Chapter : 04
The day after she told Seo Daehyun she wanted a divorce.
As promised, Juhye left the house early to have lunch with her cousin. It was truly a relief that she had already made plans with Juyeong.
If she had stayed home alone, she would probably have spent the entire day sighing and doing nothing until evening, agonizing over how to cancel dinner.
“Is the coffee okay?”
A gentle question reached Juhye’s ears as she stared blankly at the table.
Juyeong was a cousin she had been close to since childhood; the two were as tight-knit as real sisters.
“It’s really good. Was it a gift?”
Juhye hurriedly lifted her coffee cup as she answered. A pleasant aroma rose from the steaming coffee.
“Gangil bought the beans when he went on a business trip to Thailand. The acidity is a bit unique.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
“He’s always had a knack for finding unusual things. That’s a talent in itself.”
Perhaps because she’d cut her hair short after giving birth, Juyeong’s cheerful air stood out even more.
Holding her baby in her arms, she gently swayed her upper body. Feeling the slow movement, the baby stopped fussing and began to nod off. The baby’s soft, pale cheeks pressed against Juyeong’s arm were adorable.
“Oh right, today’s your wedding anniversary, isn’t it?”
As Juhye carefully played with the baby’s fingers, Juyeong took a sip of coffee and asked casually.
At the unexpected question, Juhye’s expression stiffened quietly.
“Sorry you’re spending such an important day having lunch with me. You’re having dinner with Daehyun tonight, right?”
“Unni, that is…”
“It’s your anniversary, so you should go somewhere nice. Your husband’s been so busy lately he hasn’t even been eating properly. That’s what Gangil said.”
Juyeong’s husband, Chae Gangil, was Daehyun’s longtime friend. The two had married before Juhye and soon had a child, drawing both envy and surprise from those around them.
For Juyeong—who had once divorced because she couldn’t conceive—it was also a vindication that the fault had never been hers.
“Really?”
“Of course. Gangil didn’t say it outright, but he was really grateful. Reopening the Thailand accounts wasn’t easy at all. I knew they were close, but I didn’t expect him to help that much.”
Gratitude was clear in Juyeong’s chattering eyes.
The longer the conversation went on, the harder it became to bring up the subject of divorce.
“Unni.”
After hesitating, Juhye finally spoke.
“Hm?”
“Unni, if… say, Brother-in-law were…”
If he were seeing another woman, what would you do?
The words she wanted to ask stuck on the tip of her tongue. And no matter how heavy her worries were, it wasn’t a topic she could raise in front of a baby so young.
“Something’s going on with you.”
Whether fortunate or not, Juyeong was quite perceptive.
She quickly read Juhye’s expression and frowned.
“What’s wrong on such a good day? Did something really happen?”
Normally, she wouldn’t have worried much—Juhye and Daehyun were known as a quiet, harmonious couple. It was just a casual question, asked on a whim.
But as the silence stretched on, suspicion slowly replaced doubt.
“You didn’t fight, did you? On your anniversary?”
“……”
“What? You really did?”
Juyeong cried out in shock, eyes wide.
Not just anyone—but Juhye and Daehyun fighting?
They were a couple who hadn’t even had so much as a minor discord since marriage. Of course she was stunned.
“Is it that obvious?”
Juhye asked with a bitter smile. Juyeong froze, stopping the hand that had been patting the baby’s back.
“No, I was just joking… I didn’t think it was true. Wait a second.”
Before starting the conversation in earnest, Juyeong laid the sleeping baby on the bed in the other room and came back.
Juhye fiddled with her now-cold coffee cup, head lowered. After thinking about where to begin, Juyeong spoke firmly.
“First of all, whatever you do, don’t let Uncle know you two fought.”
A puzzled look crossed Juhye’s face.
She thought of her father, Chairman Jin Sucheol, who always supported her steadfastly.
“Of course I didn’t tell him. But why?”
“Because your husband might get dragged off and sunk in the waters off Incheon.”
It was a joke with a chilling edge.
“Unni, honestly…”
Juhye smiled, thinking it absurd, but Juyeong’s expression was deadly serious.
“Do I look like I’m joking?”
Juyeong let out a hollow laugh and shook her head.
Juhye’s innocent, clueless look—tilting her head as if asking what she meant—was almost too pure.
No wonder Juhye’s older brothers worried every day that their little sister didn’t understand the world.
“My dad’s not that heartless. You know that.”
Despite her denial, Juyeong clicked her tongue inwardly.
That’s only in front of you…
On Juhye’s wedding day, Juyeong still hadn’t forgotten the look on Chairman Jin Sucheol’s face.
The way he stared at the bridal waiting room with a hardened expression, sighing deeply.
Even the way he glanced at the groom’s name on the wall with clear displeasure…
He really didn’t look happy about it.
Juhye’s brothers had been much the same.
Every time they faced Daehyun, they couldn’t hide their dissatisfaction, their faces stiff—only putting on a practiced mask in front of Juhye.
“Anyway, listen carefully to what I’m saying.”
“Mm.”
“I won’t ask why you fought—it’s personal. They say it’s best for couples to work things out between themselves.”
Juhye nodded, her expression gloomy.
Her appetite had vanished the moment she brought up divorce, and it still hadn’t returned.
“I know… but I’m still worried.”
“About what?”
“About the two of us having dinner like this.”
“Lost your appetite completely?”
Juyeong casually hit the mark as she poured a bit more coffee into Juhye’s cup.
“But you still need to talk it out. Gangil and I fight sometimes too, but we always talk it through. Otherwise, it just builds up inside, and one day it’s bound to explode.”
If it had already exploded, then what was she supposed to do?
Even in the face of Juyeong’s heartfelt advice, Juhye couldn’t ease her worries.
She couldn’t understand Daehyun’s attitude either—his outright denial and refusal to face the topic of divorce.
“Yeah… I will.”
“And what about kids? Have you thought about that yet?”
This question was even harder. With a sigh, Juhye pressed her forehead with her right hand.
A child… Until not long ago, it had been something she desperately wanted. Now, she even found herself thinking it was a relief they didn’t have one.
“I don’t know.”
Juhye carried a deep sense of guilt toward her mother, who had died giving birth to her long ago.
Guilt for having shattered the image of a perfect family simply by existing. Because of that, she’d felt a responsibility to at least maintain a complete family herself.
But this incident would crack that image of perfection once again.
And if she couldn’t choose divorce, she would have to endure an even more miserable, unhappy future.
“Unni, you know…”
In the end, without telling the truth, she couldn’t seek advice about anything.
Juhye finally stopped hesitating and parted her lips.
[Gangil♡]
Just as she was about to speak, Juyeong’s phone suddenly vibrated loudly.
Checking the name on the screen, Juyeong grumbled in an embarrassed voice.
“Ah, he changed the name again without asking.”
Juhye, her tension easing, stared at the name on the screen and smiled softly.
The little heart peeking out between the letters was cute. It was an oddly cheerful sight for the situation.
“Brother-in-law hasn’t changed at all.”
“Not just the same—I’m sick of it, honestly….”
Juyeong quickly answered the call.
Juhye finished the rest of her coffee neatly, organizing in her head how to start the conversation. She planned to speak as soon as Juyeong hung up.
“You—why did you change my contact name again? It’s embarrassing… What? Juhye?”
At that moment, hearing her own name, Juhye jerked her head up in surprise.
Juyeong looked back and forth between her phone and Juhye, confused.
“I’m with her right now. Why?”
Nodding as she listened, Juyeong pointed at Juhye’s phone with her chin.
“Your phone.”
My phone?
Only then did Juhye hurriedly check the phone she’d been avoiding.
The moment she turned it back on, it began vibrating noisily. Even at a glance, there were countless missed calls.
All of them were from her husband, Seo Daehyun.
