Time did not wait for Se Eun.

The day of the party arrived without giving her a chance to mentally prepare.

“Hmm. Should I put it up or down?”

“……”

“Is it better to tie it up, or leave it loose?”

“……”

With the continuous whispering settling over her parting, Se Eun felt exhausted before even going to the party venue.

For a full hour, Sun Woo had been holding her hair in his hands, manipulating it.

He would twist it up, then let it fall loose.

He would tie it in one bundle, then scatter it flowing again.

Refusing the suggestion to go to a salon for makeup was the root cause of this situation.

If that was the case, he said he would style it himself and pushed Se Eun in front of the vanity.

At least thanks to her pleading to do her own makeup, Ki Sun Woo compromised by taking up the comb and curling iron.

As for makeup, she had only applied a light base and pale pink lip balm.

Even that was a drastic change for Se Eun.

“Mr. Ki Sun Woo. Just tie it up roughly. We’ll be late at this rate.”

“It’s alright. The main character can arrive a bit late.”

Main character? The main character of this party was the birthday celebrant, Chairman Ko San.

Though she couldn’t quite grasp his intentions, Se Eun at least knew well that she didn’t have the luxury of time right now.

If she were late to her first official invitation, she might have to attend her own funeral.

“This looks good after all. This style suits your image.”

Sun Woo gazed satisfactorily at Se Eun in the mirror.

At his fingertips, Se Eun’s hair had become wavy like the sea.

“I’m not sure. Doesn’t it look like… a poodle or a Sapsaree?”

“Miss Yeon Se Eun. This isn’t calligraphy time.”

“That’s not what I meant……”

“Come on. You said we don’t have time. Get up quickly. Now we need to get you dressed.”

Without the energy to argue, Se Eun rose unsteadily from her seat.

Fortunately, she had chosen the dress to wear the night before, so it seemed they would be able to make it just in time.

However, a variable occurred. A special variable named Ki Sun Woo.

“…Where did the dress that was here go?”

“Hm? What? The dress is hanging there just fine.”

Sun Woo pointed to the dress hanging on the rack with a mischievous wink.

The dress hanging there was not the ankle-length vintage dress of her mother’s that Se Eun had picked out yesterday.

It was the so-called Tinkerbell dress she had bought at the department store recently.

Without a doubt, he must have switched them overnight.

“Mr. Ki Sun Woo….. This won’t do. Give me back my dress quickly.”

“That sounds just like a line from a fairy tale. But you know what, Yeon Se Eun? I’m a man without any childlike innocence. I absolutely must have you wear that dress hanging there.”

Saying so, Sun Woo swiftly grabbed that Tinkerbell dress and approached Se Eun.

The words that followed were, as expected, not beyond imagination.

“Come on, put it on quickly. Or I’ll dress you myself.”

*

In the car heading to the party venue.

Even though Sun Woo had neatly covered her with his jacket, her thighs still felt exposed.

Embarrassed, Se Eun had been staring out the window the whole time.

The sun was still short, and Sun Woo’s figure was faintly reflected in the darkened window glass.

Se Eun secretly observed his well-dressed appearance in a suit, stealing glances.

The sophisticated dark gray suit fit his body nicely, highlighting his tall and slim figure.

Even his long fingers resting on his knee looked as if they were sculpted.

Feeling her cheeks flush for some reason, Se Eun quickly lowered her gaze to her toes.

Then her eyes were filled with the sight of his pristine white sneakers.

It was so like Ki Sun Woo to not wear dress shoes even to an occasion like this.

At the same time, it looked incredibly stylish.

She somewhat wished she could emulate that aspect of not caring about others’ opinions.

The car quickly brought the two of them to the party venue.

She had heard that hundreds of guests were invited to this event today.

Although she came prepared, as they arrived at their destination, her neck stiffened with tension.

Se Eun lowered her eyes slightly, looking down at her two legs clearly visible beneath the voluminous dress skirt.

Even though the dress code was said to be free, was it really okay to wear something like this?

As she hesitated, wondering if she should cover up even now, Sun Woo’s low and cheerful voice was heard near her ear.

“Yeon Se Eun. You know what? People gossip more when you try to hide. Humans inherently like to find faults in others.”

“Mr. Ki Sun Woo……”

Then, his palm was extended under Se Eun’s hand.

Affectionately, or boldly and mischievously.

“And you have nothing to worry about. You have such a reliable husband right beside you.”

Se Eun stared blankly at him for a moment, unsure if it was a joke or sincere words.

Then, as if by magic, Ki Sun Woo truly felt dependable.

“…Alright.”

Se Eun put strength into the tips of her high heels, worn for the first time since her wedding day.

The sparkling silver shoes seemed as if they would take her to a wonderful place like in the fairy tales she read as a child.

Finally, with a bright smile, Sun Woo led her into another world.

“Wow……”

As soon as they entered, Se Eun’s lips parted involuntarily.

A massive and splendid chandelier was emitting light from the impossibly high ceiling.

The hall spread out below seemed endless.

Contrary to her concerns about her own attire, people dressed to the nines were holding glasses and engaging in conversation.

It felt like she had stepped into a nobles’ social party she had only read about in books.

Se Eun’s eyes were nearly spinning from the beautiful clothes and jewels everywhere.

“Miss Yeon Se Eun. Focus. Hold my hand tightly so you don’t get lost.”

“Mr. Ki Sun Woo, really… Do you think I’m a child?”

“You look like a child right now. You’re staring with wide eyes, after all.”

“When did I……”

Because it was true, Se Eun cleared her throat and clenched her fist.

Mistaking it for thirst, Sun Woo quickly picked up a glass from a nearby table and handed it to her.

“Drink this. Judging by the color, it shouldn’t have much alcohol.”

“…Thank you.”

Another unexpectedly thoughtful kindness.

Se Eun took a sip of the drink with flushed cheeks.

It was then. Suddenly, shadows fell around the two of them.

“…?”

Se Eun looked up from her drink to identify the source of the shadows.

Several men had surrounded them, having approached unnoticed.

However, their target seemed to be her husband Ki Sun Woo standing beside her, not her.

“Well, well. Who do we have here? Isn’t it Ki Sun Woo, Ko San’s grandson-in-law.”

“Indeed. Did your face brighten up? Is it thanks to moving from Ju Ha to Ko San after being abandoned?”

Se Eun stared dumbfounded at the men who suddenly came to provoke.

They seemed to be around Sun Woo’s age or slightly older, and from the atmosphere, they appeared to be acquainted.

However, Sun Woo thoroughly ignored them and picked up a dessert from the table, offering it to Se Eun with an “ah”.

Affectionately and even more affectionately, as if to show off.

Se Eun hesitated in confusion, wondering whether to eat the dessert that had come right up to her lips.

Then, one of them snickered and looked Se Eun up and down.

Then he put on an impure smile and snickered.

“You must have been tired of being unemployed. So, are you enjoying your newlywed life? I thought Ki Sun Woo only went for glamorous types. Guess not?”

“…!”

Se Eun took a step back at the man’s rude words.

She felt goosebumps as the stranger’s gaze lingered on her tight-fitting chest and waistline.

It was at that moment.

Suddenly, the dessert in front of her disappeared without a trace, and a fierce stream of liquid sprayed out instead.

At the same time, Ki Sun Woo’s angry voice leaked out.

“Get lost. Only I can look at my wife’s body, so take your perverted eyes away.”

“…You bastard, really.”

The man’s face turned red and blue, having suddenly had champagne spilled on his expensive clothes.

The expressions of the other companions standing beside him also hardened in an instant.

The only one with a pleased look on his face was Ki Sun Woo.

He twirled the empty champagne glass with his fingers, then held it out to the man who had just been doused with champagne, as if it were a gift.

“Was the overseas illegal fund statement I gave you before not enough? Shall I give you another New Year’s gift?”

“……”

“Let’s see. What do we have? Drunk driving, accounting fraud, money laundering….. Wow. You’ve committed quite a lot. It’s hard for me to choose at this rate.”

“You bastard. Watch out. Ki Sun Woo. You’d better watch your back.”

“Don’t worry about my back, worry about your receding hairline. Why don’t you start going to a hair loss clinic early?”

“…Son of a bitch.”

The man turned away, taking his other companions with him, panting with anger.

Se Eun felt uneasy at their retreating figures, but Sun Woo even hummed a tune.

“Ah, this is the real fun of parties. The taste of meeting enemies on a narrow bridge and threatening them.”

“…What’s that?”

“Here, eat this. Eating something sweet will help you relax a bit.”

Once again, he carefully picked up a dessert and brought it to Se Eun’s lips.

This time, with no way to refuse, Se Eun opened her mouth and swallowed the cute-looking dessert.

The sweet cream seemed to balloon in her mouth.

“Oh my, it got smeared. Sometimes when I see you like this, you really are Yeon Se Eun.”

“Pardon?”

Before she could ask what he meant, Sun Woo’s long finger touched her lips.

Then that finger lightly brushed from the middle of her lips to the corner, wiping something away.

It must have been the cream from the dessert she had just eaten.

Because Ki Sun Woo naturally put the cream on his fingertip into his own mouth.

In that moment, Se Eun felt herself burning from head to toe.

In addition, for the first time in her life, she encountered a new emotion.

It was, excitement.