The Ticking Time-Bomb Couple

"Haah. So that's what he meant when he said it."

She had told herself it couldn't be, that surely it wouldn't happen — and yet here she was, proven wrong.

Taeha hadn't shown up to court for their first Divorce Confirmation Date.

And thanks to that, their marriage had been extended by default all the way to a second date.

Back at the broadcasting station, waiting for the elevator, Jaein pressed a hand to her forehead. She'd taken half a day off to go to court only to come back empty-handed, and a sigh escaped her all on its own.

"Don't wait for me. I'm not coming."

The man's voice, murmured low as he'd gripped the front door, still echoed in her ears. She'd suspected those words might have been referring to the Divorce Confirmation Date — but now that she'd confirmed it firsthand, her heart wouldn't stop pounding.

At this rate, I'm really... not going to be able to divorce him, am I?

If the mutual-consent divorce fell through, it would go to litigation. Money aside, it was the family standing behind the man's back that worried her most. Would a divorce suit against him ever be easy? Even if she waived her share of the assets, she had no confidence she'd win if he refused to let her go.

Not that I want to drag things into a mudslinging fight like that.

Above all — he could carry on like this, and the moment his memory came back, he'd leave her without a second thought.

...When I'm the one who needs him.

Facing her father's deathbed, Jaein had been terrified. The devastation of losing him had dragged her into a swamp of despair she couldn't climb out of. Even if their relationship had been a show, they'd known each other for years — and by now, they were husband and wife.

He could have been overseas, but skipping your father-in-law's funeral entirely? That was simply unforgivable.

Not a single member of the Daeha family had come.

Except for one brother-in-law who showed up just before the procession left.

And yet when she actually needed them — not a word, not a phone call. Now he shows up saying he doesn't want a divorce. What was she supposed to do with that?

Jaein forced down the lump rising in her throat at the thought of her father. Her mind was already made up. Woo Taeha, Daeha Group — she would shake it all off and stand on her own two feet.

Nothing, absolutely nothing, would sway her!

So, sunbae, I'm getting divorced.

Jaein was just about to step into the elevator of the headquarters building when her phone began to ring.

"Yes, this is Seo Jae—"

She never got to finish.

"I'm in front of the elevator. I'll be right up."

Right up until she hung up, Seongho's furious ranting crackled nonstop through the receiver.

"What is this nonsense, huh? A sudden dropout — just like that?"

The conference room door flew open with a bang that sounded ready to come off its hinges. The one who stormed in was the head of the Variety Department. At Bureau Director Lee's entrance, everyone seated in the room swallowed a groan.

"W-well, you see... the civilian couple PD Seo cast has just been reported for child abuse."

"What? Those Gold-Thread Couple people or whatever they're called?"

At the Bureau Director's question, PD Cho nodded, his face drained of color.

"Goddammit all! So what are you going to do about it? Has that camera crew been rolling for just a day or two? Fine, toss the edited footage, I don't care — but broadcast is right around the corner, and how exactly do you plan to handle a disaster of this size?"

This time it was Main PD Seongho's turn, and as Bureau Director Lee's voice climbed, everyone around flinched.

Jaein, sitting among them, was no exception.

Sesame Couple, the show she oversaw as the youngest PD, was a reality program observing real married couples. Featuring a variety of husbands and wives, it had exploded on its first broadcast and gone on to a second season. Three couples appeared per season — celebrity couples, famous faces from politics and business, and at the very least, ordinary couples. Any couple who appeared became instant news, to the point where people joked: if you want to get famous, get cast on Sesame Couple.

The show's willingness to boldly showcase all kinds of marriages had earned it massive popularity — which was exactly why the producers were relentless about finding buzzworthy couples.

And so the Season 3 cast had been chosen with excruciating care.

"Civilian couples," it turned out, were never ordinary people.

This time, hunting for an even bigger impact, they'd recruited a "many-children couple" — in an era of record-low birth rates, a super-premium couple with a staggering ten children. For them, marriage and childbirth had been practically the same thing, and they'd been filming under the theme of the very icons of marital bliss.

And that blissfully harmonious couple, it turned out, had been beating their children.

Worse, an anonymous account from a personal acquaintance had posted eyewitness accounts on a workplace community forum, and the abuse scandal spread in every direction.

I should have seen it coming when they paraded those kids around whining about being broke.

Jaein pressed her temples hard against her pounding skull.

"If we can't find a replacement cast member, the show goes dark. A broadcast blackout, you hear me?"

At the Bureau Director's rebuke, groans rippled around the table.

"We'd be short on time even if we found someone and started shooting right this minute! Huh? Whose bright idea was it to cast this ticking time-bomb couple?"

Every gaze swung toward Jaein.

Seongho had vetted the couple, but it was Jaein, the youngest, who'd made the recruitment calls. Everyone in the room knew perfectly well she'd had no authority to make the final pick — and yet the moment trouble arose, the blame landed squarely on her.

Perhaps because they knew the Director wouldn't come down too hard on her — thinking of Taeha — the treatment only stung more.

"We've already sent out the promotional material! What are you going to do about it?"

"Bureau Director. *Haah.* I did tell Jaein that this couple's conduct was a bit... questionable. And now look, trouble after all."

At Seongho's words, Jaein's head snapped around.

"I'll take responsibility and find another cast member somehow."

Watching Seongho slip out unscathed as though none of it were his fault, Jaein couldn't hold back a bitter laugh.

"Find one by any means necessary, you hear?"

With that final pronouncement, the Bureau Director kicked out of the conference room.

One by one, the people who'd been glancing nervously between her and Seongho filed out, and when only the two of them remained, Seongho came over.

"PD-nim, I made the call, sure, but it was you who approved it."

"..."

"You know how it is. I don't have any casting authority."

Jaein's eyes as she looked up at him were razor-sharp. Her pressed-together lips trembled, on the verge of shaking outright with betrayal.

This kind of stab in the back was nothing new — but she hadn't expected Seongho to dodge responsibility over a disaster this catastrophic.

"*Haah.* There was nothing I could do, Jaein-ah. You know my next program is already locked in, right? It's my passion project. I can't afford for things to blow up here."

He went on with a genuinely pained look on his face.

"You're not getting cut from the network anyway, are you? Come on, cut me some slack, okay? I'll return the favor next time — promise!"

"..."

"And tonight, pull an all-nighter if you have to, but start working through the backup candidates. Got it? You will find someone!"

With that, Seongho gave her shoulder a couple of pats and walked out.

I want to quit.

And yet she loved this work — so much so that even in the hardest times, she'd never once thought about quitting.

Perhaps everything she'd swallowed over the years had finally burst its banks; the bridge of her nose burned scarlet. Choking back the tears that surged up, Jaein left the conference room.

She could feel people's gazes trailing after her.

Really, this is just too much.

Not one of them dared step forward, afraid of catching the fallout. They all knew the youngest held no authority whatsoever, so they simply looked on with pitying eyes.

Jaein had just left the office, a sigh lodged in her chest, when —

"Seo Jaein."

Her steps halted at the familiar voice behind her.

"...What is it?"

Why is sunbae here of all places?

Jaein's parted lips refused to close.

She'd called him after leaving the family court. She'd meant to ask why he hadn't shown up — but the call had gone straight to voicemail. His messages, too, had been met with silence.

And yet here he was now.

Why does it have to be right this moment.

Jaein spun away, swiping at her eyes.

Had he seen her crying? No — had he perhaps heard everything that went on in the conference room just now?

"Why are you at the station?"

"Why do you think? I came to see you."

As if all those stares weren't already fixed on her — what would happen if Taeha got thrown into the mix? She didn't need to look to know.

"As you can see, I'm working. I'm busy. We'll talk later."

The instant Jaein turned to head for the restroom —

A hand clamped around her wrist, and before she could so much as flinch, her body was hauled toward the emergency exit.

*Click.* The sound of the fire door swinging shut rang out through the stairwell.

When she came back to her senses, Jaein was standing pressed against the closed emergency door.