Melting Slow

“Are you seriously planning to walk down that dark alley alone at this hour? Still fearless, I see.”

Yoo Hwan clicked his tongue softly, confirming the seatbelt was properly secured before driving into the narrow alley.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Yeo-min rubbed the back of her hand. The fleeting sensation of his touch seemed to linger.

She glanced over at his hand gripping the steering wheel. His long, thick fingers had a solid frame, and were large enough to easily cover her fist. His neatly trimmed nails were clean.

– You have reached your destination.

As the voice from the navigation system sounded, the vehicle came to a stop. 

Yeo-min’s villa stood tall next to the parked cars.

“Thank you for the ride. Goodbye, Team Leader.”

Yeo-min stepped out of the passenger seat and carefully walked past the front of his car.

The headlights, which had been dimmed to avoid blinding her, turned back on as soon as she reached the villa entrance.

She paused just as she was about to enter the villa and turned around.

Yoo Hwan’s sports car idled with its engine rumbling deeply, seemingly waiting to ensure she was safely inside.

Yeo-min changed her course, walking back toward his car. She approached the bright headlights and knocked on the firmly closed driver’s side window.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Team Leader.”

At her signal, the driver’s window rolled down.

“What?”

The look on his face seemed to ask why she was back, why she was bothering him instead of just going inside.

She looked up at his handsome face, deep in the shadows of the night, and asked calmly. 

“Team Leader, will you marry me?”

“……”

Yoo Hwan’s usually relaxed expression stiffened. 

He studied Yeo-min’s face, his gaze lingering on her eyes, which trembled slightly with a trace of tension. 

After a moment, he let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Chae Yeo-min…”

Yoo Hwan stepped out of the driver’s seat.

Thud!

The sound of the door closing echoed harshly down the alley.

Yoo Hwan leaned against the side of the car, rummaging through the pocket of his jacket.

The barren night wind swept across the dry pavement.

He pulled a cigarette out from inside his jacket and lifted his head, locking eyes with Yeo-min.

Yeo-min swallowed hard.

There were times when Yoo Hwan would give her a peculiar look, one that shimmered blue and clear like the sea swallowing the sun.

“Proposing on the street, huh? That’s pretty romantic.”

Just like now.

Yoo Hwan tossed the cigarette pack back through the open driver’s window.

Then, he leaned in toward Yeo-min, who was standing still.

Startled, Yeo-min froze, her eyes darting in surprise.

‘Ah…’

As he leaned in close to her ear, she caught a faint scent of his cologne—a rich scent, reminiscent of a deep, refreshing forest.

“No smell of alcohol…” he muttered almost to himself before straightening back up.

The scent that had lingered at the tip of her nose vanished in an instant.

Yeo-min touched her ear. The deep tone of his voice had been so close that her earlobe still tingled from the sound of it.

“Assistant Manager Chae, is your limit really just one can of beer?” Yoo Hwan asked, pulling out his lighter.

It seemed that he suspected Yeo-min might be drunk from the single beer she had had alone at the bus stop.

“No. Three bottles of soju. Probably stronger than you, Team Leader.”

Yoo Hwan paused as he was about to light the cigarette, letting out a soft laugh instead.

After a moment, his laughter died out like a sigh. Holding the burning cigarette, he carelessly unbuttoned his suit jacket.

With all the neatly fastened buttons undone, the taut fit of his shirt, stretching from his firm chest muscles to his toned abdomen, was revealed.

“Can you see?”

Yoo Hwan pointed at his broad, muscular chest and asked.

“See what?” Yeo-min replied, trying to appear unaffected.

He’d only unbuttoned his jacket, but it was as if she’d seen a side of him she’d never seen before. 

“It’s different from yesterday. Today there’s a mark embroidered at the bottom. Yesterday, there wasn’t.”

He was pointing at his tie. 

It seemed like a belated response to the remark she had thrown at him earlier.

‘That tie you’re wearing is the same one you wore yesterday.’ 

He meant he hadn’t spent the night with another woman last night.

Yoo Hwan buttoned his jacket back up.

“You can’t even tell ties apart, and you’re acting all cocky.”

“……”

“Go inside, you drunk.”

After buttoning his jacket, Yoo Hwan playfully tapped Yeo-min’s forehead.

Yeo-min bit her lip tightly. She wasn’t the least bit drunk, but facing his smile made her feel as if she truly were.

With no other choice, Yeo-min turned back toward her villa. She glanced behind her and saw him leaning casually against the car, smoking a cigarette without expression.

His gaze was cast downward in thought, and there was something unfamiliar about him that made her steps slow.

A short while later, Yeo-min had washed in warm water and lay in bed. 

As soon as she closed her eyes, it felt as though the world was dissolving into pitch-black darkness.

So much had happened in just a few hours since the late evening.

She had unexpectedly received a breakup notice from the man who had once been her boyfriend, and just earlier, she had proposed to her boss.

Yoo Hwan—he was the only person capable of crushing both Chae-Nari and Kim Seung-jae’s pride simultaneously. He had been Chae-Nari’s long-time crush, while Kim Seung-jae always harbored a sense of inferiority towards him.

And Yoo Hwan was under pressure from his grandfather to get married. For Yeo-min, marrying Yoo Hwan seemed like the perfect form of revenge, so it felt like a reasonable choice.

It’s a bit of a crazy choice, given that she’s been betrayed by someone she trusted. 

Moreover, Yoo Hwan—he was someone from her distant past…

Yeo-min shook her head and gripped her blanket tightly, cutting off her thoughts before they could go further.

‘But to suddenly ask him to marry me like that… I must be crazy.’

Still…

It was better than a night spent crying under the covers, cursing Kim Seung-jae and Chae-Nari.

It was better to have a night filled with the embarrassment of making a ridiculous proposal.

That one fact alone made it easier to breathe.

***

The days passed by in a whirlwind.

Recently, Yeo-min had finished up a project and found some spare time, so she headed straight to her family home after work.

“Where are you heading, miss?” 

“Seongbuk-dong.”

It was a busy time for commuting, with roads packed with cars. Yeo-min tried to sort through her tangled thoughts. She trimmed away her noisy emotions, masking herself with calmness.

Today, she planned to spill everything she had to say to them and cut off this dreadful, toxic bond.

A short while later, after stepping out of the taxi, Yeo-min pressed the bell of the mansion without hesitation.

– Yes, who is it?

“It’s me, Mother.”

Her stepmother was silent for a moment. 

She was surprised by the unexpected visit. 

After a long, heavy silence, the door opened.

Yeo-min walked through the spacious garden and stepped into the house.

In the living room, Chae-Nari and her stepmother sat with their usual expressions.

“Oh, you’re here, unnie? It’s been a while.”

“What’s going on in the evening? You didn’t call.”

There was no trace of guilt on their faces.

Instead, they gave Yeo-min a look of dissatisfaction, as if her presence was bothersome.

Yeo-min scoffed inwardly. 

‘Do they really think I still don’t know the truth? Looks like Kim Seung-jae hasn’t told them that he already informed me about the wedding.’

It didn’t matter to her.

“We have a guest coming in a bit, so you’re not planning to stay for dinner, right?”

“No. I don’t intend to stay long.”

Yeo-min sat on the sofa and wordlessly opened her bag.

Inside, there was a lone green envelope—the wedding invitation she had received from Kim Seung-jae yesterday.

She placed it on the table.

For a moment, a cold silence settled over the room.

Yeo-min broke it, her gaze fixed firmly on them.

“Mother. How long were you planning on keeping this a secret? Until right before the wedding?”

Mi-ran was so flustered that she couldn’t even open her mouth.

Yeo-min turned her gaze to Chae-Nari.

“And you, Nari? How long were you planning to keep it a secret?”

“……”

“Did you plan to keep the wedding a secret too?”

Yeo-min opened the envelope and took out the invitation.

Chae Nari and Kim Seung-jae’s names were clearly printed on the unfolded card.

Yeo-min’s finger touched Kim Seung-jae’s name.

“The person listed here as the groom, Kim Seung-jae—you both know who he is, right? Chae Nari, you know who this is too. Up until a few days ago, he and I were in a relationship. Are you aware of that?”

Chae Nari silently took the invitation from Yeo-min. She examined the thick ivory paper and then had the audacity to look back at Yeo-min with a smile.

“Did Seung-jae give you this invitation?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes. It’s important because the printing here isn’t very good, so we’re going to get new ones from a new company. If I find a better one, I’ll give it to you. Why did he give you this one….”

Chae Nari muttered to herself as she set the invitation down. Her smile was bright and utterly shameless, devoid of even an ounce of guilt or remorse.

“But, sister, you never even got to meet Seung-jae’s family, right? From what I could tell, neither Mom nor Dad knew you two were dating… Isn’t it funny for you to be acting like this when you weren’t even that serious? Why are you so mad, all by yourself?”

Chae Nari scratched Yeo-Min with determination. 

She wanted Yeo-min to get angry and lose her composure. She wanted her to cry and break down. She wanted to see the proud facade crumble, exposing the pitiful core beneath it.

But contrary to Chae Nari’s wishes, Yeo-min only shook her head slowly, her eyes cold.

“You’re really the worst, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Even animals know shame. If you do something so shameless, you should at least feel guilty and apologize. Is this really all you’re capable of?”

“What did you say?!”

Chae Nari stood up from her seat. 

Instead of the reaction she wanted, seeing Yeo-min remain calm and mocking only fueled her anger.

“Unnie, you’re done with Seung-jae! So why are you acting so pathetic? This is just embarrassing!”

“Oh really? And secretly marrying the guy I was dating—how noble and graceful of you.”

“Se- what do you mean secretly!”

“If you were so confident, you should have invited me to the family meeting. But you didn’t, did you? Because even you knew your actions were wrong.”

Chae Nari’s lips quivered at the irrefutable truth. It was then that Mi-ran, their stepmother, finally intervened.

“Yeo-min! Everyone has their own destined partner! Seung-jae and Nari found that with each other! Do you really have to take out your anger on your sister just because you got dumped? Hm?”

“Mother, you think I’m taking out my anger? What are you even saying?”

“We struggled with this decision at first. But what can we do if Seung-jae loves Nari instead of you? Nari is madly in love with him!”

Mi-ran pulled Chae-Nari into her embrace, glaring at Yeo-min. At this moment, the atmosphere seemed to frame Yeo-min as the perpetrator and Chae-Nari as the victim.

“Yeo-min, you’re still young, so you don’t understand. Relationships aren’t about who meets first. Accept reality, and stop causing trouble in the family.”

Though they used reasonable words, the true meaning was obvious. They wanted her, like the usual fool Chae Yeo-min, to stay quiet and keep her mouth shut. As long as she remained silent, the family would be without any issues.

Yeo-min felt pity for them. Pity and a deep sadness. How had these people ended up like this. How could they be so shameless, enough to feel no guilt for their actions.

“I caused trouble? Who exactly do you think caused all this trouble? The one causing it is Chae-Nari.”