The stone in her hand seemed to radiate warmth.

It was fascinating.

She hadn’t felt moved by any jewel since her mother’s accident.

Her aunt and Mo Na always wore glittering jewels.

From precious metals like gold and diamonds to ultra-expensive fine jewelry.

None of them had ever seemed beautiful to Se Eun, so she was surprised to feel wonder at this amber that wasn’t even particularly valuable.

Suddenly, Se Eun realized that something had changed within her.

It was these vivid emotions.

Excitement, admiration, trembling, shyness.

It seemed like the first time these emotions had surfaced since that tragedy.

She had chosen numbness to avoid feeling the heart-wrenching pain.

“…It’s pretty.”

Marveling at this discovery, Se Eun gently caressed the smooth amber.

Even now, unfamiliar emotions were surging overwhelmingly in her heart.

Suddenly, Se Eun realized an even newer fact.

That it was her once-unfamiliar husband, Ki Sun Woo, who had broken the solid seal.

That seal-breaker came to pick her up without fail that day too.

In the same vein as the lunchbox, Sun Woo had been showing up at quitting time ever since visiting the company on the first day.

“Come on, have some of these.”

“Oh my, what are these…?”

The team members flocked towards Ki Sun Woo, murmuring.

Sun Woo’s hands were full of shopping bags emitting a sweet fragrance.

Everyone reached for the shopping bags as if enchanted, perhaps because their sugar levels had dropped from the constant mental work, or due to the lingering effects of Se Eun’s lunchbox reveal earlier.

With a rather benevolent smile, Sun Woo distributed individually wrapped cookies to them.

“I was too free this afternoon, so I baked some cookies. Please enjoy these and take good care of my beautiful wife.”

“Oh my~ How cute! There’s a rabbit here too!”

“That’s right. You must really like rabbits.”

“Yes. They’re cute.”

Glibly replying, Sun Woo winked at Se Eun, who had frozen in her seat.

It meant she should stop hiding and come out quickly.

“…”

As Se Eun hesitantly gathered her things and came out, the sharp-eyed team members quickly grabbed the cookies and disappeared.

Shin Mo Na had already left just before Ki Sun Woo appeared.

Deliberately showing her dislike of running into him.

“Here, this is specially for you.”

As Se Eun approached, Sun Woo handed her the most beautifully made rabbit cookie.

Unlike the others, this rabbit wore a large ribbon.

Dumbfounded, Se Eun muttered softly.

“Really… I told you I can go by myself. It’s embarrassing when you keep coming to pick me up like this, as if it’s a kindergarten.”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about? We’re just playing our roles.”

“Our roles?”

“Yes. Yeon Se Eun’s role as an employee, and my role as a husband.”

“…”

Gulp, Se Eun swallowed the words rising in her throat.

She wanted to argue that he had initially said he would play at being a husband, not actually be one.

This looked more like a devoted husband, but she was afraid of what answer she might get.

Feeling an odd tension, Se Eun hurried him along, saying they should go.

In truth, his coming to pick her up felt strangely reassuring, but she couldn’t let that show.

*

That evening’s dinner was also a feast.

Se Eun began to suspect that Ki Sun Woo might spend all day cooking after she left for work.

Like a royal kitchen maid.

“What are you thinking about so intently? Was it not tasty?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s always too delicious, that’s the problem.”

Hurriedly covering her belly with her thick fur coat, Se Eun clenched her fists and cleared her throat.

That action must have seemed quite unnatural, as Sun Woo chuckled and picked up her bowl.

Seeing this, Se Eun urgently reached out her hand.

“Ah, um. Let me at least do the dishes.”

“I told you it’s fine. Don’t you get tired of saying this every time? I believe in handling the tasks I create myself.”

“But this isn’t that kind of task.”

Se Eun secretly glanced down at her belly again.

She was starting to doubt if the bulge was really just from the fur on her coat.

This wouldn’t do.

If she kept getting accustomed to Ki Sun Woo’s meals like this, she felt she might soon be rolling around like a ball.

“I just… thought it would be good for me to move my body a bit.”

“Hm?”

Sun Woo, who was already wearing rubber gloves about to start washing dishes, suddenly turned around at Se Eun’s words.

Oh no.

His face was floating with mischievous playfulness, like the bubbles from freshly squeezed dish soap.

“Yeon Se Eun. You want to move your body?”

“Ah, that’s… I mean…”

Feeling that something had gone wrong, Se Eun quickly racked her brain.

But of course, there was no way she could keep up with Ki Sun Woo’s provocative speed.

He looked at Se Eun with languid eyes.

As expected, as anticipated, dangerous words leaked from his lips.

“I can teach you an efficient way for a married couple to move their bodies. It’d be perfect for you who gets cold easily. You’ll be out of breath, sweating a lot…”

“I-I-I won’t lie down! Absolutely not!”

“…”

A strange silence fell. A truly strange silence.

Soon after, Ki Sun Woo’s hearty laughter filled the kitchen and living room.

Finding it so funny for some reason, he was laughing while clutching his stomach.

Tears were even forming at the corners of his eyes.

Seeing this, Se Eun felt like she had been tricked.

“What on earth were you thinking? Yeon Se Eun. I thought you were innocent, but you’re more lecherous than you look.”

“…”

“I was just about to suggest we go for a walk, as you said it would be good to move our bodies a bit after dinner. What in the world did you imagine to insist so strongly that you won’t lie down…”

“L-let’s go! Quickly! For a walk!”

Hastily cutting him off, Se Eun hurriedly tied up her fur coat.

She had to escape immediately from this space permeated with this strange atmosphere.

“Hm? I’m about to do the dishes now though.”

“Do it later. Later! I suddenly feel like going for a walk right now.”

Still unable to lower the corners of his mouth full of amusement, Sun Woo slowly took off his rubber gloves.

Se Eun quickly turned her head away from the lean muscles and prominent veins revealed on his exposed arms.

Her heart was pounding again, like popping corn.

There were far too many dangerous things in this house.

*

As the castle wall trail on the hill they went to before was still too much for Se Eun, the two decided on a nearby park for their walk.

It was a place with decent atmosphere, being flat ground with a small lake.

Especially after seeing internet reviews that it was a popular spot for dog owners, Sun Woo led her there.

As expected, Se Eun was busy glancing at the passing dogs.

Though it was early March, the evening still brought a biting wind, and Se Eun’s cheeks were flushed from the cold.

Seeing this, Sun Woo naturally took Se Eun’s hand.

“…!”

Startled, Se Eun shifted her gaze from a passing dog to Sun Woo.

Her large, clear eyes were moist as if she had just cried.

“You forgot your gloves.”

“Ah… It’s fine though.”

“My hands are cold. I was using cold water earlier.”

Sun Woo didn’t know why he was lying.

But Se Eun flinched at the mention of dishwashing and then obediently held his hand tightly.

He could have just said he wanted to hold her hand.

The words he used to speak lightly were starting to carry weight.

“Um, about what I said earlier about moving my body…”

“I know. You meant rehabilitation exercises and such, right?”

“…!”

Her eyes sparkling, Se Eun nodded her head vigorously.

He had pretended to believe her to avoid her running away if he teased her again, but she looked happy as if her intentions had finally been conveyed.

For a moment, Sun Woo paused. Something had briefly flashed across her cheek and disappeared.

…A dimple.

Small but clear, a dimple had appeared and vanished.

It was pretty. So damn pretty that Sun Woo couldn’t continue the conversation and just stared at Se Eun.

Her cheeks white and plump like a child’s, her small upturned nose, and her lips… her lips.

“Ki Sun Woo?”

“…Ah.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Just seriously thinking about suitable rehabilitation exercises you can do regularly.”

Rehabilitation exercises, my foot. He had actually almost kissed her without thinking.

Sun Woo hit his own head to regain his senses.

When Se Eun opened her eyes wide in surprise, even that looked so cute that he hit himself once more.

That’s when it happened.

A strange whimpering sound like “keeng keeng” came from the dark bushes.

“What’s that? I hear a strange sound coming from over there.”

Thankfully something appeared that could divert his attention from Se Eun’s lips, so Sun Woo actively moved towards the bushes.

Se Eun must have heard the sound too, as she followed with cautious steps.

The hand he was holding tightened its grip, showing that she was quite tense as well.

It was very dark in the bushes after sunset.

With each step further in, the strange sound grew louder.

Listening closely, it sounded like an animal panting.

“Ki Sun Woo! Look here!”

Se Eun, who had turned on her phone’s flashlight, urgently pointed at something.

Following the direction of her finger, there was a tattered paper box on the ground.

And inside it…

“Keeng… keeng.”

“A puppy?”

“…Oh my goodness. Someone must have abandoned a puppy here!”

Se Eun let go of his hand and quickly crouched down.

Inside the box was a small puppy that looked to be about a month old.

The puppy was shivering, apparently cold.

Se Eun’s eyes quickly filled with tears as she looked at the puppy.

Gulp, Sun Woo swallowed dryly.

He had a feeling that something big was about to happen.

That feeling proved correct.

Se Eun carefully lifted the puppy from the box and looked up at Sun Woo with teary eyes.

“Ki Sun Woo. This puppy… can’t we keep it?”