Chapter 10.1

After driving for about an hour, they arrived at the beach. A sandy beach spread out before the vast ocean, and white foam crashed into the shores. And the boundary between heaven and earth was hidden by the night.

As if possessed, Hae-gang got out of the car and walked slowly, stepping on the sand that crumbled beneath her feet. The hospital slippers she wore because she didn’t have proper shoes were quite suitable for this place. Hae-gang, who had submerged her feet in the water, turned around and searched for Woo-jin.

“Mr. Min Woo-jin!”

But there was only a car with its headlights on behind her, and the owner was nowhere to be found.

Hae-gang looked around a couple of times before giving up and focusing on the sea in front of her. She thought that if she waited, he would come. She soaked her feet in the water and splashed them. The bathtub in the hotel she was imprisoned in was wide enough, but it was nothing compared to the sea. She watched the froth that oozed from her feet and observed the sand that clung to her wet skin.

Before she knew it, she found Woo-jin sitting on the bench behind her. He must have been at a convenience store, as there was a black plastic bag next to him.

“Is that beer?” she asked.

“Can you drink?” replied Woo-jin.

She wasn’t the type to enjoy alcohol itself, but if she were to choose a favorite among alcoholic beverages, it would be beer. And after all, she had been through, the desire to drink was stronger than usual.

“If you had bought this, you should have called me sooner,” Hae-gang said.

“I was going to, but I didn’t have a name to call you.”

Hae-gang avoided Woo-jin’s gaze. It was her choice not to tell him, so there was nothing to complain about. She took a beer out of the plastic bag and opened the can without saying a word. It was too cold for her to drink beer, but none of that mattered.

She took one sip and looked down at the can in her hand. She could hear the faint buzz of the crowd from a distance and the loud crash of the sea as it reached the bay. The noise of her surroundings gave her a sense of peace.

Hae-gang glanced at the seat next to her. Once again, she felt grateful to Woo-jin. What he was doing to her was pure kindness. He was thoughtful and never authoritative. She opened her mouth to speak after breaking free from her thoughts.

“What are you curious about?” she asked. “Ask me if you have any questions.” I think I can answer you now.” She could feel Woo-jin’s gaze on her as she stared at the sea.

It didn’t take long before he opened his mouth and asked the same question he had asked before.

“Who are you running from?” he said. “This time, not an abstract answer like the owner or something.”

“My husband.”

If only I could still call him my husband.

Hae-gang couldn’t exactly define the relationship between them. Still, she couldn’t tell Woo-jin his name, so she referred to him as her husband.

“I am running away from my husband,” she repeated.

Woo-jin appeared to be surprised. She wasn’t sure if he was startled by her marriage or by other causes, but she was certain he looked taken aback.

“Are you experiencing domestic violence?” he suddenly asked. “If you want, I can report it for you.”

At those words, Hae-gang burst into laughter. Nothing about what he said was funny, but Woo-jin’s innocence was quite enjoyable.

“He is beyond your wildest imagination,” she chuckled.

“Have you forgotten who I am?” Woo-jin asked, frowning.

Hae-gang nodded as she glanced at him, her hair disheveled by the swirling breeze.

“Even if you are the CEO of Charlie Inc.,”

Charlie Inc. has grown at a rate that has never been seen before, but his company has been important to the economy of the country long before Charlie’s meteoric rise. He was a candidate to be the next president of that company.

Hae-gang crumpled the empty can and took a deep breath. “I’m feeling terrific,” she said, “I’ll tell you a bigger secret.” “This is the first time I am telling Min Woo-jin.”

She turned her sight away from Woo-jin and toward the tranquil sea. She was speechless for a moment as the words constantly got caught in her throat. After a long time, she could barely raise her voice.

“I died a long time ago.”

Woo-jin let out a laugh like someone who heard something absurd.

“Then who is the person in front of me now?” he asked.

Hae-gang didn’t find his reaction offensive. It was only today that she acknowledged it, too. Instead, she gave him a little more clarity.

“I’ve been publicly declared dead.”

This time, Woo-jin couldn’t even laugh. Hae-gang confronted his gaze, which she had been avoiding the whole time, and spoke clearly.

“I am a person who does not exist in this world, Min Woo-jin.”