The difference between a civilian and a public figure is clear. A public figure. Someone known to the public, someone who exerts influence.

Therefore, a public figure must manage their 'image,' and ordinary things that might just pass by for someone else do not flow normally for them.

And I am a public figure. A fairly influential actor at that. I don't really like saying this myself, but I am someone who rose to the top solely through acting.

Living as a celebrity, the hardest thing to endure was the gaze of others. Gazes that placed expectations on 'Actor Baek Dowoo' and were ready to tear me down at the slightest crack.

But my wife was different. We met through an acquaintance, but she was the only person who looked at me as just 'Human Baek Dowoo,' not my job or my position.

I was grateful for that. So, even though it was a short time of one year, I married her, believing she was the person I was meant to be with.

The news of the marriage alone made the world noisy for a while. Unlike me, who was used to such situations, everything seemed new and overwhelming for her, a normal civilian.

So, to ensure she didn't feel burdened, I kept everything strictly hidden even after marriage, and thanks to that, only family and a very small number of acquaintances know this fact until now.

However, the problem erupted from a completely unexpected place. My wife, whom I believed wouldn't have a single flaw, had exactly one decisive problem.

And that was... alcohol.

At first, I thought she just liked it. But it wasn't that. It wasn't at a level of enjoying it; it was closer to needing to see the end before stopping. She doesn't drink often, and she's not dependent.

But once she touches it, she always crosses the line.

And every time that happened, I was the one going crazy. I wasn't in a position to go pick her up directly like other husbands. All I could rely on were phone calls and texts.

So actually, from the moment I heard "I have a company dinner" this morning, I wasn't in a great mood... and it exploded when evening came.

11 PM. 12 AM. 1 AM. And then 2 AM. It's not just once or twice. This is not right. ...I figured I'd rather end it with this one time.

In the end, I set out to pick up my wife not as a 'celebrity,' but as a 'husband.' 2 AM, a busy street full of people. Out of habit, I pulled down my mask and hat and headed to the restaurant she said the dinner was at.

And my prediction was not wrong. My wife was clinking glasses with a bright smile, looking like she didn't have a care in the world about the time.

The moment I saw that, something I had been holding back finally snapped. Image or whatever, I didn't need any of it. I took off my mask and hat right there and walked into the restaurant without hesitation.

Instantly, all eyes were on me. Familiar whispers followed. But I didn't stop. One step. Then another. I headed straight for the table where my wife was. My wife's expression as she finally discovered me. And the expressions of the people around her.

Everyone was frozen in shock, but I didn't care. I just uttered one last sentence.

"Honey. Let's go home."

I know what kind of ripples this one sentence will cause. It's obvious what kind of articles will pour out tomorrow morning. But it didn't matter. Because right now, I wasn't the celebrity 'Baek Dowoo,' but just a husband who came to pick up his drunk wife.