During lunch time, Chae Won returned to her seat and slumped down.

She considered eating the sandwich she had bought to quickly fill up, but soon pushed it to the edge of her desk.

“Forget food, let’s sleep for 40 minutes.”

With lack of sleep, she had no appetite.

She stretched out one arm and rested her head heavily on it.

As she slowly blinked her eyes, lost in various thoughts, the constant noise outside grew louder.

Knock knock.

Chae Won opened her eyes at the knocking sound.

“Doctor!”

The one smiling while poking her head in was Nurse Oh.

“We’re about to take commemorative photos with Kim J right now. Don’t you want to join us?”

He was a singer who had been coming and going several times as Sung Min’s patient.

They usually took photos to hang up when famous people visited, but today she couldn’t be bothered with Kim J or anyone else.

“I’ll pass.”

“Are you still upset with me? You keep saying no to everything I suggest…”

Nurse Oh’s face, which had been cheerful all along, quickly fell.

“I do hold grudges, but that’s not why. I really just don’t feel like taking photos right now, so don’t misunderstand.”

“That’s strange, you usually like taking photos.”

That’s true.

It had been a long time since she stopped updating her SNS, which she used to post on twice a week when she was feeling full of self-love.

Especially today, how many times had she taken photos wrapped in Choi Yoo Gun’s arms.

She shouldn’t have shown loyalty by waking him up and going out when he suggested taking photos lying down.

“I’m a bit tired from not getting much sleep.”

“Ah I see, hang in there doctor. Your vacation is coming up soon!”

At Nurse Oh’s words, Chae Won suddenly turned her gaze to the calendar.

The vacation that had seemed so far away was now right around the corner.

“Are you going anywhere for your vacation?”

The place she had forgotten about also came to mind.

This weekend, as agreed, she had a one-night hotel stay planned with him.

As her answer was delayed, Nurse Oh’s expression became gloomy.

“I made a hotel reservation.”

“Oh, I made a hotel reservation too! You’re going on a hotel vacation with your boyfriend too!”

“Well, yeah.”

“I booked K Hotel. They say tons of singers will be at the pool that day and there’s a pool party. Which hotel did you book, doctor?”

Chae Won’s lips parted slightly as she realized it was the same hotel.

“Ah, it’s the same as yours.”

“Wow! We should meet up for a meal as couples that day!”

Nurse Oh, who was very excited, soon lowered her voice as she noticed Chae Won’s awkward expression.

“Oh my, you look tired. Go ahead and get some rest for now.”

After looking concerned, Nurse Oh soon closed the door and left. Chae Won turned her eyes to the calendar once again.

“…Nothing will happen, so don’t overreact Kim Chae Won. That man thinks it was a mistake now anyway.”

So he probably won’t mention the kiss that day.

Since he’s covering it up like it never happened, I should consider it a good thing.

There’s no need to assign meaning to his actions and looks from this morning either. We just took photos lying down, that’s all.

“Right, that should be fine, but…”

The problem is, seeing how her heart reacts in front of Choi Yoo Gun, that kiss doesn’t seem to have been a mistake.

While thinking deeply with her lips closed, Chae Won’s phone rang.

[Secretary An]

Seeing his name, Chae Won quickly pressed the call button.

“Secretary An!”

− Oh, I’m sorry. I was in a meeting until now so I couldn’t answer the phone.

“No, it’s okay. I just called to see if you got home safely yesterday. I felt bad that you only had dinner and left when I was the one who invited you.”

− Oh that was just the game penalty. And our CEO isn’t the type to act without thinking, so I figured he must have had something to say to you.

The more his kind voice continued with understanding, the more grateful and sorry Chae Won felt.

“Let’s have dinner again soon. I definitely won’t invite Choi Yoo Gun next time.”

A cheerful laugh is heard, seemingly pleased with the last part.

Chae Won also chuckled along.

− By the way, you are dating our CEO, right? I’m pretty quick to pick up on these things.

“Ah.”

− Please take good care of him. The CEO seems happy these days. He’s a complete workaholic, but it’s the first time I’ve seen him open his heart to a woman.

“That can’t be.”

− It’s true. Quite a few famous actresses have confessed to him, but he rejected them all. As far as I know, this is the first time I’ve seen the CEO like this, really.

Chae Won smiled at Secretary An’s voice, which sounded almost indignant.

− Oh, and I’ll make sure he leaves work on time today no matter what. It’s his birthday, he should spend it with his girlfriend!

Chae Won’s lips slowly parted as she had been listening with a smile.

“Birthday?”

Secretary An’s voice, surprised that she didn’t know.

Today was the only day she didn’t have to meet him since they had taken photos in advance this morning.

*

[What are you doing?] [Did you eat?] [I guess you’re deliberately not replying again lol]

As he said before, she’s deliberately not replying to get attention, but it’s been too long without a response.

Her act of playing hard to get was cute, but waiting endlessly while knowing this was frustrating.

“Son, are you listening to me?”

Jae Min’s head jerked up at Young Ja’s loud voice.

“Ah, yes of course.”

Jae Min finally put down his phone at his mother’s look.

“Anyway, that Hee Joo is just dragging things out and it’s not working, so just file for divorce.”

“But a lawsuit would take too long. And there’s also the property issue.”

“What property! As long as your affair doesn’t come out, honestly Hee Joo doesn’t have much property to get. You know she hasn’t done any economic activities to earn money.”

“That’s true, but…”

As a lawyer, he knows better than anyone. That if Hee Joo refuses to stamp her seal, that’s an option.

In the past he would have pushed forward with a lawsuit if there was no other choice, but now he’s really not feeling it.

The smart and lovable Ro Na these days just gets angry and questions everything, while the innocent and kind Hee Joo is making cute efforts to win back his heart.

“Lawyer Noh, son! Don’t tell me, you still have lingering feelings for that Hee Joo? Is that it?”

“It’s not so much lingering feelings. It’s just… her efforts to get my attention seem pitiful, and she seems to have gotten prettier, so it reminds me of our old times.”

“Oh my, oh my.”

Young Ja, who had been blinking with her eyes and mouth wide open, finally hit Jae Min’s back.

“You’re crazy! Crazy!”

“Ow, that hurts. Mom.”

“Son, this isn’t right. Huh? How can you be wavering like this now!”

“No, that’s not it, I’m just saying.”

Young Ja opened her mouth, aghast. She thought he was getting along well with the matchmaking girl, but when he suddenly brought home the unremarkable Hee Joo, Jae Min had exactly that same face.

Just like that day when he said the matchmaking girl was fine but he felt more drawn to Hee Joo and asked her to look favorably on Hee Joo.

Young Ja changed her expression to a cold one, determined not to let it happen twice.

“Lawyer Noh, listen to me carefully. I recently went to a place said to be very accurate for fortune-telling. They said if you keep living with Hee Joo, her father’s wandering spirit will keep clinging to you both and neither of you will live long.”

Jae Min slowly raised his eyelids and spoke in a cautious voice.

“They mentioned Hee Joo’s father there too?”

“That’s right. Everywhere I go, they say Hee Joo’s father’s spirit is clinging to our house. Don’t you think it’s strange, all the misfortunes in our family, even your healthy father suddenly passing away?”

Jae Min moistened his lower lip as he sank into thought.

He didn’t believe the shaman’s words from the start, but so many bad things kept happening, and whenever Hee Joo’s father was mentioned, it felt like swallowing thorns in his chest.

Seeing Jae Min waver, Young Ja drove the final nail.

“They say our Ro Na is a bundle of fortune. They said we must keep her with us. If you live with Ro Na, you’ll have great success!”

Young Ja spoke while observing Jae Min’s troubled expression.

“Have the first meeting tomorrow as planned, and get married as soon as possible, Jae Min. I already told the relatives you got divorced today.”

“Al-already?”

“It would be strange if I suddenly said you’re getting married, right? So I said you and Hee Joo broke up a while ago. Anyway, I’ll take care of that, so don’t worry and just think about bringing Ro Na home quickly.”

He knows it’s all correct and that’s what he should do, but why does his heart feel so unsettled?

After thinking, Jae Min soon got up.

“I’m going to step out for a bit.”

“Oh my, Lawyer Noh where are you going at this hour?”

“I want to have a beer and organize my thoughts.”

“You can buy some and drink with mom. Jae Min! Oh my, Lawyer Noh!”

Jae Min quickly left the house. Young Ja, who had been watching the front door Jae Min exited with a sigh, clapped her hands as she suddenly remembered something.

“Oh my! I forgot to put up the talisman!”

Young Ja, who had brought a new talisman from the fortune-teller today, climbed on a chair and firmly attached it above the front door.

“They said if I put this up, that ghost absolutely can’t enter. I should keep it up for a while.”

After attaching it while rubbing her hands several times, Young Ja soon turned around holding the chair she had stood on.

“Phew, what a relief.”

Flutter.

The talisman falls behind Young Ja’s back.

The talisman that fell weakly fluttering landed on Jae Min’s sneakers.

*

“You’re here?”

The caregiver greeted Chae Won as she entered the hospital room.

Chae Won also greeted her before naturally turning her head towards Hee Joo.

“Was there anything unusual?”

“No. She’s still sleeping.”

Chae Won gave a grateful smile to the caregiver who always comfortably said she was sleeping well about the state of not being able to wake up, and handed over one of the two shopping bags she was holding.

“It’s dumplings from a place that’s so delicious people line up to eat. They may have cooled a bit, so please heat them up before eating.”

“Oh my, you didn’t have to. Thank you.”

“It’s nothing.”

Chae Won walked around the lower part of the bed to the side near her head.

She took out an old rabbit doll from the shopping bag and placed it on a chair at a slight distance.

The caregiver who was watching tilted her head.

“Your sister must have liked dolls.”

She doesn’t know if Hee Joo liked dolls or not.

She just heard that they each carried identical rabbit dolls in their childhood that they can’t even remember.

“It’s not that, I’m worried she might be startled when she wakes up.”

She was so attached to it that she took it all the way to America, so I thought she might remember and feel comforted by the identical doll she was also attached to.

The caregiver who had been watching with a pitiful expression smiled kindly.

“She’ll wake up soon. Her sister is so devoted.”

The caregiver who spoke with a smile turned her body while picking up a cup for washing and the shopping bag.

“You two spend some time together. I’ll go heat up the dumplings.”

As the door closed carefully, Chae Won pulled up a chair and sat down.

While scanning the vital signs monitor placed beside her, a short message tone rang.

[Are you sleeping? −Jae Min]

Chae Won stared at the two words with an expressionless face.

He was suddenly feeling a bit swayed towards his legal wife but couldn’t let go of the pregnant mistress either, and couldn’t invite her home, so he kept sending these disgusting messages.

“Sis, how did you end up with such a pathetic man.”

Chae Won criticized Hee Joo with an expressionless face and replied to Jae Min.

[Yes. I’m sleeping]

As soon as she sent it, a reply came. He seemed like someone who didn’t want to end the conversation.

[Lol] [How can you reply if you’re sleeping] [You’re so cute]

Chae Won looked at the obvious predicted response with dry eyes and put down her phone, saying:

“He’ll call soon. I’ll let you hear your husband’s voice after a long time, in case the anger that wells up gives you the will to open your eyes.”

While adjusting the air conditioner remote and arranging the blanket over Hee Joo’s body, the phone rang as expected.

Chae Won turned her head, pressed to answer the call, and switched it to speakerphone.

− What are you doing?

“Sleeping.”

Jae Min’s chuckling laughter is heard.

− You’re really putting in a lot of effort. So cute. Using formal speech gives a new feeling too.

Chae Won smiled sarcastically.

− I’ve been thinking a lot, and I’m drinking alone… Do you want to come out?

Chae Won checked the time by raising her wrist and said:

“Where are you?”

− I’ll send you a text.

“Okay.”

After ending the call, a text with his location quickly arrived. Chae Won sent that text to the private investigator as well before making a call.

“It’s me.”

− Yes, go ahead.

“You need to work. Bring a camera.”

Perhaps because she was paying a larger amount than Go Ro Na, a loyal and quick answer came back.

“I sent a text so come to that location. Send it to Go Ro Na right away too.”

After ending the call, Chae Won picked up the clutch bag she had placed beside her.

Although her fatigue had reached its peak due to the already lacking sleep, she decided to sleep when she’s dead.

“I’ll be back.”

Chae Won spoke quietly to Hee Joo and walked out, making click-clack sounds with her heels.