this person? She’s my wife.”

“What? You’re saying this is your wife?”

Hana’s eyes narrowed as her gaze finally settled on I-ryeong’s waist, where I-jun’s arm was protectively wrapped around her.

“Yes, I heard you and my wife are acquainted.”

“...”

Hana had learned about I-ryeong’s marriage when the wedding invitation popped up on her social media. But she had no idea I-ryeong had married into such a prominent family.

She had considered pressuring her husband to investigate I-ryeong’s spouse but decided against it. Her target for torment had always been I-ryeong herself.

That’s why, even as recently as yesterday, she had sent abusive messages to I-ryeong’s phone whenever her anger flared, using it as an outlet for her emotions.

Hana remained silent, staring at the couple while trying to sort through the tangled mess in her mind.

If she had known beforehand that I-ryeong was married to someone like him, would she have stopped sending those abusive messages?

The answer was already clear. No, she wouldn’t have.

Hana’s icy gaze eventually landed back on her husband, Suk-tae.

“Why, why! I didn’t know she’d be here! I swear, Hana! I didn’t even know she married one of my juniors!”

As the saying goes, a thief feels guilty at the slightest mention. Without being asked, Suk-tae launched into a long-winded defense, which only twisted Hana’s stomach further.

Overwhelmed by disgust rising to her throat, she desperately wanted to bolt from the scene.

“Madam.”

At that moment, I-jun called out to Hana in a low, seething voice brimming with barely contained anger.

“...What do you want?”

“I’ve heard you’ve been tormenting this person for quite some time now. Recently, mentally, I believe.”

I-jun’s frosty gaze shifted between Hana and Suk-tae, his entire body radiating fury.

“Tormenting? What are you talking about?”

Hana feigned ignorance with a calm expression.

“Of course, I’m also aware that your husband tormented my wife in rather unpleasant ways.”

“I have no idea what you’re going on about.”

Hana’s venomous glare turned toward Suk-tae, who slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly.

“No, you bastard! From the start, you’ve been pushing my buttons! You’d better prepare yourself—I’ll make sure you eat prison food for this!”

Suk-tae began trembling with rage as he hurled threats.

“How exactly do you plan to sue me, Senior?”

I-jun responded lightly, letting out a derisive chuckle.

“Sue me all you want.”

“You still have the audacity to talk big? Look at my face! You did this to me! Do you think you’ll get away with leaving me like this?”

Upon hearing that I-jun had tormented I-ryeong, Suk-tae sobered up instantly and decided to cling to this issue.

To him, I-jun seemed ready to fight tooth and nail for his wife. Digging deeper into the past might lead to something far worse.

“Do you have any proof that I did this?”

I-jun remained composed and confident.

“There’s CCTV in the store and several witnesses. Oh, Park Hyuk-joon! You saw it too, right? That bastard beat me senseless!”

All eyes turned to Hyuk-joon.

For a moment, Suk-tae felt relieved. He was certain Hyuk-joon would side with him.

Given IK Trading’s reliance on First Apparel, Hyuk-joon had no choice but to take his side.

“That bastard Seo I-jun threw the first punch! Right? When he hit me, I just raised my hand in self-defense!”

Suk-tae emphasized his words, convinced Hyuk-joon understood. He struggled to suppress a smug smile.

“Senior, I think there’s been some misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding?”

“Yes, a misunderstanding. Are you still drunk, by any chance?”

Hyuk-joon grinned innocently as he looked at Suk-tae.

“What are you scheming?”

“I heard there’s no CCTV inside the store. But you can confirm that with the police or the shop if you’d like.”

Feeling the situation spiraling out of control, Suk-tae bit down hard on his lower lip.

A metallic taste filled his mouth as frustration surged, causing him to unwittingly glare at I-ryeong, who was tightly nestled in I-jun’s arms.

“And as for I-jun hitting you—I was closest to him the entire time, and I never saw him lay a hand on you. I can vouch for that.”

Hyuk-joon’s words barely registered in Suk-tae’s ears.