Hee Won had always been a submissive pawn in front of Chairman Seong. But she started to change after meeting Kang Woo. However, no dramatic big changes had occurred yet.

Her father, who had consistently abused her, was still a fearsome presence. But one thing was certain.

The change in her heart, that she would no longer just endure like before, was something she was experiencing for the first time in her life.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying. It’s a bit difficult for me to talk right now. I’ll speak with Kang Woo later and get back to you.”

[You, what insolence is this? Is this how I taught you?]

“I’m hanging up first. Please go inside.”

[Seong Hee Won, you!]

Beep- Beep-.

When she heard the sound of the call disconnecting, her heart pounded.

“If I went to my in-laws, I should go to my parents too. I didn’t even think about it because I don’t consider it home.”

Hee Won muttered to herself while looking at the blue sky. She wasn’t keen on going to her former home with Kang Woo.

Jinseong Foods was also a sore spot for her.

To be precise, she didn’t want to show how she was treated there.

People don’t change, and she felt she would surely end up showing sides of herself she didn’t want Kang Woo to see.

“I don’t want to go…”

Even though she knew there was no way not to go now that Chairman Seong had called.

“Haa.”

Her heart felt heavy. Only sighs escaped between her lips.

Meanwhile, her phone started ringing incessantly.

Her father seemed determined to call until she answered, continuously dialing.

Hee Won looked down at the relentlessly ringing phone and let out another deep sigh.

Somehow, tears came to her eyes.

The moment when a person is most hurt is when they are wounded by family.

The saying that the most frightening abuser is family, those words painfully tore and dug into her heart, ultimately making her feel alone.

At that moment, Joo Ah’s words came to mind.

[Hee Won, you’re not alone. No matter what anyone says, I’ll always be on your side.]

Following that, Kang Woo’s words echoed in her mind like an echo.

[Whatever the reason, the fact that Hee Won and I are a married couple remains unchanged. Do you think of me as a fake husband?] [It’s true that our start was different from others. But that doesn’t mean we’re not a couple, does it?] [You are my wife. So don’t think about anything else.] [It’s only natural that I remember what belongs to my wife, isn’t it?]

Now there were people who cherished her.

So there was no need to be hurt by those who didn’t treat her sincerely.

“That’s right. Things are different now. I won’t cry like before anymore.”

Hee Won looked up at the sky, swallowing her tears.

But even after returning to her seat and some time had passed, her mood didn’t improve.

Something that had persisted for so long couldn’t be fixed in an instant.

“What did your father say again?”

Joo Ah, who had been pondering, asked Hee Won.

Even without Hee Won explaining who it was, she guessed who her friend had been talking to.

There was only one person who could make her friend’s mood this low.

“He told me to come home.”

Hee Won spoke, trying to seem fine while composing her expression, but she couldn’t fool Joo Ah’s eyes.

“He has no conscience. What has he done to deserve respect? Your husband prepared everything for your wedding.”

Joo Ah disliked Chairman Seong, even though he was her best friend’s father. Because Hee Won had been hurt under him.

“What did your husband say?”

“I’ll have to ask him later. He’s working right now.”

“Are you going to go?”

“I’m not sure.”

“…”

“Joo Ah, do you think it’s okay if I tell Kang Woo that I’m not on good terms with my family? I’m worried he might think strangely of me or have preconceptions.”

So even though she wanted to be honest with Kang Woo, she hesitated, fearing he might think badly of her.

“I don’t want to go, but to do that, I’d have to explain everything about the family situation.”

“Why don’t you try talking to him honestly?”

“…”

“I think your husband would listen. Of course, I can’t say for sure after meeting him just once, but I just feel like he would.”

Hee Won nodded in response to Joo Ah’s words.

A brief silence followed. Joo Ah was the first to break it.

Wanting to cheer up Hee Won’s mood, she brought up a topic her friend had liked the most.

“Was your honeymoon fun? You always wanted to go to New York, right?”

As expected, Hee Won’s face brightened.

“Yes. It was fun.”

Hee Won recalled the exciting feelings of her first trip with Kang Woo.

Of course, it was just accompanying him on his business trip, but being with someone she liked was a much happier time than she had thought.

“It was so beautiful and wonderful.”

Kang Woo was in every beautiful scenery. Thinking of him, Hee Won’s downcast face completely brightened.

“Show me the pictures later.”

Joo Ah said, looking at Hee Won fondly.

“Okay.”

Just then, a man walked over to the table where Joo Ah and Hee Won were sitting.

“Joo Ah.”

Hee Won and Joo Ah turned their heads simultaneously at the soft male voice.

“It’s been a while, Hee Won.”

The man’s eyes curved prettily like crescent moons upon seeing Hee Won. But Joo Ah’s expression darkened at the sight of the man. She spoke, openly showing her wariness.

“What brings you here, senior?”

But regardless of Joo Ah’s reaction, the man said,

“What else? I came to eat.”

The man answered Joo Ah’s question, but his gaze was fixed on Hee Won.

Hee Won bowed her head slightly towards the man and said,

“Hello, senior.”

The man smiled at Hee Won’s words and said,

“I heard you quit school.”

“…”

The man paid no attention to Joo Ah and looked at Hee Won. As he scanned her appearance, his expression turned cold when he focused on one spot.

His eyes were sharp as he looked at the ring sparkling on the fourth finger of Hee Won’s left hand.

“…So it’s true that you got married.”

The man asked Hee Won in a somewhat sharp voice.

“Did you quit school because of marriage?”

The man seemed as if no one else existed around him. Joo Ah asked in a cold voice, sensing the man’s unusual atmosphere.

“…What does that have to do with you, senior?”

The man frowned at Joo Ah interrupting his words, but soon regained a leisurely smile and said,

“I was asking Hee Won.”

Joo Ah was equally frustrated when communication seemed impossible. Just then, her eyes caught sight of a man hurriedly entering the cafe.

The man who met her eyes was her boyfriend, Cha Hyuk. Cha Hyuk approached the table in a fluster, his face pale.

“Haha, it’s been a while, Hee Won.”

Cha Hyuk blocked between Hee Won and the man.

“Ah, elder brother. Hello.”

“Yes, yes.”

The man frowned deeply at Cha Hyuk’s appearance. Feeling the glare on his back, Cha Hyuk moved beside the man and put an arm around his shoulder.

Hee Won was more glad than usual to see Cha Hyuk. Joo Ah disliked the man, and she felt uncomfortable too.

But because he was a senior from school, they couldn’t treat him carelessly, so Cha Hyuk felt like a savior.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you separately that day. Thank you for coming.”

“Don’t mention it. You must have been busy on your wedding day, no need to worry about me too.”

As if nothing had happened, Cha Hyuk answered with a kind smile. When Joo Ah jabbed his side, Cha Hyuk said,

“Hee Won, let’s have a meal together with Joo Ah sometime. Tae Hyung, aren’t you going to eat? You said you were hungry.”

Tae Hyung answered without looking back at Cha Hyuk.

“I’ll eat.”

Even though his name was called, Tae Hyung still didn’t take his eyes off Hee Won.

Cha Hyuk pulled on Tae Hyung’s arm and said,

“Okay. Let’s go. Go. You were in such a hurry to come together that you even jaywalked.”

At first, Cha Hyuk was surprised. He didn’t know what Tae Hyung had seen, but while they were waiting for the signal together, Tae Hyung suddenly ignored the red light and dashed towards the cafe. Soon realizing the cause, he hurriedly entered the cafe.

As expected, the atmosphere was bleak. Cha Hyuk knew that his girlfriend was particularly hostile towards Tae Hyung. And he had already noticed that the reason was Hee Won.

Knowing he needed to quickly resolve the situation to avoid getting scolded by Joo Ah later, Cha Hyuk pulled harder on the arm he was holding.

“Hee Won, let’s see you next time. I’ll see my baby in the evening.”

Finally, he managed to forcibly drag the unmoving Tae Hyung back to their table.

“Ha, this is crazy. Does senior Min Tae Hyung still have feelings for you?”

Joo Ah spoke in an angry voice once Tae Hyung was completely out of sight.

Hee Won was also very surprised this time. Because Tae Hyung had never approached her in such an burdensome way before. He had approached her completely differently from how he had been until now.

So it seemed Joo Ah couldn’t help but be more on edge.

“He really does everything, seriously. Even though you’re a married woman now, he acts like that.”

At first, there was no special reason for Joo Ah to be wary of Tae Hyung.

[That senior looks at you so strangely. And I don’t like his vibe either.]

Joo Ah had said suddenly one day. And not long after, Joo Ah started dating Cha Hyuk, Tae Hyung’s best friend.

Still, Joo Ah didn’t withdraw her antipathy towards Tae Hyung.