At a time closer to morning than night.
Jaehyuk, who had spent the night in his study, looked down at the two documents on his desk.
The divorce agreement was already complete.
When they had created the prenuptial agreement, they had also drafted a divorce agreement with each keeping a copy.
To use when there was cause for contract termination.
And on the contract termination agreement to dissolve the marriage contract, only Junghyun’s information was recorded.
Once he added his name and signature below, everything would be over.
The relationship between Junghyun and himself weighed just two pieces of paper.
That shallow and light.
For a moment, he thought that perhaps ending it this way might be fine.
It had only been four months. The time spent with that guy.
Even adding their impressive first meeting, it was barely five months.
Unlike with Yeonwoo, they hadn’t shared every moment of his memory with countless unforgettable memories, nor had they fallen in love at first sight and shared a passionate romance.
Of course, it was true that he had been drawn to that guy.
As Junyoung had said, he was like someone custom-made to his taste, so it would be stranger not to be attracted.
Sharing the same hobbies and matching his physical preferences naturally led to attachment.
Moreover, whether by coincidence or Junghyun’s intention, their personalities matched well too.
By any measure, he was certainly not an easy person to deal with. He was picky, complicated, and sensitive.
As Yeonwoo had pointed out, he was self-centered, always tried to dominate in all relationships, and was arrogant and indifferent.
Yet he expected others to treat him comfortably.
In that aspect, Yeonwoo and he didn’t match. That’s why he had given up on deep relationships with people.
If Yeonwoo, who had grown up with him since childhood and treated him most comfortably, was like that, then he thought finding someone compatible with him would be impossible.
But breaking that expectation, there was someone who met all his desired conditions.
And that was Lee Junghyun.
That’s why being with Junghyun was comfortable and enjoyable. He might have mistaken that for love because he thought it was happiness.
So, stopping now might not be a bad choice.
Right now, they could wrap things up without either of them getting badly hurt.
Junghyun probably thought the same.
That continuing this relationship in a situation where trust was already broken would be unreasonable. That if a relationship had to end anyway, sooner was better.
Following the sunlight that reached deep into the study with his gaze, Jaehyuk impulsively reached for a pen.
A contract is just a contract, so terminating it would be the end of it.
With Suhyuk and Yeonwoo having left as well, it would be good timing to submit the divorce agreement in two or three months, if not immediately.
Recently, grandfather’s pressure about pregnancy had intensified, and his uncle’s movements were also concerning.
If Junyoung had investigated Junghyun to that extent, it was highly likely that his uncle had discovered similar information.
If so, it was only a matter of time before it reached grandfather’s ears.
Thinking about it that way, stopping here before the problem grew was the right decision.
The contract period was one year anyway, and in two months, it would be half a year.
That would be appropriate to claim personality differences as an excuse.
Even without that, using the pregnancy issue as a reason as they had initially discussed would be clean.
No, that might be even better. If rumors spread that the divorce was due to child-related issues, people might think there was something wrong with him, but if news circulated that Yeonwoo was pregnant, it would quickly die down.
It was faster than expected, but not so short that the divorce would seem incomprehensible.
So it wasn’t bad.
His head was clearly thinking that way.
There was no need to drag this out.
Just as he was about to impulsively sign the document with a somewhat anxious feeling, there was a knock at the door.
At this alien noise echoing through the frighteningly quiet house, he reflexively stood up, pushing back his chair.
With a glimmer of hope, he turned toward the door, and a low voice was heard from beyond it.
“I’m coming in for a moment.”
Disappointed by that familiar voice, he collapsed back into his chair, and Jang Sujin entered as the door opened.
“It seems you haven’t slept.”
“…I had some work.”
Though he tried to brush it off with the most nonchalant face possible, she wasn’t someone who would be fooled.
“When I came in, all the doors were open and all the lights in the house were on, so I wondered what was happening… I don’t see Junghyun.”
Faced with her gentle but piercing question, he wondered how to deflect, but no plausible excuse came to mind that could deceive her.
There was no way to explain someone who hadn’t returned home on the day of their resignation, no matter how he tried.
As he could only move his lips without uttering a word due to the complex situation, she spoke first.
“…I’ll report that Junghyun decided to stay at his family home for a while to prepare for pregnancy after resigning. That should buy you some time.”
Surprised by this unexpected proposal, Jaehyuk looked at her, and she gazed back at him calmly.
As if she knew everything.
“You’ll be busy with the shareholders’ meeting for a while, so say you sent him to rest. And please coordinate your story with Director Han Juwon. I’ll report the same to the Honorary Chairman.”
“…Aren’t you going to ask what happened?”
“Matters between spouses aren’t for third parties to discuss. Now, please try to get even a little rest before coming out. I’ll prepare a meal.”
“…Thank you.”
After thanking her for her consideration, Jaehyuk leaned back in his chair and pressed his forehead tiredly. Meanwhile, Jang Sujin, who was about to leave the study, suddenly stopped and turned back to look at him.
“And manage your expression. Right now, anyone can see that you look like someone who’s been rejected.”
Again, caught off guard by her pointed warning, Jaehyuk flinched as if struck, and she continued calmly.
“A tired face and a hurt face are different. If you want to make it as if nothing happened, you must act as if nothing happened. You cannot show your emotions on your face.”
“…I’ll be careful.”
“Good.”
The moment she left the study after her final greeting, Jaehyuk lowered his gaze to look at the documents on the desk.
She was right.
Not yet. He shouldn’t let others notice this situation yet.
For that, he couldn’t let his emotions spill out.
Having organized his thoughts, he put the documents in the desk drawer and locked it.
The signature would come a bit later.
Now, he needed a little time.
Space to organize his feelings.
* * *
As Jang Sujin had advised, Jaehyuk got up at his usual time, had his meal, and completed his preparations for work as if nothing had happened.
Then he headed to the parking lot a bit earlier than usual.
The daily routine without having to wake up Junghyun, who took at least 15 minutes just to get out of bed, was frighteningly smooth. Mealtime was quiet, and there was no need to bicker over who would drive when leaving for work.
It was a quiet and peaceful morning.
That was the only difference from usual days.
Just as he was about to shift gears after starting the engine in this smoothly flowing day like water, his phone rang.
Startled by the sound, he quickly checked his phone screen, but it wasn’t the call he’d been waiting for.
It was Yongwoo.
With a bit of disappointment, annoyance, and a glimmer of hope, Jaehyuk pressed the answer button.
Immediately, Yongwoo’s roughened voice came through.
“I’m sorry for calling so early.”
“What is it?”
“…Um, I just wanted to check one thing. Have you been in contact with Junghyun?”
“…”
At Jaehyuk’s silence, Yongwoo fortunately seemed to quickly grasp the situation and let out a small sigh.
Then the sound of him muttering to himself was heard.
“This is all my karma,” he said.
“So, what’s your point?”
“…I contacted all of his friends throughout the early morning, but none of them knew where he went. So I went to his old house just in case, but it was empty too, so I asked the Seo Jin family living right across from there…”
Cutting off his words there, Yongwoo hesitated as if troubled, then continued.
“Junghyun stopped by briefly yesterday morning.”
Jaehyuk’s body reacted first, quickly, as if he were about to leap out of the car right away.
“And?”
“He said he was planning to travel far since he’d resigned, and that he’d contact them when he returned. He didn’t tell Seojun but only said goodbye to his family.”
“…Destination?”
“He said he’d wander from country to country, settle down if he found a country he liked, or return if he didn’t… The problem is that this guy is actually the type who would really do this…”
At this point, Yongwoo sighed once more, sounding perplexed.
“He’d been so quiet recently that I thought things had worked out well… As expected, that guy didn’t have a proper conversation. I’ll try to find out more. That guy is pretty predictable in where he’d go.”
“…Hang up.”
After these final words, Jaehyuk pressed the end call button and put down his phone.
Just as he shifted gears and was about to take his foot off the brake, his phone rang again.
This time it was an unknown number.
He didn’t answer unknown numbers. He never had.
But this time was different.
His hand moved to the phone as if entranced. Then he immediately pressed the answer button.
With a thread of hope.
“Hello.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
