“I still like that nickname.”

The man she had met at the department store said.

His face still felt familiar, and his smile that seemed to enchant and bewitch people remained the same.

Ji Wan, who had been frozen for a moment, belatedly came to her senses and carefully asked.

“Do you live next door…?”

He answered.

“No way.”

This made the man’s identity even more suspicious.

But she couldn’t keep holding the elevator forever.

Ji Wan cautiously stepped out of the elevator and casually threw out a wary question.

“Then why are you here…”

“Are you Joo Tae Sung’s wife?”

He replied, curving his smooth lips even more seductively.

Ji Wan’s eyes widened at that name, which was now enough to give her neurosis.

The neighborhood representative’s gossip had spread far and wide. It was enough to give her goosebumps down her spine.

“No, how… where did you…”

As she struggled to continue speaking, Hwa Young pulled out his wallet.

What followed was a single business card with a clean design.

“Let me formally introduce myself. It’s not a card I give to just anyone, so consider it an honor.”

Ji Wan’s eyes, who had received the card in a daze, were fixed on the three characters of the name written in gold leaf.

“Do Hwa Young…”

Only then did the information she hadn’t been able to recall come to mind.

The eldest grandson of the LU Group, considered the most luxurious family in Korea, and a director of LU Department Store.

That prince who had attracted public attention since his teenage years with his gorgeous looks and model-like figure.

The one a senior colleague at the newspaper had cursed, saying “That bastard is really crazy!”…

“So you’re that Do Hwa Young…!”

Now she realized why his face seemed familiar.

She must have recognized him because he was famous for his unique visuals and scandalous private life.

His real-life appearance was much more gorgeous than in news photos, so she hadn’t made the connection at all.

“You finally recognize me?”

Hwa Young gave a smile full of superiority to Ji Wan, who was just staring at his face with surprised eyes.

And then what he said next was quite brutal.

“Yes, that’s right. As you’ve heard from Joo Tae Sung, I’m Do Hwa Young, here to take Joo Tae Sung’s head.”

“What? Head… what?”

Ji Wan, unable to digest what she had just heard, asked again.

Hwa Young, still staring at her, knocked on the front door and made a request as brazen as Joo Tae Sung.

“I know it’s rude, but could you open the door right now?”

The situation was taking a strange turn.

Thinking of the senior who had emphasized ‘crazy’ and Joo Tae Sung’s head, it seemed like she shouldn’t let him in…

Ji Wan, who didn’t have the confidence to drive away such a crazy person, just swallowed hard.

Still, it was the first time she desperately wished for the presence of her husband, Joo Tae Sung.

* * *

A 5-star hotel lounge bar in Jongno-gu.

Tae Sung entered leisurely, carrying a heavy leather bag.

His eyes, which had been moving busily as if looking for someone, quietly smiled as soon as they spotted a man sitting by the window.

Tae Sung approached him with unhesitating steps.

“You’re here early.”

As he greeted him in a voice more comfortable than ever, the man who had been waiting for him first responded.

“Tae Sung, it’s been so long. Have you been well?”

The man, whose smile spread across his face resembled Tae Sung’s so much, was Joo Hyun Woo, Tae Sung’s older brother and the only family member Tae Sung acknowledged.

Joo Hyun Woo, active as a law professor at a prestigious American university, was Joo Sung Gye’s greatest pride and always Tae Sung’s steadfast supporter.

But being busy and far apart, it seemed like it had been 5 years since they last met.

At least in Tae Sung’s memory, that was the case.

“Is it really 5 years since we last met? We haven’t seen each other since you became a professor.”

Tae Sung asked for confirmation.

Hyun Woo’s eyes looking at him shook slightly.

“Two years.”

“…”

“It’s been two years. As I heard, the aftereffects are severe…”

“Ah, two years.”

The resolution to not cause worry that he had made on the way here was broken as soon as they met.

Embarrassed, Tae Sung picked up the wine glass that had already been filled, as if it were no big deal.

“Well, two years is still a long time. Nothing much happening?”

After bringing up a different topic, Hyun Woo answered while lightly toasting his glass.

“Nothing much with me. It’s been 2 weeks since I returned to Korea.”

“Then why didn’t you contact me?”

“The family was in an uproar trying to find you. Father kept asking if I had found you, and I didn’t have the confidence to lie, so I couldn’t even contact you.”

His expression was full of worry.

Tae Sung deliberately made a joking remark to reassure him.

“Well, you were never good at lying from the old days.”

“Yeah. Still the same. Small guts.”

“Isn’t it time you grew them?”

“They’ve shrunk because of you. If anything, they’ve gotten smaller.”

Tae Sung let out a chuckle at Hyun Woo’s sincere reply.

It had always been like this.

He was someone who would worry in advance if he thought his brother might be in pain or having a hard time, knowing Tae Sung’s personality of never showing when he was sick or struggling.

That’s why he wanted to show only a perfectly fine appearance…

But this accident was on such a large scale that it couldn’t be overlooked.

He wouldn’t be fooled by words saying everything was fine, so it might be better to be honest.

“You’ve probably heard roughly, but I’ve lost quite a lot of memories. It’s difficult to even identify the culprit, so I’ve evacuated to a safe place for now.”

Tae Sung revealed his condition in as calm a voice as possible.

It was the first time he was honestly opening up to someone else.

Sure enough, Hyun Woo’s eyes shook even more anxiously.

“Is it really a safe place? Why don’t you stay at home or at Father’s house? I’ll be staying at the family home while I’m in Korea…”

“The accident scene was near our house, so staying at home seems dangerous, and I don’t like Father’s house because my condition would be shared in detail with his close associates.”

“Are you suspecting Father’s close associates?”

“How many people around him have I bitten?”

In response to Tae Sung’s guarded words, Hyun Woo carefully conveyed the situation at home.

“Father seems to think the same way, he hasn’t been meeting people for a while. He’s obsessed with catching the culprit who did this to you.”

“That man wouldn’t do that.”

“It’s true.”

“He’ll stop if it seems like the scale is getting too big. He’s lived his whole life for the sake of face.”

Tae Sung let out a scornful laugh.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Hyun Woo sighed faintly instead of pressing the issue further.

It seemed best to stop talking about family at this point.

It was a miserable household, enough to ruin even the good atmosphere between brothers.

Tae Sung took a sip of wine.

Then, consciously putting on a gentle smile, he continued speaking.

“What I want to say is… there’s no need to worry. I feel like I’m on a long-overdue vacation right now.”

Hyun Woo’s worried gaze turned towards Tae Sung’s head, which had reportedly been injured.

“Has the wound healed?”

“The external injuries have healed without problem.”

“Where are you staying now?”

“Wasn’t it you who said earlier that you couldn’t even contact me because you can’t lie?”

“You can give me a rough idea, can’t you?”

Asking about his whereabouts was perhaps a natural question.

But Tae Sung fell into deep thought, unable to answer readily.

According to Yu Jin, who had first told him about his wife’s existence, he had only shown a photo under pressure from people so far, without mentioning any personal information…

How much does his brother know?

Does he know this marriage is a contract relationship?

Or did he hide it even from his brother?

“Are you staying at your wife’s house?”

While he was contemplating how to answer, Hyun Woo mentioned Ji Wan’s existence first.

Now that the topic had been brought up, it might be better to confirm directly.

Tae Sung calmly asked while watching his expression.

“How much do you know?”

Hyun Woo looked troubled for a moment, then revealed only as much as he knew.

“I don’t know much. You didn’t want to talk about the marriage to me at all. You avoided even mentioning it.”

“Avoided?”

“Everything I know about your wife, I heard through Father. You just asked me not to ask anything.”

“…”

“For the first time, you didn’t share anything with me at all.”

So his brother doesn’t know the details either…

Tae Sung’s heart became complicated again.

He had expected that his brother would surely know even the things Tae Sung couldn’t remember, but for some reason, he had maintained secrecy even with him.

But at that moment, the name that came out of Hyun Woo’s mouth sharply captured Tae Sung’s attention.

“So I suspected. That you chose a hasty marriage because of Yi Young.”

Do Yi Young.

An existence no different from a leech to Tae Sung.

“Why is Do Yi Young being mentioned?”

As she was brought up, Tae Sung’s eyes noticeably cooled.

A deep sigh flowed from between Hyun Woo’s lips, confused about where to begin explaining the complicated circumstances.

* * *

8:30 PM.

The time when stomachs growl after missing mealtime.

Do Hwa Young, who had finally entered Ji Wan’s house, was still lingering in the living room.

“You’ve probably heard from Joo Tae Sung, but I had many more people around me. Since kindergarten. Why? Because I had good social skills, while that bastard Joo Tae Sung was a complete sociopath.”

“Ah…”

“You’ve probably heard from Joo Tae Sung, but I never lost the school president position throughout elementary, middle, and high school. Joo Tae Sung only did it once. In high school. Why? Because we were in different high schools then.”

“I see… Different schools…”

This marks the twentieth time he’s said something Ji Wan hadn’t heard from Joo Tae Sung.

Ji Wan, sitting at the dining table quietly watching Hwa Young, is at a loss for how to react anymore.

Joo Tae Sung has never even mentioned him, but she can’t say that for fear of hurting his feelings, so she can’t even pretend this is the first time she’s hearing it.

In the end, it seems only Joo Tae Sung can deal with this man. Why on earth isn’t he even answering calls?

“And you know what? Joo Tae Sung probably told you this too…”

Do Hwa Young prepared for another bout of self-praise.

Ji Wan, who no longer had the energy to listen, decided to try to drive him out quickly.

“Um, Mr. Hwa Young. It looks like Tae Sung is busy today and will be very late, so why don’t we set up a separate appointment another time?”

It was the most polite suggestion she could muster, but Hwa Young’s eyes immediately bristled.

“Are you trying to kick me out now?”

“…Was it that obvious?”

“Birds of a feather flock together, they say. You don’t even pretend otherwise.”

He didn’t seem to be in the mood to leave quietly.

She wanted to call the police, but if she escalated things like that, who knows what rumors would spread in this apartment complex again.

In the end, Ji Wan decided to give up on playing the role of a mannerly host and continued with what she wanted to say.

“Your business is with Tae Sung, right? I’m not prepared to entertain guests today, so let’s meet later. Okay?”

“I don’t need hospitality.”

“Tae Sung and I aren’t in the kind of relationship where we welcome each other’s friends. I don’t know how you found this place, but it would be better if you just met with Tae Sung separately outside, wouldn’t it?”

“It’s fine. I’m not good at reading the room because I’m tactless.”

“I’m telling you, I really don’t know when he’ll be back.”

“I’ll just stay here all night then.”

Repeated attacks and repeated defenses.

Is this man possessed by a ghost with a grudge against not meeting Joo Tae Sung?

Ji Wan, starting to get irritated by the continued tug-of-war, asked in a sharper voice.

“What exactly is this about? What, do you have money he owes you or something?”

What burst out in response was Hwa Young’s sneer.

“Ha, are you pretending not to know? Do you think you can avoid responsibility by doing that?”

“Avoid responsibility?”

His tone was as if Ji Wan had committed some crime.

Ji Wan, feeling something was off from this point, slightly furrowed her brow, which Hwa Young took as an expression of discomfort and launched into a full-scale attack.

“I know your type well. Acting all innocent while being more cunning than anyone else.”

“What?”

“You must have had fun manipulating an innocent young child. After turning a perfectly normal person into a depression patient, do you think you can be happy?”

This is clearly abusive language, as bad as cursing…

But she’s just bewildered because she doesn’t understand what he’s talking about at all.

“Are you… talking to me right now?”

Ji Wan, who hadn’t understood a word he said, asked again.

Taking even that as evasion and acceptance, Hwa Young more blatantly revealed his anger.

“Yes. You. I’m talking about you, who slept with my sister’s fiancé behind her back and ran away on the day of the family meeting.”

A storyline that could be believed even if it were from a makjang drama.

Ji Wan’s face, who had suddenly become the villain in this story, turned pale.

“Me… Me?!”