CHAPTER 23……………………………………
That night, Hana fell into a deep sleep for the first time in a while.
Before drifting off, Yoo Tae-oh’s face briefly crossed her mind, but she reassured herself that she would never have to see him again.
And then, a few days later.
Hana received a call from an old college friend—someone she hadn’t spoken to in a long time. The conversation began with casual greetings, but soon turned into something unexpected.
— Hey… you know Yoo Tae-oh? He went to prison.
“…What?”
Hana almost let her phone slip from her hand.
— Apparently, he’d been extorting money from women. Same method every time. Threatening them, messing with their emotions, draining them for cash. He’s a repeat offender.
As she listened, Hana couldn’t say a single word. Her mind went completely blank.
Prison…? Then… is it really over now?
After the call ended, the room felt unnaturally quiet. Only then did Hana release a long breath. A faint laugh escaped her lips.
It was a laugh filled with foolishness, emptiness, disbelief… and, strangely, a bit of relief.
Yeah. It’s over now. It’s really over…
That’s what she believed.
That Yoo Tae-oh was gone, and everything was finished.
The tension finally eased, and for the first time in a while, a sense of peace seemed to seep into her heart.
But that peace didn’t last long.
“Let’s get a divorce.”
The moment those words came flying at her, Hana’s mind went pure white. Her breath caught, her heart sank heavily. Her entire body froze, unable to think.
It felt as if the world had stopped in an instant.
And from that moment on, our relationship changed completely.
Hana had to endure Gunwoo’s gaze. In it were obsession, suspicion, and a twisted sense of possessiveness. Even without words, the coldness and tension pressed down on her day after day.
And only belatedly did Hana realize—
Yoo Tae-oh might have already sent him the photos.
That it might have been a meticulously planned scheme from the start, designed to extract even more.
The thought that everything had been moving according to his calculations weighed heavily on her mind.
But she felt no urge to make excuses.
She had no right. No reason.
The photos existed. She had gone to that hotel. And more than anything…
It was true that, foolishly, she had wanted to cling to the comfort Yoo Tae-oh offered.
It was never love. Not excitement.
Back in college, Tae-oh had been one of the few moments where she could breathe freely. For Hana, who had always had to be careful even in front of her family, he was the first person she felt she could lean on.
But after marriage—trapped under Gihoon’s gaze, living every day cautiously—
Tae-oh’s messages, reminding her of fragments of that past, felt like a brief escape from reality. Like a moment to breathe.
That was all.
It wasn’t lingering attachment.
It was simply that her loneliness and exhaustion back then, her desperate desire to hear someone say she was okay, had been exposed too clearly.
Hana let out a deep sigh.
The monitor still shone brightly, but the words in front of her blurred. Her eyes burned with heat.
If only I could go back…
But time could not be reversed.
The things already done. The relationships already broken.
Hana squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again. Her vision was hazy. She clenched her teeth, forcing back the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.
Crying now would mean nothing. She knew that too well.
She remembered how she had been shaken by every warm word Yoo Tae-oh spoke, how she eventually collapsed.
Now she realized painfully just how foolish it was to cling to the past.
And the result was this miserable marriage.
Hana inhaled deeply once more, then exhaled. She straightened her posture, forcing herself to focus on work.
Her desk was piled high with tasks. A report due today. Meeting materials for tomorrow. Contracts waiting to be reviewed.
With trembling fingers, she gripped the mouse. The document opened again on the screen.
She read the first sentence.
Then tried to move to the second line—
But the words wouldn’t enter her mind.
Tae-oh’s face slipped between the lines. Gunwoo’s cold eyes blocked her vision. Memories of that night circled endlessly in her head.
“Ha…”
Another sigh escaped her. She pressed her fingertips hard against her temple.
Where had it gone wrong?
No… when had it begun?
The thought of whether she could ever untangle this ruined life flickered through her mind, but she quickly shook her head, as if scolding herself. She lightly patted her cheeks with both hands, steadying herself.
She fixed her gaze back on the screen.
She began reading the first paragraph again.
One line. Two lines. Three.
Slowly, her concentration returned.
The sound of typing echoed through the quiet office.
Immersing herself in work was the only way not to dwell on the past.
She couldn’t forget it—
But at least, in this moment, she could focus on something else.
Hana bit her lip tightly and stared at the screen.
The typing continued.
One letter. One word. One sentence at a time.
She forced the past away and tried to concentrate on the present.
Even though regret and guilt still churned violently in one corner of her heart.
“Ha…”
A third sigh escaped.
But this time, she didn’t lift her head.
She simply kept looking at the screen, moving her hands.
Work.
That was all Hana could do right now.
When it was time to leave work, Hana hurriedly gathered her things. Today was the day she was meeting Nayeon.
As she rode down the elevator, Hana pulled out her phone out of habit. The message she had sent hours earlier was still there.
[I’m having dinner with Nayeon today.]
It meant he didn’t need to come pick her up.
But there was still no reply.
Only the clear “Read” mark remained.
Hana let out a short breath.
Fine. He saw it. That’s enough.
She told herself that, but something in her chest stung strangely. The events of earlier in the day resurfaced, unsettling her.
As she stepped outside the building, cold wind brushed her face. She moved through the crowded rush-hour crowd and caught a taxi. The city lights outside the window blurred into soft streaks.
When she arrived at the restaurant, Nayeon was already there.
Sitting by the window, studying the menu, Nayeon spotted Hana and waved brightly. Hana smiled and walked over slowly, taking her seat.
“Did you wait long?”
“No, I just got here too. What do you want to eat?”
Nayeon slid the menu toward her. Perhaps because it had been so long, excitement lingered in her expression.
“Wine is okay, right?”
“Yeah, I’d love some.”
Hana nodded with a smile.
They didn’t take long to decide.
Gambas al ajillo, Iberico pork chop, and a bottle of red wine.
After the server took their order, clear glasses were neatly placed over the white tablecloth. Wine was poured, and its soft aroma spread through the air.
Clinking their glasses lightly, the two chatted about this and that—work, mutual friends, meaningless gossip from social media.
Small laughter passed between them, and by the time the wine glass was half-empty, Hana’s heart had softened as well.
Then, Nayeon set her glass down, as if suddenly remembering something.
“Oh, right.”
Hana looked up.
“Jung Gunwoo called me.”
Hana’s hand froze midair.
“He asked if I was meeting you tonight.”
Nayeon poured more wine, swirling the glass.
“When I said yes, he told me to make sure you don’t drink too much… and to send you home early.”
