Ji-an kept glancing at the clock on her phone.

It was well past midnight.

She had spent countless nights waiting for Woo Se-hyeon to come home, but lately he had often simply not returned.

“Is he not coming back tonight either?”

Time felt painfully slow. Every time she looked at the screen, she saw that only five minutes had passed. She let out a small sigh and stared into space.

There was no guarantee that he would come back tonight. She was just waiting.

“Don’t disappoint me. I’ll be waiting.”

The urgent voice of that woman still echoed in her ears. Ji-an knew those words had been aimed squarely at her – any woman would have sensed it.

She couldn’t forget the affectionate gaze, the tender smile or how she had effortlessly wrapped her arms around him.

They said she left the country right before the wedding. Why did she choose that moment?

“Haa…”

Another sigh slipped out, tightness pressing on her chest.

‘They’re probably together right now.’
When had she started caring so much about her husband’s whereabouts? It was almost laughable.

She checked the time again, fingers fidgeting with her phone.

“Should I… call him?”

She almost never called Se-hyeon unless it was absolutely necessary. She wanted to ask when he would be home, but she didn’t know how to phrase the question. Even dialling felt daunting.

How could such a simple phone call be so difficult for a married couple?

After staring at the screen for a moment longer, Ji-an finally gave in to the impulse and pressed the call button.

Holding the phone to her ear, she waited, anxiety etched across her face. With each ring, her heartbeat quickened.

‘What am I supposed to say?’
Her mind went blank—she hadn’t called with any real purpose.

“…Ah.”

Yet, despite all her worries, the call rang and rang without an answer. Perhaps that was for the best. If he’d picked up, he might have sensed the turmoil in her voice.

Even so, a faint look of disappointment crossed her face.

Just as Ji-an was about to give up and press the end call button,

—“Hey, Ji-an.”

A gentle, soft voice came through the speaker—and in that instant, Ji-an froze.

—“Hello?”

When she didn’t answer and only sat there, stunned, Se-hyeon called out again, as if to check.

Snapping back to her senses, Ji-an quickly brought the phone to her ear.

“Ah, yes… Se-hyeon….”

Flustered and breathless, she called his name. But, unlike what she’d expected — noise, people and music — the line was oddly quiet. Perhaps that was why her heart started pounding even faster.

—“Did something happen?”

Se-hyeon’s voice was cautious. He sounded just as surprised as she was.

“No, it’s not that. I was just wondering when you’d be home.”

After hesitating for a moment, Ji-an finally confessed what was on her mind.

The seconds until his reply felt agonisingly long. She bit her lip, trying to steady her nerves.

Then, his voice returned.

—“I’m on my way. I’ll be there in about ten minutes—”

—“Woo Se-hyeon.”

A woman’s voice cut in, calling his name.

Ji-an’s face stiffened.

—“Ten minutes. I’ll be there soon.”

And before she could say anything more, the call abruptly ended.

Her arm dropped lifelessly to her side.

Even after the call ended, Ji-an remained motionless, sitting in a daze.

Heat rose to her face.

She had no doubt—that was her voice.

But where were they, for it to be so quiet?

“Hoo…”

She fanned her flushed cheeks with her hand, trying to calm down. When that didn’t help, she stood up and began pacing around the room quickly.

This was their third year of marriage. Tonight was the first time she had ever called him to ask when he would be home.

‘Ten minutes.’

He said he’d arrive in about ten minutes.

Ji-an kept checking the time, over and over again, trying her best to steady her trembling heart.

***

Gyu-eun hurried out of the bar, following close behind Se-hyeon.

He was standing silently in front of the elevator, eyes fixed straight ahead.

Gyu-eun stepped in close beside him, but even with the narrowed distance, Se-hyeon showed no reaction whatsoever.

Among their friends, she had always considered herself the closest to Woo Se-hyeon. And for a long time, she really had been.
But over the past three years, she’d begun to feel it—subtle, yet undeniable—a growing distance between them.

And now, his indifference weighed heavier on her than she expected.

“Have you been really busy since becoming CEO?”

Her voice was light, casual, trying hard to mask the twinge of resentment rising in her chest.

“Yeah. A bit.”

He replied curtly. And just like that, the conversation died down again.

As she struggled to break the thick silence between them, the lift doors opened with a ding.

Se-hyeon stepped in first. Gyu-eun followed quietly behind her.

The lift quickly descended to the ground floor. As soon as it arrived, Se-hyeon strode out without pausing, covering the distance across the lobby in a few powerful strides.

“Ugh, seriously…”

Keeping pace with him in her high stiletto heels was no easy feat. Eventually, Gyu-eun was left trailing behind and stopped in the middle of the lobby, glaring at his back.

“Hey! Woo Se-hyeon!”

Her voice rang sharply through the space. He halted mid-step, turning halfway to look at her.

He carried his wife like a princess because she had broken her heel.

Yet he couldn’t even slow down for a close friend.

She felt a burning anger at the injustice of it all.

“What are you doing just standing there?”

He said, his voice devoid of warmth. Storming up to him, Gyu-eun rolled her eyes dramatically.

“Are you really going to act like this? Do you realise how hurtful you’re being right now?”

Her gaze was full of reproach. But Se-hyeon only looked back at her with completely unreadable, emotionless eyes.

Gyu-eun glared at him for another long moment, breathing heavily, before brushing past him and heading outside.

When Se-hyeon followed, Tae-hoon was already there, opening the back door for them.

Gyu-eun climbed in first.

“Ha…”

Se-hyeon sighed in annoyance and got into the back seat.

The car pulled away from the hotel without another word.

The silence in the back seat thickened. Neither of them spoke; they both stared blankly ahead.

Time passed.

Finally, Se-hyeon broke the silence. He tilted his head back against the headrest and closed his eyes.

“Chae Gyu-eun. Tell me your address.”

Even at his blunt demand, Gyu-eun kept her lips pressed shut, refusing to answer.

‘Why is she being so difficult tonight?’

He could feel his patience, already wearing thin, reaching its limit.

Just as he was about to speak again, Gyu-eun grabbed his arm and said.

“Have one more drink with me.”

Se-hyeon slowly opened his eyes. He shifted his gaze towards the front. In the rear-view mirror, he could see Tae-hoon forcing himself to keep his eyes on the road.

Without a destination in mind, Tae-hoon had started driving towards Se-hyeon’s family home.

Se-hyeon lowered his gaze in silence and stared at the hand that had grabbed his left arm.

Gyu-eun was clutching the cuff of his coat tightly.

He looked at it for a long moment before slowly lifting his gaze to meet hers.

“Chae Gyu-eun.”

He spoke her name in a low, calm voice.

“Aren’t you even curious… why I left like that three years ago?”

Not even his closest friends knew about his marriage.

Woo Se-hyeon hadn’t told anyone, so everyone found out about it at the same time — from the headlines.

[W Group Executive Director Woo Se-hyeon Announces Marriage]

Reading it was like being hit over the head with a blunt object.

There hadn’t been the slightest hint.

At the time, Gyu-eun had been preparing to confess her feelings to him.

She knew he might not have had feelings for her, but she believed that he at least didn’t dislike her.

She had convinced herself that if she confessed, maybe something between them would change.

That night, after they had shared a birthday dinner, she was ready.

But it had all been an illusion. The sense of betrayal that followed was overwhelming.

“You never once asked me. Not even once.”

She wanted him to know why she had left so suddenly. Why had she vanished?

She hadn’t reached out either, not even after the one missed call she had refused to answer.

“That day, there was something I needed to say. So tonight… just stay. With me.”

She was still speaking when a sharp vibration interrupted her.

Startled, Gyu-eun trailed off.

The sound came from inside Se-hyeon’s coat.

Her gaze fell to the source of the noise just as he moved to take the phone out of his pocket, twisting his arm to break free from her grip.

“Don’t answer it.”

She said quickly, panic flashing across her face. But Se-hyeon didn’t stop. He calmly brushed her hand away for the second time and looked at the caller ID.

His brow furrowed the moment he saw the name on the screen: a name he hadn’t expected.

Without hesitating, he pressed the answer button.

“Hey. Ji-an.”

At the sound of her name slipping from his lips, Gyu-eun’s expression twisted sharply, her eyes darkening with fury.