WEHP 02

Chapter 02

Even before she married into the family, Hyemi had been exchanging lingering glances and whispering flirtatiously with Hyeonseo’s husband whenever she got the chance. Hyeonseo was well aware of it.

It had been obvious—even right in front of her.

How lightly must they have regarded her to behave like that in front of the wife herself?

Leaving Hyemi, whose face was reddening as if she had nothing to say in her defense, Hyeonseo headed for the stairs.

Watching her retreating figure, Yeongsuk clicked her tongue.

“Tsk, tsk… With a wife like that, I doubt Doha even has any reason to come home.”

Hyeonseo felt a burning sensation on the back of her head, but she didn’t stop walking.

The anger she had suppressed for so long was rapidly reaching its limit.

No matter that it had been this way from the beginning.
No matter that it hadn’t been just a day or two.

In the past, she had been able to endure it.

Back then, Seoha had been there. Her dazzlingly lovable child.

Fearing that her husband might be shocked, she had tried to swallow everything and endure it alone.

But as the shamelessness of her in-laws grew worse by the day, her patience was steadily wearing thin.

Even when her husband had to leave for an overseas branch and asked her to come with him, she had refused.

Because she wanted to see with her own eyes just how far these people would go.

And once even the son they’d been somewhat wary of left the house, Yeongsuk became even more brazen in her mistreatment of Hyeonseo.

To them, Seoha had meant nothing after all. They were the kind of people who couldn’t even remember that today was the anniversary of the child’s death.

Now, her desire to endure was outweighed by her desire to strike back.

Clenching her teeth, Hyeonseo headed upstairs, toward where her husband—who knew nothing—was.

Yeongsuk, who had been glaring after Hyeonseo, soon softened her expression and gently patted Hyemi’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry about anyone else. Just think about yourself. You’ve got a son in your belly—you need to eat well.”

“Yes… Mother.”

“Seosanddaek, when Juhyeok comes later, he’ll eat before leaving. Prepare that medicinal deodeok root the Mount Gubong forager brought a few days ago.”

“Yes.”

Seosanddaek answered curtly, displeased that Yeongsuk always gave the best things to the younger son, and headed outside.

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The moment Doha entered the room, he set down his suitcase and let out a low sigh.

It felt as though he could hear the sound of Hyeonseo pounding on her own chest all the way here.

Nothing had changed. No—if anything, things seemed worse. Judging by his wife’s condition today.

It was the first anniversary of Seoha’s death. Hyeonseo seemed afraid to face that day together with her husband.

The grief over losing a child only grew more painful the more they tried to share it, leaving the couple unable to truly mourn together.

When she refused to accompany him overseas, Doha wasn’t certain whether leaving her behind had been the right decision. But if seeing each other only caused more pain, perhaps distance could serve as a solution.

He’d hoped that during those months apart, his wife might begin to heal.

But it seemed she hadn’t recovered at all.

Doha picked up his car keys at once. Just as he was about to head for the door, it opened.

Hyeonseo walked in. Her gaze went straight to the keys in his hand.

“I’ll… go see Seoha.”

She looked at him as if it took great effort, then nodded.

“Should we… go together?”

At his quiet question, Hyeonseo glanced at him, her face even more strained than before, and shook her head.

“No. I already went earlier.”

Without another word, she walked deeper into the room.

“I see. Then I’ll go alone.”

With those heavy words, Doha left the room. After he was gone, Hyeonseo stared into empty space for a long while.

Only after Juhyeok and Hyemi finally left—after dinner and even dessert—was Hyeonseo able to go upstairs and into the bathroom.

When she came out of the shower, her husband was already home. Sitting at the dressing table in the walk-in closet, she spoke.

“You’re back?”

“Yeah.”

Doha, having visited Seoha as well, didn’t look any better. The worse his expression was, the harder it became to even mention their child.

Even the perfectionist husband who treated his wife dutifully had been unable to suppress his instinctive paternal grief.

Knowing that made it hurt all the more.

She could understand why couples separated after losing a child.

It was a pain too deep to revisit—yet she hadn’t been able to leave his side, perhaps because of the unrequited love she had carried for so long.

Knowing it was foolish, she stayed now almost out of stubbornness.

As she looked away from him toward the mirror, Doha went into the bathroom to shower.

Left alone in the dressing room, Hyeonseo quietly asked the woman staring back at her from the mirror:

“Why are you living like this…?”

Inside the shower, Doha turned on the water, hoping it would wash away his crushing grief and tangled thoughts alike.

Soaked in water and lost in thought, he finally reached a conclusion he had been struggling with since his time abroad.

When he emerged in a bathrobe, he suddenly stopped.

Hyeonseo was still sitting at the dressing table, just as she had been before.

He slowly approached her from behind.

When he appeared in the mirror and met her eyes, she raised hers to meet his reflection.

Standing right behind her, Doha asked quietly,

“Why are you still here?”

He picked up the hair dryer on the table.

“I’ll dry your hair.”

The hum of the dryer filled the air as he gently ran his fingers through her hair.

Hyeonseo watched the scene silently in the mirror.

After a long while, her hair was dry, and the noise stopped. The silence that followed felt even more awkward than before.

“Thank you.”

Doha slowly set the dryer down, still looking at her reflection.

They continued to meet each other’s gaze in the mirror, neither speaking.

For some reason, he didn’t leave. He just stood there, staring at her with the same fierce gaze he’d had since her youth—the gaze she had loved to the point of sickness.

Still watching him, Hyeonseo stood up and turned around, meeting not the reflection but the man himself.

The same eyes she’d just seen in the mirror were far more intense up close.

That intensity moved even closer.

Before she could react, his palm cupped her cheek.

After a long silence, he kissed her.

The moment his soft lips touched hers, Hyeonseo closed her eyes.

It had been a long time. Long enough to miss it deeply.

The kiss quickly grew heated.

Carried by the momentum, Doha lifted her and took her to the bed.

As she was laid down, Hyeonseo looked up at him.

Unrestrained passion burned in his eyes, as though he had endured for too long and could no longer wait.

From there, things escalated rapidly, like fire fed with oil.

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Compared to how distant they’d been, it felt like an impulsive act.

Perhaps it was because they’d been apart for months.

Under the soft glow of the bedside lamp, warmth still lingered in the bedroom.

After catching his breath, Doha broke the silence first.

“…It would be better if we had a second child soon.”

Staring at the ceiling, Hyeonseo turned her head to look at his profile.

“Would it…?”

She couldn’t even remember how the past year had passed. When Seoha was alive, she’d wanted another child quickly. But after losing Seoha, she’d had no room to think about babies at all.

“Of course, no one can replace Seoha. But if another child comes, things might be better than they are now.”

That seemed to be the conclusion Doha had reached.

But Hyeonseo wasn’t convinced.

Lately, as she’d grown tired of her shameless in-laws, her feelings toward the husband who didn’t truly love her had also begun to change.

Half of her wanted to stay by his side.

The other half wanted to abandon him along with his family.

Once again, her husband came home late.

From the very next day after returning to Korea, he’d buried himself in work.

Having returned to his original position, it made sense that Chae Doha would be busy.

Just as she was about to lie down in her pajamas, Hyeonseo suddenly hesitated.

“…It would be better if we had a second child soon.”

A second child… In a situation like this?

No matter how she thought about it, it wasn’t right.

She was already struggling with whether to continue this marriage at all. Bringing new life into it made no sense.

Turning away, Hyeonseo left the master bedroom and headed for the guest room on the same floor.

Just then, she heard footsteps on the stairs. Doha had finally come home.

Turning around, she greeted him naturally.

“You’re back?”

“Yeah.”

“You worked hard. Get some rest. I’ll sleep first.”

With those words—no different from usual—she reached for the guest room door.

“Where are you going?”

Doha stopped her, puzzled.

“I’m sleeping in this room.”

“…What?”

She had never done this before, and he clearly couldn’t understand.

“I thought about it, and right now… a second child doesn’t feel right.”

Her calm refusal made Doha’s expression harden. His displeasure was immediately evident.

“So you’re sleeping separately?”

“If I don’t…”

She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence—that they’d end up in bed together again.

Chae Doha had always been passionate. He always had been.

After what happened last night, she couldn’t trust herself if they shared a bed again.

Looking at her husband, who was staring at her sharply, Hyeonseo suddenly asked,

“Do you… need my body?”

“What?”

His brow furrowed.

“You don’t?”

“What kind of wording is that? Don’t turn me into trash.”

“If not, forget it.”

Even as anger showed on his face, Hyeonseo remained calm.

“If that’s the case, I thought we could at least use contraception. If we’re not planning for a second child, then I guess my body isn’t needed.”

Doha was left speechless.

He neither denied nor confirmed it, appearing conflicted.

But his pride had already taken a hit. Perhaps he wouldn’t seek her out for a while.

Hyeonseo thought that might be for the best.

“Good night.”

With that, she turned away and went into the room, leaving behind a husband who looked unusually flustered.

Doha stood frozen, staring at the door that had just slammed shut.

For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to enter the master bedroom.

He walked to the guest room door and placed his hand on the knob.

But after pausing, he let go.

He had no idea what to say to his cold, distant wife.

Left with no choice, he entered the bedroom alone, tore off his shirt, yanked at his tie, then dropped onto the bed.

Letting out a long sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair.

Today, her body felt strangely unwell.

She had only given Seosanddaek the ingredients and menu for dinner, then gone upstairs to rest in the guest room.

Nearly three weeks had passed since Chae Doha returned to Korea.

He still left before dawn and returned only after nightfall—earlier than anyone, later than anyone.

But today, she heard movement upstairs before the sun had even fully set.

Thinking he’d come home early for once, Hyeonseo stepped out into the hallway.

Just as she did, she frowned.

“Why does it smell like this…?”

It was just the usual scent of rice cooking downstairs.

Yet the smell that should have been comforting suddenly felt nauseating.