As expected. Se Eun stood there helplessly, unable to show any reaction.

Unable to hide her wounded expression.

A satisfied smile appeared on Mo Na’s lips as the desired picture was finally created.

Yes, this is how it should be.

The fools she had invited to her maternal grandfather’s birthday party had only received Ki Sun Woo’s champagne blast one after another and fled.

So this time, she invited a more special guest.

A guest who could bring great humiliation to Ki Sun Woo and inflict a huge wound on Se Eun.

It was none other than Ki Sun Woo’s ‘former woman’.

Mo Na had the advantageous edge of information from attending every social gathering.

Ki Sun Woo’s escapades were always a hot topic, especially regarding his relationships with women.

They said he only dated daughters from prestigious families, or that there was no woman he couldn’t seduce.

Whatever the case, it would be a shocking past for the current Yeon Se Eun.

Having lived virtually confined at home, she would have been completely unaware of past events, and Ki Sun Woo wouldn’t have spoken of such things himself.

So this situation would clearly be a disaster for both of them.

Of course, she had firmly instructed the invited woman not to act like she knew her at all.

As expected, Ki Sun Woo’s former woman was creating a very interesting situation.

Smack! Sun Woo harshly swatted away the woman’s hand as it tried to touch his shoulder.

Then he sighed and raised the corner of his mouth slightly.

“What’s this? Again?”

“What do you mean ‘this’? Elder brother. You’re too much. Have you already forgotten me?”

“There’s nothing to forget or not forget, I don’t even remember you in the first place.”

“You’re so mean. It’s me, So Hee. Do you have any idea how hurt I was when I heard you got married?”

The woman called So Hee pressed her body close and blatantly pushed her cleavage forward.

It was a rather pitiful struggle, but it was an act that wouldn’t work on Sun Woo at all.

“Whether you’re So Hee or whatever, it’s none of my business. Seeing how cheaply you’re acting, it’s no wonder I don’t remember you.”

“Elder brother!”

“Don’t shout. I think I know who invited you, but if you came, just stay quietly and leave. Don’t cling to an innocent person.”

“Innocent person? Elder brother, was our relationship just that insignificant?”

Glancing sideways, she looked around without lowering her voice at all.

At that moment, Se Eun, who had been standing in a daze, met eyes with the woman who had revealed her name as So Hee.

In that instant, as if to show off, the woman placed her hand on Sun Woo’s collar.

Her long, bright red fingernails were about to touch the pumpkin brooch that Se Eun had carefully made.

“…Remove that hand.”

“…!”

It wasn’t just the woman who was surprised.

Sun Woo, Shin Mo Na standing beside them, and even Se Eun herself were surprised.

Because they didn’t expect such a sharp voice to flow from her mouth.

After flinching for a moment, the woman smiled as if she had been waiting for this.

“Oh my. So you’re our Sun Woo’s new woman?”

An infinitely provocative tone and gaze.

Se Eun felt a fire rising in her chest.

However, before Se Eun could actually retort, Sun Woo’s sharp voice cut in between.

“Not a new woman, but my wife. Don’t be rude.”

“Hmm~.”

The woman crossed her arms and looked back and forth between Se Eun and Ki Sun Woo, who had somehow come to stand next to Se Eun.

Then she threw out a shocking statement.

“It hurts to hear you say that. Have you already forgotten the good nights we spent together? I heard rumors that you had a political marriage, so I thought your mind was still free. Like before.”

An icy silence fell.

People around who heard the woman’s words began to glance this way and whisper.

Se Eun suddenly thought that it felt as if the flow of air had completely stopped.

She felt foolishly close to tears.

Of course, she hadn’t naively thought that such a handsome and wonderful man would have no former lovers.

But she never expected to see it directly with her own eyes, to hear such stories with her own ears.

It was then.

A scoffing laugh broke through the silence.

Soon after, that scoff turned into a hearty laugh.

Swirling a clear champagne glass, Sun Woo extended his hand towards the woman.

“Hey, have you heard the rumor that if you come looking for me to cause trouble, you’ll get hit by a champagne blast?”

“What…?”

“Like this.”

Whoosh, the stream of champagne instantly cut through the air.

Everyone was unable to contain their shock.

This time, the liquid flowed down precisely from the woman’s head to her face.

Thanks to that, the woman’s carefully applied makeup and groomed appearance were instantly ruined.

“Right. Now I remember hearing that vulgar tone. Han Sung Construction’s youngest daughter, Jin So Hee.”

“…”

“I heard you tried to get my brother drunk and do something to him, and when that didn’t work, you caused a scene at the hotel? How unfortunate. It’s true that I’ve met some women who tried to approach my brother, but I’m sorry to say, I’ve never spent any good nights or bad nights with them.”

“You… you…!”

Panting, the woman frantically brushed away her wet, tangled hair.

“Jin So Hee. I met you just once. And if I had known you tried such tricks on my brother, I wouldn’t have met you at all. I only chose to meet women that even my brother would desire. Not someone like you.”

“Hey! Ki Sun Woo! You crazy bastard!”

Unable to contain her anger, the woman swung her hand as if to tear Sun Woo’s collar.

However, Sun Woo caught her arm even faster.

Then he whispered with an infinitely gentle yet eerie smile.

“Touch this brooch, and you’re dead.”

“…You…!”

“Don’t ruin someone else’s happy occasion and get lost. As the youngest daughter of a chaebol family, shouldn’t you be graceful even when rejected?”

It was a catastrophe.

The woman called So Hee glared at Sun Woo and Se Eun as if she could kill them, then stormed out of the place.

Shouting at the top of her lungs as she left.

“Ki Sun Woo! You think I’m the only woman holding a grudge against you? You’d better watch your back!”

Once again, an icy silence descended.

The one who broke that silence was Mo Na.

“…My goodness. How pitiful. She must have been deeply in love with my brother-in-law? Even after being rejected, she couldn’t let go and came all the way here. So sad.”

“Well. Isn’t it stranger to fall deeply for a man you only met for a day? Moreover, it’s even stranger that you invited Jin So Hee, sister-in-law.”

“Oh my! What are you saying? I don’t know such a woman.”

“Right. I hope you don’t. Because if you knew and did this, sister-in-law might soon need to be hit by a champagne blast too.”

Flinching, Mo Na shuddered her shoulders and then turned to Se Eun with an exaggerated laugh.

During this entire situation, Se Eun had turned completely pale.

“Elder sister. Don’t worry too much. Men and women can date a bit. They can sleep together a bit too.”

“…Huh?”

“Huh. Someone might think she came because she got pregnant or something. Sister-in-law. Speak properly. We never dated, and we certainly never slept together.”

“Oh my. Brother-in-law, really. What happens between a man and woman is only known to them. Hoho.”

Her small, clenched fist trembled.

It was strange. Even though the woman had already disappeared, her afterimage continued to linger before Se Eun’s eyes.

Former lover… Ki Sun Woo’s former woman…

Just as she was becoming immersed in thought, Sun Woo unfolded her hand and grasped it tightly.

“Yeon Se Eun. Were you very surprised? I’m sorry. But more importantly, what’s the matter?”

“Ah…”

Only then did Se Eun suddenly remember why she had been looking for him.

Coming to her senses and looking around, she saw that CEO Jang Ha Yeon and the VIP guests were chatting with other guests far away.

Fortunately, they seemed to have missed this commotion.

“I wanted to show the brooch Ki Sun Woo is wearing to the guests CEO brought.”

“Then you should have said so quickly. If you had, we wouldn’t have wasted time with those strange ones. Come on, let’s go. We must quickly showcase my wife’s excellent work.”

Speaking nonchalantly, Sun Woo instead led Se Eun.

As if nothing had happened, as if it really was nothing.

But even as she was led away with her hand held tightly, the throbbing pain in her chest did not disappear.

*

That day, Se Eun’s jewelry line ‘Eyes’ received an explosive response.

The VIP guests each ordered several pieces of amber accessories, and even pre-ordered the entire line that would be actually produced later.

On top of that, custom orders poured in, requesting pieces made with their own eye colors as motifs.

Along with promises to wear them at every major event in the future.

Jang Ha Yeon was delighted by this achievement as if it were her own.

Given the purchasing power and influence of today’s VIP customers, she praised and encouraged Se Eun, saying she expected great repercussions in the future.

Even Mo Na, perhaps unable to make a face in front of the CEO, forced herself to applaud.

But Se Eun’s heart was filled with concern for a man with beautiful eyes.

‘…I think I like Ki Sun Woo.’

Those words that came out so honestly, surprising even herself.

At that time, she couldn’t think deeply about it due to the hot and passionate kiss that followed.

The fact that Sun Woo didn’t actually answer her confession.

“…”

Se Eun carefully brought her fingers to her lips.

The sensation of softly embracing her lips, the gentle breath that penetrated…

It would be a lie to say she didn’t feel affection in it.

But why didn’t Sun Woo respond one way or another to her feelings?

Did he think such things were meaningless since they were already married?

“Haah…”

A small sigh escaped her lips at the unfitting worry.

These love problems were truly difficult.

Moreover, there was no one around she could discuss this with.

But there was one thing for certain.

That glamorous woman who tried to reach out to Sun Woo familiarly.

The emotion that throbbed when she saw that woman was clearly ‘jealousy’.

An emotion she had never felt before, one she thought she would never feel in the future.

That was burning like a big spark inside Se Eun.