TMPW Ch 1 part 3

With that, the couple started their married life. During their 3-day-2-night honeymoon, they never left the resort. While it was a honeymoon only in name, JoonHun was infatuated with Yuan. His wife’s body was like a sweet aphrodisiac to him.

No matter how many times he embraced her, her body was a drug that never failed to bring him great pleasure. Although her movements were initially awkward, she was beginning to move in tune with his body. He found no greater joy than seeing his wife’s face contorted in the sexual pleasure she discovered with him.

However, sex was just sex. There was nothing more insufferable than mixing sexual pleasure with love. The saying ‘What draws the body, draws the heart’ did not apply to JoonHun. Desire would arise like fire, but it also disappeared. Min Yuan would be the same.

They were business partners. They made a deal in order to make profit, and they only had sex to feel pleasure, so they ultimately couldn’t be like other married couples.

Their Japanese honeymoon was a fantasy, and Seoul was reality. 40,000 employees, 200,000 if their families were included, relied on him. A honeymoon fantasy wouldn’t get in the way of that. His reality was a chain of designing projects and marketing, banks, and investments.

Therefore, there were silent rules between them. They didn’t speak of the rules or make them clear, but it was a clear line in the sand.

They never approached the other out of sentiment.

They never concerned themselves with the other’s private lives.

They had sex, but only out of consideration for the other. JoonHun frequently had to work overnight or go on business trips. His work never ended. If he needed her during the night, he would go find her. However, if Yuan refused, he didn’t approach her. He also tried to keep distance when they slept.

They needed to put in effort in order to keep up this situation. There was no need to make the other’s heart waver just because of something like lust. The orgasms were like a bonus. There was no need to cause any problems because of that.

In order to keep his distance with her, JoonHun was meticulous about his actions. He considered it as insurance for the future. As for Yuan, she never approached him first. They both knew this well. They both knew their relationship better than anyone. Or so he thought.

This was exactly what suited him. The shell was there, but the seed was hollow. That summed up their relationship. Therefore, bringing up divorce would never be an issue.

That’s exactly how it was.

However…

---

“What did you say?”

His wife’s cold voice sounded a bit different than usual.

She proceeded to look at him as if he was playing some kind of sick joke.

He enjoyed seeing her stiff face trying hard to keep its usual mask. Living with someone was an interesting experience. They had spent two years living like strangers, but he had come to know her a little better.

At first, he didn’t notice them. The tiny habits, the changes in her eyes, the many masks, and the walls she put around herself…

He even knew what she did during the day when he wasn’t there. She usually sequestered herself in her studio and drew all day. Around the time JoonHun finished work, she would get herself ready and take care of any household matters that needed her attention. She’d show her face at any events they attended, and once a week, she’d give a lecture at the university.

Would she continue on the same way after their divorce?

Whatever. Wondering about this was useless anyway.

Passing by the hazy buildings in the pouring rain, JoonHun was heading back to the place they called ‘home’ for the past two years. Even then, he was definitely planning on notifying Yuan about their divorce. So what could have caused him to change his mind in such a short period? He felt it was ridiculous himself, so his wife probably felt the same.

If JoonHun hadn’t seen his wife’s expression filled with anticipation and joy back in the parlor, he would have asked her for a divorce as planned.

What are you doing, Seo JoonHun?

He wanted to ask himself that very question.

“Don’t worry about the anniversary dinner.”

His wife spoke in a cool voice. Was she aware that the smile had vanished from her face?

“Why would that be important right now?”

Her words were said with a biting tone.

“Because it wouldn’t be proper if we don’t celebrate it.”

As he responded, JoonHun was aware how absurd he sounded. How could he be worried about propriety in this situation?

How wife’s lips opened as she stared at him. Then it closed back shut. No one knew who would bring up the subject of divorce first. Who would officially end this relationship? Who would end this game they had been playing? Whoever brought it up would have to bear the weight of the consequences.

His wife wanted to be the victim of this relationship.

“You should have received a call from your family, Yuan.”

JoonHun crossed his arm as he leaned on the desk. He didn’t forget to put on a soft and relaxed smile.

“But do you think our relationship should be shaken because of something like that?”

“What?”

His wife glared at him as she asked. As he looked back at his wife, he realized that her wedding ring had disappeared from her left ring finger. Had she already gotten rid of it? His good mood immediately vanished.

His wife wasn’t feeling that much better. She had a resolute expression on her face that he had not seen in their two years of marriage. Now that he thought about it, they had never fought before. It was obvious why they hadn’t. They never had a reason to.

“JoonHun-ssi.”

His wife called him in a stiff voice.

“Your father will have already made a decision.”

‘Your father’. She had already stopped calling him ‘Father-in-law’. As she said, President Seo had made a decision. He had commanded JoonHun to get a divorce in the conference room at work.

“Am I wrong?”

Divorce. Right. We need to get one. But for some reason, it put him in a bad mood.

For some small, trivial reason.

Was it his pride? Or his bad temper?

He didn’t know. Whenever he made a decision, JoonHun was logical and sharp. The only time he made any decision based on emotion was due to his hormones during his teenage years.

So what was he doing right now?

Why was he talking nonsense?

Why was he observing Min Yuan’s reaction? Why did he notice her fingers and her small movements?

“I think…

JoonHun opened his mouth and continued to stare sharply at Yuan.

“…there’s something different going on in our situation right now.”

Yuan wordlessly pondered over JoonHun’s words.

“Something our company or R&K didn’t notice.”

“Just what are you talking about?”

Yuan but her lip as if she was shocked.

“HyunJin clearly implemented the details both companies agreed on.”

“You’re right. But we still got some damage from this.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“I wonder why.”

JoonHun suddenly steered the conversation in a different direction.

“It seems that you’ve been expecting this and are even glad this has happened.”

Her slightly hardened eyes instantly went cold.

“…How can that be? I truly am disappointed that this has happened to our two companies.”

Disappointed.

For a moment, JoonHun felt a twitch in his gut.

His wife was amazing. Her word choices were appropriate for this divorce. ‘Disappointed’. Living under a contract marriage for 2 years, and disappointed in ending things this way.

“You know very well that our marriage isn’t like the ones that normal people have.”

“Marriage is marriage.”

Yuan’s gaze sharpened as JoonHun acted as though he didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Are you joking?”

Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

“This is a contract. A contract that was bound to come to an end.”

It was as if she had dropped a bomb. JoonHun continued to lean on the desk as he watched her.

When did it happen? Was it last winter? Towards the end of the year, he saw his wife look down through the hotel window. The excitement that came with the end of the year was in the air. A crowd of people were watching the stage with their champagne glasses raised as they watched the count down.

His eyes had gone to her by chance, and he was able to notice that she was looking in the opposite direction from the other people. Wearing a blue dress with the falling snow as the backdrop, his wife looked even more beautiful than usual. It had been three months since the last time JoonHun and Yuan had been intimate.

He was always busy, but wife was often busy as well. She said that it was because she had just published an illustration book and had an exhibit to set up, so she wasn’t in great condition. It didn’t matter. He had to curb his intense desire for her anyway.

However, his eyes kept being drawn back to his wife. It was probably because he hadn’t been satisfied lately. He kept feeling as if his wife’s dress was revealing too much, so his eyes kept going to it. Was that just her way of telling him that tonight would be a good night? Suddenly, he saw her reflection in the black glass.

His wife was crying. No, she was laughing. He saw her eyes were sparkling with tears and her tender, trembling lips.

“Happy New Year!”

The booming voice of the spokesperson rang from behind JoonHun. His wife was still looking out the window. She noticed the people that were beginning to approach her and quickly wiped her tears away. She smiled gracefully at the clients that came up to her.

JoonHun’s curiosity was piqued. That was obvious.

Why did Min Yuan make an expression like that?

JoonHun made his way to the window his wife had been looking out of. The snow was still falling outside. He saw the hotel’s main entrance and saw a few drivers that had come to pick up their VIP guests.

Among them, he saw one man quickly turn around. He was a tall man in a black tuxedo. JoonHun only caught a quick glance of the man, but he was definitely familiar.

Lee TaeKyung.

JoonHun knew the man’s name. This was because he had privately ordered an investigation on this man, and the resulting documents had been placed on top of his desk the next day. When he saw the name, JoonHun remembered the odd surge of cold emotions that flooded his gut.

Why did you cry? Why did you laugh? Was it all for that man? Just what was going on between the two? Did he really want to know?

JoonHun recalled these annoying questions now as he stood in his study.

“The contract won’t be broken until I say so.”

JoonHun voice was ice cold.

“The people involved in the contract is just the two of us anyway.”

His wife’s eyes hardened even more. Her rage settled, and it looked like she was calculating something in her head as she looked at him. JoonHun got up from the desk and walked towards her. Her fragrance tickled his nose.

Yuan was surprised at his approach and flinched as she tried to back up. JoonHun’s hand held her elbow.

Her mysterious brown eyes were looking up at him. An urge. Yeah, let’s call it an urge. Sometimes, JoonHun remembered her expression as she looked at that bastard. Her true face underneath her mask that had been reflected in that window. Her teary eyes looking at him with fondness, her lips as it widened into a trembling smile.

And whenever he recalled her expression, something began to move inside of him. Like a black shadow, a terrifying monster, a violent rage.

He looked down at his wife’s eyes and spoke in a low voice.

“I don’t plan on breaking up with you.”

As Yuan tried to take her arm out of his grasp, his hand tightened. Alarmed, she tried to take a step back. JoonHun reflexively stepped forward and lowered his head. His wife’s breaths quickened in surprise.

“Let go.”

Yuan growled as she glared fiercely at JoonHun.

The tension and rising heat between the two filled the room. The elbow in JoonHun’s hand was slender. His hand only touched her silk blouse, but a shudder went through him like a wild lightning strike.

“I said let go!”

His wife tried to shake him off with more vigor. But it was too late.

JoonHun’s lips covered Yuan’s, and his body enveloped her defiant body. She cried out, but he didn’t care. His hands wrapped around her hips and lifted her up.

His kiss with his wife was far from sweet. There was the faint taste of blood. This was because Yuan was biting down on his lips.

“Ugh.”

JoonHun immediately took his lips off of hers. The sharp pain coming from such tender lips left an intense impression on him.

Slap!

His wife slapped his cheek.

“JoonHun-ssi.”

His wife warmed him sharply.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

She asked as she roughly shook off his hand and stepped back.

In the freezing silence, the raindrops hitting the windowpane seemed even louder. JoonHun didn’t move. He continued to stand there as he stared at his wife.

Something had pierced him from the inside and came out. JoonHun felt as if he finally had an inkling of what this entity moving underneath his hard shell was.

His wife quickly brought her expression under control. She then spoke to him in a graceful, calm voice that never failed to impress him.

“I’ll say this again. This has already been decided, so it doesn’t matter what story you spin. Our own decisions don’t matter in this situation. Please get yourself together by tomorrow.”

She straightened her clothes and left his study with a straight face. JoonHun looked at the closed door for a moment. Her words were one-hundred percent correct. This was already something that had been decided between their two families. Even if they resisted, nothing would change. However…

“What if I don’t want to?”

His voice lingered in the room before disappearing with the rain.