What on earth.

Tae Ha carefully stroked over the text with trembling hands.

Haa.

Flash, a powerful light dazzlingly covered his eyes.

Long ago, pain piercing his whole body, and two hands that disconnected him from that painful world.

Someone was there. In that place.

It wasn’t an illusion created by the pressure to remember the accident.

Tae Ha felt a terrible chill as he couldn’t take his eyes off the text, feeling a lump rising in his throat.

What could it mean?

“H, I, E, M, S. Is it Latin?”

With each finger pointing at each alphabet, the softly chanted syllables piled up as questions.

Tae Ha rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought, then stood up. He then took out his cell phone from the pocket of his suit jacket that he had thrown on the bedroom floor and went out to the living room.

Turning on one light and sitting in a wing chair, he entered the alphabets one by one into the portal search bar. After entering the last S and pressing search, the screen that came up.

“Yeim? Winter. It’s winter.”

What could winter be? Why winter?

Tae Ha rested his arm on the armrest of the wing chair and propped his chin on his hand.

His tattoo matches all but the initials with Ha Eun’s. It’s different in meaning and location from Eun Seo’s.

But if tattoos weren’t trendy back then, this was strange.

The pain in the shoulder blade, and the marriage registration they didn’t know about each other.

Tae Ha sank into the backrest, looking at the thickened fog outside the window.

* * *

Cheongdam-dong High-end Forest Villa.

Jung Woo visited his mother after a long time. As he stopped by on his way to work, it was still before the faint dawn air had dissipated.

When he opened the door, the fragrant smell of coffee wafted out.

“I’m here.”

“You’re here, son!”

Jung Hee appeared wearing a purple apron and holding a spatula in one hand. She was someone who had never cooked in her life.

But it seems she did something since her son was coming.

“I told you, you don’t have to make breakfast. The company food is good.”

“Still, a mother’s heart isn’t like that. An Young says her cooking skills have improved?”

“Yes, it’s very delicious.”

“Is that why you don’t come home?”

“I’m planning to come out soon.”

“Really?!”

A glimmer of joy shone in Jung Hee’s eyes.

“But mother, I’m going to live separately from you. Don’t be too happy.”

“Ah. Let’s live together. Mom is too lonely.”

His mother, who barely had any contact after divorcing his father. Jung Woo wasn’t unaware of her feelings, but he didn’t particularly like being by her side.

Things done without considering capabilities, reckless investments.

It wasn’t once or twice that Jung Woo had to clean up after her. It was better for both of them to watch from a distance rather than be stressed by her side.

“What about Tae Ha?”

At the mention of ‘Tae Ha’, Jung Woo barely managed a smile, unable to spit out the bitterness.

“He’s doing well. Oh, I have something to ask you.”

“Talk while we eat, don’t just leave after listening.”

Jung Woo reluctantly followed his mother into the dining room.

On the white table were pancakes topped with blueberries and syrup, French toast, a few pieces of melon, and coffee.

“Eat.”

Jung Woo cut a piece of pancake, ate it, and then moistened his mouth with coffee before asking.

“Mother, about Tae Ha. You said he would definitely end up marrying Yoo Ha Eun, right?”

“Yes. But why?”

“Is it also true that Butler Jang received shares on the condition of raising Yoo Ha Eun?”

“Yes. That’s right. It’s such a shame. Dong Eui Foods is a well-known profitable company, and Tae Ha’s uncle is the CEO there. He was abroad for a long time too.”

“Ah, was it Hong Young Sik? The person said to have many political connections.”

“Right. But that person has bad rumors and his abilities are just so-so, so wouldn’t it have been better if those shares were given to me instead of Butler Jang? I would have taken good care of the company.”

“How much are Butler Jang’s shares?”

“How much was it… 3 percent, or 5 percent?”

“You can’t control the company with just that much.”

“Hey. Even the current representative doesn’t have that many shares now. There are just a lot of friendly shares. Moreover, if Tae Ha and Ha Eun get married, Butler Jang will receive a success fee. Of course, Tae Ha and Ha Eun will each receive 5 percent.”

“How much?”

“5 percent.”

Jung Woo’s chewing of the pancake slowed down.

5 percent each.

Tae Ha, Ha Eun, Butler Jang. If you combine the shares of the three, you can control an entire company.

Even if you exclude Tae Ha’s shares which are by no means easy to handle, with Ha Eun and Butler Jang’s shares. If you add to that the shares of Dong Eui Foods bought by his mother’s company, Mirae Bio.

Jung Woo’s mind became busy.

He didn’t know why Ha Eun was receiving so many shares, but whatever the reason, he now had a justification to cooperate with Ha Eun.

“But did you come to ask about that? Why? Does Tae Ha really dislike Ha Eun?”

“No, I’m not sure.”

Jung Woo took a sip of coffee and then put down his cup.

* * *

“So this is breakfast?”

Tae Ha nodded gently as he looked at the food laid out on the large wooden table.

Just one bowl of red kimchi soup.

“There was only kimchi in the refrigerator.”

Eun Seo said as she wiped her hands on her apron, conscious of Tae Ha’s gaze. She’s arguing that such a simple table isn’t her fault.

“I didn’t say anything.”

Tae Ha pulled out a chair and sat down. He leaned his back against the backrest, pulled the chair all the way in, and picked up a spoon.

Although breakfast doesn’t even need chopsticks, the white rice glistening with oil and the red soup stimulated his appetite.

“The rice is delicious.”

Tae Ha exclaimed as he scooped up a spoonful and chewed it.

“My grandmother said that while I may not know much else, I’m exceptionally good at cooking rice. She said even if I use old rice, it tastes like new rice.”

Eun Seo smiled as she mixed rice into the soup, but after hearing those words, Tae Ha couldn’t swallow his rice. He remembered that Eun Seo’s hands were quite rough when he first held them.

“Is it not tasty?”

Eun Seo asked when Tae Ha stopped moving his spoon. She had a worried look, wondering if her food wasn’t delicious.

“No, it’s delicious.”

Tae Ha started spooning again. But his crown feels hot.

Is she watching to see if I’m eating well?

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Tae Ha asked, raising his head after slowly chewing and swallowing his food.

“Because you’re handsome. My eyes keep going to you.”

“Where, my crown?”

“Everything, everything.”

The sight of her resting her chin on her palm and staring blankly looked so sincere that Tae Ha laughed.

“By the way, when are we going to Seoul?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’re staying here today too?”

“Yes.”

“But there’s nothing to eat here…”

Eun Seo looked around the kitchen with a troubled expression.

“You won’t die from fasting for a day. You said you missed me, right? I’m being considerate so you can look at me all you want.”

Tae Ha looked at Eun Seo, whose eyes had widened, and smirked.

“Don’t worry. There’s plenty of food.”

Although there was clearly nothing but kimchi in the refrigerator, Eun Seo had a doubtful expression, but she realized it wasn’t a lie only when she took his hand and opened the front door.

In front of the entrance was a large ice box. And inside were various shellfish and meat, vegetables and eggs, cheese, and beer.

“There’s someone who manages the villa. They prepared this knowing I came.”

The caretaker lived a bit away from the villa, came up to the villa every few days to manage things like the lawn and jacuzzi, and when guests came to the villa, that’s when they brought food.

“You should have told me in advance.”

Tae Ha said to Eun Seo, who somehow seemed dejected.

“Breakfast was delicious. Really.”

When the two went out of the villa to have dinner, it was an evening with low-hanging clouds. Tae Ha said it’s pretty when you turn on lots of lights at night, so he leisurely ate lunch and waited for the right time.

There was a jacuzzi on one side of the yard, and next to it was a roofed deck and an outdoor fire pit.

When the lights were turned on in the bulbs surrounding the deck, colorful lights twinkled along the pillars.

Eun Seo just quietly watches Tae Ha’s movements. As soon as Tae Ha lit the charcoal with a torch, his expression becoming quite serious, orange flames split the charcoal and blazed up.

Tae Ha placed meat on the iron grill and put shellfish on one side.

The tranquil space was filled only with the sound of wind rustling through trees, the sound of insects, and the crackling sound of charcoal burning.

Bwoong bwoong, weeng. Mixed with this sound.

This isn’t the sound of charcoal burning.

What is this? As Eun Seo quietly rolled her eyes at the threatening sound.

“Oh my.”

Tae Ha, who was just putting chicken skewers on, stopped his tongs at that sound.

“What’s wrong?”

“A wasp.”

“Why are you like this. Song Eun Seo, you’re good at catching bugs.”

Tae Ha spoke nonchalantly as he flipped the meat with his tongs.

A woman who’s fine with centipedes and snakes, but for just a wasp.

“This isn’t just a wasp. It’s a hornet. Have you ever been stung?”

“No.”

“I have, so I know. It really hurts a lot.”

“Really?”

“Do you have a butterfly net?”

“No.”

“Then how about insecticide?”

“I’m not sure about that…”

“Kwon Tae Ha, stay still. It’s on your head.”

Eun Seo’s eyebrows were half-furrowed, and Tae Ha was more tense because of Eun Seo’s expression than the hornet.

Wasn’t it just a matter of catching that little hornet?

“You could die. Do you have anaphylaxis?”

“I don’t… think so.”

“You’ve never been stung by a bee, right?”

“No.”

“Then you don’t know. Stay still.”

As Tae Ha stayed perfectly still as Eun Seo said, Eun Seo left words to the effect of ‘What should I do’, and then sprang up like a coiled spring. Then she disappeared like lightning. About 25 meters forward.

What? Did she just run away? Leaving me behind?

In the moment he was thinking that.

“Run over here quickly when the wasp leaves!”

Eun Seo waved her hand.

Should he stay still? Should he run?

Tae Ha, who had been pondering, grinned and ran with all his might. Then he snatched Eun Seo into his arms about 25 meters ahead and plunged into the jacuzzi with a splash.

“Ah!”

Water splashed everywhere because of that.

“What are you doing!”

Eun Seo barely stood up, pushing back her soaking wet hair. The one remaining clothes couldn’t be worn because the buttons were torn off due to yesterday’s incident, and she had barely borrowed one of Tae Ha’s shirts, but even that was soaked through.

The band-aid that Tae Ha had newly put on Eun Seo floated up to the surface of the water. Seeing that, Eun Seo hurriedly snatched the band-aid and covered her iliac bone area.

No matter how you look at it, her behavior was very suspicious.

“That, how long has it been there?”

Realizing that where Tae Ha’s gaze had landed was her tattoo, Eun Seo bit her innocent lips and placed another hand on top of the hand covering the letters.

“I don’t know. It’s been there since I was little.”

“Why are you hiding it?”

“You don’t like tattoos, right?”

“Me?”

“You said so back then in Bali.”

Only then did he remember. What he had said to Eun Seo when she saw his tattoo in Bali.

[My mother had it done when I was young. It wasn’t my will. I don’t really like tattoos.]

“I didn’t want it to be discovered, so that’s why I put on the band-aid like this…”

Eun Seo nodded.

“The scratch was a lie too?”

A laugh escaped.

“Even though it’s not a part I could normally see, you’ve been so diligently putting this on. Why?”

“In case it might be seen somehow. Um… I guess I knew it might be like yesterday.”

As Tae Ha’s mood wasn’t bad, Eun Seo seemed relieved and blinked her eyes, smiling playfully. Two dimples caved in on both sides.

“Do you always smile this well?”

“Only in front of Kwon Tae Ha.”

Tae Ha, who was stroking his chin and pulling his lips to smile, put his hand on his belt buckle.

“It’s your fault.”