SELA - Extra 7

Sa-hee took Ji-hyuk’s jacket and hung it up, then sat on the edge of the bed, watching him. The slow movements of untying his tie and removing his cufflinks were as smooth and natural as flowing clouds.

“Was I? I’ll be more careful from now on.”

Ji-hyuk murmured, turning to look at Sa-hee as he took off his shirt. Sa-hee felt inexplicably awkward and scratched her cheek. She worried that she might have been nagging someone busy with work.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I know. I’m just saying I will.”

“......”

“I shouldn’t make you worry.”

With those words, Ji-hyuk smiled and walked towards the bathroom. He seemed to be heading straight for a shower.

“Thank you.”

Sa-hee whispered to herself, unsure if he could even hear her. He had definitely smiled, but there was clear fatigue on Ji-hyuk’s face just now.

One of the things she had learned while working with him was that she could tell to some extent what condition Ji-hyuk was in and what emotions he held. So, what she had felt today must not be wrong. Could something be wrong?

Quietly sitting and sinking into thought, Sa-hee let out a long breath. Then she got up and began to tidy up the clothes he had taken off. Don’t think too deeply. Don’t think too deeply.

A little while later. Sa-hee, who had brewed chamomile tea, returned to the room with a tray. Ji-hyuk, who had come out of the bathroom in the meantime, was sitting propped up against the headboard, looking at something on his tablet.

“Have some tea.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

Even as he said that, Ji-hyuk only glanced at her for a fleeting moment before quickly shifting his gaze back to the tablet. Sa-hee stood quietly for a moment, then sat down on the chair at the table with an awkward smile.

“I’ll put it here. Come quickly.”

“Just a moment. Just need to check this.”

He seemed very busy with work. That could happen. She, who had worked with him, knew better than anyone how busy he was and what an important position he held. Sa-hee nodded in understanding and poured the warm tea into a cup, pushing it to the opposite side of the table.

“What kind of tea is this?”

“Chamomile tea.”

“It smells nice.”

Finally, having finished his task, he got up. Ji-hyuk ran a tired hand through his hair and continued speaking.

“How was your day? Did you have a good day?”

“Yes. Oh, right, today Ji-hee for the first time...”

Buzz. Buzz-buzz. Buzz.

That was the moment. Ji-hyuk’s phone suddenly vibrated.

“Ah, just a moment.”

Before Ji-hyuk could even sit down on the chair, he turned around again and walked towards the bed. He immediately picked up the phone that was on the nightstand.

“What? Okay. I’ll be right there.”

Right there? At this hour? It was already well past midnight. Before Sa-hee could even ask anything, he was already making another call.

“Hey, it’s me. You come straight over there.”

Over there? Where was he talking about? The company?

While Ji-hyuk hurriedly changed his clothes again, Sa-hee also got up from her seat.

“What’s wrong? What happened?”

“Looks like something came up at the company. It’s nothing serious, so don’t worry. I’ll just go check it out.”

Nothing serious, yet they were calling back someone who had already left work. And at this hour.

Just as Sa-hee was slowly processing her less-than-pleased thoughts, Ji-hyuk finished getting ready.

“I’ll be right back, so don’t wait up, go to sleep first.”

“You said you’d be right back. I’ll wait so we can sleep together...”

“No. Go to sleep first. I’ll be back.”

Ji-hyuk didn’t even hear her finish her sentence before giving Sa-hee a quick kiss on the forehead and leaving. Sa-hee belatedly followed him out, but only the hollow sound of the front door closing echoed back.

“I could have waited...”

Her murmur circled narrowly in front of her, not reaching anyone. Sa-hee felt inexplicably uneasy and went back into the room, sitting down at the vanity table.

Ji-hee, sound asleep and oblivious, was reflected on the baby monitor. Sa-hee reached out and rubbed the screen with her thumb before picking it up and returning to the living room.

Sitting on the sofa, she turned on the TV and lowered the volume. She turned it down almost to mute, so the figures on the screen were just moving their mouths. It didn’t matter. She hadn’t turned it on to watch anything in the first place. She just wanted to kill time. By doing something.

“He’ll be back soon, I guess.”

Sa-hee placed the baby monitor on the table where she could see it well and lay down lengthwise on the sofa. She put her hands together behind her head, and her body naturally curled up.

How much time had passed like that? She shifted positions a few times, trying to stay awake, until she heard the sound of the door lock opening. Sa-hee slowly sat up and looked towards the hallway. Ji-hyuk, rubbing his face with one hand as if tired, belatedly noticed Sa-hee as he walked past.

“Sa-hee-yah.”

“You’re back?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Just.”

“I told you to go to sleep first.”

“I couldn’t fall asleep.”

He let out a long sigh. Was it her imagination, or did his approaching footsteps feel heavy? Or maybe he was just tired. If so, what was he tired from? The work he had just finished? Or from her waiting without listening to him?

“Let’s go in.”

It wasn’t a question she particularly wanted an answer to. So, Sa-hee got up as he led her and headed to the room.

When the bedside lamp was turned on, a soft light filled the room. Ji-hyuk cracked his neck from side to side as if tired and quickly changed his clothes. Sa-hee, quietly watching him, took the clothes from him.

“I’ll just take a quick shower and come out.”

“Okay.”

While he was in the bathroom, Sa-hee moved to tidy up the clothes. She shook out the wrinkled clothes, draped them over her arm, and moved. Just as she quickly shifted her gaze.

“......”

Sa-hee approached the bedside lamp. Then she held the shirt collar and shoulder area under the light. A smeared mark similar to peach color. Or a trace that looked like it had been lightly pressed on.

She didn’t want to, but Sa-hee unknowingly lowered her head and smelled it.

“Ha.”

Incredibly, what she had expected was right. A scent that would only come from women’s cosmetics. Moreover, the perfume scent that permeated the entire garment was definitely not his.

The sound of water came from the bathroom. Sa-hee turned on the room’s main light with slightly heightened nerves. As the bright light came on, what she had suspected became clearer. And it was even more unbelievable. Not only the traces of cosmetics, not only the strange perfume scent that wasn’t even his taste, but the clothes themselves weren’t what he had gone out wearing.

It was a black jacket and an ordinary shirt, but the details were definitely different. He didn’t own clothes of this design and brand. Sa-hee herself, who managed his clothes, would definitely know.

“What are you doing?”

Sa-hee stiffened at the voice from behind. Even she didn’t know what her expression was like.

“Nothing.”

Before questioning him, Sa-hee quickly moved and pressed the light switch. The bright light disappeared in an instant, and the room darkened.

A strange scent and cosmetics, on clothes that weren’t even his. If a husband rushed out late at night and returned like this, any woman would only be able to think of one thing.

Another love. A woman. An affair.

“What are you doing? Come here.”

“......”

“Yoon Sa-hee.”

“......”

“Do you have something to say to me?”

“No.”

Sa-hee, hiding her trembling hands in her clothes, put on a seemingly calm face.

“I took a long nap, so I’m still not sleepy. Go to sleep first. I’ll just put the laundry in the laundry room.”

“Why bother? You can do that in the morning.”

“I want to do it now. I’ll do it now.”

“......”

“Good night.”

Sa-hee couldn’t bear it any longer and hurriedly opened the door and went out. Click, she barely managed not to slam the door shut anxiously, but her hand holding the doorknob trembled violently.

Instead of the laundry room, Sa-hee sank down in a corner of the living room, next to the sofa. She had a hallucination that a dark red unhappiness was flickering from the pile of clothes thrown in front of her. Tears were about to burst out.

What kind of relationship do we have? How did we meet again? We literally risked our lives to hold onto each other, how could he do this?

Sa-hee, burying her face in her raised knees, finally let tears fall. She bit her lip so hard that she tasted a fishy, metallic flavor, afraid that he might hear her.

________________________________________

Love. Love, you say.

Was the arrogance of believing that we were different from other people a sin? If that recklessness was seen as an eyesore, then please give us a different punishment. Did you really have to tear my heart like this in the end?

Using the excuse of not feeling well, she didn’t see Ji-hyuk off on his way to work. She had to force herself to get up for Ji-hee’s meal, but her mind, already half gone, was beyond her control.

“Shall I do it?”

“Yes?”

“You don’t look well. Go and rest. I’ll do it.”

The housekeeper, who had approached unnoticed, patted Sa-hee’s shoulder. Sa-hee, holding the bowl of baby food and blankly looking out the window, finally realized where she was and what she was doing. Embarrassed, she smiled awkwardly and changed her expression.