14. Come with Me, Jin Se-ah
His neatly combed-back hair, now damp, naturally fell forward onto Do Junhyuk's forehead.
The slightly disheveled bangs that half-covered his well-shaped forehead and neatly aligned eyebrows gave him a softer and younger look. It felt unfamiliar, as if he wasn’t the Do Junhyuk she used to know.
More than his face, what caught Se-ah’s attention was the solid chest and abs that appeared straight in her line of sight. Her eyes wandered restlessly, unsure of where to land.
This, of course, meant that his upper body under the loose gown was completely bare.
“W-what are you doing, Mr. Do Junhyuk?!”
Startled, she quickly covered her flushed face with her palms. Although the spaces between her fingers still allowed a clear view of his well-defined muscles, she at least made the effort to block the sight.
“What about you? What are you wearing?”
His gaze, sharp and disapproving, quickly swept over her body, pausing at the dangerously low neckline and her partially exposed thighs. His expression was hard to read — it was unclear if he liked or disliked what he saw.
Of course, Se-ah hadn’t dressed like that for him, so she retorted with as much defiance as she could muster.
“This is my battle attire.”
“Battle attire? Do you think this is a war zone?”
“Oh, come on. Who was it that challenged me to come all the way here after already apologizing? I didn’t want to seem intimidated, so I made an effort, alright? For me, this outfit is like the armor of a warrior.”
“Pfft.”
Before she realized it, his lowered head began to shake slightly as he tried to stifle a laugh.
“Have you always been this funny?”
“I wasn’t exactly a comedian, but I guess I was pretty amusing. The only one I failed to make laugh was my ex-husband. He always had this expression.”
Se-ah frowned her brows and imitated Do Junhyuk's serious face.
“You’ve always had a habit of never backing down, huh?”
“Other than that, as you can see, everything else has changed.”
Since there was nothing to hide, Se-ah shrugged her shoulders and replied nonchalantly.
Everything about her had indeed changed — except for that.
“Yeah, I guess I never expected to see Jin Se-ah in a place like this.”
“So, doesn’t it feel satisfying?”
“What does?”
“Getting to see your ex-wife, who once lived so proudly, hit rock bottom. You must have some thoughts about that, don’t you?”
Se-ah had assumed that might be one of the reasons why he called her here. She thought that receiving an apology was just a pretext and that, deep down, he might have had a twisted desire to see her in this state.
After all, there are people who find joy in others' misery. She figured Do Junhyuk might be one of them.
But his response was unexpected.
“Do I look like the kind of kid who would be happy about something like that? Then or now, to me, you’re just Jin Se-ah.”
Her eyes widened at his unexpected words.
Did Do Junhyuk just... comfort me?
“Don’t get it wrong. I’m not close enough to you to joke around, and honestly, your situation doesn’t mean much to me.”
…Of course not.
Her face fell slightly in disappointment, which made him laugh once again.
“You're so easy to read. I’m surprised you managed to stay hidden for so long.”
“I wasn’t hiding. It’s just that the people I knew never bothered to come this far down.”
There was no need for her to hide. She was the only one walking this particular path.
“Honestly, how many people go through a fall as hard as mine?”
“…Yeah, I suppose not many.”
"So, you didn’t call me here just to apologize. What do you really want?"
"Come inside and we'll talk. Are we going to stand and chat out here forever?"
Turning his body slightly, he gestured for her to come in, making way for her. As he moved, the loose gown he wore shifted, revealing his well-defined chest muscles.
"I'll come in, but put on some proper clothes first. What’s with that outfit after calling someone over?"
"The meeting ran a bit late."
Did he come straight from a meeting at the hotel and then have another one? On the large table behind him, she could see a mix of laptops and documents scattered about.
He used to be like that too — a total workaholic.
If it meant he had to shower in a rush because of work, Se-ah figured there was no point in commenting further, so she turned toward the doorway.
"I'll wait here. Put on some clothes and come out."
"Why? Does it bother you? Didn't you see everything earlier?"
"Say that after you've actually shown everything."
"I didn’t realize you were so bold."
"That’s my line. I didn’t know you were so underdressed."
Grumbling, Se-ah gazed at the opposite wall. Even in the short corridor, the intricately carved wooden pillars caught her eye.
Back when places like this were a part of her everyday life, she hadn’t paid attention to these details. But now, everything about the hotel felt unfamiliar and strange.
While lost in her thoughts, Do Junhyuk, now dressed in more casual clothing, approached her and knocked lightly on the door frame she was leaning against.
"Come in."
In the short span of time it took him to change, the laptop and documents that had been on the table had also disappeared.
Se-ah sat down on a plush leather chair and took a sip of the drink he offered her.
"So, why did you come here?"
"Is that what you were curious about?"
"Among other things. We were married once, so I can be curious, right?"
His interest was unusual but didn’t seem malicious, so Se-ah carefully considered her words before responding.
"I'm looking for someone. I came all the way here because I needed to meet them in person, but I haven’t found them yet."
"Three years without finding them? Isn’t it time to give up?"
"I was already thinking of looking at one last place and then heading back to Korea. The wages here are awful, and the weather is terrible."
Even after showering, the sticky humidity made everything uncomfortable. It was hard to feel attached to a place like this.
"So, is the last place you’re checking Mindanao?"
Se-ah's eyes widened in surprise at his words.
"Wait, how did you know that? You’re not investigating me, are you?"
She gave him a look of disbelief, as if to say that it would be harder to find something he didn’t know.
"Of course not. I didn’t have to. Everyone here seems to know everything about everyone else. It’s like there are no secrets here."
"Now that you mention it, it does feel that way,"
She replied with a hint of resignation, nodding her head.
As she wore a displeased look, Junhyuk suddenly made a surprising proposal.
"If you haven’t arranged transportation to get there, come with me."
"To Mindanao? Do you have business there too, Mr. Do Junhyuk?"
"I’m about to launch a cruise business, and by coincidence, the route will pass by there in a few days. Consider it a courtesy to my ex-wife."
"Really? Well, if that’s the case, I’d love that."
Se-ah’s face lit up at his offer.
If she went with Do Junhyuk, she’d be safer and wouldn’t have to worry about travel expenses. After everything she had already done in front of him — like dancing in front of him — there was nothing left to be embarrassed about. Even if he spread rumors about her life here, by then she would have already returned to Korea, so there was no need to feel burdened by it.
Before coming here, she had only expected the worst-case scenario. But now, an opportunity had unexpectedly presented itself, leaving her feeling pleasantly bewildered.
"But it's not going to be free."
"Of course not. I can handle odd jobs."
She was more confident than anyone when it came to work on a ship. She had no intention of just cruising around idly. Once they arrived, they would each go their separate ways, so she was willing to do anything until then.
He wouldn’t treat me like a slave, would he?
That fleeting thought made Se-ah shake her head.
No, he’s not that kind of person.
Even if he were, it didn’t matter. She only needed to endure it for a few days.
The weight that had been building up in her chest for the past two days seemed to lift, and Se-ah smiled brightly at Junhyuk, her eyes curling warmly. She no longer felt uneasy about facing him.
While he didn’t return a full smile, the corners of his lips curved up in a slight response.
He’s actually a decent person, after all. I misunderstood him for no reason.
Feeling more at ease, Se-ah realized that her ex-husband looked more handsome than ever.
***
The hotel staff offered to drive her, but Jin Se-ah politely declined and disappeared leisurely in a taxi.
Back in his room, Junhyuk sat on a chair near the window, gazing at the scenic night view. But his eyes were fixed on the spot where Se-ah had been sitting moments ago.
Like chasing after an afterimage, his pitch-black pupils visualized the image of his ex-wife.
When he had opened the door earlier, expecting a familiar face from the past two days, he was caught off guard to find the old Jin Se-ah standing there instead. His heart had unexpectedly skipped a beat.
Her claim that she was wearing 'battle attire' was spot on.
She had targeted him perfectly.
The vivid image of Jin Se-ah, who had caught him off guard in that fleeting moment, remained etched in his mind.
That’s why he impulsively decided to accompany her to Mindanao, even though it wasn’t part of his original schedule. He had initially planned to send Boss Nam and a few product planners, but he blurted out that he would go himself.
The schedule for this location had already been extended, forcing him to delay other projects. Now he would have to stay an additional week, which meant he needed to reschedule everything.
I’ll have to pull some all-nighters to wrap things up before boarding.
Junhyuk bit his lip in frustration, blaming both himself for complicating the situation and his ex-wife for pushing him to this point.
She’s changed, and yet, she’s still the same Jin Se-ah.
She seems broken, but she stands tall.
Even after falling to rock bottom, she still shines brightly.
Why hadn’t he noticed these sides of her before?
Not that it would have changed anything if he had.
Junhyuk tapped the armrest of the sofa with his fingertips, his mind carefully piecing together the old version of her he once knew with the current Jin Se-ah he had just seen.
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