chapter 21

“By the way….You’re getting along well with Geonwoo, right?”

“Why are you asking?”

As she spits out as calmly as possible, Miri noticed and made fun of her mouth.

“No….I heard something.”

“What did you hear?”

“It’s not a good thing, but I don’t know if I should tell you.”

“Tell me. What did you hear?”

Miri hesitated and did not speak easily. It wasn’t because she was afraid that Yeonhwa would hurt, but she was thinking about how to say this interesting thing to hurt Yeonhwa more. Unlike her drooping eyes, Miri’s lips kept popping up.

“There are rumors that you will be divorced soon. That’s not it, is it? In three years of marriage, boredom might come, but it’s not bad enough to get divorced, right?”

Miri’s eyes which were waiting for an answer lit a lantern. Others’ misfortune is one’s own happiness. However, Yeonhwa didn’t want to give Miri the answer she wanted. Even if that was true. She looked at Miri with her unshakable eyes and spoke as calmly as possible.

“I am sure you heard it from my mother, that I lost my memory?”

“Oh, you still can’t remember?” Miri asked.

“It’s been a long time since I left the hospital. And I don’t know what my previous marriage was like, but Geonwoo had never mentioned divorce.”

Yeonhwa continued the lies that made her heart hurt.

“We are doing well like any other couple.”

Yeonhwa had to lie. She couldn’t possibly let Miri know the truth that she feared her marriage would break, and she has never enjoyed happiness comfortably. Miri smiled as she casually spits out bitter words.

“I’m glad. I thought it was rumored too.”

“I’ll get going now.”

“Yeonhwa, you must come to the covenant ceremony. I will be waiting for you.”

Miri’s voice was heard behind her back, but Yeonhwa walked out without turning back and left the cafe. As she stepped on the stairs to the office, her feet seemed to slip down while remembering Miri’s words.

“There are rumors that you will be divorced soon.”

That was the real reason Miri came to her. She was just curious about the relationship with Geonwoo, not because she wanted Yeonhwa to bless her marriage. Yeonhwa and Miri weren’t close enough to share happiness. Suddenly, Yeonhwa, who held the handrails of the stairs, took a pause. She wondered how the rumors of her divorce reached Miri’s ears? Geonwoo was different from before, so she forgot for a moment that they were getting divorced.

*******

Sitting in front of the dressing table, Yeonhwa held an invitation to the covenant ceremony given by Miri. She was reluctant to attend because of the divorce’s rumors. If Geonwoo could come with her, the rumors were sure to diminish.

However, it was difficult to ask Geonwoo to take a day off, because he was always busy going to work every weekend. Still, Yeonhwa decided to talk to him about it. At that time, a familiar sound came from outside the room. Geonwoo finally came home after 11 o’clock. Yeonhwa pulled out a cardigan from her closet, wore it over her pajamas, and came out. Geonwoo, who was about to enter the room across the hall, turned to the sound of the door opening.

“You haven’t slept yet?”

Yeonhwa was worried about Geonwoo, who seemed to be tired and asked.

“Did you have dinner?”

“late a little bit.”

Yeonhwa held the invitation in her hand, which she hid behind her back. She was thinking about showing it to Geonwoo but after seeing him so tired, Yeonhwa decided not to.

“You must be tired. Go take a rest.”

Geonwoo nodded and went into the room, and Yeonhwa dropped her gaze low. Would it have been easier if she could have just asked Geonwoo for a favor? However, even if he could come, they would have to act like a happy couple. For three years of marriage, they had lived separately. Even if they pretended to be a happy couple in front of people, their relationship would remain the same.

It was better not to ask for an unreasonable request. Yeonhwa decided not to lean on him. She didn’t want to do anything to add more burden to him now.

Since Yeonhwa and Geonwoo did not share the same room, they have significantly reduced the number of times they encountered each other. They didn’t even have dinner together because Geonwoo was busy with work. That was how Sunday came. Yeonhwa, who changed into a neat one-piece dress, pulled out an invitation from inside the dressing table. She finished preparing on time, but her feet didn’t want to move when it was time to go. She thought of people who would glance at her without a partner. Suddenly, a call came to Yeonhwa, who was hesitant. When she pressed the answer button, it was Miri’s lively voice on the phone.

[Are you all ready? I sent a car to your house. Use it to come.]

“A car?”

[I sent it in advance in case you’re not coming. You are coming with Geonwoo, right?]

Miri, who emphasized Geonwoo, only said what she wanted to say and hung up unilaterally. Looking at the disconnected cell phone, Yeonhwa laughed in vain. She was going to call Miri again, but she held back because she knew Miri would be busy preparing for the covenant ceremony. The doorbell sounded as if the car prepared by Miri had arrived. Inevitably, Yeonhwa had no choice but to head to the venue of the ceremony.

A high-rise restaurant at Namsan Tower was seen in the distance. Yeonhwa, who got off the elevator, handed out an invitation to an employee standing at the entrance. When the employee who checked the invitation opened the door, the brightly shining light momentarily blinded her eyes. As she stepped into the hall where classical music was playing, some eyes glared at Yeonhwa. As expected, everyone in the hall was with a partner. Miri, who was standing in the distance, found Yeonhwa and shouted with a bright face.

“Yeonhwa!”

Immediately, her loud voice attracted all the people’s attention to Yeonhwa. Miri, who was wearing a white mermaid dress, gestured to Yeonhwa to come closer. Yeonhwa had to smile, but the tip of her lips couldn’t move. As she changed her face color and walked to Miri, the eyes of the people also moved with her. Then Miri spread out her arms and slightly hugged Yeonhwa.

“Thank you for coming.”

“Congratulations on your wedding.”

Miri, who quickly removed Yeonhwa from her hug, looked around and asked.

“What about Geonwoo?”

“He couldn’t come because he is busy.”

“Ah, that’s sad,” Miri spoke sarcastically as if she was satisfied with the outcome.

Miri turned away from Yeonhwa as if her business was over as other friends approached her. Yeonhwa, who stood alone, walked to a table where there were fewer people. She ignored the attention of people who collided with each passing by. Not long after she sat at the table, the ceremony began. Miri and the groom-to-be read the oath in front of the people with the happiest faces in the world.

“I swear to love only you forever.”

While people were watching, the two looked at each other and kissed lovingly. People cheered for the little passionate kiss. As the atmosphere gradually matured, the interior of the hall quickly became bustle. Yeonhwa did not belong to the group and kept looking at the clock. It seemed like she sat there for a while, but it has not even been 30 minutes since she entered the hall. After pushing the chair out, Yeonhwa stood up and headed to the bathroom in the hall. As she pushed through the glass door, Yeonhwa heard bitter voices of women from the inside.

“See, am I right? They are going to divorce soon.”

“Miri told me that she would bring her husband, but she came alone. The rumors were right.”

“She was sitting alone out there. She looks so pitiful.”

The sound was coming from the powder room on the left. The women kept talking as if they couldn’t care less who would hear it.

“Song Yeonhwa’s head is injured this time. it was an accident at her husband’s company. Did you know?”

“Yes, I know.”

“There was a rumor that her husband pushed her?”

Thump, Yeonhwa’s heart sank to the floor at once. The accident, which happened by missing the step on the stairs, went to the mouths of others, and it was all over.

“Wow. Isn’t it an attempted murder if you got pushed on the stairs? I thought the two got along pretty well, but I guess that wasn’t the case.”

“They have been married for 3 years, but if there were no kids. I guess that says everything.”

Yeonhwa missed the knocker she had stopped holding. At the sound of the door rattling and closing, the powder room instantly became quiet. However, when no sound was heard, the women continued the conversation.

“Did someone come in? Did she leave?”

“I don’t see anyone coming in.”

Yeonhwa, who was standing inside the bathroom stall, walked toward the powder room. The sound of her shoes hitting the marble floor made the surroundings quiet. As Yeonhwa entered, the faces of the three women turned white. But it was only for a while. They smiled at Yeonhwa with very shameless faces.

“We haven’t seen each other in ages. The last time we met was in high school, right?”

“I heard from Miri that you work in an art museum?”

“That is really cool. We should go out sometimes.”

Miri and the three have been close friends since middle school. One was the daughter of a lawmaker, one was the daughter of a director of a large corporation, and the other was the daughter of a famous franchise representative. They are 27 years old and have never worked a day in their lives.

Unlike the women who approached her with fake pretension, Yeonhwa’s expression was stiff. After seeing Yeonhwa’s face, the three quickly shut their mouths. Then, Yeonhwa opened her mouth while suppressing the silent anger.

“You seem very interested in me and my husband even though we are not close friends like you said.”

The three burst into laughter as if they recognized the sharp tone of Yeonhwa. One of them smacked and said.

“Right, we weren’t close to you.”

Youngeun, who showed her true color, came one step closer to Yeonhwa.

“You are the same in high school and now. Your husband must like it a lot.”

Yeonhwa didn’t show a big reaction to the vulgar and stinging words. Again, she replied with a cold voice.

“I don’t have to answer things that aren’t true.”

Youngeun, who had lost her words, shrugged, spitting out a laugh full of air. Yeonhwa pointed out three with her eyes without any shaking.

“Thank you for worrying about my married life. But I never asked you to worry about it. So don’t go talking behind my back.”

Youngeun’s face, whose laughter disappeared, turned red with anger.

“What? What? Are you serious? Hey, are you done talking?”

Youngeun raised her hands as she was about to hit Yeonhwa’s face, the two standing next to her quickly grabbed her arms. Even in the hands of Yeongeun who went back and forth in front of her eyes, Yeonhwa did not blink.

“You are not a high school student anymore so don’t act like one.”

” Hey, Song Yeonhwa!”

Youngeun, who was beaten by a shot, pushed away from the friends who held her arms with eyes full of poison.

“Be honest, Song Yeonhwa. It’s true that you and your husband have a bad relationship.”

Yeonhwa bit the delicate mucous membrane of her lips to hide her expression. Youngeun, whose face was reddened, retorted fiercely.

“I feel sorry for you, so I tried not to tell you, but Miri said she saw your husband at the Central Hotel on Friday evening with another woman next to him.”

Yeonhwa, who had kept his composure so far, shook greatly. Youngeun, who laughed at her as if Yeonhwa was pitiful, continued her words.

“In a hotel, alone with a woman. You know what that means, right?”

Yeonhwa couldn’t believe what she heard. Geonwoo hasn’t even stamped the divorce papers yet. On top of that, she even felt that their relationship was different from before. So he couldn’t have been in a hotel with another woman. She just wanted to believe that. She wanted to believe it wasn’t true, but she couldn’t stop her heart from falling apart. Her two fists got into force, and her nails dug into her palms. The taste of blood lingered in her mouth because she bit her lips tightly. When Yeonhwa couldn’t say anything, the three women laughed at her freely.

“Youngeun, her husband could have just drunk tea with that woman and did not do anything. Haha.”

At the unpleasant gaze pouring on herself, Yeonhwa stared at them with bloody eyes.

“It’s still the same, living your life happily through the misery of others.”

“It’s not that bad? Aren’t all humans like that?”

Yeonhwa said firmly to the three who were heartlessly attacking her.

“If you buy happiness in the filth, you will only smell bad.”

“Ha! Hey.”

“If you are an adult, please act like one. Otherwise, you just make yourself a fool.”

Yeonhwa, who didn’t want to say a word more, turned around.

Youngeun, who lost her battle, lit her eyes and fired at Yeonhwa.

“Hey, then why didn’t your husband come here?”

Without answering, Yeonhwa left the powder room without stopping. Youngeun, who came straight after, grabbed Yeonhwa’s shoulder.

“Miri said she gave your husband an invitation the day she met him at the hotel. So why wouldn’t he come with you?”