Living with an Ex-Husband - Chapter 7: Mood Light
Chapter 7: Mood Light
“Oppa.”
Eunchae walked towards the man with a bright smile. It was Kim Woosung, the son of her father’s old friend. He had grown up like a sibling to Eunchae.
“Have you been doing well?”
“I’m doing well. How about you?”
The man replied warmly, his face lighting up with a gentle smile. His appearance reminded one of the clear blue Mediterranean Sea—refreshing yet gentle.
With a fair complexion, masculine features, and a slender build, his soft brown eyes behind his glasses added to his overall gentle impression.
“By the way, what brings you here? Did you come to see Dad?”
“Yeah, he invited me to dinner.”
“Oh? Why didn’t Mom mention it earlier? We could have had dinner together.”
When Eunchae tilted her head, a faint smile spread across Woosung’s face.
“She probably thought it might be hard for you to find time. You have to prepare dinner for your in-laws, after all.”
“Oh…”
Eunchae felt a bit embarrassed by his understanding response and bit her lip. Then, a sudden thought crossed her mind, and her mouth fell open in surprise.
“Right, I forgot. You’re leaving for abroad soon, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. So I was invited for dinner tonight.”
“Oh no, I’m sorry, Oppa. I completely forgot.”
Eunchae felt very sorry and upset. She had just remembered that Woo-sung was going to Switzerland for studies at the end of this month.
“What are you apologizing for? It’s okay to forget. It’s good timing. I was trying to decide whether to tell your parents or contact you separately. Here.”
“What’s this?”
As Woo-sung handed her a medium-sized paper bag, Eunchae looked at his face and the bag with confusion.
“It’s a gift.”
“What? No, I should be the one giving you a gift.
Eunchae was taken aback by the unexpected situation. Woo-sung smiled warmly and put the bag into her hands.
“It doesn’t matter who gives the gift. What’s important is to say goodbye and wish each other well.”
” Still…”
“It’s a poetry book you used to like and a mood lamp. You always loved reading poetry with a mood lamp on in the attic. On rainy days, we’d spend the whole day up there, reading books and taking naps.”
“Yes… we did.”
Eunchae smiled as she reminisced about those old memories, now fading with time.
During her sensitive teenage years, the memories of dreaming and reading books in the attic felt so distant now.
Woo-sung looked at Eunchae with a gentle sadness as she lowered her head. He had loved her for a long time and still did.
Quitting his well-paying job and deciding to study abroad was a choice he made in hopes of forgetting her.
But… could he do that? Even knowing she was another man’s wife and loved only her husband, he couldn’t easily let go of his feelings for Eunchae.
“Eunchae,”
Just as he had done when they were younger, Woosung gently patted her head, offering her comfort and understanding.
“Let’s support each other and try to live well. Next time we meet, let’s do it with brighter smiles.”
“Yes… thank you, Oppa. Take care and study hard while staying healthy.”
“Alright, you should get going. It’s almost time to start preparing dinner.”
After checking his watch, Woosung gently urged Eunchae to head home. Suddenly, everything felt overwhelmingly sad and small to her, and she felt on the verge of tears.
“I’ll be going now.”
Hiding her tears as best as she could, Eunchae straightened her slumping shoulders and walked toward her car. The crimson sunset, painting the world in red, only added to the heaviness in her heart.
***
After changing out of her clothes at home, Eunchae took the food containers her mother had packed and went to the main house. In the kitchen, the staff were busy preparing dinner.
“You’re here, young madam.”
Han Jin-sook, the house manager, paused what she was doing and greeted Eunchae.
“My mother packed these for us.”
Eunchae placed the food containers on the kitchen island. A housekeeper quickly unwrapped them with swift hands.
“Oh wow, she prepared quite a lot of different dishes!”
The housekeeper couldn’t help but express surprise at the variety of side dishes.
“Yes, my mother tends to go overboard with these things. Please put these on the table…”
Eunchae started to instruct, but then hesitated, biting her lip. She realized that if Mrs. Khang found out that the food was from her parent’s house, she would probably use it as an excuse to criticize her for visiting them. That was almost certain.
So she had no choice but to lie.
“Mrs. Han, please serve these for tomorrow’s dinner. Just say they were sent from my parents’ house around lunchtime.”
“Oh… understood, young madam.”
The perceptive housekeeper didn’t ask any questions and simply nodded in agreement.
“Thank you, Mrs. Han, for going along with the lie.”
“It’s not a problem at all, madam.”
As Eunchae offered an awkward smile and thanked her, Mrs. Han shook her head kindly. To her, Eunchae seemed like a flower slowly wilting day by day.
‘When she first came to this house, she was so bright and full of life, but now it’s as if she’s barely hanging on. If only the vice president were more affectionate…’
Mrs. Han sighed inwardly, feeling sorry for Eunchae, and then placed the food containers in the fridge. Just then, another staff member informed her that Lee Joon had arrived.
“I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Take your time. The chairman is working late today, so the lady of the house asked us to prepare dinner later than usual. You got the message, right?”
“Yes, I know.”
Eunchae answered with a gentle smile and quickly made her way to the guesthouse. As she got closer, her heart began to race, and she felt a flutter of excitement. She couldn’t help but smile.
Though her husband was often cold and distant, Lee Joon’s presence was a source of strength for her. In the wide, lonely sea that was her life with her in-laws, Lee Joon wasn’t so much a partner rowing beside her as he was a lifeline, like a raft keeping her afloat.
“Haah… Haah…”
Catching her breath outside the bedroom door, Eunchae tried to compose herself, trying not to show how excited she was. She knew her husband preferred a calm, composed demeanor with little emotional display..
“Okay…” she sighed softly, steadying her expression.
After her heartbeat calmed down, Eunchae gracefully opened the door and entered the bedroom. As she walked straight to the dressing room, she saw Lee Joon casually tossing his tie aside.
“You’re back?”
At her calm greeting, Lee Joon paused from unbuttoning his shirt to glance at her.
“Yeah.”
As usual, his answer was short and dry, but his expression was different. His normally cool and sharp features showed signs of exhaustion.
As he unbuttoned his shirt, his eyebrows furrowed frequently. Eunchae could tell that Lee Joon was extremely tired and stressed. The way he unconsciously furrowed his brows was a habit that appeared when he was nervous.
Did something happen at work?
Noticing his mood, Eunchae tried to ease his tension.
“Father is coming home late tonight, so dinner will be delayed by over 40 minutes. Would you like to take a bath? I can run the water for you.”
“Yes, please do that.”
Eunchae held back a sigh at his curt reply. To an outsider, it might have seemed like she was asking permission to take a bath herself.
“I’ll go run the water.” With a faint, bitter smile, Eunchae went to the bathroom. Lee Joon watched her silently as she left. Then his eyes wandered and finally stopped on a shopping bag on the shelf by the wall.
Lee Joon’s eyes narrowed. Normally, he wouldn’t pay attention to something like this, given his usual demeanor. But now, a strange sense of discomfort kept drawing his focus.
With one hand tucked deep into his suit pocket, Lee Joon walked toward the shelf. As he moved, the muscles under his shirt flexed, causing the shirt to tighten around him. Even with more than half of the buttons undone, his impressive physique caused the fabric to cling to his body with every step.
Lee Joon took his hand out of his pocket and took out the box inside the shopping bag. When he opened the ribboned lid, he found an apple-shaped mood lamp and a poetry book.
His eyes lowered slightly as he picked up the worn poetry book that showed signs of age. Just then, a square card slipped out and fell onto the glass shelf.
When Lee Joon’s eyes fell on the card, his eyes darkened. Frowning, he picked up the card.
*“While organizing some books, I found a poetry collection I borrowed from you a long time ago. I thought it was lost, but it was hidden away between other books. The stain from when you accidentally spilled juice on it is still there. It felt like finding an old diary tucked away in a desk drawer. It reminded me of the times we spent reading together in your attic. I’m glad I could finally return it. I hope you like the mood lamp too. Take care and stay healthy. -Woosung-“*
The neatly written name “Woo-sung” sharply cut through Lee Joon’s focus.
“This isn’t a card; it’s a love letter.” A cold smile crossed his face as his eyes turned icy. With an indifferent expression, he flipped through the pages of the poetry book. As he casually turned the pages, his hand suddenly stopped when he noticed something.
As the card described, the stain from the juice Eunchae had spilled was still there.
Lee Joon’s thumb rubbed over the stain as if trying to erase it, his touch firm and almost obsessive. A twisted smile slowly curved on his lips.
Just as he closed the poetry book and reached for the mood lamp, Eunchae returned to the dressing room.
“I’ve started running the water… What are you doing over there?”
Eunchae glanced between the open box and Lee Joon, who had turned to look at her.
“It caught my eye, so I was just checking it out.”
As he examined the mood lamp, Eunchae walked closer and began to explain.
“It’s a gift from Woo-sung Oppa, given before he left for his studies abroad. I ran into him today when I stopped by my parents’ house. I should have been the one giving a gift, not receiving one.”
As Euchae mentioned this, still feeling guilty, Lee Joon smiled and countered softly.
“Well, I think Mr. Kim Woosung was probably glad to give you a gift instead.”
“What? What do you mean…?”
Puzzled by his cryptic response, Eunchae tilted her head. Just as she was about to ask for clarification, he handed her the card.
“There was a card too?”
Eunchae took the card, looking surprised as if seeing it for the first time.
“I didn’t mean to snoop.”
Lee Joon’s offhand comment made Eunchae blink before she started reading the card. For a card, it contained quite a lengthy message.
As Eunchae carefully read through the card, a smile unknowingly spread across her face. Woosung’s thoughtful and caring nature was evident in every word.
Lost in the warmth of the moment, she suddenly felt a persistent gaze on her. Just as she turned her head, the lights in the dressing room went out, leaving only the soft glow of the mood lamp illuminating the dark space.
Suddenly plunged into darkness, Eunchae was startled. Before she could react, a large figure appeared in front of her, and a strong arm swiftly wrapped around her waist.
Suddenly plunged into darkness, Eunchae was startled. Before she could react, a tall figure appeared in front of her and a strong arm quickly wrapped around her waist.