Tae Yeon had the same thought.

“Then let’s forget about it……”

“We can’t do that. It’s too good an opportunity.”

“Pardon?”

“Shouldn’t we seize opportunities when they come?”

Do Joon looked at Tae Yeon with a determined face.

“This is purely for the sake of perfect acting.”

Finishing those words, Do Joon placed his hand on Tae Yeon’s waist. Tae Yeon widened her eyes in surprise.

Opposite to her, Do Joon calmly smiled while staring at the camera.

“You should smile. If you stay like that, people will think I’m harassing you.”

At those words, Tae Yeon awkwardly pulled up the corners of her mouth.

Still, thanks to Do Joon moving closer to her side, the awkward distance between the two people in the photo had decreased.

After taking a few shots, Tae Yeon also relaxed. For the last photo, Tae Yeon put on a gentle smile.

Do Joon looked through the photos he took and smiled as if satisfied.

“Let’s go with this photo.”

“Alright.”

“Send it to me and I’ll forward it to Chairman Cha.”

Even after sending the photo to Do Joon, Tae Yeon couldn’t take her eyes off it.

To anyone looking, they appeared to be a perfect couple.

On the surface, at least.

After sending the photo to Chairman Cha, Do Joon took Tae Yeon’s phone again.

“What are you doing?”

“There’s still something left to do.”

Do Joon manipulated Tae Yeon’s phone with a serious expression.

“I’m going to take a photo of Jin Tae Yeon by herself.”

“It’s okay……”

She was about to refuse, but then thought it might become a good memory to look back on later, so she stopped herself.

Tae Yeon held the cake and smiled brightly.

Do Joon kept clicking the shutter, and seemingly satisfied with the results, handed the phone back to Tae Yeon.

“Thank you.”

Chairman Cha called right away, likely having checked the photo Do Joon sent. Do Joon moved away briefly to take the call.

Tae Yeon scrolled through the photos Do Joon had taken one by one, unknowingly smiling.

“I’m really grateful for today.”

Just remembering her birthday was touching enough. But to personally order a cake and even throw a party.

However, she soon felt bitter.

For Tae Jin, born on the same day, all of this would have been a normal part of daily life. She couldn’t even enjoy this much.

Since childhood, cakes were always prepared with Tae Jin’s favorite princess characters. The Jin couple prepared expensive toys for Tae Jin, and cheap gifts easily found at stationery stores for Tae Yeon.

Some days, she was surprised to wake up to find the house eerily quiet. The family had gone on a trip without her.

At first, it hurt at such a young age, but gradually she got used to it. Of course, that doesn’t mean she was happy.

If it weren’t for this marriage, she might still be living like that. It was a moment when she wanted to praise herself for choosing to marry.

At least on a day like today, she didn’t have to be with Mrs. Kwak and Tae Jin.

Do Joon kept looking at Tae Yeon while talking on the phone in the living room.

Their gazes intertwined in the air.

The two pairs of eyes, filled with many emotions, were densely packed with only each other’s faces.

[This is the timeline separator]

Chairman Cha on the other end of the phone kept laughing heartily as he spoke.

−Why didn’t you tell me in advance that it was our new daughter-in-law’s birthday?

“I didn’t want to burden you.”

−I still feel it’s not right. If our new daughter-in-law needs anything, just let me know.

“It’s fine. I’ve already taken care of her gift.”

−I should have a chance to give our new daughter-in-law a gift too. Isn’t it too cold-hearted?

Chairman Cha kept insisting on giving something to Tae Yeon over the phone.

Eventually, Do Joon gave in, exhausted.

“If you really want to, then buy her something expensive.”

−Of course, I should. It’s our new daughter-in-law’s birthday.

After pondering, Chairman Cha exclaimed as if he had thought of a good gift.

−I should give her a bag personally made by a famous French designer as a gift. They say only two were made.

“Do as you please.”

−Yes, I should prepare it as a surprise gift.

When Do Joon finished the call and looked for Tae Yeon, she wasn’t in the kitchen, having stepped out for a moment.

Do Joon sat on the sofa and scrolled through the photos they had just taken together, thinking the same thing as Tae Yeon.

To someone who didn’t know, they looked every bit like a married couple. Though the inside was quite different.

[This is the timeline separator]

At that time.

Tae Yeon was on the phone with her friend Min Hyun.

“Min Hyun, what’s the occasion for calling?”

−It’s your birthday. I was thinking we could have dinner together.

At those words, Tae Yeon belatedly remembered her promise with Min Hyun that she had broken a few days ago because of Do Joon.

“Today’s not good, how about after work tomorrow?”

−Sounds good. I’ll come to your company tomorrow then.

Tae Yeon quickly ended the call and turned around to go back to the living room.

“Oh, you startled me.”

Do Joon was standing in front of her room.

“How long have you been there?”

“Just now.”

“Do you have something to say?”

Do Joon’s dark eyes scanned Tae Yeon. He looked at the phone in her hand and asked.

“Who was on the phone?”

“A friend.”

“A friend?”

Do Joon’s eyebrows rose high, clearly having heard a male voice.

“The friend you saw in front of the company before.”

“A male.”

“What? No, a friend.”

“So, a friend who happens to be male, right?”

“Well… yes.”

Somehow, Do Joon’s gaze turned cold, as if trying to see through Tae Yeon.

“Why are you like this?”

“Are you having dinner with that guy tomorrow?”

“Yes. I was about to tell you about it.”

“Hmph.”

Tae Yeon looked confused, not understanding why Do Joon was acting this way.

“What’s wrong?”

“Jin Tae Yeon, you seem to have completely forgotten about our agreement to spend an hour together every day.”

“Ah……”

Tae Yeon bit her lip repeatedly. Then, as if something occurred to her, she smiled brightly.

“We agreed to make up for missed time on weekends, didn’t we?”

Do Joon’s mouth fell open. He was about to say something, but Tae Yeon was faster.

“Last time, I had to cancel my plans with Min Hyun on the day of because I came home with you. Please understand for tomorrow.”

He kept frowning as he looked at Tae Yeon.

“Jin Tae Yeon.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“Would you coolly let me go if I said I was having dinner with another woman?”

Tae Yeon looked at Do Joon with wide eyes, as if to say ‘what do you mean?’

“I’m very curious how you would react if I said I was having dinner with a female friend.”

“If you have plans with a friend, of course you should go.”

Hearing Tae Yeon’s words, Do Joon pulled one corner of his mouth into a crooked smile.

“Really?”

“Yes, you said it’s a friend, right?”

“Huh.”

He roughly ran his hand through his bangs, as if dumbfounded.

“You seem very cool about this.”

Tae Yeon still looked confused.

“No, it’s not like that. I just thought if it’s a friend, of course I can let you go.”

Do Joon crossed his arms and nodded.

“I see. I understand your thoughts well.”

The conversation ended in a somehow strange way.

Tae Yeon glanced at him. Do Joon, who was about to leave, turned back and asked Tae Yeon.

“Where are you meeting tomorrow?”

“We haven’t decided yet.”

“I’d appreciate it if you could at least share the location.”

“……”

“In case something urgent comes up for you, I should know where to pick you up. That’s why.”

Not realizing he was making an absurd excuse, Do Joon left, looking satisfied.

[This is the timeline separator]

The next day.

Even after arriving at work, Do Joon kept worrying about Tae Yeon’s dinner plans.

“What’s the big deal about just having a meal.”

He knew Tae Yeon had a man. Why did meeting another man make him feel so terrible?

“Everything’s bothering me.”

At first, he didn’t know why he felt so uneasy, but soon he found the answer.

Secretary Choi knocked and hurriedly entered Do Joon’s office.

“Right, it’s because of the photos.”

They still hadn’t found out who was stalking Tae Yeon and taking pictures.

Therefore, Tae Yeon having dinner with that man she called a friend could also be captured as evidence.

If Chairman Cha were to see photos of Tae Yeon dining with another man……

Just the thought made him dizzy.

Hearing Do Joon muttering to himself, Secretary Choi asked curiously.

“Director?”

“Secretary Choi, are you free this evening?”

“Yes, do you have a task for me?”

Do Joon pulled up the corners of his mouth and snapped his fingers as if he had thought of something.

“We might be able to catch the person blackmailing us today.”

“What do you mean?”

Clearly, if it was someone following Tae Yeon around taking photos of her with other men, they would obviously show up at the restaurant Tae Yeon was going to today.

“It might be easier than we thought.”

Secretary Choi quietly watched Do Joon making plans by himself, then spoke up.

“I looked into what you instructed before.”

“The pop-up store?”

“Yes. But there’s something strange about it.”

Do Joon looked at the calendar on his desk after seeing the date written on the document Secretary Choi handed him.

“Isn’t this the date I came to Korea?”

“Yes. It’s also the day you went home with your wife.”

Do Joon tilted his head as if something felt off.

Since coming to Korea, he had been with Tae Yeon constantly, not parting for even a moment.

Therefore, it didn’t make sense for Tae Yeon to have gone to the department store without his knowledge. Secretary Choi also seemed perplexed.

“Um, Director. I have something to say.”

“Go ahead.”

“How about we investigate the madam a bit more thoroughly on our end?”

Before the marriage, Secretary Choi had made the same suggestion to Do Joon.

Even if it was a strategic marriage, he meant it would be good to properly understand what kind of woman Tae Yeon was.

However, at that time, Do Joon flatly refused.

He had no intention of returning to Korea throughout their married life anyway, and they were literally just a couple in name only.

There was no need to properly investigate what kind of person that woman was, or what Tae Yeon’s family was like.

To Do Joon, Tae Yeon was just one of many business partners. Just as he didn’t investigate the background of every business partner, it was the same with her.

Because it was a strategic marriage, he focused more on reviewing and investigating the business contents of Tae Yeon’s family. He had no interest in trivial stories like how Tae Yeon’s family lived.

And given Chairman Cha’s meticulous nature, he would have obviously done a primary screening of Tae Yeon’s family, so Do Joon didn’t need to do so as well.

If he wanted to, he could have investigated Tae Yeon’s background at any time. However, if he didn’t come to Korea, he probably wouldn’t see her face until he died, so he didn’t want to go through such trouble.

The situation has changed a lot now.

He had to live in the same house with her, and to find out who was blackmailing him like this, an investigation into Tae Yeon became necessary.

Secretary Choi spoke in a firm voice.

“I’ll investigate discreetly without the madam knowing.”

This time, Do Joon agreed with Secretary Choi’s words.

“Do that. While you’re at it, find out properly what kind of people my father-in-law and mother-in-law are too.”