Reason for Divorce || Episode 1

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Episode 1 Reason for Divorce

Chapter 1.

Haejangguk hangover soup was my favorite.

But that wasn't the case from the beginning.

At first, I would rather avoid it. But things changed ever since I associated, dated, and eventually lived with Kim Do-Hyun.

At some point, my daily routine was to sleep in on a Sunday morning and then meet up together to drink this.

You could say we resembled long-term lovers that unconsciously acted out of habit even when in a quarrel.

After a while of faithfully ingesting my food, I realized that Kim Do-Hyun wasn’t acting as usual. I looked up at him, the spoon still lingering inside my mouth.

“What’s up? You don't have an appetite?”

As I swallowed a mouthful of rice and asked, he stole a glance my way and lowered his gaze.

It was something he did whenever he couldn’t bring himself to voice his thoughts.

“Hm? What's going on?”

I pushed for an answer, sensing something important was going on. I didn’t think it was time to drink hangover soup.

"…I, I think it’s time I moved out.”

“Moving out? Where? Why? Is it a transferral?”

It wouldn’t be a lie to say I was surprised that the person I lived with threw a bomb like this all of a sudden.

“Where? When? Hey. When was this even decided? You’re not pressed for time, are you? You should have told me in advance. Did you just find out?”

Questions kept popping out.

But, he didn't answer any of the questions I asked.

“Why won’t you speak? Is it because you feel sorry?”

That was the reason I concluded when agonizing over his strange attitude.

He must feel guilty that we would have to leave Seoul and head to a foreign city.

“Hey. You don't have to be like that. It's okay. We're like a married couple. There’s nothing better than a married couple living through the pain together. Can't I do that much for you? Don't worry too much. It'll work out. I'll go to the company on Monday and figure myself out. But what about you? Where will you be transferred?”

I would even consider quitting if they didn’t agree to move me with him.

Since jobs are increasing in demand more than supply, it wouldn’t be difficult to find another post again.

That was why my expression remained bright until the end.

At times like this, I even felt proud to be the one saying this.

But, something was wrong.

Even after that whole dilemma, his expression did not change one bit.

On the contrary, it seemed to have darkened.

I thought I could recognize Kim Do-Hyun's mood better than anyone else, but as of now, I couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

“…”

There was something he couldn't bring himself to say. I tried to muster a logical reason as to what that thing was.

Then, belatedly, I felt the cold wind sticking to the back of my head.

It was as if I couldn’t bring myself to understand the situation, like I didn’t want to think Kim Do-Hyun was breaking up with me. My whole body stiffened.

I stood dazed amidst the situation I had never visualized to happen.

If I had ever considered this scenario and thought about my comeback before, I wouldn’t have acted like an absent-minded fool.

My face flushed hot.

‘How embarrassing.’

Is that how it is? How ridiculous I must have seemed till now.

‘Breaking up? For real?'

If this is you breaking up with me, how could you carry it out in this manner? How can you bring yourself to shock people like this and make them feel humiliated and miserable? Just thinking about this made me so angry; to top it off, he’s not even speaking?

I stood up from my seat.

“Shi Ah…”

He called, but I continued walking.

I knew very well that if I stopped, I wouldn't bring myself to continue.

He simply called.

If I stop and look at you, I might just shut my mouth and…

He simply called.

Come to think of it, I knew quite a bit about his characteristics and certain reactions.

Being with him for a long time rewarded me with such a useless ability.

As I caught myself even unconsciously pulling out my card to cover the cost for two people, a scoff escaped my mouth.

“Please count for one person.”

Bastard.

I liked being with him, so I wouldn't mind sacrificing if I could stay by his side.

I didn't even think of it as sacrificing myself and happily endured.

I had a promising income and countless spare time, so it wasn't a waste of money to spend.

I loved being with him.

That was the reason.

I did it voluntarily for myself, so it wasn't a pathetic sacrifice.

That didn't get rid of the sour taste though.

‘Was that feeling one-sided? Was I the only person who liked him? And to say that I’ve been living with him all this time?’

I didn't know whether he lived with me with no good feelings or felt towards me at first, but things are now different.

Rather than understanding the fact that I was taken advantage of from the beginning, I wanted to believe that my heart cooled completely.

Otherwise, it seemed unacceptable. I wouldn’t be able to take it.

I thought we were a good match.

I heard we looked good when we were together, and was more than delighted with the possibility that my boyfriend could become a celebrity.

I was often asked if I could bring my boyfriend with me during meetings.

I thought Kim Do-Hyun liked it too.

Kim Do-Hyun himself replied that he would rather relieve his stress this way. Just what was he dissatisfied with?

Did you just hate me without reason?

I couldn’t stop thinking even as I left.

‘Did I do something wrong? Should I have been nicer to you during times you’ve had a hard time? Did I hurt your self-esteem by doing everything myself?’

Because of my role at work and my original personality, I was the type of person who conducted and executed decisions very quickly without a second thought.

The longer I communicated with others, the more people naturally understood my style and later appreciated it.

I halted. Perhaps my technique shouldn’t have been incorporated into a relationship.

At first, I was just overcome with a burst of anger and stormed out. I should have listened more.

That was what I thought as I stood still.

“Did it go well? Yeah? Did she leave already? You said she was going to hang onto you. So you’re alone now? Should I head to you? I haven't even eaten yet either. Let's drink too. You know, to congratulate you in commemoration of removing the leech. Oh, did I just say leech? A leechy bitch.”

A woman passed by me while talking on the phone.

“Never. Why hangover soup on a day like this? Go buy me a meal at an expensive place. You know where you took me before. That place was nice. Let's go there. You know the place where we ate a course together and it was forty million won. Mmh. Really?! Are we going there?”

No way.

Don’t tell me what I’m thinking is right.

I thought I knew Kim Do-Hyun.

If it’s the Kim Do-Hyun I know, that woman's words couldn't have been about me.

But even as I tried to believe myself, I couldn’t.

The Haejangguk house was quiet as usual, and after I left, there was only one customer inside the store, Kim Do-Hyun.

Was she heading there now? No way… What this woman said just now…?

The woman seemed to have noticed that my steps slowed to a stop.

The woman's steps drifted, and she looked back at me as if she had realized something.

For a brief moment, our eyes met.

While the flustered woman licked her lips, the door to the Haejangguk restaurant opened.

“It’s here. How couldn’t you find it when it’s right in front of you?”

Kim Do-Hyun said while waving his hand.

That made it certain.

The bastard.

You never bought me anything.

A bright smile hung on his face as he faced the woman.

Come to think of it, it's been a while since I last saw that smile.

I was the only one who laughed and chatted while Kim Do-Hyun mostly seemed bored and kept his eyes locked on his smartphone all the time.

What the airflow between us was like, such small things came to my mind one after the other, one after the other. So belatedly.

Why didn't I know?

That our relationship had long changed.

I thought he was going through so much that he couldn’t even smile, but I was the one giving you a hard time.

Son of a bitch.

“…”

Kim Do-Hyun stared at me differently than the way he did while looking at the woman.

“…”

His mouth slowly opened.

The hundreds of expressions on his face were all familiar to me.

Since we've been together for such a long time.

Still, he liked me at first.

There was a moment where he smiled at me like that, just like how he smiled at that woman now.

But what's the point when it comes to this.

“Shi Ah…”

Kim Do-Hyun called me in his disgusting, shaky voice.

I thought I should say something instead of standing stupidly like this.

“I'll terminate the contract, so get ready to take out your luggage. And don't come home until I do so first.”

The woman rolled her eyes as if she had just grasped the situation between us.

She didn't seem to have thought that I was Kim Do-Hyun's girlfriend that lived with him.

When her eyes met mine, she seemed to rather stare with pride, as if she didn’t need to be afraid.

The moment I saw her staring at me with the winner’s eyes, I finally realized the situation I was in.

“Fuck it!”

I was ashamed to death.

“Shi Ah…”

Why does this bastard keep calling someone else's name when he can't even talk properly?

“Are you not going to shut your trap?”

I shot at him and began to stomp away.

I was going crazy at the thought that they'd be looking at my back.

Why should I leave like I'm running away when they're the ones who did wrong? That was what I thought, but my feet wouldn’t stop.

There was no one holding me, nor calling my name.

I staggered while walking faster and faster, and at some point, I started running.

Suddenly, my vision went black, and I felt as if my feet couldn’t touch the floor.

‘What's this? What's wrong with me? Uh?’

“Shi Ah. Yoo Shi Ah!”

Kim Do-Hyun's voice rang in the distance.

That was how I lost consciousness.

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