Chapter 40.2

Seo-young went to the kitchen and came back with two beautiful European-style plates and forks, urging Hae-gang to sit on the sofa.

“Hae-gang, please sit for a moment. I’ll bring the coffee.”

Not long after, the aroma of rich coffee beans wafted from the kitchen.

While Seo-young was preparing the coffee, Hae-gang took out the cake, pre-cut it, and transferred it to the plates. She held up her phone, trying to create a picturesque composition suitable for taking a pretty picture.

“Are you taking pictures again? You don’t even use social media, but you always take pictures diligently.”

“It’s for my personal satisfaction. Wow, it smells amazing.”

With the elegant coffee cup placed next to the luxurious cake, a rather beautiful picture emerged. After taking several photos, moving her upper body here and there, Hae-gang finally captured a satisfying shot before lowering her phone.

“Did you move this table here after moving in?”

“That’s right. The previous one didn’t match the atmosphere of this house at all, so I changed it. Did my brother-in-law like it?”

“He really did. Especially when taking pictures, it looks especially beautiful. It makes me crave for the taste of dessert, seriously.”

Hae-gang traced her finger along the edge of the table, her eyes sparkling. Seo-young, who was watching her while eating the cake, asked a curious question.

“If you enjoy taking photos so much, why don’t you use social media? Don’t you want to show off when you see something good or eat something pretty?”

“Hmm. It’s not that my husband disapproves or anything. Maybe it’s because I got married at a young age? I still have moments when I feel like I’m just playing with a child.”

Hae-gang married Geon-ho when she was twenty-four years old, right after graduating from university. At that time, Geon-ho was already thirty, so she might have seemed quite immature in his eyes.

The saying that first impressions last seemed to hold true for Geon-ho, as he was still reluctant to expose me to the outside world. But thanks to that, she was able to freely engage in activities more than anyone else in the in-law family, so she didn’t have any major complaints either.

Seo-young nodded as if she understood.

“To be honest, I feel the same way sometimes. When I see my husband, I don’t know how to put it, but it feels like I’m looking at kids these days. It’s cute.”

In a tone that resembled a mother praising her child, Hae-gang shifted her gaze uneasily.

“Dong-seo and I only have a three-year age difference, you know?”

“Well, three years can make a difference. We went to different schools when we were three. When my husband was swinging with his friends, I was wearing a school uniform.”

Thinking about it that way, the age gap seemed endless. It would be even greater with Geon-ho. I always called him Geonho-sshi and spoke informally, so she never really thought about it, but now Hae-gang suddenly realized that he was a full-fledged adult.

“So, in your father-in-law’s eyes, how much of a precious flower is your husband?”

Seo-young’s fork, which had been moving diligently between the plate and her mouth, gradually slowed down and eventually began to play with the cake on the plate, as if it had lost its appetite. It weakly poked at it and rolled the cheese ball on top. It seemed as if her appetite had completely vanished.

“I hope Sun-woo is like that too.”

“Why? Are you not getting along well these days?”

“We’ve always been like this. Sometimes I wonder if what I did was getting married or just part of the business.”

Unlike them, who only dated for a short time, Sun-woo and Seo-young’s marriage was truly arranged by both families.

Seo-young’s family background was not as prominent as that of the Moon-ik family, but it seemed that Sun-woo being the youngest son and born out of wedlock, played a decisive role in their agreed-upon marriage. I knew that no words from me would provide comfort on that matter, so I quietly listened.

“I want to live well since I’m already married, but he keeps getting greedy.”

“Ah.”

Unless there are any major changes, Geon-ho will inherit the Moon-ik company.

Sun-woo has an unavoidable label attached to him. If he wants to achieve a reversal, he has no choice but to rely on the power of his in-law family. Since his own family’s company, Seogami Media, is not as influential, it cannot provide Geonho with significant support. It seems that Sun-woo has determined that filling that gap is the only way.

“No way…”

“He suggested divorce.”

Hae-gang raised her hand and instinctively covered her open mouth. Seo-young, with a sad expression on her face, eventually put down the fork that had been tormenting the cake and wiped away a tear that had gathered in the corner of her eye.

Hae-gang quickly took out a tissue and handed it to her, patting her shoulder.

“Things may not be going well these days. Your husband might have said it in anger. Don’t keep it in your heart too much.”

“It’s not the first time.”

The tears that had filled her clear, large eyes were quickly absorbed by the tissue. She felt sorry for her, but there was nothing Hae-gang could do right now except hand her a fresh tissue.

“Lately, he has been asking for it more often, so I even investigated if there was another woman involved, but it doesn’t seem to be the case. Even though I had someone look into it, I felt so discouraged.”

Looking at Seo-young’s gloomy expression, she didn’t know what to say. Hae-gang had never experienced such unhappiness in her life. She had busy but caring parents, an older brother who, despite occasional arguments, readily indulged her youthful whims due to their age difference, and Geon-ho, who loved her deeply.

If she had had a similar experience, she might have been able to handle it more wisely, but she was completely inexperienced in this area.

As she found herself at a loss for what to do or say, Seo-young noticed her embarrassment and got up, saying she would go to the restroom.

Once she hurriedly went into the restroom, Hae-gang, who was left alone, glanced at the remaining cake, more than half of it still untouched.

“Today wasn’t a day to cut the cake, it seems. How thoughtless of me.”

If you want to support the Lunar Letters team, you can do so by pledging to us on Patreon and get to read advanced chapters of our novels! (Note: Patreon is not compulsory. Patrons are able to read ahead, but chapters will still be released to the public at a later date. This is only one way to financially support the team and keep the site running. Thank you very much!)

Browse our table of contents or Become a patron now!