DBEM ~ 02

Chapter – 02

Who was this man?

All he had done was hold an umbrella over her head.

Yet somehow, as snow piled silently onto his shoulders, it felt as though he were standing between her and every misfortune in her life.

Then again…

What did it matter who he was?

Whether he recognized her or not.

He had probably just felt sorry for a woman standing in the freezing cold wearing nothing but a thin sweater.

Or perhaps…

It was pity for the once-glamorous actress Jeong Seolhwa, whose life had been twisted beyond recognition.

Whatever the reason, Seolhwa didn’t appreciate the meddling kindness of a man she’d never met.

Especially if he remembered the dazzling woman she used to be.

“Please go. You’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

Avoiding his unwavering gaze as it lingered over her scarred face, Seolhwa quickly wiped away her cold tears.

“Wait—”

Ignoring his voice, she hurried away as though fleeing.

She fled from the man who stood in the falling snow in her place.

She fled without even thinking to return the umbrella he’d given her.

Most of all…

She fled from the persistent gaze that followed her every step.

Home… I have to get home…

White puffs of breath escaped her lips.

As she approached the pedestrian crossing, where the traffic light was about to change, her pace quickened.

Once she crossed…

Her apartment building would be right there.

She could finally disappear from that man’s sight.

Disappear from the eyes of everyone on this street.

Just as she adjusted her bangs and stepped toward the crosswalk—

“Gah!”

A hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Did that man chase after me?

Startled, Seolhwa whipped around.

Instead of the stranger…

She saw a familiar face.

“Seolhwa… Jeong Seolhwa, isn’t it?”

“…Ah.”

It truly was a strange day.

Of all the miserable days she’d endured…

Today was the worst.

It felt as though everything that had once defined her life was being denied.

“S-… Senior…”

The hideous version of herself had now been seen by two people.

Three years of hiding from the world…

Had become meaningless.

“So it really is you, our Seolhwa. Fancy meeting you here.”

The woman smiled gently, her expression as warm and soft as ever.

She was No Hee-yeon, the veteran actress who had starred alongside Seolhwa in a long-running television drama.

Because she had shared a close friendship with Seolhwa’s late father, Hee-yeon had cared for Seolhwa like her own daughter after her father succumbed to alcoholism.

Not long ago, Seolhwa had read an article saying Hee-yeon had developed dementia.

She had been heartbroken.

Was that report false?

Though the older woman had visibly aged…

The brightness in her eyes remained exactly as Seolhwa remembered.

Flustered, Seolhwa hurriedly covered her face with her hair.

“Have… have you been well?”

Apparently, Hee-yeon hadn’t yet noticed the scars.

She smiled warmly.

“I haven’t been sleeping lately, so I just came from the hospital to pick up some sleeping pills.”

She casually patted the pocket of her coat before looking Seolhwa over with concern.

“But why are you out here without a coat? It’s freezing.”

“…Ah.”

Only then did Seolhwa remember.

She had left her coat behind at the café.

Without hesitation, Hee-yeon removed her own coat and draped it over Seolhwa’s shoulders.

“Put it on.”

“N-No, Senior.”

“Why? Because an old lady wore it first?”

“No… your coat is beautiful…”

“…I’m just too much of a mess for it.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous.”

Looking at her with affectionate reproach, Hee-yeon fastened the coat around her shoulders.

“I’ve never seen anyone in this industry as beautiful as you.”

Then she sighed softly.

“I promised your father before he passed away that I’d take care of you like my own daughter.”

“But keeping that promise has been harder than I imagined.”

“…”

“It hasn’t been long since your father’s funeral.”

“You must still be hurting.”

“Take care of yourself.”

Her comforting words pierced Seolhwa’s heart.

Because…

Her father had died five years ago.

Time had been just as cruel to Hee-yeon.

It had consumed the brilliant mind she once possessed…

Just as it had devoured Seolhwa’s face.

The thought made Seolhwa want to cry.

Gently stroking the back of her hand, Hee-yeon said,

“Try to get some sleep.”

“Sometimes…”

“When you wake from a nightmare…”

“A miracle happens.”

Leaving behind those mysterious words, she waved cheerfully like a child before walking away.

Seolhwa silently watched her shrinking figure disappear into the snowy street.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Seolhwa hurried toward her apartment entrance.

The tip of the black umbrella scraped across the gray pavement behind her, leaving a long trail of water.

She stopped before the front door.

Already…

She imagined she could smell the familiar scent of home.

The scent of herself and Gi-beom mixed together.

“I’m sorry, Seolhwa.”

“I’ll become a successful film director.”

“No matter what it takes, I’ll restore your face… your eye… everything.”

“Your life was ruined because of me.”

“I’ll make it right.”

“Just wait for me a little longer.”

She had loved that promise.

The promise that one day he’d restore the face that countless reconstructive surgeries never could.

She cherished the gentle hand that caressed her rough skin.

The loving gaze that looked into her cloudy eye without fear.

Even if everyone else saw a monster…

She believed he alone would love her forever.

That belief had become her entire world.

And yet…

Now he loved another woman.

Now he wanted to abandon her.

She couldn’t believe it…

Not unless she heard those words from his own mouth.

Gathering the last of her strength, Seolhwa opened the front door.

A pair of Gi-beom’s shoes lay carelessly in the entrance.

Her heart clenched.

He should never have been home at this hour.

She knew exactly what that meant.

Still…

Pretending everything was normal, she called softly,

“…I’m home.”

Silence.

He had clearly heard her.

But instead of answering…

Only the muffled sounds of drawers opening and objects being tossed around came from the bedroom.

Her trembling feet carried her toward the sound.

“Did… your contract with the production company go well?”

Her voice shook despite her effort to sound calm.

“I never expected your next project to be a drama instead of a film…”

“And I certainly didn’t expect TL Group to enter television production…”

She rambled nervously as she reached the bedroom.

Gi-beom stood in front of the wardrobe.

An open suitcase lay on the bed.

He stared coldly at the scars covering her face.

“So…”

“I heard you met Yu-gyeong.”

His voice struck like an arrow.

She’d expected the two of them to speak afterward.

Even so…

It felt as though someone had sliced open her chest.

“…Yes.”

Gi-beom frowned deeply.

“Why did you go see Yu-gyeong looking like that?”

His irritated voice left her speechless.

“What do you mean? Ms. Ma Yu-gyeong called and asked to meet me first…”

He cut her off.

“You’ve been hiding yourself for years because of that face!”

“So if you suddenly went to see her looking like that, you obviously had an ulterior motive!”

His voice grew harsher.

“Were you planning to tell her I ruined your life?”

“Warn her you’d cling to me forever like a leech?”

“Or were you trying to show her what happens to women who stay beside Jeon Gi-beom?!”

“…How can you even say something like that?”

“The more desperately you struggle, the more disgusted I become!”

His words exploded like bombs.

Within seconds, Seolhwa’s eyes turned red.

“I just came back from meeting your mistress.”

“And that’s…”

“That’s all you have to say to me?”

As though he’d been waiting for this moment, Gi-beom threw another armful of clothes into his suitcase.

He was leaving.

For good.

“Hah. Mistress?”

He laughed mockingly.

“Living together for a while made you think I was actually your husband?”

His sneer pierced her heart.

“How could you possibly say that to me…”

“What?”

“You think I’m betraying you after my life was ruined because of a beggar like you?”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“I’m sick of looking at that face every single day.”

“No…”

“It disgusts me.”

“We’re not even legally married.”

“So let’s end this cleanly.”

Was that why he’d always refused to register their marriage?

If they had been legally husband and wife…

Would he at least have apologized?

Shown even a hint of remorse?

“Yu-gyeong isn’t like you.”

“She makes me dream again.”

“…”

No words came.

Her tiny world crumbled around her.

The pain tearing through her heart wasn’t anger.

It was emptiness.

Despair.

Betrayal.

And finally…

Self-blame.

She blamed herself for failing to become the woman who inspired his dreams.

Grinding her teeth to keep from falling apart, Seolhwa stood frozen.

Gi-beom looked at her with exhausted disgust before zipping his suitcase shut.

“The reason I’ve fallen out of love with you…”

“Is because you keep drowning me in guilt.”

“I’m sick of feeling guilty every time I look at your face!”

“I want to live with the woman I love!”

“Can’t I have that?!”

Bang!

The front door slammed shut.

The strength left Seolhwa’s legs.

She grabbed the vanity to keep herself from collapsing.

Jeon Gi-beom had been the only person left in her life.

Now that he was gone…

She couldn’t imagine surviving alone in this tiny apartment.

She had believed love alone could make a person happy.

She had believed his promise that he’d never change.

But that promise…

Had turned into nothing more than a lie.

Slowly…

She looked into the vanity mirror.

A woman who had lost everything stared back.

Half of her face was destroyed.

She was crying pathetically.

If I still had my old face…

Would he have stayed?

Would I still have someone beside me in this dark apartment?

She hated her scarred reflection.

If not for this face…

He wouldn’t have been consumed by guilt.

She wouldn’t have become this miserable.

Her clenched fists trembled violently.

“Jeong Seolhwa…”

“It’s all…”

“All your fault.”

She grabbed the nearest object and hurled it at the mirror.

Crash!

The mirror shattered as the picture frame containing their photo struck its corner.

Countless broken reflections stared back at her.

Every one of them…

Hideous.

“Hic…!”

She collapsed onto the cold floor.

As the icy surface cooled her wet hands…

Something rolled out of the pocket of Hee-yeon’s coat.

A small white pill bottle.

It was probably…

The sleeping pills she’d received from the hospital.

“Try to get some sleep.”

“Sometimes…”

“When you wake from a nightmare…”

“A miracle happens.”

Hee-yeon’s words echoed through her mind.

A miracle…

For Seolhwa…

The only miracle she could imagine…

Was never waking up tomorrow morning.

Without hesitation, she picked up the bottle and poured the sleeping pills into her mouth.

“Ghk…!”

The tablets caught painfully in her dry throat before slowly dissolving.

As time passed…

Drowsiness washed over her.

Curled into a ball on the cold floor…

She closed her eyes.

If only I could escape this cruel reality…

She knew she would never wake from the nightmare.

So perhaps…

It was better never to wake at all.

With that final wish…

Jeong Seolhwa drifted into a long, endless sleep.