The sense of relief from having someone completely on her side slightly eased Se Eun’s long-standing loneliness.

Ki Sun Woo. Being by his side felt like being a baby whale swimming close to a giant mother whale.

It was reassuring and warm.

“Here, open wide.”

Watching Sun Woo put the prettiest and most tempting cherry from the three-tiered cake into her mouth, Se Eun found herself thinking odd thoughts.

Was this what they meant by a blessing in disguise?

She felt incredibly grateful that her maternal grandfather had chosen Ki Sun Woo as her grandson-in-law.

She didn’t even want to imagine what it would have been like if it had been someone else.

Soon, Sun Woo brought out a celebratory champagne along with the carefully prepared food.

“Shall we have a light drink?”

“…!”

Se Eun, who had been twirling pasta on her fork, startled for a moment.

The sight of the champagne glass in his hand automatically brought back memories of the past.

Her grandfather’s birthday party. The champagne she drank there.

And then…

“Hm? I’ve only brought out the glasses, why is your face already red?”

“Ah, it’s nothing!”

Se Eun focused on twirling more pasta onto her fork, applying extra force.

Of all times, why did their first kiss have to come to mind now?

She thought she had finally gotten over the habit of her gaze drifting to Sun Woo’s lips, but this was dangerous.

“Isn’t that too much?”

“What? Oh…”

When Se Eun snapped back to reality and looked down at her fork, she saw a nearly fist-sized clump of pasta.

The pasta was so well-cooked that it hadn’t broken, just grown into a large, round mass.

“It’s fine. I can eat it.”

Trying not to reveal that she had been reminiscing about their first kiss, Se Eun calmly brought the fork to her mouth.

Then she opened her mouth wide.

Unfortunately, the pasta was too large to fit into Se Eun’s mouth.

That’s when it happened.

“Give it to me.”

Sun Woo suddenly stood up from across the table, leaned forward, and took half the pasta off Se Eun’s fork.

At the same time, her fork stopped in mid-air.

An indirect kiss had just occurred so casually.

“Hm? Still too much. Why is Yeon Se Eun being so greedy? It’s almost as if you did it on purpose.”

Teasing her, Sun Woo took the fork from Se Eun’s hand again.

After eating just the right amount, leaving an appropriate portion, he gently placed the fork back in Se Eun’s mouth.

“If this is what you wanted, you could have just said so.”

“What? What?”

“It’s boring. Indirect kisses between married couples. Kisses should be direct to be enjoyable.”

“…!”

Se Eun’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit, and she frantically waved her hands.

However, such strong denial held no persuasive power in the face of her flushed cheeks.

After all, in her mind, everything but Ki Sun Woo’s lips had already evaporated.

*

After the self-indulgent dinner, the two went upstairs with Cho Ppang.

Cho Ppang wanted to play more on the first floor, but Se Eun insisted on carrying the Shih Tzu up.

She desperately needed something to divert her attention, as Sun Woo’s lips kept catching her eye.

“Now, what shall we do, just the two of us?”

“We… we should sleep! It’s night. And it’s not just us two, Cho Ppang is here too!”

Se Eun thrust Cho Ppang forward, and Sun Woo tilted his head quizzically.

“You’re acting a bit strange today, Yeon Se Eun. Is it because you’re too happy?”

“…I’m the same as usual.”

“Hmm. It’s only 9 o’clock. It’s too early to sleep. It’s a special day.”

Sun Woo stood in the hallway, gazing at the row of rooms stretching out before him.

Then he pointed to one of the doors with his long finger.

“Right. A party needs background music.”

“Pardon?”

Without further explanation, Sun Woo swiftly took Se Eun’s hand.

The room they entered was the one with her father’s piano.

Unlike before, Sun Woo sat Se Eun right next to him.

Unable to understand what was happening, Se Eun alternately looked at the keys and at him.

Sun Woo then gently placed her fingers on the keys.

“We agreed to be happy together today. So we should play the piano together too.”

“But I can’t play the piano.”

“You at least know the names of the notes, right?”

“Well… yes. But why?”

Although he had passed away long ago, Se Eun wasn’t entirely unfamiliar with the piano, given that her father had been a composer.

She just hadn’t had the opportunity to get close to it since then.

“I’ll teach you, let’s play together. The Chopsticks Waltz. You’ve heard of it, right?”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard it.”

“It’s very easy. Now, first put two fingers like this…”

His low voice seemed to settle over the keys, and soon the languid night air mingled between them.

Se Eun diligently responded to Sun Woo’s instructions, moving her fingers this way and that.

When her fingers remained still, she could feel the heat where his fingers touched, making it hard to bear.

“Excellent, Yeon Se Eun. It seems you have a talent for piano as well.”

“You don’t have to lie. Honestly, even this is challenging for me.”

“Just enjoy it. Don’t think of it as studying or memorizing, but naturally. Shall we play together?”

When Se Eun nodded, Sun Woo positioned his hands on the keys, a couple of octaves away from her fingers.

Soon, as Sun Woo signaled to Se Eun, their rendition of the Chopsticks Waltz began to play cheerfully in the room.

It was amazing.

Her fingers, which had felt stiff while learning, moved surprisingly lightly when matching the harmony with Sun Woo’s fingers.

Just like how her legs felt lighter when running towards him.

“How is it? Fun, right?”

“Yes. My fingers… they seem to be tapping the keys on their own.”

At Se Eun’s response, Sun Woo smiled softly and moved down an octave.

Their shoulders, which had been parallel, now pressed closely together.

As their fingers played the keys, their bodies swayed back and forth.

Perhaps because they were getting used to it, their finger movements became even more lively.

It was so enjoyable to play together rather than alone.

Eventually, a genuinely joyful laugh burst from Se Eun’s lips.

“Hmm. I’m glad to see Yeon Se Eun so happy. From now on, whatever it is, don’t hold back. You can express your emotions honestly. No one will say anything.”

“…Thank you.”

Their conversation, layered over the melody, sounded just like affectionate lyrics.

Se Eun unconsciously turned her head to look at Sun Woo.

With eyes full of smiles, she met his beautiful amber eyes.

Suddenly, she felt a warm sensation on her hand.

Sun Woo had moved down another octave and placed his fingers on top of Se Eun’s.

As if they had become one.

He played the keys together with Se Eun’s fingers, looking at her with intense eyes.

Why?

At this moment, Se Eun really wanted to convey her honest feelings.

Even if she might regret it. Even if it was embarrassing.

“…I think I like you, Ki Sun Woo.”

Without turning her head, Se Eun stared directly into Sun Woo’s eyes.

She just wanted to convey it. It felt like if she didn’t express this feeling, this sincerity now, she couldn’t.

Suddenly, she felt his hand on top of hers tighten.

And in an instant, truly in an instant, his eyes fell towards her like a shooting star.

“…”

Her lips were hot. His breath was too.

The fingers moving over the keys slowed down.

In contrast, the two pairs of lips continued the melody passionately.

Ki Sun Woo, who had engulfed her lips in one go, showed none of his usual composure.

Without any mercy, he swallowed Se Eun in one breath.

The exchanged breaths seemed to melt Se Eun completely.

His lips were a hundred times sweeter than the cherry cake they had eaten earlier, or the few sips of champagne.

When their intertwined fingers locked tightly above, Se Eun trembled.

She had never felt such a sensation before.

The feeling of being about to be devoured in one bite, yet wanting it – such a paradoxical feeling.

The moistened lips seemed to push her to the very limit.

“Haa…”

Unable to hold back any longer, a labored breath escaped between Se Eun’s lips.

But Sun Woo, on the contrary, refused to let go of those lips.

It might have been a misunderstanding, but she thought that perhaps he was the one who had wanted to kiss again.

He explored and explored Se Eun’s lips as if he couldn’t resist.

The two’s Chopsticks Waltz had somehow turned into a Lip Waltz, continuing for a long time.

Under the moonlight, the curtains in the piano room fluttered, carrying the soft spring breeze.

It was an unforgettable second kiss.

*

After turning on the rabbit mood light by the bedside, Sun Woo lay on his side.

The small silhouette of the soundly sleeping Se Eun was captured in one glance.

Her round forehead, small but pretty nose, red and plump lips…

Seeing her like this, even though he knew she was already asleep, he wanted to wake her up and kiss her again.

No, would he be crazy to say he wanted to keep kissing her even if she stayed asleep?

No matter how much he explored Yeon Se Eun’s lips, it wasn’t enough, and he felt thirsty.

‘I think I like you, Ki Sun Woo.’

Who would have thought that such a confession towards him would come from these lovely lips?

The moment he heard those words, Sun Woo felt all the strings of his reason snap.

It meant that the purpose of this marriage had finally been achieved, but the desire that surged in his heart was something else.

He wanted to possess her to the point of madness. He wanted to own her.

That’s why he ended up devouring those lips right in front of him.

If it hadn’t been on top of the piano, if it hadn’t been in this situation built on lies.

Sun Woo might have brought her to bed right away.

But before he could fully explore this lovely white rabbit, there was something he absolutely had to tie up.

The Queen’s Tears. The jewel at the starting point of this marriage.

Ko San was by no means an easy opponent.

Only when he properly concluded the deal he had made could he proudly claim his place by Se Eun’s side.

“…Yeon Se Eun.”

Sun Woo softly called Se Eun’s name.

How could he both obtain Im Ryu Ryeong’s weakness and have Se Eun to his heart’s content?

In the face of this love emotion he recognized for the first time in his life, another task was emerging.