“Why are you running? Your leg must hurt.”

“It’s fine. I came down to the parking lot and saw Mr. Ki Sun Woo’s car…”

Suddenly feeling embarrassed for showing too much excitement, Se Eun felt awkward.

Sun Woo immediately opened the door, and Se Eun sat in the passenger seat, first putting her bag down on the floor.

“…Aren’t you going to fasten your seatbelt?”

“Huh? Oh.”

Startled, Se Eun awkwardly fumbled with her hands.

She had always naturally fastened her seatbelt, so she assumed Sun Woo would do it for her this time too.

Feeling embarrassed, her hands kept slipping, and only after adjusting the belt several times did she hear the click of it locking in place.

Se Eun glanced at Sun Woo through the mirror as he silently started the car.

His usually playful eyes seemed unusually subdued today, and his gaze looked somewhat dark.

“What’s…”

“Hm?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Se Eun was about to ask what was wrong, but chose not to disturb his driving.

She was also a bit afraid to hear the answer.

After returning home, Sun Woo first moved her large bag to the room.

She thought they would go down together for dinner, but unexpected words came from his mouth.

“Eat dinner alone today. I already ate a little while ago.”

“What? Alone?”

“Yes. It was made not long ago, so you just need to heat it up.”

“Ah…”

“You can do that, right?”

“O-Of course. Then I’ll eat and come back.”

Se Eun nodded and fled the room.

In truth, if Sun Woo wasn’t eating, she didn’t feel like eating either.

But today, the atmosphere between them felt unbearably heavy.

Feeling suffocated, Se Eun chose to temporarily leave.

In the kitchen, a neat Korean meal was set out.

As he said, it seemed to have been made not long ago, as everything except the soup was still quite warm.

Not feeling like heating it up, Se Eun just picked up her chopsticks.

“…”

As she struggled to eat, Se Eun suddenly realized something strange.

Despite saying he had eaten earlier, the food looked untouched, as if freshly made.

Quickly opening the rice cooker to check, she saw that only the amount in her rice bowl was missing.

That’s when she noticed Sun Woo coming down the stairs from the second floor.

Se Eun unconsciously stood up and hurriedly approached him.

“Ki Sun Woo! You didn’t eat, did you? Are you sick? If your stomach isn’t feeling well, I could make some porridge…”

“Yeon Se Eun.”

An infinitely cold voice descended upon her clear forehead.

Se Eun flinched, her shoulders trembling involuntarily.

Whenever such coldness was in her name, bad things always happened.

Sure enough, that rule held true without fail.

An icy response flowed from Sun Woo’s lips.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“…What?”

“It’s exactly what I said. You’ve said it many times yourself. Don’t worry about me. That’s what I mean for you too.”

“I…”

“Shall I say it clearly again? I absolutely hate it when someone worries about me.”

“…”

Her arm dropped with a thud.

Was “don’t worry about me” such a harsh thing to say?

With her eyes burning, Se Eun lowered her head.

Sun Woo silently walked past her and went outside.

She wanted to tell him it was still cold in the evening, that he shouldn’t go out without a coat.

She wanted to express the small concerns he always had for her since coming to this house, but she couldn’t.

Because she realized Ki Sun Woo had just drawn a line with her.

*

The yard was cold.

But his inner self was colder.

Sun Woo couldn’t gauge how long it had been since his heart felt this complicated.

Until now, he had been singularly focused on one goal, so his mind was simple.

He had lived only for revenge, to bring down Im Ryu Ryeong.

The accusations of being trash or a scoundrel in that process didn’t matter at all.

But seeing Yeon Se Eun’s face just now, looking like she might burst into tears at any moment, made his chest unbearably tight.

Why did she look so hurt by the words of an unworthy husband?

From just those harsh words.

“Haa…”

A long sigh escaped and was soon swallowed by the darkness.

Just like this darkness, he felt unable to see ahead.

When he first applied for that unprecedented son-in-law recruitment, Ko San had told him:

‘After finding the jewel, if you want a divorce, you’re free to do so.’

At the time, he had just nodded halfheartedly, but inwardly he had sneered at the old man who didn’t even think about his granddaughter’s future.

But thinking about it now, Ki Sun Woo’s own existence was just as much a culprit in ruining Yeon Se Eun’s future.

“Divorce, you say?”

A bitter laugh escaped Sun Woo’s lips.

Wasn’t the meaning to seduce that delicate rabbit-like woman, gain her heart, steal the jewel, then confess it was all a lie and abandon her?

At the time, he hadn’t thought deeply about what would happen after.

With the weakness to bring down the iron fortress of Im Ryu Ryeong right before his eyes, he wasn’t in a position to be picky.

Sun Woo unconsciously looked into the house from outside.

The brightly lit living room and kitchen. Yeon Se Eun must be sitting somewhere in there right now.

Probably with her spirits completely dampened by his cold attitude just now.

What had he planned to do after obtaining the jewel?

What would happen to Yeon Se Eun alone if he left this house?

And what about Cho Bbang?

“Ha… haha.”

Feeling like he had fallen into a trap instead, Sun Woo let out a long, hollow laugh.

How long had he been sitting like that in the darkness?

Suddenly, he noticed the light in the second-floor hallway had gone out.

It seemed Yeon Se Eun had grown tired of waiting for him and gone up to the bedroom first.

He slowly got up and went back into the house.

Her spring breeze-like scent still lingered in the living room.

Looking at the kitchen, he saw all the dishes had been washed.

Suddenly, he noticed a small rattan cover placed on the dining table.

Gently lifting it, he saw various fruits inside, including rabbit-shaped apple slices.

“…”

Naturally, he didn’t feel like eating.

Sighing once, Sun Woo carefully replaced the cover.

One step, another step. His footsteps up to the second floor felt unusually heavy.

Entering the hallway, he saw a faint light seeping out from the bedroom.

Wondering if she was still awake, Sun Woo paused for a moment.

Then he laughed at himself.

This was the bedroom he had lured her into using Cho Bbang.

It would be self-deception to feel uncomfortable sharing a room now.

Gently pushing open the door, he saw Cho Bbang sleeping comfortably on its cushion.

It was fortunate the kitten was still young and diligently eating and sleeping.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and went inside.

He felt foolish for being so tense, but contrary to his tension, Yeon Se Eun was asleep.

Not on the bed, but next to Cho Bbang’s cushion.

“…Yeon Se Eun.”

He murmured her name softly, but Se Eun was in a deep sleep and didn’t wake.

Her small body curled up next to Cho Bbang looked so fragile, it made him feel conflicted.

Why was she sleeping so uncomfortably?

She must have fallen asleep while looking at Cho Bbang to soothe her upset feelings.

That’s when he saw it.

Dried tear tracks on her clear peach-colored cheeks.

Without realizing it, Sun Woo reached out and caressed her cheek.

His chest felt so tight, like it might burst.

“What should I do with you, Yeon Se Eun.”

Seeing her slender ankles peeking out from under her long skirt, Sun Woo furrowed his brow.

She had already lived a life marked by tears.

“…If I say I don’t want to see you cry because of me, I’d be a selfish bastard, wouldn’t I.”

Finding his own words ridiculous, Sun Woo roughly ran his hand through his hair.

He carefully lifted the soundly sleeping Se Eun into his arms.

Fortunately, the bed was right next to them, so he could gently lay her down without waking her.

After tucking her in securely so she wouldn’t be cold, Sun Woo lay down beside her with his back turned.

It didn’t seem like sleep would come easily tonight.

*

The awkward atmosphere that had persisted for days was overwhelming for Se Eun.

She had always been lonely, but she felt she had never been as lonely as now.

To shake off this unfamiliar feeling, Se Eun focused on work twice as hard as usual.

Since discovering the amber gemstones last time, she had been developing her own concept for this line.

Finding it easier than digital drawing, Se Eun sketched with a pencil.

She was grateful to be able to focus solely on what was before her, like when writing calligraphy, without any stray thoughts.

Mona was watching Se Eun intently from a distance, her eyes wide.

Amber, of all things. What could she do with such a tacky, old-fashioned stone?

Jang Ha Yeon’s brand was known for its ahead-of-the-times sophistication.

Mona simply scoffed at Yeon Se Eun for choosing something so unfashionable.

And yet, why?

There was an indescribable spark in Yeon Se Eun’s eyes as she moved her hand without hesitation.

Kkaadeuk, Mona unconsciously bit her fingernail.

An ominous feeling.

She suddenly remembered feeling stung by another designer’s praise when talking about colored gemstones a few days ago.

‘It felt like the adult’s jeweled necklace I imagined as a child.’

It was natural to feel that way.

The line that Mona had finally started to gain recognition for last season was actually derived from sketches Se Eun had drawn as a child.

Yet Jang Ha Yeon showed more expectation towards Se Eun, who hadn’t even properly started working, than towards Mona.

It was probably because Yeon Se Eun was Ko Yeon Hwa’s daughter.

At that thought, she suddenly felt her stomach churning.

Mona bit her fingernail hard again.

And in that moment, she made a decision.

If it was a tree that would grow to become a threat later, she would cut off the sprout from the very beginning.