Secretary Kim entered the fashion show venue and carefully observed the men wearing staff clothing.

Secretary Kim noticed a young man secretly watching the fashion show stage. Secretary Kim compared the man’s face with the photo Do Jun had shown.

‘That’s the man!’

Secretary Kim approached the man very quietly. Secretary Kim called the police as soon as the fashion show started.

As Do Jun said, the man held a phone in his hand as if to film Ga Eun getting hurt. When the lights came back on and Ga Eun grabbed the microphone, a precariously hanging light from the ceiling fell.

Amid the chaos of the fashion show, the man tried to escape. At that moment, Secretary Kim blocked the man’s path and tackled him to prevent his escape.

Surprised by Secretary Kim’s sudden action, the man pulled out a knife from his pocket.

“Let go!”

Just as he was about to threaten Secretary Kim with the knife, a detective rushed over to the man. Only after seeing the man arrested did Secretary Kim hurry to the hospital where Do Jun had been taken.

After hearing Secretary Kim’s full explanation, Ga Eun’s mind became even more complicated. For a very brief moment, her heart wavered towards Do Jun, who had saved her without any hesitation.

Shortly after, the operating room door opened and the attending physician came out first.

“Did the surgery go well?”

Secretary Kim rushed to the doctor and asked urgently.

“Yes. We almost had a big problem with glass shards touching the nerves. The surgery went well, but it would be best to stay hospitalized for a week in case of other complications.”

Hearing the doctor’s words, a sigh of relief escaped Ga Eun’s lips. She had been constantly anxious, worrying that something serious might happen to Do Jun because of her.

Shortly after, the bed Do Jun was lying on was transferred to the VIP ward.

Ga Eun sat in the chair next to the bed, looking at Do Jun’s face, still asleep from anesthesia. She thought he only cared about himself. The fact that he threw himself to save her was hard to believe even after seeing it with her own eyes.

Ga Eun couldn’t take her eyes off Do Jun’s face for a while. Then Do Jun’s brow furrowed deeply and his eyes opened.

She pretended to be nonchalant, got up from her seat, and called for Secretary Kim.

“Secretary Kim, please stay with Do Jun today.”

Ga Eun felt gratitude rising to the tip of her tongue, but unable to express it to Do Jun, she hurriedly tried to leave. At that moment, Do Jun, lying in bed, grabbed Ga Eun’s wrist and wouldn’t let go.

“You have to take responsibility for me now.”

Do Jun’s voice trembled slightly, probably feeling pain as the anesthesia wore off. At Do Jun’s words, Ga Eun couldn’t shake off his hand this time. Her heart softened immensely.

The secretary standing nearby chimed in on Do Jun’s words.

“I have to go to the police station.”

At the secretary’s words, Do Jun quickly asked him a question.

“Was the culprit caught?”

“Yes. He was arrested at the scene and is now at the police station.”

Only after hearing Secretary Kim’s words did Do Jun also let go of one worry. Secretary Kim bowed his head briefly to Do Jun and Ga Eun before hurriedly leaving the ward.

Left alone in the room, an awkward air settled between the two. Ga Eun couldn’t look directly at Do Jun’s face out of guilt.

“If you’re sorry, sit down next to me.”

Having her true feelings exposed by Do Jun, Ga Eun had no choice but to sit in the chair next to his bed. Once again, a heavy silence fell between them. Unable to bear the awkwardness any longer, Ga Eun moved her lips first.

“You could have been in big trouble. What if you had died?”

Until Do Jun woke up, Ga Eun had been worrying alone. Fear enveloped her entire body at the thought that Do Jun might have been hurt because of her.

“I only take on games I can win.”

Only after hearing Do Jun’s still arrogant voice did Ga Eun’s body, tense with nervousness, relax.

“Still, don’t do such reckless things next time.”

Out of concern for him, Ga Eun suddenly got angry. She wanted to thank Do Jun over and over again, but her lips wouldn’t part.

“Is that how you express gratitude?”

As if trying to lighten Ga Eun’s heavy heart, Do Jun showed a lighter side in front of her for the first time. He slowly sat up in bed. Ga Eun’s true feelings exposed to Do Jun, she could only blush without saying a word.

“We should be clear about give and take, right?”

At Do Jun’s words, Ga Eun’s eyes widened. Since Do Jun risked his life to save her, Ga Eun should also give him a proper reward. This fact suddenly made Ga Eun’s heart heavy.

As Ga Eun was lost in deep thought about what she should do for Do Jun, he leaned towards her and briefly kissed her lips.

“This is enough. Don’t be scared already, I won’t eat you up.”

Feeling great pain even from that small movement, Do Jun lay back down on the bed.

Ga Eun’s entire face turned red at Do Jun’s sudden skinship. She deliberately tried to change the subject as if unaffected by such skinship.

“Since when did you know? That I’m not World Group’s real daughter.”

Feeling that if not now, she might not have another chance to ask Do Jun, her heart grew urgent.

“I overheard it by chance in front of the hotel bathroom where the Business Leaders’ Night was held.”

“How?”

Ga Eun’s eyes widened at Do Jun’s answer.

Ji Do Jun had a fiancée, but his stepmother Kang Ji Ae was not satisfied with Seo Yu Jin and arranged meetings with heirs from various groups.

Busy choosing a company that could create greater synergy with Shin Oh Group, as if selecting a business partner rather than a marriage.

However, Do Jun had no intention of marrying anyone, including Seo Yu Jin.

Do Jun had always thought that the word ‘marriage’ didn’t suit his life.

In front of the bathroom at the hotel where the Business Leaders’ Night was held, Do Jun accidentally overheard a conversation between Lee Yun Sook and Ga Eun.

“I told you. The Business Leaders’ Night is not a place to come and play. How can you not properly seduce even one of the corporate heirs here?”

Yun Sook washed her hands at the sink while berating Ga Eun with sharp words.

“Is it that difficult to seduce one man and go up to a hotel room?”

Words that a real mother would never utter came pouring out of Yun Sook’s mouth. The woman listening to Yun Sook’s words could only bow her head deeply like someone who had committed a great sin, unable to say anything.

Do Jun became very interested in their conversation and looked at Ga Eun’s face visible through the gap in the bathroom entrance.

The image of an attractive woman with pale skin, large eyes, and a slender yet voluptuous figure entered Do Jun’s eyes.

In her appearance, tightly clenching her hands to avoid shedding tears, he saw an overlap with his deceased mother’s image. His mother, who had never been seen truly smiling inside the mansion, despite having committed no crime.

After marrying his father, when his mother’s company went bankrupt, his grandmother tormented her daily with harsh words.

Every time, his mother would endure those cruel words with her head bowed low, tightly gripping her apron with her delicate hands. His grandmother had tried every method to divorce his father and mother.

Because of his grandmother’s lies, his mother suffered every night thinking his father was having an affair with his secretary, and one day suddenly went out and died in an accident.

As thoughts of his mother came to mind, Do Jun found himself unconsciously more interested in Ga Eun. He even wanted to see her face again.

“Not only do you get rejected at every arranged meeting. Tsk tsk. If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn’t have brought you from the orphanage.”

Hearing Yun Sook’s final words, Do Jun quickly hid himself in the men’s restroom. From the moment he saw Ga Eun’s eyes, so similar to his mother’s, no other woman entered Do Jun’s mind.

“I overheard it by chance in front of the hotel bathroom where the Business Leaders’ Night was held. That’s all.”

Ga Eun, looking at Do Jun’s face speaking indifferently as if it were nothing, seemed to gather courage and continued her question.

“Even knowing I was adopted, why did you marry me?”

Their gazes intertwined in mid-air. Ga Eun didn’t avoid Do Jun’s gaze and continued her question as if wanting to know his true feelings.

“Was it out of pity? Did you want to save me?”

Ga Eun was afraid to hear Do Jun’s next words. She feared that if it became clearer that he married her out of pity, seeing her mistreated by her stepmother, she wouldn’t be able to bear the shame.

“I’m not free enough to pity someone.”

Ga Eun fixed her gaze on Do Jun’s lips, wanting to hear his true feelings. Then, Do Jun’s lips moved gently again.

“Just because you’re pretty.”

It was the first time. That such words came out of Do Jun’s mouth.

Ga Eun tried to leave her seat for a moment, using getting water as an excuse.

“I’ll get some water.”

At that moment, Do Jun’s large hand grabbed her wrist again.

“I’ve been tolerating you until now because you’re pretty.”

Do Jun’s eyes were clearly pleading with Ga Eun.

“So. Let’s stop the lies about the child here.”

At Do Jun’s voice filled with desperation, Ga Eun felt a pain in her heart. The revenge she had planned was not even half accomplished. For revenge, she had to continue pretending to have lost her memory and deceive Do Jun.

Knowing this fact, a strong pain arose in a part of her heart, making it difficult to breathe properly.