The Breakup Between You and Me - Side Story 1. Se-hyuk

Side Story 1. Se-hyuk’s 

He turned to observe her departure, unable to close his eyes for a moment while she was out of sight. Something seemed amiss with her. He tightly clasped his trembling hands together, his gaze fixed on the burlap ribbon adorning her left br*ast, and he squeezed his eyes shut.

Running a palm down his worn-out face, memories flooded in. Shortly after his father’s company went bankrupt, he collapsed. That was challenging enough, but more recently, he passed away without ever opening his eyes. He had to pick up the pieces for his mother and sister. He clenched his teeth, fully aware that if he crumbled, they would too.

Not a single tear escaped his eyes, not even when debt collectors slapped him at the funeral, or when the relatives his father had aided over the years didn’t recognize him.

Out of nowhere, a tear rolled down his cheek. He stared at it in surprise as it reached his thigh, making him realize how many tears he’d shed. What started as one tear turned into a bunch. He didn’t pay attention to the coffee shop noise. His shoulders shook, and he cried for a long time.

Cha Sooyin was going to leave his life. It felt like he might die, but she was the reason he kept going. He jumped up and ran outside. He looked around, holding his breath, but she wasn’t there.

His heart hurt a lot, like it was being pulled out of his chest.

This is absurd. His future was supposed to be with Cha Sooyin. For her to suggest breaking up, something must be really wrong. He should’ve pleaded with her, gotten down on his knees.

He remembered he hadn’t been able to take care of her lately because he was busy, couldn’t see her on weekends due to his  part-time job, and couldn’t afford to buy her favorite things. What else? His legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor. People passing by asked if he was okay, but he couldn’t answer.

He wasn’t okay. Far from it. He felt like he was going to die. He needed to breathe, but it felt impossible.

“Sir, are you okay?”

“Whew!” A hand shook her shoulder, and he opened his eyes to see a concerned flight attendant. Finally, he could breathe again.

“I’m okay,” he replied, and then he experienced a dream that he hadn’t had in years: He found herself in South Korea. Glancing out the window, he saw that he was soaring above pristine white clouds. He took a deep breath.

Here he was, in Korea, a place he had never intended to revisit. Yet, in an instant, his perspective shifted. He decided he was going back to Korea, all by herself. He laughed aloud. Even though his boss wanted him to remain in the U.S., he had no regrets about his decision.

He recalled his initial journey to the U.S. He had nothing—no sleep, just work. He toiled tirelessly, faced numerous setbacks, but it didn’t faze him. He worked relentlessly to earn money, settling debts and allocating the rest for his studies.

The role he now held as the president of the Korean branch of the Royal Group was hard-earned. It wasn’t handed to him on a silver platter.

He wondered how Cha Sooyin, who broke up with him abruptly because of his financial situation, would perceive him now. Recently, he had someone look into her current life. The findings left him disheartened.

At his lowest point, she abandoned him. Meanwhile, she seems to be thriving.

A sigh involuntarily escaped him, and his gaze turned cold.

Upon his arrival in Korea, his first instinct was to coincidentally appear in front of Cha.

He’s not sure why he did it, but he wanted to see her once. He wanted to make her aware that the man she left behind had achieved considerable success.

Do she regret abandoning him? However, seeing her after all these years was disconcerting. She looked much worse than he had anticipated. Her once lively eyes were now dull, and her graying hair seemed untouched by dye for years.

Observing her weary face, devoid of the usual makeup a woman of her age might wear, stirred anger within him. She had abandoned him, and to see her living like this compelled him to speak harshly to her.

 Words of bitterness spilled out, uncaring of the impact. He had fought tooth and nail to break free from her, and she abandoned him to live like this? The anger within him surged. He stood up abruptly, leaving her alone, not understanding why she appeared so unwell. It felt like he might strangle her if she didn’t rise.

A few days later, he visited the architectural office in Gaon, seeking her out. She avoided eye contact, lowering her head, and chuckled.

Her hair cascaded forward, revealing her pristine white nape. He clenched his fists. A part of him wanted to strangle her, another part yearned to gaze at her crimson lips, and yet another part wished to pull her aside and torment her. He wanted her to feel as tormented as he had been.

She catch sight of him lighting a cigarette at a party, and her eyes widen.

He had no other outlet for his stress, so he turned to cigarettes. This is because of her, he thought, blaming everything on Cha Sooyin, feeling a surge of anger.

When he asked her to buy him ten nights, she retorted, “Do you think money is everything?” He almost burst out laughing. In a world where money seemingly dictated everything, even buying his ex-girlfriend’s company, he was living a reality she hadn’t fully grasped yet.

He wanted her to experience suffering, but the force of her slap almost made his eyes roll back in his head. She had endured bullying for a while, yet she stood her ground.

He, on the other hand, seemed stunned, as if this wasn’t his first encounter with such a situation. At one point, he grabbed her wrist, intending to pull her away.

Her relatives insisted he join them for drinks, and she attended a few times. Knowing her personality, he realized it must have been quite challenging for her.

Concerned, he couldn’t imagine leaving her in that company, so he suggested she quit her job. Initially resistant, she eventually called him, narrating the situation.

In a somewhat irritated tone, she asked him to move her father to a different hospital.

In response, he callously remarked, “Sure, why not? It’s all about money. After all, you’re selling your body.” The bitterness of those words hit her swiftly.

Within a day, he regretted letting her work at the company. His focus wavered because of Cha Sooyin. He attempted to push the thoughts aside, but his eyes continually gravitated toward the door.

As he exited the elevator and approached his office, a clamor reached her ears. Wondering what was happening, he quickened his pace, and in the distance, he spotted Cha Sooyin holding her hair, swaying back and forth.

His teeth clenched at the sight of the fragile figure tossing around like a leaf in the wind. He should have felt a sense of satisfaction, but instead, anger surged within him.

He nearly shouted at her, “How can you not be furious after everything you’ve been through?” Yet, she extended her hand to the distressed woman.

Cha Sooyin’s eyes reflected profound pain.

He knew she was feeling down, but he acted as if he didn’t notice. While he recognized her shortcomings, her relative was so oblivious that he questioned if she was genuinely foolish. How dare they intrude and lay hands on her, or anyone for that matter.

In his mind, He was the only one allowed to bother Cha Sooyin. He instructed her to serve tea. With a pained expression, she pretended not to hear and placed the tea on the table.

He didn’t overlook the slight tremor in her hand. Then, he asked her to sit on his lap, and her face drained of color. The corners of his mouth curled up, finding it amusing that Cha Sooyin was rolling her eyes. She must be out of her mind.

He seated her on his thigh, and she blushed deep red, all the way to the nape of her neck. The urge to bite the nape of her neck surged within him, despite the presence of her relatives. Her eyes welled up with tears. Yes, cry, cry more, just as he cried for her.

His expression soured when her relatives offered apologies. She glared at the woman who seemed ready to accept an apology at any moment. How could she forgive so readily? The relative knelt down in front of her.

The Gaon architectural firm has come to an end.  It was the end of pretending to be nice to her relatives, who had continually called him, harassing her, pressuring her, tormenting her.

She hugged all the time, day and night, no matter where she was. As if to make up for all the time he hadn’t been able to spend with her, even though he knew she was having trouble accepting his c*ck.

He claimed he didn’t know her, but he’s not sure how he feel about it. If he see her, he feel like he’s  going insane, but then he feel sad. He was confused.

His sister came from America, but Cha Sooyin was acting strangely. He tried to avoid making eye contact. The reason his sister came to Korea was because of the new secretary. She left her job for a personal relationship and came in without the chairman’s knowledge.

She even threatened to marry him if he didn’t match him up with his new secretary. To the chairman’s satisfaction, he had no intention of meeting her, so he kept himself occupied for a week.

He finally got his sister to transfer him to the United States and contacted her. Just thinking about her makes him feel nervous.

However, she does not answer the phone. He figured he’d leave it and see what happened, but she hasn’t returned his calls for five days. His gut was clenched.

Because of the low pressure, he couldn’t sleep. When he summoned her to the boss’s office to inquire about her whereabouts, she apologized profusely for not responding his calls. He dozed off because he was exhausted.

He wanted to slam her down on his desk and shove his p*nis into her right then and there. He raised his brows in displeasure. She responded professionally, explaining she’d been to her father’s hospital the day before.

He wanted to shake his d*ck into her filthy mouth. He wanted to shove it in her mouth so hard that she couldn’t breathe, whether her lips split or not, and then she’d cry and beg him to stop.

A few droplets of c*m on her thick, long lashes would soothe his rage. How did he humiliate her?

She simply stands there, her eyes downcast, unaffected by the looks. She turns as if waiting to be told to leave. Isn’t this how things are going to be? As he watches her back, one corner of his mouth gently rises.

She simply stands there, her eyes downcast, unaffected by the looks. She turns as if waiting to be told to leave. Isn’t this how things are going to be? As she watches her back, one corner of her mouth gently rises.