16. Still a Honeymoon?
The name of the cruise ship Se-ah boarded was 'Nike.'
They say it was named after the goddess of victory, and indeed, the face of Boss Nam, who sat at the center of the dinner table, was as elated as a triumphant general.
Se-ah, carrying a cheese platter handed to her by Chef Ren, was walking toward them when Moon Sohee glanced at her before shifting her gaze to Junhyuk. As expected, Junhyuk was also looking at her with an expressionless face.
Se-ah pretended not to notice their gazes, moved the empty plate aside, and placed the new plate in the center. Despite being careful, the clattering sound was quite loud as the large 9-inch plate made contact with the glass surface.
Fearing it might attract unnecessary attention, a slight frown appeared on her calm face.
“Haha, so I even considered selling my house to cover the auction... Oh, Coco, stop working and take a seat, will you? I feel bad. I only brought you along to give you a ride, not to make you work.”
The loud-voiced boss invited Se-ah to sit beside him. Having been delighted when she offered to help without pay in return for the ride, he now seemed to feel sorry as he saw how busy she was. Se-ah lightly shook her head, indicating it was no big deal.
“Then, who’s going to do the serving and clean up the hall? You, Boss?”
“Rosie will clean up, won’t she?”
“There are so many people here, and you expect Rosie to clean it all by herself?”
“Ahem. Is that so? Well, that’s awkward... I’ll clean up a bit over here, at least.”
Clearing his throat, the boss pretended to tidy up the table, revealing his unexpectedly decent character as an employer. No wonder even someone as temperamental as me has worked here for three years.
“If you’re getting a free ride, it’s only fair for an employee to do at least this much, right?”
Who said it was free?
Moon Sohee's sudden interjection made Se-ah’s lips protrude in slight irritation. Before she could retort, Moon Sohee's voice, laced with mockery, followed right after.
“Even tourists avoid coming here, but you got in thanks to luck. Isn’t it only right to work in return?”
“Moon Sohee. That’s a bit much. Why are you like this?”
Jo Jisang raised an eyebrow as if he had seen something unexpected and asked, his gaze filled with curiosity, shifting between Moon Sohee and Se-ah.
“What did I do?”
“Why are you so on edge? It’s like someone stole something from you.”
“Who’s on edge? I’m just irritated by something that doesn’t know its place.”
Haaa...
Se-ah let out a deep sigh internally.
Just because the environment had become harsh didn’t mean her personality had shriveled or softened. On the contrary, she had become more sensitive, likely as a means of survival.
She debated whether to verbally lash out at Moon Sohee, who kept picking fights with her over things beyond her control, or to just ignore her since they would be parting ways in two days anyway.
In the past, she wouldn’t have backed down and would have said something, but she ultimately decided to hold back because she didn’t want to show signs of conflict with another person in front of Do Junhyuk, who seemed to be watching with interest.
She didn't want to be seen quarreling embarrassingly in front of her ex-husband.
And if Moon Sohee’s behavior toward her was somehow linked to Do Junhyuk, then perhaps it was time to put her worries to rest.
Se-ah pretended to take out her phone from her pocket and, loud enough for everyone to hear, muttered, “It’s about time for my darling to call... I wonder if something happened?”
“Your husband in Africa calls you every day? International calls must be pretty expensive.”
The boss, seeing an opportunity, quickly took the bait.
“It’s a free internet call.”
“True. You’ve been apart for three years, so you should call often, even if it’s not free. Are you two still that much in love?”
“Of course! We’re still like newlyweds. We’re madly in love with each other.”
She glanced sideways at Moon Sohee, whose previously sharp gaze had now softened a bit.
Her goal was to make it clear that she was a married woman, hoping it would deter Moon Sohee from picking fights with her. But then...
“Pfft.”
From Junhyuk, who had been watching quietly with a cold expression, a laugh escaped.
“Pfft. Pfft.”
Unable to suppress his laughter, he covered his mouth with his large hand, his shoulders shaking.
‘I’m going through all this acting because of you, and you think it’s funny?’
Se-ah glared at Do Junhyuk with the same fierce expression she had aimed at Moon Sohee. Junhyuk, however, covered his eyes with his hand and continued chuckling.
“What’s so funny? Tell me so I can laugh too.”
“Exactly, Junhyuk. Share it with us.”
Watching Jo Jisang and Moon Sohee throw curious glances at the laughing Junhyuk, Se-ah frowned and gathered the used plates, leaving the table.
Useless ex-husband, she muttered as she wiped the plates. But before long, an unknown number called her phone.
Noticing that it was a Korean number, Se-ah quickly wiped her damp hands with a towel and answered the call.
“Hello?”
— It’s me.
“Who are you?”
— Who else would it be? It’s your sweet husband, still in his honeymoon phase with you. You just said it yourself.
“D-Do Junhyuk?”
— That’s right.
Startled, Se-ah spun around as if Junhyuk was right behind her.
Contrary to her fear, the kitchen door was closed, and Ren, who was organizing the countertop, glanced at her with a puzzled expression.
Se-ah calmed her startled heart and brought the phone, still connected, close to her ear.
“How did you get my number?”
No matter how much she thought about it, she had never given him her phone number.
— Did you really think I wouldn’t know?
“What do you want?”
— The event will end soon, so meet me behind the deck in an hour.
“Huh? Why should I?”
— Then should I just tell everyone tomorrow morning that I’m that husband you were bragging about?
“Ugh, fine! I’ll go, okay?”
— Good. See you later.
The call ended with the sound of his voice still tinged with laughter.
He’s really something, telling me to come and go as he pleases. This better not be something trivial.
Se-ah rolled up her sleeves and swiftly tidied up the remaining dishes. The clearing of the hall was Rosie’s responsibility, so she had some free time around the hour Junhyuk had mentioned.
After finishing her work, she decided to wash up before meeting Junhyuk, thinking she’d have to wash up before bed anyway. She quickly rinsed her body and washed her salt-crusted hair.
Not wanting to make it obvious that she had freshened up late at night, she kept it simple by only applying skin toner and lotion. She grabbed her phone and headed up to the deck.
Most people had already gone to bed, and only dim lights were on in the bridge and the area around it, making the stars in the black sky appear even more brilliant.
But under that sky, Junhyuk stood, shining brighter than the stars.
Leaning on the railing, he gazed down at the sea. Upon hearing her footsteps, he turned his head and waved. The long curve of his sharp eyes pointed toward her, and her heart, which had been calm until then, suddenly started pounding loudly.
Se-ah shook her head as she gazed at him, thinking that with looks as overwhelming as a force of nature, anyone would be defenseless against him — no matter their personal taste.
“You’re here?”
“Just say what you have to say.”
“How long do you plan to keep using me as a pawn?”
Even though he said those words, Junhyuk’s expression didn’t look too displeased. The corners of his lips softened into a slight smile.
“Well, this time, I didn’t have a choice, so cut me some slack.”
Se-ah raised both hands as if surrendering and offered an excuse.
“What do you mean, 'no choice'?”
“There’s a woman interested in you, and she keeps being wary of me. So I did it on purpose to make her feel at ease. You know, since I have a husband.”
“What?”
Junhyuk stared down at Se-ah with a dumbfounded expression, as if she had just spoken complete nonsense.
“Moon Sohee, of course. She’s clearly interested in you, right? I’m pretty perceptive, you know. I’m not going to interfere, so if you have feelings for her, go for it.”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Why are you even concerned about that?”
The face that had been laughing just moments ago instantly hardened.
“Because it’s uncomfortable for me too.”
“So what? Since you’re uncomfortable, I should go ahead and get closer to that woman?”
Junhyuk’s voice turned sharp and cold, his expression as icy as porcelain.
“I didn’t mean it like that, but I’m sorry if it upset you.”
Although she hadn’t intended to push him in that direction, she immediately apologized, noticing how annoyed he was. While she felt it was a bit unfair, she also realized that Junhyuk might have felt the same.
I should have come up with a different excuse.
“Even if, as you say, there’s nothing between us, there are still boundaries of what you should and shouldn’t get involved in. Don’t cross that line like this again. It’s unpleasant.”
Without even giving her time to apologize properly, Junhyuk stormed off, his heavy footsteps echoing on the deck — which was unlike him.
Left alone, Se-ah blinked slowly as she gazed in the direction where he had disappeared.
If he was just going to leave like that, why did he call me here in the first place?
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