OYSB 9

I still remembered her name perfectly.

Han Jaei. She had been a classmate of Doheon and Seonwoo.

The three of them often hung out together, and rumors would occasionally circulate that Jaei and Doheon were dating.

I remembered how, even at that young age, I had burned with jealousy.

Back then, I had promised myself that I would grow up quickly and become a beautiful woman just like that older girl.

Seeing her again after all this time, I realized she had become even more beautiful.

Unlike me, who still looked rather young, she gave off the air of an elegant, refined, and mature woman.

She was captivating enough to make even another woman fall for her. I could only imagine how men must feel.

All I knew about Han Jaei came from the news.

I had heard that she married the second-generation heir of a chaebol family, only to divorce him less than a year later.

But why was that news bothering me so much today?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her slip something she was holding into her handbag.

It looked exactly like the key card Hanbeonman had once shown me, saying he had booked a room at this hotel.

“Why…?”

Why was he with Han Jaei?

On a day as special as today, with someone other than me.

Despite wanting to march right up to them and demand an explanation, my feet wouldn’t move.

Like a fool, I could only stand there, watching the two of them walk side by side from a distance.

Maybe it was because they looked so perfectly matched. What I felt wasn’t jealousy, but helplessness.

“Still, he shouldn’t be doing this. He’s married to me.”

Eunchae stared blankly at the elevator doors as they closed, then belatedly took out her phone.

Hoping desperately that the situation wasn’t what she feared, she called Doheon.

It didn’t take long for his voice to come through.

“Oppa, where are you right now?”

“I’m working. I’m busy, so let’s talk later.”

The call ended almost immediately, and Eunchae felt as though her world had crumbled.

“Working? Who works in a hotel room?!”

It was an obvious lie.

“Busy? What on earth are you so busy doing?!”

It felt as though all the questions that had remained unanswered until now had suddenly fallen into place.

She thought she finally understood why Doheon had treated her like someone who had been brought along for no reason.

Because of Han Jaei’s previous divorce, he couldn’t hold a wedding ceremony, so he had kept Eunchae around as a shield.

And behind her back, he must have been planning to enjoy secret rendezvous with Jaei.

To Baek Doheon, Min Eunchae was nothing more than a trophy wife.

Once all the pieces fell into place and she finally understood the reality of her situation, tears welled up all at once.

No matter how hard she bit her lips, she couldn’t stop them from spilling over.

“Why did you buy so much alcohol? You’re stocking up for a battle!”

Suji’s mouth fell open as she opened the front door and saw the bag in Eunchae’s hand.

The transparent bag was packed full of all kinds of liquor bottles.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep sober tonight.”

Muttering under her breath, Eunchae trudged into Suji’s apartment.

There was no way she could go back to the house she shared with him. She didn’t want to.

“Did something happen?”

Instead of answering, Eunchae sank down in front of the coffee table.

When Suji thoughtfully brought her a glass, Eunchae grabbed a random bottle of alcohol and poured herself a drink.

As she quickly drained the glass and set it down with a clunk, Suji’s gaze fell on the box beside her.

“Who did you buy the cake for?”

“There’s no one to give it to.”

“Then did you buy it for yourself? This is a hotel cake! Can I have some too?”

“Go ahead.”

Excited, Suji placed the box on the table.

As she took out the cake, she noticed the lettering on the chocolate decoration and asked,

“Huh? What’s this? It looks like there’s a name written on it.”

Before Suji could finish asking, Eunchae snatched the chocolate decoration away and stuffed it into her mouth.

Her face twisted with anger as she crunched it between her teeth.

“I’m not going home tonight. I’m sleeping here.”

“Fine, but at least slow down with the drinking.”

Suji tried to stop Eunchae, who was already pouring herself another generous glass.

Bzzzt—Bzzzt—

Eunchae’s phone, which had been ringing constantly since yesterday, started buzzing again as soon as morning came.

Seeing how adamantly Eunchae refused to answer, Suji assumed it must be a call from her uncle. But then—

“What is this sweet little name?”

The phone screen, vibrating in her hand, displayed the name Prince Charming.

“Wait a minute. Are you two having a lovers’ quarrel and sulking like this?”

One corner of Suji’s mouth curled upward.

“Lovers’ quarrels are like cutting water with a knife. Looks like this big sister is going to have to play Cupid again.”

Just as the call was about to end, Suji finally pressed the answer button.

“Hello, I’m Eunchae’s friend. I’m answering her phone for her.”

“…Where is Eunchae right now?”

After a brief silence, the man immediately asked.

“Eunchae is at my place. Excuse me, but are you her boyfriend?”

“I’m her husband.”

“Pardon?”

Startled by the completely unexpected answer, Suji asked again.

Then, a moment later, she let out an exclamation of realization and spoke with a sly smile.

“So you’re Prince Charming and her husband.”

Well, when I was dating someone, I’d called him all sorts of things too—husband, groom, honey, you name it.

Assuming it was just a pet name, Suji recited her home address to him.

“I’ll come pick her up now.”

The man said that and hung up.

Suji plugged the phone, whose battery was almost dead, into a charger before shaking Eunchae awake.

“Min Eunchae! Come on, wake up!”

Eunchae couldn’t even open her eyes properly. She simply swayed along with Suji as she shook her.

“You need to wash up!”

“I haven’t even sobered up yet. I want to sleep more. It’s Saturday anyway.”

“You can’t meet your boyfriend looking like this!”

Only then did Eunchae slowly lift her eyelids and ask in a hoarse voice,

“What are you talking about? Boyfriend?”

“Your Prince Charming just called. He said he’s personally coming to pick up his sulking princess.”

Eunchae’s eyes, clouded with sleep and alcohol, suddenly flashed open.

“What? Why did you answer my phone without asking me?!”

“There’s a right time to make up, you know. If you let a whole day go by, you might really be done for! I’ve set everything up for you, so just pretend nothing happened and make up with him.”

“Why do you always go around doing things nobody asked you to do?!”

Eunchae snapped angrily, but still pushed the blanket aside and sat up.

“That’s my girl! Hurry up and wash, Eunchae! I’ll make you look effortlessly pretty.”

It wasn’t long before the doorbell rang.

Suji opened the front door, told the visitor to wait a moment, and went back inside.

She returned after seeing who had come to pick Eunchae up. Her eyes widened, and she spoke in an excited voice.

“Hey, what’s going on?! Just looking at his face would make all your anger disappear! Hurry up and go out!”

But why does he look so familiar? Suji muttered to herself before grabbing Eunchae’s hand and pulling her along.

As Eunchae reluctantly got to her feet, Suji gave her a push on the back.

By the time Eunchae was practically shoved to the entrance, she found Doheon standing before her, his expression stern.

“Come out. Let’s go home.”

“I’m not going.”

Still upset over what had happened yesterday, she answered curtly.

Doheon stared quietly at Eunchae as she stubbornly refused. In the end, he took her hand and led her outside.

Tap, tap.

Eunchae’s feet, which had fallen a step behind, followed him helplessly.

“Let go.”

The moment they stepped outside the building, Eunchae yanked her hand away from Doheon’s.

“You never held my hand when I wanted you to.”

There was resentment in her voice as she added those words.

“Let’s go home first. We’ll talk there.”

“I don’t want to. If you’re going, go by yourself, Oppa.”

“Why are you being so difficult? There’s a limit to how much you can act spoiled. Are you some runaway teenager?”

That was how he expressed his concern. Just like a father would.

But today, Eunchae wasn’t grateful for Doheon’s concern at all.

“I’m sick and tired of being treated like a child. It doesn’t matter what happens to someone like me anyway.”

Eunchae murmured quietly, then raised her voice.

“What does it matter to you whether I go home or not?!”

Doheon turned his head to the side and let out a weary breath.

As though trying to compose himself, he ran a hand over his face before speaking in a calm voice.

“If you don’t cooperate like this, I won’t be able to protect you.”

“Am I some national treasure? Why do you have to protect me? Why are you even trying to protect me?!”

A surge of sorrow rose inside Eunchae.

All the things Doheon had done to her flashed through her mind.

“Did I ever ask you to protect me? I never wanted that! I didn’t need a father. I didn’t marry you so you could treat me like this!”

The words she had been keeping bottled up finally escaped her lips, and the knot of resentment inside her burst open like a flood.

“You wouldn’t even treat a dog you raised or a doll this way. To you, I’m… Yeah, I’m just a piece of furniture.”

“What?”

“No, that’s not right. Even furniture has handles you can grab. Ha… I’m worth even less than furniture. You won’t even hold my hand!”

Her eyes glistening with tears, she looked up at him and asked,

“Why did you marry me if you weren’t even going to see me as a woman?”

At last, tears spilled from her wounded eyes.

Eunchae lowered her gaze, and her shoulders trembled with quiet sobs.

Doheon stared down at her for a long moment before finally speaking.

“If I were to see you as a woman, would you be able to handle it?”