~★Present Day Hours Earlier★~
Three days had passed since my last call with Eun-ho, and he was still the same. He felt different, as if he had changed, very distant. He had never been like this before. I was worried, not knowing anything about him.
I had a feeling, a bad feeling... I didn't know what it was, but it wasn't good.
"Miss Kang..."
"Huh? Yes? What's wrong, Mr. Park?"
"The report I asked you for about the new collaboration. I expect it to be ready by next Thursday," Mr. Park replied, approaching with some documents in his hand. "You seem distracted. Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine, Mr. Park. Don't worry, I just have a lot on my mind right now," I replied, looking at him from my desk.
"Very well, then I'll see you tomorrow. Get some rest, Miss Kang," he said, walking back to his office with firm, confident steps.
"See you tomorrow, Mr. Park..."
I return to my computer to continue working when Soo-kyung approaches. "Hye-jin, what happened? Did Mr. Park scold you?" she asks. "No, he just wanted to tell me he wants the report by Thursday."
"I see. Hey, have you heard from Eun-ho?" she asks, leaning her arms against the window of my desk. "No, he's not answering my messages or calls. I'm worried."
"I understand. Why don't you go see him? I suppose he's at his apartment. Besides, since you said he got a promotion, maybe that's why he's not answering you."
"Do you think so? I hope he's not too stressed, poor thing," I reply, worried because I wanted to know how Eun-ho was doing. "I'll go see him after work. Maybe he's sick and didn't tell me."
"Hye-jin, you should go see him. Three days without a response is strange. You two used to talk every day." Soo-kyung's words made me shudder and feel a knot in my stomach. I grabbed my phone and texted Eun-ho. As usual, I didn't get a reply.
Quickly, after the clock struck quitting time, I grabbed my things and put them in my bag. "I'm leaving now, Soo-kyung," I said, walking over to say goodbye. "Okay, Hye-jin, call me if anything happens."
"I will, don't worry," I replied, giving her a quick hug and leaving the office. I went to the elevator and waited for it to open.
"Are you leaving already, Miss Kang?"
"Huh?... Yes, I'm leaving, Mr. Park. I see you are too..."
"Yes, that's right. By the way, congratulations... I heard you're getting married soon, isn't that right?"
"I'm leaving now." I nodded sheepishly, glancing at the elevator. "Yes, I'm getting married in two weeks," I replied, giving him a sidelong glance. "I see. I wish you all the best in your marriage, Miss Kang."
"Thank you very much," I responded, bowing slightly. The elevator doors finally opened, and I stepped inside, pressing the button for the ground floor. As I stepped out, I pulled out my ID and tapped it on the scanner so I could hurry off.
My phone vibrated with a message. It was from Eun-ho. Finally, a message?
[Don't worry, honey, I'm fine. I'm just a little stressed about my new position at work.]
[That's exactly why I couldn't reply. But don't worry, I've found an effective solution to relieve my stress.]
I sighed with relief. Finally, my fiancé had replied to my messages. A wave of tranquility washed over me as I turned my head to the right. The light from the window of the "Sung Yoo" pastry shop caught my eye. Especially the raspberry cream cake that Eun-ho and I used to eat when we were dating.
I decided to get some for him. Why not? It's his favorite, and mine too. We could have a romantic evening together. "Excuse me, what's the price for the raspberry cream cake?" I asked, pointing to it enthusiastically. "20,000 won," the saleswoman replied with a small smile. "I'll take it," I said, pulling out my wallet.
I made my way through the cold streets of Seoul, heading towards Eun-ho's apartment, carrying the bag with the cake. The weather was strange; it was June, and the sky didn't look promising, its shades of gray and blue depressing.
I continued on my way, hoping to reach my destination quickly and feel the warmth of Eun-ho's arms. A few minutes later, I arrived at Eun-ho's building. I carefully climbed the stairs and found the door ajar. This was strange... Eun-ho never left his door open. I entered the apartment, tripping over a pair of black heels with red soles.
"Heels? What are heels doing here?" I asked myself, staring at them.
"Eun-ho?... Where are you?"
I entered the apartment, closing the door behind me. A sudden thud echoed in the air, as if something had fallen. I walked slowly toward the dining room table to put down my bag and the cake.
A soft gasp echoed through the room as I found clothes on the floor, Eun-ho's clothes and women's clothes, clearly not mine. I turned my gaze towards the main room where the door was ajar. I could see Eun-ho's waist from outside. A loud clap of thunder echoed in the silence.
"What's happening? It looks like it's going to rain," I said. The wind was blowing fast; it was so strange.
" A-ah~ Won't your girlfriend find out about this?"
"Ugh~ Don't worry, sweetheart~ she's probably focused on her work as usual."
"Just kiss me and do your job~" he replied with a harsh gasp.
"CHOI EUN-HO!" I yelled, pushing open the bedroom door. I found Eun-ho quickly moving away from the woman, who quickly covered herself with a sheet.
"What does this mean, Eun-ho?!" I shouted, clenching my fist and glaring at him.
"Hye-jin, how dare you come here unannounced?!"
"Don't you dare yell at me, you damn cheater!" I exclaimed, throwing various items from the dresser at him.
"You're worse than a beast, Eun-ho!... No!" I grabbed a photo Eun-ho had of us from the vanity. "You're worse than a beast!" I threw the photo, and it shattered on impact.
"So this was your solution for stress?" I glared at the woman, who was panting with feigned fear. "You disgust me, Eun-ho... You're a damn bastard," I said, leaving the room, grabbing my purse and coat, and quickly leaving the apartment.
"Kang Hye-jin, wait, we need to talk!" Eun-ho shouted, pulling on some sweatpants that were on the floor and running after me. "There's nothing to talk about, Eun-ho, I've seen enough!"
Eun-ho stopped me, cornering me against the wall and holding my arm. "We need to talk, Hye-jin, please," he pleaded, looking me in the eyes.
"I just wanted a distraction. She's nothing to me." She could have my body, but you have my heart, Hye-jin. Please don't leave me.
"You ruined this, Eun-ho. I can't forgive you for this," I replied, pushing him away and stepping back.
I started to take the ring off my finger and held it up. "This is over, Eun-ho. I don't want to see you anymore!" I exclaimed, tears streaming down my face, throwing the ring at him, shattering it into a thousand pieces.I ran downstairs, trying to wipe away my tears, as I heard someone shout my name. Thunder began to rumble loudly, and raindrops slowly started to fall to the ground.
I ran as fast as I could and hailed a taxi, raising my hand—"T-taxi!"
A taxi pulled up in front of me. I opened the door and jumped in, quickly closing it behind me. "Where to, miss?" the driver asked.
"Take me to Nowon-gu... Please," I replied desperately. The driver started the engine and headed in the direction I indicated.
My phone kept vibrating with calls and messages from Eun-ho; there were so many that my head ached. I only managed to read a few recent messages.
[My love, please come back. We need to talk about this.]
[Believe me, I only love you and no one else. You own my heart. Don't leave me, my love.]
I ignored the messages, silencing my phone and putting it in my bag. I tried to breathe slowly to calm myself down as the taxi pulled up.
"We're here, miss," the taxi driver said, looking at me. I paid the fare and got out.
"Thank you very much," I replied with a bow.
"Miss," the taxi driver said, "I know I don't know you or your situation, but I can see the sadness in your eyes. Let me tell you, whatever situation you're facing, stay strong and trust that things will get better with time; they might even get better."
"Just have faith and patience."
I stared at the man and gave him a small smile. "Thank you so much, sir, thank you so much."
The taxi driver drove off, leaving me alone in the neighborhood. I walked to an apartment and rang the doorbell. The door opened slowly.
"Hye-jin? What are you doing here?"
"Hi, Soo-kyung."
"Can I come in?... I need to be with someone right now," I said dejectedly, my hair still wet.
"Of course... come in," Soo-kyung said, inviting me inside. I left my things in the entryway and took off my shoes.
"What? Eun-ho cheated on you?!"
"Yes..." I replied, staring at the floor, lost in thought.
"Hye-jin, I'm so sorry, I really am."
"Now what am I going to do? I'll have to tell my mother that the wedding is canceled, and all the guests."
Soo-kyung comes over and hugs me "Don't worry, Hye-jin, everything will be alright now. What do you plan to do?"
"This won't end like this. I... Kang Hye-jin, I'll get revenge for this."
~**To be continued**~