ASDR 37

Chapter : 37

Why would he suddenly move the schedule up?

Juhye considered several possible reasons.

Either Woo-hyun had run into an urgent need for money, or he was on the verge of being hunted down by Daehyun.

Since he must have already realized that she had disappeared, the latter seemed far more likely.

“Alright.”

Still, it was welcome news for Juhye.

She had been in need of a trap to lure Woo-hyun in anyway.

“You’ll need a down payment on your end too, right?”

When she said she would hand over part of the money in cash as a contract deposit, Woo-hyun responded positively right away.

From the sound of things, he really did seem desperate for cash.

“I’ll text you the address, so come by in two days.”

As soon as she took out her phone and sent the address, Woo-hyun checked the message and smiled.

“It’d be better if you come alone and quietly, without anyone noticing. If your husband finds out…”

— You don’t need to worry about that part.

At Woo-hyun’s confident reply, Juhye smiled to herself, holding her breath.

It was essential that no one came with Woo-hyun.

Only then would she be able to swiftly snatch the materials from him that day.

[Manager Park, I’ll send you the recording—please listen to it.]

After ending the call with Woo-hyun, Juhye immediately forwarded the conversation to Manager Park.

She also asked him to come to the villa by the time she had promised Woo-hyun.

When dealing with Woo-hyun, someone physically stronger than herself would be better, and no one was more suitable than Manager Park.

[Yes, Madam. And…]

While she was pondering how she would use the photos once she received them, Manager Park’s reply came in.

As Juhye checked the attached photos, surprise spread across her face.

It was the file Manager Park had finally sent after completing his investigation into Seo Woo-hyun.

[It appears that Seo Woo-hyun also sought out the woman you asked about before—Song Eun-jae.]

While digging further into Woo-hyun’s movements, evidence surfaced that he had visited Eun-jae several times and threatened her.

In truth, it was something Juhye had already suspected to some degree. If Woo-hyun hadn’t known Eun-jae well, it would have been difficult for him to secretly take photos of her.

[After contacting former affiliates of Woona Construction, it seems that most of the rumors circulating at the time were true.]

But the truly shocking part came next.

It concerned how Daehyun had been treated, both internally and externally, at Woona Construction.

There had been rumors that Chairman Seo Nam-jae had designated Woo-hyun as his successor and treated Daehyun like leftovers.

“That he was raised his whole life just to play a supporting role for Seo Woo-hyun…”

Juhye had vaguely known that Woo-hyun and Daehyun had an extremely poor relationship, and that the cause was their father’s favoritism.

But she hadn’t realized it was that severe.

Daehyun had hated that story so much that he deliberately avoided it whenever possible.

[Officially, it was revealed as a capital gains tax issue, but there was also an embezzlement case involved. That became the direct blow that led to bankruptcy.]

As the messages kept coming in one after another, Juhye’s expression grew darker.

[While Seo Woo-hyun was serving his prison sentence, Seo Daehyun acted as a proxy and ran the company. Around the same time, Chairman Seo Nam-jae passed away, which made the bankruptcy inevitable.]

What came next was something Juhye already knew well.

After marrying her, Daehyun absorbed Woona Construction into Jinju Civil Engineering and completed the merger.

The media framed it as him grit-toothedly reviving a failing company, but opinions on that point seemed divided.

[At the time, most of the Woona Construction board believed it was Daehyun’s personal revenge.]

Apparently, even up until his death, Chairman Seo Nam-jae never acknowledged Daehyun.

“Ah…”

At those final words, Juhye discovered a lingering trace of sympathy within her heart.

Watching Daehyun devote himself to the company day and night after their marriage, she had sensed a kind of desperation.

A desperation not to lose the company he had fought so hard to obtain.

But alongside that sympathy, suspicion also welled up—had he deliberately approached her because of that?

‘Even if I found out he had deceived me… is there any guarantee I wouldn’t have fallen for him anyway?’

He had been her first love, the man she had reunited with as if by fate.

Even if she learned the truth and felt betrayed, it didn’t seem like the weight of her feelings would simply disappear overnight.

No wonder she’d always thought that love was like a disease.

‘A severe one. Terminal, even.’

After thanking Manager Park for his hard work, Juhye added that she planned to visit a law firm soon and asked him to make a reservation.

[Tell Attorney Choi Tae-uk that I’ll come in a week.]

Since she had already deceived Daehyun and run away, everything would be ruined if she were caught. She needed to prepare in advance.

In other words, it was time to start preparing the divorce papers.

* * *

Two days passed quickly.

As she poured all her energy into her work at the arboretum, time thankfully flowed by like water.

Perhaps because she tried not to think about anything, she slept well at night too.

When Su-ha or Su-kyung contacted her occasionally, she acted as though nothing was wrong.

Thanks to Ju-young’s consideration in checking up on her by phone, she didn’t face much difficulty.

But that peace may have simply been the eye of the storm.

When Juhye stepped out in front of the villa at the agreed date and time with Woo-hyun—

“……”

She stared blankly at the yard, her face unable to process what she was seeing.

When she first saw the black sedan entering the yard, she thought it was Woo-hyun.

Manager Park was scheduled to arrive thirty minutes later, so she had planned to stall for time.

“I didn’t realize you were this good at hiding, Juhye.”

But the person who stepped out after the door opened was—

“You look like you’re wondering how. You seem to have a lot of questions, too.”

Daehyun, dressed in a white shirt, approached while brushing back his disheveled hair.

She felt foolish for having relaxed simply because she didn’t recognize the car.

It seemed he had deliberately driven a different one to lower her guard.

“What did you do with him?”

Since she was already caught, she at least wanted answers.

When she asked calmly instead of panicking, Daehyun’s face twisted sharply.

“Seo Woo-hyun is already in our custody. Looks like he was trying to arrive earlier than the promised time.”

The moment he heard Eun-jae’s story, Daehyun had begun investigating Woo-hyun’s movements.

For two days, he’d barely been in his right mind, terrified that Woo-hyun might harm Juhye.

But in the end, he traced Woo-hyun’s route and even learned that he planned to come here today.

“He was sloppy beyond belief.”

At the news that Woo-hyun had been caught, it felt as if the ceiling she’d trusted had collapsed.

As she stood there in a daze, Daehyun trudged over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

His gaze scanned her from head to toe, visibly anxious.

“…I was worried.”

A faint murmur slipped out between his relieved breaths.

But Juhye coldly slapped his hand away and turned around.

Of course, her resistance didn’t last long.

Daehyun easily wrapped one arm around her waist and placed her straight into the passenger seat.

“Let go!”

“Let’s go home.”

There was no need to confirm where “home” meant.

As soon as he got into the driver’s seat, he leaned over and reached for her seat belt.

“We’ll talk again once we get there.”

“That place isn’t our home anymore.”

Click.

The sound of the seat belt locking felt like a shackle.

Despite her denial, Daehyun responded firmly, as if her words didn’t even reach his ears.

“It’s still our home.”

“If we get divorced—”

“You’re still my wife.”

His stubbornness was unbelievable.

Juhye unfastened the seat belt and grabbed the door handle.

Even though she knew the door was locked, she tried to force it open, and Daehyun reached out.

“Mm—!”

Suddenly, his hand seized her face, and Juhye’s eyes flew wide open in shock.

Her head was shoved back against the headrest with brutal force.

As the tie came loose from the friction, her jet-black hair spilled down like a waterfall.

Daehyun’s thick fingers supported her head, holding her firmly in place.

Their colliding lips hurt. Through the gap forced open by his strength, hot breath invaded.

The kiss that ruthlessly invaded her dry mouth and soaked it was as rough as a beast.

“Mmph, mmh!”

She tried hitting his shoulders with both hands, but the more she struggled, the stronger his pressure became.

When she finally went limp, the kiss softened slightly.

Daehyun gently bit her lower lip one last time, then slowly pulled away.

For a moment, their ragged breathing broke the heavy silence between them.

“So, you could say we’re still husband and wife.”

Faced with his calm declaration, Juhye squeezed her eyes shut.

The freedom that had lasted only a few days felt unbearably precious—and unbearably hollow.