“Auntie, this place……”

Tae Eun’s visibly trembling gaze slowly moved to Young Ja. However, Young Ja, as if unconcerned with her shock, commanded in a resolute tone.

“Get out. You shouldn’t have come to a place you can’t come to.”

“But why didn’t you discuss it with me……”

“Discuss? If I had discussed it, would you have come?”

Young Ja let out an astonished laugh as if dumbfounded, then looked at her with a piercing gaze. She couldn’t breathe. Tae Eun froze on the spot, only clenching and unclenching her hands placed on her knees.

She had to get out of here. She had to avoid this moment somehow. Otherwise, it would be an immediate divorce. Grandmother would no longer be able to receive the best care, and Tae Eun would have to return under her father. Everything would be over.

So Tae Eun decided to gather her senses. She couldn’t let this marriage end before it even began.

“What are you doing? Not getting out? Are you going to be this stubborn?”

At Young Ja’s voice piercing her eardrums like a needle, Tae Eun raised her gaze. Then mustering up courage, she squeezed out her voice as calmly as possible.

“I’m sorry, Auntie. But I don’t understand why I have to come to the obstetrics and gynecology clinic with you.”

“You’re really an amusing child. Or you don’t know the ways of the world.”

“……Pardon?”

“Our family has had a precious lineage for generations. You rushed into marriage so we had no choice but to skip all the steps, but these days, a basic ob-gyn checkup should be done before marriage. You know, with infertility and sterility being so common these days.”

Each word struck her chest cruelly. Because she was one of those many infertile and sterile people.

“I’m not saying to have a child right away. Woo Jin has a point too. Of course you should enjoy your newlywed life. But wouldn’t it be better to make sure of everything beforehand? If everything is normal, enjoy what you want to enjoy and plan slowly, I won’t say anything.”

It felt like an invisible hand was strangling Tae Eun’s neck. In the midst of it all, the only thought in her mind was that she had to avoid this situation somehow. And that desperation turned into courage and spilled out of her mouth.

“I’m sorry, Auntie. This is our privacy, and I’ll come to the ob-gyn checkup later with Woo Jin.”

“What did you say?”

Young Ja raised her eyebrows and scoffed as if dumbfounded.

“I see you’re very clever. Clinging to Woo Jin like that.”

The eyes of the woman, who had no wrinkles around her eyes despite being over 60, narrowed coldly.

“If there’s nothing wrong with you, why can’t you get a simple test? Don’t tell me there’s something wrong with your body?”

The sharp question flew at her like a thorn, as if she knew something. How nice would it be to confidently say no to those words? But Tae Eun was not in a position to do so.

“I’m sorry. Auntie.”

In the end, instead of answering, she bowed deeply with an apology and got out of the car. She heard Young Ja’s voice calling her from behind, but she ignored it.

She hurriedly waved her hand to hail a taxi, but she was hit with breathlessness. She couldn’t breathe. She felt a sense of panic that if she couldn’t get out of here right away, she might suffocate to death like this.

“Where to, miss?”

At the taxi driver’s words, Tae Eun barely answered.

“Ahjussi…… just keep going straight. Please…… just get me out of here.”

* * *

After arriving in Vietnam and frantically surveying the factory and finishing a meeting, Woo Jin returned to the hotel and checked his phone.

There were no messages other than work-related ones.

He clicked on the message list and checked the messages exchanged with Tae Eun. Scrolling through, he saw that he was the one who mostly initiated the messages, and it was rare for her to send them. No, if there were cases where she sent a message first, it was mostly when a very special situation occurred.

In that sense, does it mean that having no messages is a good thing? But he couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“Ha…… she doesn’t even send a message asking if I arrived safely.”

He doesn’t know how long he fiddled with his phone, sitting on the sofa without even washing up.

Should he send a message asking if she’s sleeping? No. If she’s sleeping, it would only disturb her.

After much contemplation, what he chose was not a message, but a call. A husband can call a little late, it’s not like they’re playing hard to get! He’s her husband, not some other man! These thoughts strongly persuaded his brain. This was the privilege of being a husband, not some other man, after all.

The dial tone dropped. And soon after, Tae Eun’s calm voice pleasantly rang in his ears.

[Hello.]

“It’s me. Were you sleeping?”

[No. I wasn’t sleeping. But I just laid down to sleep now.]

At those words, the image of her lying on the bed in the black silk slip she usually likes naturally came to his mind.

Hot blood rushed to his lower body and heat instantly blossomed. His alter ego seemed to be a completely independent existence unrelated to fatigue.

“Nothing happened today?”

[No.]

“Did you eat?”

[What time is it that you’re asking about meals. But you? You’re eating while working, right?]

“Ha, if you’re so curious, you should have called first.”

[I was going to. But I thought it might disturb your work……]

Don’t say that if you can’t follow through. But that one statement lifted his mood. Gosh, what an inconsistent feeling!

“I’m at the hotel after work at this hour. So if something happens, call me. Even if nothing happens, call.”

He spoke with emphasis on the words “even if nothing happens” and leisurely sank into the sofa. But the heat that had gathered once showed no signs of subsiding. No, it was rising even more solidly.

Thinking about it again, it was a truly absurd moment.

He had never failed to control his desires. He had learned to control himself all his life and it had become second nature. Not only that. He had seen several people being pushed out of the succession structure for mishandling their lower parts. He had considered such people the most pathetic.

But just by hearing her voice, not even seeing the woman in front of his eyes, heat was rushing to him like this. Thinking about it again, it was dumbfounding.

“What did you do today?”

The question was polite and kind, but his body was not.

[In the morning, I organized the documents the aunts gave me yesterday. And in the afternoon…… um…… I talked a lot with Mrs. Hong.]

Her nasality that came out after hesitation sounded good.

“What did you talk about?”

[Well…… about you, Woo Jin.]

“About…… me?”

This is really driving him crazy. How can this make him feel good?

“What kind of talk?”

[We don’t know much about each other. Like your eating habits, things like that……]

“Shouldn’t you ask me directly about such things for more accuracy? And I don’t know much about you either. Is there anything I absolutely need to know? For example, something you really hate.”

[I don’t have anything I hate, but I have an allergy.]

“Allergy? What allergy?”

[Peanut allergy.]

“Ah…… that’s really important information. I’ll remember that.”

[Thank you.]

“What about you? Is there anything you’re curious about me?”

[Well…….]

Woo Jin’s brows narrowed at her hesitation coming through once more. Does this woman know? That a single nasality she carelessly lets out after hesitation is turning him into a beast?

The desire that had been only stimulated without being able to be released became taut as if it would explode soon. Only then did Woo Jin take this as a warning signal and interrupted her words, getting up from his seat.

“Think about it carefully and ask me tomorrow. I’ll tell you everything truthfully without a single lie.”

[Okay.]

“Sleep well. I…… ha…… I think I need to take a cold shower.”

Yes. It seemed he would have to quell his desire that way. Otherwise, he was on the verge of becoming a beast with only animal instincts left.

After hanging up the phone, Woo Jin quickly undressed and took a cold shower. Only after cooling off the heat with cold water for a long time did he think rationally. It seemed he would have to return to Korea as soon as possible.

* * *

The next day.

Seo Woo, who arrived in Vietnam for a photo shoot, looked around the hotel she would be staying at and nodded her head in satisfaction.

“It’s better than I thought.”

“Ah, of course. You collapsed not long ago and your condition isn’t good, plus you’re sensitive about your sleeping place, so I booked the best hotel here. If you don’t like this either…… you’ll have to go back to Korea. Without even doing the photo shoot. There’s no place better than here.”

At Jung Geun’s words, she placed her black sunglasses slightly on the tip of her nose and looked at him.

“Oppa, but it’s too hot here.”

“Of course. This is Vietnam. It can’t help but be hot.”

“I’m weak to heat.”

“I know. That’s why I brought a portable fan so you won’t be hot when you’re outside. So let’s do really well in this photo shoot. Okay?”

Jung Geun spoke worriedly. Although he knew that Seo Woo was a complete professional when it came to work, he also knew that Seo Woo’s heart was very troubled right now.

“Don’t worry. I’m a pro. Look, my face. The swelling from yesterday is all gone, right?”

“Ha, that’s right. This morning, I was startled! Now you look like the milky Seo Woo.”

“Go do the check-in and come back. I want to go to the hotel room and rest a bit. We only have to shoot tomorrow, right? Still, there’s no place like home. I want to go back to Korea soon.”

“Don’t worry. We’re leaving the day right after the shoot tomorrow. Even if you want to stay here longer, you can’t because you have a schedule.”

“That’s good.”

As Seo Woo responded indifferently, Jung Geun ran to the lobby to do the check-in. In the meantime, she covered her face with large sunglasses and diligently rolled her eyes inside them, scanning the hotel surroundings.

Except for the outside temperature being meltingly hot, it was a pretty decent hotel. But then a car stopped at the hotel entrance and a familiar face got out.

“……Huh? Isn’t that Director Park?”

Director Park was Woo Jin’s closest aide who followed him like a shadow. Judging by his attire, it didn’t seem like Director Park was here for a summer vacation.

……Then?

At the thought that flashed by, Seo Woo lowered the sunglasses that were covering her eyes to the tip of her nose. Then she focused her gaze on the other person getting out of the car that had just arrived.

The man who stole everyone’s gaze even at the moment of getting out of the car with a stature a span taller than Director Park.

“Woo Jin oppa?”

Seo Woo Jin.

As soon as she confirmed his presence, Seo Woo instinctively drew in a breath. What a coincidence! She hadn’t expected to see Woo Jin again here, after seeing him at the hospital a few days ago, so the joy came first. And with that joy, Seo Woo’s body moved before her reason.

“Oppa—mmph!”

However, her desperate call was blocked by someone before it could reach him.

Jung Geun, who returned after completing the check-in and confirmed Woo Jin’s presence, covered Seo Woo’s mouth and hid her existence until he passed by.

Only after Woo Jin’s figure disappeared into the elevator could Seo Woo become free.

“Ah, seriously! What are you doing! I just saw Woo Jin oppa!”

“That’s what I’m saying! That’s exactly what I’m saying! Did you forget? Executive Director Seo is a married man now! And this is Vietnam. Koreans are all over the place, and you’re going to openly act like you know Executive Director Seo? The article will come out right away. Do you want to be buried alive? Are you crazy?”

“I’m not crazy. I know. I know, but…… we can at least say hello.”

“No, you can’t say hello either. You can’t even make eye contact. It’s a sin to just breathe in the same space as that person. Absolutely, absolutely not. Nothing!”

Seo Woo understood with her head, but she still looked at Jung Geun venomously as if she was dissatisfied with not being able to greet Woo Jin.

Only then could Jung Geun easily predict that this Vietnam would become his hell. It was a moment when a long and rough hardship was expected.