WEHP 06

Chapter 06

2022.04.21.

Doha was staring intently at Hyunseo, who sat across from him. The tea placed in front of her remained untouched.

There was a tea table set up in one corner of the couple’s bedroom, but it was rare for them to sit facing each other like this.

Doha quietly sipped his tea, choosing his words carefully—as though standing before a final verdict.

No, perhaps he was hesitating.

Because once spoken, he knew there would be no turning back.

“I want… a divorce.”

There were no other words she could choose. She didn’t want to beat around the bush.

“What?”

Doha, who had been listening in silence, lifted his eyebrows sharply.

For a brief moment, it felt as if his vision blurred, like someone had struck him in the head. He couldn’t understand what his wife had just said.

Did the word “divorce” mean something different from what he knew?

That was how foreign the word sounded—something he never believed he would hear from her.

“What did you just say?”

“Did you not hear me? I said I want a divorce.”

Despite his shock, his wife was unnervingly calm.

What on earth was happening right now? Lee Hyunseo, speaking of divorce so casually?

“What are you even saying? Divorce?”

“Yes. Let’s end this here.”

“Wait…”

Doha muttered, sounding like someone who couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

There was no way she would bring this up without a reason. Something must have happened—something serious.

He tried to guess. Why would a woman who had endured the suffocating life of a chaebol family suddenly say this?

Divorce.

“Did something happen today?”

“What happened? Honestly, wouldn’t it be stranger if nothing ever happened in this house?”

He was left speechless.

She had always spoken as though her days were peaceful.

But they weren’t?

She had never shared the family’s internal matters in detail, and even when she did, she always framed them positively.

With a bright smile, she’d reassure him—Mother treats me well, we get along, she’s not affectionate with her son but she talks to me plenty—and so he had felt at ease.

Perhaps because he was the bloodline of Chairman Chae, or for some other reason, his mother had always found her eldest son difficult. And because of that, she couldn’t openly mistreat his wife in front of him.

But maybe that wasn’t the whole truth.

A sharp image of his mother’s harsh expression from not long ago flashed through his mind.

What if that wasn’t a one-time conflict—but her everyday reality?

His mind threatened to go blank.

When he had returned from an overseas assignment, he had noticed the strange atmosphere in the house. He’d found it unsettling, but brushed it aside.

Had things become irreparably strained between his wife and his mother?

Even if that were true, Hyunseo—who was deep-hearted and restrained—would never badmouth her mother-in-law in front of her husband.

If that was the case, then he truly had known nothing at all.

“I mean…”

Had he been too complacent?

Because Lee Hyunseo had married into his family. Because she resembled her own mother—resilient and unbent by hardship—had he let his guard down?

“I’m asking if something happened today that pushed you to bring up divorce.”

“Honestly, it’s not just today. It’s been building for a long time.”

“I know I haven’t been attentive enough. I was in shock after losing Seoha, and I couldn’t take proper care of you.”

After losing Seoha, their married life had naturally fallen apart.

No matter how strong a woman was, a mother who lost her child couldn’t possibly endure everyday life unscathed.

And if her in-laws had added to that pain, it must have been a living nightmare.

Yet how had he never imagined a day like this would come?

“Was Seoha the only issue? You’ve always been like this, oppa. From the beginning—did you ever really care about me?”

Her voice rose slightly.

“Now I want attention too. So I’m done playing the role of your wife.”

Doha sat frozen, staring at her face like a man who had lost his ability to process reality.

“Honestly, you don’t need me anyway. You’re successful and impressive. Women would line up to be your wife.”

“Lee Hyunseo!”

This was the first time he’d seen her so sharp, and he didn’t know what to do.

He had believed their marriage was stable. She had always been gentle and kind to everyone in the family.

This conversation felt unreal.

“Maybe there are plenty of women who secretly wish I’d just disappear from your side.”

“You and I lived together. We had a child. This isn’t something we can talk about lightly.”

“Oppa, do you really not know how this world works? People openly whispered in front of me that a woman with nothing married far above her station and snatched the future mistress position of Jinseong Group.”

“Who dared say such things?!”

Doha shouted, his face hardening.

Hyunseo quietly swallowed a breath. She would never forget that moment.

‘How did such a low-level woman get in?’

‘If I’d known even someone like her could marry into that family, I would’ve pushed my daughter too.’

They had spoken loudly on purpose, making sure she heard.

Her mother-in-law, Youngsook, had subtly belittled her in front of others too—so it was no surprise people treated her lightly.

“Oppa… we don’t even have to look far. The moment I leave, Mother will start arranging blind dates for you the very next day.”

Doha let out a hollow laugh, overwhelmed by the things she was saying.

“That won’t happen.”

“Yes, it will.”

“No. Because I will never divorce you. And if that doesn’t happen, neither will that.”

Hyunseo paused and looked quietly at her husband.

Why was he so determined to cling to this marriage?

Their relationship would never return to what it once was.

Was it because of a promise he made to her mother? But she was already gone.

He was a responsible man—she understood that. Perhaps he felt even more obligated now that her mother had passed.

Once, she had loved that stubborn integrity.

But now, it all felt meaningless.

What was the point, when everything inside her was rotting away?

“Oppa. Let’s stop now. I’m really exhausted.”

No matter what, she couldn’t mention the baby.

If he knew, he would never let her go.

“In this house, I think about Seoha even more. It’s unbearable. I want to leave and live a new life.”

Doha’s rigid expression softened slightly.

“….”

At least on this, he couldn’t deny her pain.

“I want to return to being Lee Hyunseo—not Chae Doha’s wife—and start over.”

Speechless, Doha stared at her face, lost in thought.

He opened his mouth, then closed it again.

For once, the usually detached man seemed to have so much to say—yet no idea how to say it.

After a heavy silence, he finally spoke.

“This is too sudden.”

“There are more sudden divorces in the world than you think.”

He looked trapped, pressed against an invisible wall. He looked angry, too.

“No. There will be no divorce for us.”

“My decision won’t change. I hope you accept it soon.”

“No. I won’t accept it.”

“Ha…”

With a sigh, Hyunseo stood up. She turned away, leaving no room for compromise.

“Lee Hyunseo!”

Doha watched her back as she left the room, staring long after she was gone.

She tossed and turned all night, waking before dawn.

Sleep had completely abandoned her, so she decided to go outside and feed Danchu before returning to bed.

But when she went downstairs, Youngsook was already there.

Uncharacteristically unmade—hair roughly tied back, no makeup—she sat on the sofa, drinking coffee.

She had recently become obsessed with rum-barrel-aged coffee, claiming its refined aroma suited her “elite taste.”

Elite taste, my foot.

She actually preferred soju, and never really understood coffee. She simply picked expensive varieties that were tolerable.

At home, she usually drank instant coffee. Whenever she was forced to drink bitter café coffee with other women, she would complain endlessly afterward and search for sweet coffee mix.

After she was scammed, her husband banned alcohol at home because she would break things whenever she drank.

The rum-flavored coffee became her substitute.

But why was she drinking it in the living room at dawn?

She must have been waiting—unable to scold her daughter-in-law when she came home with her son the night before, she’d waited for her to come down while he slept.

How furious must she have been, sitting there since early morning, disheveled?

Hyunseo turned back toward the second floor, hoping to avoid her. Facing her awkward husband felt easier than dealing with her mother-in-law.

“Hey! Where were you last night?!”

A sharp voice flew at her before she could escape.

Hyunseo had no choice but to turn.

Youngsook sprang up from the sofa and rushed toward her, looking ready to throw the coffee cup—or her fist.

Seeing that ferocious glare, Hyunseo instinctively turned and hurried for the stairs. In her condition, avoiding conflict was safest.

“How dare you ignore me when I’m talking! Am I not worth listening to?!”

Youngsook caught up and grabbed Hyunseo’s clothes as she climbed.

Hyunseo stumbled, nearly tumbling down the stairs. Startled, she grabbed the wall to steady herself.

She slapped Youngsook’s hand away and turned around. Youngsook stared at her in disbelief.

“How dare you hit your mother-in-law! And you call yourself a daughter-in-law?!”

Even then, Youngsook kept yelling. Hyunseo instinctively placed a hand over her belly.

“Mother, what do you think you’re doing? I almost fell!”

If she had fallen, she could’ve lost the baby. The thought sent chills through her entire body.

She had just asked for a divorce. Her emotions were already in turmoil.

And now this—Youngsook’s rage—had crossed a line.

It felt like being slapped when she was already on the verge of tears.

“This is your fault! What was that yesterday?!”

Youngsook raised her voice, unaware of everything.

But now that Hyunseo had decided to leave this house, there was no reason to endure it anymore.

She met her mother-in-law’s anger with an unusually calm face.

“You’re the one who trashed the house.”

“What—what did you say?”

“You were always the one breaking things. I never did. I was always the one cleaning up afterward.”

She had suppressed herself all this time—but since she was leaving anyway, she might as well live as herself until the end.