The Scent of Betrayal
Han Sujin’s apartment bedroom was thick with the sweltering heat of desire and betrayal. On the marriage bed she shared with Park Taeyoung, the sweat-slicked bodies of Lee Han and Han Sujin were tangled together. Their ragged breathing and moans, racing toward the climax of a forbidden affair, blended into a singular, desperate sound. Lost in a whirlwind of sensuality, they devoured one another, forgetting everything else.
Han Sujin climbed atop Lee Han, taking him deep inside her as she moved her hips. Every time Lee Han’s firm hands gripped her buttocks and thrust upward, she let out a whimpering moan. Lee Han caressed her full breasts, thrusting with increasing intensity, and when her inner walls tightened around him, he let out a groan he had been holding back.
Han Sujin let out a moan, her expression one of ecstasy. As she reached the peak and her insides contracted in spasms, Lee Han let out a low groan of his own, reaching his climax. Hot fluid filled her, and the two remained tangled together, drenched in sweat.
By the time their heavy breathing began to settle, Lee Han looked at Han Sujin, who had turned to lie on her side. Stroking her hip with a satisfied expression, he spoke in a slow, deliberate voice.
"Sujin, are you getting along well with Eunju lately?"
Han Sujin hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Yes, we meet often. But Eunju hasn't been opening up about any worries lately."
Lee Han nodded and smiled.
"Is that so? Have you ever asked her if she has any particular troubles or worries on her mind?"
"Yes, I asked, but she didn't say anything special. She just said she was tired from raising the child."
Han Sujin’s voice was tinged with hesitation. Lee Han offered a cunning smile, reassuring her.
"It’s fine. You just need to keep meeting her. Please, keep asking her if she has any concerns."
Han Sujin looked displeased, but she soon let out a sigh and agreed.
"I understand."
"Once this is finished, our relationship will end, just as you wanted. Do your best until the very end."
Lee Han’s words carried an unspoken pressure. Han Sujin nodded, though she clearly didn't want to. Inside her heart, guilt toward Kim Eunju and lamentation for her own situation collided.
'Is it right to do this to Eunju...'
Noticing her internal conflict, Lee Han pulled her into an embrace as if to soothe her, but his eyes were filled with cold, calculating intent.
Kim Eunju finished preparing for the morning and sat before her vanity. She sighed as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Lately, her meetings with Han Sujin had become increasingly burdensome. Han Sujin’s seemingly happy married life stirred jealousy in Kim Eunju, and every time that happened, her own miserable situation felt all the more stark.
'Meeting Sujin is becoming such a burden...'
Kim Eunju set down the brush in her hand and sighed. The agony of suspecting her husband Lee Hyunwoo of infidelity without being able to confirm it, and the frustration of not being able to confide that worry to anyone. Every time she met Han Sujin, her friend’s worried gaze made things even harder for her.
'Every time she looks at me with concern, it triggers my jealousy. Why is it so hard for me...'
Kim Eunju rose from the vanity and looked out the window. The bright morning sunlight could not soothe her heart. Caught between suspicion of her husband and jealousy toward her close friend, she was becoming exhausted.
In the afternoon, in the apartment complex garden. Kim Eunju took her stroller out for a walk alone. She tried to find a moment of peace by looking at her sleeping child, but her chaotic thoughts did not easily fade. Even as she walked slowly, her mind was filled with thoughts of Lee Hyunwoo and Han Sujin.
'It’s just easier to be alone...'
Kim Eunju sat on a quiet bench and looked around. The peaceful scenery was in stark contrast to her complex state of mind. Watching the child stir inside the stroller gave her a small comfort, but she soon let out another heavy sigh.
'Just thinking about Hyunwoo makes my heart heavier...'
Kim Eunju closed her eyes and took a deep breath. But the knot in her heart would not loosen. Checking the time, she pushed the stroller back toward home. Listening to the lively babbling of her child, Kim Eunju tried to force a smile, but that smile was soon buried in bitterness.
Arriving home after the walk, Kim Eunju sat blankly on the sofa, staring out the window. Warm sunlight poured into the living room, but her expression remained heavy. Even after putting the child to sleep, she sat in that spot for a long time, lost in deep thought. The suspicion of her husband, the jealousy toward her friend, and her own confused heart.
'What on earth am I supposed to do...'
Kim Eunju muttered, her eyes welling with tears. She was floundering in a deepening swamp of worry. Unlike the seemingly happy Han Sujin, Kim Eunju felt as if she were standing on the edge of a cliff in her marriage. The suspicion, jealousy, and sense of loss accumulating within her were slowly consuming her. Burying her body deep into the sofa, Kim Eunju began to cry. Feeling the hopelessness of finding no exit from her complex reality, she felt herself shrinking into nothingness.
The garden in the complex in the late afternoon was filled with silence as the sun began to set. Kim Eunju sat on a bench with the stroller beside her, lost in thought. Only the occasional rattling of the stroller broke the silence; a quiet stillness enveloped the park.
Just then, footsteps could be heard from far away. Kim Eunju looked up to find the source of the sound and discovered Lee Han, who was on patrol, approaching her. There was always a gentle air about Lee Han.
"Eunju, hello. We meet again."
Lee Han greeted her with a friendly smile. Kim Eunju tried to put on a bright expression and replied.
"Oh, Lee Han. Hello. Are you on patrol?"
"Yes, that’s right. It’s my daily routine, after all."
Saying that, Lee Han naturally sat in the empty space next to Kim Eunju. He was close enough that his leg brushed against hers. Then, he glanced at the stroller and asked.
"Did you come out alone?"
"Yes, I needed some time to think by myself."
As Kim Eunju answered, Lee Han’s collar fluttered slightly in the wind. At that moment, the scent of perfume brushed against her nose. It was a scent that was all too familiar.
'Lee Han’s perfume again... It’s the exact same scent that comes from Lee Hyunwoo...'
In an instant, suspicion stirred and dug into her heart. She tried hard to shake the thought away, but once awakened, the suspicion did not easily subside. Even while continuing the conversation with Lee Han sitting next to her, her mind was entirely filled with the smell of that perfume.
A shadow began to fall between Lee Han and Kim Eunju. The suspicion of her husband, and Lee Han, who seemed to hold the clues to that suspicion. Kim Eunju struggled to manage her expression, hiding her complex state of mind.
"You seem to go for walks alone like this often?"
There seemed to be a deeper meaning in Lee Han’s tone.
"Yes, I’ve been stuck at home lately, so I was feeling stifled."
Kim Eunju barely managed to answer. Their conversation was drifting in an increasingly skewed direction. Kim Eunju wanted to end the conversation with Lee Han quickly, but on the other hand, she wanted to get some kind of clue from him. However, every time she opened her mouth, she had to suppress the questions rising to her throat.
They talked for a long time on the apartment bench as twilight slowly descended. The child was still sleeping peacefully in the stroller. But Kim Eunju’s heart was not at ease. In fact, the more she talked to Lee Han, the deeper her suspicion of her husband grew. The scent of the perfume and the presence of Lee Han, who carried that scent, tormented her even more.
When Kim Eunju stood up after the long conversation, Lee Han followed. Lee Han said with a bright smile.
"Then, get home safely."
Kim Eunju hid her discomfort and returned the greeting. Her footsteps were heavy as she left the garden. The conversation with Lee Han had only made her more confused. Suspicion, anxiety, and an unknown fear. Complex emotions were tangled within her heart.
The next afternoon, Kim Eunju came out for a walk with the stroller again. Because she wanted to escape her complex thoughts for a while, the quietness of the apartment garden provided her with a small comfort.
'I feel a bit more at ease when I come here...'
The moment Kim Eunju muttered that to herself, Lee Han was walking toward her from far away.
"Eunju, hello. You’re out for a walk again today."
Lee Han greeted her in a warm voice.
"Yes, Lee Han. Hello."
Kim Eunju tried to put on a bright smile. Lee Han nodded and stood beside her.
"The weather is nice lately, so it’s perfect for a walk."
Then, he paused for a moment and scrutinized Kim Eunju’s face.
"How are you feeling these days? You look a little tired."
At Lee Han’s words, Kim Eunju hesitated for a moment. His perfume was tormenting her again.
"Just... I have a lot on my mind."
'Lee Han’s perfume... It’s driving me crazy. How can it be the same scent that comes from Hyunwoo...'
Kim Eunju screamed inside, but on the outside, she continued the conversation with Lee Han, pretending to be calm. Walking slowly along the path, the two shared casual talk. But inside Kim Eunju’s heart, black clouds were rising. The suspicion of her husband and the same perfume scent that Lee Han exuded continued to plague her.
By the time the walk ended, Kim Eunju parted ways with Lee Han. But the meeting with him only made her more confused. On the way home pushing the stroller, her heart was heavy. The despair of not being able to escape a reality filled with suspicion weighed her down.
Kim Eunju and Lee Han were sitting side by side on an apartment bench. Kim Eunju’s heart was full of countless questions. In particular, the scent of perfume coming from Lee Han continued to torment her.
"Lee Han, by any chance... do you wear perfume?"
Kim Eunju asked cautiously. Lee Han seemed a little surprised.
"Oh, no. I don’t really wear perfume. Why? Is something wrong?"
'Then this scent is...' Kim Eunju muttered to herself. She hesitated to say it out loud.
"Oh, just... it smells like a perfume I’ve smelled somewhere before. There’s no special reason."
Lee Han smelled his own clothes with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, there is some kind of scent. I don’t really know why it smells like this either. That’s strange..."
At his words, Kim Eunju was even more surprised. 'Why does that scent that comes from Lee Hyunwoo also come from Lee Han...'
Confused thoughts filled her head. What on earth did this strange commonality connecting her husband and Lee Han mean? Kim Eunju was engulfed in an unknown anxiety.
Perhaps noticing her complex state of mind, Lee Han looked at her with a worried gaze. "Kim Eunju, do you have any worries? If there is anything I can help you with, please tell me anytime."
But Kim Eunju could not open her heart even to Lee Han’s kind words. Rather, his appearance made her even more anxious.
"No, it’s fine. I’m just a bit tired lately... I think I’ve become too sensitive."
Kim Eunju replied and stood up from her seat.
"Then I should get going. Have a good day today, Lee Han."
Kim Eunju parted ways with Lee Han and returned home at a fast pace, pushing the stroller. But the suspicion in her heart did not easily fade. Lee Hyunwoo and Lee Han, both wearing the same perfume. There was clearly something between them. Kim Eunju tried to pull her confused heart together as she headed home. Was all of this just a coincidence? Or... was there really something going on between the two of them?