“What do you mean by ‘ruined’?”

Fortunately, Sun Woo finished the brief embrace and released the startled rabbit.

Se Eun, who confirmed that the ears were still well attached to the carefully carved apple rabbit, looked at him with round eyes.

Hoping for a kind explanation of what just happened.

However, Sun Woo stretched out his hand as if nothing had happened.

“Give me that.”

He snatched the fork from Se Eun’s hand and boldly bit into the rabbit.

A crisp, cheerful sound filled the space between the two.

Se Eun became more and more confused.

Perhaps it was because he still hadn’t shed his furry coat.

His hug just now felt closer to embracing a cute pet rather than something strange or tense.

Like when you do something absolutely adorable and can’t help but nuzzle against it.

‘…Huh?’

Suddenly, as that thought occurred to her, Se Eun’s body stiffened.

She stared at Ki Sun Woo, who was eating the apple.

Surely the sudden embrace just now couldn’t have meant that.

“Did you carve this because I couldn’t eat fruit earlier?”

Sun Woo asked, twirling the empty fork in his hand after swallowing the apple rabbit.

Se Eun nodded lightly in affirmation.

In the midst of that confusion, he had actually put the apple in his mouth.

So she wanted to do this much for him too.

At Se Eun’s affirmation, Sun Woo’s lips curved into a rare gentle smile.

“It seems the secret practice paid off. It turned out to be quite a cute rabbit shape.”

“Ah… thank you.”

Although she ended up being praised by Ki Sun Woo rather than her in-laws, somehow Se Eun felt her shoulders lift.

“Give me one more. The apple is quite tasty.”

“Alright.”

As Se Eun, who had gained confidence, headed back to the kitchen, Sun Woo finally began to speak to her back.

“Thank you. Actually, I was a bit regretful that I couldn’t eat the apple the lady peeled earlier, since it had been a while.”

“…Is she someone who’s worked for you for a long time?”

“Yes. Ever since I was young. My mother was good at playing the piano, but she was particularly bad at peeling fruit. So the lady would peel them beautifully instead. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an apple carved like this rabbit.”

The deep, affectionate emotion that clouded his eyes was clearly visible to Se Eun as she peeled the apple.

Sometimes, warm memories that couldn’t be returned to were too painful to recall.

Knowing this feeling, Se Eun unconsciously made a clumsy promise.

“From now on… I’ll practice more and peel fruit for you often.”

“What?”

At Sun Woo’s puzzled reaction, Se Eun felt slightly embarrassed.

In fact, just looking at his cooking skills, it was obvious that he could peel much prettier and better-shaped fruits than her.

But she felt like she wanted to do something for him too.

Even if it was something very small and trivial.

“Well… you always cook for me. And you never let me do the dishes. I may not be able to cook, but I can do this much.”

Sun Woo stared at her very intently.

It was a face where it was difficult to guess what he was thinking.

Nevertheless, she had a clear feeling that he wouldn’t reject this offer.

Because Sun Woo’s gaze rested affectionately on the rabbit apple that had just been born at her fingertips.

As expected, a soft voice flowed from his lips.

“Alright. Let’s do that. I’ll make a promise too. To make delicious things for Yeon Se Eun every day.”

“…A promise?”

“Yes. A promise.”

Why did the word ‘promise’ suddenly take on such a precious meaning?

Unable to hide her joy, Se Eun nodded vigorously.

Sun Woo inadvertently thought that she looked somewhat cute.

At first, she seemed like a hedgehog with all its quills raised, then like an abandoned kitten, and now she fully appeared as a small white rabbit.

So fluffy that he wanted to hug her without even realizing it, like a small animal.

Sun Woo painfully tore his eyes away from Se Eun, who was busily producing apple rabbit friends.

For some reason, if he kept looking for too long, it felt like his gaze would be endlessly fixed.

Sun Woo turned his eyes to the calendar hanging on the dry wallpaper.

It was already the last day of February.

Stretching out fully, he muttered a meaningless soliloquy.

“…Winter is coming to an end.”

*

March was a month with a special annual event for the Ko San family.

It was because it was the birthday of Ko San, the head of the group.

Having passed his 80th birthday in good health, he was about to celebrate his 82nd birthday this year.

Although he had strongly declined and passed on a lavish 80th birthday celebration, this time, for some reason, Ko San announced that he would personally invite distinguished guests from political and business circles to hold a birthday party.

At his announcement, it was natural for everyone’s senses to be on high alert.

Ko San had always been tight-lipped about the future direction of succession for the group.

But now that he had married off his granddaughter to the second son of the Juha Group, there were rumors that something of his intentions might be revealed.

Amidst the flood of various speculations, the ones most on edge were undoubtedly the mother and daughter, Ko Do Hwa and Shin Mo Na.

“There shouldn’t be any lack at this birthday party. You understand, Shin Mo Na?”

“I’m already paying attention to it. After all, grandfather has entrusted it to me for once.”

Mo Na answered with sparkling eyes.

She had always been bothered by Ko San’s lack of trust in her, but for some reason, he had entrusted her with the important task of inviting guests this time.

Of course, to be precise, it was to be done together with her mother, but it was still the first time she had been given a major role in such an event.

As such, Mo Na was full of enthusiasm and ambition.

After all, this party could be a very important turning point for the mother and daughter.

“You need to make a clear impression on your grandfather this time. He still hasn’t properly allocated your share of the stocks. We must absolutely get as much as possible. Make sure Se Eun gets nothing.”

“Mom, you’re stating the obvious. How dare Se Eun get any more? Her aunt’s share is already more than enough.”

“Right. Ultimately, that should become ours too.”

Ko Do Hwa bit her lip hard, revealing her full greed.

Ko San had been quite passive about inheritance to his children, despite his age.

This became even more pronounced after Ko Yeon Hwa’s death.

How much resentment had she endured while listening to the surrounding sarcastic whispers that it was probably because he didn’t love his second daughter as much as his eldest.

Nevertheless, she had endured and endured because she believed that he wouldn’t really give any property to Se Eun.

But to suddenly bring in a grandson-in-law using that share as bait.

From the beginning, her dead sister’s property should have become hers.

Her sister always had more than her, and she always lived like her sister’s shadow.

As such, there should be no misfortune of losing that precious share to someone like Ki Sun Woo.

“Remember, Mo Na. We must be chosen by grandfather this time.”

“I know, Mom.”

Mo Na, who immediately understood the intention, smiled coldly and whispered.

Her greed was no less than her mother’s.

“To be chosen, we need to eliminate the other options entirely.”

Yeon Se Eun. Such an option should never be given to Ko San.

The whisper of Ki Sun Woo, which sounded like a threat, still seemed to unpleasantly brush her ears.

Such an insult could never exist in Shin Mo Na’s dictionary.

The thought of taking them both down at once made Mo Na happy for once.

Especially since she now had a very suitable and excellent weapon in her hands.

*

In the twenty years since her mother passed away, Se Eun had never once received an invitation to her grandfather’s birthday.

As such, this unfamiliar invitation just felt bewildering.

Moreover, the words ‘couples invited’ written on the invitation card were even more awkward.

“Hmm. A party. Has the opportunity finally come?”

Unlike the anxious Se Eun, Sun Woo seemed to enjoy examining the invitation card, turning it this way and that.

The dress code, which was appropriately formal yet free, along with the note that gifts would not be accepted at all, was quite characteristic of Ko San.

Well, no gift would excite that old man now.

Except for the ‘Queen’s Tears’ that he, Ki Sun Woo, should be searching for and offering right now.

“Your aunt is listed as the host. She must have sweet-talked the old man well.”

“…What should we do?”

With a worried expression, Se Eun pointed at the invitation card in Sun Woo’s hand.

“That party, should we go…?”

Incredulous, Sun Woo straightened out the invitation card and placed it firmly in Se Eun’s hands.

How could the one who should be the main character be so passive?

Well, she probably couldn’t even guess his intentions, so it was understandable that she was scared.

Sun Woo tried to gently coax this frightened white rabbit.

“Of course we should go. It says couples are invited, are you telling me to go alone and lonely?”

“…”

“We just bought clothes at the department store a few days ago. Now that I think about it, it was an excellent shopping trip. That Tinkerbell dress will get to see the light of day.”

“What?”

Going to the party alone was already an adventure, but to wear such a daring dress on top of that?

Se Eun opened her eyes wide in surprise.

But before she could put up any defense, Sun Woo suddenly lowered his head.

“…!”

Due to Sun Woo’s sudden lowering of his posture, the distance between the two became just a paper-thin gap.

He fluttered the invitation card between their lips.

Even though the lips were hidden behind the invitation card, Se Eun’s heart beat wildly fast.

Towards her, who had lost her words, a low whisper soon leaked from the hidden lips.

“Look forward to it, Yeon Se Eun. It will be your grand debut stage.”