EHR 02

Chapter 02

Husband, he said.

It was unfamiliar. At the existence of Yoo Gam, who had dragged out a marriage from five years ago that she had tried so hard to erase, Jaekyung felt dizzy as if she might convulse.

It was definitely a marriage that had ended in divorce. A finished marriage.

During the ten months the contract had been in effect, she had never once seen his face. Why had her ex-husband suddenly appeared, and for what reason?

Minho’s eyes, which had been studying Jaekyung’s reaction, widened as his brow furrowed.

“Husband? Jaekyung. Do you know this person?”

Even at Minho’s interrogating question, Jaekyung couldn’t readily answer.

But perhaps because of the strangely familiar movements and déjà vu—she had no memory of it, yet her body reacted first, trembling faintly.

Jaekyung couldn’t take her eyes off Yoo Gam, whom she was seeing for the first time.

He looked to be in his mid-twenties. Was he her age?

Eyes that drew you in deeply, like looking into the ocean; a nose bridge as if sculpted atop smooth skin, and sensual lips.

She had never been shaken by any man because she was tired of her father’s face—which was handsomer than celebrities’. Yet she found herself staring at his cold, statue-like face as if bewitched.

He must be a typical conman with nothing but a flashy exterior.

Embarrassed that she had been staring blankly, Jaekyung cleared her throat with a choked voice.

“I think you’ve misunderstood something. I’m meeting you for the first time.”

Yoo Gam let out a short laugh, as if dumbfounded. Then, without even asking permission, he plopped down in the seat beside Jaekyung.

Jaekyung’s body instinctively pulled away from the unfamiliar Yoo Gam.

“Looks like you’re in the middle of a proposal. You should know at least a woman’s past before doing that. She’s a woman who couldn’t even finish her contract period, took the money, and ran away.”

A woman who ran away?

Jaekyung’s heart dropped with a thud in that moment. She clenched her trembling hands tightly.

“Seo Jaei, isn’t five years enough for running away?”

After divorcing at twenty, she had legally changed her name from ‘Seo Jaei’ to ‘Seo Jaekyung.’ The only people who called her by her pre-renaming name were her father and old friends.

Surely not. Had her father’s personal information been leaked a few months ago when he fell victim to a phishing scam?

She looked at Yoo Gam sitting beside her again with suspicious eyes.

She had the delusion that not only Minho but also the people around them in the restaurant were glancing at her.

“I don’t know who you are, but please stop.”

Jaekyung grabbed Yoo Gam’s arm pleadingly as he brought up their finished marriage.

Yoo Gam’s cold gaze persistently fixed on Jaekyung.

“Let’s stop here at the restaurant, as Seo Jaekyung wishes. Let’s discuss the rest outside. I have a lot to talk about with my runaway wife.”

Yoo Gam wrapped his hand around Jaekyung’s wrist, which was barely clinging to the edge of his suit.

He wasn’t even gripping tightly, yet Jaekyung felt all the strength drain from her body at Yoo Gam’s cool skinship.

She had completely erased it from her memory. Yet beneath her wrist, a forgotten, faint sensation crawled up tinglingly.

Five years ago.

Like that day when she had been chased out and pelted by fierce rain, her heart pounded madly.

“Minho, just a moment. ……I’ll go out and come back.”

The urgent Jaekyung tried to move seats.

“Say it here. Jaekyung! Marriage. It’s not true, is it? What’s this contract?”

Minho, who had been staring at her with confused eyes from across the table, pushed up his glasses and pressed anxiously.

“The divorce, ……it’s true. I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner.”

“A divorcée?”

Minho, who had been watching sharply, shot up from his seat.

Before the two confused people, Yoo Gam held out documents and a business card from his suit inner pocket.

“Not a divorcée, but a married woman. If you can’t believe it, let’s confirm with documentation.”

[Yoo Gam / Chairman of Uitae Foundation]

And on the marriage certificate were written the names and signatures of Yoo Gam and Seo Jaei.

“We married five years ago. As you can see, spouse Yoo Gam.”

Jaekyung, who had been examining the business card and documents he set down, felt her fingertips tingle as if her breath would stop.

“It’s over. I definitely signed and finished it.”

“The documents weren’t processed, so as you can see, the divorce is invalid, and I came to offer you a position as secretary in the chairman’s office.”

Even at Jaekyung’s urgent clarification, Yoo Gam said only what he wanted to say, unshaken.

“What’s this about a secretary offer?”

“Think of it as a position change.”

Yoo Gam, who had introduced himself absurdly as both ex-husband and chairman, swept his arrogant gaze over Minho and Jaekyung in turn.

She had definitely received notice from the vice principal that her contract might end.

There was no way the foundation’s chairman would come to hire a one-semester contract teacher as a secretary.

Surely……

If he was the newly appointed chairman, had he come because of that post criticizing the foundation that the vice principal had mentioned earlier?

He’d mentioned penalties—was he going to sue?

Minho’s face, which had been looking back and forth between the documents and Jaekyung’s pale face, crumpled darkly.

“Ridiculous! I’m a consulting physician for Uitae Foundation—who are you!”

Minho slammed the table with a thud and glared roughly at Yoo Gam, who claimed to be chairman.

“Ah, you’re a consulting physician for Uitae Foundation? Seo Jaekyung was even meeting people connected to the foundation.”

Yoo Gam furrowed his brow and glared at Jaekyung as if interrogating a wife who had been unfaithful.

As Minho wiped his hardened face, the phone in his hand vibrated convulsively.

“Seems like your patients are looking for you. You should go to the hospital first.”

Yoo Gam, sitting with crossed legs and watching leisurely, nodded at Minho as if telling him to check his phone quickly.

“Minho, you have a call. Sounds like the hospital—answer it.”

“Haa…. Is the hospital important right now?”

The ringing that showed no sign of stopping vibrated loudly.

“Ha, damn.”

Minho, roughly messing up his hair and checking his missed calls and messages, looked at Jaekyung.

“Jaekyung. Let’s talk again later.”

“I’m sorry. Later… I’ll explain.”

No matter how many times they’d met, for Minho, who was new to dating, this situation couldn’t help but be unpleasant. It was natural for him to be angry.

Minho glared coldly at Yoo Gam.

“And you—whether you’re her ex-husband or current husband, that doesn’t matter. Jaekyung is going to marry me, so know that.”

Yoo Gam shrugged his broad shoulders and flicked the certificate with his finger, tap tap.

“Sure. I’m a person who likes to do things by the law.”

*

After Minho left the restaurant.

The ring case sat open, abandoned between Yoo Gam and Jaekyung.

Yoo Gam looked at the ring calmly, as if nothing had happened.

“Did you run away because you coveted a cheap ring like this? You even married for money the first time, and you still haven’t fixed that habit.”

Time had passed and she’d forgotten, but his characteristic cynical tone and low voice gradually awakened something in Jaekyung’s memory.

“Really, if you’re the chairman of Uitae Foundation, please refrain from personal remarks.”

Jaekyung carefully examined the business card and documents Yoo Gam had handed her. Yoo Gam stared intently at Jaekyung’s face, which shone under the lighting.

“Seo Jaekyung. I’ve never forgotten my wife. On paper, we’ve never separated either. Did you think I couldn’t find you just because you changed your name?”

“By what right do you find me? Let’s rewrite the divorce papers.”

Yoo Gam, who had been staring at Jaekyung sitting pale, whispered low.

“Let’s start again from today. I wanted to see you. What my runaway wife looks like. You wanted to see me too, didn’t you.”

Wondering if she had misheard, Jaekyung doubted her ears.

What kind of psychiatric medication was he taking—she’d heard from the servant who used to live at the house.

Was he thoroughly mistaken and had come looking for the wrong woman?

On the morning she signed the divorce papers, her husband had definitely chased Jaekyung out before the contract period even ended, saying being with her was disgusting and he hated it.

*

Jaekyung closed the ring case on the table with trembling fingertips. After apologizing to Minho, who must have been very shocked, she put the small box in her bag to return it.

Yoo Gam, who had been silently watching Jaekyung’s actions, let out a soft laugh.

“It’s been five years and you look well. I knew you were shameless, but abandoning your husband and running away, then doing a fake marriage with some other guy—cute. As expected, you’re capable.”

Jaekyung squeezed her eyes shut at Yoo Gam’s words, as if swallowing what she wanted to say.

“How do I believe you’re my husband? Documents can be forged easily enough.”

“……Proof, you say.”

Yoo Gam’s gaze on Jaekyung exuded a strange familiarity, almost déjà vu.

“That every time I held Seo Jaekyung, my body—which was always like ice—melted hot? That you have a small raised mole next to your right breast. Shall I go on?”

“……Enough. Stop it.”

The forgotten married life came to mind and she felt ashamed. Jaekyung’s body grew hot again as if she had a fever.

“You still run hot.”

Yoo Gam’s hand, sitting beside her, tried to touch Jaekyung’s forehead, and she pulled her body back.

“I—I’ll be going first.”

“You should. Let’s leave together. Perfect timing—it’s a company dinner, and I need a secretary.”

“A company dinner? You need a secretary suited to your taste for entertaining?”