TANGLED HEARTS

Chapter 12: Huiju's Confrontation

The evening air was heavy as Kang Huiju sat by the window, her thoughts swirling like the dark clouds that gathered outside. A faint breeze slipped through the cracked window, but it did little to cool the firestorm inside her. She had run this moment through her mind a thousand times, imagined every word she would say, every reaction she might get. But now, as the minutes ticked by, her hands trembled, and she felt the weight of the truth pressing down on her like a boulder.

When the door finally opened, her stomach lurched.

Tae-Oh stepped in, his shoulders slack with the exhaustion of the day, his tie loosened and the top button of his shirt undone. He glanced toward her, a soft smile tugging at his lips as if nothing in the world had changed.

"Hey," he murmured, dropping his keys on the table by the door. His voice, usually so warm and inviting, grated against her raw nerves tonight.

Huiju stood slowly, the fabric of her dress slipping between her fingers as she fidgeted. She watched as Tae-Oh moved toward her, his footsteps deliberate, yet relaxed. Her throat tightened as she fought to find the words, her heart pounding loud enough to drown out the sounds of the city below.

"Hey," she whispered back, her voice barely audible, feeling like a foreign sound in her ears.

Tae-Oh stepped closer, but stopped when he saw the tension in her posture. His brows furrowed, a flicker of concern crossing his face. "What's wrong?"

Huiju swallowed hard, tasting the bitterness of her hesitation. Her mind raced, replaying the moments from the past few weeks—the lies, the distance, the way he had always seemed just out of reach. Now, with him standing in front of her, she felt like she was staring at a stranger.

"We need to talk," she finally said, her voice firmer this time, though it still trembled with the weight of what was to come.

Tae-Oh frowned, his jaw tightening slightly. "About what?"

Huiju took a deep breath, her fingers clutching the edge of the table for support. She couldn't afford to back down now, not when the truth was so close to the surface.

"I know about you and Do-Hee."

The words fell between them like a stone dropped into still water. She watched as Tae-Oh's expression shifted—first confusion, then a brief flicker of surprise. It was fleeting, almost imperceptible, but Huiju saw it. Her chest tightened as she waited, holding her breath.

He straightened, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What are you talking about?" His voice was calm, too calm, as if he were trying to buy himself time.

Huiju's heart sank, her stomach churning with a mixture of fear and frustration. "Don't do that, Tae-Oh," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Don't lie to me. I've seen the way you look at her. I've seen the way you've been with me, how distant you've become. You're having an affair with her."

Tae-Oh's eyes darkened, but his face remained unreadable. He exhaled slowly, walking past her toward the window. His back to her, he gazed out over the city, the lights flickering in the distance like fading stars.

"You're imagining things," he said quietly, his voice steady, controlled. Too controlled.

Huiju's fingers dug into the table's edge, her knuckles turning white as she felt the tears well up in her eyes. The way he dismissed her, the way he refused to even acknowledge what was happening—it cut deeper than she'd expected.

"I talked to Shi-Oh," she continued, her voice trembling but louder now. "He told me everything. He's seen it too. He's not paranoid, and neither am I."

Tae-Oh turned, his expression unreadable, his eyes sharp and calculating. There was a long pause, the silence between them thick and suffocating. Huiju's heart pounded in her chest, and for the first time, she wondered if he was even capable of feeling guilty.

"Shi-Oh," he muttered, his tone laced with quiet disdain. "I should have known."

He took a step toward her, his eyes locking onto hers with an intensity that made her breath catch. "Huiju, listen to me," he said, his voice low and almost soothing, like a parent trying to calm a child. "There's nothing going on between me and Do-Hee. You're letting your imagination run wild."

The tears spilled over now, hot and angry. She shook her head, stepping back as the pain surged through her. "No, I'm not imagining this. I've given you everything, Tae-Oh. I've trusted you, I've loved you, and you've been lying to me."

His jaw clenched, but there was no apology in his eyes. Only frustration. "You need to stop this," he said, his voice growing colder. "You're making something out of nothing. Do-Hee and I work together. That's it."

Huiju let out a small, bitter laugh, wiping the tears from her cheeks with the back of her hand. "If that's true, then why do you keep coming home late? Why are you always distracted? Why do I feel like I'm losing you?"

Tae-Oh's gaze softened, but not with the tenderness she had once cherished. It was the look of someone who believed they were still in control of the situation, someone who was confident that no matter what, she wouldn't leave.

He stepped closer, his hand reaching out to touch her arm. "Huiju," he whispered, his voice soothing, almost hypnotic. "I love you. I'm just busy with work right now. Once the merger is done, things will go back to normal. You'll see."

But even as he said the words, she could feel the hollowness in them, the emptiness of promises he had no intention of keeping. He was right—she wasn't going to leave him. She loved him too much, and despite everything, she still hoped. She still clung to the belief that maybe, just maybe, he would stop.

But deep down, she knew better.

Huiju stepped back, pulling her arm from his grip. Her eyes met his, filled with hurt, but there was a quiet strength there too. "You don't love me," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Not the way I love you."

Tae-Oh didn't respond. He didn't need to. The silence that followed was louder than any denial he could have spoken.

The possessiveness in Tae-Oh had always been subtle, something that crept into their affair in small, almost unnoticeable ways. But now, it was becoming something else—something darker.

Do-Hee could feel it in the way his eyes lingered on her a little too long when she mentioned Shi-Oh. The way his hand would tighten around hers just a little too hard when she talked about going home. It was a possessiveness that made her stomach churn with a mixture of excitement and fear.

They were sitting in the back of a quiet restaurant, tucked away in a corner where no one could see them. The air between them was heavy, charged with the tension that had been building for weeks. Do-Hee glanced down at her phone as it buzzed, Shi-Oh's name flashing on the screen.

She felt Tae-Oh's gaze on her, sharp and intense. "It's him, isn't it?"

Her throat tightened as she nodded, her fingers hesitating over the screen. Tae-Oh's jaw clenched, his eyes darkening with jealousy.

"Are you going to answer it?" he asked, his voice low, dangerous.

Do-Hee looked up at him, her pulse quickening. There was something different about the way he looked at her now, something possessive, almost territorial. She had seen flashes of it before, but tonight, it was unmistakable.

"I have to," she whispered, though her heart wasn't in the words. "He'll get suspicious."

Tae-Oh's hand shot out, gripping her wrist tightly, his gaze burning into hers. "I don't like it," he muttered, his voice low and dangerous. "You're mine, Do-Hee. Not his."

Her breath caught in her throat, her pulse racing as his words sank in. There was a fire in his eyes, something primal and consuming, and for a moment, she felt trapped between the man she had fallen for and the man who wanted to own her.

"I know," she whispered, her voice trembling as she looked away, her heart pounding in her chest.

But even as she said the words, the phone continued to buzz in her hand, a reminder of the life she was still tethered to—the life that was slowly slipping away.