THE COST OF PERFECTION

The Unraveling

The night had settled over the city, casting a deep, velvety darkness outside the windows of Joon Jae and Jeong Eun's opulent home. The soft hum of city life was a distant murmur as Joon Jae emerged from the bathroom, his damp hair falling loosely around his face. Dressed casually, he moved with the ease of someone accustomed to a luxurious lifestyle.

As he entered the bedroom, he noticed Jeong Eun's absence and furrowed his brow. He approached the elegant stand thinking he had left his phone there, but it not there. He quickly checked his coat, but the phone was nowhere to be found.

Growing more frustrated, he stepped out of the bedroom and into the living room. Still no sign of Jeong Eun. He decided to check her study, where he hoped she might be working or perhaps using his phone.

When he entered the study, he saw Jeong Eun seated at her desk, her back turned to him as she focused intently on her laptop. Her posture was relaxed, but the tension in the room was palpable. Her eyes, though, revealed a different story—pale and filled with a mix of hurt and anger.

Joon Jae approached, trying to keep his irritation in check. "I couldn't find my phone. I think I might have left it at the office."

Jeong Eun's voice was steady but carried an edge of calm detachment. "It might be at the office, then."

Joon Jae muttered a curse under his breath. "I'll go and check." He turned to leave, but Jeong Eun's voice stopped him.

"What's so urgent that you need to go out now?" Her tone was laced with a subtle, sarcastic note. Joon Jae, however, was too focused on the inconvenience to notice the underlying sarcasm.

"Just some work stuff," he replied casually, shrugging off her comment as he headed for the door.

Jeong Eun watched him from the window of her study, her expression cold and unreadable as he drove away. The car's taillights faded into the night, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Once she was certain he was gone, Jeong Eun turned back to the study. Her movements were deliberate as she walked over to her desk drawer, opening it with a steady hand. Inside, nestled amongst other items, was Joon Jae's phone.

 Finally her façade of calmness cracked  She stood at the window of her study, staring into the night as her composure shattered. A guttural, anguished scream erupted from her, breaking the stillness of the house. The sound was raw and filled with the weight of her despair and betrayal.

Jeong Eun's hands shook as she stared at Joon Jae's phone. The weight of her discovery pressed down on her, making it hard to breathe. The realization was overwhelming, and her frustration boiled over.

"No! No! This can't be happening!" she shouted, her voice echoing through the quiet house. Her scream of disbelief and anger reverberated off the walls, mingling with the tension that hung in the air.

In a fit of rage, she began to slam her hands on the desk, knocking over papers and scattering objects. The chaos mirrored the storm raging within her. She grabbed a lamp and threw it against the wall, the shattering glass punctuating her anguish.

Her eyes fell on a framed photograph of their wedding day, which had been prominently displayed on the desk. She snatched it up, her face a mask of cold fury. The image of their once-happy union seemed to mock her now.

With a harsh, biting tone, she muttered to the frame, "So this is the game you've been playing, Joon Jae? Well, the rules have changed. And you're about to find out just how this story ends."

With that, she hurled the frame against the wall. The glass shattered, sending fragments cascading to the floor. The image of their wedding was now a mangled, broken reminder of the deceit she felt.

Her breathing was heavy and uneven as she turned back to the desk. She reached into the drawer and pulled out an envelope she had kept hidden. Her hands were steady but her heart raced as she opened it. Inside were photographs: one showed Joon Jae in a passionate kiss with another woman, and several others of her parents, grandparents, and many other relatives in scenes of their tragic deaths. The pictures were stark and painful reminders of the losses she had suffered, and now they felt like a cruel twist of fate.

Her eyes widened in horror and disbelief as she took in the full extent of the betrayal. The envelope's contents revealed not only Joon Jae's infidelity but also a horrifying connection to her family's tragedies.

With a final, resolute breath, Jeong Eun threw the envelope across the room. It landed in a heap, its contents spilling out in a chaotic scatter. The images of her relatives' deaths mixed with Joon Jae's betrayal, creating a jarring and painful collage on the floor.

As Jeong Eun stood amidst the wreckage, her heart pounding with rage and grief, her phone buzzed with a new message. The screen illuminated her face as she saw it was from the unknown number she had received earlier. Her breath hitched as she opened the message, her eyes scanning the text.

The message read: "Hope now you understand everything and can see the true façade. He was never perfect; he just acted. And this is the cost of perfection."

This was the same number which had texted her earlier, she read previous texts "Your husband is cheating on you.", "Your husband was responsible for the deaths of your relatives."

Her anger flared, and she cursed aloud at the screen. The messages that followed were a disturbing revelation of Joon Jae's true nature. The sender warned her of Joon Jae of being a psychopath, detailing the extent of his deceit and criminal behavior. The texts described his manipulations and betrayals in chilling detail, painting a portrait of a man far removed from the perfect husband Jeong Eun had believed in. She cursed herself for not believing this earlier