“Hmm… Is this guy coming home for dinner, or not?”

Ji Wan muttered as she stood on the balcony, looking at the darkening sky.

It had been 5 hours since Tae Sung rushed out without much explanation.

It was already dinnertime, but there was no word from him.

“Should I try contacting him?”

Ji Wan looked at the cell phone she was clutching tightly in her hand.

Debating whether to call or not, his contact info was already on the screen.

“Is it okay to call? What if I’m interrupting something important…?”

Ji Wan, who had been talking to herself with a serious expression, suddenly flinched.

The very fact that she was worrying like this felt too much like a wife’s position.

Ji Wan pinched one of her cheeks hard to try to get her mind off of being unconsciously swept up by Joo Tae Sung.

“At this rate, I’ll end up preparing meals to match his quitting time soon! Get it together!”

As she was trying to snap back to reality with that painful reminder…

She heard the sound of someone opening the front door and coming in. If it wasn’t her father being discharged, it must be Joo Tae Sung.

Ji Wan pretended as if she hadn’t been waiting even for a second, and started shaking out a towel she had hung up for no reason.

“The weather must be nice. The towels are drying really well.”

“Isn’t it a bit late to say the weather’s nice when the sun’s almost set?”

Tae Sung approached, taking off his coat as he spoke.

Ji Wan greeted him in an exaggerated tone, as if she had just noticed him.

“Oh, when did you get here? You’re back earlier than I expected?”

“Really? I thought I was late.”

“You obviously ate dinner before coming home, right?”

“No, I didn’t eat.”

“Ah… I didn’t eat either. I guess we have no choice but to eat together then.”

She was deliberately acting nonchalant to hide that she had been waiting for him.

Though her tone was a bit artificial, she thought it wasn’t awkward, but a smile escaped through Tae Sung’s lips as he looked at her.

“Were you worried? Since I left like that earlier.”

“Worried? Why would I be?”

“You were about to call me.”

“Call…?”

Ji Wan looked at the phone in her hand.

Joo Tae Sung’s contact info was clearly displayed on the screen facing his direction.

Startled, Ji Wan hid the phone behind her back and retorted.

“Th-this is just… it got turned on somehow…”

Ji Wan’s eyes flickered unmistakably as she made an excuse that wouldn’t fool anyone.

Tae Sung looked at her with a smile, then turned slightly towards the kitchen.

“I have something to tell you. I’ll hang up my coat and be right back. Wait a moment.”

Though there was laughter in his voice, it somehow sounded quite serious.

Confusion settled in Ji Wan’s eyes as she watched Tae Sung walk away.

* * *

“That’s absurd!”

Ji Wan said harshly in front of the well-prepared dinner table.

Her furrowed brows clearly showed how stubborn she was.

Tae Sung, who had expected this reaction, tried to persuade her once more with a serious expression.

“It’s just one meal. You just have to nod along with the conversation. If there are any sensitive questions or rude remarks, I’ll handle them.”

“It’s not just about one meal. You’re saying you want to introduce me to your family. Does that make any sense for a contract marriage that’s about to end in divorce?”

“I wanted to avoid contact with that family as much as possible too. But things have gotten complicated. I think they might leave us alone if we meet them once…”

“Oh please, look at you trying to avoid responsibility by calling them ‘that family’. It’s your family, you know?”

Ji Wan glared at Tae Sung, fuming.

Tae Sung met her gaze quietly, then filled an empty glass with water before answering.

“I’ll be honest. My father found out the address of this house.”

“What? How did he find out after 3 years?”

“I live here now, don’t I? For 3 years, I never even came near this place.”

“Ah… So it’s because of you again, Joo Tae Sung. Right?”

Unable to refute that, Tae Sung nodded with a gesture of raising both hands.

Ji Wan glared at him with eyes that said she could just die from how annoying he was.

Tae Sung moistened his throat with water and continued where he left off.

“It seems my father has been suspicious of my marriage for quite some time.”

“Because it’s too unreal?”

“No. Because there’s no way I would form a family with someone.”

To be precise, it was because he couldn’t form a family as someone who eerily resembled the father he detested so much.

When he heard that, there was not a single thing he could refute, and Tae Sung was even dumbfounded by the damn wonders of genetics.

Tae Sung swallowed the bitter feeling along with a sip of water and continued speaking.

“The reason was quite valid, so I couldn’t come up with a good rebuttal either.”

“That it’s strange for someone who can’t get married to be married…?”

“Right. It’s a flimsy reason for having to show you to them.”

Tae Sung said this while staring intently at Ji Wan’s face.

He thought she wouldn’t accept it with just this much explanation.

But surprisingly, Ji Wan nodded very easily.

“Well, I guess that’s true.”

“What?”

“Joo Tae Sung getting married. I can see why no one would believe it.”

This was the right answer, but he didn’t expect it to come so quickly.

Feeling strangely bothered, the corners of Tae Sung’s mouth curved up awkwardly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Huh? It means exactly what I said?”

“I mean, I don’t quite understand what you mean by ‘exactly what you said’.”

“Didn’t you agree with that statement and couldn’t refute it?”

“That old man might think that, but you’re different.”

“What do you mean…?”

“I thought you felt I was attentive and treated you well.”

An inexplicable argument had begun.

Even though he thought it was true, why was he suddenly picking at her words?

Ji Wan couldn’t understand his back-and-forth attitude at all, but since he asked, she decided to answer honestly for now.

“You do treat me well, but it feels soulless.”

“Ah, soulless.”

“You’re gentlemanly, kind, and attentive, but it feels like watching an act. But people don’t usually act out traits they already have, right?”

“Hmm…”

“Which means, Joo Tae Sung’s real personality could be ill-mannered, cold, and a selfish individualist. People like that usually can’t get married.”

Ji Wan’s casual words flew like arrows, piercing Tae Sung’s conscience.

Ill-mannered, cold, and a selfish individualist.

That was indeed the most fitting description of Tae Sung when his outer shell was peeled away.

To think the person he had been most careful not to show that side to would be so perceptive…

Tae Sung took a deep breath to calm his flaring emotions, and took another sip of water to manage his expression.

“Clever deduction. Not entirely accurate, though.”

“But it was close, wasn’t it?”

“So, what’s your answer about the dinner?”

Tae Sung brought up the main point once more to Ji Wan, who was naturally avoiding the questions she didn’t want to answer.

After pondering a bit more this time, Ji Wan soon shook her head again.

“No. I don’t want to. I’m hoping for a safe divorce from you. That’s why I absolutely can’t meet your family.”

Judging by her firm tone, she seemed to have made up her mind.

It didn’t seem like trying to persuade her further would change her decision.

Looking at Ji Wan quietly, Tae Sung let out a small chuckle as if he had no choice.

“Ah, then I guess there’s nothing we can do.”

Joo Tae Sung was backing down more easily than expected.

Knowing that he was most dangerous when he yielded so readily, Ji Wan watched Tae Sung with wary eyes.

Sure enough, he flashed a sweet eye smile, clearly in a dangerous state.

“I was originally planning to do the interview today… but I guess I’ll have to postpone it indefinitely since my circumstances have become complicated.”

“What? The interview… you’re bringing that up now?”

“I’m sorry I can’t be of help. But sometimes fending for yourself is the wisest approach. Especially for a couple facing divorce anyway.”

“Wait a minute. We agreed the interview was a must! We even slept together then!”

“Sleep…? We did…?”

“Are you pretending not to know that too?!”

“Ah, maybe it’s aftereffects from the accident. My memory’s been fuzzy lately.”

This guy, really…!

The brazenly acting Tae Sung was blackmailing her very gently, kindly, and attentively.

Knowing this, Ji Wan had to be extremely careful from this point on.

I shouldn’t get caught up in this. But the interview is really important.

Still, getting involved with Joo Tae Sung’s family for the sake of an interview is absurd.

But if I don’t align our stories with Joo Tae Sung beforehand for the interview, the media will dig deeper into this man.

Then my ordinary life, which was only tight on money but otherwise quite alright…

.

.

.

“Congratulations! Ji Wan! I heard you landed an interview with Joo Tae Sung!”

At the busy Seyoung Daily.

Joo Ah, Ji Wan’s closest senior, approached Ji Wan who was hiding in the break room and made a fuss.

“Ah, well… yeah, I guess.”

Ji Wan’s face looked more like she was at death’s door than someone receiving congratulations.

Joo Ah looked at Ji Wan with an expression of incomprehension and asked.

“What’s wrong, aren’t you happy? Joo Tae Sung gave you an exclusive interview.”

“Yeah, he did…”

“I heard he even agreed to an in-depth interview with photos, as long as Seyoung Daily’s reporter Lee Ji Wan takes charge of it exclusively.”

“Yeah, that too…”

“Team Leader Jang couldn’t believe it and even sent an email directly to Joo Tae Sung. He just got a reply. It’s exactly as you said. He said he’s returning to work soon anyway, so if we want an official meeting, he’d do it!”

That was truly a coup for Seyoung Daily and a rookie reporter’s rebellion.

To snatch the title of a case that even rival Hana Daily and broadcasting stations were focusing on.

Moreover, the article that cleanly extracted only the information the public wanted, without any excess, was enough to capture even the editor-in-chief’s heart.

But even though Ji Wan received plenty of praise from the editor-in-chief, she just couldn’t bring herself to smile.

“But how did you contact Joo Tae Sung? And how did you land the exclusive interview?”

It was such an incredible opportunity that not only Joo Ah, but everyone at the newspaper couldn’t understand why it went to Ji Wan.

“A meal…”

“Huh? A meal?”

“Yeah, we’re going to have a meal.”

The price for that was bound to be terribly difficult and dangerous.

“With Prosecutor Joo? Well, of course we should pay for that on our side. The time will be longer if an in-depth interview is planned too.”

Joo Ah spoke as if stating the obvious, completely unaware of Ji Wan’s noisy inner turmoil.

But Ji Wan, who might die from stress at that meal, could only lament while clutching her head.

“Unni… What am I going to do…”

“Why are you suddenly like this? Are you worried because you challenged Team Leader Jang?”

“I don’t even know where my life is rolling off to anymore…”

“It’s okay! It’s okay! You have to step on others to climb up anyway!”

Joo Ah’s empty words of comfort were of no help, of course.

Ji Wan endured the urge to scream out loud while bearing her burning inner turmoil all alone.

‘This Saturday at noon. That would be a good time to set it. The scenario is ready, so just familiarize yourself with it once.’

The day of reckoning that Joo Tae Sung mentioned was this coming Saturday.

It’s quite rushed.

They say no soldier who rushes recklessly into enemy territory survives…

I wonder if I’m not looking like that foolish soldier.

Even so, it’s probably an unavoidable misfortune.