President Jin, who returned straight home, shouted for his wife Hye Sook from the entrance.

“Mrs. Kwak, come out here!”

President Jin’s face was flushed red, seemingly from drinking a lot of alcohol.

Hye Sook came out of the main bedroom and observed President Jin’s mood.

Judging by his bad mood, things must not have gone well with Do Joon. On days like this, she needed to be careful.

“Honey, I’ll run a bath for you, so go wash up quickly.”

As Hye Sook approached, President Jin shouted at her.

“I told you to stop hounding Tae Yeon!”

Even though President Jin himself had been persistently calling and hounding Tae Yeon, he took out his anger on Hye Sook.

Hye Sook took his suit jacket and asked.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“Hah. Mr. Cha said he’s keeping an eye on us and Tae Jin.”

“Speak so I can understand.”

Hye Sook looked confused as to why the person who went to get investment from Chasin Dairy was suddenly blaming her upon return.

President Jin pointed his finger and tapped Hye Sook’s shoulder.

“You and I call Tae Yeon too much, so even when she’s about to have a grandchild, it doesn’t happen. That’s what Mr. Cha said!”

“What?”

“To embarrass someone over a few phone calls! Who does the KK Group think they are?”

“Wait, Mr. Cha told you that?”

“I heard even worse things.”

President Jin plopped down on the living room sofa and roughly pulled at his necktie, as if his throat felt constricted.

“Mr. Cha said the reason for this marriage wasn’t to benefit from Chasin Dairy.”

“Then why on earth did he do it? It’s not a love marriage, but a strategic one.”

Hye Sook crossed her arms as if she couldn’t make sense of it. President Jin also spoke in disbelief.

“He said it was because of Tae Yeon.”

“…What did you just say?”

“Mr. Cha said it was a marriage done because he needed Jin Tae Yeon.”

Silence fell over the house.

Tae Jin, who had quietly come down from the second floor and was eavesdropping on President Jin and Hye Sook’s conversation from the stairs, clenched her fist tightly enough to hurt.

Hye Sook broke the silence. She asked President Jin in a sharp voice.

“You seem very drunk today. Talking nonsense and all.”

“It’s the condition Mr. Cha set. The condition for considering investing in Chasin Dairy is that we and Tae Jin don’t interfere with Tae Yeon.”

Hye Sook spoke in an aggrieved tone.

“But you told me to call and check on Tae Yeon. And you kept pestering me to ask Mr. Cha if he’s discussing Chasin Dairy well.”

Hye Sook pouted her lips and looked exasperated as if she had done nothing wrong. President Jin sitting next to her let out deep sighs.

“Anyway, we’ve passed on our overseas business proposal, so we can’t go against Mr. Cha’s wishes if we want to receive investment.”

“Ugh, there’s not a single likable thing about that Jin Tae Yeon girl.”

President Jin glanced at the irritated Hye Sook and nodded as if agreeing with her words.

“Still, she’ll do her part that we’ve raised her for. If we receive this investment well, we won’t need to care what that child does in the future.”

Hye Sook glanced around the empty living room and lowered her voice to speak.

“Of course she should do her part. Why else would we have raised someone else’s child like our own daughter until now?”

“Lower your voice. What if Tae Jin hears?”

Hye Sook cleared her throat and put on a prim expression.

“Anyway. I don’t like a single thing about her. She’s in a strategic marriage but seems to have seduced her husband. Well. If she takes after her mother, there’s nothing she can’t do.”

“Will you be quiet?”

President Jin got up from his seat and headed to the bathroom.

Hye Sook was left deep in thought.

Tae Jin, who had been hiding on the stairs listening to President Jin and Hye Sook’s conversation, blinked her eyes with a puzzled expression.

“What on earth did I just hear?”

Tae Jin tiptoed straight up to the second floor and entered her room.

She was confused.

“Jin Tae Yeon… is not their biological daughter?”

It was an unbelievable story.

Tae Jin hurriedly took out photo albums from when they were young. There were lots of photos of the two of them lying together since they were newborns.

Anyone could see it was her and Tae Yeon.

“What’s going on, then where did she come from? What on earth happened?”

As Tae Jin flipped through the photo album page by page, her face lit up with an intrigued expression.

“This is getting interesting.”

It was the gleaming eyes of a predator that had spotted its prey.

Since childhood, she had always resented Tae Yeon for getting much more attention wherever they went together.

So she would steal money from President Jin’s wallet and put it in Tae Yeon’s desk drawer, or deliberately take out Hye Sook’s expensive diamond ring and drop it in Tae Yeon’s pocket.

Each time, President Jin would scold Tae Yeon without any doubt, and Tae Jin felt pleasure.

She liked that her parents favored her more even though they were twins, and she felt smug every time as if she had accomplished something.

Back then, she thought it was because President Jin loved her more.

“Of course they did, since she’s not their real daughter.”

Sending only her to study abroad. Sending Tae Yeon off to an arranged marriage.

It all made perfect sense now.

“Ah, so Jin Tae Yeon was always the outcast in this house? I didn’t need to dirty my hands after all.”

Tae Jin lay on the bed humming a tune. It was one of the happiest nights of her life.

“Then where exactly did Jin Tae Yeon come from?”

Since even she didn’t know, there was no way Tae Yeon could know this fact.

Just imagining the desperate expression on Tae Yeon’s face when she found out belatedly was thrilling.

“Wait. I wonder how Cha Do Joon will react when he finds out.”

If he learns she’s not the real daughter of Chasin Dairy, he’ll suspect Tae Yeon first. He might even file a lawsuit against Tae Yeon for fraud, realizing he was deceived.

Just thinking about it made a smile bloom on her face.

Tae Jin’s toes tapped rhythmically as she lay on the bed.

After finishing dinner with Nari, the three of them came out of the restaurant.

“It was nice meeting you today.”

“Me too. Let’s meet up with Tae Yeon again sometime, the three of us.”

At those words, Tae Yeon gently poked Nari’s waist. Nari paid no attention and asked Do Joon a question.

“Ah, did I make an inconsiderate suggestion? You probably want to spend time alone with Tae Yeon.”

At that, Do Joon gave a sly smile.

“I always want to spend time alone with Tae Yeon. But I’m willing to spend time together anytime with a friend my wife likes. Feel free to contact us.”

“Is that really okay?”

Do Joon nodded, and Nari smiled with satisfaction, lifting the corners of her mouth.

After putting Nari in a taxi, Tae Yeon and Do Joon also got in the car.

On the way home, Tae Yeon spoke first.

“What did you talk about with my father earlier?”

“I’m very pleased that Jin Tae Yeon is curious about something regarding me.”

Tae Yeon slowly turned her head to the side. Do Joon’s face driving filled her view.

“President Jin asked me to invest in Chasin Dairy.”

“Ah…”

As expected. Hearing those words she had anticipated, Tae Yeon lowered her head in embarrassment.

Originally, within 6 months, if Chasin Dairy received investment from the KK Group, she would be able to escape from President Jin’s clutches.

Normally, she would have shamelessly asked Do Joon to invest, but…

Strangely, she didn’t want to do that.

After contemplating for a while between what she had to do and what she didn’t want to do, Tae Yeon carefully spoke up.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“What do you mean? The investment?”

“Yes. If you’re considering it because I’m involved even though it’s not worth investing in, you don’t have to.”

Even though she knew very well that if Do Joon didn’t invest, she wouldn’t be able to escape from President Jin, Tae Yeon decided to follow her heart for now.

The business plan presented by President Jin would surely be full of loopholes, and if Do Joon invested, he would obviously incur losses.

As if she were Do Joon’s real wife, Tae Yeon was worrying about him first in this situation.

Do Joon, who was driving, tapped the steering wheel with his index finger. He looked intrigued.

“It’s the reaction I expected, but may I ask the reason?”

“Pardon?”

“I thought people usually try to secure as much investment as possible.”

Tae Yeon answered without hesitation to Do Joon’s question.

“Business should have a clear give and take, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Even if Chasin Dairy receives investment from the KK Group, we have nothing to offer you. That would put me in an even weaker position.”

Just then, the traffic light changed and Do Joon slowly reduced the car’s speed.

“Why do you think I can’t receive anything?”

“What?”

“I’ve already received one thing through this marriage.”

Tae Yeon bit her lip nervously, thinking something had been exchanged without her knowledge.

“Did my parents give you something secretly?”

Do Joon chuckled.

“Not secretly. It’s something Jin Tae Yeon knows about too.”

Seeing her confused face, a smile naturally formed on Do Joon’s lips.

“Because I got Jin Tae Yeon.”

“What?”

“Chairman Cha wanted just one thing. For me to get married and live happily. I needed a wife who could help me achieve that, and as a result, I got Jin Tae Yeon.”

Tae Yeon carefully pondered Do Joon’s words.

Now that she heard it, it made sense.

“If President Jin demands an unreasonable amount for investment, I have no intention of agreeing. But if not, I plan to consider it.”

“I see…”

Tae Yeon hesitated before speaking.

“May I ask the reason?”

Do Joon’s gaze, which had been fixed straight ahead, fell on Tae Yeon’s face.

“Which would you like to hear – an honest answer or an obvious one?”

Tae Yeon’s mind became complicated over the two choices presented.

What could the reason be for him to say such things?

Her usual self would probably have chosen the obvious answer. Not wanting to face the changes in her heart after hearing the honest answer.

But today, strangely, she was drawn to the former.

“I’m curious about the honest answer.”

Do Joon raised his eyebrows as if surprised, then spoke without hesitation.

“I also set a condition for President Jin.”

“A condition?”

“It seemed your mother-in-law and father-in-law were making obsessive phone calls to Jin Tae Yeon. Very frequently and a lot.”

“Ah…”

“Honestly, it was uncomfortable.”

By then, Do Joon’s car had stopped at their newlywed home. After parking, he continued speaking.

“Since we’re married, Jin Tae Yeon is my person now, so it was unpleasant to have someone else intervene and bother you.”

Tae Yeon tried to hide her surprise at the unexpected words.

“So I demanded that they refrain from such obsession in the future. If that’s well received, I plan to positively consider the investment.”