In the car on the way home, a subtle tension flowed between the two. They did not say anything, but their minds were noisy. Jae-hee confessed, but Yoo-jin did not respond. However, Jae-hee was satisfied. It was enough that Yoo-jin did not push her away. Unlike Jae-hee, whose heart felt lighter, Yoo-jin's heart felt heavier, she just stared out the car window endlessly.
There must be a lot on her mind. Besides, she drank a lot today. Thinking of Yoo-jin, who often felt cold, Jae-hee turned up the heater a bit more and focused on driving. As they reached the entrance from the outskirts to the city center, she saw traffic police in the distance. A sobriety checkpoint? Jae-hee slowed down. A young-looking officer gave a light nod.
“I need to conduct a breathalyzer test.”
“Yes.”
Whoo, a strong breath blew into the device, which let out a sharp beep. Jae-hee, startled, looked at the officer with wide eyes. Yoo-jin, who had been staring out the window, also turned to Jae-hee in surprise. Jae-hee quickly spoke as if making an excuse.
“I did not drink.”
The officer, seeming used to this response, informed her with a tired expression that a retest was necessary.
“I need your cooperation for a moment.”
“Uh... just a moment.”
In her twenty-nine years, Jae-hee had never broken the law, so her mind went blank. Yet, she calmly followed the officer's instructions and pulled over to the side of the road. I did not drink. Really, I did not. The desperate excuse echoed in her mind.
'CEO Ha Yoo-jin's wife, involved in a drunk driving scandal!', 'Ha Cheon-woo's daughter-in-law, caught driving under the influence... CEO Ha Yoo-jin in the passenger seat,' 'S University professor suspected of drunk driving, S University starts investigation'—such headlines swirled in her mind. Thinking of the worst-case scenario made her head spin, so Jae-hee unbuckled her seatbelt and prepared to step out.
At that moment, Yoo-jin, who had neither looked at Jae-hee nor spoken a word since getting in the car, turned to her and said,
“There was no alcohol in the food either.”
“Right? I did not even touch alcohol...”
After thinking for a moment, Yoo-jin covered her mouth and said, "Ah." It was too dark to see Yoo-jin's face clearly, so Jae-hee turned on the interior light. Yoo-jin then pulled Jae-hee's coat over her head and hid her face. Jae-hee, puzzled by the sudden reaction, asked curiously.
"Why?"
However, Yoo-jin did not answer and quickly turned her head away. Is she conscious of being seen? Tilting her head in confusion, Jae-hee hurriedly got out of the car. The sound of her heels clicked brightly, mismatched with the situation. The young officer who had asked for the retest approached Jae-hee with a bottle of water.
“If you used mouthwash with alcohol or ate pear ice cream, it can be detected. You can rinse your mouth with this water and blow again, or you can take a blood test. What would you like to do?”
“...Ah.”
Alcohol content... no way... could it be? Earlier...? Only then did Jae-hee understand why Yoo-jin's face had turned so red. Blushing as well, Jae-hee awkwardly smiled and took the water, grateful it was nighttime.
“…I gargled.”
“Ah, I see.”
...It was quite intense. Vigorously rinsing her mouth, Jae-hee brushed her hair back. When tested again, it came out normal. Ah, this is so embarrassing. I want to die. She understood how Yoo-jin felt when she said she wanted to bury her face in the stew and die.
“You're good to go.”
“Haha... You’re working hard.”
Jae-hee gave a light nod, then returned to the driver's seat. She saw Yoo-jin had wrapped herself tightly in the coat. It was almost a relief that she was hiding. Blushing, Jae-hee turned off the interior light and drove off again.
“..."
"..."
Thus, the two people with red ears, without saying a word, headed home.
***
“Hahaha—hahaha!” The empty bar echoed with the man’s hearty laughter. Yoo-jin looked at Jae-joon with a disdainful expression. Annoyed, Yoo-jin thought she should not have said anything and stared at Jae-joon.
“I thought the idea that kissing someone who’s been drinking could get you caught in a sobriety checkpoint was just a ghost's tale, but, hahaha!”
“Stop laughing, Kim Jae-joon.”
“How can I not laugh?”
Seeing him laughing to the point of tears made Yoo-jin genuinely regret her words. She irritably pulled out a tissue and threw it. As the fluttering tissue fell like a butterfly, Jae-joon swiftly caught it and wiped his tears.
“I need to be careful too.”
“Really annoying.”
Jae-joon’s laughter, which had been shaking his shoulders, subsided. He wiped his tears, stood up, and poured a Royal Salute into a glass filled with ice. The golden liquid swirled.
“To the well-matched couple, cheers.”
“Shut up already.”
I’ll really die if I keep going. Jae-joon stopped teasing and took a sip of his drink. The harmony of their marriage, despite the lack of love, seemed impressive. Yoo-jin’s sulking face was cute. Though she was now a proper adult, to Jae-joon, Yoo-jin was still a little kid. Whether when she was young or now when she pouted, her lips always stuck out.
“I’ll tell Soo-hyun.”
“Oh, I’d prefer if you didn’t do that.”
“Why would Jeon Soo-hyun like someone like that?”
“Only you would say such a thing about a great cousin like me.”
Yoo-jin was the only one who treated Jae-joon, the vice president of Ho-won Electronics and vice chairman of Ho-won Group, as insignificant. Yoo-jin scoffed and ate a strawberry from the plate.
“So, what did Jae-hee say?”
She had been dodging the topic, so Jae-joon asked directly. Yoo-jin shrugged her shoulders. His cute cousin always avoids difficult topics and changes the subject. He knows this well, even if others do not. So, he will not give up easily. With a deep sigh, Yoo-jin said,
“Jae-hee said she still loves me.”
“What? Really?”
“...She said she would try to make me like her. To make me fall for her.”
“Hahaha, that’s really something.”
Jae-joon burst into laughter and took a sip of whiskey from his glass. Amazing. After hearing from a woman she had been with for five years that all that time had been a lie, and enduring it for so long, now she’s making such a declaration? If it were me, I would be mentally shattered and would give up. I was surprised when Yoo-jin said she was getting married, but now it makes sense. If it’s a woman like that, someone like her, who would let go?
“So, will you give in?”
“I... don’t know.”
To think that the great Ha Yoo-jin would say she doesn’t know. Jae-joon leaned against the bar and looked at Yoo-jin. Her face, filled with confusion, showed signs of deep contemplation. Yet, strangely, he did not feel worried. She seemed like a child left by the shore, and she still does... Why is it that he doesn’t feel concerned? Could it be because of the variable named Seon Jae-hee? Reflecting on this, Jae-joon spoke to Yoo-jin in a soothing tone.
“You need to be sure.”
“I... I know, but...”
“Anyway, your plan is already ruined. No one expected Uncle to act like this.”
"..."
No one had really anticipated this. No one had imagined that even a daughter’s marriage could be politically manipulated. Jae-joon smirked wryly.
“It’s foolish to think that just because we’ve known since childhood, we understand everything. It felt like being treated like a child... We’re still indeed just children.”
Jae-joon was more aware of his position than anyone else. The only son of the chairman of Ho-won Group, the next heir to Ho-won Group. He considered his position as the successor to the top conglomerate in the industry to be more significant than the ‘Mayor of the Capital City’ position, which was commonly seen as a natural stepping stone for future presidential candidates. He took pride in the fact that, despite how capable one might be, the position of mayor was ultimately less secure compared to being the heir to the number one conglomerate.
If he were to hold the presidency, things might be different, but his position was by no means low. Few in the country could toy with him. Aside from the title of a relative elder, Ha Cheon-woo was not someone superior to him. Yet, despite this, he was still just a a child in front of him. Even Ha Cheon-woo, whom his father Woo-hyeong could not surpass, made Jae-joon feel inferior.
Jae-joon thought that both Yoo-jin and himself were still children. The way they struggled with their small stature and childish voices was no different from before. Ha Cheon-woo looked down on them. He remembered the days when his pride had been trampled by that condescending gaze. Jae-joon had only his pride to contend with, but for Yoo-jin, the world had seemed to collapse.
While a collapsed pride could be rebuilt, restoring a shattered world was a different matter. At a time when a child needed parental affection and care, the only person Yoo-jin could rely on after losing her mother was her father, who completely ignored her. The once-beautiful and innocent Yoo-jin began to wither away. He remembered the time shortly after his Aunt’s death when he and Yoo-jin had entered Auntie’s restricted room and were severely scolded by him.
‘Never come into this room again.’
‘...Uncle!’
‘Get out immediately.’
‘No, I don’t want to go out! It’s Mom’s room. Dad, you go out, Dad, you go out!’
‘Uncle, Yoo-jin just... misses Auntie...’
‘Secretary Kim! Get the kids out of here!’
Our gaze was always directed upwards, never downwards. Those fierce eyes always existed 'above.'
‘Brother-in-law, did Yoo-jin do anything wrong? I’ll scold Jae-joon, from Yoo-jin...’
‘Please stay out of this. She is my daughter.’
He could not understand. The memory was so full of gaps that reasoning was impossible. The last look he saw from Cheon-woo, as Yoo-jin was dragged out by the servants while struggling with a seizure, was one of complete emotional emptiness. It was as if the eyes had become devoid of any feelings, so desolate that they seemed inhuman. That gaze, so frightening, was deeply etched into Jae-joon’s memory. Jae-joon set down his glass and looked at Yoo-jin.
“…What are you going to do now?”
“…I’ll manage somehow.”
“Between studying abroad and marriage. Is there anything more?”
“...”
“Don’t let your desire for revenge make you lose someone you love.”
“I don’t love anyone. Don’t say ridiculous things.”
The claim of not loving anyone seemed even more ridiculous. Jae-joon recalled the stubborn father and daughter, their family relationship that was destructively damaged by each other. The daughter who hated her father and the father who ignored his daughter. Jae-joon, who did not respect Cheon-woo but cared more for Yoo-jin, decided to give her some advice.
“Isn’t saying you don’t love anyone but not knowing whether you’ll be swayed or not an indication that there’s a possibility of being swayed?”
“…That...”
“I'm all for screwing over Uncle, but don't use others to do it.”
“...”
“Keep the hatred as your own emotion. Don’t stab innocent people.”
“...”
“Yoo-jin, if it isn't love, then you shouldn't hesitate. Why are you giving her a chance?”
“…It’s the first time.”
“…First time?”
“It’s the first time someone has loved me unconditionally. That’s why.”
Yoo-jin mumbled as if justifying herself. Because it was the first time, because Jae-hee stayed with her unconditionally, Jae-hee felt a bit more ‘special’. It wasn’t love. Yoo-jin, who constantly denied it, was watched quietly by Jae-joon as he softly called her name.
“Yoo-jin.”
Yoo-jin's mind was filled with Jae-hee's words, swirling chaotically. Despite this, Yoo-jin kept denying so.
“It’s not because it's the first time, it’s because it’s Jae-hee.”
Her expression wavered, like someone whose hidden secret had been exposed. Jae-joon looked at Yoo-jin, their dark brown eyes mirroring each other. As if to prove their shared bloodline, his dark brown eyes glimmered. He spoke gently to his beloved younger cousin, who was wasting her life in hatred.
“Yoo-jin.”
“Don’t mortgage your happiness for revenge.”
“…”
“It’s okay to love now.”
Yoo-jin remained silent for a long time after hearing those words. Could she really love Jae-hee, who had calmly accepted her own unruly behavior?
“…Do I deserve that?”
“Of course, to Jae-hee, you might be the worst bitch in the world… but she says she likes you.”
“Don’t say it like that.”
“Why? It’s the truth.”
“…”
Did she just curse at me with her eyes? Jae-joon lightly held his glass and swirled it. The ice clinked noisily.
“If it were me and I heard that before the wedding, I would have called off the engagement. I would have felt like dying.”
“...”
“I know you don’t want to hear it but listen anyway.”
I know you have a deceitful heart. I also knew that it was downright petty. Once you made that decision, you had to push through until the end, but it was pathetic that you hesitated without being able to do that. I know, I know. You can't push her away like you used to. You keep on…wanting to love her.
“Just because your life is full of misfortune doesn’t mean all that misfortune is your fault. Revenge is fine, and getting back at people is fine, but… don’t use the people you love as pawns in your plans anymore.”
Under the lights, Yoo-jin’s hair glinted brown. Unlike Cheon-woo, Yoo-jin resembled Sook-hee with her brownish hair, similar to Jae-joon’s. Watching her troubled expression, Jae-joon recalled the time in America. How much he struggled to find Ha Yoo-jin in that vast land.
‘Hey! You should have told me before leaving. Were you trying to starve to death?!’
‘I didn’t starve to death, did I?’
‘That’s not the point... Damn it!’
‘I'm doing fine, just go.’
‘Don’t be stubborn, I’m not leaving until I take you back.’
‘Oppa, I’m really doing well. Much happier than in Korea.’
It was a face he had never seen before. The face that shattered Jae-joon’s trust, who had thought of Yoo-jin as his closest friend and family since birth.
‘Good people take care of me. People with no blood relation call me a friend and a younger sibling. They even use their own things for me.’
‘...’
‘Oppa, you said it. People like us can look out for each other. The world is harsh, and everyone is too busy living. But, Oppa, even in that harshness, there are people who want to be together.’
‘How long do you think that will last? One year, two years? It’s only a few years of affection at most. In the end, they’ll cast you aside because you’re still an outsider.’
‘You said it’s hard to give to others, Oppa. Isn’t it more appreciated if they’re generous with me, even for just one or two years?’
‘…Are you happy with that? Are you really happy despite all the suffering?’
‘More than enough, overflowing with happiness…And.’
‘And?’
‘…There’s someone who takes care of me more than those people.’
‘?’
‘…Is there anything scarier than love with no source?’
‘What are you saying? Do you have a boyfriend?’
‘Oppa, I can now sleep well without medication.’
‘What? Really? You sleep without medication?’
‘I’m doing well to that extent. So don’t come looking for me again.’
‘Hey, don’t lie. How could you sleep without medication? Are you trying to trick me into leaving?’
‘It’s true. Can’t you tell just by looking at my face?’
Her face was too healthy to be a lie. He recalled the emaciated figure she had during school years, plagued by sleepless nights and nerves. Compared to then, she looked so much healthier, almost as if she had rejuvenated.
‘…Who is this person who takes care of you? Who made you like this?’
‘You don’t need to know. Just go away. I’m eating well and living well.’
‘What? Go away?! You, you!!!’
He hadn’t thought deeply because he was so shocked. Could she have meant that about Seon Jae-hee? With that thought, Jae-joon took a drink.
***