His arms tightened around Ji Wan’s body even more strongly.

His fingertips digging in were desperate, as if he had finally embraced what he had been searching for a long time.

As she heard the unfamiliar breathing of this stranger in her ear, Ji Wan thought:

‘W-what kind of situation is this supposed to be?!’

At that moment, when she was completely unable to comprehend what was happening, he let out a low, husky voice.

“Come back.”

To where?

“…I need you.”

Why me?

Question marks floated around in Ji Wan’s head.

Before she could vocalize any of them, she decided to first try to pry off the solid body coiling around her like a snake.

Even if he was her legal husband, they were practically strangers. Unsolicited skinship was not okay.

“S-suddenly doing this, what are you thinking? Let go and talk. Okay?”

Ji Wan’s hands carefully pushed against his chest.

But this much was far from enough. He didn’t budge an inch, like a giant tree that had taken deep roots in someone else’s doorway.

“Ah, just… really… just…!”

Struggling and grunting, she finally used all her strength to shove him away forcefully.

“I said let go so we can talk!”

She was slightly worried she may have pushed too roughly, but he had only been pushed back slightly compared to the force she had used.

“Phew…”

“…”

“Joo Tae Sung.”

The pause between her sigh and calling his name was a bit long because the name she had heard 3 years ago was hazy in her memory.

Fortunately it seemed to be correct, as Tae Sung silently stared at Ji Wan.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I don’t think we’re close enough for this kind of behavior.”

Ji Wan spoke confidently, pretending not to be intimidated by his presence at all.

Hearing those words, Tae Sung’s lips twisted upwards in a not-so-positive direction.

“Hah, pushing me away like this…”

Sorry, but I never asked you to come close. No, from the beginning, we were already strangers with no need to push each other away.

He should know that better than anyone, so why was he suddenly acting like this?

Ji Wan glared at Tae Sung with an expression of incomprehension at his inexplicable behavior just before the end of their contract.

Tae Sung, looking down at her, had an equally uncomprehending face.

“Lee Ji Wan… you shouldn’t do this to me.”

It was right then that she had the thought, ‘Could it be…?’

“What do you mean by that?”

“You shouldn’t push me away or abandon me.”

“…”

“Am I wrong?”

The reason she was momentarily speechless was because his words weren’t wrong.

The contract period was 3 years. And now it was 2 weeks before the contract’s end.

Strictly speaking, we were still married, and our marriage life hadn’t officially ended yet.

If this man knew that well and was acting like this, could it be…

‘Is this the final test?!’

Ji Wan’s eyes widened as she realized something incredible.

Come to think of it, when they made the contract, Tae Sung had warned Ji Wan to never contact or visit him first, while adding that he would come find her himself when necessary.

It seems that’s what he meant by saying he needed her in that desperate voice earlier.

Looking at it this way, even that improper hug they shared as soon as they met makes sense.

‘I see, this must be the moment for me to step up! Someone must be watching us from outside the doorway, or we need to leave evidence, so we clearly have to act like a married couple!’

Upon this realization, Ji Wan became very worried about how she had thoughtlessly pushed him away earlier.

What if he deducts money from her payment later for not fulfilling her duty as a wife…

‘Okay, let’s set the concept! I was a woman who had been deeply hurt by my husband for 3 years and decided on divorce!’

Determined to make up for her mistake, Ji Wan instantly changed her expression.

Then, hanging her head like a wounded person, she launched into an impromptu performance.

“Go back. We’re already past the point of no return.”

It was a melodramatic line she’d heard somewhere before, but melodrama tends to work well.

“Who says that? That we can’t turn back.”

“That’s how human relationships are. One mistake can destroy even 10 years. How hard could 3 years be?”

“We can turn back.”

“Don’t be foolish, just go back.”

“No. I can’t go back. I can’t end it here.”

Though it was her first time acting, things seemed to be flowing well, so she must have had some talent.

Encouraged, Ji Wan decided to put even more emotion into it to aim for bonus points.

“The 3 years I spent with you were the worst time of my life. I’ll do anything if I can just end it.”

This should be enough to make it not strange to sign the divorce papers in 2 weeks.

Are you watching? Whoever might be hiding somewhere by the entrance.

We are a couple heading towards a catastrophic end, so don’t doubt us any further.

Ji Wan praised herself for delivering what she thought was the best line ever, and faced Tae Sung once again.

“Hah…”

Tae Sung’s gaze deepened as he faced her. The voice that followed was even more subdued than before.

“I pray that those words aren’t sincere.”

The appropriate response here was a look worth a thousand words.

Ji Wan stared firmly at Tae Sung with resolute eyes that showed not even a trace of lingering attachment.

Tae Sung drew even closer to her, and at a distance where she could feel his breath, he continued:

“For your sake too, that should be the case.”

Thud-!

The front door closed by his hand.

If her assumption about being watched from outside was correct, they should be free now, but strangely, the tension didn’t ease.

Rather, it only tightened its grip more fiercely in the enclosed space.

* * *

A large hospital located in Jung-gu, Seoul.

A storm was brewing inside a VIP hospital room.

“With so many people stationed here. How is it possible that no one saw the patient leaving the room?”

The man speaking with a grim expression and a murderous look was Joo Sung Gye, the representative of ‘Taeyang Law Firm’, South Korea’s top law firm, who had rushed over as soon as he heard that the owner of this room had disappeared.

As a former prosecutor who had risen to the position of Seoul District Prosecutor, he was still recognized by all as a legal world heavyweight even after retirement, now as the head of a successful law firm.

Faced with such a figure, the head of security could only cower and tremble.

“I-I’m deeply sorry. The patient had been awake and well for 2 weeks, so we let our guard down for a moment…”

“There’s nothing to let your guard down about when it comes to Joo Tae Sung. You’ve all gone completely mad.”

Representative Joo Sung Gye’s chilling reprimand continued.

In truth, they hadn’t even been able to go home for 2 weeks, just guarding the front of the room, but the situation was too dire to expect understanding.

“We’re currently tracking Prosecutor Joo’s movements through the hospital’s CCTV. We’ll report back as soon as we confirm anything.”

The head of security said with his head bowed.

“You mean you’re looking for him after he’s already completed the discharge procedures? What if he gets attacked again before we find the culprit? Do you plan to report back with a corpse then?”

However, Representative Joo’s response was ruthlessly firm.

Famous for not tolerating even small mistakes whether as a chief prosecutor or law firm representative, the aftermath of today’s incident was clear as day.

Moreover, this was related to his second son, who was practically his pride, so it was bound to be even more serious.

“Dr. Park Soo Chul, the attending physician, has arrived!”

At that moment, Representative Joo’s personal secretary rushed into the tense hospital room.

The neuropsychiatrist who entered with him had the most crucial role in this situation.

Representative Joo turned towards the attending physician, not softening his icy edge.

“Is it certain that Joo Tae Sung hasn’t regained his memories?”

The attending physician’s shoulders flinched under Representative Joo’s penetrating gaze. But he soon straightened his back and answered with a confident expression.

“Yes, it’s definitely dissociative amnesia.”

“I’ll ask one more time. Are you sure that all of his memories from the past 3 years are completely gone?”

“Well, completely gone isn’t… They could return due to some trigger…”

At the physician’s diagnosis that perfect deletion was impossible, Representative Joo Sung Gye’s lips tightened even more.

The quick-witted physician hurriedly added follow-up words before Representative Joo could show any reaction.

“But regaining memories isn’t that easy. In Joo Tae Sung’s case, since the cause was physical trauma to the occipital region during the attack, it will be even more difficult.”

Representative Joo’s gaze softened slightly upon hearing those words.

Finally lowering his blade, he brought up a statement to the attending physician that was nothing short of a threat.

“From now on, your role is to prevent Joo Tae Sung from regaining his memories. You’re responsible for checking Joo Tae Sung’s mind from now on. If he regains even a little bit of memory, you must inform me first without fail.”

It was the exact opposite of what a patient’s family would normally request. The attending physician, not fully grasping the situation, cautiously asked again.

“Is there a particular memory you’re concerned about…?”

For a moment, Representative Joo’s brow furrowed as if recalling something troublesome.

Then, what he uttered was an unexpected word.

“Marriage.”

The strategic marriage that could have allowed this family to enter the business world, which he ruined, destroying the family’s reputation, and if that wasn’t enough, going ahead with marrying a worthless woman without permission…

“He must absolutely not regain any memories related to the marriage. Do you understand?”

The attending physician nodded as if entranced by Representative Joo Sung Gye’s earnest request.

Right outside that hospital room.

A young female doctor’s lips twisted into a smile as she overheard the conversation leaking through the slightly open door.

“Hmm, you’re already one step behind, what will you do now…?”

* * *

“Looks like all my things have already been cleared out.”

Tae Sung, who had somehow made his way into the middle of the living room, said.

While he had been aggressive at the entrance earlier, now that he had been let inside, he seemed much calmer than before.

‘Ah, I was supposed to be playing the role of a married woman, should I have decorated the place like a married couple’s home? Did I just lose points again?’

In contrast, Ji Wan’s heart started to race even more after letting her husband in.

Like a student having their homework checked, she was on edge, flinching at every word Tae Sung uttered.

Whether he knew her inner turmoil or not, Tae Sung looked around a bit more.

“Was married life so hard that you had to run away to a place like this?”

Was he trying to say this place looked like a refugee shelter?

For her, who had lived here since middle school, it wasn’t a very pleasant comment.

“A place like this…”

So when she pouted slightly, Tae Sung turned to Ji Wan with a dry expression and said:

“If you were going to leave me anyway, you could have at least lived well.”

“If you give me the remaining money, I could live much better than now.”

“Money? You mean divorce alimony?”

“That would be the official term, yes.”

She brought up money quite directly because she wanted to start discussing the settlement issue.

Though there were still 2 weeks left, she wanted to receive it early if possible, even if just for the hospital bill interest. But being in the weaker position, she felt hesitant to make such a request.

However, Tae Sung seemed to have no intention of continuing this topic as he turned his back towards the kitchen.

Seeing that made her feel somewhat uneasy, but Ji Wan decided to try to think positively.

“Is this food waste…?”

He muttered, clicking his tongue softly.

Regrettably, it was a comment about the spam jajangmyeon ramen she had boiled in a pot.

She wanted to refute, but even to her eyes, the bloated jajangmyeon didn’t look very appetizing.

“It’s all swollen and ruined because of someone…”

Ji Wan closed the pot lid while giving an answer clearly aimed at Tae Sung.

Then, hiding her frightened demeanor and speaking in a slightly more solemn voice, she got to the point.

“So, what brought you all the way here? If it’s enough to put on a show at the entrance, it seems like there’s a problem.”

Tae Sung’s brow twitched at the word ‘problem’.

But again, he didn’t give any answer. He just turned towards the bedroom.

“No, why are you going in there…!”

At this point, the uneasiness wasn’t just a vague feeling. There was clearly a real problem to be anxious about.

Ji Wan followed Tae Sung into the bedroom, pressing him more sharply:

“Stop snooping around someone else’s house and answer me quickly. What’s going on?”

“…”

“What is it that you can’t say? I’m reaching my limit of patience right now, you know?”

Tae Sung, who had been deliberately ignoring her, sat down lightly on the bed.

It was quite an informal action for people who were practically strangers.

Even up to this point, he seemed quite rude, but his next words were even more outrageous.

“This won’t do after all.”

“What? What won’t do?”

“The divorce. I can’t do it.”

She clearly heard it, but it took several seconds for those words to travel from her ears to her brain.

Now… now this man… what on earth…

“What are you saying? Why suddenly…”

Facing her, who was unable to accept it, Tae Sung raised the corners of his mouth.

His eyes weren’t smiling at all, making it a smile that sent chills down her spine.

As if that wasn’t unsettling enough, he continued with an incredible statement in a low, soft voice:

“Fortunately… my feelings for you haven’t cooled yet.”