Capítulo 90: The Short-Lived Affair
The two became quite close as time passed.
Han Yeoreum would make up excuses so that she could go to the hospital, and Heo Woo Seung would meet up with her. Sometimes, they took walks at the park near the hospital, and sometimes, they spent some quiet time together in his office.
They were two people who were stuck in unhappy marriages, so they had an immediate connection with each other. Over time, they confided in each other about many things.
Han Yeoreum opened up about her life to Heo Woo Seung, pouring out all of her grievances. She told him of her abusive husband, and of her desire to leave the man.
Similarly, Heo Woo Seung told her of his unloving wife and his cold home. He also spoke about his dreams of becoming a politician. He told her that it was only because his parents wanted him to inherit the hospital that he had became a doctor, even though his younger sister excelled more in the field compared to him.
The two cheered each other on and healed each other's wounds.
Of course, after spending so much time getting to know each other, attraction was inevitable. The two had committed adultery in his office out of a moment of passion.
While he felt slightly guilty to his absent wife, he was convinced that Han Yeoreum was his true love. They had begun a secret relationship after he convinced Yeoreum to accept him as her lover.
It was the most daring thing he had ever done in the 30-something years of his life, and he was admittedly exhilarated at the thought of having an affair.
It was around that time when he had finally decided to join a political party and pursue his dreams.
Although he faced objections from the people around him, he pushed on. Simply because, Yeoreum believed in his abilities.
One day, Han Yeoreum called him out.
They had met at the park as usual. But, something was wrong with Han Yeureum.
She had a grave look on her face.
"What's wrong, Yeoreum-ssi? Are you sick somewhere?" He asked with concern.
Han Yeoreum did not respond to his question. She simply looked at the sceneries for a long moment, before turning to him and said: "Let's break up."
"What?" Heo Woo Seung was startled. "Why so suddenly?"
She sighed, "You know that this was inevitable. We're both married people. This can't go on forever. And your career... the people wouldn't trust their fates in the hands of a person who cheated on his wife, right? So... let's stop." She smiled sadly.
"..." Heo Woo Seung kept mum. He was reluctant, but he knew her words were true. He was in his prime, and his ambitions would not allow things like a scandal to tarnish his reputation.
Han Yeoreum laughed, though her heart was practically being torn apart. In the time that they had spent together, she had come to love him as much as she loved the Lee Do Joon before they eloped.
"Become a great politician, Woo Seung-ssi. You'll always have my vote, no matter what."
Then, she left, without giving him a chance to say anything.
He spent weeks searching for her, but Han Yeoreum had never disclosed about where she lived or who her husband was, so it was rather difficult. It took him a long time, but after searching for so long, he had finally found her.
But—his heart could only be broken.
Han Yeoreum was pregnant.
He had stood outside her house, straining his ears, only to hear the tinkling sound of her laughter, and that man's sweet, pampering voice as he talked about how cute their daughter would be.
Afterwards, he focused most of his time and energy in his career. After a few years, he finally managed to miraculously snag a spot as a mayor candidate.
It was around that time that Han Yeoreum finally contacted him again.
"It's been a while, Woo Seung-ssi."
"Yes, it's been a while, Yeoreum-ssi. You look well."
Han Yeoreum smiled wryly at his words. "Do I, now?"
He had tried to forget her over the years, but now that she had appeared in front of him, he couldn't bottle his feelings properly. "What did you want to talk about, Yeoreum-ssi?" Heo Woo Seung hid the longing in his heart and instead spoke with a hardened voice.
"It's about my daughter," she says softly.
"Your daughter? What about her?" He raised an eyebrow. There must have been a reason why she brought up her daughter.
"She is... yours." Han Yeoreum took a deep breath as she delivered the astounding news.
"What?"
"My daughter, Yeo Ri... she's your biological daughter." Han Yeoreum pursed her lips, lowering her head.
"...Why are you telling me this?" He swallowed his saliva. Why are you telling me this now, he asked her in his mind. Why now, when he finally had his life straightened out again?
"Won't you... take her in?" She asked uneasily.
"..." Heo Woo Seung didn't know what to do. He didn't doubt Han Yeoreum's words, since she was never one to lie. Although she had a tendency to keep something a secret, she had never once lied to him. It was rather naive, but it was obvious that this trait of hers had been a remnant of the girl she was before.
"Does your husband know?"
"No," she shook her head. "He thinks... that she is his daughter. It wasn't really obvious since Yeo Ri resembles me so much. I looked just like her when I was a baby," she chuckled. She showed him a picture of her little girl, looking so adorable in her mother's arm.
"..." Heo Woo Seung seriously contemplated it. After a while, he finally replied, "I'm sorry, but I can't."
As he observed her disappointed face, he could not help but feel like retracting his words. He wanted to comfort her in his arms and agree to her every whims, but he couldn't.
He was still married to his wife. Although they weren't close, he still respected her. How could he suddenly bring back his illegitimate daughter home? How would his wife feel? Over the years, he had slowly come to the realisation that his relationship with Han Yeoreum had been wrong. He could only regret that he had not met her earlier. But then again, had he met her before he got married, she would have still been a high schooler.
"Is there anything else you want to talk about? If not, I would like to go now." It hurt him deeply to be saying such cold-hearted words, but if he spent another minute with the woman, the walls that he had built up for so long might crumble just like that. He did not want to cave into his feelings and jump at any chance he could take to become closer to her. Not again.
"No... I'm sorry I even asked," she smiled sorrowfully. She got up, bidding him farewell.
It took him all his strength to stop himself from going after her. He watched her small, lonely back with heartbroken eyes.
Over the next few days, he could not forget about her. He spent the whole time worrying about the woman. Why had she asked him to take their daughter? Was she going to do something? A sense of foreboding continued to linger in his mind.
Finally, after being unable to hold back his worries, he sent someone to inquire around the neighbourhood, only to find out that Han Yeoreum had ran away overnight, presumably with her lover, which had sent her husband into an angry frenzy.
And that was the last he heard of Han Yeoreum, the beautiful woman who was like a breeze in summer—refreshing yet short-lived.
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