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The flustered Haejoo even forgot she had dropped her sunglasses. Unlike her contained muscles, her surging emotions exploded.
“Does that even make sense?”
“My brother took my ID and registered the marriage with you.”
“So you’re the real Park Dojun?”
“Yeah. My brother is Park Yijun. Tricky, right?”
“W-what?”
“Seeing things like this makes you realize life is pretty interesting.”
Slap!
Fueled by rising anger, Haejoo slapped Dojun across the cheek.
She was already resentful about registering the marriage due to her mother’s coercion, but now it turned out she had been played by a sibling’s prank.
Because of that marriage, Haejoo had suffered extreme mental anguish.
She had to give up everything, and now even her dream of becoming an actress was in danger of being shattered.
“Is this a joke to you right now?”
For Haejoo, the past three years had been a desperate war for survival.
Immediately after escaping, she lived in constant fear of Gyeong-ae finding her, working tirelessly without even being able to enjoy her basic rights.
Even though she had found freedom, she had to endure terrible loneliness every night.
Living in a small room, Haejoo would force down mouthfuls of rice, hiding in the shadows of the night to wipe away her tears.
Her life had been so insignificant.
She had believed that no one would miss her even if she died like this, but that wasn’t true.
She had met Jinhan and become an actress, experiencing happiness for the first time in her life.
To her, Dojun had committed an unbearable insult.
“Is someone else’s life a joke to you! Do you find this situation funny?”
The corners of Dojun’s eyes turned sharply cold.
He stood close to Haejoo and raised his arm high.
Terrified, Haejoo squeezed her eyes shut.
The man’s hand went towards the old wall and closed the cracked window.
Shut off from the outside, he spoke in a low, husky voice.
“I’ve been waiting eagerly for you to come.”
“......!”
“Who knew it would take this long, annoyingly so.”
“It wasn’t a marriage I wanted.”
“Do you think I wanted it?”
“If you knew about it first, you should have come looking for me.”
He took his hand off the wall and turned away sluggishly. Perching on the edge of the steel desk, he exhaled his pent-up feelings like a breath of air.
“My father found out late too.”
“......!”
“After my brother passed away, my father gave up, and I was frantically searching for you when you suddenly appeared on TV one day.”
“Haa.”
“My father saw you and called you his daughter-in-law... it was strange.”
“Strange how?”
“When we took him to the hospital, they said he had dementia.”
This matter was about Haejoo’s entire life.
She wanted to file for an annulment right away, but she remembered Jinhan’s request.
“Without my knowledge, the marital relationship has continued. The damage caused by this is immense.”
“Do you want me to get a divorce then?”
Haejoo almost slapped that smug face again.
She completely turned her gaze away and squeezed her eyes shut.
“The fact that I was married has become known late. I’m only just now seeing the light...”
“Anyway, you found me, so that’s enough.”
“What do you mean?”
Haejoo, choked with emotion, teared up.
She also hated having to ask such an ill-mannered person to play the role of a devoted husband.
Just as she was about to feel disgusted, her eyes met Dojun’s.
His pupils, where light and shadow mingled strangely, resembled the night sky with a full moon. Unlike his blunt way of speaking, that warm light shone only on Haejoo.
“It means don’t suffer alone anymore.”
Surprisingly, Haejoo’s fluctuating emotions calmed down.
A vast curtain seemed to envelop the fear-filled abyss, comforting her as if to say it was alright now.
It was a phenomenon her mind couldn’t understand.
She could only feel it.
At that moment, he wrote something on a memo pad lying on the desk. He abruptly handed it to Haejoo and opened the glass door.
“I’ll take responsibility for this. Come back when you’ve sorted out what you want.”
Haejoo was also not in an emotional state to continue the conversation. For now, she clutched the paper he had given her and left.
She went home and lay sick in bed all day.
When she told Jinhan about what had happened today over the phone, he burst into lamentation.
-It can’t be helped. He said he’ll take responsibility, so go and try to compromise.
The next day, Haejoo prepared to go out.
Helplessly, she unfolded the paper Dojun had given her yesterday and read what he had written.
“It’s an address. Is he telling me to go here?”
She typed the address written on the paper into her car’s navigation system and drove.
Soon, she arrived at a high-rise building in Gangnam with a clear view of the Han River. Haejoo had often passed by this building, so she stared up at it blankly.
“This is the Gino Group headquarters.”
Gino Group was an investment consulting firm famous for its unconventional fund products.
It had grown rapidly recently and was competing for the top spot in the industry.
Haejoo showed the paper to the security guard standing at the first floor and asked,
“I’m here to see Mr. Park Dojun.”
“Please follow me.”
The security guard, who recognized Haejoo, led her to the top floor where Dojun’s office was located.
As if expecting her, a secretary bowed politely.
Soon, an elegant wooden door opened. In the office with a glass front, Dojun stood looking different from yesterday.
“Welcome.”
His balanced suit and his stride exuded power.
The sleek, sharp lines of the suit seemed tailored to his body. The firm muscles that couldn’t be hidden by his clothes stood out, overwhelming her vision.
“What is your real self, Mr. Park Dojun?”
“I was just waiting.”
His presence was overwhelming just by standing face to face.
She had felt it yesterday too, but the more she talked to Dojun, the more she couldn’t hide the feeling of being drawn in.
She wondered if he was the same person.
Whether it was the position that made the man, Haejoo was curious about Dojun’s intentions yesterday when he was waiting for her in the old building.
“Could it be that you made things turn out this way...”
“You didn’t know me. So what’s the problem with me waiting?”
An incredible thing had happened in just a few days without her having time to react.
If everything was due to someone’s scheme, it would be difficult to let it pass easily.
Haejoo wasn’t one to just be taken advantage of. It wasn’t a bad idea to take this opportunity to watch Dojun closely.
Haejoo, her face devoid of expression, brought up the matter she had been contemplating the whole way.
“I want you to take responsibility for the marriage.”
The responsibility for the choice Haejoo had made three years ago was until Mr. Park’s eldest son, Yijun, was alive.
She had no way of knowing what he was thinking when he wrote his younger brother’s name on the marriage certificate.
Haejoo recalled the promise he had made at the end yesterday.
Even though he had said it like that, in reality, it meant they should work together to resolve the situation.
“Are you listening to me?”
Dojun’s lowered gaze, with a hint of sharpness, scanned Haejoo.
He had a scary face, but strangely, she wasn’t scared.
His expression was unreadable.
Soon, his closed lips curved into a crescent moon, and he lowered his face towards Haejoo’s ear.
A ticklish breath brushed her, making the fine hairs on her delicate skin stand on end.
“Shall we get a divorce? Or will you live with me?”
In that instant, Haejoo felt as if something had bound her, making her unable to move.
Flames swirled up her toes at Dojun’s bottomless game of playing with fire.
It was clear she had been caught in his snare. The more she struggled, the more fiercely she was sucked into a swamp.
There was no way he didn’t know Haejoo’s request. Knowing it, he engaged in insidious acts, manipulating Haejoo.
Even in this moment, Dojun casually gestured for the guard and secretary to leave.
At the same time, he whispered a secret word into Haejoo’s ear.
“Relax your body.”
“Haa!”
Only then did Haejoo’s chest heave, and she could breathe.
Losing her balance and staggering, Dojun quickly supported her back. Because of that, the distance between them narrowed even further.
Haejoo’s mind snapped awake at the clear citrus scent that stimulated her nose.
“Get away from me!”
“You don’t have to be so wary. I’m your husband.”
“Don’t say such terrible things. I don’t know you at all.”
“Then you knew my dead brother?”
Of course not.
Except that Yijun had written the name Park Dojun on the marriage certificate.
At the time, he had been gaunt and had worn a hat pulled low.
Only his sharp nose bridge and chapped, dry lips remained in Haejoo’s memory.
“Are you really saying that a person named Park Yijun registered the marriage under your name?”
“Yeah.”
“What on earth was the reason?”
“How would I know what a dead man was thinking? I was serving in the military back then.”
Asking for the reason now was useless.
Yet, Haejoo wanted to somehow turn back the past three years.
Gyeong-ae had subjected Haejoo to constant abuse and gaslighting. Accustomed to the pain, she had become a fool who couldn’t do anything and hadn’t left even after turning twenty.
Then, through Mr. Park, she had a major realization.
The only person who could save her was Haejoo herself, no one else.
It had taken her a full day to put her resolve into action.
After leaving home, although she had suffered hardships, a new world had unfolded before Haejoo.
She currently had five CF contracts and had been cast in her next film. Before the rumors spread, Haejoo was called a rising star in the film industry for her pure beauty and individuality.
She thought only happy days remained, but that wasn’t the case.
This time, the marriage she thought was over had caught her by the ankle.
It was a choice that the current Haejoo would never have made, but it was already too late.
What sin had she committed in her past life to have to bear such trials? Although she didn’t express it, the words that were actually stuck in Haejoo’s throat were, “It hurts.”
“I’ve been in a lot of trouble because of that.”
“Really?”
The public was in an uproar, demanding Haejoo explain the marriage. Currently, GN Entertainment had only posted a notice saying they would release their official statement soon.
The matter was serious, and there was no time to argue. Calming her agitation, Haejoo had to somehow compromise with Dojun.
Whether he knew her feelings or not, Dojun was beyond calm, almost indifferent.
“Coffee? Or a drink?”
“No thanks. I’m not in the mood for anything.”
“Were you always this sensitive?”
“My whole life is at stake in this!”
Dojun gestured towards the sofa with his hand.
Turning away, Haejoo finally escaped the strong citrus scent.
He took out a tall glass from the refrigerator. He filled it with ice and poured in the cold brew concentrate he had prepared.
“Caffeine helps in times like this. Drink up.”
Seeing the glass with the thin layer of ice, Haejoo suddenly felt thirsty.
She pretended to be nonchalant, but unconsciously licked her lips.
Dojun didn’t miss even that small gesture, taking it all in with his eyes.
“Aren’t you going to drink?”
“I actually crave a cigarette more. Drink quickly.”
“You smoke?”
“I’ll quit if you don’t like it.”
Haejoo glared at Dojun and then picked up the glass. The cool temperature against her palm felt soothing.
The coffee, which she only intended to taste, was half gone the moment she put it to her lips. The sharp coldness that went down her throat caused a splitting headache.
“Drink slowly.”
“Let’s get to the point.”
Feeling like the conversation kept straying to irrelevant topics, Haejoo abruptly brought up her main concern.
She swallowed once and opened her plump lips.
“I can’t get a divorce right now.”
“Hmm.”
“But it doesn’t make sense to just continue my marital relationship with you.”
“Why not?”
“Are you asking because you really don’t know?”
Dojun leaned back comfortably on the sofa, crossing his legs. Unlike the stiff and tense Haejoo, he maintained a subtle smile throughout.
As if to see how far this would go.
“As you know...”
“Park Dojun.”
“Pardon?”
“My name is Park Dojun.”
He made his existence clear.
Carving it into her so she could never forget, imprinting it on Haejoo with longing.
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