Page 69 of Perfect Happiness
Wife’s face was bright red now.Her half-moon eyes were filled with bul-bous tears.
“How much longer are you going to be like this, Eun-ho?I am tired of your constant irritability.”
There were faint vibrations of a whimper in Wife’s voice.
“If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn’t have made an issue about Jiyoo getting hit by that soccer ball.I should have just bitten my tongue.If only I hadn’t said anything…”
Finally, the tears welling up in Wife’s eyes started to flow down her cheeks.Her voice also started to tremble in earnest.
“I’m human, too.I get angry, too, sometimes ...”
Wife had the extraordinary ability to evoke pity from someone who was angry at her.
“I didn’t know you would discipline him so harshly.All I wanted you to do was have a word with him.It’s all my fault that he had an asthma attack.”
Wife also had a talent for stabbing people in just the right place.
“I think that’s what started it all.He probably had another episode that night, while you were fast asleep.”
The sound of the doorbell pulled Eun-ho out of his daydream.Eun-ho went downstairs.Through the intercom video, he could see two unfamiliar men standing outside.
“Who is it?”
“Police.”
Eun-ho felt all his strength leave his body.They’ve finally come for me.The autopsy results had finally come back.There was only one reason they would come to his door instead of giving him a call.They had come to put handcuffs on him.Eun-ho stepped outside.
“Is this the residence of Yuna Shin?”one of the police officers in a blue windbreaker asked as he held up his badge.
Eun-ho blinked in confusion.“It is.”
“Is she home?”
“No.May I ask what this is about?”
The two men glanced at each other before turning back to Eun-ho.
“Do you know where she went?”
“She should be at work.”
“Aha.”The police officer in the blue windbreaker nodded.“We came here because we heard she had gone home early from work.”
Eun-ho didn’t know what to make of this.These police officers seemed only interested in Yuna.
“She hasn’t come back yet.May I ask what this is abo—”
“It’s nothing.We just had a few questions for her.”Blue Windbreaker handed Eun-ho his business card.“When you see her, tell her to give us a call.”
Eun-ho looked down at the card.This man was a detective from the Seodaemun Police Department.This wasn’t right.Seodaemun was about as related to Wife as Antarctica was related to crocodiles.
“If you tell me what this was about, I’ll be able to relay it to my wife,” Eun-ho said.
The detective thought for a moment before accepting this proposition.
“Yuna Shin’s ex-husband Joon-young Seo is missing.He was last seen twelve days ago on Tuesday.We’re looking for any leads, and we thought your wife might be able to help us.”
This date lingered in Eun-ho’s ears.The Tuesday before last was the day Yuna left the house.Eun-ho also managed to dig up the distant memory that he had been suspicious that Yuna had been with her ex-husband.It seemed like ages ago that he last thought about her strange absence.In fact, he had never had the chance to ask Yuna about where she had been from Tuesday to Saturday.
