“Well then, shall we start playing the role of husband in earnest?”

After putting Cho Bbang back on the floor, Sun Woo gently tossed the attachment doll.

Then he immediately picked up his phone and made a call.

As always, after exactly three rings, the other person’s voice came through.

It was the familiar gruff voice as always.

[What is it, Ki Sun Woo.]

“Greet me more warmly. Senior.”

[It’s obvious something troublesome is coming up, would you be happy if you were me?]

“Senior, you know me too well. But what can I do? There’s no one else who can help except our elite reporter Kim Sang Hyun.”

[At least wet your lips before you lie. What is it? What is it this time?]

Grinning, Sun Woo sat down heavily on the bed.

The first task for Ki Sun Woo, who had declared a change of heart, was set.

So without hesitation, Sun Woo got to the point.

“I need you to catch a thief for me.”

*

Monday morning. Mo Na set off to work in high spirits.

By now, Yeon Se Eun would probably have decided to quit the company on her own.

She left looking so dejected, she’d likely give up that ill-fitting internship position by today.

It served her right for not knowing her place and acting up.

“That’s what you get for biting off more than you can chew.”

Humming happily at the long-awaited satisfaction, Mo Na parked her car in the reserved spot in the parking lot.

The foreign car she bought to commemorate getting the job seemed to shine even brighter today.

That’s when it happened.

In the usually spacious parking area, she noticed an unfamiliar car parked annoyingly close.

“Who dares to park in my spot……”

With an irritated expression, Mo Na tried to peer inside the car.

Suddenly, a very unpleasant voice came from beside her.

“That’s my car.”

“……!”

Whirling around, she saw Ki Sun Woo casually twirling his keys in front of the car’s hood.

He then gave her a wink as a greeting.

Her good mood instantly evaporated at his arrogant attitude.

“Hello, sister-in-law. Good morning.”

“…… What good morning.”

Dumbfounded, Mo Na deeply furrowed her brow.

To think the first face she’d see this morning would be that guy of all people.

Regardless of her scowling face, Ki Sun Woo strode over confidently.

Then suddenly, he waved some paper in front of Mo Na’s face.

“What is that? Get it away!”

“How could I? It’s an arrest warrant for a thief.”

“……What?”

At the absurd statement, Mo Na snatched the paper irritably.

It contained a printout of CCTV footage she had seen last Friday.

However, the person captured was not Se Eun, but Shin Mo Na. Herself.

“W-What is this?”

“Hmm~ Are you planning to deny it? There’s a saying that a thief is most afraid of their own footprints, so I had hoped…”

“Thief? Are you crazy?”

Realizing her voice had risen involuntarily, Mo Na anxiously looked around.

Fortunately, being in a corner spot and having arrived early, there was no one around them.

“What are you up to? Where did you……”

“I was quite bored over the weekend. Our little rabbit at home was feeling down, you see.”

“What? Rabbit?”

“Yes. It seems some nasty beast had bitten our fragile rabbit.”

“Speak plainly! You’re so annoying……”

Sun Woo cut off Mo Na’s words as she tried to point her finger at him.

Then he waved the paper left and right in front of Shin Mo Na’s face again.

“So I did some tracking over the weekend. Apparently, after my wife went into the sample room or whatever on Friday, some diamond or rock completely disappeared?”

“Did you come to make compensation instead? It must be quite expensive.”

Grinning, Sun Woo pulled up the corners of his mouth ominously, then dropped the paper on the ground.

Mo Na followed the fluttering paper with trembling eyes.

“The thief should make compensation. The thief is clearly captured in this paper, isn’t it?”

“……”

Staring at the paper, Shin Mo Na seemed to have momentarily forgotten to reply.

It was understandable. What was shown there was part of the CCTV footage that had mysteriously disappeared after Se Eun went in and out.

The footage that Sun Woo had secretly obtained and restored through Sang Hyun.

“That black box you’re holding, sister-in-law, isn’t that the missing diamond box?”

“Don’t talk nonsense! How can you be so sure when you can’t even see the contents?”

“Hmm. If that’s what you’re saying, why did you immediately frame our wife then~ I’m getting more and more curious about those impure intentions.”

“That’s because the circumstances clearly pointed to elder sister Se Eun!”

Greatly agitated, Shin Mo Na stomped on the paper furiously.

As if trying to destroy evidence.

It didn’t matter anyway. He had expected her to deny it, of course.

A trap set with great effort deserves a stage prepared with equal care.

Sun Woo took out a prop he had prepared for this stage from his back pocket.

Shin Mo Na’s eyes immediately widened when she saw it.

“Here. I found it. The lost diamond box.”

“This…… This…… Where did you……”

“It was in the drawer of your desk?”

“Lies! How did you open it when the desk was locked……!”

Suddenly, a realization flashed in her eyes.

At the same time, a crooked smile appeared on Sun Woo’s lips.

“Why? Surprised that I have it when you locked it up so tightly, sister-in-law?”

“……Don’t talk nonsense. Where did you get this fake……”

“What if it’s real? You know well, don’t you, sister-in-law? That my specialty is uncovering others’ secrets. Come to think of it, those idiots you specially invited to the Chairman’s birthday party last time were all thoroughly fleeced by me.”

“……”

“And do you know what’s characteristic of such guys? They’re too scared to take it outside. Usually, they hide it all inside. Desk drawers or safes. Mainly in places like these.”

Shin Mo Na’s violently shaking eyes were already giving the answer.

It wasn’t a difficult task.

Tracking down and identifying the thief was as easy as chewing gum while lying down.

Who else in this company would be the fox to bite the rabbit’s nape other than Shin Mo Na?

Sun Woo raised the level of provocation a notch higher.

“Won’t you check? I specially came to meet you first to return this, so you can put it back properly.”

“What…… Keep talking nonsense.”

“We’re family, aren’t we, sister-in-law? I don’t want you to be framed as a thief either. So let’s keep this between us, and you put it back in its original place. It’s like showing leniency, so to speak.”

“……”

A heavy silence passed between them for a moment.

Then slowly, Mo Na reached out towards the box.

She had planned to hide the diamond box well for now, then secretly return it later when the time was right.

So if what Ki Sun Woo was holding was real, it would be quite troublesome.

Not just the price, but even if they did a fingerprint analysis……

After hesitating for a moment, Mo Na seemed to make up her mind and opened the box.

“……!”

Sun Woo’s hearty laughter and Mo Na’s panting sounds flowed out together.

Of course, the box was empty.

Sun Woo winked at Shin Mo Na, whose face had turned red realizing she had been tricked.

“Caught you, thief. I guess the desk drawer was indeed the answer. Anyway, nine out of ten are like that. Their minds are so inflexible, they can only use shallow tricks.”

“You…… You crazy bastard!”

“Tsk tsk. Our sister-in-law is so sharp-edged. Always saying and doing nasty things. Is it because your name is Mo Na?”

“Hey! Ki Sun Woo!”

“I can tolerate any tricks you try to pull on me, but not with Yeon Se Eun.”

A voice sharp as steel.

Suddenly, Sun Woo’s eyes glowed fiercely like a wild beast’s.

The playful atmosphere from just moments ago vanished instantly, and only a chilling air swirled around Mo Na.

“You called me a crazy bastard? I’ve always been a crazy bastard, but now I’m thinking of becoming one in a different sense.”

“……”

“Listen well, Shin Mo Na. I’d like to drag you to the police station right now, but I don’t want to make a big fuss either. My goal is to let our innocent rabbit go to work with peace of mind.”

Flinch, Mo Na’s shoulders trembled. It was fear.

A sharp fear rushed in, as if she might be slashed by a beast’s claws at any moment, as if her skin might be pierced by sharp teeth.

However, as if he had said all he needed to say, Sun Woo smiled brightly again.

“Well then, sister-in-law. I trust you know what to do next, so I’ll be going now. Don’t try to play at being a clumsy thief again. It’s laughable for a real master thief to see.”

*

“It was a misunderstanding?”

“Yes. Haha. My goodness, they had placed an identical pumpkin box in the sample room, and it seems they got switched. What elder sister was carrying around was the pumpkin box, and the diamond box had fallen in a corner.”

Looking at the diamond box Mo Na handed over, Jang Ha Yeon wore a slightly dubious expression.

However, upon seeing that the contents were as they should be, she soon nodded.

“Well, it’s fortunate that we found the lost jewel. Since it was simply a misunderstanding, Se Eun, don’t worry about it. I’m sure no one suspected you.”

“……Yes. Thank you.”

Not understanding what had happened, Se Eun glanced towards Mo Na.

She couldn’t comprehend why Mo Na was now making it as if nothing had happened, after going to such lengths to frame her as a thief.

But Mo Na didn’t try to make eye contact with Se Eun at all.

“Alright then, let’s forget about this incident and focus on the designs for the next season.”

“Yes, Director!”

All team members nodded.

Se Eun also nodded along and returned to her seat.

Whatever had happened, it was fortunate that the matter was resolved.

If it had been her in the past, she might have just given up, but at least now, she didn’t want to quit over such an unpleasant incident.

She had decided to stay with the company even if it meant borrowing money to compensate.

She didn’t want to give up prematurely on the tiny seed that had just begun to sprout.

It was the first positive change detected in her heart.

Although just an intern, Se Eun wanted to accomplish at least one thing here.

That was to create jewelry that resembled Ki Sun Woo’s eyes.

For the first time, she wanted to muster her strength for him, who had become an endlessly sparkling existence to her.