After delivering the food and ensuring Jin Woo and Jin Ah were settled, I returned home to finish packing for the Jeju Island trip. I had known this trip wasn't something sudden.
It was the effect of my passive skill aura of allure. Over the past few days, the tension in the air around the girls had been clear.
What started as small complaints soon turned into a storm when they went back to their homes at rock bottom in terms of dignity and pride and confronted their husbands.
—
At Sarah's House
Sarah stepped into the living room, her face still flushed with lingering thoughts of me after our recent conversations and what they had decided upon.
Her husband, Joon, sat on the couch, beer in hand, his wrinkled shirt hanging loosely on him as he scrolled through his phone without a care in the world.
"Is this how you spend your day?" Sarah asked sharply, crossing her arms as she stood in front of him.
Joon barely glanced up, his expression indifferent. "What now? I worked all day. Let me rest."
"Rest?" Sarah snapped, her voice rising. "You've been 'resting' for years, Joon! When was the last time you even looked at me like I matter? You don't care, you don't listen, and you sure as hell don't love me anymore!"
Joon rolled his eyes, setting his beer down with a loud clink. "Oh, here we go again. You're always nagging and complaining about something or the other.
Why would I care when all you do is make everything miserable? You've stopped being the woman I married years ago."
Sarah froze, his words hitting her like a slap. "Excuse me? You're blaming me? Maybe if you spent less time glued to your phone or drinking like a slob and actually tried being a husband, we wouldn't be having this conversation!"
"You don't get it, do you?" Joon shot back, his voice dripping with disdain. "Maybe if you made some effort—looked better, acted better—things wouldn't be like this.
You've let yourself go, Sarah. Why should I care about someone who doesn't even care about herself anymore?"
Sarah's face turned red with fury, her hands trembling. "How dare you! I've given everything to this marriage—everything! I've put up with your laziness, your coldness, and your disrespect for years!
You think I don't care about myself? Maybe it's because I've been too busy trying to fix what you broke!"
Joon stood up, his stance aggressive as he pointed at her. "Fix what I broke? Don't make me laugh. You're the one always playing the victim.
Maybe you should take a hard look at yourself before blaming me for everything wrong in your life."
Sarah's voice cracked with emotion, but she stood her ground. "A hard look at myself? I'm not the one who's become a shell of a man, Joon. You have.
As it is you wouldn't know what a real partner looks like if they were staring you in the face. Someone who listens, cares, and makes you feel loved—do you even know what that means anymore?"
Joon sneered, his voice laced with mockery. "Oh, and I suppose you're fantasizing about some perfect man now? Who's that?
Got someone else lined up to take my place? Maybe that's why you're so high and mighty all of a sudden."
Sarah clenched her fists, her chest heaving with rage. "You wouldn't understand even if I told you! You don't deserve to know what a real man looks like!"
Joon laughed bitterly. "Then go find your 'real man.' See if anyone else will put up with you."
That was the breaking point. Sarah's eyes burned with unshed tears as she turned on her heel. "I already know someone better than you ever were or ever will be," she hissed over her shoulder before storming down the hallway.
She slammed the bedroom door shut, the sound echoing through the apartment, leaving Joon standing there with his beer in hand, his smugness faltering for just a moment, only to shrug it off and go back to drinking beer while scrolling on his phone.
---
At Linda's House
Linda stormed into the kitchen, her eyes immediately falling on the mess Taehoon had created. The counter was littered with crumpled noodle packets, an empty beer can, and a spill of instant noodle broth that he hadn't bothered to clean up.
Taehoon sat at the table, slurping noodles straight from the pot like a teenager, his face smeared with the oily gravy. His shirt was stained, stretched tightly over his protruding belly, and his posture screamed laziness.
Linda stood there for a moment, disgusted. "You really don't care about anything, do you?" she finally said, her voice cutting through the sound of his slurping.
Taehoon looked up mid-slurp, noodles dangling from his mouth. "What are you talking about?" he asked, chewing lazily.
"You! Look at yourself. Look at this kitchen! When was the last time you actually cleaned up after yourself?
You've completely let yourself go, Taehoon. And it's not just the kitchen—it's everything! When was the last time you asked me how I was doing?"
"What's this all of a sudden?" Taehoon said defensively, setting the pot down on the table with a loud clang. "You're being dramatic."
"I'm being dramatic?" Linda snapped, her voice rising. She gestured wildly around the room.
"Look at this mess! Look at you! You're sitting here, eating straight from the pot like some slob, and you don't even realize how disgusting this is! When was the last time you did anything to make me feel like I mattered?"
Taehoon frowned, leaning back in his chair. "You're imagining things. Stop comparing everything to some fantasy where men are perfect."
"It's not a fantasy!" Linda shot back, her fists clenched. "There are men who actually care—men who treat their wives with respect, who make an effort!
When was the last time you took us out? Or even just asked me how my day was? You've become selfish, lazy, and completely repulsive!"
Taehoon's expression darkened as he pushed the pot aside, splashing more broth onto the already sticky table.
"Repulsive? Maybe if you were more like you used to be, I'd have a reason to care. You're the one who's changed, not me."
Linda's face turned red with fury. "You're blaming me? I've been holding this family together while you sit on your ass!
Do you even realize how hard it is for me to deal with everything while you act like a spoiled child? When was the last time you helped with anything? The laundry, the bills, the kids—anything?"
"Don't start with that!" Taehoon yelled, his voice rising. "I work hard to keep this roof over our heads. What more do you want from me?"
"Work hard?" Linda laughed bitterly. "You spend more time sitting around drinking beer and scrolling through your phone than actually working! You haven't planned a single thing for this family in years!
When was the last time you even thought about making me feel special? A simple dinner, a compliment—anything?!
Heck you don't even care or remember my birthday or even our anniversary and you don't even care about it"
Taehoon slammed his hand on the table, his face twisting in frustration. "You're impossible to please! Maybe you should stop whining about everything for five minutes and appreciate what you have!"
"Appreciate what I have?" Linda's voice cracked as she glared at him. "I've been settling for what I have. I've been putting up with you while you've turned into a selfish, lazy slob who doesn't care about anyone but himself. I deserve better than this."
Taehoon stood up, his stomach bulging over his belt as he gestured angrily. "Oh, so now I'm the bad guy because I'm not perfect? Maybe you should stop comparing me to some fantasy man in your head!"
Linda's jaw tightened as her hands shook. "It's not a fantasy! I've seen what a real man looks like—someone who listens, who cares, who actually makes an effort that too up close! You wouldn't understand because you've forgotten how to be that person."
Taehoon sneered, crossing his arms. "Oh yeah? And where is this 'real man,' huh? Go ahead, leave if you think there's someone better out there!"
Linda's chest heaved with anger, her voice trembling as she pointed toward the mess on the counter. "If I leave, it'll be because I'm done cleaning up after you, both literally and figuratively.
I can't believe I married someone like you! And you are right for once in your life, I should go to the person that's better than you can ever be in your whole miserable life."
With that, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her.
Her mind burned with thoughts of me—caring, dependable, and thoughtful—everything Taehoon wasn't. For the first time, she felt like she deserved better.
—
At Karen's House
Karen sat on the couch, glaring at her husband, Dongsoo, who lounged across from her in his usual careless state—shirt unbuttoned and stained with last night's dinner, flipping through TV channels with a vacant expression. The sight of him, the very embodiment of apathy, made her blood boil.
"Do you even care about this marriage anymore?" she blurted out, unable to hold back.
Dongsoo sighed dramatically, not even bothering to look up. "Here we go again."
"No, this time you're going to listen!" Karen said, her voice shaking with emotion. "You don't care about me. You don't care about this family. You don't even see me as your wife anymore!"
Dongsoo finally shifted his gaze to her, his annoyance clear. "Where is all this coming from now? Why do you always have to pick fights?"
Karen leaned forward, her eyes blazing. "Because I've had enough of this! Do you have any idea how hard it is to feel invisible every single day?
You don't treat me like a partner, Dongsoo. You've stopped being a husband—you've stopped being anything at all!"
Dongsoo let out a bitter laugh. "Oh, so now I'm the villain? Maybe you should take a look in the mirror and ask yourself why things turned out this way. It's not all on me, Karen."
Karen's voice rose as tears of frustration welled up in her eyes. "Really? Let's talk about that! Who comes home and leaves their dirty clothes all over the floor?
Who spends hours glued to the TV while I cook, clean, and do everything for this house? Who hasn't planned a single thing for this family in years? It's you, Dongsoo! You've turned into a selfish, lazy, ungrateful slob!"
Dongsoo narrowed his eyes, throwing the remote onto the coffee table. "And you've turned into a nagging, self-righteous pain in the ass!
You act like you're perfect, but you're not. Maybe if you were more like the woman I married, things wouldn't be this way."
Karen let out a bitter laugh, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, so it's my fault now? Maybe if you weren't so busy treating me like a maid instead of a wife, I wouldn't have to 'nag' you to do the bare minimum. You've let yourself go completely—look at yourself! You don't even try anymore."
Dongsoo gestured to himself with mock arrogance. "What's wrong with how I look? I'm just comfortable in my own home. Sorry I don't live up to your ridiculous standards."
Karen stood up, shaking with anger. "Comfortable? You look like you've given up on life! Stained shirts, unshaven beard, your gut hanging out like you don't care about anything.
When was the last time you even looked at me—really looked at me—or asked how I was doing?"
Dongsoo stood up too, his voice rising to match hers. "And when was the last time you stopped criticizing me? You think you're so perfect, but all you do is complain! Nothing I do is ever good enough for you!"
Karen pointed a trembling finger at him, her voice cracking. "Good enough? You don't *do* anything! You've turned into a lazy, selfish, cold stranger who doesn't care about his wife or his marriage.
I've had to handle everything—everything—on my own because you don't lift a damn finger!"
Dongsoo sneered, crossing his arms. "Oh, please. Stop acting like a saint. You're just as much to blame for this mess as I am.
Maybe if you spent less time yelling and more time being the woman I fell in love with, things would be different."
Karen's jaw dropped, her voice trembling with fury. "The woman you fell in love with? You mean the woman who thought you were kind and thoughtful and supportive?
That man doesn't exist anymore! You've become a selfish, useless, disgusting version of yourself, and I can't believe I married someone so wrong for me."
Dongsoo stepped closer, his voice cold and mocking. "Maybe I feel the same way. Maybe I don't recognize you anymore either.
You've turned into a bitter, nagging wife who does nothing but complain. You want me to care? Maybe you should give me a reason to."
Karen's chest heaved with anger, her fists clenched. "A reason? I've given you years of my life—years of love and support—and all I've gotten in return is this pathetic excuse for a husband. You're not a partner; you're dead weight dragging me down!"
Dongsoo's face twisted into a sneer. "And you're a miserable woman who can't stop blaming everyone else for her problems. Maybe if you'd stop whining for five minutes, you'd realize you're not so easy to love either."
Karen's hands shook as her eyes filled with tears of frustration. "You know what, Dongsoo?
I don't even care anymore. I deserve better than this—better than you. You've made me feel worthless, invisible, and unloved for years, and I'm done pretending this is okay."
Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the bedroom door behind her.
As she leaned against the door, her mind raced with comparisons Samuel was thoughtful, attentive, and everything Dongsoo wasn't. For the first time, she allowed herself to admit she deserved more.
[Author's Note:
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