The hand cupping her cheek felt warm, almost hot.

“Don’t hold back what you want to say, and say if you don’t want to do something. Understand?”

“Kang Woo…”

Hee Won’s eyes wavered greatly as she looked at Kang Woo.

Can I really do that?

I’m a fake.

I’m not Kang Woo’s real wife.

Those words that only lingered in her mouth kept tormenting her.

A fake wife,

A fake couple.

Her feelings for Kang Woo were sincere, but their relationship was a lie.

No matter how much he called her “my wife,” she hadn’t become a real wife.

A relationship that would end in 3 years, that made Hee Won hesitate even more.

“Kang Woo and I aren’t real… But I…”

It happened in an instant. The words that always only lingered in her mouth came out against her will.

Hee Won belatedly realized her mistake and covered her mouth with both hands.

“I’m sorry, I said something I shouldn’t have… I’m sorry. Please pretend you didn’t hear it.”

Only Director Kang, who knew about the contract marriage, was in the car, so there was no chance of the words leaking out.

Hee Won was in despair. Unable to take back what she had said, she couldn’t say anything and couldn’t even look at Kang Woo.

As she turned her head, Kang Woo’s lowered voice reached her ears.

“Seong Hee Won.”

Kang Woo furrowed his brow as he watched Hee Won’s lips move without being able to continue speaking.

“Have you been thinking like that all this time?”

Kang Woo cupped both of Hee Won’s cheeks, making her unable to avoid his gaze, and said:

“I was the one who first asked you to marry me. If I had no feelings for you, I wouldn’t have held you like that that day. Whatever the reason, the fact that you and I are married remains unchanged. Do you think of me as a fake husband?”

Startled by Kang Woo’s question, Hee Won hurriedly answered.

“What? No. I’ve never thought that. You are my husband.”

“That’s right. I feel the same. Not for a single moment have I thought of you as a fake wife. Of course, it’s true that our beginning was different from others. But that doesn’t mean we’re not a married couple, does it?”

“…”

“Then think about it. Can you say that couples who marry for political reasons aren’t real couples?”

Hee Won couldn’t say that was the case to Kang Woo’s question.

Political marriages were common in wealthy families, and perhaps Kang Woo and she had also formed their marital bond that way.

“It’s the same for you and me. A contract doesn’t make it special. Just because we’re not madly in love or don’t have love doesn’t mean we can’t be called a married couple. And I think there’s no guarantee that love won’t exist forever.”

Kang Woo grabbed the back of Hee Won’s head and pulled her into his arms.

Their embrace while sitting was awkward, but not uncomfortable at all.

Rather, as if by magic, her anxious feelings were subsiding.

“So don’t feel discouraged. Didn’t I tell you? That as long as I am Seong Hee Won’s husband, I will protect you so that no one can touch you. Don’t you believe these words?”

Her emotions welled up suddenly.

They hadn’t known each other long, and it wasn’t like she had heard him say he loved her.

Yet in his embrace, which seemed to prove his words about protecting her, she felt like she might cry.

“Thank you, Kang Woo.”

Thinking that she shouldn’t dwell on the contract, Hee Won rested her head against Kang Woo’s broad chest.

* * *

A few days later.

When she opened her eyes today, Kang Woo wasn’t by her side again. As she got up, she saw a note on the table.

– Gone for a workout. Feel free to eat first if you’re hungry.

His handwriting was as upright as his personality.

“It’s only 5 AM.”

After putting on a cardigan, Hee Won walked to the kitchen, recalling Mrs. Busan’s words.

Mrs. Busan was a housekeeper who had worked for Kang Woo since he was young. She had taken a break from work for a while but started working again when he returned to Korea. And she began coming to Hee Won and Kang Woo’s newlywed home instead of the main house when he got married.

At first, Hee Won was worried due to her preconceptions about the housekeepers at the main house, including Mrs. Seon Won. She met Mrs. Busan with concern about how she might behave.

Contrary to her expectations, Mrs. Busan was warm like a next-door aunt and treated her respectfully, calling her “young madam.”

So Hee Won gradually opened up to her and became close enough to discuss various things with her.

Hee Won wanted to prepare breakfast for Kang Woo, who left for work early in the morning.

[Do you eat breakfast?] [Yes, I do.] [What would you like to eat usually?] [You mean breakfast?] [Yes. I’ve adjusted now and want to prepare breakfast for you.] [It’s alright. I’d rather have you sleep enough in the morning. Don’t you wake up often? So I’m fine. Thank you for your concern.]

Hee Won couldn’t ask further when Kang Woo politely declined.

But she wanted to do whatever she could for him.

Then suddenly, she thought of Mrs. Busan.

She would know his tastes well since she had seen him since childhood, and she would be the only one who knew what Kang Woo, who was meticulous about self-care, had been eating recently.

Kang Woo never neglected exercise even when tired and usually managed his diet unless there were special circumstances.

After some deliberation, she cautiously broached the subject with Mrs. Busan.

[I want to prepare breakfast.] [For the director?] [Yes. Since I’m his wife now… I want to do it for him.]

Mrs. Busan beamed at her words and poured out all the information she knew about Kang Woo without hesitation.

[He always eats sandwiches rich in vegetables and protein for breakfast. Use low-calorie sauces as much as possible. I’ll make sure not to run out, but he prefers whole wheat bread, though regular bread is fine if there’s none. For protein, he usually eats chicken breast, but if there’s none, you can substitute with something like smoked duck. Ah, it’s best to avoid greasy foods. He only drinks Americano coffee.]

Though not confident in cooking, she had practiced in advance with Mrs. Busan for several days for today.

Wearing an apron, Hee Won recalled all the ingredients Mrs. Busan had mentioned and went over the process in her head again.

She took out salad and chicken breast from the refrigerator, brought whole wheat bread, placed them on the sink, and began chopping while looking at the memo Mrs. Busan had attached to the fridge.

The sound of chopping onions echoed in the quiet kitchen.

It felt strange.

Of course, she had cooked and done housework when she was at Jinseong Foods.

She hated cooking itself because it was forced upon her.

But now it was different.

Thinking about Kang Woo eating made cooking fun, and as anticipation built up, her heart even fluttered.

It was an ordinary daily life. But it was also a time she had never dreamed of before.

She couldn’t believe the current moment when she was spending such a comfortable time that she wondered if she had ever felt this comfortable in her life.

Thinking that it was all thanks to Kang Woo, Hee Won felt a surge of desire to do something more for him who had gifted her with a comfortable life.

Although she couldn’t give him something as grand and splendid as what he gave her, she was confident in her sincerity.

It took about thirty minutes to complete the sandwich with her heart.

Hee Won’s gaze turned to the sink. There, failed attempts with burst fillings or crookedly cut, unrecognizable shapes were piled up.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Hee Won looked down at the mutilated sandwich bread and vegetables and muttered to herself.

“Maybe I should take a cooking class.”

She knew she wasn’t talented at cooking before, but she didn’t know it was this bad.

She had thought she just couldn’t do it because she didn’t want to, but now she felt ashamed thinking that she just couldn’t do it.

As she was about to put the ruined sandwiches back in the refrigerator in a clean bag,

Ding-ding-ding, the sound of the password being entered was heard, followed by the sound of the front door opening.

Hee Won quickly wiped her hands and went outside, where she met Kang Woo coming in wearing workout clothes.

She stared blankly at him, dressed in matching black workout clothes from a luxury brand, with his bangs falling from sweat.

Her heart pounded and her face flushed.

Before she could even prepare herself mentally, he quickly approached her.

“Why are you up? You could have slept.”

Her heartbeat was loud. She didn’t know why she felt this way even though it wasn’t the first time she had seen Kang Woo.

As Hee Won blankly stared at Kang Woo’s face, he called her once more.

“Hee Won, are you sick somewhere?”

Hee Won finally came to her senses and looked straight at Kang Woo.

“What? Oh, no. I’m not sick at all.”

Hee Won’s face reddened even more. Somehow, she felt like she couldn’t look at him anymore and averted her gaze.

Kang Woo stared intently at Hee Won before bending down. As the distance suddenly closed, her face turned even redder.

Kang Woo’s lips curled up mischievously as he observed Hee Won’s reaction.

“Is my face that handsome?”

“…What?”

As Hee Won was flustered, Kang Woo gently stroked her hair as if finding her cute.

“I’m glad my wife likes my face. You can keep looking. This face is here only for you to see, Hee Won.”

She had never had a boyfriend, and due to President Seong’s opposition, she had never dated a man.

When she went on blind dates, she only had meals and never did things normal couples could do like watching movies.

But that didn’t mean she knew nothing about men. Her close friend Joo Ah had dated several men, and each time she would give Hee Won endless lectures about men.