Chapter : 24
Fortunately, there was no one near the arboretum office.
As the two of them appeared in the dark hallway, the overhead lights flickered on with a tap, tap.
Daehyun walked, quietly gazing at the back of Ju-hye, who was walking ahead.
Ju-hye didn’t say a word, holding tightly onto his hand as she followed behind.
She was pouring all her energy into suppressing the anger quietly boiling in her chest.
“Ju-hye.”
“……”
“It’s nothing serious.”
When Ju-hye finally closed the office door and stopped, Daehyun spoke in a low voice.
She could feel the calmness in his demeanor, as if he had never been angry at all.
“If it’s nothing serious, then why…?”
The ticking of the clock filled the silence of the quiet office.
It wasn’t even a difficult question, but Daehyun hesitated in silence for a long time.
Worried that he might have been hurt, Ju-hye swallowed a bitter smile.
“How much… did you hear?”
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
“It’s just rumors because we don’t have a child.”
Daehyun’s face twisted into a grimace at the clear, precise words.
Judging by his expression, he seemed ready to go back immediately and punch those people.
Before Daehyun could act, Ju-hye asked softly,
“If it’s nothing serious, why are you reacting more sensitively than me?”
“Because it’s talk against you, of course.”
“But you didn’t even react to rumors about yourself.”
Daehyun fell silent again, bowing his head deeply.
It was cowardly, the way he swallowed his answer in the face of a difficult question. Ju-hye felt frustrated.
“Have there been many people like that around you?”
“No.”
“So, that’s why, if it wasn’t an important event… you didn’t attend with me?”
There was no guarantee this was the first time.
If that was the case, it made sense why Daehyun had avoided attending events as a couple whenever possible.
Even in situations where they weren’t together, rumors had flown—if they had been standing side by side, it would have been like a hail of stones.
“Answer me.”
She wondered how much patience he had endured in the face of those indiscriminate stones.
At Ju-hye’s earnest question, Daehyun silently approached and reached out his hand.
When his large palm gently cupped her cheek, she felt the warmth of his body.
“Don’t make that face.”
She didn’t know what expression she had, but her blurred vision gave her a rough idea.
Ju-hye tried hard not to cry and stepped back.
But Daehyun followed persistently, stretching his arms toward her.
“Since when… have these… rumors been going around?”
“I’m sorry.”
She hadn’t wanted to cry, but her voice trembled and escaped despite her efforts.
Though she had resolved to divorce him out of betrayal, a huge love still remained in her heart.
He was a man she had loved so much that even just watching him brought happiness.
She could never have imagined that such a man would be treated like this in public.
Even by people connected to Jinju Construction, which was practically her family.
“It’s not your fault.”
Perhaps because he had been drinking, Daehyun’s voice was lower and softer than usual.
Ju-hye tried to hide her tears, but his firm palm wouldn’t let her turn her head.
Hhh…
Her startled breath scattered beyond her lungs.
Daehyun’s bowed lips were suddenly wet and warm.
Through the roughly pressed lips, muffled gasps escaped intermittently.
“Hhh…ugh…”
Ju-hye resigned herself to his kiss, leaning her back against the wall.
Perhaps worried she would hit the wall, Daehyun cupped her head with his hand and drew her closer.
The kiss, consuming every inch down to the root of the tongue, was somewhat violent.
The heavy emotions between them seemed to reach each other in that brief contact.
Of course, he has many flaws, but at least he must have been sincere with Ju-hye.
Unconsciously, the conversation she had with Chae Kang-il earlier lingered in her mind.
Ju-hye thought it was fortunate that he kissed her.
Thanks to that, she could tightly hide her tears and her complicated emotions.
I’ve never seen Seo Daehyun want someone like this before.
Whose words were correct?
Her own confusion in the face of love felt like a cheap, small-town drama.
When Daehyun’s lips moved down to her neck, Ju-hye squeezed her eyes shut.
She prayed that her wildly racing heartbeat wouldn’t be discovered, as if she had no pride left.
Two days after the ceremony, Ju-hye finally met secretly with a lawyer.
Using the excuse of wanting to meet Ju-young, she safely lost Secretary Kim and Ju-young personally brought her to the office.
Thanks to that, she could consult about divorce without anyone finding out.
“We generally recommend a consensual divorce. If you intend to proceed with litigation, you’ll need evidence for that.”
The lawyer’s explanation was similar to the advice Ju-young had given earlier.
To ensure a successful divorce, the other party’s consent was crucial, hence the recommendation for a consensual divorce.
It was also fortunate that, since they had no children yet, there would be no custody disputes.
“Evidence… what kind?”
“It’s material proving that the other party is at fault for the divorce.”
Ju-young, who was listening with the lawyer, asked what her plan was.
Ju-hye promised to collect evidence before the next consultation and stood up.
She held the lawyer’s business card and several documents related to preparing for the divorce.
“Where should I take you?”
“For now… let’s go to the arboretum. I’ll need to store these documents there as well.”
Keeping them at home would be risky if Daehyun saw them.
Ju-young seemed to agree and started driving without saying much.
However, as they arrived at the arboretum, he offered a quiet warning as he let her out.
“Don’t trust the arboretum too much. My ex-husband once tried to sabotage the divorce preparations, even bribing our staff secretly.”
It was a pointed warning.
Only after Ju-hye promised to keep the documents in the safe did Ju-young leave.
I feel completely out of my mind.
Ju-hye stuffed the documents and business card deep into her bag and walked to the main entrance.
Unexpected news awaited her when she arrived at the arboretum.
“One of the desk staff recently resigned.”
Jun-hwi, who ran to the main entrance to meet her, shared the news: a replacement for the desk staff had been made.
“Desk?”
“Yes, we quickly found someone, but…”
Jun-hwi glanced at the resume in his hand and gave a rough summary.
“She’s young but seems very diligent. She has a lot of part-time experience… She’s currently on leave to earn tuition and study English.”
“How did she apply? What was the reason?”
Ju-hye nodded while walking quickly and asked a few questions.
“She originally applied for cleaning, but that department was full. When asked if she’d be okay with this position, she agreed gladly.”
“I see.”
Jun-hwi asked if she had anyone in mind for the position, but Ju-hye shook her head slowly.
The desk staff didn’t need special qualifications. Filling the vacancy quickly and working diligently was the priority.
“She was interviewed this morning and passed. She’s learning the desk duties now.”
“Now?”
“It’s better to check in person anyway.”
Even if they kept talking, her curiosity wouldn’t be satisfied unless she saw it herself.
Jun-hwi quickly made a decision and headed to the arboretum’s main building.
In the center of the beautifully designed arboretum, in front of the familiar desk, a woman stood.
“Team leader, you’re here?”
“The new recruit?”
“She’s over there… Eun-jae!”
The staff hurried to the storage room to find someone.
Finally, a woman emerged from the storage room in response to the urgent call.
Ju-hye froze and widened her eyes as she looked over.
“That’s our arboretum director, Ju-hye Jin, CEO.”
“Hello, Director.”
The approaching woman bowed deeply with a polite greeting.
Her neatly changed teal uniform suited her perfectly, almost like she had been hired as a promotional model.
The sunlight streaming through the glass gently illuminated her light brown hair.
When Ju-hye looked up and met her face, her light brown eyes sparkled like polished gems.
“My name is Song Eun-jae. I’ll be working at the desk from today.”
Song Eun-jae.
Her husband Seo Daehyun’s mistress.
