Divorce in Bed Chapter 3

Yeohwi stood blankly in front of the closed door for a moment before trudging back to the dining table like a dejected puppy.

A table for one.

Sitting in his spot, he stared at the coffee cup Dowon had left behind. Then, he gave a single shrug of his shoulders.

“Oh well.”

Might as well eat before it gets cold.

Yeohwi sandwiched cheese, jam, and ham between slices of bread, topped it with scrambled eggs, and took a thick bite. It tasted incredible. Following that, he found a giant soup bowl, poured a mountain of cereal into it, filled it to the brim with low-fat milk, and began to shovel it in with a crunch.

Just barely twenty. The appetite of someone in their prime growth spurt was formidable.

It felt as though he could easily polish off three servings.

Having cleared every last bit, including the portion Dowon had left untouched, Yeohwi suddenly looked up. He saw the housekeeper clearing the dishes and the coffee cup from Dowon’s spot.

“Excuse me.”

He wiped the milk from around his mouth and called out to her.

“Mister’s Wife.”

The housekeeper looked at Yeohwi with slightly surprised eyes.

“Did you call for me, young master?”

Yeohwi smiled with the refreshing, bright face characteristic of a young man and spoke to her in a friendly manner.

“Do you happen to have a moment?”

“Is there… a problem?”

Madam Park asked, cautiously keeping her distance.

“I have something I’m curious about.”

Yeohwi stood beside her as he brought his empty dishes to the sink himself.

“Young master, please just leave it!”

“No, no. I’m taking up your working time, so let’s tidy up together.”

Madam Park stared at Yeohwi with a look of slight bewilderment. This new groom, who had married Director Do, resembled none of the members of the Do family she had served for decades.

Even after being treated coldly all morning, he had finished his bowl of food in a flash, and even now, he didn’t look discouraged in the least. That boldness—or perhaps innocence—was foreign to her.

“So, is Dowon-ssi always that quiet?”

“Pardon?”

“Is it just today, or does he usually seem like a person who is angry?”

Questions poured out. Madam Park organized the dishes with a troubled expression.

“The Director usually has very little to say, in general.”

“What about meals? I saw he only drank coffee. Is he always like that, or did his appetite completely vanish because of me?”

“He is someone who doesn’t typically eat much in the morning. He is quite busy, you see.”

“I see…”

Yeohwi murmured as he pulled on a pair of rubber gloves. The pink gloves looked a bit small for him.

“No, young master. Please don’t do that. Really, just leave it be.”

“It’s okay. Just this! I’ll just wash the coffee cup and these few things.”

“If you do this, I will be the one in trouble…”

“It’s because there’s so much I want to ask you. I’m really desperate. Please help me out, okay? This time it’s a really important question.”

Yeohwi asked as he looked Madam Park directly in the eye. Beneath his disheveled brown curls, his clear brown eyes shone with absolute honesty.

“Um, what does Dowon-ssi like?”

“…”

“Or even just things he dislikes.”

Madam Park was speechless. No one in this household asked such questions. Especially not about Director Do.

“I wouldn’t really know… the Director originally rarely shows his emotions.”

Madam Park answered while carefully maintaining professional boundaries. To that, Yeohwi asked back innocently.

“Why?”

“Pardon…?”

“Why doesn’t he show his emotions? Was there a reason why he shouldn’t?”

“…”

She stared silently into Yeohwi’s face. To think a face could ask questions so brightly even after receiving cold treatment. It wasn’t a face fueled by resentment or spite, but one filled with pure curiosity and a genuine desire to get along.

‘Well…’

Madam Park was originally Dowon’s nanny. However, in this icy household, under a cold and greedy eldest uncle and a servile younger uncle, Dowon was a “young master” who had never once been a child.

From a young age, Dowon always had to satisfy the expectations of the relatives who were constantly checking him, and showing emotion quickly became a weakness.

Madam Park had spent her life by his side, inwardly feeling pity for the Dowon who lived like that.

And now, that Dowon had done something like getting married.

Of course, with her years of intuition, she knew this wasn’t a normal marriage.

But in this moment, Madam Park wondered.

‘Perhaps.’

Could a young man as untainted as this change something?

Madam Park looked once more at Yeohwi’s innocent, sun-like face. It felt as if she could smell the scent of fresh grass. High noon, the feeling of breathlessness one feels when stopping after running across a wide field with the sun beating down. Those overwhelming feelings naturally came to mind when looking at Seong Yeohwi.

“Mister’s Wife?”

Yeohwi prompted her.

Madam Park let out a deep sigh.

“Young master.”

Her voice had become much softer.

“The Director… has never once rested comfortably in this house.”

“What…?”

“He has likely never possessed something he liked, nor has he ever been able to avoid something he hated.”

Madam Park wiped her wet hands on a dishcloth hanging on one side of the kitchen and spoke with a look of resolve.

“Do you truly want to get along well with the Director?”

In an instant, Yeohwi’s eyes sparkled like stars.

“Yes! I want to become close with Dowon-ssi. Please help me.”

The large young man nodded his head rapidly. His unique, fresh charm overflowed.

The nanny, who had only ever seen the inhuman and icy Dowon in this mansion, finally wavered at the sight of the sun-like Yeohwi.

‘Fine. This much might be okay.’

Even if she ended up displeasing the Director later, it was something she could take responsibility for.

Madam Park wrote something on a small piece of memo paper on one side of the kitchen and handed it carefully to Yeohwi.

“The Director is so busy that he likely won’t answer the phone. But he will check his text messages… so if you have something you must say, try sending it here.”

It was Dowon’s personal cell phone number.

‧₊˚🍊༉‧₊˚.

From that point on, the tables turned.

Seong Yeohwi’s one-sided offensive began.

After finishing the tidying up, he gave Madam Park a deep 90-degree bow and ran to the bedroom. When he opened the closed door and entered, it felt as though Dowon’s scent still lingered in the room.

“Alright.”

First, he decided to unpack.

All he had brought with him to this mansion was a single simple suitcase. A few changes of clothes, toiletries, a laptop, and a charger.

Click. Yeohwi took a photo of the suitcase with his phone and sent his first text to Dowon’s number.

Photo of suitcase.jpg

Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve given you a formal greeting yet.

Of course, there was no reply.

As if he hadn’t expected one, Yeohwi opened the suitcase and began to organize his belongings. After placing his laptop and charger in the empty storage space of the massive bedroom, he took his clothes and headed to the dressing room.

“It’s empty.”

Yeohwi murmured as he opened the grandly sized dressing room.

In that space where hundreds of outfits could be hung, only Dowon’s black and gray suits and shirts were hung with military precision. Watches, belts, and shoes were also on display, but there were only exactly as many as needed; the quantity wasn’t that large.

Yeohwi hung his t-shirts and jeans one by one on the empty hangers next to them. He rolled up his socks and tucked them in perfectly. Then, to commemorate finishing his unpacking, he took a photo so that his clothes and Dowon’s suits were captured in one frame.

Organizing clothes.

Putting my clothes next to yours, Dowon-ssi, they really don’t match… By the way, do you like the color black?

Naturally, there was no reply.

Without being discouraged, he took his toiletries to the bathroom this time. He placed the toothbrush, toothpaste, and razor he had brought in the bathroom where he had spent quite a bit of time yesterday. After he finished, he took a photo of his toothbrush sitting side-by-side with Dowon’s.

After a slight hesitation, he added a yellow smiley face emoticon.

Returning to the bedroom, Yeohwi pushed his suitcase into a corner and began to explore the house.

A massive mansion. There were still many places he hadn’t been.