“You have terrible taste in men. Of all people, you had to meet Kang Chul Won.”

Well. What fault is there in a child ensnared by a chaebol elder brother? The bastard who seduced and abandoned her is the problem.

It’s not ridiculous that mother still speaks of love even after such a harsh failure. It just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

The lukewarm spring breeze rustled the convenience store bag with a soft sound.

Lost in thought, Jae Kyung stood still, slowly turning the ring on his ring finger with his thumb.

The voice of the woman who had treated it like a meaningless piece of metal echoed in his ears.

Perhaps it was a symbol of their contract. He hadn’t particularly ascribed meaning to it either. Nevertheless, an indescribable coldness welled up. Then it suddenly turned hot.

The feeling at that time was impossible to explain. It wasn’t sadness or anger.

“Oh? Director Kang!”

While standing there for a moment in the breeze, a senior couple who had joined the alumni meeting later greeted him. Jae Kyung gave a light bow.

“I saw your wife go up earlier. Did you come out alone?”

“Ah~ You two are going to have a beer together.”

The woman glanced at the beer cans in the convenience store bag and joked.

Jae Kyung’s gaze reflexively traveled up the building wall.

There’s no way they mistook someone else for his wife whom he parted with just hours ago. Which means Kye Da Hae came…

Why?

His slightly tilted face let out a hollow laugh.

“Let’s have a meal sometime. We live in the same area after all.”

“Sure, Director. I’ll invite you and Da Hae over sometime.”

Concluding with those words, Jae Kyung immediately turned around. He who had been laughing at her actions as if they were absurd was now running.

The couple left behind gazed at his retreating figure with pity.

“We should have invited him over earlier, dear. He seemed so happy…”

“Director Kang must have been longing for affection.”

The daytime energy cast over his dark expression. A childishly excited look and the convenience store bag swinging cheerfully.

The couple’s hearts ached, believing that Kang Jae Kyung’s fleeting moment was due to their invitation.

*

“……”

“……”

Silence filled the air.

The man simply met her gaze without any particular reaction.

The arm she was about to quietly withdraw was caught in a large grip.

Jae Kyung, who had been examining her ring finger with an expressionless face, now stared intently at the woman who was now looking away.

“At this hour of the night.”

“…It is quite late, isn’t it.”

“To show me this.”

“Well… The house is close by.”

“There are phones, you know?”

“Your battery is dead, Kang Jae Kyung.”

The delicate hand that escaped from the man’s now relaxed grip came to rest in front of her navel.

Realizing how flimsy her excuse was, even to herself, Da Hae gave up on making excuses.

“I’m sorry. I was too harsh with my words.”

Embarrassment tinged her small crown.

Jae Kyung was a bit surprised. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t even something she needed to apologize for.

The sight of this woman with an iron-clad pride curling up like a guilty person over just a ring gave him a strange feeling.

He had only known her to be bold and aggressive, but could she have an unexpectedly tender side?

When no response came to her apology, Da Hae pressed the bones of her hand against her eyelids and quietly let out the sentence that had been lingering in her mouth.

“So… I was just being petty.”

Jae Kyung’s gaze tilted. Raising an eyebrow quizzically, he glanced at Da Hae, who kept her eyes distant as she continued speaking.

“It felt like getting a wedding invitation from an unfriendly friend out of the blue.

Like someone who normally doesn’t care if you’re alive or dead, but contacts you only when they need something…, like a freeloader.”

“Huh.”

The mysterious freeloader let out a sigh.

So, she was upset about him strictly keeping to the lines they had drawn.

Slowly brushing back his hair, Jae Kyung lowered his face. The eyes of the man and woman, now close enough to feel each other’s breath, met head-on.

“Who was it that so meticulously divided everything into public and private in the contract?”

“……”

“And adamantly insisted on no contact whatsoever.”

“Was that me?”

Da Hae spread her palms and touched her chest. Her large round eyes blinked innocently.

Jae Kyung tilted his head slightly and raised an eyebrow in response, instead of answering. As if to say, “Then was it me?”

Though she denied it to the end, she remembered it more clearly than anyone since it was her own doing.

She hadn’t intended to draw such a sharp line from the beginning. But she hadn’t left room for possibilities either.

In other words, she had been unaware. Of whatever Kang Jae Kyung might do.

Her thoughts changed after completing the marriage registration. Suddenly, the shy face reflected in the mirror was unmistakably that of a new bride.

In that moment, a dangerous curiosity arose.

What if we did this properly, she wondered. The wedding, the relationship as a married couple. Even though it was all just an illusion.

In the end, all the things she had said to keep Kang Jae Kyung’s behavior in check were meant to keep herself in check.

Lest she act shamefully, forgetting it was just a contract.

Yet after doing all that, she got upset at Kang Jae Kyung for not going against her wishes.

She didn’t know what exactly she wanted him to do, so Da Hae was in a state of confusion.

Immaturely, like a teenage girl experiencing romantic feelings for the first time.

The man quietly observed the woman who was hanging her head like a guilty person, then reached for the doorknob.

“Let’s go in.”

“Pardon?”

His sharp chin jerked slightly, pointing towards her feet.

“You’re wearing heels. Let’s sit down and talk.”

“Ah, I should get going now. The misunderstanding has been cleared up.”

The gazes of the two at different heights intertwined in the air. After lowering his eyes and thinking for a moment, Jae Kyung gave a short nod.

“Alright then.”

As always, he let her go without lingering attachment.

Da Hae turned her back on the man and immediately boarded the elevator on the same floor.

Unlike when she arrived, her steps were very light.

Thinking that she probably wouldn’t have any reason to see him for a while, she watched the closing doors, when something black and white gradually grew larger in her narrowing field of vision.

Just as she thought “Huh?”,

Clang! Kang Jae Kyung’s hand wedged into the gap. The nearly closed doors opened again.

“It’s not enough.”

“What?”

Appearing like a scene from a crime movie, the man said something was lacking as he raised one corner of his mouth.

Then, before she could ask anything, he firmly pushed her back towards the entrance.

“Oh my!” With a suddenly feminine exclamation, Da Hae was pushed out of the elevator and glared over her shoulder.

“I don’t think my misunderstanding has been cleared up yet.”

The result would have been the same even if someone else had been here.

Because Kang Jae Kyung’s charmingly smiling face was as powerful as fried chicken in front of a dieter.

*

In the spotless entrance, free of any eyesores, the couple’s shoes were placed side by side.

Da Hae, who had ended up entering the house, sat in front of the island counter.

It was a sleek design with white marble subtly spreading across it.

The layout felt quite familiar after visiting a few times. As always, Kang Jae Kyung’s space, disguised as a newlywed home, was clean.

Only the essential appliances and furniture were harmoniously arranged in the spacious area. Even those seemed barely used, most in like-new condition.

Her wandering eyes caught Kang Jae Kyung’s back. The figure picking things up and putting them down with the refrigerator door open.

Sitting here without any real business made her stomach tingle, as if they were truly newlyweds.

The bare legs revealed by his shorts and the sweatshirt worn instead of a shirt looked particularly cute.

“Want one?”

Jae Kyung turned his shoulder and offered the beer can in his hand.

“I have to drive.”

He said he’d give her sparkling water instead and started skillfully preparing a lemon. Da Hae suddenly recalled the incident at the hotel.

The kind but cold voice and chilly eyes. The mechanical smile and frigid expression.

The temperature difference was so stark, it was hard to believe it was the same person standing before her now.

Perhaps that was the usual Kang Jae Kyung. The ordinary Kang Jae Kyung who dealt with others – meticulous and kind, but clearly drawing lines.

If so, she too rightfully belonged in that category. There was no reason for her to receive special treatment.

Nevertheless, the thought of being placed on the same level as others stirred up an inexplicable displeasure.

That’s why she couldn’t help but come. What is this feeling?

Is it because of that face after all?

Lost in thought, Da Hae rested her chin on the table.

“Kang Jae Kyung.”

His eyes, glancing over his shoulder as if to say “speak,” returned to the lemon.

“About what you said before, that you’re free to meet anyone.”

The knife in Jae Kyung’s hand stopped abruptly. The half-cut lemon squirted juice as his grip tightened.

“No, I mean… Um.”

The man turned towards the woman hurriedly gathering her words, loosely crossing his arms.

“Our relationship won’t just cleanly wash away when the contract ends, will it?”

“So.”

The questioning voice was deliberately confrontational.

“Well, so. I was wondering if you really don’t care who your ex-wife meets…”

“……”

“Are you curious?”

“Not just anyone.”

Though he answered without hesitation, she expected a further explanation to follow soon, but he took a moment.

He had never imagined Kye Da Hae meeting someone else.

Because that wouldn’t happen. It seems he had unconsciously thought that way.

The index finger that had been touching his eyebrow naturally slid down to his chin, then his open palm slowly rubbed his nape.

Soon, the tightly closed lips opened. Da Hae unknowingly swallowed dry saliva.

“They should be somewhat intelligent. Have a fair amount of wealth. Look decent enough. Have potential beyond their family background. And of course, good character goes without saying,”

“Big brother has arrived.” Da Hae cut off the endlessly listed conditions with a breath-like laugh.

“Tch. There’s no such man.”

The man quietly gazed at her brightly smiling face, his own lips slightly curling into a smile.

“That only exists in legends. Like a unicorn.”

Da Hae looked comfortable. She seemed a bit excited too. Her clear voice ringing in his usually quiet space was pleasant to hear.

Jae Kyung observed Da Hae, who now laughed easily after shedding her initial wariness, as if studying her.

His long, outstretched fingers tapped the countertop at a steady rhythm. The carefully prepared lemon was left abandoned.

“Kye Da Hae.”

Da Hae gave a small nod, her chin resting on her hand. As if to say “go on.” The man who had drawn close by then leaned down, bracing himself on the table.

He didn’t want to repeat what happened a month ago. He wanted to stay in the same space with this woman, even if just a little longer.

Without properly defining that emotion, driven by instinctive desire, Jae Kyung gazed intently at her fair face.

“Stay the night. It’s late.”