Page 50 of Perfect Happiness

“Perhaps that’s why Jane was so obsessed with Jiyoo.

She’s always acting as if she’s Jiyoo’s mom.

She even came to the house today while I was out.

I knew as soon as I saw the Happy Meal box in the recycling bin.

She brought Jiyoo a creepy puppet, too. Jiyoo’s young, so she likes those kinds of things.

And because she’s been buying Jiyoo gifts and treats, Jiyoo lied for Jane.

I specifically asked her if Jane came by today, and she lied. ”

Wife drained the rest of the vodka into her mouth and held her glass out to Eun-ho, who filled it up for her.

“That’s why I had to discipline her. But then you showed up and did something you’ve never done before, making me feel like the villain.”

Eun-ho summarized in his head what Wife had said up till now.

She got pissed because her sister brought Jiyoo lunch; she got angry because Jiyoo lied about it; and she was pushed over the edge because Eun-ho showed up at the worst time possible.

She blamed the three of them for making her look like a crazy bitch.

This was always how Wife defended herself.

“But after I thought about it, I was so moved by your heroic gesture that I thought we should celebrate over drinks. You understand how I feel, don’t you?”

Instead of answering, Eun-ho just finished his drink. The alcohol warmed his throat as it trickled down toward his stomach.

“But it looks like you drank a bit today, too.”

“A little.” Eun-ho’s voice dried up at the back of his throat.

“With whom?”

Eun-ho knew if he said Jinu, they would get into another fight. He could say he had drinks with a friend from work or college, but would she believe that?

Eun-ho suddenly felt disgusted by his own thought process. He was still walking on eggshells around her, despite knowing what Wife had done to achieve happiness, despite being convinced she had killed Noah, despite his only purpose for coming home was to know the truth.

“With whom did you drink, Eun-ho?”

“Jinu.”

“Jinu? I thought you promised me you wouldn’t talk to him anymore.”

He had promised that. He had only promised that because at the time, he was desperately trying to prove his devotion to Wife.

He didn’t know the true reason she didn’t like Jinu.

Eun-ho turned to look at the ice remaining in his glass.

He hoped the ice could extinguish the fire raging inside his belly.

“Jinu’s my friend. And he was my only friend to stay by my side during Noah’s funeral.”

“Oh, right. I forgot. He’s your friend.”

Wife slowly nodded up and down. The ice jostled inside the glass to the beat of her nodding.

“So what did you talk about when you met your great friend Jinu? Did you talk about your controlling bitch of a wife?”

Eun-ho looked up and locked eyes with Wife, whose pupils were watching him like a hawk. The tipsy look in her eyes from when she first entered the room had vanished without a trace.

“I just wanted to vent a little.”

“Is that all you did?” Wife asked as she brought her eyes up to Eun-ho’s face, as if she could detect lies just by looking deep into his eyes. “Vent?”

Eun-ho averted his eyes as he changed the subject.

“Did you call those detectives back? The ones from Seodaemun Police Department?”

“What does that have to do with Jinu?”

Eun-ho figured he might as well push her a bit further while he was at it.

“Those detectives keep calling me and asking me all sorts of questions.”

“What kind of questions?”

“Well, they really want to know if you were home on November 16.”

Wife brought her head back to its original position and looked at Eun-ho out of the corner of her eye, as if to say, Keep going, I dare you .

“And actually, I’ve been wondering the same thing. Where were you those five days?”

“You weren’t wondering, don’t lie.”

A grin formed on her lips.

“If you were so curious, Eun-ho, why didn’t you call me once while I was gone those five days? What were you doing for those five days?”

This was a clever subversion. She had hit the ball right back at Eun-ho. If Eun-ho were his usual self, he would have gotten caught up in her trap and become emotional. But Eun-ho was becoming less and less receptive to these games.

“I thought you were at your mother’s. But you weren’t. Your sister came looking for you here.”

The grin disappeared from Wife’s lips. It seemed like the mere mention of Jane could put her in a sour mood.

“She said she came here to tell you that your Mom is out of the country and not to drop Jiyoo off at their house.”

Wife’s eyes momentarily looked left before returning to looking forward. Eun-ho knew what it meant when Wife’s eyes moved like that. She made it when she was backed into a corner and was looking for a way out. Eun-ho continued:

“I told your sister that I thought you were at your mom’s place. And she looked confused, like she didn’t know what I was talking about.”

“I never said I was going to my mom’s place.” It looked like she had found her way out.

“I went on a trip with Jiyoo. I needed time to think. Time to think about whether I wanted to continue living with a man who wouldn’t accept my daughter as his own.”

Eun-ho poured more vodka into his empty glass. It seemed like he wasn’t going to get drunk no matter how much he drank.

“I came back because I decided to give you one more chance,” Wife said. “Just one. But you haven’t changed. I’m trying my best.”

Trying her best meant killing Noah. Eun-ho dumped the entire glass of vodka into his mouth. His stomach lurched in pain.

“Didn’t you promise when we got married that you would try too? Have you forgotten your promise?”

Wife moved so that she was all the way on the desk.

She crossed her legs, one hand supporting her and the other holding her glass.

With her right foot dangling in the air, her slipper slid off her foot, just getting caught on her toe before falling.

Her smooth, white toes bobbed up and down ever so slightly.

Eun-ho’s nose was filled with the smell of her body.

“Are you finally ready to try?” Wife looked Eun-ho in the eye.

This kind of seduction used to have an effect on him.

But right now, her advances were only making it hard to breathe.

He couldn’t believe Wife still thought she could seduce him like this.

It was clear she had a magic mirror inside her that told her she was a queen.

“So, you’re not going to answer me?”

Wife brought her hand to Eun-ho’s cheek. She stroked his bristles with her warm, soft fingers. As her fingers traced lines on his face, goosebumps appeared in their wake, like skid marks on a road.

“Yuna.”

Eun-ho moved his head backward and distanced himself from her hand.

“I have something I need to tell you.”

Wife glanced at her hand, which was left dangling in the air.

“No.” She shook her head. “I have something to tell you first.”

Eun-ho closed his mouth.

“I’m leaving the company. I relinquished my duties as CEO yesterday.”

This was the last thing Eun-ho expected to come out of her mouth. Wife studied his reaction. Eun-ho used all his might not to let his eyes waver.

“I’ve thought about this for a while.”

Wife explained that she wanted them to immigrate to Russia. She’d even gone to a Khabarovsk investment immigration info session. She’d made preparations to start a new business and had already found a house for them.

“I’m going to the real estate agency on Monday to put this house up for sale. It’ll sell quickly if we ask for less than market value. After that, we’ll be ready to start our new lives together, in Russia.”

When had she had the time to do all this?

She must have been planning this for months.

Had she been working under the assumption that he would agree to this?

That must have been what she believed. Either that, or she was planning on coercing him into agreeing.

Eun-ho wondered if Noah had been one of the items she crossed off her to-do list.

“I know it’s tough, but you’ve got to let Noah go. You need to move on with your life. You have a family. The ones who are still alive.”

Wife scooted across the desk so that she was directly in front of him.

The slipper that had been dangling on the tip of her toes fell to the ground.

Wife used to straddle him like this when they were madly in love to get him to do things for her.

She would get up on his desk, spread her legs, and put her feet on the armrests of his chair, trapping him in his seat.

It wasn’t long ago that he would sit helplessly in anticipation of her next move as he listened to the pounding of his heart.

But now, he could hardly bear to look at her.

“The police investigation will end soon. You’ll be charged with manslaughter and either be sent to prison or have to pay a fine. All we can do is wait. That’s what my lawyer said. But don’t worry. He has the highest win rate of any criminal defense attorney in Korea. When this is all over—”

Eun-ho could hear Wife’s voice becoming distant.

He was desperately fighting the urge to jump out of his seat and strangle her.

Soon, he was going to be formally charged with the murder of his son.

If he couldn’t reveal the truth before then, and if he gave in to his current urges, this would turn into a double homicide.

“So don’t do something as stupid as handing over those sleep study results.”

Wife put her bare foot on Eun-ho’s inner thigh. Her toes playfully crawled up his pants. Eun-ho’s leg started to spasm.

At the same time, Eun-ho realized something. Wife knew something about Noah’s death. She hadn’t said anything that directly proved this, but she was talking with too much conviction.

“I’m trying my hardest to defend you, honey—”

Wife looked into his eyes and tried to cast a spell over him. The sour smell of her skin was seeping into every inch of his body.