Before clocking out, Nok Hyun had a casual conversation with Min Kyu.

A conversation he would never have under normal circumstances.

It was solely because of Tae In.

“I want to be good to my wife.”
At Nok Hyun’s words, Min Kyu openly showed a look of shock.

“You said you had to go home early because you’re newlyweds, have you been in unrequited love?”
Min Kyu stared straight at Nok Hyun, always curious about what he was thinking.

Nok Hyun, who had worked with an indifferent face when he thought his wife had died.

Had stirred the world and now he wanted to be good to his wife?

Well, feelings can develop after a strategic marriage.

“That won’t be it.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“She said I’m her type.”
“… That’s quite peculiar. Anyway, it’s mutual, what’s the problem?”
Nok Hyun stared at Min Kyu without a word.

Feeling tense from his superior’s gaze, Min Kyu awkwardly opened his mouth again.

“No, that can happen. It could be a concern. It was a strategic marriage. You got married without dating, so.”
Min Kyu subtly checked Nok Hyun’s reaction.

Surprisingly, Nok Hyun’s face seemed to agree.

Nok Hyun, who was meticulous in everything and perfect in all aspects, seemed human as he acted foolish in love.

“It’s not easy to get close since you started as a window couple.”
“…So what should we do.”
“Create a crack in the smooth life of the window couple. Like dating, for example.”
“Dating.”
It was clearly an excuse, but Nok Hyun was in a desperate state, he had no choice but to believe it.

So the conclusion Nok Hyun came to.

.
.
.

“Me?”
“Yes, you.”
Tae In pointed at her face with her index finger and narrowed her brows.

She didn’t need my labor, even less likely to need an organ, so what does she want?

“What do you want to do with me?”
“Dating.”
“Dating?”
Tae In felt like she had been hit in the back of her head.

It was too serious to be a joke from Nok Hyun.

Nok Hyun’s hand overlapped on top of Tae In’s.

The terrible memory of the old man’s hand touching her arose then quickly faded.

“Did I hear wrong? We’re already married, why do you suddenly want to date?”
Tae In asked as if she was really curious.

Nok Hyun slightly furrowed his brows.

“It’s kind of unfair.”
“What is?”
“You’re sleeping next to me in your underwear, and I can’t do anything.”
This implies a strong desire to do something.

It’s always the alcohol that’s the problem, the alcohol.

Tae In heaved a deep sigh.

“I have to stay up all night with my eyes open, barely holding back.”
His lewd intentions were clearly transmitted.

Tae In bowed her head in embarrassment.

Nok Hyun looked down at Tae In’s blushing head and continued his words.

“If you had trusted me, something like today wouldn’t have happened.”
“It’s not that I didn’t trust…”
“Were you trying to protect me?”
“…What?”

“I was someone precious to you and you said you would protect me.”
Ah, something she had said when she had lost her memory.

For some reason, embarrassed, Tae In couldn’t look directly at Nok Hyun.

“Protect me. There are too many enemies all around.”
Nok Hyun kissed each of Tae In’s knuckles.

Each time his candycolored lips softly touched, it felt like electricity shot up her spine.

“And let me protect you too.”
His deep eyes, resembling an abyss, stared straight at her.

Each time this happened, Tae In felt like the smallest, most insignificant being in the universe.

No, she already felt like the smallest, most insignificant being in the universe and it felt like she had been found out.

Tae In stared at Nok Hyun quietly.

Nok Hyun’s father had invited his mistress into their house even before divorcing his mother.

It was certain that his father’s mistress, Shim Yuran, and their child, Jiwoon, who wandered around the house, took away what was Nok Hyun’s, just like the parasites that had invaded Tae In’s house.

What Nok Hyun felt now was nothing more than an illusion.

He was obsessing over things that were in his hands because they had been taken away countless times. Just like Tae In had.

But why did she want to let him continue with his illusion?

“I’m not such a great person that I can protect you.”
Tae In managed to spill her true feelings.

She thought it was better to protect him with an insignificant truth than to deceive him with a lie and fall together into the abyss.

Nok Hyun looked at Tae In with wideopen eyes.

His gaze was intense, as if deducing her feelings.

“Then, what about me?”
“Huh?”
“What kind of person do I seem?”
“You are…….”
“Can I protect you when I am a pathetic man who’s throwing tantrums because I can’t capture my wife’s heart?”
Tae In, who was about to answer as if it was a matter of course, hesitated.

Expressing herself had become difficult since she recovered her memory.

“Anyway, I’ll invest. Whether it’s money, time, or manpower, I won’t skimp.”
Just as Nok Hyun’s words ended, Mingyu appeared with bundles in both hands.

“It’s been a while.”
“Oh, hello.”
Mingyu greeted Tae In and then laid out the food on the table.