Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Day of the Promise
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Meanwhile, at that very moment in Korea.
It was the day marking the end of the promised one year with Ji-su.
From the morning, she kept refreshing her banking app, waiting desperately for the money to come in.
But as the day dragged on, no deposit notification ever chimed.
She called Kim Ji-hoon, but all she got was a message saying the number was no longer in service.
Growing anxious, she finally called her own lawyer.
The lawyer already knew everything.
The news that Ji-hoon had liquidated all his assets and left for the United States.
Hearing this over the phone, Ji-su screamed in rage.
"What!? What kind of nonsense is that, Lawyer? You said if I just waited one year, the state would handle it automatically!"
At her hysterical reaction, the lawyer replied in a weary voice.
"There are no assets left in Korea under Kim Ji-hoon's name. Without anything to seize, there's nothing we can do."
"Then... then just go after his parents! That family has tons of money! His father can pay it instead!"
At her absurd claim, the lawyer let out a hollow laugh.
"Kim Ji-su. Do you really think that's legally possible? Adult children have no obligation to have their parents cover their debts."
Rebuked, Ji-su was at a loss for words.
She asked, nearly in tears.
"Then... then what am I supposed to do now...? I trusted that money and did nothing but wait...!"
The lawyer gave his final legal advice in a businesslike tone.
"It's not entirely impossible. You'd have to file a civil suit in the US. Find out where Kim Ji-hoon lives in America, hire a US lawyer, and refile in an American court."
Hearing the lawyer's words, Ji-su's vision went dark.
America? An American lawyer?
She had neither the money nor the ability to handle any of that.
Regaining her senses, Ji-su asked desperately.
"L-Lawyer! Can't you handle it for me instead? File the suit in the US! How much would it cost...?"
A deep sigh came through the receiver from the lawyer.
He began explaining in an emotionless, professional voice.
"Kim Ji-su. For starters, I'm a lawyer in the Republic of Korea. I don't have the qualifications to appear in a US court. Obviously, I can't handle it directly. You'd need to hire a local US law firm and lawyers. The costs... would be astronomical. Just the retainer for a US lawyer starts at tens of thousands of dollars at minimum. If the suit drags on, it'll add hundreds of dollars per hour continuously.
"It might end up costing far more than the property division amount you were expecting to receive. And the most important thing is,"
the lawyer continued.
"there's no guarantee you'd win the suit. US courts have a very strong tendency to protect their own citizens. Moreover, Kim Ji-hoon is already operating a legitimate business in the US, paying taxes as a businessman. Honestly speaking, the chances of a US court seizing his assets based solely on a Korean civil judgment are extremely slim."
Each of the lawyer's explanations felt like daggers shattering Ji-su's last hopes.
She could no longer ask any questions.
Clutching the phone, she just stood there in a daze.
Only then did she realize.
That she had been utterly, completely screwed.
A final sliver of hope flashed through the dazed Ji-su's mind.
With a trembling voice, she asked again.
"Th-then...! What if Kim Ji-hoon comes back to Korea later? Couldn't I get the money then!?"
The lawyer fell silent for a moment at the question.
"Yes, theoretically possible."
Ji-su's face briefly lit up.
But the lawyer's next explanation snatched away even that hope.
"The moment Kim Ji-hoon enters Korea, we could track and seize assets based on his listing as a debtor in default.
"But, Kim Ji-su, you need to think realistically. Would Kim Ji-hoon really enter Korea with assets under his own name? He's already a US resident running a business there. Even if he visits Korea briefly, he'd likely enter as a tourist. He wouldn't open bank accounts or buy real estate here. Meaning, there'd be no assets to seize in the first place. Even if he brought money into Korea, if it's all in cash, we can't forcibly search his pockets. In conclusion, unless he voluntarily pays, there's virtually no effective way to recover the money just from a short visit to Korea."
The lawyer's final words ground Ji-su's remaining hope to dust.
She could make no more retorts.
Thud.
The phone slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
No more sounds came through the phone.
The lawyer quietly pressed the end call button.
Leaning back deeply in his chair, he let out a long sigh.
Tsking to himself, he muttered.
"Hah... what a ruthless guy."
In truth, he too had been shocked to learn of Kim Ji-hoon's whereabouts.
As the one-year mark after the judgment approached, he'd checked Ji-hoon's assets to prepare for enforcing the property division.
And discovered.
There wasn't a single won left in Korea under Kim Ji-hoon's name.
He had already left for the US months ago as a legitimate businessman.
The lawyer had never imagined it.
With his parents and family all still in Korea, that he'd abandon everything and flee abroad alone.
As a divorce lawyer, he'd seen every type of person imaginable.
Many went bankrupt and just lay there saying "screw it" because they truly had no money.
But a case like this—plenty of money to pay, yet flying overseas solely because he didn't want to—was a first in his career.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
Of course, it was unfortunate for his client Ji-su.
But before being a lawyer, he was a man too.
"If my wife cheated and I had to give up half my assets?"
Just thinking about it made the back of his neck stiffen.
I'd probably flip out on the spot.
Legally, there were truly no options left now.
Kim Ji-hoon had cleverly exploited the loopholes in the law.
The lawyer gave a wry smile.
Sorry to the client, but as a fellow man, he wanted to applaud that bold execution.
The complete shattering of Ji-su's mentality went beyond just not getting the money.
It was due to the "debts" she'd piled up over the past year.
She had been absolutely certain she'd receive it.
So she hadn't engaged in any economic activity at all.
Instead, she'd borrowed and spent her parents' money.
Her go-to excuse was this.
"Ah~ I'll pay it all back once I get the money!"
Using those words as a shield, she'd siphoned off her parents' cash bit by bit.
Why?
Her spending habits had been completely ruined during those two years of marriage.
Her father-in-law's card, which let her swipe millions per month without a word.
That card had inflated her spending to unsustainable levels.
She couldn't return to her pre-marriage modest life.
In that past year, the money she'd borrowed from her parents.
Roughly nearing 100 million won.
Most of it went to hanging out and eating with her boyfriend Min-jun.
Min-jun was still a broke student.
Dating expenses were naturally mostly on Ji-su.
"It's coming in over 200 million soon anyway, whatever."
With that mindset, she'd spent without guilt.
But now it was all for nothing.
Not a won was coming.
All that remained was her sticky relationship with her boyfriend and the 100 million won debt to her parents.
Only then did Ji-su realize how thoroughly her life had gone off the rails.
Money drives people mad.
Especially money that was there and then gone.
As her bank balance hit rock bottom, Ji-su grew frantic.
Her nerves sharpened like steel wires, and she snapped at the slightest things.
Most of that irritation went toward her boyfriend Min-jun.
It was the same that day.
Min-jun asked with an innocent smile.
"Babe, what should we have for dinner tonight?"
Ji-su snapped irritably.
"I don't know! Eat whatever! What would a broke student like you know!"
At her sharp response, Min-jun shut his mouth.
This wasn't a one- or two-day thing.
After venting on Min-jun, an even greater despair would crash over her.
She sat blankly in the room, thinking about the days ahead.
"I need to get a job."
"I have to earn money somehow."
But how? Doing what?
Twenty-four years old.
Zero experience earning money in society.
She'd dropped out after just her first year of university.
All she'd learned in marriage was shopping on her father-in-law's card and brunching with friends.
She had no skills whatsoever.
No decent certifications, no notable talents.
Maybe part-time work?
Cafe? Convenience store?
But could she, who used to blow millions a month, survive on hourly wages of ten thousand won?
Impossible.
Only then did she realize.
How much of a sheltered flower she'd been, clueless about the world.
How incredible the abundance she'd enjoyed under her ex-husband Ji-hoon's shadow, funded by her father-in-law, had been.
Her vision darkened.
Overwhelmed by the hopelessness, she could hardly breathe.
A life chased daily by money worries.
Ji-su finally couldn't bear the pressure.
Crying, she confessed everything to her parents.
That Kim Ji-hoon had fled to America.
That she wouldn't get a single won of the 200 million property division.
Her parents were utterly bewildered hearing the story.
Just the fact that their daughter had cheated and caused the divorce had kept their heads bowed in shame for the past year.
Too embarrassed to even send an apology call to the ex-in-laws.
And yet.
Their daughter had quietly borrowed and spent 100 million in the meantime, and now couldn't pay it back?
In truth, they too had never once doubted she'd get the money, just like Ji-su.
A court-judged amount—surely it wouldn't be stiffed.
Their bewilderment soon turned to anger.
"You damn girl, that's why you shouldn't have cheated! I'm gonna lose my mind!"
As Ji-su's father raised his hand, her mother blocked him.
After a commotion.
A heavy silence settled over the living room.
100 million won.
An enormous sum for their ordinary household.
After much deliberation, Ji-su's father finally spoke.
"...This won't do. Shameless as it is, I have to contact the ex-in-laws once."
He thought, even at the cost of face, it was the only way to resolve this.