“Eating. I saw that you didn’t even lift a spoon.”

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I turned my head forward.

Staring at the quiet street, Jae Ha’s voice reached my ears again.

“It’s the house I grew up in, but even there, I have trouble eating.”

Apparently, it wasn’t only me who found today’s meal uncomfortable.

Even the normally friendly Chairman had turned cold, making the meal even more suffocating.

No matter how lavish the meal was, eating in such an atmosphere felt worse than swallowing rough sand.

Thinking of Jae Ha growing up in such an environment, I felt a strange sense of kinship.

He might have gone through a hell even worse than mine.

Lost in my thoughts, I was brought back to reality by his voice.

“So if you’re thinking of going home and eating ramen…”

I blushed without realizing it.

I had thought about going home and making some spicy ramen after the meal.

“Let’s eat, us.”

I turned my head in his direction.

Jae Ha, whom I thought would be looking straight ahead, was looking at me.

“Something delicious.”

With his eyes shining brightly, he added a rather tempting proposition.

And just in time, a wave of hunger hit me, making it hard to refuse.

‘Maybe it’s a good thing, as I had something to talk about.’

As we entered the Italian restaurant, a reservation under his name was already prepared.

It was a place famous for its tough reservations. I remembered the brief phone call he made before we came here.

‘He’s really thorough.’

As soon as we ordered, the server stepped back.

When the surroundings quieted down, I gently brought up the conversation I wanted to have with him.

“About the wedding. I was thinking, how about setting a date?”

Jae Ha seemed to pause in surprise, his glass of water halfway to his mouth, at the topic I had brought up.

“I thought just a semblance would do.”

It was something I had been pondering since Jae Ha had mentioned marriage.

After all, marrying him was not the end goal of my revenge.

Listening silently to my words, he abruptly cut me off, looking astounded.

“Hold on… so, just like the temporary management rights, you’re suggesting setting a term for our marriage?”

“Yes. After all, I think about a year should suffice.”

Since the project related to Intek was going to be concluded within this year.

If everything went smoothly as planned, the picture of my revenge that I had in mind would be completed by this winter.

“So, this is the matter you wanted to discuss?”

“Yes.”

“Sigh, I didn’t come to have dinner with you to talk about this.”

Jae Ha’s voice dropped lower than usual.

I felt a pang of regret, wondering if I had brought up too heavy a topic as soon as we sat at the table.

He picked up his glass with a reluctant expression and downed it in one go.

‘Did I say something wrong?’

Seeing Jae Ha’s stiffened face, various thoughts tangled in my head.

After all, wasn’t it Jae Ha who carelessly refused to marry me in the first place?

While I was deep in thought, he, who had remained silent, parted his lips.

“Why do you need a term? The most certain way to secure succession rights would be our marriage.”

Of course, maintaining my current position through marriage was the best method.

But just as Ji Han had, people could be blinded by greed due to money and status.

“Isn’t a pillar of support what Yeo Jin needs the most?”

‘A pillar of support… there was a time when I believed in that too.’

But that was also a thing of the past.

Moreover, I was too worn out to take a risk on something like marriage again.

That’s why I thought this man was the right fit.

Not only did Jae Ha have the same sense of purpose in revenge, but he also showed a firm skeptical attitude towards marriage.

“I don’t need a husband. I plan to find a professional manager suitable for Cha Cha W.”

“……”

“After a year, Jae Ha, you’ll have to reclaim Ho Jin, won’t you? Ah, it won’t be Ho Jin by then, but a different name.”

Jae Ha would plan to absorb Ho Jin into a new group in the future.

Because he was someone who would eventually leave, I decided that I couldn’t rely on him forever.

Yet, he seemed extremely displeased with my method, staring at me with a sour look.

It was even more puzzling because Jae Ha, who usually doesn’t reveal his inner feelings to this extent, was doing so.

“I consider the year as a time for me to stand on my own. So….”

“What if I decide not to leave?”

Not leave? Where?

Jae Ha, who had been quietly listening, asked me with an unexpected tone.

“Excuse me?”

“What if I decide to stick around, not for a year, but for a lifetime?”

When I looked at him with an expression that clearly said I didn’t understand, his gaze drastically changed.

His initially disgruntled look was now gleaming, like a child who had discovered something intriguing.

“Do you trust me, Yeo Jin?”

I involuntarily scrunched up my face at the sight of Jae Ha’s smirk.

That smile… it was the exact expression he wore when he was teasing me.

“Well, to some extent, yes.”

He seemed to show a subtle expression at my answer, as if he had expected a denial.

‘Is there any reason not to trust him now that we’ve come this far?’

He leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand.

“Why do you trust me?”

Then, he gazed at me intently, with a deep and intense look, as if he genuinely couldn’t understand.

Asking why I trust him, he casually tossed such a difficult question.

“Jae Ha, you’re my partner.

“The background you have, the DoubleU Group, would be very attractive to others. Just like our Ho Jin Group.”

“……Yes, that’s true.”

“But for me, it seems like I desire not the DoubleU Group, but you, who is sitting in front of me, fearlessly talking about a contract marriage.”

‘I am desirable?’

The playful look in Jae Ha’s eyes gradually subsided, and our eyes met with his now serene gaze.

His look was so full of certainty that my heart suddenly dropped.

‘…Why?’

My mind became a whirlwind of thoughts.

As I watched his lips move, my mouth slowly dried up.

“It seems like I might want to try this thing called marriage.”

“……”

“Who knows, I might not let you go after a year.”

His voice, even softer than before, echoed in my ears.

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