Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 30. "Let's Meet Up"

Chapter 30. “Let’s Meet Up”

The cruel words pierced Eunchae’s heart like a dagger. She stared at him with eyes filled with pain, unable to move a finger.

“You were the one at fault, so of course it’s easy for you. But it’s not for me. I still wake up in the middle of the night thinking about what you did. And what about how you treated my parents? And now this? Why can’t we just do it all over again, right? It’s ridiculous…”

Eunchae gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. If she didn’t, she might end up either punching Lee Joon in the face or tipping the table over.

“Fine. Let’s say I accept the proposal. Then, what about Alice? Did she agree as well?”

“Alice?”

At the sudden mention of the name, Lee Joon tilted his head in confusion. His expression of misunderstanding made Eunchae’s eyes narrow sharply.

“The woman you’re so obsessed with, Alice.”

“Oh… Alice.”

As if just remembering, Lee Joon straightened up and replied calmly.

“Alice is no longer relevant.”

“…No longer relevant? So, did you break up with her?”

Eunchae’s eyes wavered as she searched for confirmation. Instead of replying, Lee Joon simply watched her in silence, his expression calm and unreadable. Taking his silence as the truth, Eunchae’s mouth fell open in shock.

“Goodness… After all that commotion…”

The situation seemed completely absurd and frustratingly confusing. He had acted as if he would be with her forever, even asking for a divorce. And now he was saying they had broken up?

Eunchae was flooded with a strange mix of emotions. She should have felt vindicated and relieved, but instead, all she felt was an overwhelming sense of bitterness and resignation.

Seeing her dazed and blinking, Lee Joon reminded her of the reason for their divorce.

“You’re still misunderstanding. Didn’t I make it clear? Our divorce had nothing to do with Alice.”

As he dredged up the most painful memories, Eunchae’s expression darkened. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head and stared at him with icy eyes.

“Thanks to you, my decision, which was wavering for a moment, is now firm. I’d rather starve than accept your investment.”

“Don’t be too sure about that.”

Lee Joon left some room for doubt, but Eunchae firmly replied.

“No, absolutely not. That will never happen.”

“I’ll give you plenty of time to think. Until the end of this week.”

“What part of ‘I don’t need it’ did you not understand? I’m not going to live with you, even if it’s just a lie!”

Eunchae shouted in frustration at the one-sided conversation. It felt like they had returned to their old days when Tae Lee Joon was always unreasonable. Back then, his will was always absolute.

The difference now is that Eunchae, who once passively accepted his words, is now speaking up.

Nevertheless, Lee Joon dismisses her and nothing has changed. He remains as dictatorial as ever.

Realizing that further discussion was pointless, Eunchae silently expressed her intention not to deal with him. Controlling her rising emotions, she finally left the room.

The loud bang of the door slamming echoed loudly in the quiet private room.

“I see your temperament has become quite harsh as well.”

Lee Joon looked at the closed door with a bitter smile, feeling that it was as closed as Eunchae’s heart.

***

Inside the taxi speeding along the Han River, Eunchae stared blankly at the city lights streaming past the window.

The dusk settling over the city, the river reflecting the lights, the apartment lights across the river, and the rapidly passing cars.

The familiar scenery felt strangely foreign, and her recent encounter with Lee Joon seemed as distant as a dream.

Eunchae sighed deeply, rubbing her dry eyelids. Unfortunately, the scene before her and the encounter with Lee Joon that filled her mind were all too real.

In this situation, she felt she had shot herself in the foot. The divorce terms she had insisted on had come back to haunt her.

Eunchae slowly lifted her eyelids and faced the situation with a cold, rational mind. Regretting what had already happened was pointless; what was urgent now was to find a solution.

“Let’s see what I can do…”

Eunchae groaned and tugged at her hair in frustration.

Knowing that Tae Lee Joon wouldn’t back down made her feel hopeless. This was not just any problem – it involved the entire Geumyoung Group. To make matters worse, she was at a dead end.

As she continued to sigh deeply in the face of such overwhelming reality, her phone vibrated in her pocket. With sluggish movements, she pulled it out and saw that it was a call from her father.

Eunchae quickly composed herself and answered the phone.

“Yes, Dad. Are you still awake?”

[I didn’t mean to. I just had dinner… and took a short nap.]

“Is that so?”

Eunchae’s voice was soft, but her nose was tingling. Her father’s right side had become almost numb, making his speech even more halting.

Memories of her father, once so kind and charming that he was known as “Romance Gray,” surfaced, causing Eunchae’s eyes to well up with tears.

[My daughter, Eunchae. You’ve always worked so hard. I’m sorry for being such a useless father..…]

[Thank you. My daughter.]

“I too… always thank you. Please take care.”

After ending the call and sniffling, Eunchae heard the taxi driver gently speak up.

“Is your father not feeling well?”

“Yes, he had a stroke earlier this year.”

“Oh dear……”

The taxi driver, who seemed genuinely sympathetic, offered some words of comfort to Eunchae.

“Family members who take care of a sick loved one have it tough, but the person who’s ill suffers the most. So, give your father a lot of encouragement.”

“Yes, I will.”

As Eunchae responded with a faint smile, the driver added,

“There is nothing more painful than being the head of the household and having to step down. The guilt towards the family is overwhelming. That’s probably why he called you.

“Yeah.”

Eunchae replied quietly, fidgeting with her phone, understanding her father’s feelings just as the driver had said.

Even though her father had retired from management, he still received brief reports from Deputy General Manager. She could only imagine how difficult and stressful it must be for him each time.

Eunchae bit her lip tightly, then shifted her gaze back to the night view outside the window.

Ironically, her father’s call had strengthened her decision not to accept Lee Joon’s offer, but it had also caused her to feel even more confused.

Eunchae nervously bit her lip, overwhelmed by her contradictory feelings.

She wanted to protect the company her grandfather and father had built with so much effort. To do that…

The realization of the inescapable conclusion made her chest feel heavy as if a stone had been placed upon it. The beautiful night view outside seemed both unfair and enviable tonight.

***

The next morning.

 Eunchae was afraid to wake up. Once she arrived at the office, it was sure that Woo-sung would catch her and interrogate her thoroughly. She did not like the idea of covering up with lies.

Eunchae felt caught in a dilemma, unable to tell the truth, but also struggling with the discomfort of not being able to lie convincingly.

“Ugh…”

The urge to say she didn’t want to go to work rose in her throat but was swallowed back. Barely managing to crawl out of bed like a limp creature, she received a call from Woo-sung.

“Seems like even this older brother can’t be civil.”

Eunchae let out a resigned laugh and answered the phone. Contrary to her worries, Woo-sung greeted her with enthusiastic news, his voice full of excitement.

[Eunchae! I fixed the bug that caused so much trouble! We’re almost at the final stage of technology development.]

“R-really?”

Eunchae was stunned by the unexpected good news and repeated the question.

[Yes! It’s true. I just received the news from the lab a little while ago. I’m heading there now.]

“Got it, Oppa. I’ll get ready and head to the lab right away.”

[Okay. Be careful on your way.]

“Okay! See you at the lab.”

Ending the call, Eunchae screamed with joy. She had been struggling with an unresolved error for months, and the research funds had nearly run out without any results.

But now, she had finally overcome the biggest obstacle.

‘I need to hurry and get ready.’

With an excited face, she was on her way to the bathroom when she received a call from Lee Ki-sung. Eunchae assumed that he was calling after receiving news from Woo-sung.

“Yes, Vice President. I just got a call from (Woo-sung) Oppa…”

When Eunchae answered the phone with a clear voice, a desperate voice was heard on the other end.

[Eunchae! There’s a big problem!]

“What’s wrong? Is there something…?”

[Both Dongsan Bank and Hanseong Bank are demanding early repayment of the loans. What are we going to do?]

“……What?”

Startled, Eunchae’s complexion turned pale. The excitement of her earlier joy was now replaced by a cold expression.

It was the worst morning, with both happiness and despair arriving simultaneously.

***

Early in the morning, the executives and employees of the Geumyoung Group lined up in front of the headquarters. The tension was palpable as they stood in two rows facing each other.

While they were energized because today was the day Chairman Tae Moo-jin was returning to the office, the real reason for their heightened anxiety was something else.

It was the official first day back to work for Geumyoung’s prodigal son, Tae Lee Joon. More specifically, it was his official first day back to work after returning from abroad.

“Even when he divorced and went to New York, things seemed uncertain. But in the end, he came back triumphantly.”

People around them chimed in with their thoughts in response to someone’s whisper.

“It is not that he was removed for lack of ability. He just left Korea temporarily until the divorce issue was resolved. It makes sense for him to return.”

“He’ll probably start the succession process soon. If he wants to strengthen his position, remarriage would be ideal. I heard his future wife is already setting up matchmaking appointments. The rumors are spreading.”

“I heard he’s going to remarry Executive Director Lee Seo-hyun of Dongyang Textile. They both went to New York together.”

“Really?”

As people whispered gossip among themselves.

“Chairman, you’ve arrived!”

With the announcement that Tae Moo-jin had arrived, a line of black sedans pulled up in front of the headquarters. The people, who had momentarily relaxed, straightened up and braced themselves.

The car door opened, and Lee Joon stepped out first. With a concise yet smooth movement, he got out of the car and extended his arm to assist Tae Moo-jin.

“Thank you for the offer, but I’ll manage on my own for now. I can still rely on my cane to get out.”

With a friendly smile, Tae Moo-jin refused Lee Joon’s help and managed to get out of the car on his own, albeit a bit slowly. He placed his cane firmly on the ground for support.

“That’s enough. I’m still capable.”

At Tae Moo-jin’s reassurance that he was still capable, Lee Joon smiled gently.

“Let’s go, Grandfather.”

“Alright.”

Nodding in response to Lee Joon’s words, Tae Moo-jin walked alongside him, passing by the rows of people lined up. As they moved, the staff bowed deeply in respect.

Once the two entered the lobby of the headquarters, the executives and senior staff who had been lined up began to follow them inside.

Lee Joon’s posture as he entered the lobby was straighter and more confident than ever. His head was held high and his expression was one of self-assurance. His unique, cool elegance was sharper and more commanding than two years ago.

“Are the busy tasks going well?”

“Yes, I’m preparing for everything to go smoothly.”

Although Lee Joon’s expression remained unchanged, his eyes were firm and resolute. There was a clear sense of determination that things would indeed go well.

“Then, that’s a relief.”

Nodding in response, Tae Moo-jin entered the elevator with Lee Joon.

As the secretary pushed the button for the floor, the golden doors of the elevator closed gently and the elevator began to move. Almost at the same time, Lee Joon’s phone vibrated briefly.

Lee Joon’s eyes lit up with a subtle smile as he checked the sender of the message. It was Eunchae.

[Let’s meet. I have something to say about the proposal.]

Reading the message, a deep smile spread across his face. He leisurely typed out a response.

[“I’ll send a company car to pick you up.”]