Leaving Mr. Seok’s laughter behind, Yunjoo walked to a corner with her phone and dialed the number. She heard the ringtone and caught herself tensing up along with it. Should she hang up if he doesn’t answer? Is he busy? Those thoughts scattered the moment Kangwook’s voice broke through.

“It’s me. I’ll eat dinner before coming home tonight. Sangyun wants to take Mr. Seok out for a meal.”

“Got it.”

The ringtone had sounded, Kangwook’s voice had come through, and she had braced herself for something more than what she got. The call ended far too quickly. Left with a hollow feeling, she stared at the ended call for a moment, and then a thought struck her.

‘Why did I call?’

The realization that she had called Kangwook to let him know she’d be out for dinner unsettled her. Since when had they been the kind of people who did that? She had called, and he had answered, both of them acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.

The moment his phone rang, Kangwook had frozen at the sight of Cha Yunjoo’s name lit up on the screen. He couldn’t bring himself to answer right away and just stared at it. It was the first time Yunjoo had ever called his personal phone, and his heart pounded in his chest. He waved Team Leader Moon out of the room mid-report, anxious the call might cut off before he could answer. And so, that first call from Yunjoo left Kangwook smiling to himself.

It had only been a call to say she’d be home late. He had no idea what there was to smile about, yet he couldn’t put the phone down.

“Sir.”

Team Leader Moon had stepped out and now returned to find Kangwook smiling, something he had never once seen before. He sent a puzzled look his way. The man was smiling, so why did it feel so unsettling? The air in the room seemed to press cold against his skin.

“We’re working late tonight.”

“Pardon?”

“Overtime. Let’s clear out the backlog.”

To think that words spoken with a smile could sound this frightening. Getting yelled at would have been easier to handle.

“Is overtime your idea of good news?”

“What?”

“You looked happy, so I thought something good had happened.”

“You’re right. I’m in a good mood.”

“You’re the only person whose good mood is more unsettling than their bad one, sir.”

“Don’t ruin it. Get out.”

“Leaving now. I don’t think I could stay even if you asked me to.”

* * *

It was the opening day of the performance, and Kangwook watched Yunjoo move about in a flurry since morning. He knew how joyful and proud this day was for her, and he quietly enjoyed the sight of her. He loved watching her smile, and once his gaze found her, pulling it away was no easy thing.

Yunjoo found it strange. He always left at the crack of dawn and never later than she did, yet here he was, making no move to go anywhere. She kept stealing glances at him as she moved around.

“No breakfast meeting today?”

“No.”

“What about a morning meeting?”

“No.”

She had never seen him this unhurried, and she couldn’t help herself. She kept sneaking looks at him as he sat back and scrolled through the news.

“Stop sneaking glances and get on with what you’re doing.”

“That’s exactly what I mean. Isn’t it strange for someone who never does this?”

“Come on, can’t a man leave his own home whenever he pleases?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. I’ve just never seen you take a slow morning before.”

Sensing that staying any longer would make Yunjoo uncomfortable, he got up from his seat. He had seen enough, and he could leave feeling satisfied.

“Alright, I’m going. Oh, by the way, I’m heading to Hong Kong in three days. Get ready.”

“How many days will you be gone? I’ll pack your bag.”

“Two nights, three days. And you’re coming too.”

“What! Why me?”

Her eyes went wide with shock.

“As my companion.”

A companion. That had never happened before. He had always traveled alone for business trips and handled overseas invitations on his own.

“We’ve never gone abroad together before.”

“This one’s different. It’s an important event where I absolutely need you there.”

“But I…”

Declining was the right answer, but the thought of going abroad was tempting.

“The chairman hosting this party specifically required couples to attend, so I have no choice. We’re still married, so it’s not a problem. And you don’t need to prepare anything separately. The secretarial office will handle everything. Once the play starts, you won’t have anything urgent, so you can be away for two days, right?”

There was something she needed to prepare. Something very important. Yunjoo’s voice came out small, almost shrinking into itself.

“I… I don’t even have a passport.”

“What!”

He was so startled he turned back from the door mid-step. He thought she was joking to get out of going.

“I’ve never even traveled properly within the country, let alone abroad. My father wouldn’t allow it. Even after I started university, I couldn’t bring it up unless I was back the same day.”

There was not a trace of humor in what Yunjoo said. Kangwook looked at her in silence. A heaviness settled in his chest. She had been allowed to do almost nothing.

“Alright. I’ll let the secretarial office know. They’ll take care of it.”

“Do I really have to go? Can’t I stay behind?”

“Yes, you have to go. I’m not a divorced man yet.”

He turned away and tossed out the words without a second thought.

“Is there somewhere you’ve always wanted to go?”

He had already turned to leave, but Yunjoo’s words followed him and lodged themselves in his chest.

“There is. Broadway. It’s where my dreams live and breathe. I’ve always wanted to go. It’s a place I want to see and feel and give to myself as a gift.”

He slowed and nearly stopped, but he couldn’t bring himself to turn around. The answer had come without a moment’s hesitation. He had asked, and she had answered, but Kangwook could not turn to face her.

America was a country he had visited countless times. And yet Broadway was a place Yunjoo thirsted for, a place she called her dream. At that moment, Kangwook could find no words, and he could not turn around. It was a place she could have visited any time during the years she had spent as his wife, had she only wanted to.

But Yunjoo had not lived those three years as his wife. She had not stepped forward unless absolutely necessary and had kept almost no contact with people in his world. She had probably been preparing to leave from the very beginning, certain from the start that it was never her place. Only now did he understand why she had kept herself so removed from everything outside.

That withdrawal had come across as passivity to his family, and neither his mother nor his father had been pleased by it, though Yunjoo had seemed indifferent to their disapproval. And because she was that way, he had paid it no mind either. He had been the one to propose the divorce first, and grateful that she had accepted, the most he had done was shield her from his family’s interference.

Kangwook started walking again. The truth was, this business trip was something he could manage alone. He had lied about needing her there because he couldn’t stand the thought of being apart from her. If he had told her the truth, she never would have agreed to come.

He told himself he simply couldn’t bear to leave her behind, but it wasn’t for her sake. It was an excuse he made for himself. While he was away, Yunjoo would go to the theater company, show up to work, meet directors and actors, and laugh freely with them like old friends. He didn’t want that. He didn’t want to leave her somewhere he couldn’t be. The unease of leaving her behind was why he needed her with him, and that was why the lie had been necessary.

* * *

After Kangwook left, Yunjoo also headed to the theater company without delay. She finished the final touches, went through each item one by one, and wrapped up the last of her work. With everything done, she settled into a seat in the audience and watched the actors come out to check their positions under the stage lighting and run through their movements.

Sitting there in a daze, Yunjoo drifted away from the stage and into her own thoughts. She was going to Hong Kong with Kangwook. She had never taken a real trip before the marriage or after it, and a small ripple moved through her chest. It wasn’t a leisure trip, so it wasn’t quite a vacation, but the flutter of excitement was impossible to stop.

Kangwook would be busy, and in those gaps, she figured she could enjoy the feeling of traveling on her own. Back in university, her friends had invited her along several times, but she had never been able to go. There were times they had even told her to just do a day trip.

Lost in her own thoughts, she had no idea someone had come to sit beside her until she heard her name.

“Ms. Yunjoo, Ms. Yunjoo.”

She didn’t respond even after being called several times, so the person gave her shoulder a light tap.