TMPW Prologue

The rain was pouring.

A veil of darkness covered the streets. On the wet, asphalt road, a sedan silently drove up before stopping completely. The falling raindrops were illuminated by the bright headlights before disappearing into the darkness once again.

A man was sitting in the back seat of the car, deep in thought. The raindrops fell violently on the roof of the car and trickled down the tinted windows. Beyond the rain-soaked windows sat a luxurious brick house. A yellow light was shining in the 4th floor window.

“Director?”

The driver called the director as if asking him a question. The director had suddenly asked him to stop once they arrived at the house, so the driver stopped driving and parked the car. The director didn’t order him to head anywhere else and just sat there silently.

The driver wondered about the director’s strange behavior and glanced at him through the rear view mirror.

In an immaculate, dark gray suit, his hair neatly swept up, eyes as dark as the night, the young man was surrounded by a cold, but elegant, aura. He seemed untouchable.

Seo JoonHun. He was the eldest son of the HyunJin corporate group as well as its director. No, it was more appropriate to call him the heir to the company. JoonHun did not react to the driver’s call. His hand was on his lap, and he was rubbing his thumb and index finger together.

“Let’s go inside.”

At his words, the car began to move once again. The gate to the parking garage went up as it made a whirring sound. The car’s tail light lit up as it entered the garage.

How would he talk to his wife?

JoonHun frowned in the heavy darkness.

He and his wife had to end it tonight. This marriage had failed. He agreed with his father’s decision. Their marriage was one of ‘convenience’, and it changed according to the ‘convenience’ of it all. He knew it, and his wife knew it as well.

For those at the top 1% of the world, the morals and attitudes kept by ordinary people were not realistic. They were different. Different to their bones. They might even have different DNA.

For them, in their gigantic tower of Babel, family morals, marriage, and even human relationships as a whole were from a different dimension. They learned from a young age that this was the law to keep the status quo.

As usual, the house was quiet inside. Choi Myung, the butler, was waiting in front of the parking garage elevator. It was 11 PM, but the man was still wearing a full suit. He bowed his head slightly when he saw JoonHun.

“Welcome back, sir.”

JoonHun briefly smirked. Choi Myung’s greeting was a sign that he had returned home. He had probably heard Choi Myung’s greetings more than he had heard from his parents or his siblings.

“Yes. Was everything fine here at home?”

After he became an adult, JoonHun spoke to Choi Myung with respect. If he wasn’t there during his stormy childhood, JoonHun wouldn’t have survived it. Now he was the butler that took care of the house.

“It has been quiet.”

‘It was quiet.’ JoonHun slightly furrowed his brow. That was just like his wife. She was always as quiet as a painting. She never opened her mouth easily. That was one of the reasons why he liked her.

Whenever he needed her, she was always by his side, smiling properly. She was like a decorative flower. A wife who accurately read the trends of high society and acted accordingly, benefitting him in the process. She was satisfactory the whole time they were together.

However, the woman wasn’t ‘satisfactory’ anymore. If he knew about it, then she would know about it as well. How did she react when she heard the news? Did she reply with ‘Understood’ like he did? She would never have had a troubling thought pass through her head. Was she already thinking about the next phase of her life?

JoonHun raised his head and looked at the elevator buttons. The ‘2’ button was shining brightly. He recalled that it was their 2-year anniversary. How ironic. Tomorrow, a set of jewelry was going to arrive at their house. However, in the end, was this going to commemorate their divorce instead?

After two short years of marriage, they were going to become a useless existence to each other. No, they were going to have to stab the other in the back. An extensive lawsuit would be served, and their legal marriage would only be an obstacle.

Suddenly, he remembered how she looked at their wedding. The bride’s face covered by a long, white veil. A slender silhouette in front of the sunshine coming in from the windows. Her hair swept up to reveal the neckline underneath it. The cold eyes visible behind the translucent veil.

Ding.

The small sound of the bell broke his train of thought.

Like any other day, his footsteps following the same familiar rhythm, JoonHun walked into the house. The light coming from the extravagant chandelier hanging from the tall ceiling felt awkward today, as if it was a spotlight shining down on a theatrical set. The night view of Seoul outside the windows was distorted by the rain.

His wife was waiting for him inside. As always, she looked perfect. She was wearing a light gray blouse and a dark purple pencil skirt that came to her knees. Her hair was neatly swept up, showing off her diamond earrings. Even her smile was perfect.

JoonHun’s eyes suddenly stopped roaming.

Her smile.

It was different than usual. Her smile was slightly brighter.

It didn’t look uncomfortable or uneasy at all. It was a soft and happy smile.

It this a time to be smiling?

He didn’t know. JoonHun felt his heart give a little twist, as if something in his grasp was now crumbling away. At this moment, he felt uncomfortable and a bit frustrated.

“Have you returned?”

His wife greeted him with the same words as any other day. She spoke in a soft, slightly low, voice. Her pronunciation was clear and sophisticated. It was the same, as if she was a perfectly tuned instrument. But he still felt as if her voice carried excitement and possibly joy. Was he just imagining it?

“Let’s talk for a bit.”

At his words, his wife agreed obediently. At one point her strange tremblings had stopped, and only a poised expression remained. JoonHun took the lead, and she followed behind him. Her light footsteps couldn’t be heard. They turned the corridor and entered the study. The familiar smell of books surrounded them.

Everything felt familiar. This atmosphere was familiar.

JoonHun turned around. His wife looked up at him. He naturally recalled the words he had been meaning to say. ‘You should have received the news from your family by now. You must know what I want to say.’

‘Thank you so much for the past two years. This was a shorter marriage than I expected. You were the perfect wife. I’ll make sure to give you more than the alimony we agreed upon in the contract.’

This was no different from an employer giving a notice of dismissal to his employee.

His wife was looking at him like an actress waiting for the next line. She was wearing a faint smile, but nothing was in her eyes. As always, she didn’t open her mouth.

As the strange silence lingered, her face showed some doubt. Since when had he been able to read her subtle expressions?

His wife slowly raised her hand and grasped her elbow. That was a habit of hers whenever she felt awkward or nervous. Did she feel awkward? Was she also nervous?

It was like his habit of rubbing his right thumb and index finger together…

“What…”

For once, his wife initiated the conversation. It was then that JoonHun realized why he felt upset. His wife was looking forward to this. Anticipation, that was it. Like a convict being released from prison, she was anticipating the words he was going to say.

That he wanted to divorce her.

She was looking forward to it.

She would have already received the news from her father, President Min, so she already knew what he had to say.

For a moment, JoonHun smiled wryly. Let’s divorce. That was the right thing to say. That is what all the elders had agreed on at the marriage meeting. It was an obvious decision for people of this social class. Just another act in this grandiose play. So let’s not hesitate and just say the words. ‘We should divorce.’

He opened his mouth. However, the words that left his mouth were not what he had in mind.

“Happy two-year anniversary.”

His wife’s expression froze at his unexpected words. She raised her head and looked at him as if she couldn’t believe it. Outside the long windows of the study, it continued to rain.

“What…”

His wife opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. JoonHun continued.

“Things are a bit busy back at the office, so let’s have the dinner in a couple of days. Secretary Yoon will notify you.”

He saw her fingertip flinch. She was still looking up at him. Surprise rippled in her pale brown eyes, and he could feel her slender body begin to tremble.