Once More, Wife (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 15

Ever since that night when soft snow had fallen, the relationship between the two of them had subtly changed.

To be precise, their daily routines had undergone slight shifts.

First, Chae Ha’s work hours changed.

He still came home late, but whereas at first he arrived just an hour earlier, the next day it was two hours—his return time gradually getting earlier.

Instead of heading to his study, Chae Ha now slept in his own bed, which was thickly layered with blankets.

His reason was that he was very sensitive to the cold and this room felt warmer.

Though she’d lived beside him for three years, this fact about his sensitivity to cold was entirely new to her—but since he was the rightful owner of the room, she couldn’t very well ask him to leave.

Still, because of this, a subtle tension began to form within Seol Won.

He never once looked at her with desire again, not like that drunken night.

Of course not—it had only been a single lapse in judgment when he’d truly lost his senses.

But sometimes, if he happened to shift in his sleep and their fingertips brushed, Seol Won had to calm her racing heart.

On the rare occasions they met each other’s eyes while both still awake, her heart would strangely flutter.

The way Chae Ha looked at her was so intense it almost made her forget they were bound only by contract and believe it was real.

Perhaps that was why Seol Won found herself yearning for something unfamiliar from him—affection.

Yet it should have remained nothing more than a transaction.

After all, Kwon Chae Ha was never the kind of man capable of giving affection to anyone else.

Only after falling in love with him did Seol Won finally understand the true meaning of loneliness.

“Mommy! Mommy! Wake up quickly!”

“Hmm…?”

Roused by the persistent shaking of her arm, Seol Won struggled to lift her heavy eyelids.

Immediately, a pair of large, gleaming eyes filled her vision.

“Woo Joo…? When did you wake up?”

“I woke up a while ago! Mommy said good kids get up early, remember?”

“That’s right… My Woo Joo is such a good boy.”

Seol Won looked at her child with a faint smile.

“Did you sleep comfortably, Woo Joo?”

“Not uncomfortable at all! I love the bunk bed—it feels like I’m floating in the sky!”

His cheeks were flushed with healthy color, proof he’d slept soundly.

Slowly, Seol Won pushed herself up, still a bit stiff from sleep.

She hadn’t even realized when she’d drifted off, lost in old memories, but surprisingly, she didn’t feel too bad.

Of course, the fact that she was still living under the same roof as Chae Ha remained unsettling—but she’d have to adjust quickly.

After all, she’d already promised to stay here for three months.

“Mommy, I want to call Daddy Jae Yoon!”

“Daddy… Jae Yoon?”

“Yeah! Please call him—the kind where I can see his face!”

Seeing Woo Joo’s bright, hopeful request, Seol Won couldn’t bring herself to refuse.

Truthfully, when they’d left the island and come here, Jae Yoon had strongly objected.

From his perspective, it was only natural—he clearly didn’t trust someone like Kwon Chae Ha.

“Hurry, hurry! Daddy Jae Yoon said once he gets on the boat with Grandma and Grandpa, he won’t be able to answer—he said my voice won’t reach him all the way out on the ocean!”

“…Alright, okay. Mommy will call him right away.”

“Yay! I’m so excited!”

After finding Jae Yoon’s contact on her phone and pressing it firmly, Seol Won handed the device to Woo Joo.

Immediately, Jae Yoon’s face and voice—overflowing with delight—appeared on the screen.

[Hey there! Who do we have here? Isn’t this our little Prince Woo Joo?]

“Daddy Jae Yoon!”

[Woo Joo, did you arrive in Seoul safely?]

“Yes! Everything here is super, super big! The streets are big, the house is big—everything’s huge!”

[You look thrilled! Don’t you miss this uncle at all?]

“I do miss you!”

[How much?]

“A lot, a whole lot!”

Amid the ongoing chorus of “a whole lot,” even Seol Won, standing behind, couldn’t help but smile softly.

Noticing this, Woo Joo quickly turned the camera to include her in the frame.

“Mommy! Say hello too, quick!”

“Alright, I got it.”

The video call lasted nearly five minutes.

Yet neither of them realized that, during that brief time, their cheerful laughter was echoing outside the room.

Thus, when the call ended, Seol Won only belatedly sensed the intense, almost murderous aura emanating from the doorway.

“…Mr. Kwon Chae Ha.”

“If you’re awake, how about acknowledging me?”

“Oh! Hello, mister!”

“I’m sorry—he insisted on making the call… to his… dad.”

At that carelessly uttered word, the knuckles of Chae Ha’s hand—which had been resting against the doorframe above his head—turned bone-white.

Before she could even flinch, Chae Ha slowly lowered his arm and crossed both arms over his chest.

“Who exactly is ‘dad’?”

“…”

Chae Ha stared hard at Seol Won’s speechless face, then abruptly shifted his gaze toward Woo Joo—as if silently demanding an answer from him instead.

Sensing this, Woo Joo readily responded with a beaming smile.

“Daddy Jae Yoon!”

“Hmm. So that guy is your dad, kid?”

“Yes! I have lots and lots of daddies! Daddy Jae Yoon is Daddy Number One for Woo Joo!”

“…”

“…”

An oppressive silence settled over the three of them.

Just as Seol Won was about to say something to Woo Joo, Chae Ha turned his eyes back to her—his gaze burning with a quiet, insistent demand for clarification.

Finally, Seol Won stammered out an explanation.

“Well… actually, Woo Joo calls all the young men on the island ‘dad.’”

“…What?”

Chae Ha’s usually narrow eyes widened slightly in rare surprise.

Hurriedly, Seol Won added, as if making excuses,

“There was once an observation day at his daycare… and all the young men from the island, feeling sorry for him, swarmed around to play ‘dad’ for him. Ever since then, he’s called all of them ‘dad.’”

“Hah.”

A dry, cold sigh escaped Chae Ha’s lips.

“Even if he’s just a child, you can’t just leave it like that. Don’t you realize how dangerously misleading that could be for others?”

“…It’s such a small island—everyone knows Woo Joo. No one would get confused.”

“No? Well, I nearly fell for it myself just now.”

Sensing the rising tension between them, Woo Joo suddenly scampered toward Chae Ha at the doorway.

Then, without warning, he grabbed one of Chae Ha’s large hands.

“…!”

Looking up with wide, innocent eyes, Woo Joo asked sweetly,

“Mister, do you want to be Woo Joo’s dad too? Hmm… you can be Number Six!”

Chae Ha responded to Woo Joo’s pure-hearted offer with unmistakable disappointment.

“Ridiculous. Why am I not Number One?”

“Well… Numbers One through Five are already on the island.”

“No. I should be Number One.”

“Umm…”

The boy frowned in distress, fiddling with his tiny fingers as if struggling to solve an impossible puzzle.

Seeing this, Seol Won quickly stepped between them to intervene.

“Enough already. Why act so childish over something like this? Just be Number Six.”

“How is Number One the same as Number Six? And why are there even six dads in the first place? One should be enough.”

“I already explained—”

“Hey, kid.”

Cutting Seol Won off sharply, Chae Ha crouched down to meet Woo Joo’s eye level.

Then, as if delivering profound wisdom, he spoke clearly and deliberately.

“Listen carefully. A ‘dad’ is someone who gives you a home, gives you food, gives you toys—and someone who’s extremely, extremely close to Mommy.”

As he said this, Chae Ha subtly leaned closer to Seol Won right where he knelt.

“So then—who’s the dad right now?”

“Uh… um… well…”

“Honestly, just stop it.”

Unable to bear it any longer, Seol Won flicked Chae Ha away.

Woo Joo’s eyes were now full of curiosity: “Could this mister actually be my dad?”

“Alright, our Woo Joo is such a good boy. Can you go brush your teeth all by yourself?”

“Yes!”

Skillfully coaxing the child away, Seol Won ushered him out of this awkward interrogation scene.

As she watched Woo Joo’s little back scamper off, Chae Ha rose from his crouch.

Before Seol Won could say anything to him, he spoke first.

“Actually, perfect timing. I have something to show you.”

“…?”

Rather than explaining further, Chae Ha immediately pulled a document from inside his coat and handed it to her.

It didn’t take long for Seol Won’s hands to begin trembling as she held it.

“What on earth is this…?”

“Why are you so shocked? If anyone should be surprised, it’s me—not you.”

“How… how did you not figure it out sooner?”

“Wouldn’t the real fool be the one who didn’t recognize it right away? The moment I saw it, I clearly saw my childhood face.”

“…”

“For someone who claims not to remember, you sure looked suspicious—like you couldn’t believe I’d ever been that cute as a kid.”

With a faint smirk tugging at one corner of his lips, Chae Ha smoothly snatched back the paternity test results from her hand.

Then, whispering low into her ear like a declaration of war, he murmured,

“Well? Doesn’t this prove beyond doubt that I’m the father?”

His warm breath brushed teasingly against Seol Won’s delicate earlobe.

His voice sank even lower as he continued,

“Even now… am I still not Number One?”

Startled as if scalded, Seol Won jerked her face away from that feather-light breath.

Seeing Chae Ha’s smug expression, it was clear now—he’d known everything from the very beginning.

She’d always known she couldn’t hide it forever… she just hadn’t expected it to come out this soon.

“…Please don’t tell Woo Joo.”

“What? Didn’t you just hear him? He literally asked if I wanted to be his dad too.”

“…He’ll be confused.”

“Wouldn’t it be less confusing for him to meet his real father and cleanly sort out all those fake dads?”

Circling halfway around her, Chae Ha now leaned in to whisper into her other ear.

She could feel her ear—and even down to her neck—blushing fiercely, even without looking in a mirror.

And she knew he was watching her reaction with keen interest.

She’d never even considered that he might actually want Woo Joo—she’d assumed he’d pretend ignorance to avoid acknowledging an unwanted child.

“Especially that man.”

“…?”

“Choi Jae Yoon. Absolutely forbid him from being called ‘dad.’”

“That’s up to Woo Joo.”

“What?”

Chae Ha’s brow furrowed, but Seol Won held firm.

“Mr. Jae Yoon has supported Woo Joo and me in every way, physically and emotionally. He’s the man Woo Joo has seen closest and longest since birth. Without him…”

A grinding sound—teeth clenched in fury—echoed just above Seol Won’s head.

Then, Chae Ha’s enraged voice sliced toward her, sharp and lethal.

“Aren’t you talking far too long about another man right in front of your husband who’s stayed celibate all these years? And—”

“…”

“It really, really bothers me when you say another man’s name so sweetly.”

He turned fully to face her directly.

Then, cupping her tiny chin in his hand, he lifted her gaze to meet his.

“Min Seol Won. You were supposed to be the wife who only ever said my name so tenderly.”

She wanted to deny it—to say that had never been true—but Chae Ha’s intense eyes left her no room to escape.

His head tilted downward, as if about to kiss her, and her heart began pounding in fear.

Yet Chae Ha didn’t do what she expected.

Instead, he simply released her chin and gave a faint, unfamiliar smile.

“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything. He’ll realize it on his own.”

Before she could even ask how, Chae Ha picked up one of Woo Joo’s toys and murmured,

“Blood is thicker than water. Instinctively, he’ll understand… that I’m his father.”