“I’m hungry. Give me something to eat.”

Jung-jae said, fed up, as he shoved Seol-ran’s phone away, his voice curt. After a long day of being pushed around by his boss and working himself to the bone, he came home to find his wife absorbed in some pointless video on social media, spouting nonsense.

“You haven’t eaten yet?”

Seol-ran asked, her tone dripping with annoyance as if questioning what he’d been doing all this time without eating. Her irritated gaze only made Jung-jae’s patience wear thinner.

“You spent the whole day doing nothing, and you didn’t even prepare dinner for your husband coming home?” he shot back, frustration spilling over.

“What did you say?”

Seol-ran was already seething after watching the extravagant proposal video on social media. She couldn’t stop fuming, thinking she should have married a man like that instead. And now, seeing her husband Jung-jae walk in looking tired and defeated only intensified her frustration.

Before they married, Seol-ran had found Jung-jae quite impressive, but now, the more she looked at him, the more pathetic he seemed. The man in the proposal video she’d seen earlier was so charming. Though his face wasn’t visible, the way he wore that designer suit radiated confidence, and he had to be at least 190 cm tall. Jung-jae was 180 cm, which she hadn’t considered short before, but after seeing the man in the video, Jung-jae now seemed almost pitiful in comparison—like a small fish in a vast ocean.

Seol-ran was already fascinated by the well-groomed, perfectly proportioned figure in the luxury suit. The man’s back had seemed strangely familiar, but she dismissed the idea, thinking there was no way she could know someone like that.

“Did I say something wrong? Isn’t it normal for a wife to prepare dinner for her husband?” Jung-jae asked, his tone carrying a clear edge of irritation.

Seol-ran’s brows furrowed deeply at his remark.

“What? Normal? Did you really marry me thinking I’d just be someone who cooks for you?”

She snapped, her sharp gaze piercing through him. Jung-jae felt a surge of anger rises within, but he gritted his teeth, trying to keep his temper under control.

“No, that’s not what I meant,” he repeated, trying to keep his tone steady. “I’m just saying that if we’re married, isn’t it normal for the wife to make her husband’s meals? You’re not working, and you’ve indeed been home all day,” Jung-jae said, struggling to explain himself.

Seol-ran scoffed, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Wow, unbelievable.”

“What?”

Jung-jae asked, confused by her reaction.

“They say men forget all their promises once they get married. Is that what happened to you?” she retorted, her voice laced with bitterness.

“What did I forget?”

He couldn’t help but recall the promise he’d made to her before their marriage.

“If you marry me, you’ll only have to sit back like a princess. I’ll handle all the housework, and I’ll make sure you never lift a finger. You just keep looking as beautiful as you do, like a doll.”

Jung-jae now wanted nothing more than to go back in time and strangle his past self for saying such reckless words. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t help but compare Seol-ran to Seol-ah. Even though Seol-ah didn’t live with him, she always made an effort to care about his meals. She would stop by in the evenings and even prepare breakfast for the next day. She insisted on making nutritious meals, believing he needed to eat well to keep up with his studies.

“Do you remember now?”

Seol-ran’s voice dripped with sarcasm, pulling him back to the present.

Jung-jae took a deep breath, quickly regaining his composure.

“Even if I said those things, don’t you think you should still fulfill your duties as a wife? And seriously, who doesn’t make promises before marriage?” 

“What? Are you saying all those promises were just empty words to get me to marry you?” 

“You know I didn’t mean it like that. Why are you picking a fight today? Can’t you see I’ve had a rough day at work? I’m exhausted here!” 

“Why are you yelling at me?”

Seol-ran shot back, shifting the focus to his tone as if she had run out of counterarguments. 

“When did I yell? I just raised my voice a little.”

Jung-jae replied, lowering his tone slightly, though it was clear that Seol-ran’s mood had already turned sour.

She snapped, “You promised me the world like you’d give me the moon and stars, but here we are, just two weeks into the marriage, and you’re already showing your true colors, huh?”

“What? ‘With nothing to your name’?”

Jung-jae’s eyes flared with anger. But instead of backing down or showing any sign of regret, Seol-ran raised her voice, undeterred.

“Well, what do you have? Tell me where I was wrong!”

“You—!”

Slap!

“Ah!” 

In a fit of uncontrollable rage, Jung-jae did something he should never have done – he slapped her. The moment his hand touched her cheek, regret washed over him, but it was too late. 

“You hit me!”

Seol-ran’s voice quivered with shock and anger. 

“I—I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I was just so angry, I lost control.”

Jung-jae stammered, his voice breaking as he tried to apologize. But Seol-ran, fists clenched and trembling with rage, stormed off into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.  

“Seol-ran, I’m sorry. I made a mistake. Please forgive me.”

Jung-jae pleaded desperately, following her into the bedroom, weighed down by guilt and panic. 

“What are you doing?”

Jung-jae’s face twisted in shock as he watched Seol-ran pull a suitcase from the closet and start packing her things. 

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m packing.”

“Why are you packing? I already apologized!”

Jung-jae protested, his voice rising with desperation. 

“Just because you said sorry doesn’t erase the fact that you hit me. And if you’re the kind of man who resorts to violence, I can’t stay with you for the rest of my life. I need to rethink our marriage.”

Seol-ran said firmly, not pausing as she folded her clothes. 

“What do you mean ‘rethink our marriage’? Are you talking about divorce?”

Jae asked, his voice strained with panic. 

“Yeah, let’s divorce. There’s no need to call it that since we haven’t even registered our marriage yet. Let’s just end this.”

As she continued packing, Seol-ran let her harsh words flow without hesitation. 

“You were just a guy with nothing to offer but a job at a big company, but I trusted you because you treated me like a princess. How can I trust a man who hits me just two weeks into marriage? I’ll leave, so go find yourself a maid or someone who’ll cook for you.”

Her words hit Jung-jae like a punch to the gut, but he could only stand there, speechless, as Seol-ran continued gathering her things.

“Hey! Kim Seol-ran!” he shouted, desperation and frustration cracking through his voice.

“Don’t shout at me!”

Seol-ran yelled back, her voice twice as loud, ringing with anger. Jung-jae flinched at the intensity and quickly softened his tone, trying to hold back his rising panic.

“Seol-ran, don’t do this. I promise I won’t ask you to cook ever again. I’ll even take care of your meals from now on.”

“I don’t need it. I’m done falling for those lies. Goodbye,” Seol-ran replied firmly, closing her suitcase. “Oh, and I’ll send someone to pick up the things I brought.”

“What?”

Jung-jae muttered, struggling to process her words. 

“And don’t forget to prepare the money I contributed when we got this apartment.”

“Are you serious right now?”

Jae asked, his disbelief turning into a bitter laugh. 

“Yeah, I’ve made up my mind. Honestly, I was already regretting marrying someone as incompetent as you, so this just makes it easier.”

“What? Incompetent?”

Jung-jae repeated, his face reddening with anger and humiliation. 

“That’s right. In. Com. Pe. Tent.”

Seol-ran looked him square in the eyes, her words deliberately sharp as she enunciated each syllable, stomping on the last remnants of his pride.

Jung-jae’s fingers slowly curled into a fist, his jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth trembled, barely holding his anger in check. He could still hear Seol-ran’s mocking voice echoing in his head, and the memory of her words only deepened the wound.

“You are so smart. Wow, how did you pass all those tough company exams? Let’s have a party to celebrate your new job. I’ll take care of everything,” he muttered bitterly to himself, the memory of Seol-ah’s bright smile still vivid in his mind.”

As the front door slammed shut with a loud bang, the finality of her departure reverberated through the empty apartment. Jung-jae stood there for a moment, frozen in place before his knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor, overwhelmed by a wave of emotions he could no longer contain.

“Seol-ah, Jin Seol-ah,” he whispered, his voice breaking, “I miss you.”