"When I’m in town, I always come to this place. My wife knows it too—I’ve brought her here." Jung-woo swirled his wine and smiled. The fourth time he said wife, Ji-su set down her spoon. Yes, I know you’re married. So why do you keep reminding me? Her lashes trembled. It was the first evening of an overseas business trip, and they sat across from each other in a Shibuya pub.
The moment he bowed his head, his gaze sank lower
While paying the check, Jung-woo pressed a family photo back into his wallet. Two children. Caught in a sideways glance, the woman in the photo was—truthfully—less attractive than Ji-su. Realizing that, something coiled hot inside her chest.
Why didn’t he take the ring off?
When the hand wearing that wedding band brushed my knee, I burned hotter.
It felt like his eyes said, This trophy is mine alone.
At work, Jung-woo was the exemplary family man. His LinkedIn read Family First; in corporate volunteer photos he laughed with children on his shoulders. The women who knew him understood his “line”—and that made him devastating. If I can make him cross it, doesn’t that prove I’m exceptional?
Tokyo for two: the 47-second elevator trap
"Shall we draft the report together tonight?" he asked in the 27th-floor corridor. Their rooms were side by side. He took out his phone and texted his wife: Working late. While he typed, Ji-su lingered at her door. Is that a warning…or an invitation?
"Coming in?" Jung-woo opened his door.
Forty-seven seconds later the elevator returned to the 27th floor. Inside it, Ji-su’s lips were swollen.
What I scribbled all night in my memo
- Each time his hands touched me, the guilt only made the heat worse.
- Translation key:
- "I’m sorry" → "I love you"
- "I miss you" → "I no longer understand the word never"
- "my wife" → "you"
- "the kids" → "the future"
- The ring stayed cool against my skin.