the one that got away | cloy

Chapter 03: A Loverʼs Longing.

Completely devoid of mistakes and typos, apologies in advance.

Seo Dan had already eaten dinner and gone to bed by the time she head the keys jangling against their main doorʼs entrance. Since their usual post-fight period of a week was over, she went to the master bedroom- the one both Jeong Hyeok and her shared. It had been a common practice for the couple; whenever they had an argument, they'd sleep in different rooms with Jeong Hyeok in a room downstairs and Dan lounging uncomfortably in a room upstairs. As a result of this horrible commotion, their personal items were all over the place. One would think because Danʼs pearly hairclip was on their master bed roomʼs side table, it was because the two had spent a lovable night together. Little did they know, it was because they had to keep moving to and fro from one fight to another.

The more Seo Dan thought about her relationship with Jeong Hyeok, the more miserable she felt. Just how long she would keep lying to herself?

Upon his arrival, Jeong Hyeok takes one look at the figure in the king sized bed. Without as much as a second glance at his wife, he makes his way towards the bathroom to change.

While heʼs inside, Dan lets her mind wander off to the only good dream she has had for the last eight years. Her eyes close, relishing the few moments of bliss where Seung Jun kisses her on the forehead and whispers something in her ear. She finds herself smiling, in the dream and also, in reality. The smile on her face is wiped off the moment she hears the bathroom door click.

Wordlessly, she watches Jeong Hyeok make his way towards his side of the bed, pitifully, moving as far away from her as he could. She did not mind now, it was something she was comfortable with. In the first few years of their marriage, she had expected him to make a move on her sweet talk his way into the bed and touch her, but the desire to be touched by her husband decreased as the years went by. All too well, Dan came to an understanding that it was not his touch that she craved, rather someone elseʼs.

"Did you eat dinner?" Dan attempts to start a conversation. It was not any more than nine in the evening. As both of them had early classes tomorrow, this was their ideal time to get some good sleep.

She turns to his side slightly, "I kept your portion of meatballs in the fridge."

He turns his head towards her.

"Thank you, Dan, but I am not hungry." Ever the gentleman, he always made sure to be polite and thankful when he talked to her. It was one of the things that had made him attractive in her eyes the first time she had seen him.

"Okay."

The fidgeting from both sides continues until Jeong Hyeok can take no more. Surely, this matter also concerned Dan. He was not foolish enough to realize that his wife was in love with another man.

"Jeong Hyeok? Is something wrong?" this was the most personal they had gotten in months, it was rather shameful if one thinks of it.

On the opposite end, he takes in a deep breath.

And then,

"I saw Seung Jun today."

Dan feels like she has misheard him- but Jeong Hyeok never stutters nor does he lie.

"He came with a little girl," he adds, ignoring Dan.

"Do you think they got married? Was it his daughter? Of course, it was his daughter. She called him appa." it was as if Jeong Hyeok was talking to the ceiling above their heads. His eyes never blinked; did not even divert to Dan on his left who seemed like she had seen a ghost. Her frail body was shaking all over the place and her mind was haywire. As if a million bombs were going off in her head at the same time. Dreaming about him was one thing, hearing his name out of someoneʼs mouth was another. And what had he said about the little girl who had called him appa? Had he married the south Korean woman? Was he not in misery like she was? Had she been a fool to waste eight years of her life on a man who had been happily married to the one woman she loathed with all her life?