Chapter 59 – Hide and Seek

Muyeol had just put his hands on the steering wheel after shoving his luggage in the car at the Incheon Airport when his phone rang.
Yiyoung’s name flashed across the screen, and Muyeol immediately picked up the phone.
“Yeah?”

“Are you alive, hubby?” she giggled over the phone.

Muyeol’s brows furrowed at the sound of her voice.
It made him feel like there was a chain wrapped around his heart, squeezing it tightly.
A frown took over his face, as he suddenly felt all choked up on emotions.

“I just called to find out whether you’re alive or not.
I’m just drunk in the early afternoon.
No… or is it morning right now?”

Muyeol immediately stepped on the gas, revving his engine.
“Where are you? I’ll pick you up.”

“Ugh! What’s wrong with you?” she snapped, “You’re acting as if you’re my real husband.
You should… should just go to work.”

It dawned upon Muyeol that Yiyoung did not know about his business trip.
They hadn’t seen each other in a while, and he hadn’t felt it necessary to share his work schedule with her.
“Where are you?”

“Will you really come to pick me up?”

“I’ll be there.
Where are you?”

“I don’t know…”

“Yoon Yiyoung, I asked you where you are.”

“Let’s play hide and seek,” she exclaimed and ended the call.

Muyeol looked at the phone with a frown.
He could not comprehend what the call was all about.
He called her back repeatedly, but she didn’t pick up.

The engine rumbled as he accelerated harder and tried calling her.
It was the rush hour of the morning, so the road was congested.
For the first time in his life, Muyeol was frustrated by the traffic.
It felt like every traffic light had turned red just as he had approached it.

When Muyeol finally reached his house, he barely had enough patience to park the car in the garage before jumping and hurrying toward the elevator.

 After pressing the buttons for the passcode, Muyeol opened the door.
He had just returned from his week-long trip to Istanbul, and to think he would immediately have to look for his drunk wife.
Fortunately, he didn’t have to search for her far and wide.
Her sneakers were right at the entrance.

He left his luggage at the entrance and walked around the house, taking in the two empty cans of beer lying on the dining table.
He walked into the living room, and a voice echoed in the room, almost as if he was hallucinating. 

“Come find me,” Yiyoung’s voice resonated mysteriously.

She was not a child to play games like this, yet nonetheless, Muyeol tugged at his tie as he carefully tried to look for the source of the sound.
He focused on the sound of fierce snores, then walked softly, as if he really was playing a game of hide and seek. 

His bedroom was on the west side of the house, and hers was on the east side.
Since there were bathrooms and closets attached to each bedroom, they had gone so far without ever bumping into each other during the day, like they were living separately.

He walked to her bedroom and knocked on the door, but didn’t receive any response.
He quietly opened the door to find the room plunged in darkness, only a ray of light entering through the gap between the blackout curtains. 

His jaw clenched when he noticed the room was devoid of life.
Yiyoung’s clothes were strewn about on the floor, but the woman herself was nowhere to be seen.
Face stoic, he took out his phone and called her.
Her ringtone echoed from somewhere closeby.
He walked into the room, the ringtone still playing in the background. 

He opened the bathroom door, and immediately dragged a hand down his face.
His wife was lying in the bathtub, sound asleep as she curled herself up like a fetus, a towel underneath her.
He sighed deeply, watching as she slept like some refugee.

He sat down at the rim of the tub, carefully checking on her.
She was sleeping peacefully, but dark bags lined her eyes, and her chapped lips stood out against her pale face.
He knew she had been working overnight shifts, and from her messy appearance, it was evident that the work had taken a toll on her.
Muyeol stared at her for a bit more, then bent down to pick her up.

The sudden touch startled her awake.
Muyeol instantly wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear, “It’s me.”

Yiyoung recognized his voice through the haze of sleep and calmed down.
He carried her to the bed, and the moment he let go of her, she curled up again.
He stared at her again before pulling a blanket over her and leaving the room, wanting to respect her privacy.

After taking a shower, Muyeol changed into comfortable clothes.
However, just because he didn’t have to go to the office today, didn’t mean he had no work to do.
He went to his study and booted up the laptop.
He had just opened the planner with all the business reports when something dawned on him.

‘That’s right,’ he exclaimed to himself before turning around.
Muyeol let out a sigh of relief when he noticed the worn-out diary still in its place on the book shelf. 

He had been worried Yiyoung would find it while wandering around the house.
The thoughts he had penned in it were not the most positive, so it would be awful if she read it.