Chapter 53
by GideonHyewan, who had been staring at her fingertips, finally looked up.
She’ll find out anyway during the divorce proceedings, she thought. But she had to tell Min-suk the truth now, to prevent her from being deceived by Chairwoman Kang or Madam Park again.
“Mom.”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I’m getting a divorce.”
“What? Why so suddenly?”
“I wanted to show you that I was living well… I’m sorry it turned out like this.”
“Why are you getting a divorce? Did Son-in-law Cha have an affair? Did he hit you?”
At Gyeong-ae’s words, Min-suk shot to her feet and grabbed Hyewan’s sleeve, pulling it up.
“Mother, he did things far more vicious than that.”
Bora, who had been bursting with frustration at their silence, finally cut in.
“They married Hyewan off to Cha Yundo just to use her as a human shield against his bad luck!”
“What?”
Min-suk doubted her own ears. She had heard the words clearly, yet she couldn’t bring herself to believe them.
“Bora, what did you just… say?”
“Mother, a scapegoat! A spiritual scapegoat! You know, like in those dramas. And you know what’s even more outrageous? They planned to divorce her after only three years! By then, all of Cha Yundo’s bad luck would have been transferred to Hyewan!”
Min-suk’s stomach churned. Having been kicked out with her own mother, who had become a shaman, and then forced to do menial chores at her mother’s shrine, Min-suk knew all too well what a spiritual scapegoat was.
“Then… did they know Hyewan’s maternal grandmother was a shaman?”
“Yes. They did a full background check before they even approached her.”
Ah…!
“Min-suk!”
“Mother!”
As Min-suk stumbled, Gyeong-ae and Bora caught her from either side.
I should have known, Min-suk thought bitterly. How could a family that prestigious ever accept Hyewan—a girl without a father—as their daughter-in-law?
Yet, she had been relieved to see how much they seemed to adore Hyewan. She had foolishly assumed they were a good family, one that judged a person solely by their character. All the while, she had remained oblivious to how her own daughter was being treated!
“Mom, calm down. If they get a divorce, it’s over.”
“How can you say it’s over just because they get a divorce!” Min-suk shrieked.
Only now did Chairwoman Kang’s reaction make sense—the way she had acted when Hyewan was rushed into surgery after the accident. That family didn’t care if Hyewan lived or died. As long as their own son was safe, they couldn’t give a damn what happened to her daughter.
Min-suk clenched her fists.
Madam Park’s chronic migraine was so severe she could barely keep her eyes open. Her head had been pounding ever since Jinju-daek told her that Hyewan knew everything. To make matters worse, Chairwoman Kang—who had gone to Hyewan’s hospital despite Madam Park’s desperate pleas—had returned in a towering rage, unleashing her fury.
The previous night had been nearly unbearable for Madam Park to endure sober.
The pain was almost as bad as the day her husband died, but she knew she had to stay sharp to help Yundo when he needed her. She brewed a strong pot of coffee, a drink she rarely touched. Even then, she had to drink it at the kitchen table, refusing to set foot in the living room.
She couldn’t stand to be in the same space as Chairwoman Kang, whose presence still lingered there.
Just then, the doorbell rang. Jinju-daek, who had checked the intercom, returned looking flustered.
“Madam, the younger madam’s mother is here.”
“What?”
Madam Park’s heart sank. Her hands trembled as she realized the moment she had been dreading had finally arrived.
“What should I do?” the maid asked.
“Let her in.”
Madam Park knew she had to accept whatever Min-suk said or did. After all, she was the sinner here. She left the kitchen and stood by the entrance, waiting.
Soon, Min-suk appeared, her face pale with fury. Gyeong-ae followed closely behind. The look Min-suk leveled at Madam Park was murderous.
“Madam…”
“I trusted you,” Min-suk spat. “I truly trusted you!”
Madam Park felt her heart tear apart at the raw anger in Min-suk’s voice.
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re a parent yourself! How could you do that to my daughter? To my daughter!”
Min-suk choked on her rage, unable to even finish her sentence. She reached into the black plastic bag she had brought and hurled its contents. Red beans rained down upon Madam Park.
“So you’re that afraid of bad luck? Here, take this! Take it so all that damn bad luck of yours will vanish!”
The red beans struck Madam Park’s body, stinging worse than needles.
Chairwoman Kang, who had been in the study, came out at the sound of the commotion and froze at the sight before her.
“What on earth is the meaning of this? In someone else’s home—”
Min-suk gritted her teeth and hurled the beans at Chairwoman Kang. The force was incomparable to what she had thrown at Madam Park. With each handful of beans, the eighty-year-old woman’s frail body swayed. No one tried to stop Min-suk. No one could.
“How dare you use my daughter as a scapegoat? Did you want her to die taking your grandson’s bad luck? Who do you think you are to treat my daughter so carelessly? The daughter I myself can’t even bring myself to mistreat!”
To Min-suk, Hyewan was a daughter far too good for her. If she had been born to well-educated parents from a wealthy family, she would have been a child who could fully unleash her talents. That was why Min-suk was always so careful, even with the words she chose when speaking to her daughter.
“What are you all standing around for? Get them out of here, now!” Chairwoman Kang shrieked, dodging the red bean shower.
“I wouldn’t stay in this filthy house even if you paid me!” Min-suk warned, having hurled the entire bag. “Don’t you ever try to see my daughter again. Next time, this won’t be enough. It’ll only end when you’re all dead, so you’d better remember my words.”
She would do anything for her daughter. Even if it meant becoming a murderer, she could kill everyone who dared to torment her child.
After her resolute declaration, Min-suk turned away without a backward glance.
“You despicable people! You’d better take this to heart!” Gyeong-ae added before storming out the front door.
Back at the hospital, Min-suk spoke the moment she saw Hyewan.
“Get a divorce.”
Min-suk was resolute.
“There’s nothing to think about. If this path is wrong, you have to turn back.”
“That’s right, Hyewan. This isn’t right. Do you think I worked so hard to raise you just for you to be treated like this?”
“I’m going to get a divorce.”
Hyewan, who had been sitting motionless, finally spoke. Min-suk and Gyeong-ae’s eyes met.
“Are you really going to do it?”
“Yes.”
The Hyewan Min-suk knew never made empty threats. She knew the words were sincere, but that brought its own set of worries. Though she said she was fine, Min-suk knew all too well that Hyewan couldn’t possibly be.
Divorce was a messy, gut-wrenching ordeal.
Could Hyewan endure it?
Min-suk was worried sick about her daughter, but she still had to make sure she got that divorce.
No one who treated someone else’s precious child like an object was ever a decent human being. She would never let Hyewan set foot in that house again.
Min-suk vowed it.
The New Year dawned.
As always, the company held its annual New Year’s meeting. A long queue of new business presentations and meetings awaited his approval. Yet, Yundo remained shut away in his hotel room, refusing to emerge.
The divorce summons had arrived.
He stared at the document, his hand gaunt from days of neither eating nor sleeping. The complaint alleged alimony for emotional abuse, forced drugging, and a deliberate approach with malicious intent.
The words before his eyes frayed and scattered like loose threads.
I’m sorry. It’s a misunderstanding. Let’s talk in person…
He had sent countless messages to Hyewan, but not a single reply ever came. In that moment, he realized that nothing could open her closed heart—and that his messages themselves might be another form of violence to her.
Confronted with the harsh reality, Yundo collapsed.
The days spent alone were interminably long. He couldn’t even fall asleep without drinking. Every breath sent a throbbing ache through his head, and his heart felt like it was being scorched from the inside. He wasted away, his body withering like a fallen leaf.
He began relying on alcohol, losing track of what day it was. Without being drunk, he couldn’t endure a single second, let alone a minute.
When he was intoxicated, his sight blurred and his hearing faded. His once-sharp senses dulled, and only then could he finally breathe.
He would drink until his body felt like a waterlogged sponge, then black out. Whenever he woke—regardless of the day or time—he would pour more alcohol down his throat.
And so, it began again today.
The sound of someone knocking on his hotel room door seemed distant, but he ignored it. Soon, the door burst open as if it had been smashed, and Dong-yeong rushed in.
“Sunbae!”
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