TDIMEH Chapter 10

 

10. Coco's True Identity

The man, looking disappointed after hearing that she had a husband, turned his back and walked away. His figure, as he left, was remarkably upright. His walk exuded an elegance and neatness, as though he had been properly educated from birth.

As Junhyuk watched the back of the woman named Coco, another woman’s walk came to mind.

Is Jin Se-ah doing well?

Although the two women resembled each other, they lived in entirely different environments. Yet, for some reason, their images kept overlapping in his mind.

It might just be simple curiosity to wonder about the whereabouts of his ex-wife, with whom he had lost contact. However, it puzzled him that the only people who stirred his curiosity were his ex-wife and this woman.

After his divorce, when Jin Se-ah left home, Junhyuk was preoccupied with other matters. Later, he heard from a gathering that she had disappeared without a trace.

Given that her family had gone bankrupt and she had just gone through a divorce, it was no surprise that she became the subject of gossip among men.

'Nobody knows where she went, huh?'

'Maybe she was too ashamed of her situation and decided to live in some remote mountain.'

'You don’t think she did something drastic because of her debt, do you? Like being dragged into some shady situation or something?'

'Come on. Jin Se-ah isn’t that kind of woman. She’d never do that.'

When he heard that she had vanished without telling even her closest acquaintances, Junhyuk's gaze darkened.

'Jin Se-ah is beautiful; she’s got a great figure too. She’s definitely someone you’d want to live with, right?'

'Right? If only that whole bankruptcy thing hadn’t happened, I would’ve married her myself.'

'You’re not the only one who thought that. Everyone held back because they were worried.'

'I heard that Jiseok, who recently got divorced, is in a similar situation. He said he wants to meet her.'

'Meet her for what?'

'What do you think, huh? Heh.'

The tone of the conversation grew more and more distasteful.

Even though they were divorced, Junhyuk couldn’t stand the way these men talked about Jin Se-ah as if she were some kind of appetizer to be chewed on.

His head felt as cold as the ice in the glass he was holding.

'Cut it out.'

His icy voice silenced the murmuring crowd in an instant. After all, Junhyuk controlled the funding for their investments, so everyone watched his mood carefully.

'If you want to keep your spot here, you’d better watch your mouth.'

Junhyuk shot a sharp glare at the men involved in the conversation before abruptly standing up from his seat.

Among them, he mentally noted a few names, intending to cut off their investment ties.

If that’s how it was going to be, why did they even get divorced?

People who wouldn't dare speak up in front of him always had something to say behind his back.

At Junhyuk's sharp turn of his head, the man who had been chatting so freely a moment ago flinched in fear.

Despite having only recently joined high society after traveling abroad, Junhyuk quickly found his place. His rise was met with envy, and much of it was linked to his past with Jin Se-ah.

Although they had treated her like something burdensome, they still had plenty to say about him after the divorce.

It wasn’t as if Junhyuk was blind. He knew that Jin Se-ah was not only stunningly beautiful but also not particularly ill-tempered.

In a society like theirs, being confident was seen as a strength rather than a flaw.

However, at that time, he had been living under the watchful eyes of his mother, who had spent her whole life worrying about how the main household perceived them. As a result, he had developed a deep aversion to marriage.

His father, who had dabbled in shady deals for years, had recently attempted to go legitimate, starting with a business deal involving construction timber.

To solidify his position quickly, his father sought a strategic marriage with a reputable construction company. Naturally, Junhyuk, not his older half-sister who was already married, was seen as the more suitable candidate. It didn’t matter what Junhyuk wanted.

Even though his father had lost his first wife, he only registered Junhyuk under the family name while leaving his mother out of the family registry.

As a condition for Junhyuk's marriage to Jin Se-ah, his father promised to formally marry his mother.

'Hyuk, you know better than anyone how much I've wanted this. If my name is added to the chairman's family register, I won’t have to live in hiding like this anymore. So, please, just this once, do this for me.'

With his mother's lifelong wish resting on his marriage, Junhyuk clenched his teeth and went to the arranged marriage meeting.

Although he had initially planned to refuse, his mother even resorted to a hunger strike, leaving him no choice but to proceed with the marriage.

It wasn't about Jin Se-ah herself. No matter who the bride had been, his reaction would have been the same.

Looking back on it now, he realized that, perhaps because it had been her, his resistance wasn’t as strong as it could have been.

After all, a woman who looked that stunning in a wedding dress would probably never cross his path again.

Despite the rushed preparations, Jin Se-ah wore a dress that had been canceled by another high-profile bride. Yet, her whole figure seemed to glow, dazzling everyone in the room.

Even those who claimed to be indifferent to appearances couldn’t help but be captivated.

The image that lingered most vividly in his mind was the sight of her standing at the end of the wedding aisle, smiling brightly as she gazed at him. It was a scene so vivid that it sometimes even appeared in his dreams.

After getting married, he wandered outside even more and didn’t return home.

Of course, the rumors that he had another woman or that he was an easy man were all lies. However, he had absolutely no desire to settle into a family that had been forced upon him.

He had no thoughts of having children either.

That’s why the divorce was so easy. But strangely, even after the divorce, he couldn’t get Jin Se-ah out of his head.

It was partly because of the photos on his phone, which he occasionally, albeit unintentionally, glanced at.

'You’re alone, aren’t you? I’m alone too...'

'I’m married. I have a wife who’s far better than you in every way.'

'Oh... I see.'

Wherever he went, there were always annoying people like that, so Junhyuk would pull out his phone and show them his wedding photo.

It was a far cleaner method of rejection than any words could be. Because of this, he deliberately kept the photo where Jin Se-ah looked the most radiant.

Ironically, he used their marriage more after the divorce. He had no intention of marrying ever again, so he pretended to be a married man using the one and only wedding photo he had.

After that short marriage and divorce, Junhyuk threw himself into building his business, not wanting to be manipulated again by his father, who had been pushing him to remarry.

He was the one who transformed GK, which only became known after his marriage to Jin Se-ah, into a full-fledged group in a short period.

He took advantage of the sluggish economy, acquiring companies in need of capital and quickly cutting off unnecessary ventures.

His older half-sister, who had been demoted to vice president, still harbored resentment against him. But their father, who held the ultimate decision-making power, found amusement in his children’s rivalry and refrained from intervening.

As long as it didn’t cause him any direct harm, their father didn’t care what means were used to achieve their ends.

That’s why Junhyuk was certain that the leak about the cruise deal to the rival company had come from his half-sister’s side.

"President?"

The gentle rocking of the ship and the overly close face of Boss Nam snapped Junhyuk back to reality, pulling him away from his thoughts of Jin Se-ah. Before he realized it, the music had stopped.

"If we stay one night in Boracay, pass through Bacolod, and stay one night in Cebu before returning, it’ll be a three-day journey. If we finish with a stay at a resort in Manila, it’ll be a four-night, five-day itinerary — just the right length. What do you think?"

"...Go ahead with that plan."

Although he had been lost in thought and his response was slightly delayed, Junhyuk agreed to the itinerary that started from Manila, ended in Cebu, and then returned.

However, one thought kept replaying in his mind — the words he had heard before boarding the ship.

She’s going to Mindanao all by herself?

It kept bothering him, even though it wasn’t something he needed to be concerned about.

In the end, words he hadn’t intended to say slipped out of his mouth.

"How about we pass through Mindanao on the way?"

"Well, when passing from Bacolod to Cebu, we can go near the port on that side. There are a lot of Spanish historical sites there, so it’s not a bad idea. But as you know, the security in that area isn’t great. As long as we don’t dock there for too long, it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s a route people don’t take often, so it might even be more interesting. As expected, you have an exceptional eye for these things."

Although Boss Nam was surprised by the mention of Mindanao, he nodded, saying it was a good idea.

"Alright, let’s set the route to pass through there."

"Understood. I will prepare a list of docking sites and necessary supplies for each region. I’ll also find people to do a trial run."

"Do that. Also, since it’s a tour aimed at Korean people, try to recruit as many Korean participants as possible. And..."

Junhyuk trailed off, wanting to suggest taking that woman along, but before he could finish, he spotted a man approaching a woman who had stepped onto the deck.

The man’s face was flushed, probably from having had several more drinks.

Although it was unlikely that he would do anything reckless in front of so many people, being on a ship inherently carried its own dangers.

Junhyuk told himself to mind his own business, but his eyes and ears kept being drawn in that direction.

In the end, he abruptly cut off his conversation and stood up.

"Take a break for a bit. I’m going to get some fresh air."

"I’ll go too."

"I’ll be right back."

He stopped Jisang, who tried to follow him, and quickened his pace toward the deck.

Halfway up the metal stairs, he heard voices. Junhyuk instinctively slowed his footsteps.

"...I’m serious. I’m married."

"Come on. No man with a beautiful wife like you would make her do this kind of work. That makes no sense. Show me a picture if it’s true."

The man’s speech had become more curt, and Junhyuk’s brow furrowed.

He climbed a few more steps, and from his elevated position, he could now see the man and woman facing each other.

The woman, still wearing a white cloth draped over her head, had her arms crossed and made no effort to hide her displeasure.

"Why should I do that?"

"This is the first time I’ve taken an interest in someone. I can’t just give up without trying, can I? I need to be sure."

"Whether it’s your first or last time, what does that have to do with me? I have no intention of entertaining such ridiculous demands."

Her firm response made the man’s face flush even redder. Hearing her response, Junhyuk realized there was no need for him to intervene.

"Then at least show me your face. Take that thing off."

"No, I won’t. Please go back down."

"I’m not going anywhere."

"If you won’t go down, then I will."

"All I want is to see your face, is that so much to ask?"

Not wanting to argue any longer, the woman turned to leave, but the man grabbed her by the arm.

At that moment, Junhyuk decided he had seen enough. This time, he deliberately made his footsteps louder as he approached them.

Thud, thud. The vibrations of the deck echoed with each step he took, drawing the woman’s attention toward him. For a moment, the woman froze, startled by his sudden appearance in the darkness.

"Gotcha."

The man who had been behind her suddenly reached out and yanked the cloth off her head.

Before Junhyuk could even stretch out his hand, the white cloth fluttered like sea foam, drifting off and vanishing over the water.

"No!"

The woman’s face turned even paler than the cloth that had flown away.

Unintentionally, Junhyuk saw her face head-on. His eyes widened in shock, so much so that even the darkness could not hide it.

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