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Chapter 2
At first, she thought it was the cry of a kitten that had lost its mother.
But then she realized—what would a kitten be doing in a high-rise building downtown? Thinking she had imagined it, she took another step forward.
The same sound came again.
The moment she was sure it wasn’t her imagination, chills ran down her spine.
Her reason told her to ignore it and just keep walking, but her legs moved instinctively toward the sound.
As she approached quietly, trying not to make a sound, she heard heavy panting seeping through the crack in the door.
“Ahh… Manager, harder, harder.”
“Be quiet. What if someone hears us?”
A woman’s impatient moans. A man’s harsh whisper telling her to stay quiet.
The hand holding her mug trembled violently. The tea inside rippled.
The voices were familiar.
There was no mistaking them—she had heard those voices every single day for the past year.
Her mind went completely blank. Her heart slammed against her chest with a painful thud.
Her stomach churned. Her ears rang.
Her legs lost strength, and her body wavered.
She barely managed to hold on to the mug before it slipped from her hands.
Hot tea spilled over the back of her hand, but she didn’t even notice.
No—she couldn’t feel anything at all.
How could this be…?
It felt as if someone had ripped her heart into shreds.
She had never once doubted him—because he had always looked only at her.
But now, rage, betrayal, sorrow, confusion, and denial all crashed into her at once.
The flood of emotions tangled together, her head buzzing like a radio filled with static.
She couldn’t breathe.
Her vision blurred.
It didn’t feel real—no, she wished it wasn’t real. Yeon-ha stood frozen in place.
A year ago, when he had joined the company, he had told her it was love at first sight.
His persistent confessions and gentle words had melted her heart, and she had finally agreed to date him.
They even had a wedding date set.
And now this—she never imagined he would stab her in the back like this.
Her boiling rage slowly cooled, bringing back her reason.
But reason couldn’t suppress her fury.
The thought that all his words of love had been lies made her stomach turn.
She felt pathetic for always apologizing to him, clueless about what he was doing behind her back.
Silently, she moved closer.
Then she yanked the fitting room door open.
Inside the cramped space—barely big enough for one person—Kyung-jin and Mi-joo were entangled, half-naked, panting like animals.
“What the hell are you two doing?”
“Y-Yeon-ha!”
“Ahhh!”
Startled, Kyung-jin scrambled to grab the clothes from the floor to cover his lower half. Behind him, Mi-joo hurriedly pulled down her skirt, which was still hiked up to her waist.
Seeing them like that made Yeon-ha’s blood boil. It felt like someone was pressing a steaming iron against her skull. Her whole body shook uncontrollably with fury.
Her pride refused to let them see her weakness, so she clenched her fist as tightly as she could. Her manicured nails dug into her palm, sending a sharp pain through her hand—yet she barely noticed.
“You dared to cheat on me? With my own subordinate?!”
“Yeon-ha, it’s not what you think—”
Kyung-jin pushed Mi-joo aside and reached for her. But before he could touch her, Yeon-ha smacked his hand away.
“Not what I think? You told me you had a military reunion tonight. That’s the ‘misunderstanding’? Or is it the fact that you’ve been screwing my subordinate behind my back?”
“‘Screwing’? Do you have to say it like that?”
Even now, he was nitpicking her choice of words. Her throat filled with bile.
“If not screwing, then what? Should I call it mating instead?”
“Yeon-ha, I’m sorry. I was wrong. Please, calm down—we can talk outside, alright?”
Normally, he would have scolded her for speaking harshly. But now, worried that others might hear, he was desperately trying to placate her.
Yeon-ha found his hypocrisy laughable.
“Why? You weren’t worried about being caught when you were cheating in the office. But now you’re scared people might find out?”
“Seo Yeon-ha—”
“How long has this been going on? Be honest.”
Mi-joo was the youngest designer in the department—25 years old, cheerful, playful, adored by men.
“Today’s the first time. I swear,” Kyung-jin said.
“Is that so?”
Her gaze shifted from his trembling lips to Mi-joo, who stood shivering like a half-plucked chick.
“Mi-joo. You tell me. Was today really the first time?”
“I… I’m sorry, Team Leader…”
Whether it was guilt or fear of Yeon-ha’s glare, Mi-joo burst into tears.
That was all the confirmation Yeon-ha needed. Kyung-jin had lied.
Before her brain could process it, her hand moved first.
Smack!
Kyung-jin’s head whipped to the side. Her palm stung from the impact. A bright red handprint bloomed on his cheek.
“Are you crazy?!”
For a moment, he looked dazed, unable to believe she had actually hit him. Then, as the pain set in, he snapped at her angrily.
But Yeon-ha didn’t flinch. Her voice was sharp and cold.
“I’m not crazy. That’s why I’m letting it end here. You’ll cover all the penalties for canceling the wedding.”
She shot Mi-joo a piercing glare before turning to leave. She realized then that sometimes, when rage went too far, it left you ice-cold, as if doused in freezing water.
She almost felt proud of herself for not losing control like a madwoman—until a rough hand yanked her shoulder.
Kyung-jin had already pulled his pants back on. His eyes blazed with anger.
“What, you still have something to say?”
“And what makes you so perfect, huh?”
His grip on her shoulder hurt, but Yeon-ha lifted her chin defiantly.
“What did you just say?”
“You always canceled our dates, saying you were busy. Every time I wanted to stay over, you looked at me like I was some kind of animal. Do you know how miserable that made me feel?”
His indignant tone made her scoff. He was trying to blame her.
“So that’s why you slept with Mi-joo? Because I wasn’t enough?”
“Yes!”
Whether it was anger or truth, his answer shattered Mi-joo. She looked devastated—but Yeon-ha didn’t feel the slightest pity.
Her rage wasn’t directed at Mi-joo. The one who had deceived them both for his own desire was Kyung-jin.
Her eyes filled with contempt. She shoved his hand off her shoulder.
“You bastard. Do you even call yourself human?”
“What?”
“You played with two women just to satisfy yourself. You’re garbage. Worse than a dog. From this moment on, don’t you dare speak to me again.”
Not wanting to spend another second with him, Yeon-ha turned to leave.
That’s when she noticed the other employees—people from different departments—had gathered and were watching.
Kyung-jin’s face went pale, as if the world had ended. Mi-joo fled back into the fitting room.
But Yeon-ha, who had done nothing wrong, walked past them with her head held high.
Once she was out of sight, she rushed into the restroom and vomited everything inside her.
Her stomach felt like someone was twisting it in their fist.
It hurt so much that she couldn’t stop crying.
