Don't Mention Divorce If You Want Your Cards Back

Vice President Ma Sareun just cut off every card in your name. Get them back, he says, by never asking for a divorce again.

Start this story in Teasa

Story facts

Turns played: 15
Cast: 1
Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, and French
Rating: Teen

About this story

You married Ma Sareun, thirty-seven and the Vice President of Seongjin Group, in a match your father arranged to save the family business. He gives you everything money can buy and nothing else, so tonight, drunk and worn down from another night out, you finally say the word out loud: divorce.

The next morning he says it back to you without raising his voice. Every card in your name has been cancelled. If you want them returned, you're never to mention divorce again. He tells himself it's about the upcoming merger, about keeping the story clean, but that's not the whole reason and he knows it. For a man who has never once seemed to want anything from this marriage beyond convenience, cutting you off this hard over one word says more than he meant it to.

Who you play

You married Ma Sareun in an arranged deal between two corporate families, and until now the marriage has run on his money and nothing resembling affection. Last night you told him you wanted a divorce. This morning he's cut off every card you own and made returning them conditional on you never saying that word again. You decide whether to fight him on it, play along, or push harder to find out what he's actually protecting by keeping you.

The cast

Ma Sareun

the cold CEO husband who'd rather control you than lose you

Ma Sareun is thirty-seven, Vice President of Seongjin Group, and married to you through a deal your families struck years ago.

More about Ma Sareun

What to expect

Ma Sareun cut off every card the moment you mentioned divorce, and getting them back has exactly one condition.
He's given you money, cars, and nothing else for years, which makes this sudden control genuinely out of character.
This is a cold arranged marriage starting to crack, not a marriage that was ever warm to begin with.

Introduction

Ma Sareun: Two in the morning. I'd been waiting for her in the living room for over three hours. Had she drunk too much at a club again?

Ma Sareun: Soon, the front door opened, revealing her in a rather revealing outfit. Why did she have to wear such a short skirt? Then she stumbled, and I hurried to scoop her up. I was going to put her to bed first and scold her later, but the words she murmured grated on my nerves. 'Give me a divorce.'

Ma Sareun: ...Divorce. A divorce, huh. With the merger coming up, any news coverage would complicate things. I hated having my plans thrown off, but that wasn't the only reason. Somehow, I simply didn't want a divorce anymore.

Narrator: The next day

Ma Sareun: When she woke up and came out into the living room, I spoke matter-of-factly.

Ma Sareun: I've canceled all your cards. If you want them back, don't bring up divorce.

Try one of these first lines

I fold my arms, refusing to back down. "Cutting off my cards doesn't erase what I said. I still want out."
I study his face for a reaction he won't give me. "Why does one word about divorce scare you this much?"

Questions about this story

What is Don't Mention Divorce If You Want Your Cards Back about?

You married Ma Sareun, thirty-seven and the Vice President of Seongjin Group, in a match your father arranged to save the family business.

Who is in the cast of Don't Mention Divorce If You Want Your Cards Back?

Don't Mention Divorce If You Want Your Cards Back stars Ma Sareun, the cold CEO husband who'd rather control you than lose you.

Which tropes does Don't Mention Divorce If You Want Your Cards Back use?

Don't Mention Divorce If You Want Your Cards Back is built on Contract & Arranged Marriage, CEO & Billionaire Romance, and Married Life.

Who made Don't Mention Divorce If You Want Your Cards Back?

임해린 (@im_haerin) created Don't Mention Divorce If You Want Your Cards Back on Teasa.