Once Love Begins - Chapter 2. Part 2

Chapter 2. Part 2

* * *

She uttered a silent curse while observing him reenter the room as if nothing had happened. She pulled her hair back in fear. She realized she was singing and wanted to bite her tongue in shame. Despite hearing her, she swayed her hips in excitement.

He arrived at dawn every day. Today, she expected him to be late, but he surprised her by arriving quietly. She was so engrossed in her phone conversation with her grandfather that she didn’t even hear him come in.

“Oh, I’m gonna die…”

She banged her head against the kitchen wall and muttered. Suddenly, she remembered tomorrow’s meeting.

She had attended meetings before and was used to it by now, but this time she was strangely hesitant to go.

She asked him despite not wanting to get him in trouble. It was better to face the consequences of asking than to pretend to be in love with him.

He said hurtful things and seemed indifferent. She wondered if he would be capable of uttering hurtful words without being affected by her.

“I know.”

“What?”

“I know; I know that you just see me as young.”

She almost told him to go with that woman, Hee-young but decided to keep quiet.

“We’ll be there tomorrow; get some rest.”

She turned away, trying to appear unharmed and pretending to be casual. At least when he’s alone with her, he doesn’t pretend.

However, she was only pretending to be okay and hiding her true feelings from him. Every day, she went through the motions of acting fine and not being hurt.

It was as if she was treading on something that could crack and collapse at any moment, and she felt suffocated.

She couldn’t fall asleep, so she took a hot bath. Despite having washed up already, soaking in the bathtub can soothe a troubled mind.

The warm water relaxed her mind and body. The sound of dripping water was exceptionally loud. She took a deep breath and dove underwater.

When she was underwater, the whole world was silent. Ha Yeon-woo escaped reality, feeling like the only one in the water, free from judgment.

When she first told him she was going to marry him, her grandfather seemed secretly happy, and her mother-in-law was surprised. Their son, who had never planned to marry and wouldn’t even bleed if pricked with a needle, suddenly decided to get married and took a woman with him.

The lies piled up and up and enveloped her. Her heart pounded as she realized that she was deceiving not only her grandfather and her in-laws but her friends as well.

“Phew!”

As she emerged from the water, she breathed raggedly. Her life felt like it was on its last legs, filled with fear.

She closed her eyes tightly as his harsh words stabbed her. Today, she would need to take a longer soak than usual to feel better.

* * *

“Hello, Ms. Yeon-woo, it’s been a while. How are you?”

“Yes. How are you?”

She greeted her, recognizing her as someone she had exchanged a few words with a few months ago at a couple’s party.

“I think you’ve gotten prettier.”

“Oh! Thank you.”

She had often accompanied him to parties when she was younger, but back then and even now, she feels more uneasy than pleased. With the title of Shinwoo Group’s granddaughter, she had to deal with a lot of stares, and she hated it.

Without Shinwoo Group’s support, people would have no reason to be kind to her. She feels this way every time she attends a party, but she is just a child. She feels like a rock in a sea of beautiful people.

Half of the people approached her in a friendly manner, while the other half stared at her, checking her from head to toe. She glanced over at him as he chatted happily with others in the distance.

He looked handsome in his black suit and bowtie. He had broad shoulders, toned muscles that showed through his clothes, and long legs. He appeared to be a flawless man.

A new group kept forming and disappearing around him. She could see people attempting to talk to him quite clearly from a few feet away. He was like the life of the party. 

He felt the stares and turned his head, making eye contact. However, he looked away again and directed his gaze towards someone, smiling. It was a woman, Hee-young.

She clutched her dress tightly, not realizing it was crumbling.

The woman came knowing that she was coming, and Cha Kang-jae smiled at her while he brought something he knew she wouldn’t like.

While talking to Hee Young, Cha Kang-Jae gestured for her to come over, and she slowly moved her feet and lowered her eyes, unable to bear the sight of the smiling woman standing next to him.

“Hello?”

“Hi.”

‘What must she think of me? Does she know we were just a window-dressing couple?’

She wondered what Hee Young thought when she saw both of them pretending to be a couple. Her mood sank as her eyes dropped. He put his arm around her waist as she moved closer.

She forced the corners of her mouth up. Suddenly, she made eye contact with her and smiled at her. She felt her stomach lurch.

“I’m hungry.”

“Didn’t I get your favorite champagne?”

She listened to the two of them talk back and forth. When she couldn’t take it anymore, she slipped his arm around her waist. The familiar scent of cologne stung her nose.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

She blushed and stepped outside. ‘Was it the cologne? She felt nauseous.’

“Where are you going?” Kang-Jae asked.

Her eyes widened as he grabbed her wrist. She didn’t expect him to follow her. Behind his shoulder, she could see Hee-young.

“I’m going to the restroom.”

At her suspicious look, he tried to smile, but his mouth only managed to raise at the corners. She couldn’t control her shaking hands.

Ha Yeon-woo thought Hee-young, his ex-girlfriend, had succeeded in fooling him.

He released her wrist, and she ran straight to the bathroom. His hold on her wrist hurt. She assured herself that the tears were a result of her wrist hurting.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,”

She closed the lid of the toilet and sat down. She took slow, deep breaths to calm herself and prevent tears. It took some time, but eventually she felt better.

Upon opening the door and stepping outside, she unexpectedly bumped into his ex-girlfriend, Hee-Young, who had been standing there for some time. After a brief pause, she approached her side, wiped her hands, and glanced at her reflection in the mirror.

Earlier, she thought to herself, ‘She looks stunning in that bright red dress.’ The woman catches the eye wherever she goes, and the protagonist wonders if that’s why Kang-Jae is so attracted to her.

“Is Kang-jae good to you?” Hee-young asked.

“Yes,” Yeon-woo replied.

Hee-young laughed with a disappointed tone, as if she knew it was a lie. She lowered the faucet and stared at her.

“Why are you laughing?” Han Yeon-woo asked.

“No, I’m just saying that if Kang-jae is with me, he treats me very well,” Hee-young emphasized.

“Oh, and I was so sorry the other day,” Hee-young added.

“For what?” Yeon-woo responded.

She comes out pouting. She asks with a frown, and her lips, painted red, open slightly.

“Kang-Jae was with me, and I’m sorry he left you out,” Hee-young confessed.

Her hands trembled. She wondered if she was too young to understand the complexities of adult relationships. In the grown-up world, a woman who used to date her husband would confidently and naturally apologize to her, the wife, for keeping him with her.

After all, she is the wife, but why is this woman so confident?

“I’m sure I’ll have a lot to apologize to you for in the future, so I’ll apologize in advance.”

She stared at the woman’s back as she turned and walked out of the room, her shoes making a cheerful sound. 

“Ha! I didn’t even realize you were alone!”

She said this to the woman behind her. The woman was already out the door, so there was no way she could have heard her.

She fought back tears, but one escaped and rolled down her cheek. She hastily brushed it away and bit her lip to steady herself.

Now she understood. The reason for that woman’s confidence was clear: she was loved by her husband. To her, she must have felt like a burden for getting in the way of their relationship.

She would love to tear them apart. She laughed at the thought that someone might want to tear her apart. Afterward, she returned to the party and stood next to him.

She smiled modestly as if nothing were wrong, and they chatted and exchanged compliments. She straightened his hair and dusted his suit. It appeared as if they were in love.

Her heart raced as she felt her fingertips tremble. He looked at her with a loving gaze, but she knew it was all a lie.

She couldn’t wait for the party to end and for her to go home. She wanted to take a dip and dive right away.

“Ms. Yeon-woo, I’ll see you later.”

As she was about to enter her car, Hee-young called out to her. She turned around and bowed slightly before exchanging a glance with Kang-Jae. She got into the car and lowered her eyes, staring at her lap. Kang-Jae then joined her.

“Let’s go,” he said, and the car sped off.

He remained silent until they were almost home. When she looked over, she noticed him leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed. He had taken a small sip of champagne and was now drunk.

She had no way of knowing his alcohol consumption since they had never shared a drink. Although he often drank champagne or wine at parties, he had never been drunk before. The incident where she saw him drunk was the first and last time.

“You should go home first,” he said. He looked at her as if she were bothering him, his eyes still closed.

“Where are you going?” she asked abruptly. She wouldn’t have asked if he hadn’t pushed her. She clasped her hands together, remembering the way they exchanged glances before getting into the car. His face hardened into a cold line.

“I’m sorry, do I have to tell you that we agreed not to interfere with each other’s personal lives?.”

She loves him deeply but remains silent as he drops her off and drives away without even glancing back.

She waited until the car was out of sight before moving. When nobody was home, she entered the house and got into bed without changing out of her dress. She didn’t bother turning on the light.

“Oh, I need to wash up,” she muttered to herself, though no one was listening. She didn’t feel like soaking in the tub, so she pulled the blanket over her head.