1 a.m.

Unable to fall asleep, Woo Jin slowly lifted his eyelids in the dim moonlight, his eyes having been merely closed.

The heat that had not yet cooled disturbed his sleep. Even after passionately embracing Tae Eun twice throughout the night, his stamina did not seem to tire.

Woo Jin turned his head to gaze at the sleeping face of Tae Eun. The shadow of her long eyelashes cast upon her fair and white face was alluring. Woo Jin turned his upper body, resting his head on one arm as he looked down at her.

A face that truly never becomes tiresome no matter how much one looks at it. Her features were so perfectly arranged on her small face.

But what was even more amazing was how unbelievably well they fit together in bed.

Never before had he experienced this feeling with anyone prior to her. At first, he thought it was a temporary satisfaction from her honest reactions. But that was merely a misconception.

Everything about her drove him crazy. Being intimate with her was satisfying enough to cure his insomnia. And that satisfaction turned into an immense thirst the more he embraced her. Now, just looking at her like this made him unable to sleep due to the burning desire.

“Damn it…”

He muttered a small curse as he got out of bed. He was in a situation where he had to cool his body with cold water if he didn’t want the heat to rush in.

Tomorrow was a business trip.

He was screwed.

* * *

The next morning, seeing Woo Jin’s unusually tired face, Tae Eun asked.

“Did you not sleep well last night?”

“Yeah. But you slept well.”

“What should we do? You have to get on a plane today and you’re tired.”

Saying that, she awkwardly held out a necktie to him. Woo Jin then bent his upper body to match her height. It meant for her to tie it for him.

Tae Eun did not refuse. She raised the collar of his dress shirt and placed the necktie around his neck. In the process, she had to take a step closer to him, and her fingertips brushed against the nape of his neck. She tried to pretend to be nonchalant, but as she looked at his lips up close, the thrilling sensation those lips gave her last night came to mind again, and her hands and feet curled up.

“Why is your face red?”

It seemed her face had unknowingly turned red. Hearing his teasing voice, she answered as brazen as possible.

“I naturally have a lot of heat, so I often turn red.”

It was too obvious of a lie.

She could feel him smiling. Even without looking, that resonance was conveyed through her fingertips.

Last night, to the point where she wondered if this was really her, she had been so feverish. And now, just looking at him made her flush with heat, while he had perfectly erased the passion of the night before as if it had never happened.

So she furrowed her brows, but Woo Jin tucked her long hair behind her ear. As his fingertips brushed her skin, a tingling current flowed and her fine hair stood on end. But he didn’t stop there. He moved his fingers that had been circling her earlobe to her jawline and slightly lifted her face.

“Thinking about last night?”

“No.”

She answered, trying hard to avert her gaze. But again, she heard his low laughter. As if telling her not to lie.

“Your body seems to be more honest than your mouth.”

Her whole body felt like it was burning at his suggestive words. But she couldn’t resent him either. Thinking about last night, that was also the truth.

“Look at me.”

“I did.”

“I’m sorry. For leaving you alone and going on a business trip.”

“It’s not like you’re going on a trip for fun. It’s okay.”

“Since I’m going on a business trip, should I buy you a gift? Is there anything you want?”

At his gentle question, Tae Eun’s dark eyes widened. As he gazed into her large eyes, Woo Jin wanted to take off the suit he had barely put on.

“Well… I’ve never really thought about it before.”

That was the truth. She wasn’t used to receiving gifts from someone. After being separated from her grandmother, there were many days when she couldn’t even get seaweed soup on her birthday.

“Then start thinking about it from now on. Anything you want.”

“Hmm… Then buy me a lipstick.”

“What? Just a lipstick?”

A wry smile crossed Woo Jin’s face. When he mentioned gifts, most women usually demanded expensive limited editions. But his wife says just a lipstick. He was deeply conflicted about whether he should laugh or not in this situation.

Why does this woman have no such desires?

“Nothing else besides that?”

“No. Manager Song and I went shopping more than enough. So just buy me a lipstick at the duty-free shop.”

“What color?”

“Whatever you like.”

A chuckle escaped. Yes, what more could I want from you? I just wanted to do something more for you because you’re so pretty.

“It was a four-night schedule, right? Have a safe trip.”

Having finished tying his tie, she gave her farewell greeting while smoothing out his collar one last time. As Woo Jin stepped out the front door, he looked back again.

The sight of Tae Eun standing demurely pierced his eyes.

“What is it? Did you forget something?”

“No. That’s not it.”

“Then?”

“If the main house tells you to come over while I’m gone, don’t go and contact me first. Even if they send a car, don’t get in.”

“Heh… Alright. Don’t worry about me. I’ll definitely do that.”

Hearing the laughter escaping from her mouth, he could barely leave the house. But the feeling of leaving home with her seeing him off felt strange. He had barely turned around, but he already wanted to go back inside.

The feeling of someone waiting for him at home felt very unfamiliar. He had never felt this way when living in the annex of Jang Won.

Now, for the first time, the reality of being married hit him.

He was married.

And now he had a wife to return to.

* * *

“Oh my gosh! What happened to your face?”

Jung Keun stopped by Seo Woo’s house early in the morning and was startled by the state of her face, taking a step back.

Her features, which were usually so distinct that they were dazzling, were swollen like an exploded ramen today. She must have cried pitifully all night.

“Geez, seriously. You wailed all night again, didn’t you?”

Seo Woo turned away from Jung Keun without even answering. She was truly heartbroken. Living with a man who had become another woman’s husband in her heart. Moreover, the fact that even Jung Keun, her closest confidant, could not understand the love she had made her feel even more lonely.

Others envied her for being a dazzling top star, but what good was that? The man she couldn’t live without wasn’t hers.

“Hey, use this to put a warm compress on. To bring down the swelling a bit.”

Jung Keun took out an ice pack and handed it to her. Then he sat next to her and asked without even making eye contact.

“Why do you like Executive Director Seo so much? There are men lining up to be with you, so why a married man of all people?”

“You know…”

“You know about love? Don’t ask such questions and answer properly. I’m being serious right now. I need to understand you to either help or stop you, don’t I?”

At Jung Keun’s words, Seo Woo closed her mouth for a moment. Then, biting her plump lips, she slowly began to speak.

“It’s just… I can’t explain it in words. I did try to turn my eyes elsewhere. But what can I do if it doesn’t work? I only see Woo Jin oppa.”

“Even though he’s a married man now?”

“He may have married that woman, but I loved him first! Damn it… I was first… I…”

“Is that love? It’s almost a one-sided crush… No, it was at the level of a stalker.”

The tears she had barely pushed back burst out again. Seeing Seo Woo crying with her eyes buried in the ice pack, Jung Keun shouted in frustration.

“Hey! Stop crying! What did you do well to cry about? You have overseas filming starting tomorrow, and if your face swells up, we’re in big trouble! My head will fly off!”

At those words, Seo Woo abruptly stood up from her spot and went into the bedroom, raising her voice quite formidably.

“Don’t worry! I’ll bring down the swelling by tomorrow to save your head!”

The door slammed shut behind Jung Keun with enough force to ripple the surrounding air. Then Seo Woo’s sorrowful crying could be heard.

At that sound, Jung Keun muttered as if talking to himself.

“Why did you have to fall in love with Seo Woo Jin of all people…?”

* * *

That afternoon.

Tae Eun spent the entire morning organizing the information written on the documents she received yesterday, recording what needed to be recorded and saving what needed to be saved.

And in the afternoon, she sat with Mrs. Hong and eagerly talked about Woo Jin. Although Manager Park was closest to Woo Jin in terms of work, Mrs. Hong was in charge of everything else.

Since they got married without time to get to know each other, she didn’t even know Woo Jin’s food preferences properly. So she was asking Mrs. Hong one by one about the things she was curious about and recording them in her notebook.

“Then are there any foods he can’t eat? Like if he has any allergies or something…”

“No. There aren’t any foods he can’t eat. But there are many foods he doesn’t eat because he’s a picky eater.”

“Woo Jin is a picky eater?”

“Oh my, don’t even mention it. He’s been famous for it since he was young.”

When Mrs. Hong shook her head as if fed up, Tae Eun laughed. It was a fact she had never noticed before.

But then her cell phone vibrated. Unconsciously turning her gaze to the phone on the table, Tae Eun was startled to see the caller.

It was her eldest aunt, Seo Young Ja.

For a fleeting moment, her heart pounded and she hesitated, but eventually answered. It was a call she couldn’t avoid.

“Yes, Aunt.”

“Yes.”

“Pardon?”

When she asked back in surprise, a small sigh could be heard from the other end of the phone.

“…Where to?”

It seemed she sent a car this time as well. She ended the call saying she understood for now, but her heart was pounding so much that she couldn’t easily take a step. Then, what Woo Jin had said this morning came to mind.

−If the main house tells you to come over while I’m gone, don’t go and contact me first. Even if they send a car, don’t get in.

She had confidently assured him not to worry after he said that.

Tae Eun decided not to get in the car. But she had to send back the driver who came with the car, so she had no choice but to go outside with her cell phone in hand.

She saw the black sedan parked in front of the house. When she tapped on the passenger window without getting in, the window rolled down, revealing the face of the driver.

“I’m sorry, Sir. I don’t think I can go today. I’ll call my aunt separately…”

But that sentence she had mustered up courage to say was cut off by a familiar voice.

“What are you saying right now? That you can’t go?”

Oh my goodness. None other than Young Ja was sitting in the back seat. Looking at Young Ja’s cold face, it felt like someone was squeezing her heart tightly.

Woo Jin had told her to never get in a car sent by the main house, but among the possibilities he mentioned, the option of Young Ja personally coming to get her was not included.

“Do you think I’ll eat you up? You’re not getting in?”

The surprised Tae Eun no longer had the courage to resist.

Her opponent was Seo Young Ja, the eldest daughter of the Jang Won Group. Among the three daughters, she resembled Chairman Jung the most. So one could only imagine her chilling charisma.

Tae Eun had no choice but to get in the car. Sitting next to Young Ja in the back seat, even though there was enough space for another person to sit between them, she found it hard to breathe. It felt like an invisible chunk of metal was pressing down on her shoulders.

How long did they drive like that? Finally, Tae Eun mustered up the courage to open her mouth. But perhaps due to her nervousness, her voice vibrated on its own.

“Aunt, where are we going…?”

“Why, are you afraid I’ll eat you up?”

“…”

“We’re not going to the main house, so don’t worry.”

If not the main house, where else could Young Ja be taking her? She couldn’t even imagine. But a moment later, Tae Eun’s heart sank to her feet when the car stopped.

“Aunt, this is…”

It was an obstetrics and gynecology clinic.