Bad Relationship 114

At that moment, Jaehyuk recalled what Director Jang had said the day that guy first came to this house.

Back then, he had brushed it off without thinking deeply, assuming it was just Junghyun’s personality, but now that he thought about it, it had been an extremely strange situation.

Even in that apartment where Junghyun had supposedly lived for 15 years, there wasn’t much luggage.

Though he had only seen the living room and kitchen just once, that home had no more belongings than necessary.

The living room had only a sofa, table, and television, while the kitchen was completely empty. There were basic appliances that appeared to be standard options—a refrigerator, dishwasher, and oven—but nothing more.

There were no empty containers or water bottles lying around, no dirty dishes piled in the sink. And there were no cups or tumblers in sight.

Even someone who doesn’t cook would typically have at least a cup, a knife, and a teaspoon or tumbler in their home.

But even these basics were missing there.

It felt like a space that had been used only for sleeping and washing for 15 years.

Attachment to a home stems not from the place itself, but from the memories formed there and the people and things that fill it.

But if one does nothing there and fills it with nothing, no affection for the home develops.

Jaehyuk didn’t think Junghyun was incapable of affection.

It was Junghyun’s deliberate choice.

To not accumulate belongings or memories so he could leave the place without hesitation whenever necessary.

Jaehyuk had instinctively grasped this the moment he entered that house, which was why he thought he needed to somehow hold onto Junghyun.

Someone like him wouldn’t cling or harbor lingering feelings; he seemed likely to leave with a refreshed smile the moment the contract ended.

And that premonition had been exactly right.

The only problem was that the relationship between Junghyun and himself had changed in the meantime.

Sighing in dejection as he lowered his gaze, the display case in the center of the dressing room suddenly caught his eye.

There was clearly nothing different about it.

But there was a strange sense of dissonance. With a feeling that something was subtly different, somewhat unnatural, he approached the display case and looked under the glass to see the familiar display stand.

But as expected…

Just as he had taken out a tie and handkerchief this morning when leaving for work…

“Ah…”

In the space that should have been empty since he had taken out his handkerchief today, a gray handkerchief was placed.

Among the neatly folded handkerchiefs, this one alone was folded somewhat awkwardly. It was clearly from the brand he frequently used, but it was a color he hadn’t seen before.

This was definitely…

As a memory flashed through his mind instantly, Jaehyuk immediately picked up the handkerchief.

Behind the handkerchief, which had been cleanly washed and ironed, was a card.

Opening the card, there was a message that appeared to have been scrawled hastily:

“I’m sorry for returning this so late. Thank you for that day.”

It was the handkerchief he had placed in Junghyun’s wine glass at the beach five, no, six years ago now.

It was surprising enough that he had kept it all this time, but returning it now was even more surprising.

It was a signal indicating the end of their relationship.

If the divorce agreement and contract termination agreement sent together represented the end of their relationship on paper, this handkerchief symbolized the complete separation between him and Junghyun.

While blankly staring at the handkerchief in his hand with complicated emotions, his phone rang inside his coat.

At the sound, he hurriedly took out his phone and answered, and a familiar voice flowed from the other end.

– I just confirmed the information you requested.

“…And?”

– Lee Junghyun left for Japan on a 2 PM flight yesterday afternoon. We’re requesting cooperation from our contacts there to track his movements afterward, but since this isn’t an official investigation request, it might take some time.

“Find out where he went by morning, using any means necessary.”

– I’ll move immediately.

“We exchanged messages until 9 PM, so he must have taken his phone with him. Check his location via his phone number, as he might have activated roaming. If necessary, you can file a missing person report. Just make sure the current situation doesn’t leak outside.”

Though he knew it was impossible to keep things secret once public authority was involved, his instructions were time-limited.

It meant that this information absolutely must not leak until they found Junghyun, and the other party understood the core of the message well.

– We’re moving as quietly as possible with tight-lipped people. We’ll start by tracking his number to avoid having to file a missing person report.

“Good.”

– Then, please rest.

After finishing the call with a final greeting, Jaehyuk stared intently at the handkerchief in his hand.

Japan, huh? He could somewhat guess what Junghyun was thinking.

Just as Junghyun could read his thoughts, now he could also somewhat peer into Junghyun’s mind.

Japan probably wasn’t his final destination. He likely purchased a separate ticket departing from Japan for his final destination and bought the ticket to Japan a few days ago.

Because flights departing from Japan would be harder to track from here. He probably chose a foreign airline as well.

He would have used his brain to avoid being tracked as much as possible.

All Jaehyuk could predict was that since Junghyun wouldn’t have had time to get a visa, he must have gone to a country that didn’t require one.

That much wasn’t surprising.

What was unexpected was the time he left Korea.

If it was a 2 PM flight, he must have headed straight to the airport after being dropped off in front of his office.

He probably made that last call to his secretary and then boarded the plane.

So that no one would suspect he wasn’t in Korea.

The reason he specifically mentioned having a business trip to a distant location today was likely to prevent anyone from finding his movements suspicious.

Whether airplane takeoff sounds or train noises were heard in the background, no one would doubt if he said he was on a business trip.

Junghyun was more meticulous and clever than Jaehyuk had anticipated.

That’s why he had been completely fooled. Not just him, but Yoonho and the secretary as well.

Junghyun had become somewhat accustomed to returning home late, and he probably anticipated that Jaehyuk, busy with the shareholders’ meeting, wouldn’t call first as long as they were exchanging messages.

And if he was on a business trip, no one would be suspicious even if his phone wasn’t connected for about an hour while on the plane.

It was already past 3 AM now.

If he had boarded the plane at 2 PM, 13 hours had passed since he arrived in Japan. And since messages were exchanged until 9 PM, he likely boarded a flight departing from Japan after 9 PM.

In that case, he could have gone anywhere. Six hours had passed since 9 PM, so if his phone was still in airplane mode, he could have gone to quite a distant location.

Having considered that far, Jaehyuk stopped his thoughts.

There was no need to think beyond that.

He might be deliberately keeping his phone off, assuming he’d been discovered by now.

So there was no point in speculating further.

There could be a gap of a few hours or days before boarding a plane from Japan to another country. It wouldn’t be that easy to move around abroad.

Yes, that must be it.

So if they moved quickly, they could find him.

They would find him soon.

And once they found him…

What should he do after that?

No, what could he do?

The intention behind sending the contract termination agreement was clear.

It meant that since they had a contractual relationship and a reason for termination had arisen, if Junghyun wanted to prevent the contract details from leaking, he should quietly agree to the termination and submit the divorce agreement.

The fact that he had first sent the document through a law firm also meant that he didn’t want to go as far as a lawsuit.

The divorce agreement was already outlined in the contract, and if Junghyun was abroad, an attorney could attend on his behalf.

Come to think of it, if he had left for abroad considering even this aspect, that was impressive in its own way.

It seemed his joke about going to law school to narrowly evade the law wasn’t just a joke.

Junghyun knew the law well and was using that knowledge effectively.

As the situation continued to deteriorate, Jaehyuk laughed hollowly.

He had thought everything was fine.

He thought they were fine and happy, and that they could be together forever like this.

Even if they couldn’t have children, they could travel together, go camping, surfing, watch movies.

Like that, he thought they would always be happy like friends, like lovers.

But that future existed only in his head.

For Junghyun, there was no future together for the two of them.