“What should we do now?”

Winter asked Tae Wook in a voice deeply tinged with bewilderment.

Lady Lee had just finished clearing the home bar and was entering the kitchen with glasses and plates.

How surprised they were when Lady Lee said she would stay in the guest room.

It was obvious that as soon as she opened the door, Lady Lee would immediately notice that Winter and Tae Wook were staying separately.

“The guest room is currently being used by this person as a study.”

Tae Wook quickly used his wit to assign Lady Lee the small room by the study instead of the guest room.

The problem was what to do next.

“I’ll keep an eye on Lady Lee here, so Secretary Han should quickly pack her things from the guest room.”

“And then?”

“We’ll have to put them in the bedroom.”

“What?”

Winter made a troubled expression.

Tae Wook’s words meant that Winter and Tae Wook would have to stay together in the bedroom.

“That’s the only way for now. You know Lady Lee thinks we’re a normal couple.”

“But still…”

“Hurry. It’ll be hard to find time if not now.”

Winter hesitated.

But even she thought there was no other way.

She barely moved her feet that seemed glued to the floor and went to the guest room.

“There’s no time. I have to hurry.”

Winter urged herself and took out the suitcase she had left in the powder room.

There was no time to organize things properly.

She just crumpled everything she saw into the suitcase and took it to the door.

She opened the door slightly and poked her head out.

“Sir!”

Though she called in a small voice, Tae Wook sensitively noticed and approached.

“Did you pack everything?”

“Yes.”

When Winter opened the door, Tae Wook swiftly lifted the suitcase at her feet.

If they had dragged it, the sound would have given them away.

Winter led the way, tiptoeing to run towards the bedroom without making a sound.

Tae Wook followed quickly behind, carrying the suitcase.

When Winter opened the bedroom door, Tae Wook threw the suitcase inside at the speed of light.

“Phew…”

Winter put her hand on her chest and let out the breath she had been holding.

Her heart was pounding loudly under her palm from how tense she had been.

The two looked at each other’s faces at the same time.

“Ha!”

“Hehe!”

As if on cue, they started laughing.

“You look so happy just seeing each other’s faces, how did you endure for 3 years?”

When had she approached?

Lady Lee’s pleased voice was heard from behind the two.

In an instant, the smiles disappeared from Tae Wook and Winter’s faces, replaced by tense stiffness.

‘Did she see?’

Winter asked Tae Wook with her eyes.

Tae Wook replied with a tense gaze.

‘If she had seen, she would have said something.’

‘I suppose so?’

Winter’s heart sank as she thought about how they would have been caught by Lady Lee if they had been just a little later.

It was well past 11 o’clock.

Tae Wook and Winter sat on the living room sofa, staring at one spot.

At the end of their gaze was Lady Lee, busily moving about in the kitchen.

“Yawn…”

Winter yawned, unable to overcome her drowsiness.

Tae Wook turned his head and looked at her with concern.

“You’re tired. Go to bed first.”

“Ah, no. I can hold on.”

Winter tried her best to fight off the sleep that was overwhelming her by straining her eyes.

“But when will Lady Lee finish her work?”

“I don’t know either. You know she never rests when there’s work to be done.”

“That’s true. How come only workaholics seem to gather in this apartment?”

Winter grumbled without much thought.

“Heh!”

Tae Wook stared at her and burst into a short laugh.

“Why… are you laughing?”

“Seems like you’re admitting you’re a workaholic too?”

“I forgot to exclude myself. I’m not included.”

Winter gently backed out.

“These days, you seem to be working even harder than me. Don’t overdo it.”

Winter studied his expression with a subtle gaze.

Not just his words, but concern for her was evident in his expression.

He had changed a lot.

She didn’t know since when, but Tae Wook’s gaze, and even his tone, no longer felt cold.

“What are you two doing here until now?”

Lady Lee looked at the two while wiping her wet hands on her apron as she came out of the kitchen.

“Do you know what time it is? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Lady Lee, you should stop and go rest too.”

Winter wished and hoped that Lady Lee would stop turning the kitchen upside down and go to bed.

“Isn’t it too much on your first day?”

Tae Wook backed up Winter’s words.

“Too much? After idling at the main house without the chairman, I’m bursting with energy now that I’m here.”

“Still, it’s late.”

“That’s right, Lady Lee.”

Both Tae Wook and Winter tried to dissuade Lady Lee in unison.

Perhaps their words had an effect.

Lady Lee came out of the kitchen.

But her steps were directed not towards her room, but towards the sofa where the two were sitting.

“If you know it’s late, you two should go to bed quickly.”

Lady Lee grabbed Winter and Tae Wook’s arms and made them stand up.

Then, as if herding cattle, she flapped her apron and pushed the two from behind.

“You don’t know how dull your hearing gets when you’re old. Don’t worry and go in, I won’t hear anything.”

Lady Lee drove the two to the bedroom door with a knowing yet ambiguous smile.

“Mr. Tae Wook, what are you doing? Hurry and take the young lady in.”

Tae Wook shook his head as if giving up at Lady Lee’s words and opened the bedroom door.

The two had no choice but to enter the bedroom.

“Lady Lee, you’re surprisingly strong for your age.”

Tae Wook said, rubbing his eyebrow with his finger.

Not just Winter, but Tae Wook must have found this situation awkward too.

“That’s true…”

Winter trailed off and took a deep breath.

Unbelievable as it may seem, this was her first time entering his bedroom.

It felt strange to be in his private space that had never been allowed before.

As befitting a space Tae Wook used, the air was permeated with the cool woody scent that emanated from him.

She moved her gaze to look around the bedroom.

A space that seemed larger than two guest rooms combined.

Reflecting Tae Wook’s personality that disliked clutter, there was no noticeable furniture in the bedroom besides the bed and storage cabinets.

If not for the chair and table in front of the glass door leading to the balcony, it would have felt empty.

“You must be tired. Go to sleep quickly.”

Winter glanced at the bed that looked even larger than a queen size.

Sleep there?

No. I can’t.

Her face turned red as she averted her gaze from the bed she had been looking at.

“I’ll go back to my room later when the situation allows.”

“Won’t Lady Lee be suspicious?”

But they couldn’t sleep in the same bed either.

“I’ll wake up at dawn and come back here.”

“What if Lady Lee wakes up before Secretary Han? What will you do then?”

Tae Wook showed a skeptical reaction.

“Besides, it’s not just for a day or two. Secretary Han will be too tired.”

“There’s no other way.”

“If we use separate rooms, we’ll be found out for sure.”

As long as Lady Lee believed they were a normal couple, both before and now, using separate rooms was impossible.

“Secretary Han, you use the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“What? That’s not acceptable.”

Winter shook her head in surprise.

“I’ll sleep on the floor. You sleep on the bed, sir.”

“How can I let Secretary Han sleep on the floor? I’ll sleep on the floor.”

“You’ve never slept on the floor before. You don’t know how uncomfortable it is. Your shoulders, back, and waist will all hurt when you wake up.”

Tae Wook smiled at Winter’s eager explanation.

She knew one thing but not the other.

If she emphasized how uncomfortable it was, how could he let her sleep on the floor even more?

“Experience is there to be had. This is a chance to experience how uncomfortable it is.”

Tae Wook went to the bed and picked up one of the pillows placed side by side.

Then he put the pillow down by the balcony window, farthest from the bed.

“This should do.”

“I’ll sleep there.”

As Winter stubbornly tried to come to where Tae Wook was standing, he reached out to stop her.

“If we keep being stubborn about this, we’ll stay up all night without deciding. I want to sleep.”

“But still…”

She hesitated and no longer insisted on sleeping on the floor.

“Forget the pillow…”

A troubled look flashed across Tae Wook’s eyes and disappeared.

They had crossed one mountain only to find another waiting.

Perhaps she had noticed what was making him troubled.

Winter quickly moved to take the blanket spread on the bed and brought it to Tae Wook.

“What are you doing?”

“How can you sleep on the floor without a blanket?”

“I can sleep covered with a bathrobe.”

“No way!”

Winter tried to put the blanket down on the floor, but the blanket she was holding ended up in Tae Wook’s arms.

He took the blanket back to the bed.

“You’ll catch a cold if you sleep without a blanket.”

“I’m sleeping on the bed. I’ll sleep covered with the bathrobe.”

“My body is toughened by exercise, so I’m fine without a blanket. A cold? Let it come if it dares.”

Winter burst out laughing in disbelief.

Did Tae Wook have this side to him?

She thought he was no different from other men, trying to act tough in front of a woman.

“At this rate, we’ll fight over the blanket all night. I’ll go out for a moment and bring a blanket.”

As soon as Winter finished speaking, she opened the bedroom door and poked her head out slightly.

“Oh?”

Surprisingly, the lights in the kitchen area were off.

“Looks like Lady Lee went to bed. I’ll be quick.”

Winter hurried her steps, muffling the sound.

But after taking just a few steps, she had to stop.