MHD - 41

Chapter 41: Shaken to the Core  

“Are you not going to ask what happened?” 

Jae-hyuk picked up a piece of bread from the plate in front of him, tore it into small pieces, and placed them on his plate. His tone was casual, as if dismissing the matter entirely. 

“I don’t know… I’m just not curious.” 

“Are you not angry?” 

Startled by the sudden question, Hee-soo jerked her head up. Jae-hyuk was calmly spreading butter over the small piece of torn bread. 

“...What’s there to be angry about? You told me already.” 

Yes, he had told her. That he had a woman he was going to marry, that their time together was coming to an end. 

She had known this all along, but now that reality was staring her in the face, a different wave of emotions crashed over her. 

Anger… no, this feeling ran deeper, far too deep, and it carried an unbearable sadness. 

Hee-soo found it hard to keep her expression neutral, so she lowered her gaze before Jae-hyuk could catch her eyes. Her tangled emotions threatened to spill over into tears. 

With trembling hands, she gripped her coffee cup tightly, trying to calm her racing heart with its warmth. 

The image she’d seen earlier replayed vividly in her mind. 

Jae-hyuk handing a bouquet of lisianthus flowers to Kwon Chae-won, her accepting it—the memory lingered like a ghost haunting her thoughts. 

Did it have to come to this? Did he really have to meet her, on the same day, at the same place where he had called Hee-soo? 

It felt cruel. 

Was this his way of letting her know that his feelings had changed? Was he taunting her, daring her to say something, just to see how she would react? 

She wanted to stand up right then and there, point her finger at him, and call him out for his rudeness. But instead, Hee-soo bit her lip and held back. 

As he had said— 

They were in the process of saying goodbye. 

Instead, she silently placed another heavy stone on her heart, suppressing the words she couldn’t bring herself to say. 

“How can I make it up to you?” 

Jae-hyuk asked. Hee-soo didn’t have the luxury of sorting through her emotions. She forced a composed face and met his gaze. 

“What do you mean, make it up to me?” 

“I was late yesterday. It was practically like standing you up. Tell me what you want.” 

What I want… 

Hee-soo discreetly bit down on her lip. Jae-hyuk’s seemingly indifferent face pierced deep into her heart like a blade. 

When would she finally be able to look at Jae-hyuk without feeling this pain? 

“There’s nothing. Thanks to you, I got to relax comfortably in the hotel room.” 

Her inner voice screamed otherwise. No compensation is needed! The unspoken question lingered on her tongue: Why those flowers? Was it intentional, presenting the exact same bouquet to her? 

She knew it was childish, even irrational, to compare. 

But still… 

That was supposed to be a symbol of our memories. 

Had those memories only mattered to her? Had she been the only one assigning special meaning to them? 

Her heart split into two warring factions—reason versus emotion, each brandishing a sword against the other. 

One side urged her to confront him, to lose her composure and demand answers. The other side insisted she mustn’t. 

“How about today? Do you have plans today?” 

Jae-hyuk, who had been cutting his salad into small bites, asked. He apologized for being late yesterday but assured her with a nonchalant expression that he would keep their appointment today. 

“Today?” 

Hee-soo couldn’t respond immediately. Her mind seemed to freeze. 

Her original plan had been simple: once Jae-hyuk left, she would go straight home, crawl into her bed, and shut out the world. 

This room, reserved by Jae-hyuk, and this building, where he had met that woman—everything here reminded her of him. She wanted to escape as quickly as possible, retreat into the safety of her own space, curl up like a snail, and breathe freely again. 

“You can stay here one more day, Hee-soo.” 

“Ah…” 

“If it’s inconvenient, I’ll come to your place. Would that be okay?” 

His question sounded practiced, as if he were someone who had gone through this situation countless times before. 

Before she could steady herself, fresh wounds opened in her heart. She couldn’t think straight. Her whole body trembled, and her eyes wavered. 

“No, it’s fine.” 

Finally managing to decline, Jae-hyuk pressed further. 

“Then come to my place instead.” 

His straightforward reply made Hee-soo think of Kim Po-dak—the last person she wanted to find out about her relationship with Jae-hyuk.

“…I’ll just stay here, then.” 

Just as she had expected, this was a game where the person who loved more would lose. Hee-soo looked at Jae-hyuk with a different gaze now. If it was all an act, she was confident in her ability to pull it off. 

I don’t love Jae-hyuk. 

Like a mantra, Hee-soo repeated the words to herself over and over, trying to hypnotize her heart into believing them. 

But even as she tried to steel her resolve, her heart wavered, unable to make a firm decision. She couldn’t fully grasp the situation. 

Should she explode in anger? Or should she calmly brush it off? Her judgment felt broken, like a machine that had malfunctioned. 

“Alright. I’ll come back early today. Let’s have dinner together. There’s a nice restaurant on the top floor of this hotel. I’ll make a reservation.” 

Was it the same place where he had dined with that woman? The thought made Hee-soo’s brow furrow. A stream of childish thoughts followed. Was she… jealous? The realization made her face flush hot, though she was alone. 

Instead of looking at Jae-hyuk, Hee-soo stared intently at the omelet in front of her. It felt as if the tears welling up in her eyes would spill over at the slightest nudge. Once they started falling, she feared she might cry endlessly. 

“Mm.” 

Hee-soo gave a short reply without lifting her head. 

Squeak. The sound of a chair being pushed back echoed as Jae-hyuk stood up. Hee-soo shifted her gaze slightly toward his seat before quickly averting her eyes again. 

“See you later, then.” 

Jae-hyuk gave her a brief farewell and left. Soon after, the sound of water running in the bathroom filled the room. Hee-soo sat there blankly until the water stopped. 

By the time Jae-hyuk emerged from the bathroom and began changing clothes, Hee-soo had already dashed into the bedroom, burrowing herself under the covers. 

Click. 

She kept her eyes tightly shut until she heard the door close. Pretending to sleep, she tried to empty her mind, hoping it would somehow hide the feelings she feared were already too obvious. 

---

After stepping out of the room, Jae-hyuk walked a few steps before stopping. He briefly turned his head to glance back at the room where Hee-soo was, then continued down the hallway. 

So she pretended to be unaffected, but in the decisive moment, she couldn’t hide anything. 

The look in Hee-soo’s eyes when she saw the gossip article that morning had clearly wavered. Her gaze, swirling with mixed emotions, seemed to tell many stories—but simply put, it was the look of someone deeply shaken. 

How naive. If she wanted to deceive him, she should’ve done a better job. She should’ve acted nonchalant, asking casually what the fuss was about. She should’ve listened to every detail of his fake relationship story and congratulated him. 

The performance had been a success. Jae-hyuk had shaken Seo Hee-soo, who stubbornly tried to deny her feelings while pretending nothing was wrong. The moment he saw her face upon confirming the article, Jae-hyuk believed he had won. 

And yet, strangely, uncovering her mask so easily left him feeling hollow. Was it now his turn to hurt Seo Hee-soo? Had the opportunity finally fallen into his hands? 

What should I do with you? 

Lost in thought, Jae-hyuk found himself smiling bitterly without realizing it. 

Ah, am I really being this childish? 

With a wry smile, Jae-hyuk stepped into the hotel lobby. As he approached the car waiting for him, a single blooming flower petal floated into his line of sight. 

Carried by the wind, it danced lightly, fluttering through his field of vision before drifting far away. 

Watching the petal disappear, Jae-hyuk’s thoughts drifted back to a spring day long ago, when Hee-soo had danced in front of him. 

Wearing her ballet outfit, she had jumped and twirled, showing off her moves with pride. Back then, her face still carried traces of baby fat, making her look endearingly youthful. 

Her cheeks, rosy like ripe peaches, glowed as she performed her favorite moves, leaping like a bird in flight. 

“Look at this! Bend your knees like this… and sauté!” 

Every time she called out “sauté” and soared into the air like a feather before landing gracefully, Hee-soo would turn to Jae-hyuk with a proud expression. 

How was that? Wasn’t it amazing? 

Her sparkling eyes, brimming with hope for praise, were so beautiful. Even without words, anyone could see she was waiting for his compliment. 

You’re doing great. 

As soon as he said those words, she would pout shyly, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. That image of Hee-soo from those days melted into the sunlight, vivid and warm. 

Standing frozen in place, Jae-hyuk couldn’t tear his eyes away from where the petal had vanished. It felt as though the Hee-soo from those days might suddenly come running out from somewhere nearby. 

A wave of nostalgia crashed over him, overwhelming and bittersweet. 

He wanted to rush back upstairs right then and there, grab Hee-soo, and ask her— 

Was this regret? Or just the lingering remnants of unresolved emotions? Was he searching for meaning in things that were meaningless? 

No, it wasn’t any of that. 

Jae-hyuk simply wanted to see Hee-soo’s gaze from back then—one more time. 

The way Seo Hee-soo used to look at him—with such pure, unreserved love—was something he couldn’t forget. 

Gripping the car door handle tightly, Jae-hyuk hesitated. Then, he let go and closed the door again. Turning around, he gazed up at the high-rise floors of the hotel where Hee-soo was.

He recalled the Seo Hee-soo of this morning, trembling as she looked at him. 

If he wanted to keep her by his side now, was it truly necessary to hurt her and shake her until she came to hate him? 

Was stirring such emotions—making sure she couldn’t erase him from her heart—the only way to hold onto her? 

Ah. Just like the title of the movie script she had been holding. 

Though I love you dearly, my beloved who endlessly inflicts pain upon me. 

How nice it would be if I could erase the memories of loving you. With every breath, I paint your image in my mind and walk atop those memories, deluding myself into thinking I’m treading an endless thorn-filled path. I don’t even think to look back at my blood-stained footsteps. 

Jae-hyuk closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. The surging emotions gradually began to subside, though they had felt uncontrollable just moments ago. 

"Vice President." 

The chauffeur, unable to wait any longer, stepped out of the driver’s seat and called out to Jae-hyuk. Slowly opening his eyes, Jae-hyuk gave a slight nod toward the driver. 

"Let’s go." 

With that, Jae-hyuk quickly shifted his expression and got into the car.