Startled by the sudden appearance of her husband’s name during the meeting time, Ji Wan coughed violently.

“Cough! Cough! Cooough!”

Seeing her noisy reaction, Director Jang Dae Chul furrowed his brow, while senior colleague Jin Joo Ah in the next seat hurriedly handed her a tissue.

“Oh no. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine… Cough! Cough!”

“Goodness, I can’t deal with this.”

The meeting paused briefly due to the persistent coughing that wouldn’t stop.

Director Jang scolded Ji Wan in an annoyed voice.

“You really are something else. Is there anything you don’t do to cause trouble?”

“Ahem!”

Finally calming down, Ji Wan looked at Director Jang while clearing her throat loudly.

Then, ignoring his piercing gaze, she asked.

“Did you just say… Joo Tae Sung… earlier?”

Taking her careful inquiry as a sign of willingness to participate in the meeting, Director Jang answered frankly despite his displeasure.

“Yes, Prosecutor Joo Tae Sung. You newbies probably haven’t heard his name much, but anyone who’s worked long on major cases would know it.”

“Is that so…?”

“He only takes on cases unfavorable to those in power, so they rarely make the news, but he’s done great public service. He caught a level 4 official for sexually assaulting his secretary, uncovered bribery evidence on Congressman Hyun Bong Soo, and even exposed corporate collusion.”

Director Jang explained in detail, worried Ji Wan might not understand since she’d only been with the company for a year.

But Ji Wan already knew well about this talked-about figure.

Not just his impressive achievements, but also where he was staying after going missing.

“He’s such a hated figure that there’s a truckload of suspected perpetrators in this recent attack case… The police say there’s a possibility he was kidnapped again.”

As she listened to Director Jang, Ji Wan thought to herself.

No. It’s not a kidnapping.

“I mean, they say he suffered a severe head injury. Would he really run away from the hospital after only 2 weeks, before finishing treatment?”

Yes. He did run away.

“No matter how reckless, that doesn’t make sense. Voluntarily disappearing when the attacker hasn’t even been caught?”

Prosecutor Joo Tae Sung accomplished that reckless act.

And now he’s at my house in the status of my legal husband.

As she mentally responded to Director Jang’s deductions, Ji Wan’s thoughts grew more and more complicated.

Is it okay for it to be revealed that such a notorious person is my husband?

Won’t my quiet daily life be completely turned upside down?

If it becomes known that I’m living with Joo Tae Sung, Director Jang at least will say “That’s right!” and try to report this news in the most sensational way possible.

If that happens, a quiet divorce would be impossible.

My father, hearing news of his daughter’s marriage and divorce simultaneously, might collapse clutching the back of his neck.

‘I absolutely can’t let that happen. Let’s just play dumb for now. Pretend not to know anything until we can divorce cleanly.’

Seyoung Daily was a company that didn’t even indicate marital status during the blind hiring process.

Of course, they asked about marriage in the final interview, but since it was a marriage guaranteed to end in a clean divorce anyway, she had given an ambiguous answer as if she wasn’t married.

But if the marriage fact she had successfully hidden then was revealed like this, it would make Ji Wan’s life very complicated.

At this rate, she might be fired outright for lying in the interview.

Having sorted out her thoughts this far, Ji Wan nodded as if hearing all this for the first time.

“Ah, I see? That happened? My goodness.”

Though her acting was quite awkward, Director Jang didn’t seem to notice and continued speaking.

“Yes. So everyone report to me as soon as you get any information on Prosecutor Joo. I’ll create a perfect picture, staking our social affairs department’s honor on it.”

Well, they probably wouldn’t even joke that this impressive person could be the husband of a mere rookie reporter.

Should I be grateful that my lowly status is fortunate in this case?

During the morning report, Ji Wan heard Joo Tae Sung’s name thirty-three times, and each time she had to squeeze her eyes shut to hide her trembling gaze.

If I had known he was such an influential man, I wouldn’t have even held a wedding ceremony.

This must be why they say you should experience all four seasons together before getting married.

* * *

After the morning report ended, they had a brief coffee time before starting full-fledged reporting.

Sitting in a corner of the company cafe, Senior Jin opened her mouth with a serious expression.

“Ji Wan. You know what Director Jang said in the morning report? The case of Prosecutor Joo’s disappearance.”

It hadn’t been long since the morning report ended, yet his presence popped up again.

Ji Wan, who needed to hide her connection to him somehow, started her awkward acting again.

“Ah… Prosecutor Joo, was it Joo Tae San or Joo Tae Song?”

“Joo Tae Sung. Prosecutor Joo Tae Sung.”

“Right, right. That’s what it was.”

“You should break that story.”

“Huh…?”

Ji Wan’s eyes widened in surprise at the bold suggestion that followed.

To break the very secret she was trying desperately to hide. This was absurd.

Ji Wan shook her head vigorously while trying her best to hide her flustered state.

“Senior, how could I take on such a big case?”

“You broke the Kim Young Jae case that they were trying to hush up from the top. With your guts, I think you can do it.”

“No way. I can’t do it. I know what fear is too, Senior.”

“You can do it. You don’t know fear.”

Senior’s faith was touching, but the timing was all wrong.

So as she tried to refuse politely once more, Senior Jin began persuading her more enthusiastically.

“Can’t you see how things are going? Director Jang is trying to take care of everything himself.”

“It’s not like it’s new for him to handle the big cases…”

“How do you think that Jang Dae Chul got to his position without any real ability? Every year he grabs one big case like this, sucks up all the work from his subordinates, and sweeps up journalist awards with articles he basically stole.”

“…”

“And now Director Jang is trying to suck up to his subordinates again. So what does that make this case?”

“Award… worthy?”

“That’s right. Exactly.”

Senior Jin snapped her fingers in the air.

It was an explanation Ji Wan could understand enough to nod along to.

As it happened, Ji Wan had enough ambition to be recognized for her work, and enough desire for revenge to want to break Director Jang’s domineering spirit.

Moreover, since she already knew Joo Tae Sung’s whereabouts, she could certainly break the story if she wanted to…

But spreading news of her marriage to Joo Tae Sung across the whole country was dangerous.

This could completely upend Ji Wan’s life.

“Let’s say I found out his whereabouts. In the end, Jang Dae Chul’s name would still end up on it. He’d steal it all under the excuse of editing, right?”

Instead of speaking honestly, Ji Wan used the excuse of the editing stage where written articles are reviewed in advance.

Senior Jin, after thinking for a moment, sighed as if she had no rebuttal to that.

“I guess you’re right. You’re too green to skip the editing process.”

“Exactly. It’s a fight with no chance of winning.”

“If the content was impressive enough to move the director, we could just super pass Director Jang’s opinion!”

“How could I get something like that? There’s a reason they call it a scoop.”

Saying this went against Ji Wan’s ambitious nature and hurt her pride, but it couldn’t be helped.

Well, this won’t be the only opportunity.

Someday a huge scoop that can flatten Director Jang might come to me.

As she was thinking this and trying to keep playing dumb.

“Ah, it’s really hard to get a scoop. The more noteworthy the incident, the more grueling the reporting. At times like this, I wish I had some kind of superpower.”

“Superpower?”

“Yeah, you know. Like if a scoop gets caught in my radar net, bang! The person involved appears right in front of me, and that person bang! Smoothly spills out the scenario just the way I want.”

Senior Jin’s imagination subtly seeped into Ji Wan’s heart.

A superpower where if a scoop is caught, the person involved appears before your eyes, and that person smoothly recites only the scenario you want.

Ji Wan was an ordinary human without superpowers, but she had inadvertently accomplished up to the second stage.

The problem was getting that person to omit the dangerous content for her and smoothly recite only the scenario that would help her article…

‘Maybe… if I persuade him?’

It was a possibility she cautiously brought up with the word “maybe”, but somehow it didn’t seem like a hopeless endeavor.

Although she was getting entangled with Joo Tae Sung right now, he clearly wanted something from Ji Wan after all.

Perhaps. Just perhaps…

* * *

[Kim Young Jae’s prison sentence confirmed. Prosecutor in charge suddenly missing…?]

Tae Sung’s gaze deepened as he checked the news.

The Kim Young Jae case was the hit-and-run case he had been in charge of right before the accident.

Though the memories were erased from his mind, he had roughly grasped the case records from the past 3 years to deduce the assault suspect.

If there was one piece of information confirmed here, it was that the culprit who targeted his life that night was not one of Kim Young Jae’s associates.

This was proven by Kim’s lawyer, who left 5 missed calls on Tae Sung’s phone the morning after the attack, trying somehow to negotiate the Kim Young Jae case.

“Hmm…”

Tae Sung’s gaze intensified as he looked at the article.

He had hoped to take a break after being away from the frontlines for a while.

But even that was in danger of ending due to articles trying to make things as sensational as possible.

Just then, the phone Tae Sung was holding vibrated gently.

It was his personal phone known only to a select few, not his work phone.

Tae Sung checked the caller ID on the phone with a dry gaze.

He thought it would be a call from his longtime friend Heo Yu Jin, who worked as a doctor at the hospital where he was admitted, or the only person he recognized as family, but it was a completely unexpected individual.

“Lee Ji Wan…?”

What could this woman, who had never contacted him first before, want?

Tae Sung, who had been staring at the phone as if it couldn’t be true, pressed the call button.

Ji Wan’s voice that flowed out was the kindest and most affectionate he had heard so far.

―Are you enjoying a leisurely afternoon? Nothing out of the ordinary?

What is this about?

Though he thought this briefly, Tae Sung answered in an equally gentle voice.

“I was about to be bored, but then I received a welcome phone call.”

―Is that welcome call perhaps me? Oh my, I’m honored.

Pfft.

A sneer escaped at her awkward tone of voice.

However, Ji Wan, unaware of the situation, thought it was fortunate that he seemed to be in a good mood and brought up her business.

―Is there anything you’d like to eat today? I was thinking of buying something on the way home.

“Are you asking me?”

―Yes. I don’t know your tastes well enough to prepare something as a surprise.

“Why are you suddenly curious about my tastes?”

―Let’s just say I was moved by how delicious the toast I ate earlier was. I wanted to do something for you too, Tae Sung. Just tell me anything! I’ll take proper care of you!

She’s a woman who really has no talent for lying. Her clumsy flattery is unbearable.

Tae Sung, who usually disliked complimentary comments, tended to become more ruthless the more he sensed the other person’s intentions.

But why?

Why does he just feel like laughing now?

“I’m touched that you think of me that way.”

―It’s not touching at all. I was extremely moved. So, what menu are you in the mood for today?

“Hmm, shall we have a glass of wine? I happened to buy a good one on the weekend.”

―Ah… That expensive one you bought at the department store? Then what would go well with that?

“Chicken galantine.”

―Chicken gal… What?

“Chicken galantine. Let’s go with that.”

Ji Wan paused briefly upon hearing the menu Tae Sung suggested. It seems to be a name she’s hearing for the first time.

“Don’t you like it?”

Tae Sung asked, pretending not to know even though he was well aware of her reaction.

Ji Wan, who had been searching on her phone, consciously gave a cheerful response.

―Of course I like it! Chicken galatan, it is!

“Galantine.”

―Ah, right. Galantine. Then I’ll buy that and be home by 7:30!

She hung up the phone with bravado, but it probably won’t be as easy as she thinks.

Chicken galantine.

A traditional French dish where chopped meat and seasonings are stuffed inside a chicken or duck and then steamed.

How many places in Korea would have this dish that’s still unfamiliar here?

Interest glimmered in Tae Sung’s eyes, which had been sharp with vigilance as he surveyed his surroundings.