The residence of the LY Group Chairman.

The dining room was filled with high-quality tableware and neatly prepared dishes.

The atmosphere was chilly for a family breakfast that rarely happened.

It was mostly due to Chairman Choi Yu Ria, who had been frowning noticeably since Hwa Young sat at the table.

Facing this clear source of anger, Do Jung Hyun, whose job was a Korean medical school professor but whose main occupation was being her husband, tried to shift the mood.

“Dear, I heard you went jogging at dawn today? That’s amazing. Well, in this weather, the air isn’t cold even at dawn, so it must be perfect for cardio.”

Without any reaction to his words, Chairman Choi Yu Ria opened her mouth.

“Director Do. I heard about yesterday. You hosted a dinner for female employees?”

Hwa Young chewed and swallowed his food with an expression showing no impact.

It was the “I don’t care” attitude that Chairman Choi Yu Ria hated the most.

“I’m sure I told you not to take the initiative in organizing employee dinners. Don’t you think singling out female employees for a drinking party makes your intentions too obvious?”

“……”

“As a director, you should show an attitude befitting your position. It’s not just about yesterday, it’s the same every day. Drinking, singing, parties every day… It’s utterly vulgar.”

“……”

Chairman Choi Yu Ria started to criticize Hwa Young in earnest, but once again, Hwa Young had nothing to say.

While the innocent others were all fidgeting, watching her reactions nervously, the person in question continued eating without any sign of concern.

Enraged to the core by his attitude, Choi Yu Ria raised her voice.

“Do Hwa Young. You…!”

At that explosive moment.

“Mother. The tea will get cold. Please drink it and then talk.”

Yi Young hurriedly intervened, trying to defuse the situation.

With skin as white as Snow White and lovely features, she was the second daughter of the LY Group and the precious younger sister whom Hwa Young cherished the most in this family.

The siblings’ affection was so special.

Hwa Young, who hadn’t even pretended to listen when his parents spoke, immediately turned his gaze to Yi Young.

“Yi Young, is your tea not cold? Should I have them reheat your cup?”

“It’s fine. It’s still warm. Oppa, hurry and drink your tea too.”

“My sister, so caring.”

This was clearly meant to provoke.

Choi Yu Ria let out a hollow laugh at the sight, and Do Jung Hyun, sitting next to her, hastily poured hot tea into her cup.

“Dear, getting worked up in the morning is bad for your blood pressure. Come on, drink the tea quickly before it gets cold, like Yi Young said.”

“Sigh……”

Choi Yu Ria lifted her teacup, giving in to her husband’s urging.

If it were just family members, it might be different.

But with secretaries, house managers, and even the security team on standby, the house was a dangerous place to cause a commotion.

Chairman Choi Yu Ria, who had been at war with Hwa Young since the moment he was born, knew that launching missiles here would only damage her own dignity.

“Fine, let’s postpone this unpleasant conversation……”

Having no choice but to carve another mark of patience in her heart today, Choi Yu Ria changed the subject.

“Director Do, you come out to the meeting with the Youngwon Group Chairman this evening.”

Youngwon Group was a construction company family that Chairman Choi Yu Ria coveted for a strategic marriage.

Telling him to come out meant she wanted to officially debut Hwa Young in the marriage market.

Hwa Young, who had been ignoring Choi Yu Ria all along, let out a snicker and replied.

“I won’t be able to make it this evening.”

“I checked with Secretary Yang that you have no schedule. Don’t try to be clever.”

“I have a schedule I didn’t tell Yang about. You know. I’m very busy.”

At Hwa Young’s mocking tone, Choi Yu Ria’s eyes became fierce once again.

“Are you going to keep acting like this?”

In contrast, Hwa Young spoke with a playful expression, as if joking.

“I’m not being difficult, it’s true. I guess the Chairman doesn’t know since you’ve never played with me, but I’m usually fully booked a month in advance.”

“……”

“I’m extremely busy. Because I have to play vulgarly.”

Using the very word Choi Yu Ria had used seemed like a clear provocation.

Choi Yu Ria, who had no intention of tolerating this rude behavior, glared at Hwa Young aggressively.

But before she could spit out harsh words, Hwa Young stood up and calmly greeted the other family members still sitting.

“I have to leave early for a morning meeting. I’ll be going now. Enjoy your meal.”

Yi Young’s eyes turned to Hwa Young.

Meeting her worried face, Hwa Young winked playfully and whispered.

“Something fun will happen soon. Look forward to it.”

Yi Young didn’t understand those words at all, but Hwa Young left the table without further explanation.

“Do Hwa Young, you get back here?!”

Unable to contain her anger, Choi Yu Ria’s shout burst out behind his retreating figure.

Having provoked her enough, now was the time to run away with his tail between his legs.

Hwa Young’s quickening steps finally turned into a run.

Seeing this, it seemed he did fear Chairman Choi Yu Ria, but why did he always provoke her to the limit?

The remaining family members could not understand the eldest son of this household.

* * *

A luxury officetel in Ichon-dong, Seoul, with a panoramic view of the Han River.

An unexpected figure appeared in this building, notorious for its tight security due to many celebrities living there.

It was Tae Sung, who hadn’t shown his face at his mansion recently.

Entering the lobby with familiar steps, he exchanged a brief eye greeting with the bowing security staff.

“It’s been a while, Prosecutor. Are you feeling well?”

The employee greeted him warmly, but was actually a stranger.

Judging by this, he must be new staff hired within the last 3 years.

“Yes, keep up the good work.”

Giving a standard reply, Tae Sung quickly boarded the elevator.

His current destination was room 4001.

It was his long-time residence since moving out of the family home, and Tae Sung’s only sanctuary.

But the reason he hadn’t visited this place all this time was concern that someone troublesome might be lurking nearby.

Whether it was the gossip-loving press, his father Joo Sung Gye who always tried to dissect Tae Sung’s life at every opportunity, or the still uncaptured culprit, he didn’t want to face any of them unprepared.

But despite knowing these risks, the reason he came here was singular:

To recover his lost memories of the past 3 years.

He couldn’t understand what had happened in those 3 years that necessitated even a contract marriage.

He also didn’t know what kind of dangerous situation led to him being attacked.

Knowing nothing now, considering all possibilities, there was a chance these two events were connected.

A troublesome situation arose requiring a legal spouse, and considering the danger, a large contract fee of 1 billion won was set for this marriage, thus obtaining Lee Ji Wan as a wife, but ultimately the issue wasn’t resolved, leading to the attack.

If everything was connected like that, finding even one clue would be a significant gain.

To find clues, exploring traces of Tae Sung was essential.

The only place where the usually flawless Tae Sung could be vulnerable was this home.

If anywhere, traces of his actions over the past 3 years might remain intact here.

Soon the heavy elevator doors opened, and Tae Sung, with his head slightly lowered, walked non-stop to his apartment.

Reaching the familiar front door, after a moment’s hesitation, he pressed the passcode he originally knew.

Fortunately, it seemed he hadn’t changed the passcode in 3 years, as the front door easily permitted Tae Sung entry.

A home he returned to after such a long time.

A few noticeable pieces of furniture had changed.

This certainly caused a sense of unfamiliarity, but since there was no way to know if he or someone else had done it, he decided not to assign serious meaning to it.

Tae Sung neatly took off his shoes in the spotlessly clean entryway.

Then he carefully stepped into the living room.

The Han River view that used to soothe his tired eyes after work greeted him once again.

Normally, he would have indulged in the scenery for a moment, but today there was no time for that.

Tae Sung’s footsteps headed towards his study.

It was a room he always kept locked, not allowing even the cleaning staff to enter.

Tae Sung took out the key he always carried in his wallet.

Fortunately, it seemed no one had entered, as the study door only opened after Tae Sung’s key was inserted.

Tae Sung lifted his foot to enter the study.

Just then, the phone he had put in his jacket pocket rang.

Tae Sung’s already sharp gaze became even more sensitive at the sudden noise.

To avoid further interruptions, Tae Sung reached for his phone to turn it off.

His gaze paused briefly at the message that appeared immediately.

It was a message he could never ignore, no matter how sensitive the situation.

For the first time, warmth appeared in Tae Sung’s eyes as he looked at the text on his phone screen.

* * *

After another tough day at the newspaper office, Ji Wan dragged her tired body home.

Team Leader Jang was poking around everywhere trying to find Tae Sung.

Managing her expression every time Tae Sung’s name was mentioned at work seemed to make her several times more tired than usual.

“Sigh… I need to ask him for that interview quickly.”

Still not having received confirmation for the interview from Tae Sung, Ji Wan quickened her steps, determined to settle it today.

“Ji Wan’s back!”

As she reached the apartment entrance, the security guard greeted her familiarly.

Having taken a month off due to poor health, he was also Ji Wan’s long-time neighbor.

“Hello. You were off for a while with a neck disk. Are you feeling better now?”

Ji Wan greeted him with a bright face.

The security guard replied with his characteristic hearty laugh.

“Ah well, it gets better when I rest and worse when I work, you know how it is.”

“Don’t overdo it for a while and focus on treatment.”

“Alright. Anyway, you’re the only one who worries about me, Ji Wan!”

The atmosphere was warm and friendly. Seeing this, living in one place for a boringly long time wasn’t so bad.

“Then, fighting for your evening shift!”

Ji Wan entered the elevator with a cheerful shout.

An incredible statement from the security guard followed her.

“Oh, I heard you got married while I was off! Congratulations, Ji Wan!”

Ji Wan, who was about to enter the elevator that had just arrived, stopped in her tracks.

“What? What are you congratulating…?”

When she asked with wide eyes, the security guard spilled out tremendous misinformation with a kind face.

“I heard you fell in love at first sight with an incredibly handsome man and got married in a flash! They say your husband’s looks put actors to shame, it’s all the talk among the apartment ladies. They’re in an uproar wanting to see him!”

“No, why is there such a rumor… Who said that?”

“Who else? The neighborhood information hub.”

The apartment representative auntie.

It must have been her doing.

Yesterday morning, when she ran into Joo Tae Sung, she must have spread the rumor everywhere.

And she even added the dramatic narrative of love at first sight and a super-speed marriage…

“Ah, no. That’s not it, there’s a story behind this…”

Ji Wan hurriedly tried to explain.

But she was so flustered that her mind was tangled and no thoughts came to her.

If she couldn’t quell the rumor here, it would really reach her father’s ears.

The security guard’s sparkling eyes looked like they wouldn’t believe anything Ji Wan said.

What was needed at this moment was Joo Tae Sung.

After all, this nonsensical rumor started because of him, so he should calm it down directly.

“The marriage is nonsense! I never did such a thing!”

“Really? The representative said she saw a man living with you?”

“Rather than living together… A-anyway, please wait here! I have something important to tell you, I’ll bring the person directly!”

Ji Wan quickly got on the elevator and pressed the 8th floor button.

At the same time, her rising resentment towards Joo Tae Sung made her fists clench involuntarily.

“This guy really… He’d better explain properly.”

While she was gritting her teeth, the elevator arrived at the 8th floor.

Ji Wan prepared to step out with an angry face.

But she couldn’t move a single step.

It was because of the large silhouette that bound her gaze like a noose as soon as the doors opened.

“Hello?”

The strangely familiar face greeted her again.

Ji Wan’s eyes widened even more than when she heard the marriage news from the security guard.

“…Why is the nouveau riche here?”

Hearing that word again, Hwa Young smiled brightly.

“I still like that nickname.”