The Tyrant Husband - Chapter 2.4

Chapter 2.4

Considering the speed at which she rode her bicycle, he deliberately drove his car slowly. Yet, by the time he arrived, she still hadn’t shown up.  

He entered the convenience store first and bought a banana milk. He didn’t like the artificial banana scent or the cheap sweetness, but it had been Eun-sol’s favorite drink during her younger days. Of course, the current Eun-sol didn’t remember that at all.  

He sipped the banana milk slowly as he waited for her in the café’s vacant lot.  

He was curious about how Kim Eun-sol would explain her sudden, secret outing in the middle of the night. If she confessed the truth—that she came to buy a pregnancy test kit—he had planned to let it slide.  

But.  

“The truth is… originally… I came to buy… sanitary pads!”  

She was a woman who lied to the very end.  

“I felt too awkward asking you, Jeong-hyeok, to buy them for me, so I went out to get them myself. But unfortunately, the convenience store owner was a man, and there were male police officers nearby as well…”  

If she was going to lie, she should’ve done it poorly. If that were the case, he might’ve felt a little annoyed but would’ve let it go.  

However, her excuse about the sanitary pads was fairly convincing, and that’s what made it infuriating. If he hadn’t known the truth, he might’ve been completely fooled.  

Since she had lied about the sanitary pads, she would now have to pay the price for that lie.  

“The obstetrician said that once your period starts normally again, it’s fine for us to have marital relations.”  

The obstetrician had never said such a thing. His restraint had been entirely his own choice and consideration. Unfortunately, the result of that consideration hadn’t been very pleasant, to say the least.  

In any case, it seemed that his intimidation had scared the rabbit into finally leaving the house.  

“Did I push her too far?”  

A lukewarm chuckle escaped his throat.  

This kind of quick decisiveness and boldness wasn’t like the Eun-sol he knew. The Eun-sol he knew would’ve become even more withdrawn and behaved meekly.  

What was he supposed to do now with this increasingly defiant house rabbit?  

“How much further is it to Seoul?”  

Jeong-hyeok asked Chief Cheon.  

“Yes, we should arrive at the destination in about 1 hour and 30 minutes.”  

“Step on it.”  

He gave the short command and leaned his head against the headrest.  

Sol-ah, you can run away a hundred times.  

“I’ll catch you a hundred times over.”  

The dim streetlight reflected off the corner of his twisted lips.  

* * *  

“Hye-mi, could you take a look at this photo and tell me if this is the person?”  

Eun-sol reached for her phone to show a wedding photo of her and Kwon Jeong-hyeok, but she quickly realized that she didn’t have her phone with her.  

“Your husband—his looks and presence are unforgettable. No woman could resist him. Even among celebrities, a face like that is one of a kind, isn’t it?”  

Hye-mi’s cheeks flushed red.  

Unfortunately, there weren’t any public photos of Kwon Jeong-hyeok in the media. Though she couldn’t show a picture to confirm, the man Hye-mi described seemed to match Jeong-hyeok. After all, such a face wouldn’t be common.  

“Seriously, Unnie, you must have saved the country ten times in your past life. Back when I worked at that store, you and your husband were just a customer and an employee, you know.”  

“A customer and an employee?”  

It was a surprising and entirely new story.  

“Yes! When I later heard rumors about your wedding, I was so shocked! If I had known, I would’ve gotten closer to you, Unnie! I regretted it so much….”  

Hye-mi became a bit chatty, but this wasn’t the time to leisurely react to her remarks.  

“Hey, could you describe my husband’s appearance as you remember it? His skin tone, height…?”  

“His skin is fairly pale, he’s definitely over 185 cm tall, well-built, and gives off a cold vibe. His way of speaking is a bit stiff, and he rarely shows any expression.”  

“Ah…!”  

The description Hye-mi gave matched Kwon Jeong-hyeok perfectly.  

“Unnie, you’re not saying that you lost your memory and now you’re doubting if your husband is really your husband, right?”  

“It’s not exactly that….”  

To others, such doubts seemed utterly absurd.  

Though it was disheartening to have her concerns dismissed, Eun-sol decided to be honest.  

Meeting Hye-mi, the only person who seemed to know something about her and whom she could turn to for help, was already a miracle.  

“To be honest, it might sound ridiculous, but it’s kind of like that. Maybe it’s because I lost my memory, but my husband feels so unfamiliar… and scary.”  

Hye-mi let out a cheerful laugh at the serious confession Eun-sol had just made.  

“Why are you laughing?”  

“Do you know, Unnie? You said the exact same thing to me back when your husband was just a customer. You told me that customer was scary.”  

“I did? I said that?”  

The words spilling out of Hye-mi’s mouth were all new and surprising to Eun-sol.  

“Yes. You were so wary of him at first. That’s why I was even more shocked when I heard rumors that you were marrying him later on.”  

These were precious pieces of information.  

“Oh, Unnie. My younger brother is waiting for me outside. He has a part-time job interview, and I was going to introduce him to a position at this department store.”  

Eun-sol wanted to hear more, but Hye-mi checked the time on her phone and hurriedly slung her bag over her shoulder.  

“Oh, oh, right. Sorry. But, Hye-mi, do you think if I went to the store where we worked, I could meet anyone else who remembers me?”  

Hye-mi immediately shook her head.  

“No. All the employees at that brand store were fired—uh, I mean, they quit.”  

Hye-mi awkwardly smiled and added,  

“Well, I’m running late, so I’ll get going now.”  

“Oh, okay. Then, could you give me your contact information? I’ll treat you to something nice next time we meet.”  

“I might change my phone number soon, so I’ll give you my social media account. Just send me a DM.”  

“Oh, got it. Oh, wait, Hye-mi! Did I have a social media account by any chance?”  

If she had an account, she thought she could somehow figure out the password.  

“No, Unnie. You didn’t like those things. You called them time-wasting services. Oh, but I do have one photo of you on my account.”  

Hye-mi fiddled with her phone, then showed a picture from her social media.  

“This was at a fusion ramen shop near the department store. You said it was your favorite place, so I tagged along for lunch once and became a regular myself.”  

“Oh…!”  

Somehow, she felt like she could recall the taste. It seemed true that she had been a regular at that fusion ramen shop.  

However, the image of herself in the photo felt unfamiliar. It was undoubtedly her, yet she looked like someone else. The woman in the picture appeared so melancholic.  

“Oh, I really have to go now. My brother is waiting outside.”  

Hye-mi left the café in a hurry, leaving Eun-sol behind.  

“Noona, are you done talking?”  

At the entrance of the café, Hye-mi’s younger brother was waiting for her.  

“Yeah, I was a bit late, right? I ran into an older friend I used to work with. Sorry.”  

“No, it’s fine. But what were you talking about? Your friend looked so serious.”  

“Well, she’s like a Cinderella who got married, but she lost her memory in a car accident. She can’t recognize or trust her husband. Honestly, what a strange thing to happen.”  

Hye-mi muttered, her thoughts complicated.  

“But I’m not sure if I did the right thing.”  

“Huh?”  

Her brother asked curiously.  

“There’s one thing I didn’t tell her.”  

“What is it?”  

“Ah, never mind. She already looks so confused. I don’t think she needs to know that too.”  

Hye-mi hesitated, struggling with her thoughts, before shaking her head.  

“Let’s go. You’re going to be even later for your interview.”  

* * *  

“Oh, Lord, Buddha!”  

The jewelry shop owner clutched his phone as if it were the Holy Grail, unable to contain himself.  

The jewelry shop owner had realized that the necklace Eun-sol sold was no ordinary piece.  

He had heard about this necklace before at a drinking gathering with acquaintances in the same industry.  

“It’s a commemorative necklace created by the first owners of Sowon Construction and Taepyeong Distribution when they partnered to build Gangnam’s first department store, wishing for its success.”  

The first owners of the two companies were said to be so close that they even promised to marry off their grandchildren. When the department store became a huge success, both companies grew rapidly.  

Thus, the necklace was a symbol of their success story and a valuable item that encapsulated the history of the two companies.  

Moreover, through a group chat with others in the same industry, even more astonishing news came to light.  

Sowon Construction had declared the necklace lost and had placed a massive reward for its return.  

‘Could such a windfall really happen to me?’  

The jewelry shop owner contacted Sowon Construction, left his number, and finally, the long-awaited phone call came.  

“Ahem. Lucky Jewelry Shop, this is Park Han-soo speaking.”  

The voice on the other end of the phone was so deep and heavy that it sent shivers down his spine. Even without an introduction, he could tell this wasn’t some secretary or low-level employee.  

“What? Pardon me? If I find the woman who sold the necklace, you’ll give me four times the reward?!”  

The jewelry shop owner’s eyes twitched.