II - 67

He cradled her tightly in his arms, careful not to harm her small, delicate frame. He held her gently and patted her back soothingly.

“Kang Suk-tae is really trash, isn’t he?”

He cursed deliberately, wanting to comfort her since she must have been more shocked than him.

“No, I didn’t see it all.”

I-ryeong peeked her head out from under the blanket and turned toward him.

“I felt sick and stopped looking.”

Like a child throwing a tantrum, she burrowed deeper into his embrace.

I-jun held her close and continued patting her back.

“I feel so terrible.”

He checked the dates on a few photos. The affair had been going on for quite some time, even before she started working at First Apparel.

“It’s infuriating that I was played by such a worthless person. It makes me so angry.”

“I understand how you feel.”

I-jun could only console her with gentle pats and reassurances, which left him feeling helpless.

He regretted not beating Kang Suk-tae senseless when he had the chance, sighing deeply as these thoughts consumed him.

Just then, Hanna’s phone rang.

I-ryeong picked up the phone and froze upon seeing the caller ID—it was the same number that had sent countless abusive messages: Hanna.

Her nerves were too frayed to answer immediately, so she hesitated, clutching the phone tightly.

“It’s okay, it’ll be alright.”

I-jun reassured her. He kissed her trembling hand holding the phone and reminded her that he would always be by her side.

“If you don’t want to answer, don’t. Wait until you feel ready.”

He tried to soothe her with his warmth.

Meanwhile, the ringing persisted, unrelenting, as if determined not to stop until someone answered.

Taking a deep breath, I-ryeong steeled herself.

“This is Cha Eun-ryeong.”

With her free hand, she cupped I-jun’s face and answered the call. Touching him seemed to calm her trembling slightly, giving her a bit of courage.

“Hello?”

The hard-won courage was met with silence.

The other party didn’t speak, but I-ryeong kept the phone pressed to her ear, waiting.

“This is Ju Hanna.”

After a long pause, a crisp yet unfamiliar voice came through.

It sounded rough, leaving I-ryeong flustered.

Compared to the abuse she had anticipated, this was anticlimactic. Given Hanna’s past behavior, she had expected a tirade of insults.

“I’d like to meet you. You can choose the time and place—I’ll adjust to your schedule.”

I-ryeong was curious about Hanna’s unusually submissive tone.

“Do I have any reason to meet you?”

She spoke coldly without blinking, surprising even herself with her composure.

“I know it’s shameless, but I need your help.”

Hanna didn’t give up.

“Not for my sake, but for yours—please meet with me.”

She persisted, giving a compelling reason why they had to meet.

“For my sake?” I-ryeong’s chest tightened.

“Come alone.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t bring that bastard Kang Suk-tae with me.”

Was it her imagination, or did Hanna’s mention of Kang Suk-tae carry a hint of anger?

I-ryeong suggested ending the call and sending the location and time via text.

“I’ll wait for your message. Please contact me, I-ryeong.”

Hanna ended the call after addressing her politely.

Even after the call ended, I-ryeong remained still, the phone still pressed to her ear.

“Are you okay?”

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine.”

At I-jun’s voice, she finally moved the phone away. Her ear felt hot, almost buzzing.

“Are you really going to meet her?”

“I don’t know. But if I don’t, she’ll probably keep calling.”

“Should I come with you?”

I-jun naturally assumed the role of her protector. After all, wasn’t Hanna the woman who had hidden for years, suppressing her emotions?

“I’m not a child.”

“To me, you are.”

His face was clouded with genuine concern.

“She said to come alone, so I’ll go alone too.”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

I-ryeong absentmindedly ruffled his half-dried, tousled hair.

Why did he look so good no matter how she smoothed it down? Her anger, which had been boiling just moments ago, miraculously subsided as she gazed at him.

A man whose mere presence calmed her.

“If anything happens, I’ll throw a punch or two, what do you think?”

She joked lightly to reassure him, forcing a smile.

The meeting with Hanna was set for Friday night, after work.

The location was a café near Dogok-dong, close to her home—the same place where I-ryeong had struggled to compose herself late at night when the company bulletin board post first appeared.

Arriving early, I-ryeong chose a seat in the farthest corner. Tall potted plants surrounded the sofa, shielding her from prying eyes.

After ordering a drink, she waited nervously for Hanna. Each passing second felt like her heart was beating twice as fast.

“Nothing will happen, nothing will happen.”

She repeated the mantra to herself.

Before leaving, I-jun had reassured her that everything would be fine and promised to rush over if needed—he was waiting nearby. She thought of him now.

Still, her lips were dry, and her trembling hands refused to settle.

“I arrived right on time, but it seems you were already here.”

Hanna appeared, wearing an elegant dress despite the late hour.

Upon spotting her, I-ryeong stood up.

“Let’s properly introduce ourselves. I’m Ju Hanna.”

“Cha Eun-ryeong.”

Caught off guard, I-ryeong reflexively shook hands with Hanna, though questions swirled in her mind.

Were they really at a point where formal introductions were necessary?

I-ryeong released Hanna’s hand after noticing her emotionless expression, which revealed nothing. Just as she was about to sit back down—

“I’m sorry.”

Hanna, still in her skirt, knelt on the floor. The sudden action left I-ryeong no time to stop her.

“This won’t make up for everything, but I’m asking for your forgiveness.”

“Get up! Please, hurry and get up!”

Fortunately, the potted plants shielded them from the other customers’ view.

“It was madness that drove me then. I shouldn’t have done what I did to you.”

Hanna kept her head bowed, showing no intention of standing, even as her bare knees pressed against the dirty floor.

“Better late than never, I suppose. I’m sorry.”

I-ryeong found no comfort in this belated apology, especially since it felt one-sided.

Memories of enduring her pain alone came rushing back like a slideshow. The anguish she had felt during their honeymoon in Greece weighed heavily on her mind, making everything feel even bleaker.

As she stared down at Hanna, still kneeling, I-ryeong unconsciously clenched her fists.

The sharp pain of her nails digging into her palms registered, yet she didn’t loosen her grip—instead, she tightened it further.

How could they possibly compensate for the life they had ruined? She swallowed her urge to scream until her throat went raw, forcing it down again and again.

Her chest felt suffocatingly tight.

Was this how they intended to heap guilt onto her? Lips pressed tightly together, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“Sit down. Let’s talk while sitting. If you’re just going to burden me, I’ll leave.”

I-ryeong’s voice was icy, devoid of inflection, as her emotions cooled along with her blood.

“What kind of slander are you trying to pin on me now?”

The surrounding customers began whispering among themselves. She had thought the plants hid them, but apparently not.

This felt deliberate, like they were mocking her.

“I’ll go.”

As I-ryeong grabbed her bag and moved to pass Hanna—

“I’m sorry. I’ll get up, so please don’t leave.”

Hanna, still bowing her head, grabbed I-ryeong’s wrist. Her face was streaked with tears.

Why did this sight only make her feel uncomfortable and alienated?

Looking at Hanna reminded I-ryeong of the nausea she had felt when viewing Kang Suk-tae’s photos—it twisted her stomach.

“I’ll sit. I’ll sit, so please don’t go.”

Only now did she notice Hanna’s lips were chapped and disheveled.

Seeing Hanna act like the victim left I-ryeong feeling deeply unsettled.

“Let go of me. Let go and let’s talk.”

“I’m sorry.”

After a brief struggle, the two finally sat facing each other.

The coffee I-ryeong had ordered earlier had long gone cold, losing all its warmth.

Since it was already cold, would throwing it in her face be justified? Lost in such dark thoughts, I-ryeong’s fingers lingered on the teacup.

“Why did you give this to me?”

To shift her thoughts, she placed the phone she had been keeping on the table and slid it toward Hanna.

Hanna, who had been staring straight ahead, lowered her gaze to the phone.

“I wanted you to see it too.”

“Ju Hanna!”

Her explanation—that she had given it deliberately—only fueled I-ryeong’s rising anger.

“You’ve seen it, haven’t you?”

“What’s the point of doing this to me? Was it fun? This is way too excessive to just be out of boredom!”

There was no apology for secretly looking through the phone.

Consumed by rage, I-ryeong was ready to unleash everything without restraint.

“Am I your toy? Do I look funny to you?”

“I-ryeong.”

Unlike the agitated I-ryeong, Hanna remained calm, like the surface of a still lake.

“That man, Kang Suk-tae, has been cheating for quite some time.”

“What does that have to do with me…?”

“I’m sorry, truly sorry, but I needed somewhere to vent years of pent-up frustration.”

Before I-ryeong could finish, Hanna cut her off.

“My husband cheated with a woman he dated before marrying me.”

Suk-tae had hidden his affair meticulously. Though Hanna hired people to track him, his keen instincts always led to dead ends, wasting her money.

“I walked myself into the hell I created.”

Blinded by sweet words, she had pushed forward with the marriage despite everyone’s objections, unwilling to let it fail.

“You have no idea how many years I spent doubting and fighting with him. Then one day, Kang Suk-tae mentioned your name.”

Even knowing it wasn’t true, she had pretended to believe him, hoping he’d drop more evidence.

“That woman started sending me pictures on her own. There was no need to search for more proof.”

“Then what about those text messages you sent me? Why did you torment my mind too?”

Listening to Hanna’s story, I-ryeong lost control, overcome with fury. She was ready to slap Hanna across the face.