Chapter 7
The cheek she had been slapped on still throbbed.
Ina stood there for a long time, staring at the phone lying on the ground.
Its screen was cracked, flickering weakly.
After completely turning Ina’s world upside down, Mrs. Hwang had simply walked away…
Leaving behind one final, icy warning.
“You lived in my house for two whole years, so I’m sure you know exactly what kind of person I am. When I decide to do something, I follow through. You know that better than anyone.”
But more painful than the burning cheek…
Or the collar that had been grabbed so roughly…
Was the pain in her heart.
Mrs. Hwang still looking down on her and treating her with contempt wasn’t as unbearable as Ina had expected.
But hearing her insult and mock her parents so casually…
That was something Ina simply couldn’t endure.
“Your dead mother must be clapping happily up in heaven. She certainly raised one shameless daughter.”
The moment Mrs. Hwang’s venomous words dragged her mother and father into it, Ina felt as though her heart was being torn apart.
That was why, without even thinking…
She had grabbed the hand that was about to slap her again.
A year ago…
Back when she had still been Mrs. Hwang’s daughter-in-law…
She could never have imagined herself doing such a thing.
“…Even a worm wriggles when it’s stepped on.”
Letting out a bitter, self-mocking laugh, Ina picked up her broken phone.
The screen had shattered completely.
After flickering a few more times…
It finally went dead.
Without making a fuss, she slipped it into her bag and headed for the restroom.
“…It’s pretty obvious.”
The cheek Mrs. Hwang had slapped was bright red and badly swollen.
Anyone could tell at a glance that she had been hit hard.
She couldn’t return to her father’s hospital room looking like this.
If he woke up and saw her face…
He would undoubtedly worry.
Keeping a calm expression, Ina soaked her hand in cold water and gently pressed it against her swollen cheek.
Every time the cold water touched it, a burning pain shot through her face.
Just how hard did she hit me…?
How much force had Mrs. Hwang used for a single slap to leave her face like this?
She tried her best to cool the swelling as if it didn’t bother her.
But every sharp stab of pain in her cheek made her heart ache just as much.
…You expected this.
You told yourself you could handle it.
No… you promised yourself you would.
Yet, no matter how determined she had been, sadness surged up against her will, blurring her vision with tears.
Ina bit down hard on her lip and clenched her fists.
She had wanted to prove that she could live well.
After divorcing Dohyeon…
She had wanted to build such a wonderful new life that, no matter when or where they met again, she would never feel inferior standing before him.
She had tried so hard.
“…Ha…”
And yet…
She had ended up standing before her ex-husband once again.
Begging him to save her.
Reduced to desperately clinging to him.
She didn’t mind kneeling before Dohyeon and Mrs. Hwang again if it meant saving her father and younger brother.
Of course, it hurt her pride.
But what hurt even more…
Was knowing that the man she had once loved and admired had only ever seen her at her weakest.
“Thank you for everything.”
“I’ll live well.”
“Mr. Dohyeon… I hope you live well too.”
She remembered the last farewell they had shared.
She had even confidently held out her hand for a handshake.
“I really…”
“…really wanted to show you…”
“…that I could live well.”
Even so…
She didn’t regret asking her ex-husband to get back together.
Given everything she was facing now…
Remarrying Dohyeon was the best choice she could possibly make.
Ina swallowed back the tears that had gathered in her eyes.
Her eyes and cheeks were red.
But she didn’t cry.
She quietly erased the lingering emotions from her heart…
Then walked out of the restroom.
[I’m sorry.]
What had she meant by those words?
Ever since receiving that message, Dohyeon couldn’t stop thinking about Ina.
He kept wondering what she had meant, and eventually called her.
But for some reason…
Ina didn’t answer.
She had never ignored one of his calls before.
For the entire workday, the fact that she hadn’t contacted him lingered in the back of his mind.
He considered calling her again.
But if she had seen his missed call and still hadn’t responded…
There had to be a reason.
So he didn’t call again.
It was nearly time to leave work.
Even then…
The only thing she had left him with was that mysterious apology.
Nothing more.
“Vice President, are you heading home now?”
Dohyeon, who had been staring expressionlessly at his monitor, looked up.
“Yes.”
“Secretary Jo, you can leave first.”
“Understood. Have a good evening, Vice President.”
Giving a slight nod, Dohyeon took off his glasses.
He rubbed his temples and slowly stood up.
Then his eyes landed on his phone.
“…Why can’t I stop thinking about this?”
She had apologized after he told her not to meet his mother if possible.
Dohyeon replayed that message over and over in his head, trying to understand what she had meant.
Did she mean she couldn’t do as I asked?
He stared at the phone lying face down on his desk before clicking his tongue in annoyance.
Never in his life had he been so preoccupied with waiting for someone’s call.
The situation itself irritated him.
Trying to push Seo Ina’s face out of his mind, he picked up his things.
“Mr. Lee, I’m coming down now.”
As usual, he planned to head straight to the gym after work.
Today, he felt like he needed to sweat twice as much as usual.
Just then…
His phone suddenly rang.
The moment he heard the ringtone…
The first name that came to mind was Ina.
“…”
But the name on the screen was Mrs. Hwang.
With a heavy heart, he answered.
“Yes, Mother.”
“That girl’s got quite the nerve!”
Mrs. Hwang shouted the moment he picked up.
Dohyeon’s hand, which had been gathering his bag and documents, froze.
His expression instantly turned cold.
“…What do you mean?”
His voice sharpened as he asked.
“I’m talking about that girl, Seo Ina!”
The moment he heard Ina’s name, his voice rose without him realizing it.
“You met her?”
“Of course I did! After you told me you were getting back together with that girl!”
“…Ha…”
He was about to say something.
But the words caught in his throat, and he let out a sigh instead.
So that’s why.
Now he understood.
That was why she had replied,
“I’m sorry.”
It had seemed slightly out of context at the time.
Now he also understood why she hadn’t contacted him afterward.
The veins on the back of the hand gripping his phone bulged.
“Do you know what she said to me?”
Unaware of what he was feeling, Mrs. Hwang kept talking excitedly.
“She said she could put up with anything except me insulting her parents!”
“…”
“And then she grabbed my wrist! I thought she’d gone crazy!”
“…Did you hit her?”
His voice rose for a brief moment.
Then it became calm again.
Cold.
His face was just as icy as his voice.
“Should I have just stood there? She forgot her place and dared to challenge me! You should’ve seen the way she looked at me—staring straight into my eyes!”
Dohyeon’s breathing gradually became uneven.
Unable to hold back any longer, he finally spoke.
“…You’ve done that once already.”
“Isn’t it time you stopped?”
Silence fell on the other end of the line.
“That’s verbal abuse.”
“And physical assault.”
“What? Verbal abuse? Physical assault?! Are you actually taking that girl’s side?!”
“I’m not taking her side!”
For the first time…
Dohyeon raised his voice at his mother.
“Seo Ina…”
“…is now the woman who will give you your grandchild.”
“…!”
“She’s not just an empty shell I brought in to cover up my scandal anymore.”
“D-Dohyeon…”
“So from now on…”
“You cannot treat Ina the way you did before, Mother.”
With that, Dohyeon hung up.
He immediately strode out of his office while calling Ina.
“The number you are trying to reach is switched off…”
As if things couldn’t get any worse…
Her phone was turned off.
He let out a quiet sigh as he looked at the screen before calling Manager Kim.
Manager Kim was his executive secretary, handling not only company matters but many of Dohyeon’s personal affairs as well.
“Yes, Vice President.”
“Manager Kim.”
“I need you to find out where Seo Ina is living now.”
“Ms. Seo Ina? You mean… your ex-wife?”
Manager Kim asked in surprise.
It wasn’t surprising.
Since the divorce, this was the first time Dohyeon had ever asked about Ina.
“Yes.”
Giving a brief answer, he hurried into the elevator.
“Understood. I’ll call you back within five minutes.”
Ending the call, Dohyeon headed down to the underground parking garage.
*
“…She lives here?”
Following the address Manager Kim had given him, he drove for quite a while.
The destination was a poor hillside neighborhood on the outskirts of Seoul…
Far away from the neighborhood where Ina had once lived.
Old, worn-out houses were crowded closely together.
Driving up a steep road that looked as if it had been carved into the mountainside, the navigation announced that he had arrived.
“Seo Ina…”
“What on earth happened to you?”
Even the streetlights were broken in places, flickering weakly.
Biting his lip, Dohyeon parked by the roadside.
He got out of the car while trying to call Ina once again.
She still didn’t answer.
“…Third floor?”
He stopped in front of the shabby apartment building Manager Kim had told him about.
Looking up at the dark third-floor window, he let out a deep sigh.
He had never imagined…
That she would be living somewhere like this.
What exactly happened to her after the divorce?
He remembered her last smile.
She had smiled brightly, confidently telling him,
“I’ll live well.”
“Mr. Dohyeon… you should live well too.”
For some reason…
His chest tightened.
“So this is what you meant by living well…”
Unable to find the right words, Dohyeon stepped closer to the building.
Then—
“Ah.”
The apartment door opened.
Ina came out carrying a bag of trash.
The two of them met face to face.
“M-Mr. Dohyeon…!”
Startled, Ina froze where she stood, staring at him in disbelief.
At that moment…
Dohyeon noticed her cheek.
It was swollen so badly that it was painful just to look at.
Keeping his usual unreadable expression, he walked toward her.
“How… how did you…”
Realizing that his gaze had settled on her swollen cheek, Ina hurriedly lowered her head.
Not wanting him to see the mark left by Mrs. Hwang’s slap, she casually turned toward the trash area.
Then Dohyeon’s low voice stopped her in her tracks.
“…I just…”
“…Pardon?”
“I just… found myself thinking about you.”
“So I came.”
