Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 10. It’s Too Hard
Chapter 10. It’s Too Hard
Kim So-young’s rude and intrusive question made Eunchae’s expression tense. Lee Joon’s gaze also turned cold.
“Um…”
Forcing a smile, Eunchae responded. Sensing the discomfort, So-young put on a concerned face and tried to offer some consolation.
“I’m sure you’ll have good news soon. You hear about couples having children even after 10 years.”
“I’ve been hearing that a lot lately. Of course, everyone means it differently. But anyway, thanks for your concern, Sister-in-law. I hope you truly mean it.”
“Of course, I do, Sister-in-law.”
Eunchae responded with a slight, forced smile, and So-young returned an equally fake one.
‘So she still has her pride, huh? She wants to play the role of the older sister-in-law.’
So-young sneered inwardly. From the beginning, she had looked down on Eunchae, considering her family background far inferior to her own. Now that she had given birth to a child, especially a son, So-young felt even more superior and arrogant.
As the two women exchanged tense smiles, Lee Joon cut in with a cold tone and told Eunchae.
“Give the baby back and let’s go inside. The elders are waiting.”
“Oh, right. Okay.”
Eunchae glanced at Lee Joon, disappointed that he never stood up for her, then handed the baby back to So-young. The child, reluctant to leave Eunchae, reached out to her.
“Ma-a!”
The baby’s smile made Eunchae instinctively reach out to hold him again, but Lee Joon stepped in and stopped her.
“Let’s go.”
Lee Joon urged Eunchae to go to the banquet hall first and then approached Young Joon. When he put his hand on Young Joon’s shoulder, Young Joon flinched and tensed up.
“Take it easy. You don’t need to show that you’re a useless guy with nothing to brag about except your kid.”
“Ugh…!”
The pressure on his shoulder made Young Joon’s face twist in pain.
“Aren’t you ashamed in front of Youngseong?”
“Ouch… it hurts. Let go…”
Unable to withstand Lee Joon’s strong grip, Young Joon pleaded. Only then did Lee Joon release his shoulder, giving him a faint, sarcastic smile.
Unable to resist Lee Joon’s strong hand, Young Joon begged. Only then did Lee Joon let go of his shoulder and smiled sarcastically at him.
“Pathetic fool.”
With a look of contempt, Lee Joon scorned Young Joon before walking into the event hall.
“Damn… that bastard,” Young Joon said angrily.
Young Joon was burning with anger, but he couldn’t say a word to Lee Joon. All he could do was stare at him with narrowed eyes.
***
The banquet hall was packed with people, including the presidents and CEOs of Geumyoung Group’s subsidiaries and various celebrities. Many members of Soyoung’s family from Seoryeong Group were also present, leaving little room in the big hall.
Despite claims that it would be a simple gathering with only close friends, the first birthday celebration was as grand as a wedding.
“What a spectacle,” said Lee Joon.
Lee Joon scoffed at the extravagance of the first birthday party, but Eunchae grew increasingly uncomfortable and anxious. When she saw Mrs. Kang sitting with her aunt, she felt a tightness in her chest that made it hard to breathe.
Whether Lee Joon noticed her distress or not, he put his arm around her shoulder and automatically moved forward.
Eunchae quickly searched the room with anxious eyes. After she passed the elaborately decorated birthday table, her eyes landed on the front table.
Honorary Chairman Tae Mujin, the Seoryeong Group family, her father-in-law, Chairman Tae, and her uncle-in-law, Taesungmin, CEO of Geumyoung Construction, sat there.
“We’re here,” she said as they approached.
After greeting the elders, the couple went to the table where Mrs. Kang was sitting. Eunchae’s aunt-in-law, Mrs. Jung Minhee, greeted them warmly.
“Welcome, have you been well?”
“Hello,” Eunchae responded politely.
After greeting Lee Joon, Eunchae quickly looked at Mrs. Kang’s expression. Seeing her stern face, Eunchae assumed that Mrs. Jung had probably said something to upset her.
“You are still as graceful and beautiful as ever, Eunchae. Our So-young, on the other hand, is so busy taking care of the little ones that she doesn’t have time to take care of herself. It’s hard to look at her these days. On the other hand, Younseong is such an active little boy, always on the move and never sitting still.
Eunchae could only manage an awkward smile in response to the backhanded compliment. This made Mrs. Kang even more displeased, her expression growing harsher.
“Thank you for attending, even though it might not be the most comfortable occasion for you. Please enjoy your meal. Sister-in-law, I’ll excuse myself now to go greet the other guests.”
Having stirred up the tension, Mrs. Jung left the table with a victorious smile.
“That insolent woman! So she thinks she’s better because she had a grandson first? Ugh… unbelievable.”
Mrs. Kang fumed, her voice dripping with sarcasm, clearly upset by her sister-in-law’s behavior. Watching this, Eunchae felt as if she were walking on thin ice, knowing that the anger might soon be directed at her.
And sure enough, as soon as Eunchae sat down, Mrs. Kang turned her piercing gaze on her and snapped.
“Doesn’t it bother you to hear something like that? Don’t you feel anything?”
“Mother, there are a lot of people watching. Please stop.
” Even when Lee Joon sternly told her off, Mrs. Kang didn’t stop. Instead, she pushed Eunchae even harder.
“Is that so? Are you worried about what others think? Fine, then. I’ll do this with a smile and grace.”
With a forced smile and a deceptively soft tone, Mrs. Kang pierced Eunchae’s heart.
“Because of you, I can’t sleep at night. I’m filled with anger and frustration. Why did someone like you have to trap our brilliant son and block his future? What have you even contributed to this family?”
“Mother,” Lee Joon interjected.
Lee Joon’s voice became more stern as he addressed Mrs. Kang. Eunchae kept her head down, feeling like a guilty party, unable to even utter the usual apology she was used to.
“Are you going to continue? Do you want us to leave right now? That would only make our family look more ridiculous, wouldn’t it?”
“What? Lee Joon! Who the hell are you…!”
Mrs. Kang was left speechless by Lee Joon’s words, which were practically a threat.
‘He’s seeing another woman, yet here he is defending his wife? Is he just trying to make up for it out of guilt?’
Unable to read Lee Joon’s true intentions, she stared at him in disbelief. As the tension between mother and son grew thick, Tae Mujin’s authoritative voice broke the silence and called for Eunchae.
“Eunchae!”
“Yes! Yes, Grandfather,”
Eunchae responded, almost instinctively standing up. Her sudden movement drew everyone’s attention to her.
“Come sit with me and Lee Joon. It’s lonely sitting here by myself.”
“What?” she replied, surprised.
Eunchae, confused, repeated herself, unable to comprehend how someone surrounded by people could feel lonely. The others seated at the table with Honorary Chairman Tae Moo-jin were equally surprised, glancing back and forth between him and Eunchae.
“It seems we’ve kept the Chairman too long. We were just so happy to see him that we got carried away with our conversation.”
Sensing the situation, Chairman Kim of the Seoryeong Group smiled and stood up. The others quickly followed suit, rising from their seats.
Chairman Tae Sung-yeol and his younger brother, Tae Sung-min, the CEO of Geumyoung Construction, also quietly stood up. Though their faces showed little expression, their thoughts were different.
Tae Sung-min, who had a grandson, felt disappointed, while Tae Sung-yeol, who didn’t have one yet, was secretly relieved.
“It was a pleasure, truly,” Chairman Tae Sung-yeol said politely.
Tae Moo-jin responded to Chairman Kim with a polite smile, then turned his gaze to Lee Joon. With a slight raise of his white eyebrows, he signaled Lee Joon to come over. Mrs. Kang quickly urged him.
“What are you waiting for? Go to your grandfather.”
At Mrs. Kang’s prompting, Eunchae and Lee Joon moved to Tae Moo-jin’s table. As the two sat down on either side of him, the room buzzed with whispers.
This was very important. Even though Tae Moo-jin had retired from management and the public eye, he remained the real power behind the Geumyoung Group, essentially the kingmaker.
Chairman Tae Sung-yeol would always seek his father’s advice before making any major decisions.
The question of succession also hinged on Tae Moo-jin’s decision. Many in the group were ready to drop everything and rush to his side if he called.
By seating Lee Joon and Eunchae on either side of him, Tae Moo-jin made it clear who the next successor would be.
‘Thank goodness my father-in-law is still around. No matter how much they try to push, it won’t matter. They could have ten sons, and it still wouldn’t change the fact that our Lee Joon will inherit the company.’
Mrs. Kang smiled as she noticed the darkened expressions and trembling of the other family members. It was the first real smile she had shown since arriving at the event.
“Don’t pay attention to the chatter around you. Just enjoy your meal,” Tae Moo-jin said kindly to Eunchae.
“Yes, Grandfather,”
Eunchae replied with a graceful smile, feeling deeply grateful to her grandfather-in-law for lifting her spirits.
After finally catching her breath, Eunchae looked at Lee Joon who was silently concentrating on his meal. His lack of concern for her made Eunchae feel not only disappointed but completely drained.
Once the initial greetings were over, the birthday party proceeded as planned. The atmosphere in the banquet hall became even more lively during the Doljabi ceremony. When the child innocently grabbed a bundle of 50,000 won bills, the excitement in the room reached its peak.
Watching the doljabi with a hint of envy, Eunchae looked at Lee Joon. He seemed completely disconnected from the situation, observing the ceremony with a flat, uninterested expression while continuing to eat.
Suddenly, Eunchae felt a wave of nausea. No matter how deeply she tried to breathe, she couldn’t hold it back. Finally, she got up and rushed to the restroom.
“Ugh—!” she gagged as she barely made it in time.
Eunchae leaned over the toilet, vomiting everything she had eaten. The pressure in her head brought tears to her eyes. It wasn’t until she had completely emptied her stomach that the nausea finally subsided.
“Sigh…” she breathed heavily.
Eunchae rinsed her mouth at the sink and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face was pale, with dark circles under her eyes, completely drained of any vitality.
“Lovely,” she muttered with a bitter smile, drying her hands with a paper towel. The chronic indigestion she had developed since getting married was only getting worse.
Unwilling to return to the banquet hall, Eunchae slowly exited the restroom, only to be startled by the sight of a man leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. It was Lee Joon.
“What are you doing here…? Were you about to go to the restroom?”
“Here, take this,” he said.
Instead of answering, Lee Joon abruptly handed Eunchae a black bag.
“Why are you giving me this?”
Eunchae was surprised when she realized it was her bag, her eyes widening.
“Grandfather told me to take you home. He said you didn’t look well.”
“What? But if we leave now…”
“Leaving is best for everyone. Sitting there while people gossip is irritating and distracting. So let’s just go home.”
Lee Joon gave a firm, one-sided order and handed her bag to Eunchae before going ahead on his own. With no other choice, Eunchae reluctantly followed him.
“Could you slow down a bit?”
Eunchae quickened her pace to keep up with Lee Joon. Seeing his broad back as she hurried along made her feel a mixture of frustration and sadness.
She couldn’t help but wonder if she would spend her entire life just following behind him like this. The thought filled her with a deep sense of loneliness and pain.
***
“Do we have to go home?”
“What?”
Lee Joon, who was about to start the car and turn the wheel, frowned at her question.
“Then where do you want to go?”
At his angry response, Eunchae pressed her cold hands together and spoke softly.
“Can’t we stay at a hotel or the Yangpyeong villa tonight and go home tomorrow? I just don’t want to go back home right now.”
She pleaded earnestly. Even though Tae Mujin had helped her to avoid immediate trouble, she knew that Mrs. Kang would probably call her as soon as they got home and continue to scold her until late into the night, as she had done so many times before.
“I… I’m struggling, Lee Joon.”
For the first time since their marriage, Eunchae admitted how hard things were for her. She had tried to endure it all, but it was getting harder and harder.
The thing that hurt her the most was Lee Joon’s cold and indifferent attitude.
She didn’t expect him to hold her and say he loved her. All she wanted was a simple, comforting word—something like, “I know you’re struggling,” or “Trust me and stay strong.”
But Tae Lee Joon was never the kind of man to say that.
“You’re struggling? Today wasn’t any different from usual, so what’s so hard about it?”
“What?”
“Isn’t that what you’re good at? Just sitting there with a smile like a doll.”