The Violet Swept Away by the Storm
Tap. Tap. Tap. Kim Shin drummed his fingers steadily on the steering wheel while waiting for the signal. His thoughts kept circling back to Sumire and her sudden change. There were too many possibilities. He tried linking every reason he could imagine in his head, but what could possibly drag her down into despair in just ten or fifteen minutes? No matter how many times he turned it over, nothing connected.
“Not enough clues at all.”
Frustration made him mutter to himself. He tried forcing his brain to work harder, but the irritation only grew. What good was raising his stats if the hardware was still running garbage software? While he was busy berating himself, a familiar voice cut in.
“[Answer. If you cannot obtain the answer from Sumire, tracking and investigating her husband should suffice.]”
“...”
Honestly, he had already considered it. The idea of tailing that bastard left a sour taste in his mouth, but it was the best option available. He activated the skill. After glancing at the analysis window that began populating, he pulled the car back into traffic and headed downtown.
Once he parked, he checked the skill descriptions and his eyes widened.
“On his wife’s birthday and their wedding anniversary? What kind of piece of shit…?”
Anger surged so fast his teeth ground together.
Detect (Analyze) LV 3 (F) (EXP 720 / 1500)
Current Target: Takanashi Suzuki
Status: Intoxicated by a successful live performance.
Prediction: Anticipation rising at the thought of the woman he met after the show.
Track LV 3 (F) (EXP 560 / 1500)
Current Target: Takanashi Suzuki
Predicted Route: Bar. Unable to retrieve from memory. Uncertain.
Kim Shin let out a long sigh. On their wedding anniversary and her birthday, the wife had gone out to buy groceries while the so-called husband was busy thinking about hooking up with some band groupie after his gig? Disgusted by the result, he immediately switched the target to Sumire. Unable to hold back any longer, he pulled out a cigarette. Even the nicotine’s usual calming effect failed to loosen the fury tightening around his chest. He finished one cigarette and was reaching for another when the system spoke again.
“[Player Kim Shin, please remain calm. Consecutive smoking in a short period is harmful.]”
“Yeah, you’re right. Priority first—Sumire… Wait, why can’t I track Sumire either?”
“[Answer. Takanashi Sumire and Bob Wild are currently in a location absent from Player Kim Shin’s memory. Raising the skill level is expected to resolve this.]”
“...Ah, damn it.”
Even the skill he had been relying on was useless. The mounting frustration made him scowl, but he had no choice. He started the car again and drove toward wherever Sumire might be in the city.
* * *
Inside a lively izakaya filled with the noise of people drinking and chatting, several patrons kept stealing glances at one particular table. One of them was a solidly built Black man. Foreigners weren’t rare in the area, but the combination of the tanned blonde gal and the Black man drew more than casual curiosity. People naturally assumed the obvious and let their imaginations run wild—men with crude fantasies, women with disdainful thoughts about the blonde’s appearance—yet the two at the table seemed oblivious to the stares. They simply kept pouring beer into their stomachs.
Gulp—! Gulp—!
“Oh… Sumire-san, calm down! You’re drinking too fast.”
Bob’s protests went unheard. Sumire emptied the entire 500cc glass without pause.
“Phew~! Ahaha! Bob, drink up too! It’s my treat tonight~”
“...All right, but… I’ll drink, so slow down, okay?”
“Hehe~ Maybe~”
‘My blood’s boiling and you don’t even notice~?’
Swallowing the words she wanted to say, Sumire kept her usual cheerful smile and ordered her fifth beer. While nibbling on the snacks in front of her, she ground her teeth inwardly. ‘Of all places, why here?’
This wasn’t the standing bar she usually went to when she needed to blow off steam. Somehow she had wandered into a proper sit-down izakaya. It was a place she had visited a few times back when she was still dating her husband. After unconsciously arriving while looking for somewhere decent, she had remembered the connection only after sitting down and now sat stewing in her discomfort.
“Are you this angry because of Kim Shin-san?”
Bob’s sudden question caught her off guard. Sumire blinked at him.
“Shin-kun? No, it’s not because of him…”
A flood of insults toward her husband rose to her lips, but she stopped herself. Badmouthing her own husband would only make her look pathetic. The realization that she was still worrying about other people’s opinions even now made her close her mouth. Bob’s question had also stirred up the disappointment she had been trying to forget about Kim Shin, and the feeling seeped into the cracks in her heart like seawater, making her expression twist.
‘In the end, it really is because of Shin-kun too…?’
She had told herself it shouldn’t matter who Kim Shin met, yet here she was acting like a jealous girlfriend. The realization left a bitter taste in her mouth. She gave a wry smile and fell silent. Bob waited for her answer while unconsciously stroking the small box in his coat pocket—the impulsive purchase he had made after seeing Kim Shin at lunch.
“No, maybe it is because of Shin-kun. He didn’t show up for two weeks and made noona worry so much, then suddenly appeared all dressed up and—ugh, no, that’s not it either. It’s nothing. Really, nothing.”
‘I confessed and then got sulky because I couldn’t see him for two weeks. I’d rather die than say that out loud.’
Sumire swallowed the words that almost slipped out and smiled bitterly before raising her freshly arrived beer.
“Ugh, whatever! Bob, cheers~”
Bob clinked his glass against hers. Watching her drink heartily, he remembered how well-prepared Kim Shin had looked at lunch and spoke up.
“Then why did you ask Kim Shin earlier? Was the gift not to your liking?”
Sumire, half-distracted by the noisy izakaya, thought she had misheard.
“Huh? Gift?”
Bob’s sharp mind instantly drew a conclusion from her genuine confusion. He considered hiding the truth to gain an advantage, but the thought felt too pathetic. Pride forced him to tell the truth.
“...Kim Shin-san said he would give you a birthday present today with the money he earned over the past two weeks.”
Sumire’s eyes widened. The alcohol haze vanished in an instant. She stared at Bob as memories she had deliberately ignored came rushing back.
‘What was Shin-kun holding earlier…?’
Her mind raced and she drew a sharp breath.
‘A purple violet…?’
Normally people gave roses, right? She recalled the casual remarks she had made to Kim Shin in passing—about never having received a bouquet during her relationship or at any other time. She had assumed the flowers weren’t for her and looked away. But now—
“That bouquet… was for me?”
She asked in disbelief, staring at Bob with wide eyes. Bob felt a sharp pain stab through his chest. Regretting having spoken, he squeezed his eyes shut, but his pride wouldn’t let him stay silent.
“No, it wasn’t a bouquet. It was actually a necklace.”
The words struck Sumire’s heart and sent it trembling violently. In that moment, a long-buried conversation with Kim Shin surfaced.
‘Noona, what kind of gift would you like to receive?’
‘Hmm? A gift? Well~ Even something cheap would be nice. A necklace sounds good! With a diamond sparkling right in the middle. Sigh, but someone like me would never get to wear something like that.’
‘You’ll definitely receive one someday~’
She remembered how warmly he had comforted her. Then another exchange followed.
‘So when’s your birthday, noona?’
‘My birthday? Hmm~ It’s when the pear blossoms bloom~’
Sumire’s mouth fell open. She had only given him a metaphor, not an actual date. She had dodged the question because she didn’t want to receive a gift from a boy who clearly liked her, and because accepting one under the excuse of her birthday would have felt like returning to her old, darker self. Yet he had remembered. How? Why?
The more she questioned it, the stronger the tremors in her heart became. The walls she had carefully reinforced crumbled. The unstable foundation she had built like a sandcastle collapsed under the force of the quake.
--*---*---*--
Bob quietly drank his bitter beer, the weight of his own pride now heavy in the air. Seeing Sumire cover her face with both hands in deep self-reproach hurt him more than when he had first learned she was married. Eventually he ended the drinking session, hiding his own bitterness behind a tired smile.
Creak.
“Thank you~ Please come again~”
The cheerful voice of the waitress contrasted sharply with the two dejected figures walking out. Sumire tried to pull herself together. Just as she managed to put on a thin mask and was about to turn to Bob—
“Ahahaha! I told you this place is great!”
“Really? I’m looking forward to it!”
A man’s and a woman’s voices drifted from a distance—ordinary chatter for this time of night in the city. But the man’s voice was painfully familiar. Sumire’s body moved on its own, turning away from Bob. What she saw froze her in place.
“Sumire-san?”
Bob followed her gaze and his eyes widened. Takanashi Suzuki was walking toward the izakaya with his arm around a woman neither of them recognized, leaning in close and flirting openly. Shock hit Bob first, then worry for Sumire. When he looked at her, he saw her entire body trembling with rage.
Until moments ago Sumire had been drowning in self-loathing for once again pushing Kim Shin away. Now, through the cracks in her heart, thick, boiling magma surged upward. The seawater of sorrow dried up in an instant, replaced by rising fury. With cold eyes, she pulled out her phone and called her husband.
Ring ring ring~ Ring ring ring~
Suzuki checked his phone and visibly stiffened. Sumire narrowed her eyes. He made an exaggerated gesture, pressing a finger to his lips to shush his bandmates and the woman beside him, then cleared his throat a few times before answering. His colleagues who knew he was married looked confused at first, then one of them spotted Sumire standing in the distance and turned pale. As the call continued, the others also noticed her. They tried to stop Suzuki, but he brushed their hands away.
Sumire heard every word.
“(I told you already! Why are you asking so many questions today of all days!)”
Her voice came out icy.
“Then who’s the woman whose waist you’re touching right now instead of her shoulder?”
Suzuki froze. He lowered the phone and looked around like a startled meerkat. His eyes met Sumire’s. He stood rooted to the spot for a moment before slowly walking toward her, his bandmates trailing behind at a distance.
The moment they faced each other, Suzuki spoke first.
“Sumire…”
Sumire crossed her arms and waited, her glare promising no forgiveness.
“What are you doing out this late with some random guy when you’re a married woman?”
The absurd accusation left Sumire momentarily speechless. Before she could respond, Suzuki pressed on with a mocking tone.
“You know you’re in the wrong, don’t you? Can’t even speak properly because you’re flustered?”
Sumire could only let out a hollow laugh, too furious to form words.
“Answer me. What were you doing?”
Suzuki continued to berate her.