Chapter 10: Stranger in her own house

Jun-Hyun said he would think about letting Seo-Yeon be the caretaker of the twins.

But nothing was set yet. Seo-Yeon didn't know what she should do now. Should she pack her bag and move into his mansion, or should she wait for his approval?

It was late in the evening. She rejected the offer of Jun-Hyun to drop her at her house and got a taxi to leave. But the butler insisted that they pay the fare at least.

She got out of the cab and moved toward the apartment, holding the bag with her clothes in her hand.

She walked on the familiar steps of her apartment building. The lights were still on inside the house.

And she could hear the faint sounds of laughter coming through the closed doors. A sound that she hasn't heard in this apartment for years.

She stood frozen at the doorstep; from the crack, she could see the happy family of three.

Her husband was laughing...

Seo-Yeon pushed the door and it opened slowly.

But what she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.

Her husband, Tae-Won, was on the floor, playing blocks with their son Jae-Min.

What surprised her was the person Jae-Min was sitting on. Seo-Yeon recognized that women all too well—Min-Ji.

Her husband's mistress.

The woman who used to be her friend. Someone who rose to the pinnacle while she stayed behind in this dumpster.

The three looked like a happy family. Tae-Won had his resting on Min-Ji's waist. Her Son Jae-Min was sitting on Min-Ji's lap and giggling sweetly.

For a moment, Seo-Yeon felt like a stranger in her own house.

"Wow, not even subtle. You three totally look like a family" Seo-Yeon said as she entered the house.

The room goes silent, and Tae-Won looks up from the floor. Min-Ji stiffens in her place. Her son looks up at his mother and then he turns to hide his face in Min-Ji's chest.

Tae-Won raises from the ground "Seo-Yeon—You're back early."

"In Hospitals, doctors discharge patients who don't have heavy injuries early when they need the bed for people who actually need it the most," she says sarcastically.

"Don't worry; I let myself in. You can busy yourself with whatever you were doing earlier," she says and turns to leave.

She doesn't look at anyone present in the room. She slowly walks to her bedroom. Her legs wobble as she climbs the stairs.

She silently packs her things. She packs her things quickly and efficiently. She puts everything she needs, everything that is hers.

Just like how one packs their language when leaving the hotel, she packs her things as if this house never belonged to her.

***

Seo-Yeon comes down to the living room with the packed bag in her hand.

She places the envelope on the coffee table in front of Tae-Won and Min-Ji.

"What is it?" Tae-Won asked.

"It's divorce papers. I've already signed them. You can sign and submit the papers in Marriage Burrow or If you don't want to do it then don't—I'm placing a petition myself either way." Seo-Yeon says with seriousness.

Tae-Won stands with irritation. "You're seriously doing this now?"

"I Should've done this on the day you invited this woman into my house while I was in a hospital bed," Seo-Yeon says with her voice flat but unwavering.

Min-Ji smirks as she gets up from her seat, clearly prepared to twist the knife into Seo-Yeon's heart with her words.

"Seo-Yeona you shouldn't blame Director Tae-Won. You never had the guts to fight for your family. Director Tae-won just wants to be with a woman who could look after him and his son. Not an incompetent wife like you who does nothing but freeload in the family."

She leans into Tae-won's side, holding his hands and rubbing her body against him. "You should've seen this coming. That's why I was chosen to take care of Young Master Jae-Min."

Seo-Yeon raises her brows, her heart hurts but she doesn't want to show her weakness in front of these heartless people.

"Min-Ji, you think this is victory?"

Min-Ji gives her a victorious smile.

Seo-Yeon looks at her "You are wrong, you are not stealing my husband or my family, you are just picking up the trash I'm throwing away. You can enjoy this dirt you have picked up."

"You..." Min-Ji mashed her teeth in anger.

She hasn't picked up her trash, but she has snatched her husband.

Tae-Won's face twisted with anger, but before he could say anything Seo-Yeon turned and approached her son.

She sat on her knees, coming eye to eye with her son "Jae-Miniee... Come with mommy. We can start fresh. Just the two of us."

"No!" Jae-Min shook his head violently. He pushed her hard then ran toward the cheating couple and hugged Min-Ji's thigh.

When Seo-Yeon was pushed by her son she fell on her injured hand. The stitches broke and blood started to soak the bandage wrapped around the previous injury.

She winced with pain.

"I don't want to go with you! I want to stay here—with Daddy and Mommy Min-Ji!"

Seo-Yeon flinches when she hears his cruel words. Her eyes fill with tears that she tried so hard to control.

She nods slowly, swallowing the pain.

But what hurt the most was not the injury on her hand, but the harsh words from her own son.

She doesn't say a word and stands up silently. "Okay. If that's what you want then I'll drop my thought of fighting for your custody. Be happy!!"

She looks up, and Tae-Won looks smug. 

Min-Ji laughed victoriously.

It was not her who picked up the trash, but its Seo-Yeon who was being kicked out like trash.

She grabs her bag and leaves.

"I'll see how long you're going to keep this act up. You will end up crawling back to me" Tae-won's voice rings in her ears as she steps out of the apartment.

Seo-Yeon steps out of the house and into the cold night air. Min-Ji follows her out.

"It must suck, huh? To lose your family, and your child," Min-Ji says smugly "But I should say you still try to look proud even now."

Seo-Yeon slowly turns around "Didn't I say before I didn't lose them? I let them go, the people who no longer loved me. You see there is a big difference."

She adjusts her bag on her shoulder and pulls the trolly back behind her.

"Besides, the real story starts now. You're just a messy prologue. I'll show you all who I am. If something is mine, I'll take everything back" Seo-Yeon says.

And without waiting for a reply, she turns around and walks away—with an unbearable pain in her heart, but strong fire in her eyes to win the life.

***

Seo-Yeon stood on the empty road, blood dripping from her wounded hand, her eyes stinging with tears.

She showed the bravery she had in front of the cheating husband and her beloved son, but now she is out of the house.

But now the question in her head was 'Where should she go now??'