Crackling Couple — Chapter : 01

The lights that dazzled the eyes. And the scorching heat touching her skin.

They were inside a studio where a live broadcast was in full swing.

When Jaein raised her gaze, the words displayed on the monitor came into view.

<Crackling Couple Season 3> Couple No. 3, More Dramatic Than a Drama — A Chaebol Husband and a PD Wife! / Let’s Talk About This and That About Us.

[LIVE Broadcast] Number of Viewers: 65,135

“We’re now going to have the Q&A segment that our viewers have been waiting for the most. Wow, wait a minute. Sixty-five thousand viewers! This is an all-time high in the history of the live broadcasts!”

Even as the MC asked the question, Jaein’s gaze remained fixed on the monitor.

Her eyes looked somewhat dazed.

“Isn’t that right, PD Jaein?”

When she didn’t answer, the MC, Hyungsik, blinked both eyes.

“PD Seo?”

Only then did Jaein belatedly straighten her head as she felt something covering her fingertips.

A large man’s hand had covered hers.

“Jaein.”

A low voice brushed past her ear. The man calling her name so affectionately was her husband, Taehah.

“Yes? Yes?”

“He’s asking if this isn’t an all-time high in viewers, Jaein.”

At his words, Jaein’s gaze moved back to the monitor.

“Ah. Yes. Sixty-five thousand viewers definitely is an all-time high. Eunbin and Jeo, the idol couple who appeared on the show, had forty thousand viewers.”

Jaein rattled off the information as naturally as breathing.

Information about the program came out of her the moment she was prompted, like a drink from a vending machine.

After all, Jaein had been in charge of as a PD for three years now.

Even as she said it, Jaein was amazed.

‘Sixty-five… sixty-five thousand people.’

Had that many people really come to the live broadcast just to see Taehah and her?

“Ah! I remember Eunbin and Jeo. They were incredibly popular because they’re famous idols. But our Couple No. 3 has surpassed their record, hasn’t it? Hohoho.”

When Hyungsik laughed casually, Taehah gave him a grin in response.

At the sight of that smile, comments began pouring into the chat window displayed on one side of the monitor.

Whenever he smiled even once, the chat window went up in flames.

Jaein’s gaze subtly shifted to the side.

With the studio lights shining on him, Taehah had features even more striking than an actor’s.

A sharp, straight nose bridge, a smooth jawline, a thick neck, and broad shoulders.

Taehah looked even more radiant than an idol wearing stage makeup.

‘Well, with a face like that, and being a third-generation chaebol…’

It would be stranger if he didn’t become a hot topic.

Even to her, Taehah looked like someone who didn’t belong to this world. Yet, unbelievably, he was her husband.

“It’s all thanks to everyone for liking our Couple No. 3 so much.”

At Taehah’s words, accompanied by another grin, the chat window surged upward like a flood.

“Hahaha. Exactly. The chat window is literally on fire just because Taehah smiled once. Everyone is going crazy saying you’re handsome.”

Hyungsik laughed while clapping his hands before asking,

“You two don’t even have anything to fight about, do you? When I watch the show, you still seem so fresh, like you’re dating~”

‘As if we have nothing to fight about.’

They had been on the verge of divorce until just recently.

Who would ever know?

“You said you wanted a divorce. I’ll divorce you. In one year. But in exchange, appear on a variety show with me.”

No one knew that the reason they had ended up appearing on a married-couple variety show was precisely so they could get divorced.

Jaein moved her lips as she looked at the man smiling beautifully at her.

‘Divorce was definitely the goal…!’

How had things ended up like this?

However, the Jaein of the present knew nothing about the future that was approaching.

She raised her head at the sound of someone tapping the desk.

Standing there, holding onto the partition, was her senior, Minseop. When she saw his eyes fixed on her, Jaein pressed the mute button on the phone she was talking on.

“Are they asking for a higher appearance fee again?”

“…Yes.”

“They’re freaking insane. This is getting ridiculous. I can’t believe we’ve reached a point where cast members threaten to quit just because they want more money.”

Minseop made a disgusted face.

The office employees behind him came into Jaein’s view. It was the beginning of lunchtime.

I guess I’m not eating lunch today either.

“Go eat first. I’ll finish the call.”

“Yeah. Okay. Hang in there, PD Seo.”

“Enjoy your lunch.”

“Come down as soon as you hang up.”

As Jaein told them to go ahead, the employees each added words of encouragement before leaving the office.

“That couple again?”

“Yeah. They’re seriously such a pain, right?”

Even as they left, the whispered voices made Jaein sigh involuntarily.

Everyone in the office knew about the problem cast members on their program. Dealing with their endless complaints was the job of Jaein, the youngest PD.

She had been working for five years now. It was about time she stopped being the youngest, but whenever a new employee joined, they couldn’t endure it and quit, leaving Jaein as the perpetual youngest member of the team.

Jaein turned off the mute function again.

I want to eat lunch too.

She had been the first person to arrive at work that morning, and she had been stuck on the phone continuously until noon.

It was all because of the woman from the cast on the other end of the line.

Jaein was in charge of the reality married-couple observation variety show, .

The problem couple this season was an ordinary married couple who would appear on the upcoming third season.

‘How can there be a difficult couple every single season?’

The concept of the program was about couples so loving that other people would envy them, couples whose love was overflowing like scattered sesame seeds.

But the problem was that even couples who got along wonderfully still had marital arguments.

And whenever a couple fought and started saying things like they wouldn’t continue filming, Jaein, who was in charge of casting them, began to feel like her blood was drying up.

Just like now.

“I completely understand that you’re upset, Mihyun. But there was an amount we agreed on in the original contract. I know your situation, so even though I’d like to give you more, there are broadcasting station policies we have to follow. Of course, I understand that you’re upset.”

Of course, this season’s problem couple was on another level entirely.

There had been couples who stopped filming because of marital fights, but this was the first time Jaein had encountered a couple demanding a higher appearance fee like this.

—PD, but I’m really struggling. Do you know how many kids we have? Our credit card bill is overdue this month. My husband isn’t working, you know. Please give us just a little more for the appearance fee. We won’t even be able to afford formula for our youngest, okay?

Ha. That damn formula.

At the mention of the appearance-fee increase, a familiar excuse had made its appearance again, and Jaein pressed a hand to her forehead.

She could already predict what would come next.

—Our marriage is so bad that we’re practically about to get divorced. A couple who’s trying to get divorced can’t appear as a loving couple, can we?

Just as expected.

Jaein swallowed the sigh that naturally escaped her.

These days, even hearing the first syllable of the word divorce made her heart pound.

“I’ll send you the baby formula myself. Mihyun, once this airs, viewers are going to love you and your husband. Then you’ll start getting calls from different places asking you to appear on their shows, and things will get better as you appear on other programs too. So let’s hang in there just a little longer.”

—No, PD. Please talk to your superiors again. The other variety show, , pays one million won more per episode than we do, you know? They contacted us too. If you keep doing this, we’re going to appear on their show instead.

The variety show the woman mentioned was .

If I’d known you two would be this troublesome, I wouldn’t have recruited you in the first place.

‘No, that’s not right. Do I even have the authority to decide who gets cast?’

She was the youngest PD. If her superiors told her to do something, she had to do it.

If the higher-ups made a decision, Jaein was in no position to complain and simply had to follow it.

“Oh, really? Then why don’t you appear on their show? Phew, they pay one million won more? I’m terribly sorry. Why don’t you try contacting them even now?”

After enduring the three-hour-long call, Jaein finally played her strongest card.

She really didn’t believe they had actually received a casting call. If they had, a woman with such an opportunistic personality would have switched programs long ago.

—Nooo! How can we quit after filming this much? I’ve grown attached to you and the director too. I mean, we’re continuing this because of loyalty, you know.

“I know how you feel, Mihyun. I’ll talk about the appearance fee again. But as you know, I don’t have any authority. What kind of power do I have?”

—I know, I know. You’re the youngest PD. Anyway, talk to them again. And instead of formula, could you send department-store gift certificates like last time? If our marriage doesn’t end in divorce, it’ll all be thanks to you, PD.

With those words, the cast member hung up.

That made three gift certificates already.

Still, Jaein thought it was fortunate that things had ended with just a gift certificate and let out a sigh.

‘Divorce?’

I’m the one getting divorced.

Jaein was in the waiting period before divorcing her husband.

Since they had no children, the one-month divorce consideration period was almost over.

At first, she had thought a month would pass quickly. For an office worker, a month usually disappeared in the blink of an eye.

That was what she had thought.

But one month of the consideration period was long.

The house had always been large, but after her husband’s belongings were removed, the empty spaces seemed even bigger.

He had barely been home in the first place.

Still, it felt strangely different now.

Jaein rotated her stiff neck from side to side. Her muscles must have tightened from spending so long on the phone.

She stretched her arms upward and was lightly stretching when her phone screen lit up, showing several missed calls.

02-XXXX-XXXX (4)

Seeing that there had been four calls, Jaein tilted her head.

She normally didn’t answer unknown numbers, especially those beginning with a regional area code.

Could it be spam?

It was strange that they had called several times.

Just as Jaein reached toward her phone—

“PD Seo! What are you doing? You’re still in the office?”

Minseop had returned from lunch and widened his eyes when he saw Jaein.

“Yes, yes. I just got off the phone. I was going to go to the convenience store or something.”

There were less than twenty minutes left of lunch break.

Thinking she should just buy something quick to eat and come back, Jaein grabbed her coat and stood up.

“Do you want me to get you something to drink?”

“What are you talking about? Jaein, you need to go to the hospital! This isn’t the time for that.”

The man, who normally would have readily accepted her offer, approached Jaein with a horrified expression.

And he looked genuinely urgent.

The hospital?

Before she could even ask why—

“Your husband got into an accident! Vice Chairman Woo Taehah! The internet is going crazy right now.”

‘My husband?’

The man who would become my ex-husband in a week?

“My husband? An accident?”

“Yeah, I’m telling you! I heard it was a serious car accident. This isn’t the time for you to be standing around. Go. Quickly.”

Jaein’s eyes widened helplessly.

Unable to believe it, she blinked repeatedly.

“W-Wait a minute. Senior, are you sure it’s my husband?”

“Yes! I’m telling you it is! You didn’t know? Where was the hospital again? Just hurry and go check.”

Jaein was pushed out of the office by Minseop.

Standing in front of the elevator, the word accident made her heart sink.

In that instant, the numerous missed calls that had been filling her mind suddenly made sense.

Only then did Jaein realize that those calls had been from the hospital.

[Bus and van collide on Gyeongbu Expressway after skidding on wet roads… 2 seriously injured, 5 with minor injuries]

[Daehah Group Vice Chairman Woo Taehah involved in five-vehicle collision, unconscious…]

Even as internet news articles began filling up with reports of Taehah’s accident, it still didn’t feel real.

—Yes. Patient Woo Taehah has just been taken into surgery. His mother came and signed the consent forms as his guardian.

But the reality of it struck her when she spoke with the nurse on the phone.

Jaein had long since stopped seeing the video playing on the monitor.

The fingertips refreshing the internet articles trembled slightly.

Should I go now?

If she took a half-day off and left immediately, she could arrive before the surgery was over.

She bit down on her lip.

“So what if I go?”

What would change? Seo Jaein, what can you even do?

Jaein clenched her fist until her knuckles turned white.

Strictly speaking, she couldn’t even call herself his wife anymore.

Jaein closed her eyes.

‘We…’

Because we had decided to get divorced.