Chapter 8. She Was Really Leaving

After Seoyun left the dining room, the door closed behind her with an unusually heavy thud.

The table, filled with voices only moments ago, fell silent. For three years, Seoyun had occupied the same seat without drawing much attention. She had always been quiet, almost easy to overlook.

Yet now that she was gone, it felt as though an entire side of the dining room had emptied out with her.

Chairman Kang Taejun set down his teacup.

"Perhaps I said too much."

Then, as if dismissing the thought, he added,

"Still, both families knew about it. She had to find out eventually. Why get so worked up over something that's been over for three years?"

Yuri was still holding the end of Jaeheon's jacket sleeve.

The same hand that had wrapped around his neck and pulled him into a kiss in the living room the night before.

"Oppa... what if things get worse between you and Unnie because of me? Maybe I should sleep in another room tonight..."

Jaeheon didn't answer.

His gaze remained fixed on the empty chair across from him. Seoyun's untouched tea sat cooling on the table, the chair still pushed back from where she'd stood.

If I hadn't married you... would you have married Cha Yuri?

His wife's question echoed in his head.

Jaeheon hadn't denied it.

Yuri was a woman he'd once loved and intended to marry. Even after she'd disappeared in the accident, he'd never completely forgotten her. Whenever word reached him that someone might have found a trace of her, there had been times he'd gone to check for himself.

He'd never told Seoyun.

Because he'd never thought she needed to know.

But Seoyun hadn't demanded another answer.

She hadn't cried or argued.

She had simply understood his silence and walked away.

That bothered him more than it should have.

She had always waited when he came home late. No matter how coldly he treated her, she was always the one who eventually spoke first.

"...Let go of my sleeve."

"Huh? Oppa...?"

Jaeheon pulled his arm away, and Yuri's hand slipped into empty air.

She looked up at him in surprise, but he didn't look back.

All he could see was the expression in Seoyun's eyes just before she'd walked away.

Jaeheon pushed back his chair and stood. The legs scraped harshly against the marble floor.

"Jaeheon, where are you going? You haven't finished eating."

Chairman Kang called after him, but Jaeheon didn't answer.

"Oppa!"

Yuri called too.

He kept walking.

He was only going upstairs to correct Seoyun's behavior.

That was all.

Leaving the table in front of his family and walking away while her husband was still speaking—neither sat well with him.

Yet the higher he climbed, the faster his steps became.

The uneven sound of his shoes echoed down the long hallway.

When he reached Seoyun's door, he heard a drawer slide shut inside.

Jaeheon opened the door without knocking.

"Han Seoyun."

The room was almost unnervingly neat.

Seoyun stood there with a small travel bag in her hand.

The clothes and jewelry Jaeheon had bought her remained untouched in the dressing room. Only a few drawers had been emptied.

She had packed only what she'd brought with her when she first entered this house and the few things she truly needed.

Jaeheon's gaze locked on the bag.

If she walked through that door with it, she would really be leaving.

His fingers slowly curled.

"Put the bag down."

Seoyun merely tightened her grip.

"No."

Jaeheon's jaw hardened.

He strode toward her until his broad shoulders completely blocked the doorway.

Seoyun didn't stop.

She walked straight toward him until only a step remained between them.

Jaeheon moved closer instead of stepping aside.

The last bit of space disappeared, leaving his familiar scent and warm breath between them.

"Move."

"Where do you think you're going?"

"That's none of your business anymore."

Jaeheon's eyes narrowed.

"I'm your husband."

"Try saying that in front of Cha Yuri."

His mouth snapped shut.

Seoyun tried to step around him.

Jaeheon's hand came down over the handle of her bag, covering the back of her hand.

He didn't take the bag from her.

He simply held it there, keeping her from moving.

"You think you can leave this house without my permission?"

Seoyun lowered her eyes to his hand.

In the past, this much closeness and pressure would have been enough to make her retreat first.

Not anymore.

Her fingers tightened around the handle beneath his hand.

"That permission..."

Seoyun raised her head and looked directly into his eyes.

"You can give it to me when we divorce."

The veins along the back of Jaeheon's hand stood out.

For the first time, something in his expression faltered.

And only then did he understand.

Seoyun wasn't asking for his permission to leave.

She had already made her decision.

She was really leaving him.