The first schedule for the two after becoming a married couple was not a honeymoon, but a ‘visit to the family home’.

Just 3 days after the ceremony, the family hastily summoned this newly formed couple.

Due to the marriage being rushed through without even proper introductions, this was the first time Se Eun’s family was properly meeting Sun Woo.

Though family only consisted of Ko San, her aunt, and her aunt’s daughter.

“You’re coming to the house you used to live in, why are you so tense?”

“…I’m not tense.”

Suddenly feeling an intent gaze, Se Eun snapped back to attention.

In the brief moment waiting after ringing the doorbell, her fingertips had been trembling without her realizing.

Indeed, this invitation was by no means pleasant for Se Eun.

Currently living in this grand mansion were Chairman Ko San, his second daughter and Se Eun’s aunt Ko Do Hwa, and Se Eun’s cousin Shin Mo Na.

Opposite to Se Eun leaving this house after marriage, her aunt moved back in with her daughter after divorcing.

Thanks to that, Se Eun had lived with her maternal family for a long time.

That very ‘living situation’, along with her uncomfortable leg, was another shameful matter she wanted to hide, but Se Eun had no right to refuse this summons.

Just why had they called her here?

As her worries were deepening, there was a click as the front gate opened.

“Oh my. Welcome. Elder sister Se Eun.”

“…Oh. Hello.”

“Oh my. Our Se Eun, it’s so nice to see you after just a few days. Becoming a newlywed seems to have made your face glow.”

At the smiling welcome from her aunt and Mo Na, Se Eun deliberately clasped her hands tightly.

So that Ki Sun Woo standing beside her wouldn’t notice the trembling.

Meanwhile, Sun Woo quickly offered greetings.

“I’m Ki Sun Woo.”

“Welcome. We’ve met a few times before, right?”

“We must have. I never miss appearing at loud and extravagant places after all.”

At the impertinent yet subtle nuance, Ko Do Hwa’s expression crumpled slightly.

But only for a moment, as Mo Na soon linked arms with Se Eun, displaying familiarity.

“Oh my. Elder sister~ I’m so glad. Congratulations on the marriage again! Nice to meet you. Can I call you elder brother-in-law?”

“Do as you like.”

Even considering the age difference, Sun Woo’s tone was excessively curt.

Mo Na did not have strong patience.

Sure enough, unable to hold back, Mo Na openly displayed her discomfort.

“Please sit, elder brother-in-law. I prepared some alcohol, thinking you might like it. It’s still daytime, but you don’t mind that sort of thing, right elder brother-in-law?”

At the sharply pointed tone, Se Eun’s stomach began to knot with tension.

She wanted to leave this place immediately, but couldn’t.

It was because she was worried Sun Woo might act recklessly.

But he suddenly made an unexpected request.

“Skip the alcohol, just show me to the room.”

“The room…?”

Se Eun responded in surprise first, followed by Ko Do Hwa’s disgruntled voice.

“What room, you mean you want to see Se Eun’s room?”

“Whose else would it be?”

Sun Woo leisurely raised the corners of his mouth.

Proportionally, Se Eun’s anxiety was also rising.

“…Why my room all of a sudden?”

“Well, you lived here until just a few days ago. I’m curious how you lived, and thought we might pick up any items to take with us while we’re here.”

“There’s nothing to take…”

“What do you mean looking at rooms when you’ve just arrived for the first time?”

Amidst Se Eun’s feeble protests, Mo Na’s sharp voice suddenly cut in.

Sun Woo immediately retorted as if annoyed.

“Why? Is there something I shouldn’t see? Dear.”

“What’s with that tone?”

As Shin Mo Na’s face turned red and blue with anger, Ko Do Hwa stepped in to stop them.

“Oh my. What to do. Unfortunately, Se Eun’s room is disorganized right now from packing up various things when she got married. It’s your first visit today, so let’s relax and have some tea. We can tour the room next time.”

“Well, that’s a shame but let’s do that then.”

From behind Ko Do Hwa, Shin Mo Na glared fiercely at Sun Woo.

Easily deflecting that gaze, Sun Woo casually went to the sofa and plopped down, leaning back.

He looked completely at ease, as if it were his own home.

Thankfully. Se Eun inwardly sighed in relief.

The room, as if it could be shown.

To begin with, it was in terrible shape and inside was a space that absolutely must not be discovered by others.

As if the two also knew that place must absolutely not be revealed, Ko Do Hwa naturally changed the subject.

“By the way, I thought our Se Eun had no talent at all for things like dating, where did you find such a splendid husband?”

Awkward at the kind tone, Se Eun’s words got stuck in her throat.

Of course, she had expected they wouldn’t treat her like usual with an outsider present, but this attitude was equally uncomfortable.

It was then.

Ki Sun Woo, sitting beside her, quickly answered instead.

“Why pretend not to know. You know full well. You secretly recruited a grandson-in-law by staking the Ko family fortune. Must be bitter, feeling like it was wasted.”

“Hey! You…”

As if unable to tolerate the rudeness any longer, Shin Mo Na slammed the table and stood up.

But Sun Woo’s attitude remained nonchalant.

“Sister-in-law. What are you to your elder brother-in-law. You.”

“What elder brother-in-law? Ki Sun Woo, you think we don’t know what trash you are? Fine! We know everything! What, recruiting a son-in-law? Where a good-for-nothing half-kicked out of his house shamelessly aims for another family’s fortune…”

“Shin Mo Na! Shut your mouth!”

As soon as Ko Do Hwa’s stern command fell, Sun Woo’s boisterous laughter rang out to the high ceiling.

It was like a signal heralding disaster.

Soon he slammed down his teacup with a bang, no less than Shin Mo Na, and grabbed Se Eun’s wrist as he stood up.

“This should be enough greeting, right? I’ve heard your true feelings loud and clear just now, so we’ll be going. Come on, let’s go. Honey.”

“What? Oh…”

*

“Why are you picking fights all of a sudden?”

Se Eun demanded of Sun Woo as soon as they sat down, only to immediately stand up again and exit through the front gate.

Actually, she wanted to question the unfamiliar term of endearment “honey” first, but she held back.

But Sun Woo responded nonchalantly.

“Because I didn’t like it.”

“What?”

“I said I didn’t like it. It wasn’t a home but completely like a witch’s den, wasn’t it? You looked like you wanted to leave as soon as possible.”

Was it just her imagination that it felt like a leading question?

Looking down at Se Eun, who was just mumbling with her lips, Sun Woo continued indifferently.

“Well, there’s an old witch in our house too. And.”

“…?”

“This is my usual conversation style. You must have heard, my nickname.”

“Ah…”

Unable to say words like “trash” or “prodigal” to his face, Se Eun just blinked her eyes.

As if reading her hesitation, Sun Woo chuckled lightly.

At that laughter far from seriousness, Se Eun felt an inexplicable unease.

Whether it was his conversation style or way of treating people, it wasn’t Se Eun’s place to interfere.

But such a personality wasn’t helpful for her current situation.

“…There’s no need to be hostile on purpose.”

“There’s no need to be friendly on purpose either.”

“We made a promise. To keep the lines that shouldn’t be crossed…”

Flinch, Se Eun hunched her shoulders tightly before finishing her sentence.

It was because of the large hand that suddenly came in.

Reflexively squeezing her eyes shut, a feather-light sensation brushed past her cheek and then gently moved up towards her head.

At the unexpected action, Se Eun slowly opened her eyes.

A wide-brimmed fur hat had been placed on her head.

“It’s snowing.”

“…Ki Sun Woo.”

“What? Is this also a line that shouldn’t be crossed? Yeon Se Eun, you probably don’t know, but you’re very frail. If you get caught in snow like this, you’ll probably be bedridden for a week.”

“I told you. Don’t worry about me.”

“Hmm. Do you get some kind of points every time you tell me not to worry?”

“That’s not it…”

Se Eun awkwardly grasped and released the hat, debating whether to take it off.

In the end, Se Eun gave up on removing the hat.

She didn’t want to argue over something like this here.

Instead, she quickly turned away as if fleeing from the unfamiliar kindness.

“You’re going to walk?”

“Yes. It’s not far from here. And I won’t be bedridden just from getting caught in a little snow like this.”

Saying that, Se Eun quickly disappeared from Sun Woo’s sight.

Her retreating figure, looking just like a sulky hedgehog, caught his gaze.

Sun Woo suddenly realized that she could move quite nimbly despite limping more than expected.

In fact, there were many other fruits of his espionage as well.

The trembling fingertips that increased noticeably as they neared this Ko family home, how her speech slowed down distinctly in front of her aunt and cousin even though she spoke her mind to him in her own way.

How should he put it, it felt like she was carefully choosing her words.

Lastly, the strangely sensitive reaction she showed when he just put the hat on her.

It wasn’t that of someone who had normally learned “intimacy”.

Though they tried hard to create an affectionate atmosphere, the relationship between Ko Do Hwa’s mother and daughter and Se Eun must not be like that.

Because there was no affection in the eyes of the woman called aunt looking at her niece.

The same went for Shin Mo Na. Sun Woo was well aware of her existence.

This cousin, a year younger than Se Eun, was completely opposite to her sister who had lived confined.

She never failed to appear at every business party, flaunting her existence as the granddaughter of the Ko Group to her heart’s content.

Though she adorned herself with expensive clothes and jewelry, unfortunately her looks were ordinary unlike Se Eun’s.

Ko Do Hwa. Shin Mo Na. The atmosphere of that mother and daughter could be said to be 180 degrees different from Se Eun’s.

Endlessly putting on airs, but the type Sun Woo always despised.

It had nothing to do with Sun Woo anyway.

Hadn’t Se Eun herself repeatedly emphasized? Not to worry about her.

There was just one thing that bothered him.

Hadn’t all three of them, strangely as if in cahoots, dissuaded him from seeing Se Eun’s room that he had wanted to check just in case?

As if they desperately wanted to hide something.

“…Well, it’s not like I’m going to really play the husband role anyway.”

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Sun Woo followed after her.

It would be best to quickly get away from this unpleasant witch’s den after all.