The End of Words

by Han Yong-un · 2026-04-24

“Here is your letter.”

The postman entered and said.

“Is there a person named Jang Sun-young?”

He handed over the letter.

“Yes.”

Sun-young replied that way and received the letter.

At that moment, her heart raced.

Sun-young took the letter and looked at the back of the envelope to see who it was from.

But there was nothing written there.

She wondered if it might be Dae-cheol.

However, she thought it unlikely that Dae-cheol would know her address.

She examined the handwriting.

The writing was so shaky it looked like it was written by someone with tremors, and it did not resemble Dae-cheol's handwriting.

Before tearing open the envelope to see the letter's contents, Sun-young first looked at the name written at the end.

At that moment, her hands suddenly trembled.

There was a sound of the letter trembling along with her.

It was Dae-cheol's letter.

While saying that he had wronged Sun-young, he shifted the blame elsewhere,

and wrote that he had been ill for the past two years and was suffering greatly.

He also added that he might come to see her.

Only after reading that letter did Sun-young confirm that the opium dealer she had been seeing was indeed Dae-cheol.

All the doubts she had been holding onto also vanished.

Looking at the letter again, Sun-young could not help but recall her memories of Dae-cheol.

Since he said he might come to see her, it was uncertain when he would arrive.

He might come later,

tomorrow or the day after, or he might suddenly show up at any time.

If that happens—

what should she do then?

Since they were already divorced, he was a person with whom she had no ties.

Should she coldly kick him out immediately?

Or should I send him back with a good face?

But if I stubbornly endure without backing down, what should I do then?

Should I just accept it and take care of the aftermath?

No matter how much Sun-young thought about it, she could not make a rational judgment.

If it is something that cannot be judged rationally, then in the end, one has no choice but to follow their emotions.

Then naturally, Sun-young began to recall her past with Dae-cheol.

The time Dae-cheol saved her when she fell into the sea.

Because of that incident, she had come to love Dae-cheol with her life on the line and had desperately asked him to marry her.

And after Dae-cheol married her according to her wishes,

he even stopped what could be considered important gold mine work and held her warmly for half a year.

There was a time when she drunkenly suggested divorce,

but she thought it was understandable given the circumstances.

The words that if the gold mine went well, he would pay off the debts and come back to live together,

she had not forgotten until now.

So Sun-young did not harbor much ill will towards Dae-cheol.

In other words,

should it be called love, or a desire to repay a favor—

In any case, feelings for Dae-cheol still remained.

Sun-young thought again.

Since she was saved after falling into the sea, she had always remembered her desire to repay that favor.

However, it could not be said that marrying Dae-cheol was repaying a favor.

It was not because Dae-cheol was someone who could not marry anyone but her that they got married,

but rather, it was ultimately a decision made by her choice.

While the emotion of love also included the intention to repay a favor,

In the end, it could be said that she loved Dae-cheol more than he loved her.

If that is the case, it cannot be considered that she repaid a favor.

There were times when she contributed money,

but that was merely a natural occurrence between a couple, and it could not be said that she specifically repaid a favor.

So, Sun-young thought.

The time to repay the favor is— right now.

And she also concluded that loving Dae-cheol is also right now.