Married First, a Couple (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4

“Of course I assumed you’d help me.”

“What exactly… am I supposed to help you with?”

Do Jun’s next words made her mouth go completely dry. After a pause, he finally spoke.

“First, we’ll need to fix the fact that you tense up so much whenever I approach you.”

He wasn’t wrong—but adapting overnight was impossible. Tae Yeon, who had stayed silent until then, opened her eyes wide and looked directly at Do Jun.

He was so tall that in order to meet his gaze and speak with him, she had to tilt her head sharply upward.

“Naturally I’d be nervous. My husband, whom I haven’t seen in a year and a half, suddenly drops out of the sky today—just like that.”

“So you’re saying things would’ve been easier if I’d contacted you beforehand and prepared you mentally?”

“Well… at the very least, I wouldn’t be this flustered, my heart pounding this fast.”

As soon as she said it, Tae Yeon regretted it. Though being alone with Do Jun was awkward enough, staring at his absurdly handsome face made her heart race wildly, for no clear reason at all.

It definitely wasn’t because she was falling for him. Just the sheer shock of this unfamiliar situation—and anxiety about the turbulent days ahead starting tomorrow—explained it.

That was all.

Yet mentioning her racing heart was practically begging to be misunderstood. Tae Yeon opened her mouth to correct herself, but quickly clamped it shut again.

Do Jun took another step closer, lifting the corners of his lips in an intrigued smile.

“So your heart is racing—may I take that as being because of me?”

“…”

“It’s a marriage of convenience, but apparently I still fit your type, at least.”

“That’s not what I meant. Today’s just been too chaotic and disorienting, so…”

The more she spoke, the more nonsense tumbled out, driving her nearly mad. She’d never once felt clumsy with words in her life—yet standing before Do Jun, with his imposing presence, she kept acting unlike her usual self.

Do Jun, perhaps finding her endearing, softened his gaze noticeably compared to just moments earlier.

“Don’t you get nervous like this in front of the man you love?”

“Huh?”

What on earth was he talking about now?

Was their conversation flowing so awkwardly just because they hadn’t seen each other in ages—or was this simply Cha Do Jun’s usual conversational style? She couldn’t tell.

Before Do Jun left for the KK Entertainment branch in the U.S., their marriage had been arranged in a great hurry.

Thus, all they’d done was take wedding photos for press distribution, file their marriage registration, and share one meal with their elders.

She’d met Do Jun for the first time on the day of the photoshoot—but it hadn’t mattered. Back then, at least, sharing a home with him had never been part of the plan.

Do Jun asked once more.

“I’m quite curious—what kind of expression do you wear when you’re with that man?”

“Do Jun.”

“Tell me.”

“I really don’t understand why you’ve kept probing about some man since earlier.”

Do Jun looked down at her with an arrogant expression, as if urging her to continue.

“I’ve never done anything that could harm you, Do Jun.”

“Harm…”

Do Jun raised a hand and stroked his chin. Though his face brimmed with unspoken words, what eventually came out was different.

“I hope that remains true forever.”

He stepped closer, narrowing the distance further. When Tae Yeon tried to step back, he placed a large hand firmly on her shoulder.

“And I hope you’ll stop avoiding me like this.”

“…I’ll try. In return, please refrain from sudden physical contact like this, without warning.”

Without a word, Do Jun promptly removed his hand from her shoulder, then loosened his tie.

“I’ll use the bathroom attached to the master bedroom.”

“Go ahead.”

Using his long legs, Do Jun entered the bedroom first. Watching the door click shut behind him, Tae Yeon let out a deep sigh.

“We’ll be sharing the bed too, I suppose?”

Her vision blurred slightly. She’d considered moving out and finding her own place—but she knew Do Jun would never allow it, so she quickly abandoned the idea.

Wanting to give Do Jun space to shower and change comfortably, Tae Yeon washed up in the guest bathroom on the second floor. Though she’d planned to head straight to the bedroom afterward, she instead moved to the living room sofa.

Exhausted from a day of constant tension, she was utterly drained—but still couldn’t bear the thought of lying down in bed just yet.

Leaning back into the cozy sofa, Tae Yeon slowly closed her eyes.

“I can handle this… I will.”

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Inside the bathroom, Do Jun turned on the shower. Hot water streamed down over his sharply defined muscles.

“Maybe I should’ve at least given you a heads-up before coming.”

At first, he hadn’t felt the need to tell Tae Yeon he was returning to Korea.

After all, she’d likely been living happily, laughing carefree with another man—completely forgetting about him.

Part of him had even wanted to shatter that bliss—and he’d been curious what she might be hiding—so he’d deliberately come without notice.

“What a woman—she truly has many layers.”

Her aura shifted each time he saw her. The woman he’d met on the wedding photoshoot day had seemed docile—but today, speaking her mind plainly before him, she radiated remarkable strength.

And then there was the woman in those photos he’d received from the unknown sender—stunningly, dizzyingly sexy.

Could a person’s demeanor really change so drastically over time?

He wondered briefly—but it wasn’t worth dwelling on. After all, this marriage was only for appearances.

Do Jun had another reason entirely for abruptly returning to Korea from the U.S., where he’d been successfully managing KK Entertainment.

Under the hot spray, he recalled the incident from a month ago.

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One month earlier.

Do Jun, who was smoothly running KK Entertainment in the U.S., received an anonymous envelope.

Secretary Choi entered his office holding the unmarked document and asked,

“This arrived addressed to you, sir.”

“What is it?”

“I haven’t checked the contents, since there’s no sender listed. Perhaps it’s safer to discard it unopened.”

Normally, he’d have followed Secretary Choi’s advice—but for some reason, today he was intensely curious.

Do Jun gestured for it. Secretary Choi hesitated briefly, then handed the envelope over without further comment.

“Shall I open it for you? In case there’s something dangerous, like a razor blade or a threat to your life?”

“Ha-ha-ha. Secretary Choi, have you been watching too many movies?”

“Still, I worry.”

Waving it off dismissively, Do Jun tore open the envelope. He shook it over the desk, and a single sheet of paper fell out with a soft *thud*.

He picked it up slowly, scanned the contents—and narrowed his eyes.

“…”

Inside were several photographs.

After staring blankly at them for a moment, Do Jun exhaled sharply, utterly incredulous.

“How amusing.”

“What do the photos show?”

He wordlessly handed them to the curious Secretary Choi, who gasped loudly upon seeing them.

“What—this woman in the photos is…”

“My wife.”

“So why is the current madam with another man like this…?”

The photos showed Tae Yeon with an unidentified man presumed to be her lover.

Right after exiting their marital home, she casually kissed the man and got into his car. Their destination: a hotel—where, ignoring onlookers, they walked in embracing each other.

But that wasn’t all. Another photo showed Tae Yeon leaving the KK Foods headquarters and quickly slipping into the same man’s car—only to disappear again. Unsurprisingly, they arrived at a hotel once more.

“So she’s been enjoying herself—still wearing the gift I gave her.”

In the photos, the woman wore the luxury-brand ring Do Jun had given her as a wedding present. To anyone, she was unmistakably Tae Yeon.

His first thought upon seeing those pictures? Just one:

Who took them—and why send them to him?

He hadn’t expected Tae Yeon to stay quietly in Korea—but seeing concrete photographic proof of her affair left a sour taste in his mouth.

Noticing Do Jun deep in thought, Secretary Choi asked,

“What shall we do?”

“Ensure these never reach Chairman Cha’s ears—take special care.”

“Yes, understood. I’ll burn them.”

“No. I’ll keep them.”

Surprisingly, instead of discarding them in disgust, Do Jun carefully placed the photos in his drawer and locked it.

Afterward, more photos arrived—anonymous shots of Tae Yeon entering hotels with the same man, relaxing at a villa, and so on.

While Do Jun was puzzling over the sender’s motive, a note arrived with the next batch of photos:

[In one week, these photos will land in Chairman Cha’s hands. If you want to negotiate, you’d best come to Korea.]

At first, he dismissed it as the act of a lunatic—but when a photo of Chairman Cha himself arrived, Do Jun knew he had to decide.

Clearly, someone wanted something from him—and was using these photos as leverage.

Given how many enemies he’d made, he couldn’t pinpoint who it was—but he figured that once back in Korea, closely monitoring his wife would quickly lead him to the blackmailer.

“She might even be in cahoots with them.”

He trusted no one. Especially not Tae Yeon—the very person who’d given them the leverage.

Chairman Cha had made inheriting KK Group conditional upon Do Jun building a perfect, harmonious family. To protect everything he’d built, he had only one choice.

So without looking back, Do Jun stormed back to Korea.

Upon hearing Tae Yeon worked at KK Foods, he immediately decided where he’d go:

To observe her closely—and uncover whoever was behind this blackmail.

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After finishing his shower, Do Jun roughly dried off—then realized he’d forgotten to bring clothes to change into.

Accustomed to living alone, he simply hadn’t thought to prepare.

He cracked the door open, intending to see if Tae Yeon had fallen asleep.

“Not here?”

But the bed was completely empty. Strangely, he felt a pang of emptiness.

Stepping out of the bedroom in a hastily donned robe, he hurried into the living room.

Surely she hadn’t left home just because sharing a bed with him made her uncomfortable?

But his worry was unfounded. He easily spotted Tae Yeon curled up, fast asleep on the sofa.

“Are you sleeping?”

He called softly—but received no reply.

“Tae Yeon.”

“…”

Exhausted, she slept soundly, eyes tightly shut. Her bare, porcelain face looked so youthful she could pass for twenty—utterly unlike the woman in those photos he’d received.

“What’s your real face, I wonder?”

Oddly, it was this innocent-looking version of her that stirred something in him.

But the thought lasted only a moment.

The idea that all this might just be part of her flawless performance left him in a foul mood again.

To uncover Tae Yeon’s true self, he planned to shadow her relentlessly—at work, at home, wherever she went.

He considered leaving her to sleep on the sofa—but instead, Do Jun bent down.

“If you’re not up by the count of three…”

And whispered quietly into her ear,

“…I can’t guarantee what I might do.”