Chapter 9.5

While Seojun fought fiercely against the storm of sandstorms, Moonkyeong found herself increasingly isolated. In her solitude, she began preparing to leave.

She needed to be ready to part ways at any time so that Seojun could rise to the top position in Leehan without any hindrance.

In December, on the morning of their wedding anniversary, she picked out a tie from a department store.

That evening, as she handed the tie to Seojun as a gift, she spoke succinctly.

“Seojun, let’s get a divorce.”

Her words were devoid of any embellishments.

***

Seo Moonkyeong had become the image of a perfect wife. It was now rare to see her lost or making mistakes as she once did. 

That morning, after preparing breakfast, she knocked on his door and entered. Seojun, still shirtless, was drying his hair. Without hesitation, Moonkyeong went into the dressing room and brought out his dress shirt and tie together. She waited briefly, then helped him slip his arms into the shirt with practiced ease.

After applying wax to his hair and tidying up, Seojun buttoned his shirt himself, and Moonkyeong swiftly tied his tie.

“Are you running late?”

“No.”

“Then let’s have dinner together tonight.”

“Alright.”

Last night, Moonkyeong had asked him for a divorce, and Seojun had only given a brief acknowledgment in response.

She decided not to feel even a shred of guilt for bringing up divorce so suddenly on their wedding anniversary, the day of the first snowfall. After all, it was something they had agreed upon before their marriage. If they were to part ways, they would become strangers forever, so there was no need to attach any lingering emotions.

Hyeran would now make more requests of him instead of her, and the family was sure to use her as bait to put pressure on him. That much was clear.

There were things she hadn’t been able to say last night, but she wanted to continue the conversation today.

“Seojun, you seemed too busy yesterday, so I couldn’t say everything I wanted to.”

“I know.”

“You don’t have other plans today, do you?”

He furrowed his brow slightly. 

“No.”

“Breakfast?”

“I don’t have time.”

“Alright. Sorry for bothering you in the morning. Have a good day at work.”

Seojun left for the office, and Moonkyeong picked up Dubu, who ran into her arms. Dubu was a small white poodle she had brought home two months ago after volunteering at an animal shelter with Lee Hyesook. 

Having grown up in a cramped cage, Dubu’s spine had stiffened, and one leg was lame. Even after leaving the shelter, the memory of the dog lingered in her mind, keeping her awake for three nights. 

Because of his bad leg, no one wanted to adopt him, and he was on the verge of being euthanized. She had hesitated, knowing that Seojun would likely disapprove of raising a sick dog, but on her second visit to the shelter, Hyesook encouraged her.

[Moonkyeong, you should take him.]

[No, he won’t like it.]

[I don’t think so.]

[What do you mean?]

[Everything in life happens for a reason, don’t you think? Maybe there’s a reason we came here today too.]

Hyesook’s words were cryptic but compelling, as if she knew something. Emboldened by her encouragement, Moonkyeong made the decision.

When she first brought up the idea of adoption that evening, Seojun merely nodded in silence, signaling his approval to bring Dubu home. 

Although she was overjoyed, she didn’t express her gratitude to him. As Seojun grew colder by the day, she, too, had become adept at concealing her emotions.

“Dubu, are you hungry? Should I get you some food?”

Dubu seemed excited at the mention of food, so she set him down and went to the kitchen.

There were still about three hours left until her scheduled visit to the obstetrician with Nam Leehyun. She thought this would likely be the last visit. After feeding Dubu, she lay down on the sofa to rest. Despite falling asleep promptly at 10 p.m. every night, she had been feeling unusually tired lately.

It had been four months since they had stopped sharing a bed. Looking back, Seojun had distanced himself from her physically after Chairman Kim Seokyeong’s death. 

Given how he was constantly summoned here and there at night, it wasn’t surprising. Following the public announcement of the chairman’s death, Leehan’s stock prices had fluctuated wildly. 

Even during the chaos, Seojun had managed to hold his position firmly, and she admired his resilience.

She had barely rested for 30 minutes when she had to get up again. Disliking the silence, she had left the TV on and fallen asleep to it. A breaking news report was now airing.

The prosecution had requested an arrest warrant for Kim Seouk, Vice President of Leehan Hotel, on charges of creating slush funds. The news also implicated Shin Jueun, Director of the Yurim Foundation, suggesting that she might be involved in her son’s crimes.

The report detailed how the prosecution had conducted raids over two consecutive days on seven locations, including Kim Seouk’s residence and Leehan Hotel. 

Kim Seouk’s crimes seemed almost certain, and if Shin Jueun’s illegal activities were confirmed, she would face severe reputational damage and likely lose her position as the foundation’s director.

As the breaking news aired, Hyeran called her, sounding smug as she recalled past events.

—Serves them right. Honestly, I was annoyed that Kim Seouk let the two of you off so easily back then. This is perfect. Moonkyeong, you made such a good choice marrying Kim Seojun.

Despite the flood of compliments, Moonkyeong felt no joy. She hadn’t yet told Hyeran about her impending divorce from Seojun. 

In time, Hyeran would find out naturally. Once Seojun fulfilled his promise of 20 billion won in alimony, she planned to hand it over to Hyeran. 

That was the condition of her divorce. Wanting to live again under the name Min Bora, Moonkyeong intended to use the money to buy her freedom. 

She thought it would be enough to repay her debt of gratitude and leave without any regrets. She resolved never to set foot in Korea again. 

She dreamed of starting over in a small rural town in Canada, where there were almost no other Asians. There, she could live freely, pursuing her dreams without being watched.

She had already purchased a flight ticket for three months later and secured a place to stay in Canada.

Sweeping her long bangs aside, Moonkyeong made a call.

“Mom.”

—Yes, dear?

“How’s Dad doing?”

—Sigh, he’s fine. Be good to Seojun.

“I will.”

—Moonkyeong.

“Yes?”

—Do you have something to tell me?

“No.”

—Hmm. I…

Moonkyeong cut her off. 

“Sorry, I have to go to the hospital with Mother-in-law.

—Oh, really? Alright. Let’s talk later.

After ending the call, Moonkyeong adjusted her schedule slightly. Originally, she had planned to visit the hospital after her appointment with the obstetrician, but due to time constraints, she decided to stop by first.

Knowing that her phone was constantly being tapped by Hyeran, she had recently acquired a new one. 

Thanks to the allowance she received monthly after marrying Seojun, she had managed to save a significant amount, enabling her to take these steps.

At a small café in Yongsan-gu, she cautiously opened the door and entered. The man she had arranged to meet looked much younger and fresher than his voice on the phone had suggested.

Noticing her surprise, he stood up and gestured for her to stay quiet, placing a finger to his lips. He handed her a note he had prepared in advance.

<It was confirmed that two wiretapping programs were installed. One of them is a program that copies only call history or messages, as requested by email, while the other is a program that wiretap all conversations in daily life even when the phone is turned off. For now, it’s best to leave your phone here and move to another location to talk.>

Moonkyeong understood his words quickly. She tried to act naturally, as if she had just stopped by the café for coffee. While ordering coffee from the café staff, she spoke kindly.

“Excuse me, may I charge my phone here?”

“Yes, please hand it over.”

“Thank you.”

She received her ordered coffee, placed it briefly on the table, and stepped outside with the man. The man, who was wearing earphones, placed his hand on his waist and asked, 

“Who are you exactly?”

“Pardon?”

“What kind of person are you to have two programs like that installed? At first, we only detected one, and it took us a while to find the second. It was only right before coming here that the youngest member of our team managed to catch it. That kid is pretty sharp, but even I didn’t expect there to be two.”

Moonkyeong scratched her head. She had long suspected that Hyeran was wiretapping her, but this was entirely new information.

“Well, can’t you figure out who’s behind it?”

“No. These days, wiretapping systems are so advanced that tracking is nearly impossible. Moreover, the second program is so complex that even we would struggle to delete it. If we mess with it, it could wipe out all your credit information.”

Moonkyeong nodded. Aside from Hyeran, there was only one other person she could reasonably suspect. She could never forget the piercing gaze of Seojun, who sometimes seemed to see right through her.

She pulled her hand out of her pocket. 

“What do you mean by recording every conversation?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. It picks up everything within about a one-meter radius of the phone. If there’s a wall or door in between, it might be harder, but most people these days carry their phones everywhere. That’s the problem. Since it uses Wi-Fi or data signals, unless you go deep underground or to the ends of the earth, it can pick up even the faintest noise. It’s possible the person behind it even knew you were coming here.”

Moonkyeong shook her head. 

“No, I always made calls from the living room, so it should be fine.”

“Well, that’s a relief.”

The thought that Seojun might have been wiretapping her left her feeling uneasy. She had already spent nearly 20 years under Hyeran’s surveillance and control, and now realizing that he had done the same made her hands and feet tremble. 

“How long has this been going on?”

The man shook his head. It seemed even that couldn’t be traced. Moonkyeong bit her lip.

Hyeran’s reason for calling her earlier today and hesitating to speak must have been because of this. She must have just found out that the wiretapping program had been deleted and had plenty to say about it. But that wasn’t important. She was on the verge of spreading her wings and flying freely. Asking Hyeran why she had wiretapped her now would be foolish. 

However, Seojun’s wiretapping troubled her. She could simply discard the phone after the divorce, but she was curious. Should she ask why he had been monitoring her? Then again, she doubted he would answer.

“Can I use that program too?” 

The man smiled and rubbed his thumb and index finger together, signaling that anything was possible for the right price. With a sharp glint in her eyes, Moonkyeong opened her wallet.