Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 66: Drunken Words

Chapter 66: Drunken Words

On Saturday morning, Eunchae and Lee Joon went to the hospital for a regular check-up.

“Hello, how have you been?”

“Yes, we’ve been well. How about you?”

“Today, you’ll be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat.”

The doctor smiled as if to build anticipation, and the two of them felt their hearts flutter with excitement.

“It might feel a bit cold.”

“Okay”

Eunchae replied softly, squeezing Lee Joon’s hand tightly. A moment later, the ultrasound began.

“The baby has really grown a lot.”

Seeing the baby on the monitor, Eunchae’s heart swelled, and she felt a lump in her throat. In just a few weeks, the baby had grown, still with a large head-to-body ratio, but now had a human form.

Lee Joon, too, was filled with wonder and amazement at seeing their baby, Hope. The fact that the child they almost lost was growing well filled him with pride and gratitude.

“Let’s listen to the heartbeat.”

Thump. Thump. Thump. As the doctor turned up the speaker, the sound of the baby’s heartbeat echoed loudly through the room.

“Hope…”

Eunchae whispered the baby’s nickname, tears suddenly welling up. She bit her lip to hold them back. Hearing the baby’s heartbeat made her own heart race in response.

“Hope, Mommy… loves you so much.”

Eunchae said, her voice full of tears, smiling as she expressed her love for her baby.

“Daddy loves you, too.”

Lee Joon added, looking at Eunchae.

“I’m so glad we can share this moment.”

Hearing his heartfelt words of relief and joy, Eunchae smiled brightly. She, too, was incredibly happy that they were able to experience their baby’s first heartbeat together.

After their appointment, the two headed out for lunch.

But instead of a restaurant, the car turned into a residential area. Eunchae grew increasingly nervous as the surroundings became all too familiar.

When the car stopped in front of a three-story house, Eunchae’s eyes widened in shock. It was her parents’ house, the one they had sold earlier this year.

“Lee Joon, why are we here…?”

“Let’s get out first.”

After turning off the car, Lee Joon told the stunned Eunchae that he would explain everything when they got out. Still confused, Eunchae hesitantly got out of the car.

But something even more surprising was waiting for her. As they stepped out of the car, the front gate of the house opened revealing familiar faces – her parents.

“Mom! Dad!”

Eunchae cried out in shock, her voice rising. She was completely confused, struggling to comprehend what was happening.

“Eunchae”

Their voices filled with emotion as they called her.

Mrs. Hwang and Yoon Jung-ik approached, warmly welcoming their daughter and Lee Joon.

“How have you been? How’s our girl feeling? Is the baby growing well?”

“Mom…”

Eunchae looked at her mother in shock as Mrs Hwang bombarded her with questions. In truth, it was Eunchae herself who had the most questions.

“You must have had a long and exhausting trip. Thank you for coming, Father and Mother. Are you feeling tired?” 

Lee Joon greeted Mrs. Hwang and Yoon Jung-ik, updating them on Eunchae and the baby’s condition on her behalf.

“Eunchae is still suffering from severe morning sickness, but our baby Hope is growing well.”

“Is that so? That’s a relief.”

“Yes… it really is.”

Mrs. Hwang sighed in relief, placing a hand over her chest, while Yoon Jung-ik smiled kindly and took both Eunchae and Lee Joon’s hands.

“You both… went through so much. Truly… thank you.”

“No, Father. It was Eunchae who really went through the hardest part.”

Lee Joon replied humbly, bowing respectfully as he expressed his gratitude to both of them.

“I am truly sorry for causing you trouble in so many ways. I apologize, Father and Mother”.

“It’s nothing. I understand that you had your reasons. Forget all the hard and painful times, and now, just live happily with our Eunchae and the baby.”

“Yes, Mother.”

Lee Joon replied politely, holding her hand.

“Am I the only one who doesn’t know what’s going on? What in the world is happening?”

Eunchae asked, unable to contain her curiosity. Lee Joon smiled broadly and began to explain.

“I bought this house.”

“Excuse me? You, Lee Joon?”

“Yes, I bought it as soon as it was for sale.”

“What did you say?!”

Eunchae’s mouth dropped open in shock. Lately, everything Lee Joon said surprised her.

“I had been getting updates about you even while I was in the U.S. During that time, I heard the house was up for sale, so I bought it right away through an agent.”

“Why on earth…?”

“Why? This place is filled with your childhood memories. Isn’t it only normal?”

“Lee Joon…”

“Are you going to cry again?”

Lee Joon gently wiped the tears from Eunchae’s cheeks. It was strange. He was clearly trying hard to see her smile, but she kept crying instead.

“I’m not crying. Am I a crybaby?”

“You are a crybaby.”

Lee Joon laughed softly, finding Eunchae’s playful glare endearing.

“By the way, did you tell your parents about our baby Hope?”

“Yeah.”

Suddenly, something flashed through Eunchae’s mind.

“Wait… did you meet my parents separately before? During that business trip to Gyeongju?”

“Our daughter sure is sharp.”

Mrs. Hwang chimed in, shaking her head as she began to explain in detail.

“Just as you guessed, Tae Lee Joon came to Gyeongju. After explaining everything, he begged us to let him start over with you. He asked for our permission.”

“Lee Joon…”

“Don’t cry. If you do, I’ll tease you forever and call you a crybaby.”

Lee Joon playfully scolded her, trying to maintain a stern tone as he noticed her tear-filled eyes. Once again, he was at a loss to make her cry. How could he make her smile?

Lee Joon decided it was best to keep quiet. He chose not to reveal the feelings he had been hiding or the facts Eunchae was still unaware of.

What was the point of bringing up the past? It would be far better to show his love and care for her moving forward.

“Father, you must be tired from standing for so long. Mother, let’s head inside and continue the conversation.”

Lee Joon quickly suggested, cutting in before Mrs. Hwang could share more details.

“Oh dear, you’re right. I wasn’t thinking. Eunchae shouldn’t be standing for too long either.”

Clapping her hands, Mrs. Hwang chastised herself for her oversight.

“You must be hungry, right? I’ve prepared a lot of your favorite dishes. Let’s go inside.”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

Eunchae expressed her gratitude, and Lee Joon naturally took Yoon Jung-ik’s hand.

“Please go ahead, Father.”

“Thank you… Tae Lee Joon.”

“It’s nothing.”

Smiling, Lee Joon supported Yoon Jung-ik as they walked towards the house. Mrs Hwang watched them with a satisfied smile on her face. Eunchae’s heart swells at the warmth of the scene.

“Let’s go inside, too.”

“Yes, Mom.”

Smiling, Eunchae nodded and took Mrs. Hwang’s hand as they headed toward the house. It was a perfectly peaceful and heartwarming summer afternoon.

***

After staying late at the lab, Woo-sung parked in his apartment’s underground car park but didn’t get out of the car.

He had been feeling like this for a while. Everything felt lethargic and depressing. He often found himself drinking to sleep because of his insomnia.

On top of the already troubled and complicated feelings, his father was pressuring him, just like now.

“Haah…”

Woo-sung looked at his vibrating phone as if it were attacking him.

“Damn it…”

A curse slipped out involuntarily. He knew exactly why his father was calling, so he refused to pick up. In response, his father sent a threatening text to Woo-sung.

“If you keep this up, I could bribe the researchers myself. Then all the other technology might get leaked too. Eunchae would be heartbroken. Are you okay with that?”

“Crazy…!”

Woo-sung, unable to control his anger, threw his phone. “Thud!” The phone hit the passenger-side window hard and disappeared from his sight as it fell to the floor.

“Hah… hah…”

Woo-sung let out a ragged breath of frustration. He took off his glasses and anxiously splashed cold water on his face before getting out of the car in a hurry.

Feeling that he needed a drink to get some sleep, Woo-sung headed towards a shopping area near the apartment.

Looking for a quiet place to drink alone, he spotted a folk pub he had never seen before. It looked like the least crowded option, so he went in.

“Sorry. We’re not officially open until tomorrow… Oh my, Woo-sung!”

The owner apologized for the inconvenience and greeted him warmly when she recognized him.

“Madam.”

Woo-sung also recognized her with a surprised look on his face. It was Mrs. Yeosu, who had worked in Eunchae’s house for a long time.

“I’m so glad to see you! How have you been?”

“I’m fine, have you been well, too?”

The two exchanged warm greetings.

“How have you been? I heard Eunchae’s mother introduced you to another family.”

“She did.”

Mrs. Yeosu sighed and briefly explained what had happened.

“The family she introduced me to was nice, but I guess I’d been with one household for too long. It was hard to adjust to the new environment. So, I decided to stop working for other families and opened my own shop.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Ah, don’t just stand there. Come, sit down, and let’s talk properly.”

Mrs. Yeosu gestured toward the table, inviting Woo-sung to take a seat.

“Is that alright? You must be busy preparing for the opening.”

“Oh, what a hurtful thing to say!”

Mrs. Yeo waved her hands dismissively, quickly heading to the kitchen to bring back some dongdongju and side dishes.

“I just made pajeon and some other things to try out for myself. Please eat it and tell me what you think!”

“Ah, should I? Alright then.”

Thinking it would be rude to refuse further, Woo-sung took his seat. The two of them soon shared the dongdongju and chatted about various topics.

“Have you informed Eunchae’s parents?”

“No, I was going to tell them after we settled down a bit. I didn’t want to worry them unnecessarily.”

Woo-sung replied as Mrs. Yeosu carefully filled his glass with dongdongju.

“But… has there been no progress with our Eunchae?”

“Yes… well.”

At Mrs. Yeosu’s somewhat tipsy question, Woo-sung could only swallow a bitter smile.

“Ah, dear… Eunchae’s life has been hard. She should marry someone warm and kind like you, Woo-sung. Someone whose circumstances are also good.”

The more Mrs Yeosu thought about Eunchae, the more her heart ached. She had never imagined that Eunchae, who had been raised lovingly, would go through a hard marriage and end up divorced.

“Well… given the situation, there really wasn’t much choice. How can you live with a man who could die at any moment? If I were the parents, I would also have pushed for a divorce.”

“Excuse me? What do you mean by that?”

Woo-sung, who had been quietly sipping his dongdongju, suddenly widened his eyes.

Was it the alcohol? Mrs. Yeosu realized she had spoken words she shouldn’t have.

“At that time, just before the divorce, Vice President Tae Lee Joon came and knelt in front of the chairman and his wife. He explained his entire situation and begged them to convince Miss Eunchae to go through with the divorce.”