“Ah. I’m tired.”

Jin Won dragged his weary body out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator door.

He took out a can of beer and downed half of it right there without any snacks.

Wiping the foam from his mouth with the back of his hand, Jin Won was lost in thought.

He had already heard from a company employee that Nam Do Hyun had gotten married.

But he never expected the person Do Hyun married to be Shin Joo.

[#Italics, Flashback] “When we get divorced in 2 years, don’t wander aimlessly, find a man who can understand your situation now.”

And he couldn’t have guessed that the marriage had an expiration date of 3 years.

“Why didn’t I know.”

Or was he pretending not to know.

Even when she begged for affection, Do Hyun didn’t respond.

[#Italics, Flashback] “Is it because you don’t like me meeting with Director Seo?”

Sometimes, things you can’t see up close, you realize when you step back.

To Jin Won, who was standing a step back, Shin Joo’s pleading was the first thing he noticed.

While he didn’t know about Do Hyun, Shin Joo had old feelings plastered all over her.

“What circumstances led her to such a marriage.”

What was she lacking at such a young age.

He set the beer can he was holding down on the table.

Shin Joo’s face came to mind as she fidgeted and told people not to say anything.

He had no intention of spreading it even without her earnest request.

He hadn’t lived wickedly enough to reveal other people’s weaknesses.

The real problem lay elsewhere.

He found out about Shin Joo’s circumstances and understood her heart.

They were a fake couple, and Shin Joo actually liked Do Hyun.

If he intervened between them, he’d surely have a headache for quite a while.

“I’m really considering getting into big trouble.”

Nevertheless, he wanted to get involved in that complicated and difficult relationship.

***

Do Hyun reassured that Jin Won wouldn’t go around talking, but Shin Joo was still anxious that the story might leak out.

Even the next day, preoccupied with worry, she couldn’t focus on the TF team meeting.

As Shin Joo was scribbling in her notebook with a pen, Deputy Ryu’s words caught her ear.

“We need to deliver the contract and additional files to JIN, is anyone going on an errand nearby? Or we could send it by registered mail.”

“I’ll take it and come back!”

Shin Joo raised her right arm with the posture of an elementary school student giving a presentation.

Deputy Ryu, who was sitting next to her, lifted his shoulders and then lowered them.

“Oh my, you startled me. I was surprised by how energetic you are.”

“Haha. I’m sorry. I guess I’m overflowing with energy after eating well today.”

“Then I’ll ask Deputy Shin to deliver the contract and additional files to JIN.”

Now that she had a purpose, she tried to break the ice with Jin Won under the guise of killing two birds with one stone.

The appointment was set for 6 o’clock. He said he could only make time after work due to his busy schedule.

He said any day was fine, but Shin Joo insisted on going today.

As soon as it turned 6, Shin Joo opened the door to the CEO’s office, and Jin Won spoke to her as he put on his jacket.

“You must be busy, thank you for coming all this way.”

“No problem. Here’s the USB drive with the contract and additional files.”

Jin Won took the brown envelope Shin Joo handed him.

“We’ll check it and get back to you.”

“Okay.”

“Shall we go down together?”

Jin Won opened the CEO’s office door after picking up his briefcase. Shin Joo wanted to bring up yesterday’s events but couldn’t open her mouth.

Hesitating, Shin Joo passed Jin Won who was standing by the door.

Lost in thought about how to start the conversation, Shin Joo’s body had already left the building.

Jin Won, who had parked his car in front of the building, asked Shin Joo.

“Did you bring your car?”

“No. I’m going to take the bus.”

“I’ll take you to the bus stop.”

Jin Won put the car keys in his jacket pocket and walked over to Shin Joo.

He wanted to offer her a ride, but he knew Shin Joo would refuse.

“If I get on here, there’s no point in coming all this way.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you come because you were worried about yesterday?”

Instead of Shin Joo who was sweating nervously, Jin Won coolly opened his mouth.

“Was it…that obvious?”

“It would be strange not to know, that’s how obvious it was.”

Jin Won smiled as Shin Joo muttered, “So that’s how it was.”

“I’m not usually a loose-lipped person. Did I seem that way to you?”

“No, no. You seem like an extremely tight-lipped person. Like you’d sink even in water?”

Am I usually this inarticulate?

Thoughts rose to the tip of her tongue without even grazing her brain.

“I’m sorry. Please forget what I just said.”

Seeing Jin Won chuckle softly, Shin Joo was relieved.

Jin Won shifted his steps towards the bus stop and said,

“You don’t need to worry about me. It’s almost like I overheard it too.”

He felt bad that he couldn’t apologize to Shin Joo that day because he was flustered.

“No, if I had just been careful, you wouldn’t have heard it in the first place.”

“By the way, I forgot everything I heard yesterday, so don’t worry.”

As Shin Joo’s feet stopped, Jin Won turned his body towards her.

Then, narrowing his eyes into crescents, he tapped his head with his index finger.

“I have a bad memory, you see.”

Shin Joo was about to smile back, relieved, when-

The wheel of a bike swerved on a stone, and the rider turned the handle towards Shin Joo.

As he wobbled the front wheel and charged at Shin Joo, Jin Won quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

Shin Joo lost her balance and her face was buried in Jin Won’s chest as her body tilted forward.

After the bike narrowly brushed past her back, Shin Joo hurriedly straightened her body.

Jin Won, who had instinctively embraced Shin Joo, looked down at her arm wrapped in his hand.

Her frame was so slender that her arm easily fit into his hand.

“Hey!”

The loud shout immediately drew the attention of those around them.

Shin Joo and Jin Won also turned their bodies towards the sound directed at them.

Seung Hee, with her sleeves rolled up, walked towards Shin Joo and Jin Won with a reddened face.

“I knew this would happen.”

Seung Hee snorted as if dumbfounded and grabbed Shin Joo’s blouse with one hand, shaking her.

“If you’re going to cheat, do it quietly. Are you hot and heavy in the middle of the street? I thought this was a motel.”

“We’re not in that kind of relationship, elder sister. I just saw him briefly for work.”

Seung Hee, still not appeased, grabbed Shin Joo’s collar with her other hand as well.

“Wow. Nice excuse. I just saw you two holding hands, and you expect me to believe that nonsense?”

“It’s true. A bike suddenly attacked so he just helped me.”

Jin Won tried to detach Shin Joo by grabbing Seung Hee’s wrist.

But Seung Hee didn’t budge, showing how strong her grip was.

“You sure talk smoothly. What do you care if she gets hit by a bike or not? You helped her by deliberately embracing her because you have feelings for her, didn’t you?”

“Elder sister, it’s a misunderstanding. It’s really not like that.”

Seung Hee slapped the hand that was holding Shin Joo’s collar, and Shin Joo, pushed back, fell onto the sidewalk.

Looking down at Shin Joo who had fallen to the ground, Seung Hee dusted off her hands.

“Yeah. You have to be as brazen as her to cheat.”

“Shin Joo, are you okay?”

Jin Won kneeled on one knee next to Shin Joo and tried to help her up.

Shin Joo gently pushed away Jin Won’s hand that was trying to grab her arm and stood up on her own.

Jin Won looked at Shin Joo who maintained silence without raising her voice at Seung Hee.

Seung Hee propped one leg up and spoke to Jin Won who was still kneeling on the ground.

“Hey, let me give you a piece of advice that’ll be good for your money and health.”

“……”

“There’s nothing good about getting involved with her. She’s a kid who didn’t even receive proper home education, we’re just looking after her because we pity her.”

Seung Hee took out sunglasses from her handbag and put them on the tip of her nose.

“You’ll thank me later. Buy me a drink then.”

Seung Hee winked at Jin Won and got into the red sports car parked crookedly on the shoulder.

With a rough engine sound, Seung Hee’s sports car squeezed in between the other cars.

As soon as Seung Hee’s car disappeared from sight, Shin Joo’s legs trembled as the tension left her body.

“Shin Joo did nothing wrong, so why are you hanging your head.”

“I’m ashamed.”

Unable to lift her face, Shin Joo only looked down at her crumpled blouse.

“I’m usually not ashamed even when this happens…but today, it’s terribly embarrassing.”

To others, it was definitely not a normal marriage.

A husband who doesn’t love his wife, and a belittling sister-in-law.

She endured any humiliation because it was a marriage all for money, but having the inside story of the marriage fully revealed to a third party was shameful.

“It doesn’t seem like this is the first time, why did you get married?”

“You said earlier. That you have a bad memory.”

Shin Joo lifted her chin and was smiling vigorously as if nothing had happened.

But her sadly drooping eyes made it seem like it wouldn’t be strange if tears welled up at any moment.

“Just as you forgot everything from yesterday, please pretend you didn’t see anything today either.”

“……”

“Please, Director.”

Shin Joo politely pleaded with Jin Won, putting her hands together.

Jin Won took out a brown handkerchief from his jacket pocket and grabbed Shin Joo’s hand.

When Shin Joo tried to pull her hand back, Jin Won quickly wrapped the handkerchief around her palm.

Shin Joo had no idea, but in Jin Won’s eyes, he only saw her hand that was injured from falling.

“This is something I can’t pretend I didn’t see.”

“……”

“Make sure to treat it when you get home. Complain a little to your husband too.”

“Thank you.”

Shin Joo fiddled with the handkerchief wrapped around her hand.

Until just now, she didn’t know it stung, but as soon as a handkerchief was wrapped around it, the piercing pain was vividly felt.

“I’ll be your bamboo forest, so don’t suffer in silence with nowhere to talk, tell me even if it’s just me.”

He was worried Shin Joo would get sick from just enduring.

Even though he knew Shin Joo’s circumstances, he wanted to stay by her side.

He didn’t know yet if this feeling was sympathy or affection.

But one thing was clear, he just wanted Shin Joo to be in less pain.

Both her injured hand and her wounded heart.

“As you said, I have a tight lip, so I always sink in water.”

Jin Won smiled mischievously and pointed to his lips with his finger.

Shin Joo, whose mouth had been stiffly frozen, lifted her lips awkwardly.