It was an infinitely dangerous provocation, but Se Eun was still hungry.

Moreover, since her seat was by the wall, she couldn’t escape Ki Sun Woo’s net anyway.

Carefully, Se Eun decided to convey her opinion.

She judged it would be good to clarify this area as well in setting boundaries and rules with him.

“Um… I’m not sure about that married life at night.”

“Hm?”

As if he hadn’t expected a response, one of Sun Woo’s eyebrows raised amusedly.

As if telling her to say more.

After swallowing the mushroom Sun Woo had put on her spoon earlier, Se Eun chewed and opened her mouth.

“That kind of thing… I mean… It seems right for people who love each other to do it.”

“…Love?”

“Yes.”

For a moment, Sun Woo’s expression crumbled as if caught off guard.

But soon he burst into hearty laughter.

He laughed so much that Se Eun wondered if she had said something strange.

Eventually, Sun Woo straightened up and looked at Se Eun with narrowed eyes.

“So you’re saying wait until Yeon Se Eun comes to love me, is that it?”

“What? No, that’s…”

Why is the conversation going this way, Se Eun’s confused eyes wandered aimlessly, unsure where to look.

In contrast, Sun Woo’s eyes were perfectly fixed on Se Eun’s face.

It was a gaze as if observing a very interesting subject.

“Alright. That standard course isn’t bad either. Shall we try waiting? Thanks to developing quite an interest in your various aspects of life, I’m not exactly bored.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“I’ll wait. For the day you love me very ardently and passionately.”

Se Eun was so dumbfounded she couldn’t even reply.

Ardently and passionately come to love this man before her?

It was something she had never even imagined.

How could someone like her, who had been shunned even by family, love anyone?

Suddenly, another curiosity bloomed within Se Eun.

If they were to love each other, did that mean Ki Sun Woo could come to love her too?

“…”

Embarrassed and incredulous at having such a thought, Se Eun shook her head.

Love, that word did not suit the two of them at all.

And it would suit her even less.

*

Though she worried because of the incident on the first day, Mo Na no longer made her do chores like carrying luggage.

However, she still didn’t seem to intend to teach her any proper work.

Thanks to that, Se Eun’s daily routine became sitting blankly at her desk, staring at an empty computer screen.

The team members couldn’t approach Se Eun, perhaps due to Mo Na’s subtle checks.

The atmosphere seemed to be one of concern about unnecessary sparks flying.

Understanding that point, Se Eun also didn’t try to forcibly approach them.

The owner, Jang Ha Yeon, was more often absent from the office than present.

As it was a brand experiencing rapid growth, she was said to have several external meetings lined up every day.

Reading her interview in a magazine, it was written that she had been most influenced by her senior, Ko Yeon Hwa.

When Se Eun saw that part, her nose stung.

Though she had left the world far too early, her mother’s brilliance still remained.

Though her first experience of social life was unfamiliar and burdensome, Se Eun decided to try her best.

Fortunately, her mother’s books and materials were still at home.

They were things even Mo Na couldn’t take away, fearing Ko San’s wrath.

She planned to learn what she needed by studying on her own.

At least she didn’t want to tarnish her mother’s reputation.

“…Why are you smiling like that?”

Se Eun, who had been diligently scanning the bookshelf since Saturday morning, threw a question at Sun Woo, who was suddenly leaning against the doorway.

An inexplicable satisfaction was floating on his face.

“Just because your eyes are sparkling?”

“What?”

What does this mean now, truly, there were too many incomprehensible things in what Ki Sun Woo said.

But one thing was clear.

This suspicious intruder shouldn’t be beside her just when she was getting motivated to study.

“If you don’t have any business, please leave. I want to read.”

“I have business.”

“What business?”

“I prepared snacks downstairs. It’s quite cold today too. Warm up your body while eating something warm.”

“…”

Se Eun glanced at him furtively, then looked down at her own belly.

Though layered with thick sweaters, it seemed clearly more bulging than before.

It seemed certain that Ki Sun Woo was fattening her up.

“I’m fine…”

“I bought the warm sikhye you said you wanted last time, and some royal court snacks too.”

“…”

“For your information, the royal court snacks are limited edition and they’re not selling them anymore.”

“…I’ll go down.”

Though thinking it dangerous to tame a person with food, Se Eun put down her book and stood up.

Indeed, since the bitter cold of late winter had arrived last night, her body had been cold.

Having watched Mo Na eat delicious snacks alone since childhood, she simply couldn’t shake off the temptation of snacks.

Pitter-patter, Se Eun followed Ki Sun Woo down the stairs.

As they headed downstairs, the sweetly rising scent naturally lifted her mood.

It felt like returning to the warm childhood days when her mother used to call her down to eat snacks.

It was just as she stepped on the last stair.

Ding-dong, the doorbell rang suddenly.

“…Who is it?”

Sun Woo tilted his head curiously and quickly checked the intercom.

Immediately, his face distorted.

At the clear change in expression from just before, Se Eun anxiously observed his reaction.

“Who is it? Who’s making you…”

“…Father’s secretary.”

“What?”

Startled, Se Eun completely forgot about the snacks that had been filling her mind until just now.

Father’s secretary?

Doesn’t that mean the secretary of the chairman of Juha Group, Ki Ju Hwan?

“Are you… not going to open the door?”

Instead of answering, Sun Woo just stared blankly at the intercom.

Then, as if resigned, he reached out and opened the door.

A moment later, an extremely cold-looking man strode into the living room.

Wearing silver square-framed glasses, he fixed his gaze only on Sun Woo and Se Eun, not looking around the house at all.

“The chairman says he will visit home tomorrow. Both of you together.”

“Father? Me?”

“Yes.”

A chilly silence hung in the air.

The man called the secretary didn’t seem to intend to give any kind explanation, and Sun Woo didn’t seem to intend to ask.

The only one fidgeting was Se Eun.

“Um… Shouldn’t we go? It’s already been 3 weeks since we got married, and we haven’t properly visited even once.”

“No need to go.”

“But still…”

Glance, Se Eun peeked at the expressionless man standing beside her.

He stood silently waiting for an answer with his mouth in a straight line.

“I said we don’t need to go, didn’t I? Please go back now. We need to eat our snacks intimately and cozily.”

“Ki Sun Woo…”

“It’s fine. Father doesn’t care how I live anyway. It’s probably that witch’s doing again, as expected.”

“…!”

At the word ‘witch’, Se Eun more anxiously observed the man’s reaction.

If these words reached his ears…

But looking at Sun Woo’s eyes, it seemed he had said it deliberately for him to hear.

As she was hesitating what to do, the man opened his mouth in a heavy voice.

“For your information, Chairman Ko San is also aware of this invitation.”

In an instant, Se Eun’s spine froze.

Grandfather…

Of course, as it was also a marriage between families, there would be plenty of talk between them.

“…I’ll… go. We’ll go.”

“Yeon Se Eun.”

“Please, Ki Sun Woo. Please come with me.”

Sun Woo’s gaze lingered for a moment on Se Eun’s trembling fingertips.

Finally, Sun Woo roughly brushed up his forehead with a sigh close to resignation.

“Tell him we’ll visit tomorrow.”

*

The next day, Se Eun couldn’t hide her nervousness from the car.

Seeing her like that, Sun Woo let out a light laugh.

“Why are you shaking so much? Who was it that boldly said we should go first?”

“…I had no choice. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I know. If we didn’t go, hellfire would rain down from your grandfather.”

“…”

Sigh, Se Eun lowered her head.

Sun Woo immediately changed the subject.

“Even so, we can just go casually. Why look up in-law visit etiquette on the internet? So old-fashioned.”

“Th-That’s…! I mean…”

Raising her lowered head again, Se Eun flailed her hands in the air.

In fact, not knowing at all how to behave when visiting in-laws, she had secretly searched the internet yesterday.

In-law visit gifts, greeting manners and etiquette, even how to peel fruit.

A gentle breeze-like smile drifted towards Se Eun again.

“The housekeeper will peel fruit for you, so don’t worry about that. And gifts and such, that secretary we met yesterday would have prepared them instead. That’s his specialty.”

“Ah…”

“Just trust me. Just sit still soullessly and endure. I’ll make sure we leave quickly, so bear with it for a little while.”

It was somehow a strange way of reassuring, but it felt oddly reliable in a way that was puzzling.

So Se Eun nodded her head firmly.

The die was cast anyway, and now they had to enter that stage no matter what.

Soon the car stopped smoothly.

Beyond the window, the Juha main house, too large to take in at a glance, revealed itself.

Ki Sun Woo, who got out of the car first as if jumping out, opened the passenger door and held out his hand to Se Eun.

As if escorting her gently.

As Se Eun carefully placed her palm on his, he smiled with relaxed confidence, narrowing his eyes.

“Shall we go then? To defeat the villains.”