Chapter 189 - Chapter 185: Side Story - The Drinker's Regret (2)
When I woke up at home the next day, I was hit with a wave of regret over the mistakes I'd made while drunk the night before.
"God... what the hell did I do? Was I out of my mind?"
It wasn't the bruises from my mother-in-law's beating that hurt the most; it was the sheer, crushing embarrassment.
The sight of her swinging that golf club, beating me mercilessly, was still burned into my memory.
And the fact that my husband had been watching the whole time...
He'd kept his head turned, so I couldn't see his expression, but I remembered that snickering sound. He had definitely been laughing at me.
"Seriously... why did I do that?"
Was it because of something my drinking buddy said?
Or was it just because I'd been pleasantly buzzed for the first time in ages?
I couldn't make sense of it.
I just lay there, writhing in regret over how it all turned out.
Then, my phone buzzed with a notification.
'Who could that be?'
Since I'd quit everything—even my job—I had no idea who would be messaging me. I assumed it was just spam, but I opened the chat anyway.
To my surprise, the sender was my ex-husband.
ㄴ Yu-ra... what on earth did you come over for yesterday?
"..."
As the memories of last night flooded back, I cringed at the sheer humiliation of it all.
I had to explain myself. I had to tell him it was a mistake, that I didn't want to be a burden to him anymore.
I opened the 1:1 chat and started drafting a message.
'But what do I even say?'
No matter how I spun it, I'd just shown up, got drunk, and acted like a fool. I had no choice but to be honest, because any excuse would just sound pathetic.
But it was too late to ignore him. I'd already opened the chat, and the '1' had disappeared; he knew I'd read it.
I was stuck, typing and deleting for what felt like forever.
Then, another message popped up.
ㄴ Let's meet again... I have something to tell you.
"..."
I couldn't believe it. I thought we were finished.
Especially after I'd made such a drunken scene at his parents' house—that was the kind of thing that should have been the final nail in the coffin.
With trembling hands, I deleted the long, rambling message I'd been writing and sent a short reply instead.
ㄴ When should we meet?
He probably just wanted to tell me to stop stalking him. Even though we were divorced, I knew I'd been acting like a creep, and I understood his disappointment.
Still, I wanted to see his face one more time.
ㄴ Are you free this evening?
I replied immediately. Of course I'd say yes.
.
.
.
We met that evening at a fancy restaurant—the same one my husband and I used to visit every year.
Back when we were newlyweds, we'd promised to celebrate our anniversary there without fail. But after Yu-rin was born, we got so busy that our "once a year" tradition turned into a lie, and we barely managed to go once every three years.
'I was so negligent... I was just so busy back then...'
It was surreal to be sitting in our anniversary spot now that we were divorced. Neither of us could find the words to start. I'd had so much to say on the way here, but my throat felt like it was glued shut.
But I was the one who was desperate. 'A woman has to be the one to find the courage first, right?'
Just as I was about to speak, my ex-husband beat me to it.
"Yu-ra... I've thought about it a lot lately."
'A lot about what? Is he going to scold me for stalking him? Alcohol is the devil. This is it. I'm never going to see him again...'
But the words that came out of his mouth were the complete opposite of what I expected.
"Seeing you get beaten by my mother yesterday... it reminded me of when you first came to our house, kneeling and begging me to let you have your son."
"Ah..."
A memory I'd buried came rushing back. I finally understood why he'd been snickering yesterday.
There was a thirteen-year age gap between us when we got married. My mother-in-law had brought a golf club back then, too, and struck my back.
I still remembered her screaming that I was a thief, crying, and hitting me until the club actually bent.
It had hurt like hell. I don't know if it was because my mother-in-law was in such good shape or because I was a B-rank ability user, but it really stung.
Considering I'd done that to marry him when he was just a high schooler, it was a miracle I hadn't been beaten to death. It's ironic that a marriage so hard-won ended in such a catastrophe.
"I'm sorry... I won't ever do it again..."
"Yu-ra. Let's start over. I understand everything now."
My eyes widened, and tears began to flow. My heart softened, and I kept repeating "really" as if I couldn't believe my ears.
"I understand everything. Honestly, Yu-rin... it was partly my fault, too. I'd practically neglected her since she started school. We were both wrong."
My ex-husband stroked my hair, his voice warm.
How many times had he comforted me like this? Aside from when we were newlyweds, almost never.
As work got busier, the time I spent with him dwindled. I regretted every moment I'd traded away. I realized that even one hour of family time on the weekend was worth more than the executive position I'd fought so hard for at the Hwaryong Guild.
To be honest, that promotion was a mistake. I didn't need success. Born with a silver spoon, I could have lived comfortably without it. Even if I'd just used my ability moderately, I would have had all the time in the world for my family.
My husband, a full-time investor, had always said it. He just wanted more time together as a family.
It was my fault for ignoring him. It was just greed—the desperate need to prove to the world that I was great, that I didn't need a silver spoon to be impressive.
And that greed had brought about this disaster.
"Are you really forgiving me?"
"What's there to forgive? We both made mistakes."
His words felt like a lifeline pulling me out of the abyss.
We looked at each other and hugged, holding on tight as if we'd never let go again. In that restaurant filled with our memories, we were finally reunited.
.
.
.
Seon-ah felt grateful to Yu-ra, but also deeply sorry. He felt the same way about Yu-rin's uncle. Having been close to the couple since he was young, he'd spent a lot of time thinking after they split up.
So, he'd made a plan. He'd begged the Succubus Lord Arandel Grace to persuade Yu-ra, and then he went to talk to Yu-rin's uncle.
When the uncle first saw him, he'd knelt down and apologized, but Seon-ah had bowed back, telling him it was all in the past. Every three days, he'd visit the uncle, telling him about how hard Yu-ra had been working to change and asking if they shouldn't give it another shot.
The communication skill he'd learned in this world was "empathy." As the victim, his perspective carried weight. He kept appealing to the uncle about Yu-ra's strengths and the womanly aspects she was cultivating, and eventually, the uncle started to remember the good times.
And that was how their second wedding began.
To celebrate their reunion, people from the Hwaryong Guild, my mother, Bianca, and even some from Miel's Han-il Guild attended.
Before long, she placed the ring on her husband's hand, and when she threw the bouquet, the wedding concluded safely.
The person who caught the bouquet was Miel.
'I really hope you find someone good and get married, Miel.'
I prayed for her happiness. Miel smiled, looking genuinely happy, and asked me what the bouquet was for, but I didn't want to tell her. I was still startled by how she looked at me, and I was terrified she might get obsessed again.
Watching the couple, I thought it was truly fortunate that Yu-rin wasn't there. If she had been, they never would have reunited.
I wondered for a moment if I could ever forgive her, but realized it was impossible and cleared the thought from my mind.
For now, I'd just celebrate their happiness.