Chapter 3
“I don’t think you have the right to say something like that to me.”
Ina, who had been avoiding Dohyun’s gaze the whole time, lifted her head and met his eyes, speaking with quiet determination.
At her words, Dohyun’s eyebrows drew together sharply.
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and stared intently into her eyes. Then, with a small, incredulous smirk, he said,
“Do you think I don’t know?”
“……”
“Did anyone explain it to me? Did anyone ever tell me why we had to break up?”
“That’s…”
“You thought I’d just understand? Ina, how could I know if you don’t say anything? You ran off to America like you were escaping, leaving me in the dark, and expected me to stay quiet because I didn’t know anything?”
His gaze, as he looked at her again, flickered with resentment and hatred.
Her chest tightened painfully at the weight of his words.
Why… why are you looking at me like that?
You were the one who pushed me away with all your strength, yet why is it you look both wronged and angry?
Ina took a step back, keeping a distance between them as if drawing a line, bowing her head low. She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails left marks in her palms.
“I don’t want to talk to you anymore. I’m leaving.”
“You… what the hell…”
Ina turned sharply away from him.
As if wanting to say more, Dohyun reached out toward her. Their fingertips brushed lightly.
A sharp tingle ran through Ina, from her chest to her fingertips.
Yes—just as he said, she was running away again.
Unlike a musical heroine like Rosaline, who would face past ties with courage and wisdom, Ina had none of that insight.
So she chose cowardice.
Even if he resented her or hated her, she decided it no longer mattered—they were no longer fated to be involved in each other’s lives.
Though the sting of his gaze bore down on her back, Ina didn’t look back.
Descending the emergency stairs quickly, her mind briefly recalled what her son Chan had said that morning: to pretend nothing bothers you, even when meeting someone you don’t want to see.
A hollow laugh escaped her lips.
“Mom’s a liar. Sorry, Chan.”
The echo of her heels striking the stairs reverberated emptily, mirroring her mood.
True to its name, the musical department at the university Ina attended required freshmen during orientation to step onto the stage and reenact a scene from a musical, introducing themselves to the seniors.
It was on that stage that Ina first met Dohyun.
They weren’t paired as scene partners, yet their eyes kept finding each other during practice. Each found their gaze inevitably drawn to the other.
At the time, Ina thought this:
Dohyun Baek—there was no doubt she was captivated by the intensity of his gaze.
During the short rehearsal period, they talked extensively and spent time together, relying on one another.
They shared the same hobbies and favorite performance genres, so perhaps falling for him had been unavoidable.
Throughout four years of college, they dated without major arguments. Yet the turning point that abruptly severed their bond came in the summer before graduation, when they were twenty-three.
“I want to marry you, Ina.”
Dohyun set down his coffee cup and said it casually. Everyone at the table froze as if they’d misheard.
Ina, drinking water, choked and coughed violently at his words.
“Are you okay? Take it slow,” someone said.
“Yeah… I’m fine…” she managed.
Wiping her lips with the napkin Dohyun offered, Ina glanced at the woman across from her—Dohyun’s mother, who had suddenly become her future mother-in-law.
Startled by his bombshell declaration, she nearly dropped her coffee cup.
Dohyun’s mother looked at Ina once, then calmly addressed her son:
“You just ate. What nonsense is this?”
“It’s not nonsense. I’ve been thinking about this for four years while dating Ina. And Ina feels the same way about me.”
Ina swallowed nervously at his words. Of course, those four years had been wonderful, and every time he mentioned marriage, she had been thrilled.
But was marriage something one could simply decide to have?
She gave him a tense, awkward smile, her eyes filled with reproach as if to ask why he was doing this.
Across the table, his mother spoke again, her tone suddenly sharp:
“Are you pregnant, young lady?”
Ina flinched, waving her hands in protest.
“No! Absolutely not!”
“Oh, Mom, it’s not like that!”
Both spoke at once, denying it, and his mother picked up her coffee cup again.
After a brief pause, she sipped elegantly and gazed steadily at Ina.
Ina felt her mouth dry under that scrutinizing look.
“And your parents? Any siblings?”
“I have one older sister, and my parents passed away when I was young.”
“Hmm.”
His mother neither pitied nor looked regretfully at Ina. She simply disliked that the young woman was now standing next to her most cherished son.
It was hardly surprising—her only son, whom she had spoiled and supported his whole life, suddenly wanted to marry a 23-year-old university student with no financially supportive parents and only one sibling. Who would approve of that?
Seeing his mother’s subtly displeased expression, Ina opened her mouth to explain, but Dohyun’s mother quickly cut her off:
“But you don’t need to worry…”
“You agree with this young lady?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Do you want to marry Dohyun?”
Ina was speechless, her lips sealed tight.
What followed was shockingly rude:
“My son is precious to me. I’ve supported everything he wanted and raised him with great care. So, if you marry Dohyun, will you quit musicals and just manage the household?”
“Quit musicals…?”
“And it would be nice to have a son. Daughters… I’ve seen how troublesome they are with friends, and they’re not worth it.”
Ina’s fists clenched tightly at the insult and humiliation his mother had forced upon her, despite the effort she made to dress nicely and bring gifts for his birthday.
Dohyun, aware of his mother’s rudeness, shouted at her:
“Mom, stop it! How can you be so disrespectful?”
“Just date. Marriage can wait until later, with someone else. This young lady isn’t suitable for my son.”
“Mom!”
Watching the tension between his mother and Dohyun, Ina felt dazed, as if struck, then stood and quietly said,
“I’m going to the bathroom for a moment.”
The door slid shut with a soft click.
Ina exhaled deeply, feeling the weight lift slightly.
What does it matter that she had no parents? She had loving grandparents who supported her and a sister who always understood and encouraged her.
Feeling foolish for getting so tense and anxious over today’s dinner, Ina’s energy drained completely.
She regretted not at least trying to explain.
“What did you expect me to do? You bring that kind of girl here? And marriage at twenty-four? Crazy. And if she gets pregnant, can she even love our child?”
Frozen near the door, Ina heard their conversation echoing in her ears, leaving her numb.
After listening for a while, she realized there was no point in staying any longer. She bit her lip firmly, gathered her bag, and started to leave.
The door opened behind her.
Dohyun appeared, standing frozen as he saw Ina at the threshold.
“Ina…”
“I’ll leave first today. Sorry.”
Turning away coolly, Ina left, refusing to shed a tear.
Dohyun could do nothing but stand there, silent, watching her retreat.
Ina clenched her lips tightly, determined not to cry.
