AOA 124

“Where is Mugyeong staying? I know, hmm. People say you shouldn’t interfere in a couple’s fight, but I should repay the favor with this.”

Baek Sujin laughed loudly and told me that Baek Mugyeong was at the Carva Hotel. She sent me a phone number in a message and said that if I contacted that number after arriving at the hotel, a staff member would guide me to Baek Mugyeong’s room.

I thanked her and headed for the Carva Hotel. A middle-aged male employee guided me to the room and even opened the door.

The employee, who greeted me politely and told me to contact him if I needed anything, disappeared.

The spacious room was empty. Instead, Baek Mugyeong’s pheromones lingered faintly. They were too weak to stir any reaction, they instead made me miss Baek Mugyeong.

I steadied my shaken heart. There was only one thing I had to say when I met Baek Mugyeong. I had to throw away everything and cling to him.

Baek Mugyeong appeared well past 8 in the evening. I jumped up to my feet as I heard the sound of the lock on the room door opening.

“Jeong Minchae-ssi?”

Baek Mugyeong, who had just entered the room, spotted me and stopped in his tracks. While our gazes locked on each other, the sound of the room door closing by itself followed.

The man wore the same clothes as he had in the afternoon when we had fought. It was awkward and uncomfortable to meet after parting with a harsh argument.

Baek Mugyeong’s face in particular showed brief puzzlement, then quickly stiffened.

The awkward silence continued until the air in the room grew heavy and seemed frozen. I clenched my fists as I reminded myself of the purpose of coming here.

“I have something I want to say, but since I couldn’t reach you, I came here.”

“Did you forget that I told you I don’t want to talk with you anymore?”

Baek Mugyeong glared at me with a frightening face and questioned me harshly. Regardless, I dropped to my knees. At my unprecedented action, Baek Mugyeong widened his eyes.

“I still don’t remember what I did before. But I must have been in the wrong, that’s why you are angry. I’m sorry. I’m even more sorry for not remembering.”

Still kneeling, I bent forward until my forehead touched the floor. This was no time to worry about dignity or pride. Just as my biological father said, I had to start by apologizing and begging.

“What are you doing? Even if you do this, I… haa, get up. I said get up.”

Baek Mugyeong let out a heavy sigh and pulled me up by the arm. His tremendous strength lifted me almost off the ground, forcing me to stand.

At this rate, it was clear I would be thrown out. I shook off Baek Mugyeong’s hand and knelt down again.

“Why are you doing this?”

“I told you earlier, I will divorce you. But I need time. One month, one month will be enough.”

I had been thinking that the divorce with Baek Mugyeong would happen around next winter. To prepare just in case, I had told my aunt and younger sibling that we might have to leave Korea and I had a passport made, but other than that, I had not carried out any plans yet.

My sibling’s treatment was reaching its final stage. If we missed the timing, everything we had done so far would be wasted, so the last surgery had to be done. The final surgery was scheduled for the end of next month. Once that ended, we would be able to move freely.

I had money, but not enough to settle completely in another country. Once outside, every little thing would cost money.

Because of the accident at Baek Jinseok’s birthday banquet, I still had t Bae Jongho and Kim Yeongcheol’s paintings. I had to sell those to raise money.

Most importantly, at the end of this month, my biological mother’s younger sister, who lived in the United States, was coming to Korea. I intended to meet her and beg her to help us settle in America.

That was why I needed time. At least one month seemed possible.

In truth, I wanted to blame him for making my sibling and my aunt endangered because he pushed the divorce unilaterally. I also wanted to pour out everything about how my biological father had threatened me.

But now was not the time. The one in need was me, not him. I had to beg and cling to him no matter what.

I looked up at Baek Mugyeong while kneeling. I didn’t know what kind of expression I had, but I hoped I looked pitiful.

So that the man’s twisted face would soften.

Even while our gazes were locked, Baek Mugyeong said nothing.

“Please, I beg you.”

My voice trembled without meaning to. I said I let go of my pride, but I wasn’t calm. Of course, it would make me look even more desperate, so I didn’t avoid Baek Mugyeong’s eyes.

If he was as quick-witted as I knew, he would easily guess why I was clinging like this. No matter how angry he was, he wasn’t cruel. He would delay the divorce for about a month.

“Why should I?”

But contrary to my expectation, Baek Mugyeong’s response was cold. I understood what he meant a little late, then froze.

I hadn’t thought he would ask why.

“It’s been four days since I said I’d divorce you. Are you saying you still haven’t prepared anything until now?”

“That is…”

Baek Mugyeong’s voice was filled with contempt. I couldn’t answer properly. It was true that I had been complacent even after his warning.

If I had to explain why, honestly, I didn’t think Baek Mugyeong would push the divorce this urgently. I even waited for a moment to explain myself to him, just in case.

I opened my lips to say that, but no sound came out. To Baek Mugyeong’s ears, it would all sound like excuses.

I had been too foolish. I bit my lips in shame and lowered my head.

“I acted stupid. One month will be enough. Please…”

“How much of your circumstances do I have to tolerate? No, let’s stop here.”

Baek Mugyeong cut me off, and the same contempt as before was on his face. It felt like my heart dropped down.

I couldn’t say anything and only looked at Baek Mugyeong. The man showed contempt, scorn, and annoyance all at once, then turned his body. It was a familiar back view.

“Wait…”

I called to Baek Mugyeong and tried to get up in a hurry. But he opened the room door and went out without even turning back.

I sat back down on the spot, unable to stand from the emptiness.

“Ah…”

The relationship with Baek Mugyeong was already broken. But I didn’t expect him to go this far.

No, that wasn’t true. He had always been like that.

Baek Mugyeong was basically polite and courteous but cold. Even before, he had no interest in me, and after the regression he sometimes showed hostility.

Yes, it was hostility.

That meant the resentment toward me had been that deep. Even so, he had agreed that we should get to know each other.

It scared me to think of how Baek Mugyeong must have felt after learning the truth.

“Really…”

I closed my eyes and let out a groan. My body felt heavy, like a boulder was on my chest.

It had been a long time since I felt so hopeless.

When my parents passed away one after another, I only shed tears. When I learned my uncle had left a huge debt, I grabbed my head and lamented. When I heard my younger sibling was diagnosed with a rare disease, I resented the heavens. When my biological father appeared and proposed an arranged marriage, when I became pregnant, and after Baek Mugyeong died, it was the same.

Right after the regression, I couldn’t even think straight from the confusion. I suffered day and night from the memory of being killed. I endured with nothing but the determination to escape from my biological father.

Compared to that time, this was nothing. My biological father was threatening me using my sibling’s and aunt’s safety, but it wasn’t completely hopeless.

I didn’t have enough money to emigrate abroad, but I could still hide for a while, avoiding my biological father’s eyes. My sibling’s last surgery could somehow be finished if I begged and pleaded with my biological father.

I thought being misunderstood by Baek Mugyeong was just bad luck, and I could end the relationship. That would be the simple and easy way.

But I didn’t want to do that.

I had to explain that it wasn’t me. That he had misunderstood, that I hadn’t done anything, so he shouldn’t be angry.

For the last four days, I desperately searched my memories. I even made a timeline of what had happened. But no matter how much I looked, there was nothing decisive.

“Haa…”

I sighed.

Before the regression, I had done many stupid things. Whenever Baek Yeongseop called, I ran to him like a loyal dog. Even though Baek Mugyeong told me not to, I didn’t listen.

But that was all. I was out of my mind, acting like an obedient puppet.

The problem was that it might all have been a mistake. If I had caused some incident and then forgotten, there would be no answer.

“Idiot, fool. Why can’t you remember?”

I cursed at my past self. If I had done something stupid, I should remember. Only then could I apologize and say I was sorry.

No matter how many times I hit my head, dozens or hundreds of times, I couldn’t remember. And Baek Mugyeong, who knew everything, showed no sign of explaining it to me.

I thought I could hear Baek Mugyeong’s cold voice asking, “Why should I?” It was time to admit it was really over.

I hadn’t even said that I liked him.

It seemed a person’s heart wasn’t something that could be put down easily. Regret kept flowing out.

I resented Baek Mugyeong for not telling me what the problem was. I felt so foolish for not remembering something important.

I clenched my teeth, but I couldn’t hold back my tears. Hot tears rolled down.