With anticipation bubbling inside her, Soo-jin quickened her pace as she neared the front door, eager to see Kim Tae-hyun again and surprise him.
But when she opened the door, an eerie silence greeted her. The house was empty—no servants, no maids—no one in sight. A frown creased her forehead. Did Tae-hyun give them the day off? she wondered.
Walking further inside, she noticed a red high heel lying on the floor. Another heel was discarded further ahead. Confused, she picked up her pace toward Tae-hyun's bedroom. On the stairs, she saw a shirt that didn't belong to Tae-hyun. It was clearly a woman's shirt.
Her heart began to race as dread crept into her thoughts. Moving further up, she spotted a bra and panties scattered across the floor. Her mind reeled in disbelief. She tried to push away the dark thoughts forming in her head.
Nearing the bedroom door, she heard a woman's voice coming from inside, "I should leave now. What if Soo-jin comes here?"
A man responded casually, "It's fine if she comes. In fact, I'd love to see her face when she finds out I'm cheating on her."
Soo-jin froze. Her blood ran cold. The man's voice was unmistakable Kim Tae-hyun's. Her mind shut down as she stood rooted to the spot, her expression mirroring the despair Joon-ho had shown just the night before.
"Seeing Joon-ho's despair last night, that was the best day of my life," Tae-hyun's voice continued.
The woman in his arms replied, "I didn't know Soo-jin was ill and would die soon. Did you know that?"
Tae-hyun laughed. "Nope, I didn't know she'd be dead in three months. I wonder what hurt Joon-ho the most: watching the woman he loves betray him or knowing she's going to die soon."
The woman giggled, "Good for us, though. Two birds with one stone."
As Tae-hyun climbed on top of her, he said, "Hey babe, what do you think about going another round?"
Outside, Soo-jin's tears streamed down uncontrollably. There was only one question in her mind: why? What had I done wrong?
Unable to bear it any longer, she burst into the room. Her reddened eyes locked onto the two in bed. Her heart pounded violently, a crushing emotional pain mixed with a sharp physical ache in her chest.
She had betrayed Joon-ho for this man—leaking his company's confidential documents, giving all her fortune to Tae-hyun, helping him win the succession war against Joon-ho.
And for what? Why?
As her chest tightened painfully, she struggled to keep herself upright. Yet, despite the unbearable pain, she pushed forward. She needed answers.
Looking at Tae-hyun with bloodshot eyes, she tried to speak, but her voice was so weak that even she couldn't hear it, let alone the two on the bed.
Tae-hyun, sitting up, looked at her and burst into laughter. "Oh man, today's going to be the second-best day of my life!" he exclaimed, amused by her devastated state. He grinned widely and asked, "How does it feel, Soo-jin? Are you in despair?"
Her entire world collapsed as she saw him smile without the slightest hint of guilt. Slumping down with her last bit of strength, she screamed, "Why?" pouring out all her pain in that one agonizing cry.
Tae-hyun paused briefly but then laughed even louder. His voice turned cold as ice. "What 'why'? How does a woman who even betrayed her husband dare to ask me why?"
The woman beside him slid her arm through Tae-hyun's, smiling sweetly. "Let's just push her down the stairs and make it look like an accident. She's going to die soon anyway—why wait three months? Let's end her misery right here."
Tae-hyun smirked. "Anything for you, my dear."
Soo-jin's mind couldn't process anything anymore. The man she had loved all this time—the one she believed would mourn her death the most—was going to kill her right now.
Tae-hyun's voice cut through her thoughts again. "You're lucky, Soo-jin. I was the one who made you rise to the top, and I was the one who was going to make you fall from grace. But you're lucky."
As he grabbed her hair, the pain in her chest intensified. She tried to resist, but it was to no avail—how could she possibly fight against such strong hands?
She had never seen this side of Kim Tae-hyun. He had always shown her love, care, and affection. How could things have changed so suddenly?
Earlier that morning, she wanted to rush to her house, to pack her things, eager to return here as quickly as possible, leaving everything behind, thinking they could finally be together.
She wanted to live out her remaining days happily. But now, seeing him trying to kill her, she gave up resisting.
As Kim Tae-hyun dragged her by her hair toward the stairs, choking her, they reached the end. His voice echoed in her ears as he spoke one final time.
"For your question, why? I'll give you an answer so you can die in peace. From the start, I never loved you. I hated you more than anyone. Because of Joon-ho, I pretended to be in love with you and made you fall for me.
Joon-ho was happy when you entered his life, and I wanted to snatch that happiness away. I wanted to see him broken, heartbroken, begging in despair—and thanks to you, I achieved that effortlessly.
Do you honestly believe Joon-ho didn't know you were cheating on him? He knew from the start. I loved watching his face fill with despair every time. Now, are you satisfied? Then goodbye, sweetheart."
Outside the Hanam-dong gates, Joon-ho was waiting for Soo-jin to come out. He was determined to wait as long as it took to see her one last time. Behind him, media vans had also arrived.
As Joon-ho sat in his car waiting, a loud siren suddenly blared. Turning toward the sound, he saw his smartphone's screen glowing red, displaying just one word: "Danger!"
Hearing the siren and seeing that single word, his heart sank in despair.