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CHAPTER 02
Ju-hye took a sip of cold water and forced down the nausea still roiling in her chest.
She had only just stopped crying. Across from her, Dae-hyun sat with a glass of whiskey in hand.
Even as the night passed into dawn, there was no sign of fatigue on his face. Perhaps the sudden talk of divorce had sharpened his composure.
“Divorce……”
Dae-hyun murmured lowly, tapping the whiskey glass with his fingertips. With each faint tock, Ju-hye’s heart pounded in response.
His expression looked as if this was the first time he was hearing it—and strangely, that made her feel a little bitter.
Just an hour earlier.
“Dae-hyun. Let’s get divorced.”
Ju-hye had looked up at him as he returned home late at night and firmly proposed divorce.
Since she had never shown him tears before, she assumed he would take her seriously.
“What’s the reason?”
But Seo Dae-hyun was sitting there with an indifferent face, resting his chin on his hand, asking for a reason as if it were nothing. The orange light from the table lamp cast elegant shadows along his tilted face.
Ju-hye lowered her head, as if turning away from the face she had once watched every day with excitement.
She did not notice the slight crease of dissatisfaction forming between his brows.
“I forgot.”
What expression was he making right now?
“Forgot what?”
The face of a young woman rose again in her mind like bubbles. It was not a reason she could easily say aloud. Instead, she chose to explain only the result of that cause.
“The reason I fell in love with you.”
Did he even truly want a reason in the first place?
Or was he just asking because he didn’t know how else to react?
She could not be certain of anything about his intent.
Jin Ju-hye had endured nearly two years of marriage hoping that Seo Dae-hyun would remember her. No—she had tried to endure it, but ultimately failed.
The responsibility for that failure lay entirely with him. He had betrayed the contract.
She had given him value, and he had given her a little love—a simple exchange, nothing more.
“I forgot the reason, so the purpose disappeared too.”
When she married him, she knew he had proposed while considering her social background. Even so, she had naively accepted his proposal, hoping for love.
After marriage, she tried to be useful to him, to avoid interfering with his goals, living quietly in support of him.
She believed that even if he had chosen her for profit, some change might eventually come.
People could grow fond of even a dandelion blooming through asphalt. Everyone was capable of that much affection.
“Many couples live like this, but no matter how I think about it… I don’t think I can live this way until I die.”
But there was something she had overlooked—loneliness.
Even knowing his emotional distance well, she sometimes felt painfully alone even beside him. Every time she heard his dry “I love you,” doubt crept in.
Was that love real?
Or just a reward given because she was useful?
Because she believed the marriage had been built on her own desire, she also felt guilt about its outcome.
Guilt for once accepting his love while doubting it at the same time.
If she had never chosen this marriage, she would not feel this emptiness now.
“I won’t blame you. Just proceed with the divorce quickly.”
“……”
“I’ll explain it to my father. We just fought over personality differences a few times. He’ll understand.”
Strangely enough, Ju-hye still loved him, and she did not want a noisy public divorce that exposed his affair.
She did not want to see the moment where Dae-hyun himself admitted to having a mistress.
“I’ll handle it quietly so it won’t cause you any trouble.”
“Are you serious?”
Dae-hyun’s voice came out calmly.
He had always seemed composed, with little emotional fluctuation. She had liked that about him, but it also made him impossible to read.
And even now—at the moment she asked for divorce—facing his expressionless face would hurt.
“…Yes. I’m serious.”
After all, Dae-hyun had never remembered her. And likely never would.
The two chance encounters they shared belonged only to her.
For her, it had been fate. For him, merely a contract.
“Ju-hye.”
At that moment, Dae-hyun spoke softly.
Startled, she lifted her head. She could not even remember the last time he had called her name so gently.
“Did you meet another man?”
But despite the gentle tone, the content was devastating.
“What… did you just say?”
She widened her eyes in disbelief. Her lips parted slightly, and her slightly swollen eyes turned red again.
His gaze slowly swept over her face before turning away.
“If that’s not it, then there’s no reason for such a sudden request.”
An expression she had never seen before appeared on her husband’s face.
The usual calm, neat blankness was gone—replaced with something tense, almost restless.
“Answer me again. Do you really want a divorce?”
Ju-hye steadied her trembling heart in front of this unfamiliar version of him.
“Yes. I want a divorce.”
At her unwavering answer, Dae-hyun slowly raised one eyebrow.
She met his gaze without flinching. Seeing her firm eyes, his lips twisted slightly.
“As you probably know, there’s a mandatory cooling-off period for divorce.”
“A cooling-off period?”
At the unexpected term, Ju-hye frowned. His voice remained calm, but his eyes darkened.
“That’s just formalities, isn’t it? A meaningless procedure…”
“Right now, that formality has become necessary for me. So I think we must follow it.”
She was confused. His reaction was the exact opposite of what she had expected.
Trying to stay composed, she snapped back.
“Why?”
That formality… what purpose could it possibly serve for a man who doesn’t love me?
It was a single sentence condensing a long, desperate question.
Dae-hyun answered clearly.
“Because I don’t want to divorce you.”
“….”
So clearly. So calmly.
“I’m asking you,” he continued, “to give me a chance.”
His dark eyes sank deeply, like a swamp that could easily swallow her remaining feelings.
“As if he could still find whatever love was left in her at any moment.”
“I’ll try.”
That was where his cruelty lay—in his kindness.
He was gentle, yet cold. A paradoxical man.
At that moment, Ju-hye bit down hard on the inside of her mouth.
‘Why?’
Her heart wavered at this unfamiliar version of her usually expressionless husband.
‘He says he’ll try… without even knowing why I’m doing this, without knowing I found out…’
How much had she suffered alone before even bringing up divorce?
If she had chosen to close her eyes because she couldn’t face the truth, then she should have kept them closed.
‘Don’t waver in front of fleeting emotions, Jin Ju-hye. That’s what you promised.’
There was no need to continue the conversation. The emotional exhaustion had already been more than enough.
“I have nothing more to say.”
She stood abruptly and turned away, but Dae-hyun rose and stepped in front of her, blocking her path. She froze.
“I’ve booked dinner in Cheongdam-dong tomorrow.”
The room was dim, lit only by a single lamp. Without a clear view of his expression, he reminded her of the appointment like a declaration.
“I’ll send Director Jung. Don’t be late.”
“I’m having lunch with my cousin tomorrow. Don’t wait for me.”
“The dinner is already reserved. It doesn’t matter.”
Despite her cold reply, his attitude did not change.
As he approached, she instinctively stepped back. Only when the light fell properly on his face did she see him clearly.
“I’ll wait for you.”
His gaze said it plainly—like a man who would devour her.
Whether she avoided him or came home late or early, it didn’t matter. He would wait until the end. Her choice was hers alone.
Yet those calm eyes made her feel as if he already knew she would choose him in the end.
“Dae-hyun, I—”
The moment she tried to speak, a large hand suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her in.
