#51.

Kim Eun-joo sat in the kid’s room, staring at the clock. It was 11 PM. She picked up her cell phone, then put it down. She desperately wanted to contact Lee Hyun-woo, but at the same time, she was afraid.

,Could he possibly be… somewhere with someone right now?’

Kim Eun-joo squeezed her eyes shut at the images swirling in her head. She remembered Lee Hyun-woo saying he’d be late because of a company dinner, just a few hours ago when she was busy putting the child to bed. But now, that excuse just felt like a lie.

,He’s fallen for another woman, and he doesn’t give a damn about me or the kid…’

Kim Eun-joo hoped her suspicion wasn’t true. At the same time, a thought that she couldn’t trust Lee Hyun-woo was growing in a corner of her mind. She had been proud of her husband’s looks. But now, that was the very source of her fear.

,There’s nothing I lack… but if he’s still cheating…’

Looking at the baby’s face, Kim Eun-joo gave a bitter smile. This child needed a father. Needed love and attention. Needed a happy family. But Lee Hyun-woo was clearly distracted by another woman more than his own child.

She reached for her phone, but Kim Eun-joo stopped herself. She didn’t want to be the wife who suspects and grills her husband about cheating. She was afraid of being seen as pathetic and miserable.

,Please, I hope my worries aren’t true… I hope you only love me, and only think about our family…’

Kim Eun-joo’s eyes welled up. Only a futile sigh deepened. She gathered her confused thoughts and stood up. She hugged her child tightly and kissed them. And, as if hiding her uneasy heart, she quietly closed the kid’s room door and came out.

It was a night when her husband’s absence felt even greater. Kim Eun-joo took out Lee Hyun-woo’s clothes and buried her face in them. At his scent reaching the tip of her nose, she couldn’t hold back her tears.

,My love… please, I hope you never embrace another woman besides me…’

–

Lee Hyun-woo trudged through the apartment complex. His face was slightly flushed, thanks to drinking at the company dinner after completing a successful project. He held a bottle of wine that Kim Eun-joo liked in his hand.

,I need to apologize to Eun-joo, and make up for sure today to restore our relationship.’

Pledging in his heart, Lee Hyun-woo recalled his sincere love for his wife. But his drunken steps were somewhat unsteady.

Just then, Park Min-ah sitting on a bench caught his eye. She also looked drunk.

,Oh… Hyun-woo-ssi? Hello…”

,Min-ah-ssi… What are you doing here at this late hour? You should go in and rest…”

The two continued their conversation without noticing each other’s condition. Then, Park Min-ah, trying to get up, staggered and fell towards Lee Hyun-woo.

,Ah, I’m sorry… I think I had a bit too much to drink…”

,It’s okay… I also had a bit to drink at the company dinner…”

Lee Hyun-woo was flustered, but he supported Park Min-ah and helped her up. Lee Hyun-woo was embarrassed by Park Min-ah’s perfume scent, sweat smell, and subtle body odor coming from nearby. But soon, thinking it was nothing, he helped her sit on the bench.

,Then… I’ll be going now… Min-ah-ssi, please go in carefully…”

,Yes… Thank you, Hyun-woo-ssi. Go in carefully…”

Lee Hyun-woo pulled himself together and looked at his house in the distance. A faint light welcomed him.

,She’ll be waiting, right… Eun-joo…’

Although he was staggering, Lee Hyun-woo maintained his composure as much as possible and moved towards his house. His head was full of love and apology for his wife. Shaking off the smell of alcohol from his clothes, he anticipated making up with his beloved wife.

As soon as Lee Hyun-woo came in, Kim Eun-joo couldn’t help but notice the perfume scent coming from his clothes. It was the perfume that Park Min-ah used. She remembered that she smelled the exact same scent from her when she met Park Min-ah in the apartment not long ago.

Suspicion raised its head, but Kim Eun-joo tried to smile as if nothing was wrong. But as soon as she took Lee Hyun-woo’s shirt, the smell of cosmetics and a woman’s unique subtle body odor hit her nose. She couldn’t not know the body odor as soon as she smelled it.

,Could it be… this smell is…?’

Shock and despair swallowed Kim Eun-joo. Her head turned white. It was clear that her husband, whom she had trusted so much, had been rolling around with another woman and came home. With that woman she had run into in the apartment not long ago, too.

,Eun-joo-ya, I bought the wine you like. Do you want to drink together?”

Lee Hyun-woo’s cheerful voice rang in his wife’s ears. Kim Eun-joo screamed inwardly. But outwardly, she only forced a smile, pretending to be calm.

,Okay, thank you. Let’s drink together.”

Lee Hyun-woo poured wine into the glass, thinking his wife would like it. But Kim Eun-joo’s hands were already shaking. Her body was stiffening with distrust and betrayal towards her husband.

They faced each other and toasted with wine. But the invisible crack that ran between them was already digging deep.

Kim Eun-joo gritted her teeth and swallowed the wine. The sweet wine went down her throat, but her heart was filled with bitter despair. The moment she recognized her beloved husband’s betrayal, something inside her was collapsing.

Lee Hyun-woo continued the friendly conversation without realizing his wife’s complicated feelings. But Kim Eun-joo’s heart had already suffered irreparable damage.

An awkward atmosphere began to linger between the two. Kim Eun-joo, who had to pretend not to know the truth, and Lee Hyun-woo, who didn’t notice his wife’s strange attitude. Their conversation continued emptily.

–

At the apartment management office, Kim Eun-joo sat facing Lee Han. The traces of her worrying all night were evident on her face. She couldn’t sleep because of anxiety and suspicion.

,Lee Han-ssi, Hyun-woo came in late last night…”

Kim Eun-joo’s voice trembled.

,Hyun-woo’s clothes… smelled like Park Min-ah’s perfume. Besides, the smell from his clothes is definitely… I can’t stand it anymore.”

She wanted to confide in him and seek comfort from Lee Han. But Lee Han’s reaction was unexpected.

,Eun-joo-ssi, that’s probably a misunderstanding. There’s no way Hyun-woo-ssi would do that. The smell might have accidentally gotten on him at the company dinner.”

Lee Han’s tone seemed to defend Lee Hyun-woo. Kim Eun-joo’s insides twisted even more. She had trusted and relied on him, but he seemed to be taking Lee Hyun-woo’s side instead.

,That’s enough, Lee Han-ssi. Even you don’t understand me!”

Kim Eun-joo got angry and pulled the stroller up. Lee Han tried to stop her, but she left the office in large strides without looking back. The sound of the door closing hard rang in Lee Han’s ears.

But a faint smile hung on Lee Han’s lips. He looked at Kim Eun-joo’s back as she walked away in anger. Her gait was filled with hurt and despair.

The words he threw were enough to shake Kim Eun-joo’s heart exquisitely. While seeming to defend her husband Lee Hyun-woo, he was stimulating her anxiety.

Lee Han slowly approached the window. Kim Eun-joo’s figure walking away dejectedly in the distance came into view.

–

The next morning, Kim Eun-joo put her child in the stroller and headed to the management office. She felt bad for speaking harshly to Lee Han yesterday, so she wanted to apologize.

,Lee Han-ssi, are you there? It’s me, Eun-joo.”

A light knock and the baby’s faint cry were heard. When Lee Han opened the door, Kim Eun-joo was standing there with an apologetic expression.

,Eun-joo-ssi, please come in.”

Lee Han pulled the stroller and welcomed them inside.

,I said too much yesterday. I’m really sorry.”

Kim Eun-joo bowed her head and sincerely apologized. Lee Han gave her a warm smile.

,No, I should be the one apologizing. I didn’t fully understand Eun-joo-ssi’s feelings.”

Lee Han guided Kim Eun-joo to the sofa, picked up the child, and said.

,Jin-woo seems really nice.”

Kim Eun-joo smiled slightly at Lee Han’s words, and Lee Han sat next to Kim Eun-joo with the child in his arms. Before they knew it, their shoulders were touching.

,Eun-joo-ssi, if you have any difficulties, please tell me anytime. I’ll be on your side, always.”

Kim Eun-joo’s heart wavered at Lee Han’s whisper. His body temperature and affectionate tone were comforting.

,Thank you, I feel good being comforted like this.”

Kim Eun-joo leaned on Lee Han and said. The child was sleeping comfortably in Lee Han’s arms. Lee Han’s hand gently wrapped around Kim Eun-joo’s waist. With the child in his arms, he was sitting very close to her.

Kim Eun-joo felt a strange excitement at Lee Han’s affectionate appearance, no less than the child’s father. A new emotion, different from her husband, was blooming.

The child was still fast asleep in Lee Han’s arms. Kim Eun-joo and Lee Han smiled together, looking at the baby. In that smile, there was a subtle attraction towards each other.

In this way, Kim Eun-joo and Lee Han’s relationship became even closer through the child. Lee Han’s appearance, welcoming her who came with the stroller, was like a family.

Their meeting was always with the child. The time the three spent together gradually increased. Before they knew it, the management office had become another haven for Kim Eun-joo.

A space that makes her forget about her dissatisfaction and suspicion of her husband for a while. A man named Lee Han was there with her.

–

A subtle tension was flowing in Kim Eun-joo and Lee Hyun-woo’s house. On the surface, it was the daily life of an ordinary couple, but inside, an invisible crack was growing. Lee Hyun-woo still often came home late at night.

Even in the midst of his busy company schedule, Lee Hyun-woo tried to hold the child and give Kim Eun-joo time to rest on weekends. But due to the constant workload and frequent company dinners, his efforts were often in vain.

,I’m late again because of work today. Did you eat dinner?”

Lee Hyun-woo approached Kim Eun-joo and spoke to her, but she turned away instead of answering.

,I’m tired. I’m going to sleep first.”

Lee Hyun-woo was at a loss for words at Kim Eun-joo’s cold voice. He blankly stared at his wife’s back, then sighed and headed to the living room. Increasingly frequent late returns, the unfamiliar woman’s perfume scent on his clothes. To her, Lee Hyun-woo’s excuses all sounded like lies.

,He’s definitely with another woman besides me anyway…’

A sense of betrayal was slowly growing in Kim Eun-joo’s heart. On the other hand, Lee Hyun-woo blamed himself for neglecting his wife. But he didn’t know what to do. The more he tried to approach Kim Eun-joo, the more he was met with a cold gaze.

The conversation between the two gradually decreased, and the time they spent together also decreased day by day. The two were already using separate rooms. Kim Eun-joo’s suspicion and Lee Hyun-woo’s powerlessness intertwined, and the couple quietly drifted apart.

Eventually, Kim Eun-joo began to seek comfort from Lee Han. Her steps towards the management office, pulling the stroller every day, had become lighter before she knew it. By Lee Han’s side, she gained peace even for a short time.

The crack between the couple deepened. A wife exhausted from childcare and housework, a husband overwhelmed by work. In an unseen place, their relationship was slowly deteriorating. In a daily life mixed with misunderstandings, suspicions, and fatigue, Kim Eun-joo and Lee Hyun-woo were drifting further and further apart.