Chapter 18: Emptying Out

Jae-Ha pushed Ji-Han aside just as he tried to close the passenger door I had opened.

His cold, steely gaze locked onto Ji-Han.

I looked between them—Jae-Ha, silently signaling me to get in the car, and Ji-Han, glaring with a fury that showed no signs of calming down.

These two… this feels dangerous.

“Get in,” I said softly.

Knowing Ji-Han wasn’t in any state to be reasoned with, I got into the passenger seat.

As soon as I sat down, a deep sigh escaped me.

Outside, Jae-Ha blocked Ji-Han’s path as he stepped forward, clearly not ready to back down.

“She’s my fiancée. Brother, what do you think you’re doing?”

Jae-Ha stood close—nearly nose-to-nose with Ji-Han—his voice low and sharp.

“You’re the one acting forceful. And since when is she your fiancée?”

Ji-Han ran a hand through his hair, visibly fraying at the edge of his patience.

“Let’s stop. I’ve got limits too, you know.”

“You heard her in the meeting, didn’t you? She called off the engagement.”

“She was just saying that out of anger! Yoon Yeo-Jin, aren’t you getting out?”

He banged on the car window, eyes still locked on Jae-Ha with an expression that teetered on unhinged.

Jae-Ha shoved him back again.

“She said no. Don’t push her. And if you really have something to say, tell it to her lawyer.”

With that, he returned to the driver’s seat and started the engine.

The car began moving slowly.

Through the side mirror, I saw Ji-Han furiously stomp the ground and start dialing his phone.

Hah…

Once he was out of sight, the breath I’d been holding finally came out in a sigh.

“You okay?”

Jae-Ha glanced at me from the driver’s seat, his voice calm but concerned.

Am I okay…?

No. Even wondering about that feels like a luxury.

I didn’t want to seem weak—not over something like this.

I forced a faint smile.

“It just brought back memories. I’m fine.”

“Close your eyes and rest. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

The rush of memories from my past life had left my eyes trembling with fatigue.

Maybe I did need that break, just like he said.

“Thanks. I’ll close them, just for a bit.”

I didn’t know how much time had passed when I felt a gentle shake on my shoulder.

“We’re here.”

Outside the window, I saw the familiar view of my apartment complex.

Jae-Ha parked the car and unbuckled his seatbelt, stepping out.

“Where are you going?”

This is my house. Why is he getting out?

I asked, confused.

He glanced back at me and casually walked ahead, pressing the elevator button.

“I’m coming up.”

“What? Why?”

As the elevator doors opened, he stepped inside and gestured for me to follow.

“Don’t you remember? I said, We should talk.”

“…Ah.”

Right. He had said that—before we left W Group headquarters.

But with Ji-Han’s outburst in the parking lot, everything had slipped my mind.

“Come on. It’s closing.”

His lips tugged into a small smile.

The moment we stepped inside the apartment, darkness enveloped the space.

As Jae-Ha spotted the large box sitting near the entryway, his expression turned to surprise.

“What is all this? Are you moving?”

“That’s Ji-Han’s stuff.”

It had happened just the night before.

Ji-Han had barged in unannounced, dumping his belongings with some ridiculous declaration about combining our lives.

I’d packed everything sloppily back into the box myself.

“They’re his?”

“He dropped it off yesterday—just showed up and decided we should ‘move in together.’”

“Ah. So that’s why you hung up so abruptly during our call.”

He winced a little, clearly remembering the moment.

“Are you going to get rid of it?”

“I should.”

He nodded, then pulled out his phone and made a quick call.

“You’re still downstairs, right? Come up for a second.”

I hadn’t realized his secretary was waiting nearby.

I didn’t recall seeing him at the shareholders’ meeting either.

“He stays unless I tell him to leave.”

Jae-Ha answered before I could ask, smiling faintly as he stepped further into the living room.

A few minutes later, his secretary appeared.

“Good evening, ma’am. You called for me, sir?”

“See that box by the door? And anything else Yeo-Jin tells you—send it to Seo Ji-Han.”

“Yes, sir. Ma’am, is there anything else?”

He turned to me for confirmation.

“Just a few wedding photos around the house. They’re too heavy for me to carry alone.”

“Ah, the framed ones. And this one on the wall—should I take that too?”

He pointed at the large portrait hanging in the main hallway.

It had been too bulky for me to remove myself.

“Yes, please. That one too.”

The photos that had once filled this large, empty house because Ji-Han never did—his excuse always being he was “too busy.”

“You can toss the photos.”

They should’ve been thrown away long ago.

They were nothing more than traces of a past that no longer deserved to be remembered.

And surprisingly, Secretary Han turned out to be even more capable than I had expected.

The house, once filled with wedding photos from my marriage to Ji-Han, now felt not only clean but almost too empty.

The space that had been filled for so long now emphasized its own vacancy.

“When the sun rises tomorrow, send everything off. Then go home, Secretary Han. I’ll drive to the hotel myself.”

Jae-Ha waved his secretary off as he lifted the last of the boxes.

“You’re not going with him?”

“I wanted to talk a little more before I go.”

“I see. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”

I heard murmured conversation by the front door, and soon, Jae-Ha returned to the living room alone.

“Where’s Secretary Han?”

“I told him to go home. Told him to head straight out on his way down.”

“Really? You just let him go? He worked so hard—I wanted to at least offer him something to drink.”

I sat at the table, guilt bubbling up at the thought of the heavy frames and photos he had to carry out.

“I helped carry them too, you know.”

“Well, you’re still here.” I smiled at Jae-Ha, who took a sip of water with a slightly pouty look.

When I turned, I noticed the digital clock on the table—it was already 10 PM.

I guess it’s long past dinner time.

“It’s late. Should I make something to eat?”

As I got up from the table, Jae-Ha glanced around the now-barren living room and rested his chin on his hand.

Despite all the large furniture, the space felt emptier than ever.

“Is there even anything in here?”

“It’s still a home, you know.”

The way he looked up at me made me flinch a little.

Curious, I opened the fridge… only to find it stocked with water and beer.

Wow. Has it always been this empty?

“Totally empty, huh?”

“Jeez!” He had approached so quietly that I didn’t even notice him.

Jae-Ha reached past me and grabbed the refrigerator door from behind, peering inside with a disapproving frown.

Embarrassed, I quickly shut it.

“I mean… not completely.”

With an awkward laugh, I pulled out a pack of instant ramen.

“I’ve got this.”

Eventually, we each had a steaming bowl of ramen in front of us.

I wasn’t normally a fan, but tonight the rich scent of the broth was incredibly tempting.

“Don’t you have someone who helps you with meals? Why is there nothing here?”

Jae-Ha asked, watching me eat.

The place was too quiet—too lifeless to be called a newlywed home. He could sense that.

“The housekeeper comes by now and then. But food made by someone else doesn’t suit me… And living alone, it’s hard to bother cooking just for one person.”

“Still, just eating instant food all the time isn’t healthy.”

In the past, I had once enjoyed grocery shopping myself. Dinner was the only time this cold, lonely house had ever felt remotely warm.

And in those days, cooking dinner for Ji-Han had become my small happiness.

…At least, before I learned the truth.

I had stayed in that dull, joyless marriage for five years.

But once I saw it for what it was, nothing about that past felt worth holding onto.

I was no longer his wife. And I had no reason to keep this empty home.

That realization made me feel strangely hollow.

Noticing my change in expression, Jae-Ha gently changed the subject.

“By the way… I was surprised.”

My chopsticks stopped mid-air.

“Surprised?”

“I didn’t expect you to offer up your shares like that.”

“Well… I thought there’d be a lot of opposition among the shareholders.”

The shocked faces from the boardroom flashed in my mind.

“Are you sure you can trust me? What if I fail?”

“This isn’t about trust or not. You’re my only option, Seo Jae-Ha.”

I set down my chopsticks, and he followed, placing his glass back on the table.

We locked eyes.

“This revenge… it’s everything to me now.”

His eyes, which had earlier flickered playfully, now grew still.

“I meant every word. Today, I gave it everything I had.”

“…”

“I will see this revenge through. And you—prove yourself. In one year.”

It wasn’t a reckless gamble.

What I lacked was business sense—which was his strength.

What he lacked was my past information.

If I become his ally, we can win this.

I would make this revenge a success.

Even if I had to document every shred of past information to ensure his success—

I would do whatever it took.