Husband. Ex-Husband.
He felt as if he were about to snap not just the fingers but the entire wrist.
Je-yoon flung Kevin’s hand away as if discarding something filthy. Both men seemed startled for a moment, but Kevin quickly recovered into a leisurely smile.
Little brat.
Did he even like Song Yeon-ha? She was certainly a remarkably attractive woman. He had expected plenty of men to cling to her even after the divorce.
“You know who I am, huh? Well, of course—who here doesn’t know our marital history? Anyway, introductions end here. Yeon-ha, let’s go. Looks like Lauren’s finished talking too?”
Kevin offered his arm to Yeon-ha again. Seeing that, Je-yoon’s eyes darkened like the abyss. Marital history? Bullshit.
“No thanks. Hey—Lauren’s heading somewhere else.”
Yeon-ha pushed Kevin’s arm away in refusal. Looking around, the attention fixed on them had already dwindled once the main event was announced. Everyone was moving inside.
“Kevin, tell Lauren I’ll see her at the brand event later. I’ve shown my face—that’s enough. I’m heading out.”
“The after-party here is fun. Stay a little longer.”
Yeon-ha gave a short smile of refusal. Then Je-yoon approached her side and, using a blind spot, stroked down her back.
Yeon-ha flinched; her pupils dropped to the floor. She had nearly looked at Je-yoon and hastily redirected her gaze. Staring at the anklet fastened around her ankle, she quietly regulated her breathing so no one would notice.
“…I’m leaving first.”
At Yeon-ha’s farewell, Kevin raised an eyebrow.
“Good night.”
Kevin deliberately delivered the greeting in Korean, waved, and disappeared into the venue. Only a few people, including Yeon-ha and Je-yoon, remained in the hall.
Yeon-ha turned wordlessly and strode purposefully toward the backstage area, lit only by indirect lighting.
A path led from the side of the venue to the luxury hotel designated as accommodations. Trees and flower beds blocked any view from outside, though guards were still sparsely stationed along the way.
Yeon-ha once brushed the waist where Je-yoon’s hand had just touched. She wanted to sit on a bench for a moment to calm her startled heart, but with eyes watching she hesitated.
In the end she entered the hotel, bowing properly to everyone who greeted her. Waiting for the elevator, her head throbbed.
What if someone saw him there?
What if there was a misunderstanding, or a photo was taken? Knowing he wasn’t the type to act carelessly without reason made it even harder to grasp his intent.
I’m exhausted…
Due to a tight schedule she had held a meeting with the retail division until dawn yesterday. Right after the meeting she had gone straight to the shop. Even after arriving on Jeju Island there had been no time to rest—there had been a video conference with the European atelier.
She hadn’t felt tired until now. Perhaps it was the tension from Je-yoon’s action just now and the strange current between the two men. Her steps into the elevator were slow.
She tapped the card key on the reader, pressed the floor, then went to the corner and leaned her head against the wall. The doors began to close, then opened again. It was Je-yoon.
When Je-yoon stepped into the elevator, Yeon-ha glanced once at the CCTV and closed her eyes.
“You need to tap the card key. Which floor?”
“Thirty-first.”
“Liar.”
“Why would I lie about that?”
He pointedly pressed the 31 button. The button that had lit from Yeon-ha’s card went dark. Even after the doors closed the elevator did not move, so Yeon-ha slowly opened her eyes.
Je-yoon grinned at her.
“It really is the thirty-first floor.”
Beep—the card-key tagging sound. A red light came on for 31.
“It is.”
A light chuckle escaped.
Yeon-ha let her increasingly heavy head drop and regulated her breathing. After thirty seconds that felt like three minutes, the chime rang and the elevator doors opened.
She had no energy left for anything more today. She just wanted to wash up and sleep quickly. Parties weren’t her preference to begin with, and she only attended events for show.
Still, she endured each time thinking she had no choice—but today it was particularly draining.
“Which room is it that you keep following me?”
“We passed it.”
Huh? When Yeon-ha looked at Je-yoon as if asking why he was following then, Je-yoon craned his long neck to scan the hallway and took her hand.
“You look tired, Noona.”
“More importantly, let go of my hand…”
“Room 3101. Here it is.”
Je-yoon took Yeon-ha’s card key, sleeve and all, checked the room number written on it, and tagged the key to the suite.
Yeon-ha entered without resistance as Je-yoon pushed her inside, worried someone might see.
“Why are you holding my hand? It’s risky.”
She set her clutch on the minibar and removed her blazer. The sleeveless dress accentuated her slender waist, revealing the feminine lines of the pencil skirt below.
He had only removed one blazer, yet Je-yoon’s eyes raked up and down steeply. If Yeon-ha had taken off her outerwear inside the venue—if others had seen this sight—would he have been able to stay still?
Heat gathered at his waistband as he gazed near her waist.
“Why no answer?”
When she turned, Je-yoon averted his gaze and headed for the bathroom.
Watching his back, Yeon-ha crossed her arms. Water sounds came from inside, and soon Je-yoon reappeared. From the vigorous rush of water it seemed he was filling the bathtub.
“Go Je-yoon, be careful outside. No—even when we’re alone.”
“……”
Instead of answering, Je-yoon removed his jacket and placed it beside her blazer.
“Why do you keep not answer—ing…”
His outstretched hand toyed with Yeon-ha’s earlobe. Startled, she trailed off.
Even when a little angry, at moments like this her heart melted like ice thrown into a fire pit.
Unable to push him away, Yeon-ha looked at Je-yoon. His face was full of dissatisfaction, yet caution seeped from his touch.
“……”
Je-yoon touched the clasp of the small ring earring and slowly removed the right one. The sensation of the earring pin brushing her skin was vivid. Yeon-ha inhaled and caught Je-yoon’s arm.
Undeterred, Je-yoon caressed the other ear as well and removed that earring too.
“You’re tired.”
“Of what.”
“Because of Kevin, you keep getting attention you don’t even need.”
“I’m not that tired from that.”
Contrary to her words, Yeon-ha wanted to collapse onto the bed right away.
“Well, that man isn’t enough to get on your nerves, right? I understand what you’re saying, Noona. I’ll be careful—outside.”
Was it her imagination that Je-yoon’s expression eased a little?
“Go wash up. You need to sleep.”
“Was it because of Kevin the whole time?”
“What?”
Taking water from the fridge and drinking, Je-yoon replied. His throat must have been quite dry; the small bottle of water disappeared in one go.
A drop of water rolled down the vein-raised column of his neck.
“Never mind.”
What Kevin? There was no reason for Je-yoon to be angry at Kevin.
Yeon-ha left Je-yoon behind and entered the bathroom. After undressing and roughly washing her body, she sank into the bathtub Je-yoon had filled. Warm water released the tension, and her eyes closed.
Dozeing off, Yeon-ha woke late, washed, and put on a shower gown. Her hands tying the waist knot paused.
“Ah. Underwear.”
Because she had come straight in, she hadn’t brought any separately. After a moment’s hesitation, Yeon-ha peeked open the bathroom door. Je-yoon was nowhere to be seen.
After checking the bedroom and dining room, Yeon-ha realized Je-yoon had returned to his room and collapsed onto the sofa as if sprawling.
“I’m so tired…”
From the languor, her eyelids quickly grew heavy.
On the terrace catching the night breeze, Je-yoon leaned his arms on the railing and ruffled his hair.
Husband. Ex-husband.
The words made his temples throb. Originally it was a period he would have spent overseas, so despite the organizers’ persistent contact he had planned to confirm non-attendance for this event.
But after seeing Yeon-ha’s schedule in the studio, he had called his manager Yoon Kyeong-ho and said he would attend, so adjust the schedule.
As soon as he entered the venue he found Song Yeon-ha at once. Pushing through the crowd to approach her wasn’t easy because of people holding phones to capture her. Irritation surged. He wanted to turn off every light in this hall.
Jealousy filled him so completely that he wished other people would not look at Song Yeon-ha at all.
But what scraped at his temper even more was the way the divorced couple treated each other Hollywood-style. Even knowing it was all a show, seeing them look quite well-matched made his fists tremble.
“Oh my, so the breakup over discord wasn’t real?”
“So what? They’re divorced. They’ve probably already done everything they needed to. Ah, I’m jealous of Kevin Lee.”
“Song Yeon-ha? Well, her figure is insane. Must’ve been hot at night?”
“We seem more like celebrities than that woman.”
The people’s conversation seized the legs of Je-yoon who was passing by. He coldly eyed the mouths that dared to evaluate Song Yeon-ha’s body without knowing their place. Someone who had not yet seen his gaze ran their mouth further.
“The aura is different, right? Knowing her presence is noisy, she minimizes media exposure—but coming all the way here, isn’t it to show she’s really okay with her ex-husband more than for the show?”
“True, both look completely fine. Maybe as the rumors say, the divorce is a show and they’ll suddenly reunite or announce a pregnancy? There were tons of those tabloids for a while—”
Finally locking eyes with Je-yoon, the actress shut her mouth. The woman who received his gaze flushed.
It was a uniquely outstanding face that stood out regardless of East or West. Perhaps because of the thin double eyelids, it could look sexy at times, sensitive at others, and sometimes even pure.
He’s peaking again today.
Everyone who spotted Je-yoon around had the same review in their heads.
When the annoying voice disappeared, Je-yoon turned coldly.
Reunite? They’re talking blood-pressure-raising nonsense.