Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 13. The Call Finally Came

Chapter 13: The Call Finally Came

The man who had been passionately intertwined with her just moments ago now only spoke sharp and cold words, like ice picks.

Lee Joon’s attitude remained unchanged. He expected her to endure it, to be satisfied with the attention he gave through their physical connection.

“If you really can’t stand dealing with my mother, try taking on some work at the foundation. I’ll talk to my father about it.”

Eunchae let out a faint, bitter laugh at his suggestion of providing her an escape.

“But weren’t you just telling me not to run away and to endure it?”

When Eunchae repeated the exact words Lee Joon had said a few days ago, his eyebrows raised as he cleaned up the broken glass.

“What?”

“You said it, Lee Joon. To smile like a doll and just do as I’m told. So… I’m going to try and endure it a bit more, for now.”

Eunchae’s answer, which left room for doubt, drew a sharp look from Lee Joon that fixed her in place.

“You’re going to be late. Leave the cup, I’ll clean it up. You should start getting ready for work. If you need to wash up and prepare again, there’s not much time.”

Eunchae didn’t avoid his persistent stare and instead urged him to get moving. Then, she hastily gathered the plate and broken mug and headed to the sink.

Eunchae turned on the faucet, using the excuse of washing dishes to avoid the uncomfortable and awkward situation.

Lee Joon, seemingly unwilling to continue the argument, turned away and left the kitchen.

“Sigh…”

As she listened to Lee Joon’s footsteps fading away, Eunchae let out a deep sigh and bit her lip. She wiped away the tears from her trembling eyes and resumed washing the dishes.

On the kitchen island, only the leftover bread from their meal remained, sitting there alone.

***

On the day she went to work at the art museum, Eunchae was stuck at her desk all morning, buried under a mountain of paperwork.

Even though Mrs. Kang tried to make her a mere figurehead as the deputy director, Eunchae still gave her best effort in the tasks she was responsible for. This dedication led to the success of last winter’s special exhibition.

The exhibition had been successful enough to catch the attention of the media, and Eunchae had felt proud of her accomplishment. However, this only irritated Mrs. Kang, leading to an unfortunate end.

“Don’t get too full of yourself just because you succeeded once. You were just lucky. It wasn’t an achievement worth bragging about.”

Mrs. Kang dismissed Eunchae’s efforts and results as mere luck. By now, Eunchae had learned to ignore such comments.

However, the impact of that success on Eunchae was significant. It sparked a strong desire in her to seriously pursue her work at the art museum.

Knock, knock!

As she was in the middle of signing documents, she heard a knock at the door.

“Yes?”

Eunchae calmly responded as she finished signing the document. Just as she was about to open the next file folder,

“Deputy Director!”

The door burst open, and the excited voice of her secretary filled the room. It was unusual for Secretary Moon, who was typically calm, to act this way.

“What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”

Eunchae, now tense as well, asked seriously. Something was clearly off with Secretary Moon. Her face was flushed, and her breathing was irregular.

“Yes, there is, Deputy Director!”

Her voice was so loud that Eunchae instinctively leaned back slightly, meeting Secretary Moon’s eyes.

“What… what’s going on?”

“They’ve contacted us! Finally, we got the call!”

“From… who?”

Eunchae, taken aback by Secretary Moon’s overwhelming excitement, leaned back a bit more and asked cautiously.

“Director Margarita Sarr of the Henri Sarr Foundation has contacted us. She’ll be visiting Korea next week for personal reasons and wants to meet with you!”

“Re… really?”

The news was so exciting that Eunchae covered her mouth with both hands, hardly believing what she was hearing.

Margarita Sarr is the only daughter of the famous French photographer Henri Sarr, who passed away 10 years ago. She established and has been running a foundation to honor her father’s legacy.

Many of the world’s leading art museums have tried to host exhibitions of Henri’s works, but all have failed except for one. The foundation has a strict policy of only displaying Henri’s works in the memorial hall within their building.

More than half of the revenue from the memorial hall is used to support war correspondents and emerging photographers.

The only successful exhibition outside the memorial hall was held at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and that was because Henri had a personal debt to Richard Armstrong, the museum’s director, from when he was alive.

Eunchae, a longtime fan of Henri Sarr, knew it was unlikely, but she persistently sent emails to Margarita Sarr, the foundation’s director, and Henri’s daughter, expressing her desire to host an exhibition of his works.

After a long wait, the contact finally came. It was almost a miracle.

“They said they would get back to us with the meeting time and place. I think we need to start preparing the exhibition proposal right away. If they like the terms we offer, they’re ready to sign the contract on the spot!”

“What?”

Eunchae was left speechless by Secretary Moon’s report. It was an unbelievably bold proposal and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“We need to prepare thoroughly. Since this opportunity was so hard to secure, we have to make sure we present our case as best we can.”

As she spoke, Eunchae’s tone became more enthusiastic. Her eyes lit up with energy. For the first time in a long while, she felt truly alive.

Her self-esteem, which had fallen due to her in-laws’ harsh treatment and her husband’s lack of concern, began to rise. The sense of accomplishment of making something with her own hands breathed new life into her withered spirit.

“By the way, didn’t Hanseong Art Museum also put a lot of effort into securing Henri’s exhibition?”

“Yes, Deputy Director.”

At Eunchae’s question, Secretary Moon’s excited expression turned serious.

If Margarita was considering both museums and weighing her options, they would need a solid and compelling contract offer to capture her interest.

“Should I call in the planning team?”

Secretary Moon was also filled with enthusiasm. However, Eunchae’s expression gradually became more reserved. Before the proposal and contract could be drafted, there was a significant obstacle they had to overcome.

The director of Geumyoung Art Museum, who was also Eunchae’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Kang Hye-young.

***

“What? What did you just say?”

Mrs. Kang’s eyes widened as she practically threw the magazine she was holding onto the living room table.

“Say it again. Who contacted you?”

“Director Margarita Sarr of the Henri Sarr Foundation.”

“…Is that true?”

This time, even Mrs. Kang was genuinely surprised and excited. No matter how much she disliked and hated Eunchae, she couldn’t dismiss this achievement as mere luck or downplay its significance.

“So? Are they going to hold the exhibition at our museum?”

“That depends on the proposal and contract terms we present. If they like the conditions, they’ll sign the contract right away.”

“My goodness… Is that true?”

“Yes, so I’ve already contacted the legal team to prepare the contract.”

Eunchae, with a serious look, informed her of the situation and then brought up the most crucial issue.

“To make that happen, we need to adjust the terms in advance… We want to propose holding an exhibition that serves as a tribute to Henri Sarr. I plan to make that the main condition.”

“That… doesn’t sound bad.”

Given the magnitude of the exhibition, Mrs. Kang, still somewhat stunned, agreed with Eunchae’s suggestion. However, what Eunchae said next left her completely taken aback.

“So, about that, Mother. I’d like to suspend all regular exhibitions during the Henri Sarr exhibition. I want us to focus solely on his work.”

“Wha… what? Are you out of your mind? Do you know how much money we’d lose?”

As expected, Mrs. Kang jumped up in agitation, glaring at Eunchae as if she had just said something utterly insane.

“We can’t secure the exhibition without taking on that kind of risk. A tribute-style exhibition was already attempted at the Guggenheim, so we need to offer even more attractive conditions, Mother.”

Despite Eunchae’s firm argument, Mrs. Kang remained unconvinced. Instead, she scolded Eunchae, calling her foolish.

“Whatever the reason, how could you even think of pushing aside our regular exhibitions?”

“Hanseong Museum is likely preparing something similar! They might offer even better conditions than we are.”

“What? Hanseong?”

At last, Mrs. Kang reacted to the card Eunchae had played. The director of the Hanseong Museum, Park Miju, was not only the eldest daughter-in-law of the Hanseong Group but also had been Mrs. Kang’s long-time rival.

It was rumored that the rivalry between the two women had started during their school days and intensified when they each became directors of the art museums run by their respective families.

The balance in their long-standing competition was disrupted by their sons’ marriages.

Director Park welcomed a daughter-in-law from a similarly wealthy and influential family, while Mrs. Kang brought Eunchae into her family.

That might be why Mrs. Kang hated Eunchae even more.

However, Eunchae decided to use this as her trump card. She aimed to provoke Mrs. Kang’s competitive spirit to persuade her.

Especially with the upcoming election for the president of the Modern Art Museum Association at the end of the year, where the two women were set to clash once again.

In this context, securing Henri Sarr’s exhibition as the second in the world and the first in Asia would almost guarantee Mrs. Kang’s victory in the election.

“Everyone in the art world knows that Director Park of Hanseong Museum has been courting Henri Sarr for a long time. If, by any chance, the Sarr Foundation contacts Hanseong as well, we can’t be sure of our success.”

“That’s true, but… sigh…”

Mrs. Kang hesitated, unable to make a decision. The potential losses from suspending the regular exhibitions were a concern, but so was her aversion.

She wasn’t pleased with the idea of Eunchae gaining recognition for making this happen, nor was she happy about having to follow her daughter-in-law’s suggestion in this situation.

To be blunt, she could accept it if she were the one taking credit for all of this and presenting the conditions as her bold move. But the thought of going along with her daughter-in-law’s plan hurt her pride.

As the silence dragged on, a tension similar to a power struggle settled between the two. Even though the answer was already clear, Mrs. Kang stubbornly hesitated to give her approval.

Eunchae, hiding her anxiety behind a calm expression, waited patiently. She hoped that just this once, Mrs. Kang would set aside her pride and agree to her plan.

While the two stood in a standoff, lost in their thoughts, a smooth, deep voice broke the silence.

“Please allow it, Mother. It seems like a great opportunity for promoting the company as well.”

Both women turned their heads toward the voice. Lee Joon had quietly approached and was now standing close to them.