Chapter 8

"What are you talking about! Why suddenly divorce? Are you joking right now?"

"… I’m not joking. I wish it was a lie… sob sob."

A tear rolled down from Ahn Yeseul’s eyes. Kim Kyunghee, who had always taken care of her like an older sister, hugged her and comforted her.

"Yeseul, don’t cry, don’t cry."

"Sob sob… I’m sorry. I’m being silly…."

"No, no. Not silly at all. But what happened? Why are you suddenly getting a divorce? Did you have a big fight with Jeong Woo?"

Finally, the question she wanted to hear came out.

Ahn Yeseul wiped the tears from her cheeks with a sad face.

"Actually… Jeong Woo has been acting strange lately."

"How strange? Don’t tell me he’s having an affair?"

"No, not that… He says he has to do some kind of strange gambling… Anyway, he’s changed a lot."

"Oh my, gambling? Jeong Woo?"

"Yes… something about coins… He’s gotten obsessed with something strange and suddenly started selling things at home, like the TV, sofa, and air conditioner… There’s nothing left in the house…."

As she said this, Ahn Yeseul opened her smartphone and showed a photo of the empty living room she had taken before leaving home.

The colleagues’ faces showed shock as they looked at the photo.

"Is this Yeseul’s newlywed home? Is Jeong Woo really crazy?"

"But coins? I’ve heard of card games or dice, but this is the first time I’ve heard of coins."

"Is it some kind of illegal gambling like a ladder game or something?"

"Oh my! Is it really? What do we do!"

The colleagues made a fuss as if it were their own problem.

At least Kim Kyunghee asked calmly. Ahn Yeseul sighed deeply with sad eyes.

"Yeseul, how much money has been invested in this?"

"I’m not sure, but I think he put in all our savings. He took everything that could be sold…."

"Oh my, without even consulting you?"

"… Yes. He showed me the investment details at the end, and it said minus 98 percent. When I saw that, the sky turned dark… my hands shook… I couldn’t even breathe… sob sob…."

"Wow… minus 98 percent? That’s just losing all the money."

"He’s crazy… I never thought Jeong Woo would be like this."

"Who is Jeong Woo? A madman."

"Right. He looks normal, but… really, normal-looking people can be worse."

"Exactly, exactly. That’s why I don’t meet people who just look good."

The female employee, Oh Jinhee, who looked like a bread man, enthusiastically agreed. Her colleagues responded with mixed feelings when they saw her face.

"… Yeah, yeah."

"So, Yeseul, are you really going to get a divorce?"

"… Actually, I took a half-day off this morning to file for divorce at the court."

"Oh my, so you’ve already stamped the divorce papers?"

"… Not yet. There’s a cooling-off period, so it won’t be finalized for a month."

"I see…."

The CS team members all watched Ahn Yeseul carefully.

They didn’t know what to say to comfort her.

Is this enough?

"… I’m being silly. Everyone, please keep this a secret. I’m asking you this."

"Of course, we’ll keep it a secret. Don’t worry too much. I’ll make sure no one talks about it. Did everyone hear that? This is our secret, okay?"

"Really, I’ll take it to my grave. Don’t worry."

"Thank you all… for listening to me… It’s a bit comforting."

"Don’t mention it. We’re colleagues, so we support each other in times like this."

"Right, Yeseul. If you have any problems, talk to us."

"Thank you… But can I go to the restroom for a moment? My makeup is probably smudged from the tears…."

"Sure, sure. Don’t worry about us, go ahead."

"Okay…."

Ahn Yeseul left the break room with a pitiful look and closed the door. Instead of going to the restroom, she pressed her ear against the door.

"… Wow, I never thought Jeong Woo would be so impressive. It’s not easy to lose all your savings to gambling."

"Poor Yeseul."

"It’s a waste for someone like Yeseul to be with a guy like Jeong Woo."

"I thought they would last forever."

"Everyone probably thought the same. It’ll be a big deal if it gets around the company."

"Like Yeseul said, this is our secret. Absolutely don’t tell anyone else, okay?"

"Of course, I won’t. Do you not trust us, Manager? I’m a bit hurt."

"Ah, I trust you. It’s just that you never know with people, so I’m just emphasizing it."

"Absolutely, nothing will come out of our mouths. Well… unless Yeseul talks about it herself."

"… Right. Yeseul seems unstable, so she might talk about it while drinking or something."

"In that case, if the rumor spreads, it’s not our fault, right?"

"Right. Actually, Yeseul seems a bit mentally unstable… she might talk about it somewhere…."

As she listened to their self-justifying comments, Ahn Yeseul straightened up and headed to the restroom.

'… These sly women.'

She knew the nature of women well, even though she was one herself.

Ahn Yeseul, who was popular among the female employees at Sungun Innovation, was now getting a divorce because of her husband’s gambling?

'This will definitely spread.'

Her colleagues, who had always envied her, would be itching to spread the news of her downfall.

If one of them told someone else, the rumor would spread in no time, and Jeong Woo’s reputation would naturally plummet.

'I’ll become a pitiful divorcee.'

If she was going to be labeled a divorcee anyway, it was better to have a reason like this.

It was a hundred times better than being a divorcee caught in an affair.

At the same time, there was the advantage of getting rid of Jeong Woo, whom she didn’t want to be with for even a second, from the company.

A win-win situation. Everything was as she had planned.

Click.

Closing the cushion compact, Ahn Yeseul looked in the mirror. The makeup that had smudged from fake tears was now neatly fixed, showcasing her beauty.

"… You messed with the wrong person."

Jeong Woo, I’ll make you regret it.

* * *

"Kim, did you hear the news?"

"What news?"

"About Jeong Woo in the software team? The married senior?"

"Oh, the one who married the pretty female employee? I know him. Why?"

"Seems he’s completely gone crazy. He’s addicted to gambling and lost all his savings."

"Really?"

"His house is gone, and it’s a mess. He’s in the middle of a divorce now."

"Wow, that’s a big deal."

As the old saying goes, "Rumors travel a thousand miles," and the news spread quickly throughout the company.

In just a few days, there was no employee at Sungun Innovation who didn’t know that Jeong Woo and Ahn Yeseul were getting a divorce.

Jeong Woo, the subject of the rumors, could feel the difference in the way his colleagues looked at him. Even in the short time between lunch and returning to the office, he could hear whispers from all around.

'I expected it, but I didn’t think it would spread this fast.'

Ahn Yeseul must have been spreading rumors about him and badmouthing him.

He knew this would happen, but it still didn’t feel good to experience it.

"Did you hear that…?"

"What are you talking about?"

Jeong Woo’s head turned as Yang Gyu-cheol, his senior from the same year, suddenly appeared at his desk.

"Ah, Senior Yang, when did you come in?"

"Just now. But is that rumor true?"

"What rumor?"

"The one about the divorce. Is it true?"

"… Who told you that?"

"I just overheard it. But is it true? And the gambling rumor… No, anyway, are you okay?"

"Why are you suddenly asking me this? It sounds like you’re trying to comfort me, but it’s a bit awkward, isn’t it?"

"Out of concern, I’m asking out of concern. Don’t take it too personally."

Is he trying to pick a fight?

It was rude to ask about his divorce in front of everyone, and it was ridiculous.

But either Yang Gyu-cheol didn’t notice Jeong Woo’s discomfort or was pretending not to notice, as he smiled and patted his shoulder.

"You must be feeling down. Let’s have a drink later. We need to stick together in times like this."

"… I’ll think about it."

"Seems you’re not in the mood right now. I understand. Let me know if you change your mind. And try to relax. It’s not a big deal to go through a rough patch. Don’t get too discouraged."

After throwing in some insincere words of comfort, Yang Gyu-cheol tried to leave.

If he just left, no one would think anything of it.

Just as Jeong Woo was about to say something out of frustration, someone else spoke up.

"Senior Yang, aren’t you being a bit rude?"

It was his junior, Ji Seohyun, who sat next to him.

Her eyes were sharp as she looked at Yang Gyu-cheol.

She was usually quiet, so her sudden outburst caught him off guard.

"What? Seohyun, what do you mean by rude?"

"Are you really that clueless? Coming to someone who’s already hurt and stirring things up is not polite in any country."

"But I wasn’t trying to… I was just curious…."

"Apologize right now."

Wow, she’s got some guts. Good job, Seohyun!

Yang Gyu-cheol’s face hardened at the rebuke from a junior researcher.

He was embarrassed and frustrated to be scolded by a young female researcher, and even more so because it was a woman he had a crush on who was angry at him.

"… What?"

"Are you deaf? Apologize for asking a person who’s getting a divorce about their divorce!"

Uh, what? Isn’t that just making it worse!

It’s like he’s advertising, "I’m getting a divorce!"

Jeong Woo was shocked by the sudden public shaming.

"Seohyun, calm down. Relax! Chill out!"

"Senior, you stay out of this! Senior Yang, why aren’t you apologizing? I haven’t heard an apology for your rude behavior about the divorce yet. And apologize for bringing up the gambling, too!"

Now she’s bringing up the gambling rumor.

And it’s not gambling, it’s coins!

'Please, just kill me…'

As Jeong Woo silently cried inside from the public shaming, Yang Gyu-cheol’s face twisted in anger.

"Seohyun, you’re a bit funny. People can ask questions out of curiosity. What did I do wrong that I need to apologize?"

"… That’s what you…!"

"I’m not done! I’ve been treating you too casually, and you seem to have misunderstood. This is a workplace, with a hierarchy. How dare you criticize a senior? Ji Seohyun, are you crazy? What are you trying to say…!"

As he said this, Yang Gyu-cheol pushed Ji Seohyun’s head with his finger, a humiliating gesture he would use to belittle a subordinate.

This is not right. How can he try to hit a woman?

Jeong Woo grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"What?"

"Stop it, Senior Yang."

"Stop it? Did you see that? A junior researcher overstepping her bounds."

"I saw it."

"Right? Honestly, I’ve been treating her nicely because she’s the only female in the development team, but she’s getting too cocky. I need to teach her a lesson…."

"But, Senior Yang, that’s overstepping your bounds."

"… What?"

"I’ll teach her a lesson. I understand you’re upset, but please stay out of it, Senior Yang."

"What? Stay out of it? Are you giving me orders, Senior?"

Yang Gyu-cheol’s anger, which had been directed at Ji Seohyun, now turned to Jeong Woo.

"I’m not giving orders, but if it sounds that way, I apologize. So, let’s stop this."

"If I don’t? What are you going to do? What are you going to do!"

"Stop using informal language. I’ve wanted to say this for a while, but this is a workplace, not a school. You keep using informal language with me, even though we’re the same year and I’m a year older. Show some respect."

"What! You’re really going to push it!"

Yang Gyu-cheol’s face turned red, as if he was about to attack.

It seemed this would escalate to a physical fight.

Finally, I have to use this.

Jeong Woo quietly approached Yang Gyu-cheol and whispered.

"Hey, Senior Yang. I heard an interesting rumor recently. Aren’t you curious?"

"Rumor? I don’t understand what you’re saying. If you’re trying to change the subject, forget it…."

"Really? Strange, I heard that you’ve been eating really expensive and delicious food every evening lately."

"What are you talking about? What have I been eating…."

"Really don’t remember? Someone from Daehan Chemical, I think?"

"… What?"

"Really impressive. You have connections with such a big company."

"Wh-What are you talking about! I, I, when…!"

Yang Gyu-cheol’s face showed clear signs of panic at the mention of Daehan Chemical. His voice even trembled.

Oh.