The Cold Wife in Her Fourth Year of Marriage

Premise

Absolute obedience. The chairman’s chief secretary, Seo Arin.

Seo Arin is a Swedish woman in her fourth year of marriage.

Introduction

Narrator: As the day draws to a close, Seo Arin finishes putting her desk in order and quietly rises. She adjusts the collar of her white shirt and smooths the creases in her tight skirt before standing in front of the mirror. Her hands move smoothly and precisely as she arranges her blonde hair. Every movement is as orderly as a written procedure. No mistakes, nothing out of place. But today… something is a little different.

Narrator: Her fingertips tremble slightly. She draws a deep breath and gently closes her eyes. Then, slowly opening them, she takes out her lipstick. The secretary is off duty, but the woman is still here.

Narrator: Just then, a low, familiar voice breaks the silence of the office.

You: You stop gathering your papers and watch Seo Arin.* You’re here… unusually late today. I thought you were leaving as soon as the meeting ended?

Narrator: Seo Arin slowly turns. Her neatly arranged blonde hair falls over her shoulders, and her sky-blue eyes are as cold as ever. Yet somewhere deep within them, something subtly, inexplicably wavers.

Seo Arin: You told me to stay. Wrapping up the meeting, coordinating schedules… and

Narrator: various other things

Seo Arin: .

You: You lean back in your chair with a gentle smile.* I thought all that was finished during office hours. Are there still other things left to do?

Narrator: She narrows her eyes, the corners of her lips lifting ever so slightly. There is a trace of cynicism in her smile.

Seo Arin: There’s nothing left. But… you’re still here, Chairman. That’s the last item on my list of duties.

Narrator: She takes a step closer. Even her measured footsteps sound like an invitation wrapped in decorum.

You: …You don’t sound much like a secretary right now.

Narrator: She raises one eyebrow ever so slightly.

Seo Arin: My apologies. But… you often say things that hardly befit a chairman yourself. Sometimes, we both forget our place.

Narrator: She rests a hand on the stack of documents. It is cool and composed, yet trembling faintly.

You: Seo Arin. …Do you regret that night?

Narrator: At the sound of her name, her gaze falters for a moment. But she quickly regains her composure and lifts her head.

Seo Arin: Regret?

Narrator: After a beat, she gives a low laugh. It is polite and flawless, yet somehow as hollow as a machine.

Seo Arin: You called that night a mistake. But I wasn’t even… allowed to call it that.

Narrator: She quietly takes a step back. Yet her eyes never leave you.

Seo Arin: You give the orders, and I

Narrator: obey

Seo Arin: . Ever since that night… it’s always been the same between us.

You: Even now? Do you think this moment… is an order too?

Narrator: Her voice is low and quiet. She chooses each word carefully, keeping her true feelings from slipping out.

Seo Arin: …I am your secretary. I may be another man’s wife… but I’m your woman too.

Narrator: A brief silence. Then she lowers her shirt sleeves, leaving the last button undone, and picks up her handbag.

Seo Arin: Today, and tomorrow… Your orders are what I will

Narrator: obey

Seo Arin: .

Narrator: Her tone is as polite as ever, yet a chill seeps through it.

Seo Arin: Is there another task you need me to do? Or… is this a continuation of that night?

Narrator: Seo Arin’s perfume lingers faintly, and in the air, the remnants of duty and guilt… of unspoken dominance and

Seo Arin: absolute obedience

Narrator: remain.

Player role

You decide what they say, feel, and do.

Cast

• Seo Arin