The Call She Never Expected

"Go on up first. It looks like we have a visitor."

"Oh, yes, of course! Take your time with your conversation!"

"We'll go ahead and set up since the madam is here."

The elevator doors closed.

"Auntie, can you hear me now?"

Smack!

Closing the distance in a single stride, Taeha snatched the phone right out of Ah-ra's hand. At the suddenness of it all, she could only blink her eyes wide in stunned silence.

As Taeha's gaze dropped, the name on the screen came into view.

Nie.

So it had been his mother after all.

Before Ah-ra could so much as lift a finger, Taeha pressed the end-call button.

Disgust welled up in him.

Woo Ah-ra was someone whose very existence grated on his nerves.

"Who's been tormenting Jaein?"

"Who? Hmm, it's honestly hard to single anyone out?"

His memory, wiped clean from top to bottom. When he had gone to Jeonghyeon to ask what had happened in his absence, that was what his brother had said.

"You could say it was everyone, really. But if you're asking who was worst, I'd say Mother. Or maybe Auntie."

"Auntie?"

"You know. The youngest one."

Taeha had long known that Junhee looked down on Jaein. His mother had spent years pushing him toward an entirely different match, after all. So he had expected Junhee to be the ringleader of the mistreatment — but Ah-ra came as a surprise.

Woo Ah-ra was the sort of woman who lived by pure impulse: if she wanted something, she did it; if she coveted something, she had to have it before she could rest easy.

Which meant her words came with no filter whatsoever.

"What? I'm just being honest. I lived in America for years, remember?"

People who claim they're just being honest never understand.

That isn't honesty. It's rudeness.

Taeha had despised Ah-ra since childhood, for living so carelessly while he toed the line. She had monopolized Chairman Woo Byungho's affection simply for being the baby of the family. And now they wanted to hand a place in the company to that bit-part actress, that walking embarrassment, all because she shared his blood?

There was no inequality quite like it.

And now, learning that a woman he already couldn't stand had been tormenting Seo Jaein — he only hated her more.

"Why are you here?"

"Ah! Why did you hang up? I was on the phone with your mother."

Ah-ra checked the returned phone and her brow furrowed deeply. The sight alone made the corner of Taeha's mouth twist.

Since when were the two of you on calling terms?

He crossed his arms and looked down at her. She flung the phone into her handbag, tossed her head up, and asked:

"Is it true you two are getting divorced? Is that what the show is?"

At the unpleasant word from the unpleasant woman's mouth, Taeha's brow creased in spite of himself.

Are we getting divorced?

Absolutely not.

The question wasn't worth answering.

"I asked why you're here."

"I found you a new match, but then I heard you're not getting divorced, so I came to find out what's going on. That family of yours would be thrilled if you divorced, you know!"

"Have you lost your mind, Auntie?"

"Wh-what did you just say?"

Ah-ra opened her mouth to snap back, but the sharp glint in Taeha's eyes made her flinch instead.

"Y-you……! How dare you speak to me like that."

She was clearly rattled by this side of her nephew, one she'd never seen before.

Well, of course she was.

Her nephew had never exchanged a single word with her all these years — no wonder she was thrown off balance.

"Hey! I'm your aunt!"

"Right. So either get your head on straight or stay on your medication."

Taeha took one step forward, and Ah-ra retreated two.

"Don't touch our Jaein. Keep this up, and I'll ship you off to America for good."

"You can't send me anywhere!"

"Think I can't? I'm Woo Taeha."

Before she knew it, her back was against the wall. Taeha stopped, matched her step, lowered his head, and met her eyes dead-on.

"We are not getting divorced. So stop coming around, stop bothering my wife, and stay out of our lives."

"……"

"Because if you don't — I'm telling the Chairman everything you've got stashed away at that residence."

"You— you!"

With that, Taeha turned his back on her. He pressed the button, and the elevator, which happened to be waiting on that floor, slid open.

"Do get home safely."

He gave a perfunctory bow of his head, and Ah-ra ground her lower lip between her teeth.

The elevator doors closed, and Ah-ra's figure receded into the distance. Right up to the very last moment, she looked like a puppy desperate for a walk, utterly at a loss for what to do with itself.

Jaein stood watching the whirlwind of camera installation. Hardly had Ah-ra left before the doorbell rang through the apartment. When she opened the door, a familiar-faced film crew was waiting outside.

"Ah, our maknae— no, wait. Jaein-ssi."

Minseop, who had been checking the audio equipment for a good while, came over to her. He'd been calling her maknae out of habit, and corrected himself. Apparently, he had become the on-site PD for her newlywed home.

"We're just doing setup today. When filming starts, you'll come wearing a lavalier mic. The cameras aren't rolling, so feel free to relax. You know all the details already, right?"

"Yes, yes. Thanks for your hard work."

"Hard work, nothing."

He flashed an easygoing smile.

The maknae had not only stepped in to save a shoot that had nearly fallen apart — her husband had gone and brought a whole media storm with him. Back at the station, this was welcome news, raised hands and all.

"By the way, Jaein-ssi, why is the place so bare? Are you going for that minimalist thing?"

The filming director, who had drifted over at some point, swept his gaze around the room and asked her.

Well, that's because we were about to get divorced.

She'd hastily filled the place with Taeha's belongings yesterday, but there were still far too many empty corners for a home where a couple actually lived together. Because she had lived here alone all this time, she had kept her possessions to a minimum.

"Yes. I heard it's trendy these days."

"Hmm, I mean, sure. But there's really no lived-in feel at all. It's like a hotel!"

"Hahaha, that's just because we're well-off, isn't it?"

Jaein laughed awkwardly along with the chuckling directors.

"Oh, but why isn't the Vice Chairman here yet?"

"Good question. Maybe his chat with the visitor is running long."

At the crew's exchange, Jaein's ears perked up.

It was a title far too out of place coming from them. No broadcast network CEO would ever come all the way here.

"The Vice Chairman?"

At her question, the men mid-conversation turned around. The filming director and the audio director exchanged a glance and blinked at her.

"Huh? Your husband, Jaein-ssi. He came with us — you didn't know?"

Jaein's eyes went round.

Today wasn't the weekend. It was Monday. At this hour, Taeha should have been buried in work at his executive office.

That can't be right.

This was the man who had gone to work with a fever of nearly forty degrees. Even the morning after finishing a full IV drip, she could still picture him with perfect clarity — heading straight home at dawn, then leaving for the office as if nothing had happened.

"Director, my husband is really here?"

Just as Jaein asked again, her face full of disbelief, a heavy set of footsteps came reverberating down the corridor. The directors facing her shifted their gazes to somewhere behind her.

"Vice Chairman! Looks like the madam had no idea you were coming with us."

"Ah, ha. Surprised?"

At the filming director's hearty laugh, Jaein's eyes met Taeha's.

"I came to see you, too."

A warm hand settled over her shoulder and drew her in. At the familiar scent, she lifted her head — and found herself locked in Taeha's gaze. His eyes curved into gentle crescents, smiling beautifully.

"Honey."

Honey?

At the sickeningly sweet endearment murmured right against her ear, Jaein froze solid.

He really did come.

While she stood blinking her astonished eyes, Taeha raised his head to face the film crew.

"Oh, right — the boxes. I was posted to the States until recently, so my things haven't arrived yet."

"Ah, right. You were there for quite a while, they said."

"The place is so spacious, it'll take ages to fill it up!"

While Taeha and the crew exchanged small talk, Jaein slipped into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of cold water. She was gulping it down when Taeha came up beside her.

"Auntie was here earlier."

"I ran into her. Downstairs."

So the visitor the director mentioned really was her.

"Auntie already knows we're going on the variety show."

Jaein set the emptied glass back on the water purifier and continued.

"I think it's time we told Mother-in-law."

It seemed likely the news had already reached her, but still. As she reached for the freshly filled glass, it was Taeha's hand that got there first.

Gulp, gulp.

His Adam's apple bobbed. Having drained the glass in one go, he turned to face her.

"I was planning to go Saturday anyway. I'll bring it up then."

Saturday?

One forgotten date flashed through Jaein's mind. Saturday — that was without a doubt Junhee's birthday.

"Stay home and rest. I'll go by myself."

"No. I'm coming too."

At her words, Taeha's eyes flew wide open.

"You want to go there?"

Jaein gave him a bright smile in answer to his stunned repetition.

As it happened, a very good idea had just occurred to her.

Sunbae — I'll just show you exactly what goes on in that house that day.