I watch Jyeon from my seat at the board meeting. Sitting next to his chair at the head, he’s up and walking around as he talks out what he has on the projector, yet I can’t focus on what he’s saying. All day it’s been eating away at me, ripping me into pieces, and I can’t think of anything else no matter how I try. I’m distraught inside.
I watch him closely for signs, changes, and anything to help clear this muddy mess out of my brain and find myself hating him for making me feel this way. Despising the very ground he walks on.
He came back around two, and I happened to be in the parking garage when he pulled in. I wish I hadn’t been, but it was a coincidence as I was returning from an onsite inspection.
I saw them. Together. That b
The heavy silence is, of course, I know, all men turning to look Jyeon’s way in question that he would act so personally with a spokesperson of a company we haven’t yet taken control of. There’s a process to things, and it’s known that my job as VP is that I should be the one taking her to lunch when the time is right. This raises so many questions for him.“Claire White? Why is that name familiar?” Yoonha forgets this is a board meeting and verbalizes his thoughts. It's a bad habit he’s had since he was a kid, and it’s why he’s unable ever to keep himself in his own lane when it comes to Jyeon’s and my problems. “Let’s call it a day and reconvene when we have more definite answers. Sohla, my office. We need to talk about this.”
“What’s going on with you two lately? It feels like the frosty atmosphere between you is more glacier than normal, and neither of you is speaking up about it.” Yoonha prods me in the back of the head as he passes behind me at the breakfast table. Being his usual annoying self. I tense up, but act flippant, not ready to share anything with him yet. If Yoonha knows, he will make everything worse, and I need to get a handle on what I’m going to do when I know for sure. I don’t even know what to do.“Nothing. You know how it is when we get into the new financial year. So much more stress for a few weeks. It’ll pass.” I brush it off and focus on pushing oatmeal into my mouth despite my zero appetite and can barely swallow it. I’m in jogging clothes as it’s my day off, and my routine is an early morning workout, followed by breakfast, and then a run. I’m trying to stay as normal as possible to keep up appearances.
“I’m sorry. I know this must be very hard for you, but in divorce cases, adultery will work in your favor.” His words are like lead to me, dropping heavily onto my brain and weighing me down.“This is the additional information you wanted. Her movements, schedules, home address, etc. She has an apartment not far from here. I came from there before meeting you.”I nod numbly, unable to take it in, and force all my efforts into not breaking down in front of this stranger. My heart is broken into a million pieces, and I don’t know how to react when it’s so plainly in my face. I can’t deny it or make excuses, and my gut was right from god knows when. Deep down, I knew, and I hate that I knew.“If you want to confront your husband, he’s there now.”His added afterthought makes the breath hitch in my throat, and I turn and blink at him.“What?” It’s a raspy, hoarse questi
I burst into our bedroom, still in the same emotional mess I was running all the way here, and somehow managed to get in and up here without alerting Yoonie or mother to my presence. A fire coursing through my veins, yet my mind’s a blistering mess of utter chaos, and I can’t think or see straight. The pain is unbearable, and years' worth of bottled-up feelings are spewing out of me like someone turned on a tap. I’m a volcano that finally erupted.I’m breathing in short raspy gulps, wiping my snot and tear-drenched face with the back of my hand, yet more keeps coming, and I hiccup up with every few gasps. I rake my fingers through my hair, which is tied up in a messy bunny, yanking it down with my erratic movements and adding to the despairing image of myself. Caked in dried blood and grime and emotional ruin. Rubbing my fingers over my face and down my throat as I try to reel my mind back from its shattered pieces. My entire world has come tumbling do
“Let her go, right now. Jyeon …NOW!” Mother commands him, and after a second of hesitation and reluctance, he slowly puts me on my own feet and loosens his hold lightly. I don’t wait for him to fully let go and burst out of his arms, turning on him and start bashing his chest with my fists. Only I have no more energy or strength, and they are feeble attempts through sodden choked tears, and I end up sliding down in a horrific heap, gulping, blubbering. Only seconds of an assault that didn’t move him an inch.Jyeon takes it without reacting. Stood there and braces himself while I hit him, yet it doesn’t help me. I don’t feel any better, I don’t hate him less, and I’m still just as broken.“Is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on? What this mess is? What exactly has happened?” Mother’s cold and biting tone brings sense back into mayhem. Her no-nonsense fierce momma attitude comes out i
I sit in my car, staring at the alleyway from this morning and taking slow even breaths. Steadying my nerves and thinking through my purpose here. My plan. My head is swimming, yet I am wholly composed compared to earlier. Dressed in a killer black fitted pantsuit, spike heels, styled hair hanging perfectly around my shoulders, and I have my war face on. Everything tucked back in behind my mask and ready to rumble. Bringing out the real Vice President Park and what she’s famed for.It’s like earlier didn’t happen at all, and all my cuts and scrapes are concealed by what I’m wearing, not even on a pain scale anymore; their effect on me is minimal.My mind is a jumble of thoughts, but my mother-in-law’s words are ringing the loudest and clearest inside my head. I feel like I’m hanging on to them by a thread in a bid to hold it all together.‘Fix this by any means.’She knows it’s what I’m good at.
“I can save him, or I can destroy him. That goes for you too. I’m a major shareholder of OLO, and this is enough to not only dissolve the investment deal with Biochem but to see you struck off and held liable for the losses while never working in this industry again. You’ll be tied up in court for years, and I’ll take every penny I can from him that I know he won’t let you pay alone. Jyeon will still have some money, of course, but adultery and mixing business with smut is still a big no-no in this culture. The board of directors will silence him as a non-active shareholder, take away his control and leave it all to me. He can thank you for that. With his fame in the business world, he won’t be able to escape it.” It’s delivered smugly, as though this really is the best punishment for both of them.“You really are as awful as he said you were. How could you be this manipulative? This heartless and cruel.” her rolling
I drove for thirty minutes to get here, to this tranquil place after leaving that woman’s apartment, somewhere I don’t come all too often, yet today I felt like I needed to. I stare at the graves of my parents, laid side by side, and yet no tears come like I expected they would while driving here. I have a million conflicting emotions and thoughts that brought me here, and now I am; I’m too ashamed to stand before them. I'm aching for them after the day I’ve had, feeling lost and like everything is spiraling out of control, and I don’t have a grip on anything anymore.I lay the bouquets I stopped to buy on the way here in front of them and bend to dust off the dark grey marble stones. Stopping to touch the faces in the pictures indented into the shiny surfaces hurts as much as it always did. I’ve never faced the grief and allowed myself to mourn them fully, but I don’t know how to start.Contrary to how I behaved in front of Cl