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“Maybe she didn’t love you as much as you thought.”
Still snickering, Kang-un delivered the words with a smirk.
“That can’t be true.”
“Well, whatever. I told her that if she ever showed up again, I’d make sure she could never see you again.”
“What?”
“She’s a smart woman. She understood exactly what I meant.”
“You bastard!”
Finally, Joo-hyuk’s pent-up anger exploded.
He shot up and threw a punch at Kang-un’s face before grabbing him by the neck.
But Kang-un, far more experienced in fights, quickly gained the upper hand by kicking Joo-hyuk back.
As they pushed, pulled, and rolled around, their brawl intensified, sending objects crashing to the floor with loud thuds.
“Oh my! Executive Director!”
“Executive Director! Are you alright?”
The secretary burst into the room, followed by several burly men who managed to separate Joo-hyuk and Kang-un.
Both men were disheveled—wrinkled clothes, tousled hair, and faces covered in bruises and blood.
“Feel better after your little revenge?”
Breathing heavily, Joo-hyuk asked while trying to shake off the men gripping his shoulders tightly.
“Just look at yourself. This is even better than what I imagined.”
“Things won’t go your way!”
“Do as you please.”
Kang-un wiped the blood from his lips with a handkerchief offered by the secretary, sneering.
“Go ahead and try to find your wife and persuade her. For some reason, she was terrified enough not to come back willingly.”
“You son of a bitch!”
Joo-hyuk tried to lunge at him again, but the men holding his shoulders punched him in the abdomen, causing him to collapse.
“You talk about love without knowing a thing about her. Get him out of my sight.”
“Should we call the police?”
“The police? Hmm, that sounds good.”
The secretary stepped outside to report the incident, and within minutes, the police arrived.
---
“What kind of mess is this, seriously?”
As soon as they stepped out of the police station, Eun-yoo lit a cigarette and sighed.
“Did losing your position as CEO make you lose your mind? Instead of figuring out how to return to the company, you’re picking fights like this. What’s gotten into you, Choi Joo-hyuk? This isn’t like you.”
“I don’t know what being ‘like me’ even means anymore.”
Leaning against Eun-yoo, Joo-hyuk ran his fingers through his tangled hair.
The verbal blows from Kang-un hurt more than the physical ones.
Why had Sena abandoned their relationship without a second glance after his threat?
While detained at the police station, writing statements and locked in a holding cell, he had thought endlessly but found no answers.
Had he waited too long for her to open up about the symptoms she showed early on in their relationship—the ones she claimed were now gone—or about that past event she once hinted at?
“Want one?”
Eun-yoo offered him a cigarette.
“No.”
Though alcohol seemed more appealing, now wasn’t the time to drown himself in it.
“What happened? Why did it escalate to fists?”
“It just did.”
“Why didn’t Sena contact me instead of you?”
“Because...”
Because Sena wasn’t there.
Frustrated, Joo-hyuk let out a deep sigh.
“I called her on the way here, but her number was invalid. Did she change it?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Some things came up. I’ll tell you later.”
“You’re being so vague, honestly.”
She took a long drag of her cigarette, then extinguished it despite it still being half-full.
After repeatedly claiming she would quit smoking, it seemed recent events had undone her resolve.
“Anyway, consider yourself lucky that they decided not to press charges. Though it was mutual assault, you did throw the first punch.”
“Yeah.”
“I can’t believe you acted without thinking about the reporters sniffing around. What would you have done if they caught wind of this?”
“I’m sorry.”
Joo-hyuk clasped his hands together and bowed his head to Eun-yoo.
“How’s KMS? Everything okay?”
“It’s eerily quiet. It seems like nothing’s wrong, but that’s what’s terrifying—it’s not normal.”
“I’m sorry for leaving you with all the responsibility.”
“Don’t say that. You didn’t do anything wrong—you were forced out. Be angry. Let’s figure out a way to take it back.”
Eun-yoo lightly punched Joo-hyuk’s arm.
“Come on, I’ll take you home.”
I don’t want to go back to an empty house.
Suppressing his honest feelings, Joo-hyuk nodded instead of speaking.
Following Eun-yoo, who walked ahead, he slowly made his way to the parking lot as snow began to fall.
“There’s been a lot of snow this year.”
Frowning, Eun-yoo hurried toward the car.
“Yeah. Sena won’t like this.”
Joo-hyuk muttered as he watched the snowflakes melt on his palm.
The melting snow reminded him of Sena, blurring his vision.
---
What should I do?
Sena had already been standing in front of the payphone she’d barely managed to find for over 30 minutes, lost in thought.
It was this morning that Sena, thinking she should at least let her aunt and Seo-young know she was safe, decided to find a payphone.
Knowing how anxiously the two of them must be waiting for her call, she didn’t hesitate any longer. She inserted the prepaid phone card she had bought at the convenience store and first dialed her aunt’s number.
[Hello?]
“...”
Though weak, it was unmistakably her aunt’s voice.
Hearing her voice after so long, Sena gripped the phone tightly but couldn’t bring herself to speak.
[Sena? Is that you? Sena, is that really you?]
“...Aunt.”
[Ah, Sena! Where are you?]
“I’m fine, so please don’t worry about me.”
[Where are you? I’ll come to see you. Tell me what’s going on.]
Her aunt’s voice trembled with tears.
“I’ll come soon. Just wait a little longer.”
[Sena, Choi Joo-hyuk is looking for you too...]
“No! You absolutely cannot tell him you heard from me. Do you understand?”
[What’s going on, Sena? Tell me—I’ll fix it. I’ll help you.]
“I’ll call again later.”
Sena quickly hung up the phone.
Why hadn’t she anticipated that her aunt would contact Joo-hyuk? Of course, he’d be the first person she’d reach out to if I disappeared. How could I have been so stupid?
Wiping away the tears streaming down her face, Sena hurriedly left the area where the payphone was located.
She was relieved she had chosen a motel far from this neighborhood in case of unforeseen circumstances.
But why was Joo-hyuk looking for her?
That night, he had clearly looked deeply hurt, accusing her of deceiving him.
Could he still love her even after she had treated him so cruelly?
She shook her head fiercely. What nonsense. She shouldn’t dare hope for such things.
Please, forget about someone like me and live happily.
Sena cried out silently in her heart. If Joo-hyuk wasn’t happy, her leaving would lose all meaning.
So please… Be happy without me. I beg of you.
---
“Please, help me.”
Joo-hyuk knelt before Chairman Choi.
After realizing it would take time for Secretary Park to locate Sena, Joo-hyuk reluctantly came to his father as a last resort. If anyone could find her quickly, it was his father.
Before losing her completely, he had to swallow his pride.
“Help you with what?”
Trimming the end of a cigar, Chairman Choi placed it between his lips and lit it. Sitting comfortably in his study chair, his eyes lazily closed and then opened again.
“Help me find Sena.”
“Hmm…”
The fact that he didn’t ask what finding Sena meant confirmed that Chairman Choi already knew she was missing.
Of course, it wasn’t unusual for him to monitor every move in Joo-hyuk’s life.
“Why are you asking me for help? Can’t you handle it yourself?”
“You already know where Sena is, don’t you?”
“Me? How would I know?”
“Father! I’m desperate here. Please, just tell me.”
As if he didn’t know.
It was obvious someone had reported Sena leaving the house late that night directly to Chairman Choi.
His feigned ignorance was just another attempt to break Joo-hyuk’s stubborn streak.
“What will you do if I tell you where she is?”
“...”
“And what will you give me in return?”
Joo-hyuk clenched his fists tightly on his knees.
How could his father negotiate over something as personal as finding the woman his son loved? He wanted to turn around and leave right then and there.
“What do you want?”
“Let me think…”
Chairman Choi took a sip of whiskey from the crystal glass in his other hand, gulping it down greedily.
“Forget about the money I invested in KMS. Turns out it’s more valuable than I thought.”
Though he had expected it, hearing his father actually say it made Joo-hyuk squeeze his eyes shut.
“Don’t you like that idea?”
“It’s already been decided through the shareholders’ meeting. It’s beyond my control.”
“Is that so?”
“I’m no longer the CEO of KMS.”
Please, offer some other condition…
Joo-hyuk prayed his father wouldn’t dismiss his plea outright.
Fortunately, after taking another sip of whiskey, Chairman Choi leaned forward and stared intently at Joo-hyuk.
“How about this, then? If you refuse, I can’t help you.”
“...What is it?”
“Your brother’s election.”
“...What?”
“Support your brother’s campaign.”
It felt like lightning struck his mind. No—like the ground splitting open and the sky collapsing. His heart tightened painfully, choking him.
“You still... haven’t given up?”
Joo-hyuk managed to ask, his voice strained.
“Give up? Do you really think a simple investigation will change anything?”
Chairman Choi sneered.
“Choose. Support your brother’s campaign, and I’ll tell you where Sena is.”
“...I can’t do that.”
A short, bitter laugh escaped Chairman Choi’s lips.
“Then I can’t help you either.”
Chairman Choi’s face was filled with dissatisfaction, as if he couldn’t understand why Joo-hyuk wouldn’t accept such a simple deal.
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