Chapter 2
Even in the distant haze of dreams, rain drizzled relentlessly.
When was this memory from?
Even in her dreams, Ha-ryeong drifted alone, lonely and adrift.
The marriage between Baek Jaehyun, the eldest son of the Baek family, and Seo Ha-ryeong, the daughter of a nouveau riche real estate tycoon, had become the talk of the town.
It was a marriage that was obviously mismatched.
Even Ha-ryeong herself could hardly comprehend it, so it was no wonder that it drew so much gossip.
In fact, there was a hidden background to this suspicious marriage.
“To push your daughter into a marriage using someone else’s weakness… unbelievable. Just unbelievable.”
As soon as the wedding was hurriedly held and she entered the Baek family mansion, Ha-ryeong was met with blatant contempt.
Her great-grandmother, Choi Mal-ja, looked at the “pushed-in” granddaughter-in-law with sharp, cutting eyes.
“Because of your father, what a sight to behold in his later years. Oh, my fate… utterly cursed.”
Apparently, her father had successfully used the fatal weakness of the Baek family he had stumbled upon to arrange this marriage.
The granddaughter-in-law that Choi Mal-ja had once earmarked had lost her engagement because of this, and now Ha-ryeong had taken her place.
From the very first button, this marriage had been set wrong.
As a result, life in the Baek household was far from smooth from the beginning.
Her father-in-law, Baek Il-hwan, the current head of the Baek family, had been widowed early and lived alone.
For that reason, Ha-ryeong had to live with her great-grandmother-in-law rather than her mother-in-law.
The ensuing life in the in-laws’ house was nothing short of a terrifying hellscape.
Choi Mal-ja refused to let outsiders into the house, claiming it was bad luck.
All laundry had to be washed by Ha-ryeong’s small, delicate hands, and she had to prepare all three meals a day herself.
If anything displeased her great-grandmother, she would be tormented all day long.
To Choi Mal-ja, Ha-ryeong was less than a mere insect.
Yet the person who hurt her the most was none other than her husband, Baek Jaehyun.
Jaehyun was far more handsome than expected.
Although they met for the first time at the wedding ceremony, when he reached out his hand, Ha-ryeong felt her heart flutter faintly.
Maybe… she could love this man.
Maybe… he could come to love her too.
But it was a vain dream.
The fact that Jaehyun had a mistress shattered even the faintest hope.
And when she learned that the mistress was the woman whose marriage had been canceled because of her, how miserable it made her feel.
Jaehyun showed no interest at all in his new wife who had seemingly fallen into his lap.
His daily indifference and coldness only deepened the shame of being the outsider who had cynically taken her place.
Jaehyun’s cold, emotionless eyes refused to even look at Ha-ryeong.
That night, however, would change everything.
About half a year into the marriage, it was an unusually cold early winter day.
On that day, Choi Mal-ja was even harsher than usual.
She forced Ha-ryeong to wash dishes in icy water with her bare hands and then ordered her to clean the frost-covered garden.
Exhausted both in body and spirit, Ha-ryeong went to bed early, only to be awakened by noises in the hallway late at night.
Peeking cautiously through the door, she found Baek Jaehyun standing outside her room.
Yet he looked different than usual.
“…Baek Jaehyun?”
At Ha-ryeong’s voice, he slowly turned to face her.
His expression, normally flawless and composed, was tinged with an inexplicable confusion.
Thinking he might have been drinking, Ha-ryeong instinctively stepped forward to support him.
The moment her foot touched him, Jaehyun collapsed onto her small shoulder.
It was completely unexpected.
“Um, Mr. Baek… wake up, wake up.”
Even amid her surprise, the closeness of his body made her uneasy, and she subtly tried to wriggle away.
At that moment, Jaehyun lifted his head from her shoulder.
“……”
He stared at Ha-ryeong for a long while.
For the first time, the coldness in his eyes was replaced by a warmth that seemed to burn.
Ha-ryeong’s cheeks burned without her realizing it.
Then, in an instant, Jaehyun’s large hand rested on her head.
His long, knobby fingers began to caress her gently, endlessly tender.
It was a warmth that felt oddly familiar, impossibly comforting.
Ha-ryeong froze at his unexpected touch.
But what shocked her more were his words.
Jaehyun, staring intently into her eyes, whispered in a low, entranced voice:
“I love you…”
“……”
“I… love you.”
It was like magic, yet somehow like a curse.
The man who had intentionally avoided looking at her before now filled her vision completely.
At the same time, Ha-ryeong’s long-denied feelings for him began to overflow like a broken dam.
She didn’t know how the door had opened or how they ended up on the bed.
Breaths tangled heatedly in an instant.
Where reason had flown, only instinct remained.
For the first time, Ha-ryeong realized that someone could crave her so intensely, and she could crave someone the same way.
That red, tender mouth existed to meet his.
But when morning came, that illusion was cruelly shattered.
As soon as she awoke, Jaehyun’s wide eyes revealed that he knew something was wrong.
Ha-ryeong would never forget that expression in her life.
Regret, shock, fear…
Whatever it was, it was not something to reveal to the wife he had spent the night with.
Finally, she realized.
He had mistaken her for Goseira.
Jaehyun left the room without a word, and from then on, they never spent a night together again.
He truly was a bad husband.
Yet amid that hell, Ha-ryeong found one shining star.
Do-yoon—her child, brighter and more precious than anything in the world.
When she reached toward that tiny star, a face resembling her large, round eyes came close, yet she could not touch it.
Desperately, she reached further, but the sweet smile seemed unreal, as if it did not belong to this world.
Yes… as if it were not of this world.
“…Hah!”
Sweat-drenched, Ha-ryeong jolted awake.
The child she had just seen was gone, leaving only the monotone ceiling in her vision.
Slowly, she blinked.
As her eyes adjusted to the dim room, reality hit like a wave of pain.
Sitting up slightly, she noticed a familiar photo of her smiling child on the table.
In the kindergarten photo, Do-yoon looked lively and radiant, as if she could jump out of the frame at any moment.
Ha-ryeong buried her face in her hands, realizing the child was gone.
Even someone who had walked through despair all her life had never known such hopelessness.
The sound of her tears hitting the floor was louder than the ever-falling rain.
Then, a low, cold voice descended upon her.
“You’ve woken up, it seems.”
“……!”
Startled, Ha-ryeong lifted her hands and looked up.
Baek Jaehyun was standing above her.
Though the darkness concealed his expression, it was obvious.
As always, his eyes were indifferent, as if nothing had happened, as if her tragedy had nothing to do with him.
As expected, he started with words far removed from Ha-ryeong’s feelings:
“You may not remember, but you fainted at the funeral. If your body isn’t well, call the doctor. Your grandmother also collapsed, and luckily the family doctor was below.”
“You….”
Ha-ryeong’s hands trembled, and she could not continue.
Her child was dead, and he was talking about fainting and calling a doctor?
Perhaps he did not even realize that their child had died.
Even though he never wanted the child, this… this was too much.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
When Ha-ryeong remained silent, Jaehyun stared at her.
Even after years of seeing him, those emotionless eyes could drive her mad.
Ha-ryeong had never raised her voice at him.
But at this moment, she could no longer hold back.
Wham! Wham! She rose like a madwoman and struck his chest repeatedly.
She did not even feel the pain in her hands from hitting his solid chest.
She could not endure it without venting her resentment toward this heartless man, this husband who did not even see her as a person.
“Done?”
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor. She could hear him straightening his tie.
Truly, he was an unbelievable man.
Even at a time like this, Baek Jaehyun remained unshakable.
And then, the truly unbelievable words followed:
“If you want, I could give you a divorce.”
