Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 21: Bastard

Chapter 21: Bastard

Eunchae’s face was still pale as she made her way back to the annex, her body weak and staggering. It was a wonder she could keep her balance and move forward.

However, her eyes were completely different from when she had left the annex. They were no longer filled with anxiety and nervousness. Instead, they were straight and firm. She straightened her back and squared her shoulders with each step she took.

As soon as Eunchae entered the annex, Manager Han, who had been waiting anxiously, quickly approached her.

“Ma’am.”

Hearing the concern and sympathy in his voice, Eunchae calmly made a request.

“Please warm up some porridge, Manager Han.”

“Pardon?”

Manager Han’s voice rose in surprise at the unexpected request.

It wasn’t just the order that confused him. Eunchae’s eyes, now sharp and focused, her calm expression and the determined aura around her were completely different than before.

She had wilted like a withered flower, drained of all energy. But in that brief moment, she had completely transformed.

“What are you doing? I said I want to eat.”

“Oh… yes, ma’am. My apologies. I’ll prepare it right away.”

There was a sense of authority in Eunchae’s calm, emotionless urging, prompting Manager Han to go and warm up the porridge hurriedly.

Meanwhile, Eunchae entered the bedroom and sat down in front of the vanity. She hastily removed her makeup and carefully reapplied it, taking her time to make it look perfect. Then she let go of her hastily tied-up hair and styled it elegantly into an updo.

When all her preparations were complete, Manager Han informed her that the meal was ready.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy the meal.”

With a polite bow to Manager Han, Eun-chae first sipped the cold back kimchi broth. Then she slowly began to eat the porridge.

‘…Did… did he tell you why he wants a divorce?’

Chewing slowly, Eunchae remembered her conversation with her mother a short while ago.

Lee Joon’s threat to drag her through the mud was more vicious and cruel than she had expected. She hadn’t expected him to go so far as to involve her parents.

Yes, he told me everything. He said that your husband… has another woman? Is it true that your mother-in-law has known all along? And is it also true that you welcome this woman?

As she spoke, her mother’s voice trembled with anger, a fiery rage rising from within her.

The image of her mother Hwang’s face at that moment remained in Eun-chae’s mind. She clenched her jaw as she chewed the porridge.

It was the face of someone who had lost everything. To think that her daughter, whom she cherished more than anything, was enduring such humiliation filled her with fury and despair.

As Eun-chae silently admitted the truth, Madam Hwang clutched her chest and swallowed her sobs. She knew only too well that Eunchae was the one who was suffering the most, and she felt sorry for showing her tears in front of her daughter.

Seeing this, Eunchae completely lost her mind. She had tried so hard to avoid this. In the end, she had seen the absolute worst of the man she once loved so much.

The intense love and devotion she had felt for him vanished as if it had all been a lie. In its place was a raw, brutal pain, as if her heart had been torn to shreds and trampled on, along with a consuming hatred.

Is he so desperate to divorce her that he would go this far?

“Don’t make me cross the line.”

He was always consistent when it came to this. The promises he made to her were worthless, like checks that bounced. But when it came to threats like this, he followed through on them exactly as he said he would.

“Bastard.”

The curse escaped her lips like a mutter, and Manager Han stared at Eunchae, eyes wide with shock. But she no longer cared about how others saw her.

From now on, she would face the stares of people she couldn’t even imagine. Strangers would talk about her without hesitation, spreading rumors and exaggerating the gossip.

To ignore and overcome all this, she had to steel herself and become stronger. She had to act indifferent, pretend that nothing was wrong, and take it all in stride.

Eun-chae scooped up a piece of radish and cabbage from the water kimchi with her spoon and popped it into her mouth. As she savored the crunchy texture, her eyes became more serious and determined than ever.

After finishing her meal, Eunchae composed a text message to send to Lee Joon.

[“I’ll agree to the divorce. I’ll contact you once I hire a lawyer, but you must apologize to my parents. If you don’t, I won’t divorce you, no matter what lines you cross. Understand that.”]

Her hand was firm as she sent the message, without a trace of hesitation.

There are things one should never touch in a person’s life. For Eunchae, that was her family.

In Lee Joon’s family, where there was no sense of real connection, the family might have been just people who shared the same family name. But that wasn’t the case with Eunchae’s family. For them, family meant taking care of and supporting each other.

Lee Joon had crossed that line, and in doing so, he had awakened her, helping her finally sort out her feelings for him. Should she be thankful for that? A bitter smile spread across her lips.

After sending the text, Eunchae called her friend, Choi Yoo-rim.

“Oh, Madam. What’s the occasion?”

Yoo-rim answered in her usual light-hearted manner. Eunchae gave a faint smile at her friend’s playful tone and got straight to the point.

“Your cousin… He’s a divorce lawyer, right?”

“Oh? Oh, yes, that’s right. But why?”

Was it her journalistic instinct? Sensing that the question was unusual, Yoo-rim dropped her playful tone and responded seriously.

“You said his success rate is quite high, right?”

Eunchae recalled, trying to confirm. Yoo-rim grew even more tense as she answered.

“Yes, it’s quite high. He’s handled a lot of major cases. He was also the lawyer for the actress Go Min-ji when she divorced the son of Hangang Corporation.”

“Really?”

Remembering Go Min-ji’s divorce case, which once shook South Korea, Eunchae’s face lit up.

Although Hangang Corporation hired a huge legal team to aggressively pursue their case, Go Min-ji’s side managed to turn the situation to their advantage.

In the end, the judge suggested a settlement, and Go Min-ji was able to divorce on her terms.

It was Yoo-rim’s cousin who had orchestrated the entire situation. Eunchae felt a wave of relief wash over her.

“That is good to know. If he’s taken on a big company, he must have a lot of experience and skills.

“He probably does, yeah? But why are you suddenly so interested in my cousin? Is someone getting divorced?”

Yoo-rim’s voice was worried as if she hoped against hope that it wasn’t what she feared. Unfortunately, her fears were about to be confirmed. Looking at the window where the afternoon light streamed in, Eunchae replied calmly.

“Yes, I am. So, please introduce me to your cousin.”

***

By the end of June, the weather had become noticeably warmer. Eunchae opened all the windows in the living room to let in the cross breeze, then carried an empty box into the bedroom.

However, she found herself unsure of where to start. Placing the empty box on the vanity table, she thought it over.

“If I’m going to move my things out, I should start with the clothes, I guess.”

Realizing the correct order of things a little late, she let out a small sigh. She had thought rationally and acted promptly since the decision to divorce, but she still found herself making absent-minded decisions from time to time.

“I should start with the dressing room.”

She brushed her hair back and headed toward the dressing room when she suddenly heard the door lock beep as it was being unlocked.

“Is it Manager Han?”

Tilting her head in curiosity, Eunchae walked out to the living room.

Although she had decided to continue paying her morning visit to Tae Moo-jin until she moved out, she had kept her distance from her in-laws. She avoided eating with them and rarely saw their faces.

No one usually came and went from the annex. Only Manager Han occasionally stopped by out of pity, bringing food or passing along necessary news from her in-laws.

“Manager Han, you’re he—”

Eunchae’s greeting was swallowed back in her throat. Standing right there in the living room was Lee Joon. Her heart sank at that moment.

He had spent every moment resenting him, telling himself over and over to forget. But now, facing the man who had suddenly appeared, her heart raced beyond her control.

She couldn’t tell if it was the lingering traces of emotion clinging to her like residue, or the tension caused by the sheer intensity of his presence.

For whatever reason, the fact that she was shaken was undeniable. Because of this, Eunchae furrowed her brow and steadied her wavering heart. She quickly composed her startled expression and took a step toward Lee Joon.

“What brings you here?”

She asked the purpose of his visit in a flat tone while quickly looking at his face.

If he was happy that she had agreed to the divorce as he wanted, he should have looked alive, or at least had some color in his cheeks. Instead, his face seemed even more haggard, his sharp features even more defined.

“Don’t you like the hotel food? Or…”

A self-mocking smile spread across Eunchae’s lips as she subconsciously worried about Lee Joon’s health.

‘I have lost my mind. Why am I thinking like this? About a man rolling around in bed with another woman.’

As she harshly scolded herself, a sharp voice cut through her thoughts.

“What are you trying to do here?”

“What do you mean? Why are you suddenly picking a fight?”

Eunchae looked at him fiercely, her eyes demanding a proper explanation as they turned cold.

“Why the hell didn’t you ask for alimony? What exactly are you planning?”

Lee Joon raised his voice in a rare moment and demanded answers. Only then did Eunchae let out a soft exclamation.

Seeing her calm reaction, Lee Joon laughed in disbelief.

“If you’ve already hired a lawyer, shouldn’t the first step be to negotiate alimony? But instead, you make these ridiculous conditions…!”

“I hired a lawyer not to attack, but to defend myself. I’m not an idiot, Lee Joon. No matter how much you’re the guilty party, you’re in a much better position in this divorce. That’s why I chose defense over offense to minimize the damage.

Eunchae deliberately cut off, stopping Lee Joon mid-rant, and took a moment to steady her breath. She met his intense, piercing gaze with calm resolve before speaking again.

“Furthermore, my parents told me to leave this house without taking anything. They said we’ve already received everything we need.”

Eunchae conveyed her parents’ wishes, referring to the research funds that Geumyoung had invested before the marriage and the contracts that would continue even after their divorce.

“So you’re refusing to take any alimony?”

Lee Joon asked, his eyebrows knitted in irritation.

Eunchae nodded slightly.

“Yes, I don’t need it. And I will never go back on this later. Instead, you must agree to the condition I have proposed. After the divorce, you can’t marry again for three years.