Seoul, Apgujeong Japanese Restaurant.

The sound of traditional music gently filled the dimly lit restaurant.

As Nam Jong Pil held out his ceramic cup, Do Hyun picked up the bottle of sake.

The sound of sake flowing filled the room.

“The Yeosu Resort matter has been wrapped up well?”

“Yes. The problematic parts have also been coordinated.”

The reason for Do Hyun’s urgent return to Korea from Clark was because of the Yeosu Resort issue.

Originally, the executive in charge of the important Yeosu Resort agenda had health problems, so someone was urgently needed to act on their behalf.

Time was short and someone was needed to fill the position immediately, but Do Hyun was the only one who fit the conditions.

So after much deliberation, they called Do Hyun back from Clark.

“It’s nice to have you in Seoul so I don’t have to worry.”

“You want to keep me here, don’t you?”

“Can’t you see how my face has brightened since you arrived?”

During the year Do Hyun was away, Jong Pil keenly felt his son’s absence.

Without Do Hyun, who used to move the fastest when problems arose in the company, Jong Pil had to take on even the annoying and cumbersome tasks.

“You must be glad you can return to Clark earlier than expected.”

“If things continue smoothly like this, I think I can finish within a month.”

“Joo said she was doing fine without you all this time, didn’t she?”

After all, it was a marriage made for each other’s purposes.

For Do Hyun, it was for freedom; for Joo, it was for a home and money.

Things like each other’s feelings and moods had to be excluded from this contract.

“She was probably fine.”

“How could she have been fine? It must have been lonely living alone in that big house.”

“It seems Joo treated you well for the past year, Father. You usually don’t care about people’s feelings.”

Nam Jong Pil was inherently strict and particular about people.

Manners, appearance, intelligence. If even one was off, Jong Pil was so exacting that he wouldn’t give a second chance.

Family was no exception. It was like that with Do Hyun’s birth mother, and the same with his stepmother after remarrying.

Although Jong Pil said it didn’t matter who he married, contrary to his words, Do Hyun knew he wouldn’t easily open his heart.

The reason such a cold-hearted father acknowledged Joo must be because of Shin Joo’s innate character.

“She’s different from those whose hands are busy flattering to score points with me. The vessel of her heart itself is deep and wide. Treat her preciously. It will be hard to meet a child like Joo.”

“You don’t have to worry, I’ll take care.”

At this point, Do Hyun did become curious about how she gained Jong Pil’s favor that even he couldn’t obtain.

When Do Hyun clinked his glass against the one Jong Pil held out, the pocket of the jacket beside him vibrated.

Setting down the glass he had picked up, Do Hyun took out his cell phone and checked the screen.

“Is it an urgent call?”

“It’s a call from my elder sister.”

“Answer it. If it’s a call asking for money, hang up right away.”

Nam Seung Hee, who had already been warned by Jong Pil several times, was a thorn in his side.

At thirty-four, receiving an allowance from Young Ran and having crude words and actions as part of her, there was no way Jong Pil could like her.

Do Hyun pressed the call button and brought the cell phone to his ear.

“Hello.”

[Nam Do Hyun! Aren’t you keeping your wife in check?]

A shrill voice pierced through the cell phone and echoed loudly in the room.

It was a call he didn’t really want to receive, and as expected, Seung Hee said something unpleasant.

Before Jong Pil could hear more of the conversation, Do Hyun left the room and stood in the hallway.

“Don’t just blurt things out, speak properly.”

[Did you know Shin Joo is cheating on you?]

“Are you talking nonsense because you’re drunk?”

Not wanting to be swayed by pointless words, Do Hyun responded in a dry tone.

As if a fire had been set on dry branches, Seung Hee flared up and spewed out whatever came to her mouth.

[You know that CEO who handles your company’s advertising? Did you know Shin Joo is personally meeting him for dinner today?]

“…Are you talking about Seo Jin Won?”

[Yes, Seo Jin Won! When I went instead of Joo, he was so disappointed he could die? You know what he said to me? He said he was just disappointed that I showed up instead of Shin Joo, imagine that!]

It seemed the way Seo Jin Won looked interested in Joo in the conference room yesterday wasn’t a mistake after all.

If the meeting went well yesterday, was there any reason to have dinner together?

If it was a work-related discussion, hadn’t they talked about it enough yesterday?

Even if it wasn’t enough, why would the CEO directly have a meal with my employee, my wife?

Tension filled his clenched jaw. But he didn’t want to reveal his twisted mood and give Seung Hee an excuse to disparage Joo.

“It’s common to have meals with people from partner companies for work. You’re making a fuss over just that?”

[That’s not all! When I asked Seo Jin Won if he knew she was married, what’s there to be so confident about, he said what’s there to not be confident about. He said he was just disappointed, is that a crime or something? He was so brazen!]

“……”

[Seo Joo is the same. No matter if it’s for company work, what married woman meets a man alone that late at night? And at a restaurant with a nice ambiance at that? That X crazy for men. She must have wanted to somehow seduce the oh-so-great Seo Jin Won.]

“Did you call at this hour just to make a slip of the tongue?”

Do Hyun immediately drew the line Seung Hee was perilously trying to cross. But to Seung Hee, who thought her marriage was over because of Joo, nothing caught her eye.

[Seeing how she married you with a body that had nothing but debt, her father dead and mother sick, don’t you get it? Believing in her decent looks, she’s going around seducing fine men, that’s what she’s doing now.]

“I didn’t know my elder sister well, it seems.”

Pressing his eyelids closed for a long time, Do Hyun put his hand on the wall.

“Was it always like this?”

[What was?]

Tapping the rough surface of the wall with his index finger, Do Hyun lifted his eyelids.

The darkness-like pupils that had been hidden were revealed and flashed fiercely.

“I’m asking if you wagged your tongue like this to Joo too.”

[Y-You’re asking your elder sister if she wagged her tongue…]

Seung Hee, who finally took a hint at the chilling voice flowing out, deflated.

[I was just worried you might get stabbed in the back by Joo so the words just came out. I’ve never done this usually. Really!]

“It’s mine and Joo’s matter so don’t interfere. Don’t even think about unnecessarily telling Mother and Father either.”

[I’m just saying this because I’m worried about you.]

“Then, I’ll worry about myself so don’t concern yourself with it.”

Do Hyun’s eyes shone sharply as he looked down at the cell phone on which the call had ended.

He surmised that the dinner invitation was from Seo Jin Won.

The important thing was that Joo accepted that invitation.

Perhaps Joo also felt attracted to Seo Jin Won. So she took time out of her personal hours, not company work hours, to meet Seo Jin Won.

If Joo also had positive feelings towards Seo Jin Won…

“Am I supposed to cheer you on?”

His voice, settling heavily like fog, was filled with displeasure.

***

Sitting in front of her desk, unable to sleep, Joo was writing a message to send to Jin Won.

[I’m truly sorry I couldn’t come out directly tonight. I’d like to meet you in person next time and apologize.]

After repeatedly typing and erasing content with a similar context, Joo pondered and pressed the send button.

She felt like she had broken trust and even ruined the image of Sunshine Resort with her actions.

Moreover, she was worried Seung Hee might have said more than necessary things to Jin Won when meeting him.

Joo leaned back heavily in her chair, gripping the cell phone in her hand that wasn’t receiving a reply.

Knock knock.

At the sound of knocking on the door, Joo turned her head.

“Yes?”

“If you’re not sleeping, come see me for a moment.”

Hearing Do Hyun’s voice from outside the door, Joo stood up.

Since he rarely called for her, she couldn’t guess what business it was for.

When she opened the bedroom door, Do Hyun was standing there still wearing a dark gray suit as if he had just returned home.

“What is it?”

“You had dinner plans with the JIN CEO today, I heard.”

Since it wasn’t something to hide, Joo immediately nodded her head.

“Yes. Did you hear from your elder sister?”

“Yeah. She was prattling on and on about how it seems you and CEO Seo Jin Won are having an affair.”

“Me, with CEO Seo Jin Won?”

Joo explained with a troubled face as if it made no sense.

“Your sister is misunderstanding. CEO Seo Jin Won’s shoes got mixed up with your shoes at the department store, so I was going to talk about work-related matters while exchanging them.”

“You know CEO Seo Jin Won is interested in you?”

“Why would CEO Seo Jin Won be interested in me. That’s nonsense.”

Joo waved both hands in front of her eyes in surprise, but it didn’t convince Do Hyun at all.

“Where did the usually quick-witted Seo Joo go.”

“You saw wrong. There’s no way.”

“The way he looked at you in the conference room yesterday said differently from your words.”

She could tell from the light tone scattered at the end of each sentence and the forceful gaze.

Nam Do Hyun was in a bad mood.

So he was confronting her while being sarcastic, that’s how Joo judged it.

Why. Why was he directly revealing his mood to her like this?

Could it be.

“Are you jealous?”

“What?”

“You seem to be accusing me like someone who’s jealous because CEO Seo Jin Won seems to like me.”

She knew there was no way.

He hadn’t checked on what Joo was doing even once during the past year.

Even while thinking there was no way a man like that would consider her his wife, Joo hung onto a bit of hope.

Because we have a history of knowing each other.

Because there really wasn’t nothing at all between us.

But as if ridiculing that hope, Do Hyun said,

“I don’t care even if you date CEO Seo Jin Won.”

“What are you saying right now? I married you.”

“You won’t be my wife after 2 years too.”

She felt like she had been hit on the head with a fact she already knew.

The place she thought was the ground and stood on crumbled like it had been a sheet of thin ice.

“When our contract ends, I have no intention of taking responsibility for you.”

The words flowing out were neither hot nor cold.

They were only dry and barren, as if informing her of something obvious.

“I’m just saying I don’t care who you meet now and plan your future with.”

Even if we couldn’t be a normal couple, I thought we weren’t a normal relationship either.

That was just my own thinking, and to Nam Do Hyun, there was no ‘us’ to begin with.