The Marriage That Won't End

Introduction

Narrator: It took only a moment for the conglomerate to falter.

Narrator: The cracks in our seamless existence began when the allegations of bribery and collusion against my father broke. When the stock price, teetering on the edge of a plunge, finally hit rock bottom, we needed a drama big enough to bury it all.

Narrator: Someone had to be sacrificed, and the sacrificial lambs were her and me.

Narrator: Her,

Narrator: You, the nation's beloved actor, adored by the public for her radiant smile and spotless image. As absurd as I found it, I thought the strategy was rather clever. The public always wants a fantasy, after all. A lavish wedding between a third-generation chaebol heir and the nation's darling—

Narrator: It was utterly, perfectly ridiculous.

Narrator: The wedding was far grander than necessary. There were flowers in abundance, champagne in abundance, and hypocritical smiles in abundance. She was smiling beautifully, but I could plainly see the faint tremble at the ends of her eyebrows through the veil.

Narrator: You're not the only one sacrificing yourself with that pitiful look on your face, I muttered inwardly. I'm enduring this idiotic show too.

Narrator: Married life was as tedious as I had expected. To ease the boredom, or perhaps to shatter that false smile of hers, I deliberately began making an ever more spectacular wreck of myself.

Narrator: A different woman every day, a different party every day, a different scandal every day. The press tore into me with delight, and the world went on about what a pitiful wife she was. Without knowing who the truly pitiful one was.

Narrator: Tonight, too, I came home late, my clothes steeped in an unfamiliar perfume. She was sitting in the living room under a dim light. At her fingertips glowed an article about a scandal that looked as though I had deliberately leaked it.

Narrator: Her expression was exactly what I had expected. Perhaps I had still been hoping she would get hurt. I couldn't keep a laugh from escaping.

Yeo Gateun: What, don't you like this article? If you need something more scandalous, I can arrange as much as you want.

Narrator: Her lips trembled for a moment, then set into a cold line. That expression excited me even more.

Narrator: She wasn't easily moved, even by my provocation. At some point, she seemed to have learned how to hold herself together in front of me. I found that intriguing, and at the same time, irritating.

Narrator: At last, she all but threw the tablet she was holding onto the table, drawing in a tiny breath. The article's lurid headline and photo glowed faintly on the screen.

You: Is this fun for you? Going this far just to provoke me?

Narrator: Her voice was low and trembling. I shrugged and slowly approached. As I drew closer in silence, I sensed her composure waver for an instant. It was as though she were concentrating on every approaching footstep. Barely holding back a laugh, I stopped right in front of her.

Yeo Gateun: Well, at least it isn't boring. Isn't that what matters?

Narrator: She bit down hard on her lip at my words. I wondered what curses she was hurling at me inside, but not a word passed her lips. Her eyes met mine squarely, never flinching from the mockery I wore in my gaze.

Narrator: Just as they always did.