Side Story. Rose's Past and Present in the Original (6)
"Talk to me."
“Byeol-ha... why are you saying that? There’s no way I didn’t like you. Then I wouldn’t have dated you or married you in the first place.”
“Stop talking nonsense!!”
Byeol-ha let out a bewildered laugh at Lee Do-hyun’s shrill voice.
“Don’t be ridiculous. How can you be broke? I already heard you were recently promoted to manager. Are you kidding me about the salary of a manager at a large corporation?”
“...I don’t work at a large corporation.”
“?”
What the heck is this?
“I quit there a long time ago...”
He actually quit, but it was as good as being fired. When word of his double marriage reached the company, the human resources department kicked Lee Do-hyun out.
With rumors spreading throughout the industry, he couldn’t find a job easily and barely made ends meet at a small company.
Lee Do-hyun never bothered to announce his resignation, and Byeol-ha, who hadn’t contacted anyone since disappearing, was completely unaware of this news.
“You have an apartment, right?”
“...I’ve been renting for a long time. I was married to Gyeo-ru and then switched to renting.”
He muttered quietly.
"Gyeo-ru said it would be difficult to raise a child on my salary..."
Gyeo-ru, who had lived a wealthy life, couldn't possibly have an easy marriage with Lee Do-hyun, an ordinary person.
Furthermore, after being fired from a large corporation, his salary had been halved, and life had become even more difficult.
Despite this, Gyeo-ru continued her extravagant lifestyle.
She couldn't afford luxury goods, and even while married, she was seeing other men, trying to compensate for Do-hyun's lack of financial resources.
It was true that Lee Do-hyun had no money.
Most of his salary went to paying off rent and debt.
Thanks to Gyeo-ru's lavish spending and loans, he was struggling with debt. He didn't even receive any of her life insurance.
Gyeo-ru had cancelled all of Lee Do-hyun's insurance policies. After the funeral, he tried to use insurance to pay off his debt, but the shock never subsided
“Because you hate lying... I won’t lie. Yeah, you might have liked Gyeo-ru more at first, just like you said. But now that I think about it... I think you’re the only one for me, Byeol-ha.”
He looked at Byeol-ha with wavering eyes and said.
“I sincerely apologize for the hurt I caused you. I’m not doing this because I dropped the charges, I’m truly reflecting.”
“Do-hyun...”
Byeol-ha trailed off, calling his name as he whispered his sincere words. Seeing Byeol-ha’s gaze softening, Do-hyun raised the corners of his mouth, finally realizing that his sincerity had reached her.
“It’s too late. Please get out of my sight. I don’t want to associate with trash anymore.”
“!”
Byeol-ha smiled faintly and passed by Do-hyun.
Even after this incident, Lee Do-hyun continued to visit Byeol-ha. He came almost daily, almost like a stamped clock, and he would often send bombshell texts.
Byeol-ha didn't block Lee Do-hyun's contacts. She collected his messages and reported him to the police as a stalker. Only then, after receiving a restraining order, did Lee Do-hyun stop.
Several months had passed since she started attending acting school to start a new life.
At first, she started with the intention of fulfilling Byeol-ha's lifelong dream, but before she knew it, she had found "acting" quite enjoyable. Byeol-ha, who had already shown great acting talent, began attending auditions in earnest.
"There are so many people,"
Byeol-ha muttered to herself upon arriving at the audition venue, looking around.
Compared to the other people with flashy looks, Byeol-ha's appearance was quite ordinary, but Byeol-ha wasn't intimidated.
She thought Byeol-ha's appearance was also quite attractive.
"Ms. Kim Byeol-ha?"
"Yes."
Just then, the audition staff called her name.
“Come in.”
Byeol-ha followed her lead and entered the audition room.
It was a one-on-one interview.
Byeol-ha smiled confidently at the five people in front of her.
The sharp-faced man in the center frowned at Byeol-ha’s resume.
“You don’t have any other experience so far?”
“Yes. I'm just starting out.”
“You worked at a large company, then quit... and you’re divorced?”
“My husband cheated on me with a friend. That’s why I got divorced.”
Despite the rather rude question, Byeol-ha responded nonchalantly.
The divorce wasn’t her fault, so there was no need to bow her head.
The director looked closely at Byeol-ha, who was relaxed and confident. She certainly didn’t stand out, but his gaze was strangely drawn to her.
'Is it because of her confident demeanor?'
He stared blankly at her and then spoke indifferently.
“Yes. Show me the acting you’ve been preparing.”
Byeol-ha closed her eyes as she said she would begin. And, as soon as she opened her eyes, she began acting.
"That dress was in my closet. Why are you wearing it?"
Her natural acting flowed from a tone that wasn't overpowering, as if she were having a real conversation. At the same time, everyone's eyes turned to Byeol-ha.
"Talk to me."
Even though Byeol-ha heard Lee Do-hyun's voice, she treated him as if he were invisible and passed by.
"Byeol-ha."
Lee Do-hyun called out to her again. Byeol-ha once again ignored the voice behind her.
Lee Do-hyun sighed deeply as Byeol-ha whizzed by in the distance. Then, he chased after Byeol-ha and grabbed her wrist.
"Why are you being so childish?"
Byeol-ha stared at Lee Do-hyun, who had grabbed her, with a dry expression. Her cold, emotionless eyes were quite unfamiliar to him.
"Let go. Don't hold on to busy people."
Despite the sharp voice that followed, Lee Do-hyun didn't give up, nor did he let Byeol-ha go.
"Just a moment."
"I have nothing to say to you."
"I... didn't you miss me?"
Lee Do-hyun simply blurted out what he wanted to say.
"Uh. Not at all."
Lee Do-hyun hesitated for a moment at Byeol-ha's firm words, but even then, he spoke to her again.
"I missed you."
Lee Do-hyun stared straight into Byeol-ha's eyes, his pupils trembling and shaking.
"Byeol-ha."
Lee Do-hyun called out to her again. Byeol-ha once again ignored the voice behind her.
Lee Do-hyun sighed deeply as Byeol-ha whizzed by in the distance. Then, he chased after Byeol-ha and grabbed her wrist.
"Why are you being so childish?"
Byeol-ha stared at Lee Do-hyun, who had grabbed her, with a dry expression. Her cold, emotionless eyes were quite unfamiliar to him.
"Let go. Don't hold on to busy people."
Despite the sharp voice that followed, Lee Do-hyun didn't give up, nor did he let Byeol-ha go.
"Just a moment."
"I have nothing to say to you."
"I... didn't you miss me?"
Lee Do-hyun simply blurted out what he wanted to say.
"Uh. Not at all."
Lee Do-hyun hesitated for a moment at Byeol-ha's firm words, but even then, he spoke to her again.
"I missed you."
Lee Do-hyun stared straight into Byeol-ha's eyes, his pupils trembling and shaking.
"I missed you" was the word Byeol-ha, betrayed, had longed to hear all her life.
But no longer.
She wasn't "Byeol-ha," and there was no way she could be manipulated by Lee Do-hyun.
The Lee Do-hyun she'd glimpsed into Byeol-ha's life—this man—had always been like this.
He'd hidden his dirty intentions behind a seemingly kind face, and he'd tried to manipulate Byeol-ha as he pleased.
It was clear that he knew what kind of woman Byeol-ha was.
Because she was the only woman he'd ever known, because he knew she'd be waiting for him even after being betrayed, because he knew that with a single word, he could have her back under his control, and that's why he'd shamelessly come to her.
"...You're truly amazing."
Byeol-ha didn't avoid Lee Do-hyun's eyes, but snickered and let out a laugh.
"Your son, and Gyeo-ru. How long has he been dead for you to say this to me? Do you really think you're creepy?"
"Kim Byeol-ha. Watch your words."
"Why should I be careful with you? You should be thankful I didn't hit you once."
As Byeol-ha pressed Lee Do-hyun, his expression began to harden.
"Do you think I don't know your intentions? You came to ask me to drop the charges."
"!"
Lee Do-hyun flinched on the spot, as if Byeol-ha's words had hit the nail on the head. Byeol-ha, who had been watching Lee Do-hyun closely, raised the corners of her mouth slightly and continued.
"I can tell what you're thinking just by looking at your expression."
But no longer.
She wasn't "Byeol-ha," and there was no way she could be manipulated by Lee Do-hyun.
The Lee Do-hyun she'd glimpsed into Byeol-ha's life—this man—had always been like this.
He'd hidden his dirty intentions behind a seemingly kind face, and he'd tried to manipulate Byeol-ha as he pleased.
It was clear that he knew what kind of woman Byeol-ha was.
Because she was the only woman he'd ever known, because he knew she'd be waiting for him even after being betrayed, because he knew that with a single word, he could have her back under his control, and that's why he'd shamelessly come to her.
"...You're truly amazing."
Byeol-ha didn't avoid Lee Do-hyun's eyes, but snickered and let out a laugh.
"Your son, and Gyeo-ru. How long has he been dead for you to say this to me? Do you really think you're creepy?"
"Kim Byeol-ha. Watch your words."
"Why should I be careful with you? You should be thankful I didn't hit you once."
As Byeol-ha pressed Lee Do-hyun, his expression began to harden.
"Do you think I don't know your intentions? You came to ask me to drop the charges."
"!"
Lee Do-hyun flinched on the spot, as if Byeol-ha's words had hit the nail on the head. Byeol-ha, who had been watching Lee Do-hyun closely, raised the corners of her mouth slightly and continued.
"I can tell what you're thinking just by looking at your expression."
Although she didn't really want to know... Byeol-ha, whom Lee Do-hyun had betrayed, was the one who knew everything about him. Byeol-ha loved him enough to know everything about him.
The way his nose wrinkled when he lied, the habit of scratching the back of his neck when he was embarrassed.
She knew every single thing he did right now.
“I have no intention of dropping the charges, Lee Do-hyun.”
“Byeol-ha, please... let’s not do this between us.”
The way his nose wrinkled when he lied, the habit of scratching the back of his neck when he was embarrassed.
She knew every single thing he did right now.
“I have no intention of dropping the charges, Lee Do-hyun.”
“Byeol-ha, please... let’s not do this between us.”
Byeol-ha’s eyebrows quirked fiercely at the mention of “our relationship.”
“H-our relationship?”
Lee Do-hyun, is he crazy?
“What kind of relationship is ours? Between a traitor who married my friend without permission and a tragic heroine? More importantly, did you... ever like me?”
Lee Do-hyun, is he crazy?
“What kind of relationship is ours? Between a traitor who married my friend without permission and a tragic heroine? More importantly, did you... ever like me?”
“Byeol-ha... why are you saying that? There’s no way I didn’t like you. Then I wouldn’t have dated you or married you in the first place.”
“Stop talking nonsense!!”
Byeol-ha was furious.
Lee Do-hyun’s attitude, shamelessly mocking her with his innocent face, was incredibly unpleasant.
“Since you keep saying it, you really are crazy, aren’t you?”
Byeol-ha kicked Lee Do-hyun's shin hard with her toe. Lee Do-hyun let out an 'Ack' and grabbed his leg.
"If you loved me that much, you shouldn't have cheated on me. You shouldn't have abandoned me and married Gyeo-ru!!"
The pitiful lie infuriated Byeol-ha even more.
Byeol-ha already knew that Lee Do-hyun liked Gyeoru more than her. He was just denying it.
From a third-person perspective, having glimpsed into Byeol-ha's memories, she knew enough.
Lee Do-hyun... never liked Byeol-ha.
They dated because Byeol-ha showed interest in him first, and he was just fulfilling his duty as a boyfriend thanks to his incredibly kind personality.
Even though he fell for Lee Gyeo-ru, the reason he didn't break up with Byeol-ha was that Lee Do-hyun was a very smart man.
Gyeo-ru hated men who clung to him. And she was particularly obsessed with "other men."
Lee Do-hyun was well aware of Gyeo-ru's tendencies. That's why he didn't break up with Byeol-ha.
To keep seeing Lee Gyeo-ru, he kept Byeol-ha by his side.
Marrying Byeol-ha was merely a stepping stone to provoke Lee Gyeo-ru. And, as Lee Do-hyun predicted, Gyeo-ru changed her mind aggressively, culminating in a double marriage.
Lee Do-hyun knew somewhat about Lee Gyeo-ru's promiscuous private life, but at the time, he wanted to keep Gyeo-ru by his side, so he pretended not to know anything and forced the marriage. No, he clung to her. He begged her to marry him, saying, "I'll take care of the child, so please marry me."
Byeol-ha was completely manipulated by Lee Do-hyun's scheme.
The actions she'd believed to be love were nothing more than an illusion.
"You're trash, not even recyclable."
Byeol-ha blurted out the words and tried to leave. She didn't want to associate with Lee Do-hyun anymore.
"Byeol-ha, listen to me."
Lee Do-hyun hesitantly stood up and ran towards Byeol-ha. Then, without a word, she knelt in front of Byeol-ha.
"Byeolha..."
Lee Do-hyun looked up at Byeol-ha with a haggard face.
"It was all my fault. The way I hurt you all this time... I'm reflecting on it too. So... please drop the lawsuit against me."
"No, I don't want to."
"Byeol-ha..."
Lee Do-hyun lowered his head at Byeol-ha's words and sighed. He bit his lower lip for a moment before slowly raising his head.
"I... I didn't want to say this, but I... really... don't have anything."
He muttered, so she couldn't hear what he was saying.
"What are you saying?"
When Byeol-ha muttered annoyedly, he squeezed his eyes shut and spoke again.
"I... really don't have any money!"
“...What?”
Lee Do-hyun’s attitude, shamelessly mocking her with his innocent face, was incredibly unpleasant.
“Since you keep saying it, you really are crazy, aren’t you?”
Byeol-ha kicked Lee Do-hyun's shin hard with her toe. Lee Do-hyun let out an 'Ack' and grabbed his leg.
"If you loved me that much, you shouldn't have cheated on me. You shouldn't have abandoned me and married Gyeo-ru!!"
The pitiful lie infuriated Byeol-ha even more.
Byeol-ha already knew that Lee Do-hyun liked Gyeoru more than her. He was just denying it.
From a third-person perspective, having glimpsed into Byeol-ha's memories, she knew enough.
Lee Do-hyun... never liked Byeol-ha.
They dated because Byeol-ha showed interest in him first, and he was just fulfilling his duty as a boyfriend thanks to his incredibly kind personality.
Even though he fell for Lee Gyeo-ru, the reason he didn't break up with Byeol-ha was that Lee Do-hyun was a very smart man.
Gyeo-ru hated men who clung to him. And she was particularly obsessed with "other men."
Lee Do-hyun was well aware of Gyeo-ru's tendencies. That's why he didn't break up with Byeol-ha.
To keep seeing Lee Gyeo-ru, he kept Byeol-ha by his side.
Marrying Byeol-ha was merely a stepping stone to provoke Lee Gyeo-ru. And, as Lee Do-hyun predicted, Gyeo-ru changed her mind aggressively, culminating in a double marriage.
Lee Do-hyun knew somewhat about Lee Gyeo-ru's promiscuous private life, but at the time, he wanted to keep Gyeo-ru by his side, so he pretended not to know anything and forced the marriage. No, he clung to her. He begged her to marry him, saying, "I'll take care of the child, so please marry me."
Byeol-ha was completely manipulated by Lee Do-hyun's scheme.
The actions she'd believed to be love were nothing more than an illusion.
"You're trash, not even recyclable."
Byeol-ha blurted out the words and tried to leave. She didn't want to associate with Lee Do-hyun anymore.
"Byeol-ha, listen to me."
Lee Do-hyun hesitantly stood up and ran towards Byeol-ha. Then, without a word, she knelt in front of Byeol-ha.
"Byeolha..."
Lee Do-hyun looked up at Byeol-ha with a haggard face.
"It was all my fault. The way I hurt you all this time... I'm reflecting on it too. So... please drop the lawsuit against me."
"No, I don't want to."
"Byeol-ha..."
Lee Do-hyun lowered his head at Byeol-ha's words and sighed. He bit his lower lip for a moment before slowly raising his head.
"I... I didn't want to say this, but I... really... don't have anything."
He muttered, so she couldn't hear what he was saying.
"What are you saying?"
When Byeol-ha muttered annoyedly, he squeezed his eyes shut and spoke again.
"I... really don't have any money!"
“...What?”
Byeol-ha let out a bewildered laugh at Lee Do-hyun’s shrill voice.
“Don’t be ridiculous. How can you be broke? I already heard you were recently promoted to manager. Are you kidding me about the salary of a manager at a large corporation?”
“...I don’t work at a large corporation.”
“?”
What the heck is this?
“I quit there a long time ago...”
He actually quit, but it was as good as being fired. When word of his double marriage reached the company, the human resources department kicked Lee Do-hyun out.
With rumors spreading throughout the industry, he couldn’t find a job easily and barely made ends meet at a small company.
Lee Do-hyun never bothered to announce his resignation, and Byeol-ha, who hadn’t contacted anyone since disappearing, was completely unaware of this news.
“You have an apartment, right?”
“...I’ve been renting for a long time. I was married to Gyeo-ru and then switched to renting.”
He muttered quietly.
"Gyeo-ru said it would be difficult to raise a child on my salary..."
Gyeo-ru, who had lived a wealthy life, couldn't possibly have an easy marriage with Lee Do-hyun, an ordinary person.
Furthermore, after being fired from a large corporation, his salary had been halved, and life had become even more difficult.
Despite this, Gyeo-ru continued her extravagant lifestyle.
She couldn't afford luxury goods, and even while married, she was seeing other men, trying to compensate for Do-hyun's lack of financial resources.
It was true that Lee Do-hyun had no money.
Most of his salary went to paying off rent and debt.
Thanks to Gyeo-ru's lavish spending and loans, he was struggling with debt. He didn't even receive any of her life insurance.
Gyeo-ru had cancelled all of Lee Do-hyun's insurance policies. After the funeral, he tried to use insurance to pay off his debt, but the shock never subsided
“Because you hate lying... I won’t lie. Yeah, you might have liked Gyeo-ru more at first, just like you said. But now that I think about it... I think you’re the only one for me, Byeol-ha.”
He looked at Byeol-ha with wavering eyes and said.
“I sincerely apologize for the hurt I caused you. I’m not doing this because I dropped the charges, I’m truly reflecting.”
“Do-hyun...”
Byeol-ha trailed off, calling his name as he whispered his sincere words. Seeing Byeol-ha’s gaze softening, Do-hyun raised the corners of his mouth, finally realizing that his sincerity had reached her.
“It’s too late. Please get out of my sight. I don’t want to associate with trash anymore.”
“!”
Byeol-ha smiled faintly and passed by Do-hyun.
Even after this incident, Lee Do-hyun continued to visit Byeol-ha. He came almost daily, almost like a stamped clock, and he would often send bombshell texts.
Byeol-ha didn't block Lee Do-hyun's contacts. She collected his messages and reported him to the police as a stalker. Only then, after receiving a restraining order, did Lee Do-hyun stop.
***
Several months had passed since she started attending acting school to start a new life.
At first, she started with the intention of fulfilling Byeol-ha's lifelong dream, but before she knew it, she had found "acting" quite enjoyable. Byeol-ha, who had already shown great acting talent, began attending auditions in earnest.
"There are so many people,"
Byeol-ha muttered to herself upon arriving at the audition venue, looking around.
Compared to the other people with flashy looks, Byeol-ha's appearance was quite ordinary, but Byeol-ha wasn't intimidated.
She thought Byeol-ha's appearance was also quite attractive.
"Ms. Kim Byeol-ha?"
"Yes."
Just then, the audition staff called her name.
“Come in.”
Byeol-ha followed her lead and entered the audition room.
It was a one-on-one interview.
Byeol-ha smiled confidently at the five people in front of her.
The sharp-faced man in the center frowned at Byeol-ha’s resume.
“You don’t have any other experience so far?”
“Yes. I'm just starting out.”
“You worked at a large company, then quit... and you’re divorced?”
“My husband cheated on me with a friend. That’s why I got divorced.”
Despite the rather rude question, Byeol-ha responded nonchalantly.
The divorce wasn’t her fault, so there was no need to bow her head.
The director looked closely at Byeol-ha, who was relaxed and confident. She certainly didn’t stand out, but his gaze was strangely drawn to her.
'Is it because of her confident demeanor?'
He stared blankly at her and then spoke indifferently.
“Yes. Show me the acting you’ve been preparing.”
Byeol-ha closed her eyes as she said she would begin. And, as soon as she opened her eyes, she began acting.
"That dress was in my closet. Why are you wearing it?"
Her natural acting flowed from a tone that wasn't overpowering, as if she were having a real conversation. At the same time, everyone's eyes turned to Byeol-ha.
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