The Life We Live

Chapter 6

By the time Kim Sabu reached their home, he was already in a terrible mood. He tried his best to get rid of all his Choi Kwang-seok related thoughts but none seem to work. He wasn't prepared to deal with how his mind could easily conjure images of Myungsim laughing with the man, sharing a meal in her office, and possibly doing something more than just eating.

He knew his thoughts were irrational and had no basis at all other than Manager Jang's words, but it was like he was a man possessed; he had no control over the intrusive thoughts that had been plaguing him since he met Choi Kwang-seok. His mind was filled with images of his wife doing things with the commissioner. What he failed to realize was, all the images he had of Myungsim in his head were snapshots of all their memories together, not of Myungsim and the commissioner.

When Yongju got inside their home, Myungsim greeted him like usual, a soft smile on her face. He couldn't return it, however, so instead, he just nodded at her. The nurse shrugged it off, sensing that something was bothering her husband. She closely watched his movements. After placing his coat in the coat rack, Yongju walked towards the fridge and put a tub in there, still not a word uttered. Myungsim thought he was at least going to give her a quick kiss but she thought wrong.

Instead, Yongju walked away right after closing the refrigerator. Unable to keep quiet anymore, Myungsim finally asked him what's wrong.

Yongju took a deep breath and lied through his teeth saying his head was aching.

"Did you take anything for it?" Myungsim asked, worry lacing her tone.

Yongju shook his head no, his gaze was now on Dae-hyun who managed to cling to his legs, as the boy beamed at him. He hunkered down as he spoke quietly with their son, and then picked him up as they went towards their bedroom.

Myungsim left him be. She could feel there was more to it but she didn't want to press him.

Dinnertime finally came. Myungsim called Yongju and Dae-hyun as the two were preoccupied with something in the living room. Hearing Myungsim's voice, Yongju spoke with Dae-hyun and allowed him to walk on his own towards the dining area. Yongju was contemplating whether to eat dinner with them, but in the end, his hunger won.

Myungsim attempted to initiate a conversation, but Yongju's brief, one-word responses made it clear that he wasn't in the mood for talking. It frustrated her, but she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt, assuming that he might really not be feeling well. Consequently, for the first time since they had begun sharing dinners together after getting married, the atmosphere in their house was awfully quiet.

Fortunately, Dae-hyun was still quite young, he hadn't yet developed the ability to pick up non-verbal cues, so he didn't notice that something was off with his parents. Although at some point, the curious child gave his eomma and appa a puzzled look. However, the adults failed to notice him as they were lost in their own thoughts while staring at their plates.

Following dinner, Yongju offered to look after Dae-hyun and tuck him in for the night. Myungsim nodded and consented with a smile, but Yongju was still not in the right frame of mind, so he pretended he didn't notice her smiling at him as he turned his back on her. The nurse wouldn't admit it but Yongju's action hurt her feelings.

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Myungsim was the first to get into bed. As soon as her back touched the mattress, she sensed the exhaustion washing over her. Thus, she decided to forgo reading the book on her nightstand. Instead, opted to sleep early and set her alarm. She contemplated whether to ask Yongju about what was bothering him. She wanted to, but she doubted she could stay awake for the conversation. She wanted to be fully present and attentive when she talked to him, which, unfortunately, she couldn't manage tonight.