Melting Slow

The hotel lounge at the late hour was quiet. Perhaps that’s why.

“Yeo-min, I’m getting married.”

The voice of the person announcing the marriage sounded clearer to Yeo-min’s ears than ever before. The voice of her lover, which she had heard countless times, was now uttering words that felt entirely foreign. Marriage. Getting married. Just two weeks ago, wasn’t that the very word he was promising her?

But the problem was, at this moment, the one he was engaged to wasn’t her.

“I know it’s hard to accept. But it was a difficult decision for me too.”

“I understand. You don’t need to explain any further.”

Yeo-min responded calmly. She hoped her voice wouldn’t tremble, and luckily, it sounded fairly composed.

She’d rather die than show herself breaking down in front of her boyfriend—no, ex-boyfriend—who could speak of betrayal so casually.

“Who is it?” 

Yeo-min asked, staring at the green envelope of the wedding invitation on the table.

When there was no reply, she lifted her gaze to find him looking at her in a pained silence. Instead of waiting for an answer, she decided to find it herself. She picked up the invitation, trying to keep her hands steady as she unfolded it.

“……”

Yeo-min’s eyes wavered intensely for a moment. Chae-Nari. She squeezed her eyes shut as she read the name at the bottom. Otherwise, she feared the storm of emotions inside her eyes would spill out. 

Chae-Nari. 

It was Chae-Nari.

After swallowing her emotions for a while, Yeo-min gathered her bag and stood up.

“Yeo-min.”

Kim Seung-jae’s voice called out from behind her. She sensed his footsteps following, and without thinking, she ran. She sprinted desperately, as if her lungs would burst, trying to escape from him. She vaguely remembered someone grabbing her hand, but whether she forcefully shook it off and ran away, she couldn’t even recall. She might have screamed or struggled, telling him to let go.

Yeo-min dashed across the lobby and entered the women’s restroom. Upon reaching her solitary refuge, she locked the door and sank down to the floor. Her heart was pounding relentlessly, as if it would explode any second.

“Ha… ha…”

The rationality she had tried so hard to maintain in front of Kim Seung-jae was slowly crumbling. Hot breaths escaped through her hands, which covered her face. She clenched her teeth, forcing herself not to cry. Even when she wanted to cry, even when she wanted to scream and struggle, she had always remained composed. Falling apart here was something her pride wouldn’t allow—not because of Chae-Nari’s schemes, not when Nari wanted nothing more than to see her shaken.

But no matter how hard she tried to keep her balance, she kept breaking down.

She shattered into pieces.

‘Yeo-min, I’m getting married.’

Kim Seung-jae. Was this his wickedness or his last kindness, to speak so gently of his betrayal? Was that really his intention, or perhaps… Or was it his fiancée’s intention? Kim Seung-jae, how could it be my sister?