Chapter Text
When the song ended, Jiwoo half hugged Chaeyeon and supported her off the dance floor. She carefully set Chaeyeon down on the sofa and crouched beside her. With a forlorn and guilt-ridden expression, Jiwoo asked, "Are your feet alright?"
"It's fine," Chaeyeon replied, feeling that Jiwoo was making a big fuss over a minor issue. "Your foot barely touched mine."
Initially, Chaeyeon thought Jiwoo had almost mastered the dance and had stopped giving her hints during the latter half of the song. At first, Jiwoo had been immersed in the quiet bubble Chaeyeon had created. But as the music came to an end, and Chaeyeon stopped giving her instructions, Jiwoo suddenly snapped out of her daze.
Without Chaeyeon's prompts to guide her, her heart began to panic, and her steps became messy. In the end, Jiwoo managed to step on Chaeyeon's foot again.
Jiwoo was someone who had stepped on the feet of five dancing assistants before. She knew just how heavy her steps could be. Frustrated, Jiwoo pursed her lips and stared down at the hem of Chaeyeon's long dress. She wanted to lift it and look at Chaeyeon's feet, but Jiwoo feared that Chaeyeon might get mad.
"My feet are fine. Really. Here, take a look." As if she knew what Jiwoo was thinking, Chaeyeon slightly lifted her dress, revealing a pair of silver high heels.
"It's red." Seeing the red mark on Chaeyeon's instep, Jiwoo couldn't help but reach out. But before she could touch her, Chaeyeon dropped her dress back down, blocking her.
Startled, Jiwoo raised her head and saw Chaeyeon blushing as she stammered, "You... You shouldn't..."
There were so many people around; how could she just... Chaeyeon was so embarrassed that she didn't dare look around. There were definitely people watching them. After all, they were supposed to be the joke of the night.
Jiwoo was at a loss.
"What are you doing?" Kotone, who had been nearby, sensed the strange atmosphere around the couple.
"No... it's nothing," a panicked Chaeyeon quickly replied. She then asked, "What's up?"
Kotone thought about her objective and glanced at the still crouching Jiwoo. Smiling at her, Kotone asked, "President Lee, can you please lend me your wife for ten minutes?"
Jiwoo's ears immediately turned red. She stood up and said to Chaeyeon, "You two talk, I'll go get something for you to eat."
Jiwoo then turned away and quickly walked toward the buffet table. She picked up a glass of champagne and downed it, covering her irrepressible smile. She looked toward Chaeyeon and saw her chatting with Kotone, their heads close together. Her image of Kotone improved. Yes, Chaeyeon was her wife. Look, even her best friend recognizes this.
"What do you need?" After Jiwoo was sent away, a confused Chaeyeon looked at Kotone.
Kotone didn't answer Chaeyeon directly and instead gave her an enigmatic smile.
"What are you smiling at?" Chaeyeon found her smile strange.
"I've been watching you," Kotone said. "From the moment you stepped on the red carpet."
"So? What are you trying to say?" Chaeyeon couldn't stand the cryptic talk.
"I found that you and Jiwoo get along more deeply than I thought," Kotone replied.
"How did you think we'd act?" Chaeyeon asked curiously.
"I thought you'd treat each other courteously at best. I never thought you two would be so lovey dovey," Kotone replied.
"What? When did we act lovey dovey?" Chaeyeon asked.
"Don't think I didn't see. She wanted to touch your feet just now," Kotone teased.
"You..." Chaeyeon immediately turned red. "You saw."
Kotone looked at the shy expression on Chaeyeon's face and thought she looked exactly like a girl in love. There wasn't a trace of embarrassment or evasion in Chaeyeon's eyes. Instead, she looked happy. Kotone was almost sure of it... "Chaeyeon, do you like Jiwoo?"
This was the second time Chaeyeon had been asked this question tonight. But this time, Chaeyeon didn't give Kotone the definite answer she had given Seoyeon. Chaeyeon thought about it for a moment, then replied, "I don't know if I like her or not."
"You don't know?" Kotone was surprised.
"I've actually been thinking about this recently. It's probably a little too late now, though, we're already married after all. I couldn't help wondering if I was going to spend the rest of my life with her." Chaeyeon glanced toward the buffet table. "And then I realized that I wanted to."
In her previous life, Chaeyeon had also thought about this issue. In the first six months of her marriage, Chaeyeon had felt uncomfortable and oppressed whenever she thought about her future. She honestly hadn't been willing to spend the rest of her life with Jiwoo. But her morals and upbringing forced her to stay.
Marrying Jiwoo meant that Chaeyeon had vowed to stay with her, no matter what. Unless Jiwoo divorced her, Chaeyeon couldn't break this vow. So even under pain and depression, Chaeyeon made herself endure.
In the second year of her marriage to Jiwoo, they had started having sex. At the time, Chaeyeon was reluctant to have children, so her bedside table contained contraceptive pills all year round.
By the time her marriage reached its third year, Chaeyeon wasn't as upset anymore when she thought about her future. Perhaps she simply got used to it. She felt that it wouldn't be so bad living with a guest. They respected each other, and honestly, that was more than what most marriages in her circle had.
It wasn't until the fifth year of their marriage that Jiwoo handed her divorce papers and said she was setting her free. At the time, Chaeyeon didn't know what freedom was. Her mind was full of doubts as she looked at Jiwoo.
Chaeyeon didn't understand why this woman, who had been with her just the night before, was suddenly giving her these divorce papers so early in the morning. So, for the first time ever, Chaeyeon asked her why.
"I haven't seen you smile for a long time..."
Back then, Chaeyeon didn't understand her answer. But now, in this second life, Chaeyeon thought she understood.
"So what you're saying is, you're not going to look for ways to divorce Jiwoo in the future?" Kotone asked.
Chaeyeon shook her head. Chaeyeon hadn't wanted such a thing in her last life, so how could she even think of such a thing now that she's much happier?
Until death do us part, was a promise greater than any vow of love. Kotone forced herself to smile. She didn't even know if her own feelings for Hsu Nien were as deep as that.
"You know," Kotone started, "I always thought you liked Nien."
"Why would you think that?" Chaeyeon was surprised.
"That's what everyone says. You two were always together," Kotone replied.
"Even if other people said so, you're my best friend. How can you not know who I like and who I don't like?" Chaeyeon said.
"I always thought it was a given, and when the time was right, the two of you would just naturally get together," Kotone explained. "After all, neither of you has dated anyone all these years."
Chaeyeon raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you the same?"
But then she saw Kotone's embarrassed expression and suddenly realized something. She slowly asked, "Or... do you have someone you like?"
"Since you've said that you don't like Nien, I won't hide it from you." Kotone wasn't the type to keep her friends in the dark. "I like Nien."
Chaeyeon was so startled she forgot to close her mouth. "You... you like Nien?"
"Is it that much of a surprise?" Kotone asked with a wry smile.
"Yes!" Chaeyeon nodded.
How could she not be surprised? The person Kotone married in her last life wasn't Nien.
"By the way, your wife has looked our way more than a dozen times already. It reminded me that I should probably return you to her," Kotone joked.
"Nonsense." Chaeyeon scowled at her friend.
"I really should go." Kotone looked at her friend and sincerely said, "Anyway, I'm truly happy for you."
Chaeyeon understood what her friend was trying to say and nodded at her gratefully.
Kotone stood up and waved at Jiwoo. She then turned around and walked towards Nien.
As Chaeyeon watched Kotone leave, her heart couldn't help but feel sad. It turns out that Kotone had always liked Nien, but because of her, she had suppressed her feelings. But why didn't they end up together in her last life?
"Done talking?" Jiwoo had come back with a plate of food.
"It's done." Chaeyeon returned to her senses.
"Eat something." Jiwoo handed the plate over to Chaeyeon.
As Kotone neared, she saw two women chatting with Nien. She didn't know what they were talking about, but Kotone frowned, lifted up her dress, and quickened her pace.
"Nien oppa, why don't we dance?"
"Oppa, me too, me too."
"Sorry." Nien had a genial smile on his face as he refused. "I'm waiting for someone."
"But you've been standing here for a long time already, and you didn't come with a companion tonight."
"Yeah, yeah."
Just as Nien was thinking of making an excuse to leave, Kotone marched over and grabbed Nien's arm. Kotone turned towards the two girls and asked, "Why are you trying to snatch my dance partner?"
Everyone was familiar with each other in this circle, so the two girls knew the notoriously powerful Kotone. In the end, the two girls had no choice but to leave.
"Thanks." Nien smiled at Kotone.
"No need to thank me, I was just telling the truth," Kotone replied.
Nien chuckled. When he looked towards Chaeyeon, though, the smile on his face slowly disappeared.
Kotone followed his gaze and saw Chaeyeon accepting a piece of cake Jiwoo had offered her. Chaeyeon took the fork and started eating. They both had a look of satisfaction. Chaeyeon from the delicious cake, and Jiwoo from Chaeyeon's expression. The scene was full of pink bubbles.
"Do you want to hear the answer?" Kotone suddenly asked.
"What did she say?" Nien asked back.
"She likes Jiwoo." Kotone thought about her conversation with Chaeyeon and added, "She likes her more than we thought."
"Really?" Nien's smile turned bitter.
So Chaeyeon really didn't like him. Nien had always thought that he just needed to wait until Chaeyeon was older. If she didn't have anyone she liked by then, Nien simply figured they would marry when he returned.
"And I told her I liked you," Kotone suddenly dropped a bomb.
Nien was stunned. He failed to react for quite some time. Finally, he smiled and shook his head. "You don't have to do this."
"You think I helped you probe Chaeyeon just because? I'm serious," Kotone said seriously.
Nien felt like he had been hit in the head. Tonight, the girl he had always liked said she saw him as a brother, and the girl he always thought of as a sister confessed to him.
"You look so scared." Kotone laughed. "Don't worry, I never said I was going to pursue you."
So it was a joke after all? Nien quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
The auction portion of the night was scheduled after the dance. Since this was a charity auction, the attendees naturally tried to buy at least one item. Even if a person brought something unattractive for the auction, they would still go the extra mile and secretly find a friend to bid for it, just to avoid any embarrassment.
The antique vase Chaeyeon brought to the auction had a relatively good collection value, and it ended up being auctioned for billions of won. Jiwoo also tried and successfully bid on some antique calligraphy and paintings. Finally, the organizers took a big group photo, and this year's Cosmos Charity Banquet successfully concluded.
Jiwoo accompanied Chaeyeon to say their goodbyes to Yooyeon and Seoyeon, then they returned home.
It was 11:00 p.m. when the couple got home. It seemed that Berry had gotten sleepy waiting for them. When they entered the house, Berry just wagged his tail and didn't rush towards them excitedly.
Chaeyeon took off her coat and walked towards Berry, crouching in front of the dog. Chaeyeon felt that his sleepy Berry was adorable. She couldn't help but pat his furry head.
"Let me see."
"Huh?" Chaeyeon looked up and saw that Jiwoo was still wearing her coat as she approached with a medicine box. She was looking at her with a grave expression on her face.
"Your feet." Jiwoo had been thinking about Chaeyeon's hurt feet the entire night.
"It doesn't hurt anymore," Chaeyeon assured.
But that meant it hurt before. Jiwoo stubbornly raised the medicine box towards her. She was obviously the one looking down at her, but why did Chaeyeon feel like Jiwoo was the one who got wronged?
Chaeyeon finally compromised and sat on the sofa. Just as she was about to bend down and remove her high heels, Jiwoo quickly crouched down and did it for her. She lifted the hem of Chaeyeon's dress, raised Chaeyeon's right foot, and gently removed her silver heel.
As Jiwoo grasped the sole of her foot, Chaeyeon couldn't help but pull back slightly.
Jiwoo thought she was in pain and quickly poured some medicine onto the palm of her hand and rubbed it on her instep. Her warm palm was carefully rubbing the medicine against her skin as she told her, "The pain will be gone soon."
Chaeyeon's foot felt hot and numb. The heat traveled from the bottom of her foot right up to her head, making Chaeyeon bite her lower lip.
"What's the matter?" Jiwoo saw Chaeyeon's restrained expression.
"It tickles!" Chaeyeon replied.
Her soft voice tickled Jiwoo's own heart. She suddenly felt her own hand grow hot, and her ears turn red. Her blood began rushing towards her lower abdomen, and in a panic, Jiwoo released the foot she was holding.
"Alright... have a good rest." Jiwoo hurriedly packed up the medicine box and ran back into her room.
The somewhat startled Chaeyeon blinked and felt that her previously warm foot now suddenly felt cold.
"Bark!"
Meanwhile, Berry suddenly barked, as if reminding everyone that he didn't make any trouble this time.