MHD - 61

Chapter 61: The Debt of Emotions

“Explain it to me clearly.”

His gaze was sharp, like the tip of a spear.

Jae-hyuk narrowed his eyes, trying to trace the root of Hee-soo’s words. But she shook her head as if deaf to his questions, her voice tinged with resignation.

“I just… I don’t have the confidence, the leeway, or the ability to handle you anymore. I want to stop before things get worse.”

“You don’t need to handle anything. That’s my responsibility.”

“Don’t say things so lightly when you don’t understand.”

“Then tell me. Tell me what the problem was and what it is now.”

Hee-soo raised her dampened eyes to meet Jae-hyuk’s. Her heart was heavy with sorrow. No matter what he said, it didn’t reach her ears.

Struggling to rein in her rising emotions, Hee-soo swallowed hard. All of this—it was a meaningless argument.

“…Just leave me alone. If you really care about me, do that.”

“I can’t.”

Before her sentence even ended, Jae-hyuk leaned forward, closing the distance between them. Hee-soo pressed herself back against the seat, but there was nowhere left to retreat.

She found herself trapped within the confines of Jae-hyuk’s broad shoulders, his arms stretched wide on either side of her.

“I can’t do that. I can’t live without concerning myself with you.”

His voice was low, strained, and pained as he pressed closer. His clenched jaw stood out sharply, evidence of the tension coursing through him.

Hee-soo covered her face with both hands. She couldn’t bear to look into his eyes. A suffocating wave of emotion choked her throat. His words—his inability to let her go—echoed painfully in her ears.

“Why? Why is it like this?”

“It just turned out this way.”

“What more do you want me to do?”

“Just accept me. Accept us.”

“Hah.”

How could he demand that she accept him while refusing to let go of what he already held? Everyone in the world knew that Lee Jae-hyuk was engaged to another woman, yet he asked her to accept him. Hee-soo couldn’t make sense of his words.

How much longer would this painful relationship continue before she could finally be free?

It hurt to neither fully release nor cling to him, only tearing open old wounds. Would it have been better if she had simply lived without seeing him? Had those years of rejecting him been less painful than this?

Her judgment felt broken, everything a chaotic mess. Unable to find clarity, tears welled up uncontrollably.

Hee-soo’s shoulders trembled faintly. As she struggled to suppress the sobs rising in her throat, her chest heaved.

“…No.”

Her voice quivered with suppressed tears as she shook her head.

“Let the scandal break. It’s better this way. At least it’s better than being known as the hidden lover of an engaged man.”

The pent-up emotions burst forth in a twisted direction. Misunderstandings bred more misunderstandings, and wounded hearts lashed out at each other. You should feel as much pain as I do.

“Hee-soo.”

Jae-hyuk gently pried her hands away from her face.

“I’ve decided to be honest with my feelings from now on.”

His unwavering gaze burned with intensity.

“Try being honest with yours too.”

Though his words were calm, they cut deep into Hee-soo.

Could she afford to be honest with her feelings? Wasn’t it only possible for him because he had the privilege of such freedom? She had never once allowed herself to be honest.

Yes, just once. The night she had first been intimate with Jae-hyuk. That had been the only time. And what had the past ten years been like after that? Hadn’t she paid the price in full, enduring unbearable suffering?

Hee-soo averted her gaze from Jae-hyuk, letting her eyes wander aimlessly around the car. Tears pooled heavily in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

Watching her silently, Jae-hyuk finally spoke. His tightly controlled voice revealed how difficult these words were for him.

“…I wanted to shake you. I wanted to see if you could stop me completely. I wondered if any part of my feelings for you still remained. If they did, I wanted to cling to them.”

Hee-soo stared fixedly at the shadow of a tree outside the car window. If she relaxed even slightly, the tears brimming in her eyes would roll down her cheeks.

“You… despised me, didn’t you?”

After a long pause, she managed to force out those words. Without hesitation, Jae-hyuk replied:

“That was a lie.”

“You said you’d never love me again, no matter what happened.”

“That was a delusion.”

Yes, it had all been lies. Jae-hyuk’s voice carried a bitter self-mockery as he cupped her face and turned it toward him.

“I can’t let you go, and you can’t stop me.”

“…No.”

Hee-soo shook her head, her voice trembling with denial, but Jae-hyuk didn’t waver.

“If I hadn’t shaken you like this, you wouldn’t even have realized your own feelings.”

“No. If you hadn’t shaken me, I wouldn’t have been in this much pain.”

“Does it hurt? That pain exists because you still have feelings. Why can’t you see that? Why do you keep denying it?”

The resentment he had bottled up for so long weighed heavily on his tongue.

How simple it would be if everything could be condensed into a few sentences. Hee-soo, however, could only move her lips soundlessly, like someone who had lost their voice, before finally falling silent.

Jae-hyuk watched her with a bitter smirk, as if he had expected nothing less.

“If that’s how you feel, then endure it. That’s the emotional debt you owe me. You have to repay what you owe me.”

Exhaling deeply, Jae-hyuk added with a sigh:

“Until you’ve repaid it all, I can’t let you go.”

He quietly studied her eyes before slowly pulling away. His brows furrowed faintly, as though uncovering something unexpected.

“You push me away when I come closer, but when I distance myself, you grow anxious.”

“That’s not true.”

Despite her fervent denial, Jae-hyuk merely smirked.

“So, from now on, I’ll handle things my way.”

With those cryptic words, Jae-hyuk reached behind Hee-soo and grabbed the car door handle. Click. The door unlocked.

“Watch closely and see how I operate.”

His unwavering gaze locked onto hers, resolute and unshakable. Hee-soo wanted to ask exactly what he meant, but she couldn’t calm herself enough to speak.

If she stayed any longer, she knew she’d completely lose her composure. In the end, Hee-soo averted her gaze and fled the car like an escapee.

Thud.

The moment Hee-soo stepped out and closed the door, Jae-hyuk drove off without hesitation. She stood in the alley for a long time, watching as his car disappeared into the distance.

---

“Seo Hee-soo and Choi Han-young: Exclusive Dating Scoop”  

“Agencies Deny Romance Rumors”

After a long while, Hee-soo’s name once again dominated the front pages of major portals.

Some online communities reignited discussions about her abrupt departure from the drama, while others buzzed with the agencies’ active denials and clarifications. 

But the controversy didn’t last more than a day.

The very next morning, a tabloid article surfaced alleging that the child of a prominent politician had hosted a wild drug-fueled party with several entertainers.

What began as a speculative tabloid piece transformed into verified news by lunchtime, reported by major media outlets. By evening, the scandal had exploded across portal sites, fueled by exclusive paparazzi photos released by Rumors, a notorious gossip outlet.

It was the moment speculation turned into certainty.

When Hee-soo woke up groggily and checked her phone, she had intended to monitor how the rumors about her and Choi Han-young were unfolding. But as she clicked on the entertainment section of a portal site, her eyes widened at the name “Kwon Chae-won.” Rubbing her eyes, she reread the headlines:

“Oh Tae-joo Issues Statement Regarding Drug Allegations This Morning”  

“Oh Tae-joo’s Lover Revealed to Be Kwon Sam-soo’s Only Daughter”  

“Risk of Overseas Fleeing—Arrest Warrant Likely Issued; Kwon Sam-soo Refuses to Comment”

The entertainment sections of major portals were ablaze with articles about Kwon Chae-won and her lover, Oh Tae-joo.

Hee-soo realized the media had swiftly shifted its focus to this new scandal. The rumors about her and Choi Han-young had already been pushed aside, leaving barely a trace.

As she carefully read through the articles, Hee-soo suddenly recalled Jae-hyuk’s words:

“Watch closely and see how I operate.”

Could it be? Did he mean this?

When it became difficult to clean up an already-broken scandal, the best solution was often to unleash an even bigger, more sensational one. People always craved newer, more shocking stories.

Otherwise, one could only wait for time to erase the gossip from public memory.

But waiting for gossip to fade meant enduring a long, tedious stretch of time. Hee-soo knew this all too well from her experience of abruptly leaving the drama, which had kept her life noisy for quite a while.

Frowning deeply, Hee-soo searched for every related news article.

When she specifically searched for “Kwon Chae-won,” numerous articles containing “Kwon Sam-soo” and “Kangrim” also surfaced.

“Child Risk: Will Kwon Sam-soo’s Fall Lead to Political Collapse?”  

“Delayed Legislation Could Severely Impact Kangrim Group’s Logistics Business”

On the political and economic fronts, other perspectives on the scandal emerged.

If Kwon Sam-soo stepped down as floor leader due to this incident, Kangrim Group would inevitably suffer significant repercussions. Articles speculated that the fallout could delay critical legislation, directly impacting Kangrim’s logistics operations.

“…If the proposed bill faces delays, Kangrim Group will bear the brunt of the damage. Particularly in shipping, the long-term effects could be devastating…”

Reading through the reports, Hee-soo sat upright, her earlier lethargy replaced by alertness.

“…Thus, Lee Jae-hyuk, the vice chairman spearheading the project, now faces a direct leadership crisis. Especially with the upcoming shareholders’ meeting determining his reappointment next year…”

No matter how many times Hee-soo read the economic articles predicting Kangrim Group’s potential losses amounting to several hundred billion won, the details failed to sink in.

What she could grasp, however, was that the scandal surrounding Kwon Chae-won had the potential to backfire and corner Jae-hyuk into a precarious situation.

“…Why?”

After rereading the articles multiple times, Hee-soo muttered to herself without realizing it.

Could all of this have been orchestrated because of me? Just for one person like me?

As she pondered this question, Hee-soo picked up her phone again, intending to contact Jae-hyuk.