She couldn’t even remember how she had escaped.

When Se Eun came to her senses, she found herself sitting on the bed, slapping her cheeks hard.

Hoping the heat on her cheeks was due to friction, not because of what Sun Woo had just said.

That man is dangerous. An excessively dangerous intruder.

So she must never get entangled with him. Never.

Only after repeating this dozens, hundreds of times in her mind could Se Eun finally fall asleep.

The problem was that the warmth of his fingers on her lips followed her into her dreams.

“You’re up early.”

The next day. Sun Woo waved his hand casually as if nothing had happened.

His nonchalance was almost tongue-clucking.

Anyway, Se Eun didn’t have the energy to question him now, so she simply conveyed her message.

“Um, Ki Sun Woo. I’m going to the hospital for a bit.”

“Hospital? Is it because of your leg?”

“Yes. I go regularly every week. It won’t take long.”

“Okay. Take care.”

After exchanging brief greetings, Se Eun left, and Sun Woo sprawled on the sofa, rubbing his face.

Now that Yeon Se Eun, the house-bound spirit, was out, it was the perfect chance to thoroughly search the house, but somehow he lacked motivation.

If it was because of last night’s incident, even he couldn’t understand himself.

Last night, Sun Woo waited until Se Eun was likely asleep before starting his search.

‘Don’t go into the locked room upstairs.’

If he didn’t enter after hearing such words, he wouldn’t be Ki Sun Woo.

Moreover, hadn’t Se Eun added quite a meaningful comment?

That ‘there are many things outsiders shouldn’t touch.’

Though it felt rather unsavory, like thievery, he was a thief to begin with.

One who had infiltrated the Ko San household to steal Se Eun’s heart and the jewels that must be somewhere.

‘As expected, it’s locked.’

It wasn’t a lie; the door was firmly locked with a padlock.

Of course, this wasn’t a big problem. Picking locked doors was child’s play for him.

Thanks to his experience in pilfering various confidential documents to expose several chaebol families.

Just as he was about to open the door with a thin wire, Se Eun’s sudden appearance in the hallway foiled his attempt.

Even more unsightly was Ki Sun Woo himself.

When she lost her balance and fell helplessly into his arms, the first thing that caught his eye was, of all things, her red and pretty lips.

In fact, he had been watching those lips all through dinner, somehow satisfied as she ate the meal he had prepared.

Ridiculously, while watching her, he had thought:

Is this how it feels to pick up an abandoned kitten from the street and feed it milk?

But Yeon Se Eun, encountered in the deep moonless night, was just a woman.

Delicate, yet with a strangely desirable aspect.

“Hah… You crazy bastard. What are you doing? You’re supposed to seduce her, not get seduced yourself.”

As he was tapping his innocent head, the sudden sound of the doorbell made Sun Woo snap back to reality.

Se Eun, who had just left, couldn’t be back already, so who could it be?

Sauntering over, Sun Woo pressed the intercom button.

An unexpected figure soon appeared on the large screen.

Simultaneously, a curse escaped Sun Woo’s lips.

Standing there was Im Ryu Ryeong, his elegant and refined stepmother and the mistress of Juha Group.

*

“What is it? Surely you didn’t come expecting a warm welcome?”

Sun Woo threw a sharp greeting at Im Ryu Ryeong, who was sitting on the sofa, looking around the house.

He had no choice but to let her in when she showed no signs of leaving despite not being let in.

It would be troublesome if Se Eun returned first.

“The house is quite old.”

“Living in a palace-like house, I suppose nothing else meets your standards. Just state your business quickly and leave.”

“That’s a shame. I came to see our daughter-in-law.”

Im Ryu Ryeong said with a slight smile.

From head to toe, she exuded nobility, possessing a beauty that made it impossible to guess her age.

A beauty that had completely captivated the heart of Juha Group’s chairman, Sun Woo’s father.

“Drop the act of being a mother-in-law. Since when did you care about such things?”

“Your mouth is still as harsh as ever. I knew you were willful, but I never expected you to suddenly hold a wedding without even an introductory meeting. And on a day when I couldn’t attend, no less.”

“Well, I didn’t have the luxury to consider your busy schedule.”

Sun Woo retorted indifferently, exuding an air of annoyance.

Despite not being offered even a glass of water, she sat very upright, as if asserting dominance in her own home.

“I can’t understand how you managed to win over that white tiger, Chairman Ko San.”

“Well, I guess he wanted a handsome grandson-in-law.”

“Don’t try to brush it off. Your father has been beaten by that old tiger more than once in business. And he accepts someone like you as a grandson-in-law? What are you up to?”

“My, you must have been deceived quite often.”

He blew air, making his bangs flutter like willow branches.

This was one of Sun Woo’s habits that Im Ryu Ryeong particularly disliked, considering it uncouth.

“Fine. Let’s put this aside for now. You’re not the type to spill the beans even if asked.”

“If you understand, please leave quickly. The air in the house seems to be getting stale.”

“A shareholders’ meeting is scheduled in a few days. It’s about appointing your brother as vice president.”

“So? Did you come to brag about it to me?”

“You’re a shareholder too, after all. You need to cooperate to ensure that meeting goes smoothly.”

An undisguisable sneer flowed from Sun Woo’s lips.

“You mean I should forget about getting some fresh air and just enjoy my newlywed life quietly, right?”

“I won’t deny it. If you cause trouble, it will be difficult for In Hyeok.”

“The ones who will really be in trouble are you, mo, ther.”

A tense atmosphere swirled between them.

After a moment, Im Ryu Ryeong picked up her handbag and stood up first.

As always, with a refined expression, she offered a smiling farewell.

“I can’t just stand by and watch my beloved son go astray. Please take care, Sun Woo.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be living comfortably, parasitizing off the Ko San Group.”

“I hope that sentiment doesn’t change.”

Bang! As soon as she left through the front door, Sun Woo slammed the table forcefully.

In truth, he didn’t really care much about his half-brother In Hyeok becoming vice president.

He was undeniably a talented individual with excellent management skills, necessary for Juha Group.

But Im Ryu Ryeong was absolutely unforgivable.

When he was nearing the end of his military service, his mother passed away after a long illness.

And Im Ryu Ryeong swiftly took her place before his mother’s warmth had even faded.

The shocking truth revealed later was that Im Ryu Ryeong had been in a long-term affair with his father even before Sun Woo’s mother married him.

She brazenly moved in with her son In Hyeok, whom she had before Sun Woo, and acted as the mistress of the house.

As if it had always been hers.

After the mistress of Juha Group changed, the existence of Ki Sun Woo, Juha’s upright only son, also vanished without a trace.

What remained in his place was just a prodigal son filled with rebellion and hatred towards his father.

“Damn it!”

Just when he thought he had escaped the annoying surveillance of the Juha family, such an unpleasant intruder showed up.

Im Ryu Ryeong’s visit was a blatant warning.

Not to try to outdo her, being just a youngster.

But Sun Woo was different from before too.

From the moment he realized that minor rebellions wouldn’t make much impact on the mountain that was Im Ryu Ryeong, he began to devise other methods to cause a landslide.

Yeon Se Eun. She was the answer.

*

“Did something happen?”

“No. You’re back early.”

As Se Eun stepped into the dark living room, she sensed that the flow of air was different from before.

She tried to read Sun Woo’s expression, but failed.

He approached swiftly and made an unexpected suggestion in a cheerful voice.

“Yeon Se Eun, shall we go on a date?”

“…Pardon?”

Se Eun blinked, wondering what this was about.

It was still February, so the days were short, and having just returned from the hospital, the sun would set soon.

No, putting all that aside, the very idea of a ‘date’ between them was nonsensical to begin with.

But it seemed only Se Eun thought so.

“You’ve been cooped up at home every day, isn’t there anywhere you want to go?”

“I just went out and came back.”

“That was the hospital. A date is a different kind of outing.”

Se Eun scratched her hand, wondering why the word ‘date’ sounded so ticklish.

But Sun Woo stopped that motion.

By suddenly grasping her hand.

“Don’t scratch. Your hand is getting red.”

“What? Ah… What?”

“It’s no use trying to deny reality. We’re married. And when a newly married couple is locked up alone in a house like this, there’s only one thing that can happen.”

“……”

Gulp, the sound of swallowing dry saliva seemed audible even outside.

Her captured hand was gently lifted, and then her hand was placed under Sun Woo’s lips.

His lips were as red as if dyed with flower pigment.

“…!”

As Se Eun, startled, tried to pull her hand away, his lips touched her hand stickily.

It was such an unfamiliar sensation that it made her shiver.

So much so that she wondered if her hand was turning red because of his lips.

Soon he half-raised his eyes and whispered in a low voice.

In that unique voice that always sounded like humming.

“How about it? Shall we go out? Or, shall we continue what we couldn’t do last night because you, Yeon Se Eun, ran away?”