Chapter 6.6

The way the arm firmly held her waist, and the familiar scent that clung to her—it all belonged to her husband, the man she now believed to be hers without a doubt.

“Sol-ah. You need to be careful. You almost got hurt.”

His voice was as gentle as could be. But Eun-sol knew all too well that it was just his tone. When he was angry, he spoke even more kindly.

“……”

The chilling undertone in his voice left Eun-sol gasping for breath.

Above all, what bothered her most was the phone lying on the floor.

On the brightly lit phone screen, she could still see herself smiling in the arms of a man she didn’t recognize. To anyone else, they would have looked like a perfectly affectionate couple.

‘Ah… Did Jeong-hyeok see the photo?’

Every nerve in her body was on edge. She couldn’t bring herself to check his expression.

If only she had her memories, she could at least try to explain. But without them, she had no idea how to handle this situation or regain her composure.

The murmuring around her grew louder.

When she finally lifted her heavy gaze, she saw that a crowd had formed, encircling her.

The people’s attention was fixed on her, Kwon Jeong-hyeok, Chu Seo-jin, and the phone lying on the floor, its screen on display like an exhibit.

Unless someone looked closely at the phone, they wouldn’t be able to tell that the woman in the photo was her.

Still, it felt as though her unknown affair had been exposed to everyone. Sweat trickled down her back.

“Isn’t that your phone? Aren’t you going to pick it up?”

Eun-sol felt dizzy, but Jeong-hyeok’s tone was casual, as if he were merely asking if she’d had lunch.

Chu Seo-jin alternated his gaze between the phone and Kwon Jeong-hyeok, making no move to act. Their exchanged glances were sharp, like daggers aimed at each other.

Eun-sol bit down on the inside of her lip.

Judging by the tense reactions of the two men, they seemed to already know each other. The photo Chu Seo-jin had presented didn’t seem to be just a simple forgery.

Her breathing became even more labored.

Everything felt suffocating: the impractically high heels that didn’t suit the occasion, the arm of Kwon Jeong-hyeok wrapped around her waist like a trap, the prying eyes of the crowd hungry for gossip like hyenas.

Despite the large crowd gathered around them, the atmosphere was eerily silent.

There were no curses being exchanged, no physical altercations breaking out, yet everyone was watching as though they were witnessing an intense fight. They even held their breath, fully engrossed.

At that moment, someone hesitantly moved. One of the event staff, who had been anxiously watching, stepped forward to intervene.

The staff cautiously approached the phone.

It seemed like they intended to return the phone to its owner, hoping to diffuse the tense standoff and disperse the gathered crowd.

“There’s no need for that.”

The staff member, who had reached out to pick up the phone, froze at Jeong-hyeok’s voice. His tone, which scraped through the air like sandpaper, was anything but a question.

“The owner of the phone is perfectly capable of picking it up themselves.”

The additional remark caused the event staff to hesitate briefly before hurriedly returning to their original position. They seemed to have decided that this wasn’t a situation they should involve themselves in.

In the meantime, the phone screen automatically turned off, hiding the controversial photo from view.

Eun-sol felt as though the blood that had momentarily frozen in her veins was beginning to circulate again, if only slightly.

Chu Seo-jin, who had been glaring coldly at Kwon Jeong-hyeok, was the first to move. He bent down lightly at the waist, attempting to pick up the phone.

Perhaps he thought there was no reason to leave the phone on display any longer now that the photo was no longer visible. Or maybe the standoff had become burdensome for him—there was no way to know for sure.

Just as Chu Seo-jin reached for the phone—

“Ugh!”

Chu Seo-jin’s sudden cry tore through the party hall.

Kwon Jeong-hyeok, moving swiftly, had stomped down hard on the back of his hand.

But he didn’t just stomp. Kwon Jeong-hyeok began grinding his shoe into the back of Chu Seo-jin’s hand.

Veins bulged on Chu Seo-jin’s temple as he endured the pain, clearly struggling, yet he stubbornly suppressed any further groans.

Instead, it was the women standing nearby who let out gasps of horror.

The men in the party hall struck poses as if they intended to intervene, but none of them dared to step forward.

The hall quickly descended into chaos.

Amidst the commotion, Jeong-hyeok’s shoe, still pressing into the back of Seo-jin’s hand, moved deliberately, as if crushing each bone one by one.

“Aaahhh!”

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Chu Seo-jin let out a scream filled with excruciating pain. Only then did Jeong-hyeok, as if reluctantly, lift his shoe.

“…Hngh!”

Chu Seo-jin’s hand, now swollen and darkened like an ancient tree with burst veins, trembled uncontrollably.

“Well, it seems Attorney Chu’s hand is no longer in good shape.” 

Jeong-hyeok remarked indifferently.

“It appears we’ll truly need the help of the event staff now.”

He gestured toward the staff with a slight nod of his chin. The gesture was refined and elegant, so much so that it was hard to believe it came from someone who had just committed such a brutal act.

The staff, who had hurried over, picked up Chu Seo-jin’s phone.

Though Chu Seo-jin’s hand was in shambles, the phone that had been under it remained perfectly intact, without so much as a scratch.

* * *

Though she had left the banquet hall, the scene replayed endlessly in Eun-sol’s mind.

Kwon Jeong-hyeok, crushing someone’s hand underfoot. His expression during the act was devoid of even the slightest crack.

It was as if stepping on another person’s body was a routine part of his day—a calm, willing, and cold demeanor.

The warmth of his hand wrapped around her wrist felt unfamiliar and frightening.

‘I thought we had grown closer….’

Even though he was different from other ordinary men, she had thought it was just his personality. She had thought of him as her man….

But now, once again, he felt distant and unfamiliar.

“…Eun-sol!”

As she was being led out of the banquet hall by his hand, she caught sight of Vice Minister Yoon’s startled face.

Vice Minister Yoon, who had been outside the banquet hall conversing with the French ambassador and his wife, appeared surprised, though she didn’t seem to understand what was going on.

‘I’m okay, you don’t need to worry.’

She wanted to reassure Vice Minister Yoon, feeling both grateful and apologetic for her concern, but she had no time to respond.

As if holding her wrist wasn’t enough, Kwon Jeong-hyeok gripped her shoulder firmly and pulled her along, his hand showing no sign of gentleness.

Like a broken, creaking doll, she was dragged after him. Her weakened legs and feet in high heels kept stumbling.

The only reason she didn’t fall even once was because the control over her steps was entirely in Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s hands.

Soon, she was placed into a car.

As they moved farther away from the banquet hall, the faces of the people she hadn’t had time to notice earlier came to mind.

The actress who had been busy flirting with Kwon Jeong-hyeok—her face had turned pale. Not only her but also the other women present at the scene had similar expressions.

There was no doubt that Kwon Jeong-hyeok had effectively driven the women away. Of course, that probably hadn’t been his intention.

What was certain, however, was that she would never again attend such a party, nor did she have any desire to.

That, too, probably hadn’t been his intention.

A bitter smile crossed her face.

In any case, she couldn’t bring herself to think deeply about the man named Chu Seo-jin amidst all this.

Kwon Jeong-hyeok’s presence was simply too overwhelming. Whether it was bewilderment or something else, it was impossible to ignore.

(To Be Continued in Vol 2)