On the way up to the restaurant in the elevator.

Just as the elevator doors opened, Jung Keun’s phone rang.

“Woo Jin, it’s the CEO. Don’t wait for me and eat first. You must be hungry. I’ll come in after taking this call.”

“Okay.”

Woo Jin nodded and entered the restaurant, leaving Jung Keun behind as he answered his phone. Since Jung Keun had already made a reservation, it wasn’t difficult to get a table.

On the way to the reserved table, guided by the staff. But Woo Jin suddenly stopped in his tracks at the glimpse of a woman through his dark sunglasses.

A woman holding a child and smiling affectionately while making eye contact.

‘That woman…’

It was Woo Jin’s wife, Min Tae Eun.

A moment later, the woman with her took the child from Tae Eun and quickly disappeared. And as she turned around, her eyes met Woo Jin’s.

Seeing Tae Eun again, she was incomparably elegant and refined. A beauty entirely different from the glamorous Woo Jin. And… as her lips parted slightly in surprise at recognizing Woo Jin, a familiar color shone.

That lipstick.

The lipstick Woo Jin had bought for Min Tae Eun.

The lipstick that Woo Jin could never make work no matter how many times he applied and wiped it off.

Though it was a color that would never suit him no matter what, Tae Eun was wearing it perfectly as if it were her natural lip color.

In that moment, Woo Jin couldn’t breathe. It felt like sinking into the depths of a deep pool.

“Huh? What are you doing here? Haven’t you gotten a table yet? We had a reservation.”

Jung Keun’s voice pulled Woo Jin back from the brink of falling.

“Ah, I was in the middle of being guided.”

He turned away with difficulty. But he could feel Tae Eun’s gaze following him.

She must have been just as shocked as Woo Jin.

Yes, after the wedding… she probably never thought they’d see each other’s faces again.

Like this, in the guise of coincidence but by the name of fate.

* * *

After reading the message from Tae Eun, Woo Jin put down his phone and turned his attention to his laptop. But then, with a knock, Manager Park came in to inform him of an unwelcome visitor.

“Vice President, Chairwoman Seo from Jangwon Department Store is here.”

Young Ja is here?

His brow furrowed involuntarily. Young Ja coming directly to his office was never a good sign.

“What brings you here?”

Woo Jin asked as Young Ja entered gracefully when the door opened. She raised her well-groomed eyebrows and spoke slowly.

“Does an aunt need a reason to visit her nephew?”

“Well, for a normal aunt and nephew relationship that might be true, but not for us.”

“You, I raised you.”

“I know. That’s why I’m always grateful.”

Yes. That’s why I’m enduring it. What you did to me, and what you did to my person. Acts of evil that would be intolerable for a human, but for the sole reason of blood ties, I am, enduring you.

“For someone who claims to be grateful, your attitude…”

Displeased with his stiff demeanor, Young Ja coolly glanced at him once before sitting on the sofa.

“Would you like some tea?”

“No. It’s fine. I’ve had some. Today I came because there’s something I want to ask.”

“Alright. Ask away.”

“It’s about Tae Eun.”

As soon as Tae Eun’s name left Young Ja’s lips, Woo Jin’s eyes sharpened instantly. But Young Ja, paying no mind to his piercing gaze, slowly opened her mouth.

“There’s nothing wrong with her body, is there?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m just speaking out of an old woman’s concern. In today’s world, pre-marital health checks and gynecological exams are essential, aren’t they? But you two rushed into marriage and skipped it all. In that sense, how about Tae Eun getting a health check-up with you? I’ve already contacted Dr. Jang in advance.”

Young Ja’s voice was gentle as she spoke, but her eyes were quite fierce. Having failed to take Tae Eun to the gynecologist alone, she had detoured to a joint health check-up with Woo Jin. But Woo Jin was not so easily swayed. He had seen a strange obsession in Young Ja towards Tae Eun.

He had seen those eyes once before. Hiding displeasure under a kind gaze, she had gradually eaten away at someone who was so precious to him. Until finally, she had swallowed them whole without a trace.

That was the kind of person Young Ja was. And now Tae Eun had gotten caught up with her. But this time, he would absolutely not lose. To do that, he had to read Young Ja’s moves first.

Why exactly was Young Ja showing such persistent obsession with Tae Eun?

What did Young Ja know about Tae Eun?

“We’ll take care of that ourselves. A health check-up isn’t urgent, is it?”

“It may not be urgent, but it’s not something to be postponed either. What’s more important than health?”

“You’re not doing this because there’s something you want to know, are you?”

Young Ja’s well-groomed eyebrows rose at Woo Jin’s question that struck at the heart of the matter.

“What is it you want to know? Instead of beating around the bush like this, just ask directly.”

Inwardly flustered at having her mind read, Young Ja feigned calmness to hide her discomfort.

“What do you mean?”

“Do you think I don’t know you, Aunt? There must be something bothering you for you to act like this. If we get a health check-up with Dr. Jang, he’ll report every detail of our condition to you. What is it you want to know?”

Young Ja bit her wine-colored lips. Occasionally, when Woo Jin dug this deep, Young Ja felt disconcerted. Because it seemed her carefully hidden intentions were too easily seen through.

“Since you brought it up, I’ll say it. The truth is, I’m a bit worried. I just casually asked about plans for children, but Tae Eun seemed to react too sensitively. When has she ever been one to have such an explosive temper? She was the one who shamelessly slept in the guest house before marriage and faced us without an ounce of shame.”

“Ah, that.”

“There’s nothing wrong with Tae Eun’s body, is there?”

“It’s not that there’s anything wrong with Tae Eun’s body, but that I don’t want to have children, so I told her that before we got married. But when you brought up something else, I think Tae Eun was very surprised.”

“What…”

Young Ja’s face visibly contorted. Woo Jin’s completely unexpected statement was that shocking to her.

“You don’t… want to have children? Why did you decide that on your own!”

Young Ja’s voice, which rarely rises, hit its peak. However, Woo Jin thought he needed to drive the nail in here. Otherwise, Young Ja’s suspicions would grow and eventually engulf Tae Eun.

Tae Eun is absolutely no match for Young Ja. So he had to divert Young Ja’s attention to himself.

“Why should I have to tell you about that, Aunt? As long as Tae Eun, who will live with me, understands. And these days, there are many couples who live without having children.”

“No, how can you say that? That might be possible if you were born in an ordinary family! To fully protect everything your grandmother has built, and everything you will inherit in the future, blood relations are essential.”

“The idea that only blood relations can protect that is an outdated notion. This isn’t the Joseon Dynasty, and hereditary management is…”

“That doesn’t sound right coming from someone who’s holding that position.”

“Well, I won’t deny that I’ve benefited from the family. I had the opportunity for a good education, and I’ve followed that path as if it were natural. But the reason I’m in this position is not because I’m part of the Jangwon family, but because I have the ability. If I had been a good-for-nothing wastrel, would Grandmother have left me be? She probably wouldn’t have let me anywhere near Jangwon.”

Because it wasn’t wrong, Young Ja couldn’t deny his words.

Who was Chairman Jung?

She was a legend in the business world who started as a peddler to feed her four children instead of her wastrel husband, and built up this much. So even if it were her own blood, if they didn’t have the necessary ability, she would have cut them off in an instant, as Woo Jin said. That’s why Young Ja couldn’t dismiss Woo Jin even more.

The reason he’s called the only true successor to Jangwon is not because he’s blood-related, but because his innate qualities as a businessman are that outstanding.

But Young Ja was no pushover either. Not yielding an inch to Woo Jin’s youthful spirit, she was the daughter of Jangwon who rivaled him.

“Listen well, Woo Jin. I’m saying this as someone who has lived life longer than you.”

“…”

“Right now, not having children isn’t a big flaw for you. Because you’re still young. But as time passes, not having children can give others an excuse. What’s Grandmother’s management principle? There’s a lot of talk about hereditary management, but the reason she doesn’t let your uncles participate in management is because it’s unsightly enough to see my own blood fighting, let alone seeing those without a drop of our blood fighting over Jangwon as if it were their own rice bowl.”

It sounded plausible. Using Chairman Jung as an excuse, she stimulated the guilt deeply seated in Woo Jin’s heart. But he shook his head firmly.

“No, Aunt. The issue of children is for us, the couple, to decide. If we have children, that’s our choice, and if we don’t, that’s also our choice. We won’t have children because of Jangwon.”

At that unwavering voice, Young Ja finally stood up from her seat.

“You bastard.”

Young Ja left, spitting out a suppressed curse. But Woo Jin calmly sat down and opened his laptop, even after being cursed at.

Young Ja usually doesn’t talk much, let alone curse. The fact that she cursed means Woo Jin’s strategy worked to some extent.

Fortunately, Young Ja seemed to believe his words. So Tae Eun’s world will be peaceful for a while. Because Young Ja’s wind has started to change course towards him.

* * *

Pretty from this angle, cute from that angle. The child who smiled brightly ate really well when fed. Thanks to this, Tae Eun could momentarily forget about Woo Jin’s presence that had brushed past her earlier.

“Tae Eun, aren’t you uncomfortable? Eat a little. I’ll watch Dong Woo.”

“No, it’s really because Dong Woo is so cute. You can see him again when you go home. I’ll feed him.”

Tae Eun shook her head and moved Dong Woo’s chair next to her seat to feed him his baby food.

Park Woo Jin seemed to have come to have a meal too, as she was guided to a seat where they couldn’t be seen, but just knowing that she was somewhere in the same restaurant made Tae Eun feel so suffocated she could barely breathe.

It felt like she could only breathe if she looked at the child. And it felt like she could only forget about that woman if she looked at the child.

Forget it. The meeting was coincidental. Pretend nothing happened, pretend not to know each other, just brush past each other and that’s it.

She deliberately focused on the child to regain her composure. As she was doing mind control while watching the child’s smile, the child played with the spoon and accidentally splashed food on her dress.

Surprised Hye Jin gasped and took the spoon away from the child.

“Oh my, oh my! How could this happen! I’m sorry! Our Dong Woo’s play is too dynamic. Aiyoo… He takes after his father in this!”

First saying he takes after her, then saying he takes after his father. Really, which tune should one dance to?

“Isn’t this an expensive dress? What should we do?”

“It’s okay. We can just wash it off. And it’s not expensive. I’ll go to the bathroom for a bit. It’ll come right off with water.”

Tae Eun got up from her seat, comforting Hye Jin who looked upset at what her son had done. From behind, she could hear Hye Jin’s voice gently scolding her son.

“Son. When auntie loves our son so much, should our son stain auntie’s clothes? No? That’s not okay, right? Right? So today, let’s play ve-e-ery quietly, okay? Hmm? It’s mommy’s last wish.”

Whether such a mother’s desperate wish would reach an 11-month-old child was questionable.

Tae Eun turned on the water to wash off the stain on her shoulder in the bathroom. As expected, the stain came off easily. Of course, the water stain was noticeable, but this would dry with time so it was fine.

But given this time, thoughts come flooding back again. The sight of Woo Jin she had seen earlier wouldn’t leave her mind.

Though her expression was unreadable behind the sunglasses, it wasn’t hard to guess that Woo Jin had recognized Tae Eun too. She thought their eyes had met through the sunglasses the moment she turned around.

Is such a coincidence really possible? It felt like becoming the ill-fated female lead in a makjang drama.

Though she pretended to be calm, her heart sank heavily. The shock of facing her husband’s mistress, his one and only love, in person shook her more miserably than she had thought.

Their married life has just begun, but how long can she pretend not to know about their relationship?

It felt like she was sinking deeper and deeper into the ground.

As she hesitated, looking down at her shoes, she suddenly realized how lifeless she looked in the mirror. She thought it was because her lipstick had worn off while eating. To shake off the bad thoughts and breathe life back in, Tae Eun took out her lipstick from her handbag and applied it.

Now she looks a bit more human.

As she was about to turn around after putting the lipstick back in her handbag, someone suddenly came in and took the spot next to her.

A languid floral scent, and a woman even prettier than that floral scent, Park Woo Jin. Tae Eun was so surprised that she couldn’t even think of leaving, frozen in place.

Woo Jin washed her hands and slowly pulled out a tissue to wipe off the moisture as she spoke.

“How’s married life, Min Tae Eun? Your oppa must be very affectionate, right?”

Maybe because she’s an actress, her clear diction pierced Tae Eun’s ears even if she wanted to ignore it.

As her mind went blank, searching for an appropriate response, Woo Jin took advantage of the moment to take out her lipstick from her handbag and apply it.

Tae Eun’s gaze at Woo Jin in the mirror scattered with shock.

It was the same color lipstick as hers.