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“Haha, So Lee-yeon, it looks like after ignoring me for so long, you’ve forgotten your manners.” The man poked Lee-yeon’s forehead with his finger. Sharp malice gathered like a smile in his eyes.
Looking into this familiar gaze, Lee-yeon suddenly realized how much she’d forgotten about her miserable past. Chae-woo’s affection and protection were so strong.
“This won’t do.”
Her cousin clenched his jaw and dragged Lee-yeon outside.
Just then, the automatic door opened and a group of people wearing matching uniforms walked in. Lee-yeon had maintained her composure despite having been slapped twice, but at the sight of the familiar logo on the uniforms, her heart dropped.
The moment caught her off guard and she was carried away easily as though her body was composed of nothing but straw, while at the same time her eyes met Chae-woo’s.
“
!”
“
.”
At the sight of her swollen cheeks and busted lip, he stiffened coldly. It was the slightest of changes, but it still made Lee-yeon’s shoulders shrink. Only then did his cousin begin to move, dragging her as if she were a cow, with a satisfied giggle.
“Since my older brother and sister aren’t here, I should at least pull myself together, shouldn’t I?” he said, strengthening his grasp.
“
If you’re going to drag me away, do it quickly.”
“What?”
“Stop stalling and take me away!”
“Oh!”
Lee-yeon lowered her voice as much as she could and quietly urged her cousin on.
The thought of Chae-woo and his teammates seeing her in such an embarrassing situation struck her like a severe scolding. I can’t be the one to sully Chae-woo’s reputation.
Lee-yeon knew from experience what it was like to be exiled from a community, so she hoped with all her heart that this dirty scandal would not be the start of horrible rumors. As she fought to endure the feelings of shame slowly enveloping her, she closed her eyes.
“So Lee-yeon, open your eyes.”
“
!”
She shivered at the sound of the voice in her ears. Her eyes opened wide against her will. She was helpless against his commanding tone of voice.
“I don’t know why you’re avoiding me when I know you saw me. As your husband, I have no choice but to misunderstand this situation.”
“Chae—Chae-woo.”
Before she knew it, Chae-woo was right in front of her, his gaze icy, as he said, “Explain, before I skin this bastard alive.”
“Where are you off to in such a hurry with your face swollen like that? What were you planning to do with this idiot?”
“Who the fuck are you?!” Her brother looked livid.
“Lee-yeon, I asked you a question.”
Her cousin glared angrily at Chae-woo as he struck him on the shoulder. Unfazed, Chae-woo merely stared at Lee-yeon. He couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from her red cheeks.
His expression was as easy to read as a blank sheet of paper, but the look in his eyes told a different story. He felt unusually consumed by the notion that he should not move even a single step before hearing Lee-yeon’s response. Lee-yeon quickly thrust herself between them.
“Hey, come on, don’t be rash–”
She quickly moved to discourage her cousin before he started a fight. But it was Chae-woo who responded.
“
who is this?”
He tilted his head slowly toward Lee-yeon as though trying to confirm whether or not he’d read this situation correctly.
His face had been blank and difficult to read this entire time, but finally showed some hint of emotion. He questioned her fiercely, his voice having lost its composure entirely.
“How exactly do you know each other?” He couldn’t recall her ever having mentioned him before.
Chae-woo’s eyes trembled.
“And rather than going into the motel together, you’re in a rush to leave. Who the hell is he?”
“It, it’s not like that, he’s my cousin
!”
“Cousin?”
The corners of Chae-woo’s mouth rose into a grin as he recalled the details of Lee-yeon’s family history that Beom-hee had given him.
“Ah, those sons of bitches.”
Without even a hint of hesitation, Chae-woo grabbed the man by his head. His grip was so tight it turned his knuckles white.
Her cousin, his pride shattered, tried futilely to escape Chae-woo’s death grip. His mouth filled with blood and spit, he let out a heavy groan.
“Ugh
.! Fuck, husband? Did you say husband?”
To free himself from Chae-woo’s grasp, he fell messily to the floor. Eventually, her spiteful cousin began to shout, his face grim.
“Why is the world so unfair? How many peoples’ lives have you ruined and you’re here being all lovey dovey with your husband? My mom, uncles, aunts, brother, and sisters have suffered their whole lives. While we were rotting away in a mental hospital you were off pretending to be a decent person and getting married!”
Lee-yeon felt her eyes begin to burn as she felt the stares of the people around them.
Her cousin’s sense of injustice had been building since they were children. From a pencil break or someone tripping, to failing a test or losing their fortune. Every personal misfortune had been blamed on Lee-yeon’s improper birth. It’d been a long time since she’d lived among such vulgarity.
“Do you think it makes sense for you to enjoy your life like nothing happened?”
As this was all unfolding, Chae-woo was signaling secretly to Beom-hee who was undercover nearby, observing every change in Lee-yeon’s expression with his arms crossed.
“Every member of my family has a mental illness. I went to the hospital because everything in my life fell apart. Why is it always the innocent who suffer? Complete strangers can understand us, so what’s wrong with you? Who changes their number and runs away so they can live well all on their own? Shit! And you call yourself human?”
“
.”
He raised his voice as if to show off, and as expected, the sound of whispers poured from the surrounding audience. Lee-yeon’s face was burning from embarrassment.
She didn’t care much about his criticism of her. But the presence of Chae-woo and his coworkers bothered her.