Part 17

Jiwook gulped down his drink.

Thud.

He slammed the glass on the bar table and filled it again with whiskey, quickly downing it in one go.

“Damn it.”

He grumbled and tried to cool his anger.

Despite having already consumed half a bottle, he was still sober.

He wasn’t a heavy drinker, but on a day like this, when he felt like sh*t, it was hard to stay sober.

“Haah.”

With a headache that felt like it might split his head, he closed his eyes and massaged his temples with his palms.

‘I have received a confession that it was instructed by the madam, your mother.’

‘Is that true?’

‘Yes. It seems she secretly orchestrated it after the accident, hiding and evading all this time until the perpetrator was caught.’

Jiwook had confirmed it several times with Cheol-hoon.

Even hearing it directly, he couldn’t believe it. No, he didn’t want to believe it.

He still couldn’t understand or forgive Myeong-hye, who had proceeded with the divorce while he was unconscious.

That his own mother had caused an accident to prevent his son from coming to Korea.

“She’s really something.”

The perverse maternalism gave him goosebumps.

He couldn’t comprehend why she would go to such lengths. The accident had been severe, and he had almost died, according to what the doctor had told him.

‘I was only instructed to cause a minor accident that would require hospitalization, but it went out of control and led to a major accident.’

The instigation of the accident. The idea that it was supposed to be just a minor traffic accident that needed hospitalization was hardly believable.

If things had gone slightly differently, if he had been less lucky, he might have actually died.

“Maybe I should have just died.”

Jiwook sipped his drink and laughed bitterly.

His own mother had schemed such things against him. There was no telling what horrible things she might have done to Seowoo that he didn’t know about.

Due to getting married against Young-jin’s wishes, Jiwook was extremely busy.

He knew that Seowoo would be lonely at the main house, but he couldn’t find the time to attend to her.

At least until their first child was born. He thought vaguely that he would make some time once Byul was born.

“…”

The painful memories came flooding back like a tidal wave.

“Haah.”

With a wrenching pain, Jiwook gasped for breath and clutched at his chest.

‘Alright, let’s do it.’

Seowoo’s smiling face, with eyes twinkling, appeared before him.

His face was tinged with regret.

***

“Ah!”

“Ha.”

As soon as she opened the door, Jiwook collapsed into her arms. Startled, Seowoo staggered as she supported him.

“Are you okay? How much did you drink…”

Leaning half his weight on her shoulder, he breathed heavily. The smell of alcohol was so strong from Jiwook that it made her head throb.

“Try to stand, please.”

Seowoo, much smaller than him, struggled to support him. She half-carried him to the living room and slowly laid him down on the sofa.

“Ha, haah.”

It seemed to take minutes to walk which was only a few steps.

Seowoo panted as she looked down at him. Half lying on the couch, he slowly pushed his eyelids up.

“What happened? Who did you drink so much with?”

It was the first time. The first time Yoon Seowoo asked him in such a nagging tone.

She used to always watch and worry from the side, never speaking up whether he came home late or drunk.

The usual sight of Seowoo, always observant and silent, overlaid in his vision.

The sight was painfully tender.

“Wait a minute, I’ll get you some water.”

With no response from him, Seowoo turned to leave after adding more words.

“Seowoo.”

His call halted her in her tracks, and she turned to face him with a questioning look.

“Come here.”

Jiwook stretched out his left hand towards her. Seowoo hesitated, looking back and forth between Jiwook’s hand and his face.

“Come on.”

With a sigh escaping her lips, she finally moved towards him again. Then, Jiwook pulled her hand, drawing her into his embrace.

“…!”

Seowoo’s body helplessly fell into his embrace. As she shifted into a half-lying position, Jiwook pulled her closer by the shoulders.

The familiar scent of her seeped deeply into his lungs.

“Ha.”

Jiwook sighed, closing his eyes.

The evening they had dinner together, the first night he stayed at her house, before leaving for work, Jiwook had looked around her house. Seowoo was still asleep in bed.

Unlike Seowoo’s usual tastes, the house was stark. It had only the bare essentials for living—minimalist furniture and appliances, and just curtains hung plainly. 

Although the house was flashy and large from the outside, it felt like a space devoid of warmth inside.

He felt a heavy heart thinking she might have felt just as isolated when she moved to the provinces after their divorce.

‘This is…’

Then, as he wandered, he entered her dressing room.

A small pair of shoes on one side of the vanity table caught his eye.

Though clumsily stitched, it was evident from the handiwork that Seowoo had made it herself during her pregnancy.

He remembered seeing her sometimes holding a needle and thread.

Beside it was a small picture frame.

It held an ultrasound photo of a baby. Jiwook picked up the frame.

[Our Byul, Mommy loves you so much.]

His eyes lingered for a moment on her tightly pressed handwriting.

Since that day, the image of the child kept haunting him. When Seowoo said that she chose this drama to give her child a good send-off, she really meant it.

Thinking that she had suffered alone all this time without being able to let go was heart-wrenching.

“Jiwook.”

As he reminisced about that day, Seowoo’s voice rang in his ears.

Jiwook hugged her a bit tighter. She sounded quite flustered, but he found himself unable to say anything.

Jiwook held her like that for a long time.

***

“Seowoo.”

“Huh?”

“Are you okay?”

“Ah, yes.”

Seowoo, still dazed, nodded in response to Jung-ah’s call.

Jiwook, who had arrived in such a state the night before, had left again while she slept, without a word. She wondered why he had been drinking so much, why he had that look in his eyes.

She had asked, but he didn’t answer.

“It seems like something’s going on.”

“What?”

“Never mind.”

Seowoo quickly waved her hands, dismissing it. Fortunately, the scandal seemed to have resolved thanks to articles by both agencies stating that they were merely close seniors and juniors. However, there were still those who doubted, claiming the photographs clearly showed otherwise.

But on a positive note, the scandal had increased public interest in the drama.

Many commented on how well Seowoo and Sung-hyun matched, enhancing the immersion into the drama’s narrative.

“Seowoo.”

Having taken a brief break, Sung-hyun approached her.

After hearing his unexpected confession, she felt awkward whenever she spoke to him.  However, Sung-hyun had become even more proactive in expressing his feelings to her after that day.

The affectionate man became even more caring and began to noticeably look after her when out of sight from others.

“Here.”

“I’ll enjoy it.”

Sung-hyun handed the juice he was holding to her. Ever since he learned that Seowoo couldn’t handle caffeine, he began bringing various kinds of drinks. Today it was apple juice.

“Haewon is very sick.”

“I heard that too. She’s caught a bad cold.”

Haewon, severely sick with a cold, had to unavoidably skip today’s shoot. Therefore, while adjusting the shooting schedule, she happened to have scenes involving Sung-hyun.

“They say she’s been admitted to the hospital…”

As a result, she had to reschedule her scenes with Sung-hyun.

“I was actually wondering whether to go after the shoot ends.”

“Let’s go together. She’s like a daughter to me.”

Sung-hyun offered her with a faint smile.

My daughter. How naturally it came to him.

Even though she had no feelings for him as anything more than a fellow actor, seeing him like this made Seowoo naturally fantasize.

If he were married, Sung-hyun would probably be a really good father.

He was caring and always sweet, and it was clear that he was a really good person.

“Is it uncomfortable for you if we go together?”

“No, it’s not that.”

“Then let’s go together. We’ll take my car.”

The truth was, she still felt somewhat uneasy because of the scandal.

She thought it was better to act as if it didn’t bother her. Yet, it was also awkward to walk around boldly without caring about the public’s attention.

“The shooting is really almost over.”

Then Sung-hyun said wistfully.

“Time really flies by.”

The seasons have already changed, and the filming is nearing its end. Fortunately, the response has been good and her comeback successful, so she feels significantly relieved.

“Have you thought about your next project?”

“Not yet.”

She had heard from Seung-min that the company was receiving numerous offers.

“Part of me wants to take a break, but I also want to start something right away.”

Seowoo replied with a faint smile.

Next project. In fact, when she was making her comeback, she hadn’t thought about the next project at all. The future had felt so bleak and suffocating, and she just wanted to finish this project well, thinking that would be enough.

“Whatever it is, you’ll do well.”

Sung-hyun spoke as he looked at her. He spoke sincerely.

“What about you, Sung-hyun? Are you going straight into another project?”

“I’ve been considering something, but I’m still undecided.”

While they were talking, Sung-hyun’s phone began to vibrate. His face crumpled as he checked the caller ID.

“What’s wrong, who is it?”

In the uneasy atmosphere, Seowoo looked at his complexion and asked in a worried voice.

“It’s nothing. I’ll just take this call and come back. You go ahead inside.”

Forcing the corners of his mouth to pull into a smile, Sung-hyun replied as if it was no big deal, then his expression turned cold as he stepped into the hallway of the dressing rooms.