“So what I want to say is.”

Da Eun spoke while slightly pulling away from Yu Kwon’s embrace.

“Speak.”

“I’ll accept your proposal. Let’s get marr…”

At that moment, fireworks exploded behind Da Eun with a loud bang.

Startled, Da Eun’s mouth opened and closed like a fish, followed by more bangs as fireworks continued to explode.

Yu Kwon could tell who had prepared this unexpected event.

Was this what you had set up? Of all times, at this crucial moment?

Da Eun seemed to have forgotten what she was about to say and blankly watched the fireworks display.

Bang bang, louder than the sound of thunder, all other noises were completely drowned out. The heart pounded wildly along with the resounding booms.

“Da Eun, you were saying something. Continue.”

I’ve been waiting for this moment for so long.

Unfortunately, Yu Kwon’s words were also drowned out by the sound of exploding fireworks.

You seem to be too busy watching the fireworks to notice my heart burning.

Da Eun’s face, looking up at the sky embroidered with colorful fireworks, was tinted with the same colors, and her eyes sparkled even brighter.

Yu Kwon stared intently at Da Eun. He felt a wry smile forming, thinking his expression probably wasn’t much different from Da Eun’s as she gazed at the sky in rapture.

Well, I suppose it’s good that she likes it.

His intention to scold Jung Woo melted away.

Just then, Da Eun suddenly looked at Yu Kwon. Her face was still flushed from the lingering excitement.

“I’ll finish what I was saying earlier.”

Due to the noise, Da Eun spoke into Yu Kwon’s ear. His body momentarily stiffened as her hot, sweet breath touched his ear.

“Let’s get married.”

Da Eun’s proposal to marry had a bigger impact than expected.

For Da Eun, it might have been simply accepting the contract, but it meant something different to Yu Kwon.

At that moment, the wind blew, rustling Da Eun’s hair which was tinted the same color as the fireworks.

The deafening noise around them suddenly disappeared. The fireworks that burst silently were frozen like a painting.

It was as if time had stopped.

He felt a sense of déjà vu.

The emotion he felt when Da Eun first jumped into his arms during their college days was recreated.

That scene had eventually been preserved in his mind like a photograph, and Yu Kwon sensed that this moment would be the same.

“This is what I wanted to say.”

After saying it, she felt more relieved than expected.

Da Eun had an expression of accomplishment, while Yu Kwon could only stare at her blankly.

It wasn’t the answer he had been waiting for. Da Eun tilted her head and drove the point home.

“I’ll take responsibility.”

Yu Kwon let out a small laugh as he looked at Da Eun’s confident face, as if telling him to trust her.

“You know what that means, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’m not talking about putting on a half-hearted act. We need to look like a real couple.”

Yu Kwon pulled Da Eun close and kissed her.

Da Eun, who had opened her eyes wide in surprise, soon squeezed them shut. As he opened her tightly closed lips and explored inside, Da Eun’s tense body softly relaxed.

At last, the final firework blossomed brilliantly above the two of them.

Ju Ri filled the refrigerator with beer and snacks to drink all weekend.

She used to love drinking and partying, but she had to pretend to be abstaining from alcohol publicly because she lied about being pregnant.

If she had known this would happen, she should have just said they slept together instead of claiming to be pregnant. The faint-hearted Song Da Eun would have surely backed off just hearing that.

Just as she was taking a sip after opening a can of beer, she heard the sound of someone entering the door lock password. Ju Ri hurriedly put the beer back in the fridge and rinsed her mouth.

As expected, it was Young Hoon. He came in pulling a large carrier.

“What’s all that luggage for?”

“I’m going to stay at your place for a while.”

“Why?”

Ju Ri narrowed her eyes and asked, as her plans to watch the dramas she had missed while drinking beer over the weekend were being disrupted.

“Just… because I miss you. Our baby is pregnant and struggling, it doesn’t seem right to be out and about, so I want to take care of you.”

Take care of me… He can’t even wash his own underwear because he’s been pampered too much.

Ju Ri had a look of disbelief on her face. No, this might actually be a good thing.

“Then shall we move in together?”

Ju Ri casually asked. Until now, whenever she brought up the topic of a newlywed home, Young Hoon would only dodge the subject without giving a clear answer. She decided to put it into action today.

“Move? You’re moving?”

“I’m a bit burdened by paying rent, so let’s just combine our households.”

“Combine? You mean my current place?”

“No, that place is too small. I mean Young Hoon’s newlywed home. Let’s move in there and live together.”

Ju Ri said sweetly, linking arms with Young Hoon. Flustered, Young Hoon shook off her hand and looked into the distance.

“Eh, isn’t that a bit much? It’s the house I was going to live in with Da Eun, wouldn’t that be really awkward? Let’s find a new place instead.”

“It’s fine. You said you never actually lived there with Song Da Eun anyway.”

Ju Ri persistently tried to meet Young Hoon’s eyes, but he blatantly avoided her gaze.

Feeling uneasy, Ju Ri pinched his side.

“What’s wrong, Young Hoon?”

“That, that apartment, Da Eun probably withdrew all the jeonse deposit?”

“Wait. Jeonse? Wasn’t it owned outright? And Song Da Eun took all that money?”

Ju Ri felt a sudden headache at this unexpected news.

“I’m not certain, but that’s probably what happened. Since it was borrowed money.”

“Young Hoon, you clearly said that apartment was in your name. Did you lie to me?”

“Did I say that?”

Young Hoon mumbled and scratched his ear. Ju Ri was flabbergasted. Even such a small gesture was irritating to see. She wanted to kick him out right away and pour cool beer down her throat.

“I feel like I’ve been scammed, you know?”

“What do you mean scammed? You said you didn’t care about my circumstances.”

“That’s…”

You can say anything to seduce someone. Ju Ri sighed.

Young Hoon was now unpacking his luggage without permission. As the once-clean apartment became cluttered with Young Hoon’s traces, she felt frustrated.

Ju Ri exercised patience and swallowed her anger.

“We’re going to have a child soon and get married, so shouldn’t we be clear about how much we’ve saved and how much your family can help? That way we can prepare more smoothly, don’t you think?”

“I suppose so.”

Young Hoon reluctantly agreed.

In fact, Young Hoon had lost all his assets due to cryptocurrency investments. Previously, every coin he invested in skyrocketed, but after meeting Ju Ri, they plummeted due to bad news like interest rate hikes and lawsuits.

The more he took out loans thinking it was the bottom and averaged down, the more it kept falling endlessly.

He had tried to secure cash by persuading his parents who were selling land and buying another, but the losses only increased.

His salary just passed through his bank account, being used to pay loan interest and credit card debts.

Unaware of this situation, Ju Ri brought paper and a pen.

“Let’s organize it here. What we need to do from now on.”

“But honey, can’t we do this tomorrow? I’m too tired and want to rest a bit.”

Without even washing his hands, Young Hoon crawled into the blanket that Ju Ri had washed in the morning.

“Young Hoon! What are you doing? How can you lie on the bed without washing up?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I said I’m too tired. I’ve been having a lot of bad things happen lately, so I’m mentally exhausted.”

Young Hoon pretended to sleep, pulling the blanket over his head. Ju Ri sat down in frustration and sighed.

The only things Young Hoon had unpacked were his game console and game packs.

“Honey, isn’t there beer I bought in the fridge? Just one can of that. And the dried pollack in the freezer, put it in the air fryer at 180 degrees for 5 minutes.”

This bas…! I can’t believe this!

Ju Ri was so dumbfounded that she wasn’t even angry anymore.

Da Eun had never once spoken ill of Young Hoon. If she had, she wouldn’t have let Ju Ri take him away. She might have even blessed their marriage.

Why did she think, “This is the man,” without properly checking? Because she heard Young Hoon’s family owned a lot of land? Or because all his clothes were luxury brands?

Wait. Then did Song Da Eun prepare everything, including the wedding items and the house?

Song Da Eun, she was a complete pushover.

No, if I’m not careful, I might end up being the pushover here.

Ju Ri shook her head. She couldn’t just jump into this hell.

Summoned by Yong Hee, Jung Woo was waiting in front of her office.

An employee checked his belongings. They took out his phone to ensure the security app was running properly and thoroughly inspected for any small cameras or recording devices before letting him into the office.

Jung Woo frowned at the strong perfume smell covering the cigarette odor. Now he understood why Yu Kwon disliked going to Yong Hee’s office.

“Hello, Executive Director. This is Kim Jung Woo.”

As Jung Woo bowed his head in greeting, Yong Hee got up from her chair and approached. Her bob cut hair, trimmed perfectly straight without a single hair out of place, showed not even the slightest disarray. It was a style she had maintained since her twenties.

Sharp arched eyebrows, red lipstick, a sensitively thin body, and a trendy fitted suit. People were enthusiastic about Yong Hee’s perfectly consulted image.

Even when she wore expensive and unique luxury items without the slightest hint of modesty, people didn’t criticize her but rather went crazy wanting to imitate her.

“Yes.”

Yong Hee’s right index finger held a cigarette in a holder. It was designed with the finger wrapped around the body, and the cigarette inserted into an open snake’s mouth.

It’s the same design Myung Il used when he was young. He wouldn’t have passed it down to his child, so she must have had it made with the same design.

As Yong Hee raised her right hand, Secretary Oh removed the cigarette butt from the holder and put it in a portable ashtray from his inside pocket.

Jung Woo stood without making even a breath of sound, waiting for his turn.

“Begin.”

At Yong Hee’s word, the woman who was already there began to speak. She was a housekeeper from Yu Kwon’s home.

“In the bedroom at the Managing Director’s house, there were used contraceptives. Three of them. And he had bought plenty more in addition.”