Me After You | Choi Seungcheol

5. Glass Bridge

That night, Seungcheol was the one granted a sleepless night, the memory of Haeun's hurt expression appearing before him each time he tried to close his eyes. He knew he'd gone too far, but the stress of the day and their overall situation had caused him to lose his cool and take out his frustrations on her. As soon as he spewed those words at her, Seungcheol felt instant regret, but in the heat of the moment, he just couldn't bring himself to take it back. He was well aware that none of this was Haeun's fault. She had been thrown into this mess just like he had, so why was he directing his anger at her?

When morning came, he made his way downstairs still wondering how he was going to face her, but to his surprise, Haeun was nowhere to be found. Still, she had prepared his breakfast and set up the table the same way she did every morning. Leave it to her to still do that in spite of how he'd treated her, Seungcheol thought incredulously.

Seated at the table, he struggled to swallow his food as he stared at the vacant seat across from him. Only at that moment did he realize that as the weeks went by, Seungcheol had grown used to sharing his mornings with Haeun. Every day was the same: he would enter the kitchen while she finished setting up the table, they would sit and start eating in silence, and all that could be heard was the clinking of silverware accompanied by the sound of Haeun turning the pages of whatever book she was reading. But today, everything felt different—and not in a good way.

***

After quietly slipping out of the house early in the morning, Haeun got into the awaiting car, her red and puffy eyes causing Dokyeom and Mingyu to exchange discreet but worried glances. She told them where to go, and a few minutes later, the car rolled to a stop near the Han River.

Stepping out, Haeun felt the crisp morning breeze and fixed the scarf around her neck. Mingyu made a move to follow her, but he halted his steps when she put up her hand to stop him. "I want to be alone for a bit. I'll make sure you can still see me from here."

"Okay, ma'am," he said warily.

The nearby park was bustling with people going about their daily routines—mothers pushing their babies in strollers while cyclists and runners whizzed by, the sounds of children's laughter and chattering combined with the chirping of birds and the rustling of trees' leaves.

Finding a secluded bench overlooking the river, Haeun took a seat and let out a heavy breath as she recalled the events of the previous day. Although she was most upset with Seungcheol, she was also upset with herself for staying quiet and letting him walk all over her. He had belittled and humiliated her in front of his friends, and all she did was run away, crying like a scared child. She hated the fact that her love and devotion for him had made her so weak.

Gazing at the river and observing the movements of the water, Haeun's thoughts drifted to the possibility of leaving Seungcheol and their arrangement behind. What was the point of clinging to something that brought them both such misery?

But then, she remembered the letter Chairman Choi had left her; his final words came flooding back, as well as her silent promise to him to try to soften Seungcheol's heart and give this marriage a chance.

While her heart wanted nothing more than to choose the second option, the rational part of her was afraid she would end up destroying herself if she did.

***

"Should we do something? I feel like we should do something," Dokyeom said anxiously as he and Mingyu sat in the car, watching Haeun from a distance.

"It's not as if we can go up there and give her a hug," the taller man replied sarcastically, his gaze fixed on her. "Let's just keep a close eye on her for now."