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At that moment, he was utterly impulsive.
Dojun had nothing to say but that it was an inevitable reality.
“Dojun-ssi...”
His reason had dried up to a crisp black.
No matter what was said, he couldn’t hear it, completely captivated by Haejoo’s alluring figure.
Unconsciously, he reached out a hand. His hand touched the robe covering Haejoo’s shoulder, caressing the boundary where the straps began.
“Let’s do it, Haejoo-ya.”
Haejoo understood Dojun’s intentions.
However, her current condition was worse than it appeared.
Haejoo’s face turned yellow as she pounded her chest with her fist.
Dojun frowned at her strange behavior.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, but my stomach has been a bit off since I was showering...”
Haejoo turned and rushed to the toilet.
Her stomach, which she thought had settled, churned again, and she threw up even the medicine she had taken.
Embarrassed, Dojun scratched the back of his head.
He brought her some bottled water, and Haejoo gasped for breath, clutching the sink.
“I think you should go to the hospital.”
“It’s not that bad... ugh!”
It was the first time Haejoo had ever thrown up so much in her life. She really threw up until there was nothing left, and then even her stomach acid came up.
In the end, the two rushed to the hospital.
After explaining her condition to the medical staff, they immediately put her on an IV drip.
“If you can’t handle hangovers, please don’t drink. It’s poison for you.”
Despite the obvious advice, Dojun and Haejoo listened humbly.
They left the emergency room around dawn, when the first light of day was breaking.
“I’m sorry. You couldn’t even rest because of me...”
Contrary to his words, there was no change in Dojun’s expression.
Haejoo was also exhausted and drooped.
Even after arriving home, Dojun didn’t say a word.
“Are you angry?”
Haejoo assumed he was and went to her room to sleep.
When she woke up again, she felt as tired as if she had three bears on her back. Thanks to that, she had to spend the entire Friday morning in bed.
“You should eat something. You’ve been sleeping the whole time.”
The housekeeper came in and looked at her worriedly.
Haejoo, realizing it was already Friday, sat up.
“Where’s Dojun-ssi?”
“He was already gone when I arrived. I think he went to work.”
Dojun hadn’t seen Haejoo while she was in and out of sleep.
Usually, he would stop by before going to work just to see her face.
For some reason, she felt strange.
Her emotions subsided, and she soon became gloomy.
When she went downstairs, a late breakfast was set.
After finishing her meal, Haejoo, feeling refreshed, took a shower and changed her clothes.
“I’m going to go for a walk.”
She put on a hat, took only her phone, and went outside. The bright summer weather was very hot, so she walked under the shade of the trees.
Then, she noticed a sedan slowly following her.
“What is this?”
There was a sedan driving slower than the speed limit. When Haejoo stared at it, it seemed to speed up but then stopped completely.
Feeling uneasy, she went into a convenience store.
The sedan also seemed to be watching Haejoo, looking towards the convenience store.
“That car has been circling this neighborhood lately.”
It was the convenience store owner speaking.
Haejoo, who was near the door, gave him a brief nod and whispered.
“I think it was following me.”
“Are you actress Lee Haejoo?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“That car has been going around the neighborhood where you live.”
“Really?”
Haejoo thought of Choi In-ho, the reporter from Real Fact.
She was disgusted that he would even follow her to her house and watch her.
“I’m hesitant to say this, but... about last time.”
“Yes?”
“When the elderly person went missing and the police came?”
“Yes, that happened.”
“I think I saw something then, but I wasn’t sure.”
The distance from her house to the convenience store was just over 100 meters. Since it wasn’t far, he had happened to see the situation that day.
“I went to the restroom for a bit that day, and I saw that elderly person.”
“Really?”
“The elderly person used to come to the convenience store often. But that day, he wasn’t wearing shoes...”
“Ah.”
“I thought something was strange, so I brought out the slippers I wear.”
“And then?”
“In the meantime, that car picked up the elderly person and drove away.”
“Is that true?”
Haejoo’s heart ached whenever she thought about the moment she lost President Park. She never wanted to experience that again, and she had no idea such a thing had happened.
“Just in case, I checked the CCTV installed in front of the store.”
“......!”
“This is it.”
The convenience store owner turned the laptop on the counter towards Haejoo. He opened a folder and played a video file.
“I was very cautious, so I hesitated to go and tell you, and the elderly person’s son doesn’t come here often.”
The sedan in the video was indeed that car.
Just as the convenience store owner said, a man got out of the passenger seat and helped President Park into the back seat.
This was clearly kidnapping.
“No way.”
Haejoo’s face turned ashen.
Unable to believe what she saw, she watched the video several times.
“Do you happen to know this person?”
“He looks like a reporter. Thank you, sir.”
“It’s nothing. I’m sorry I couldn’t help that day. At first, I thought he was someone who knew the elderly person.”
“My father-in-law has dementia.”
“I see...”
There was no time to be dazed.
Haejoo chose a USB drive, coffee, and some snacks sold at the convenience store.
“Thank you so much. Could you possibly transfer the CCTV video to this USB drive?”
“Of course.”
The convenience store owner, after finishing the calculation, copied the video.
Grateful, Haejoo bowed several times to express her thanks.
“Thank you. I’ll talk to my husband and definitely repay you.”
“Don’t worry about that. Just one autograph...”
“I’ll take a picture with you too.”
The convenience store owner, having received Haejoo’s autograph, smiled innocently.
After taking a selfie with him, she looked around and left the convenience store.
The sedan that had been following her was nowhere to be seen.
Haejoo ran home and called Dojun.
-What’s wrong?
Haejoo told him what she had heard from the convenience store owner and about the sedan circling their house.
Sweat beaded and dripped down Haejoo’s forehead as she was out of breath from running.
-You’re saying a guy who looked like a reporter took Father?
“Yes, and I got the CCTV footage from the convenience store.”
-Send it to me.
Haejoo sent the video to Dojun.
He called her back immediately after receiving it.
-The quality isn’t good, so the license plate and the man’s face aren’t clear.
“Wouldn’t it be possible to have an expert look at it?”
-I should.
The conversation paused for a moment.
His breathing over the phone gently reached Haejoo’s ears.
The wave-like breaths were pleasant to hear.
Just as she closed her eyes and was appreciating it, Dojun spoke.
-You’ve been through a lot. How are you feeling?
“I feel much better.”
A strange sense of disappointment washed over Haejoo.
That Dojun had gone to work for two days without even showing his face...
“Are you going to be late tonight?”
-I have a college alumni gathering in the evening. You probably can’t come because of your condition, right?
“......!”
-This time, everyone is bringing their wives or girlfriends.
“Where is it?”
-It’s a bar in the Sky Lounge of L Tower in Gangnam.
“Ah, is that so.”
-I might be late. Get some rest.
The call ended emptily.
Haejoo didn’t know what to do with this disappointment.
“Why is he so selfish?”
To anyone, this looked like an attempt to distance himself.
After thinking carefully, Haejoo called Secretary Song.
-Yes, Madam.
“I want to talk secretly without Dojun-ssi knowing.”
-Please tell me.
“What time is the alumni gathering Dojun-ssi is going to today?”
-If you are going as well, Madam, I will come to pick you up.
“I haven’t decided for sure, so please don’t say anything.”
-The gathering is at 7 o’clock.
“Okay.”
Haejoo looked through the countless clothes hanging in her closet.
Just as she took out a suitable dress, she received a call from Jinhan.
“Yes, Director.”
-Haejoo-ssi, Director Kwak has sent the revised script.
“Really?”
-There will be a meeting with the entire cast next week, so please be aware of that.
“So that means...”
-Haejoo-ssi will play the role of Sohee.
“Thank you, Director.”
-See you next week.
Jinhan’s voice lacked energy.
In any case, she was relieved that her appearance in the movie hadn’t fallen through.
Haejoo went to the mirror and chose shoes and a bag that matched the dress.
Waiting for the sun to set, she called Secretary Song.
“I’m sorry, but could you secretly come pick me up without Dojun-ssi knowing?”
A while later, the hired driver drove Dojun’s sedan, which was parked at the company. The sedan that had been circling their house saw this and started following.
Haejoo, who was sitting in the back seat of the sedan, noticed.
Taking out her lipstick from her bag and reapplying it, she looked at her watch; it was past 6:30.
________________________________________
Incheon Airport. A Philippine Airlines flight from Manila landed on the runway.
Soon after, people poured out in droves.
Among them, Yura, carrying a large suitcase, looked around restlessly instead of just walking out.
“Thankfully, it’s quiet.”
Yura had been on numerous arranged dates with wealthy families even before graduating from college.
Eventually, she married a man who seemed to make a decent amount of money.
Of course, she didn’t go empty-handed.
The groom’s family demanded a wedding cost befitting their status, and her family, in dire straits, barely managed to meet the conditions.
Only later did she find out that the entire wedding cost was a debt Kyung-ae had incurred.
“How can I live with this anxiety?”
Creditors visited Kyung-ae daily, pressing her for payment.
When Yura finally got married, she found that while her in-laws were wealthy, she didn’t have a single penny to her name.
Her husband only gave Yura a credit card for living expenses.
The problem was that every time she used it, a text message was sent, and she had to get permission for every expense.
Then, her husband had to go to the Philippines for business. Kyung-ae tagged along under the pretense of helping Yura when she gave birth.
In reality, it was an escape because she couldn’t repay her debts.
“I’m sick of this damn money!”
Various lawsuits, including fraud, were tangled around Kyung-ae. Creditors somehow got Yura’s contact information and called her, yelling at her to repay the money.
So she worried that news of her return to Korea might have spread.
Fortunately, no one at the airport recognized her.
“Korea is hot too.”
Yura had divorced recently.
They had conflicts over money issues, and she had an affair with a Korean man on a business trip.
To make matters worse, the man she had an affair with was an employee of her husband’s business partner.
The affair was quickly discovered, and Yura was practically kicked out with nothing.
“Mom, I just arrived in Korea.”
-You can’t last long here, so do as I told you.
“Ugh, I don’t know! First, I need to find a job. Bye.”
-Hey!
“Ugh, why?”
-I’m running out of living expenses. Send money.
“I don’t have any money. Why don’t you work as a housekeeper there?”
Yura, who was walking to catch the airport bus, suddenly stopped.
On a sleek, large billboard, there were photos of Haejoo as a cosmetics model everywhere.
Yura’s heart felt complicated as she looked at the scene.
“That little brat is still pretty... I’ll see you soon, Lee Haejoo.”
Yura got off in the outskirts of Seoul and looked for a motel. As soon as she found a place to stay, she searched for and read articles about Haejoo, whom she had been trying to ignore.
________________________________________
Dojun had been restless for the past few days.
His whole body felt hot even when he was still, and his mind was a mess.
“Are you not feeling well?”
“I just need to rest a bit. Don’t let anyone enter my office.”
Dojun stopped working and lay down on the sofa, loosening his tie.
These days, the image of the couple’s pajamas kept popping into his head whenever he closed his eyes.
It was all because of Haejoo.
He had been coming home late and leaving early to avoid her, and he was exhausted.
Secretary Song left, and Dojun let out a long sigh.
“I should wait for Haejoo.”
He relieved his fatigue with a short nap and finished his work in the afternoon.
There were messages from his friends on his phone, inviting him to the alumni gathering with Haejoo.
Dojun, who hadn’t replied, got up from his seat.
“I’m going to the alumni gathering, so leave it to Choi and Secretary Song can go home.”
“Driver Choi had something to do and left early. I will drive you, so let’s go.”
They went through the rush hour to a bustling area filled with tall buildings. Dojun desperately tried not to think about Haejoo.
A while later, he got off at the top floor of L Tower.
The bar, connected to an outdoor terrace, was adjacent to the serene evening sky.
The entire place had been rented out for the alumni gathering today.
“You’re late.”
Dojun stepped inside. The place was already crowded with alumni and their partners.
Unlike last year, when close friends gathered informally, this year was different. For some reason, people were clustered in one place, bustling.
“Dojun is here!”
“Oh, Park Dojun!”
People called out Dojun’s name from here and there, expressing their welcome.
Instantly, a path began to open up through the clustered people, like a wave parting.
“I came alone because of circumstances...”
As his alumni stepped aside, Dojun’s view cleared.
In the center, a woman with a graceful figure, sitting on a bar stool, greeted him.
“You’re here?”
It was Haejoo, who had become Dojun’s wife.
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