The documents given by Woo Seok were easily the volume of a book.

It was like a biography of a historical figure, with detailed records of every move made by Lady Jang Ho Muk, who founded Bando.

“It must have been tough to study this in such limited time, wasn’t it?”

In the car heading to Lady Jang’s family home in Anseo-dong.

Woo Seok asked, speaking for Ji Wan who was silent as always.

“It was interesting. It would have been more fun if I didn’t have to memorize it.”

Ji Wan, with his black hair perfectly combed and dressed impeccably from tie to vest, looked even colder than usual.

“Mr. Han, before we go in, I’d like to use the restroom…”

“Ah, yes. I’ll escort you.”

As soon as they entered the main gate, Do Eum went to the restroom and took several deep breaths in front of the large mirror before entering the chairman’s room.

“I’m here.”

As she opened the finely papered sliding door, the first thing she saw was green plants.

The white-haired elder tending to orchids continued grooming them without turning or sitting down.

“Sit down.”

It was the first words the man had spoken to her since they met, throughout all the time coming here.

Do Eum sat down awkwardly where Ji Wan gestured and swallowed hard.

“It’s my first time meeting you.”

The chairman put down his pruning shears and responded to Do Eum’s greeting.

“So it is.”

Even then, he hadn’t made eye contact once.

“Since you’re not some stripper on TV or a bar girl who plays around as she pleases, it seems we are indeed meeting for the first time, as you say.”

Her clasped hands began to tremble.

Ji Wan sat motionless without changing expression, not even glancing her way.

So this was why Woo Seok had told her to be on her guard.

“You should know what kind of family this is, unless you’re an outsider. I won’t say much. I never bring in anyone better than my own blood. Why would someone with all the power want to bow their head to benefit someone else?”

The elder, with white hair neatly combed back, stared at Do Eum with an unwavering gaze and a straight back.

Do Eum’s lower jaw trembled, thinking it couldn’t be this frightening even if a corpse she had just buried came back to life.

The elder’s piercing gaze shifted to Ji Wan, who was sitting silently.

“Mr. Seo, please step outside for a moment.”

Without a glance, Ji Wan stood up and left without a moment’s hesitation.

Shortly after Ji Wan left, a woman in a black uniform entered carrying a tea set.

It was Hyang In, the team leader from the Anseo-dong tea room.

“This is a special tea that Mr. Seo personally procured.”

Lady Jang merely nodded at those words, then looked Do Eum up and down across from her.

“You said your name was Kang Do Eum?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, do you think I’ll be fooled by this marriage?”

“…Pardon?”

“The person who brought you here said he’d marry with just two weeks left of the deadline I gave. He’s getting married but doesn’t even pretend to care for you. Why should I believe what that person says?”

“As you know, he’s a man who’s not good at expressing emotions. I’m fine with even that.”

It was a plausible answer, from some unknown source of courage.

“That’s just how that man is… Well, that’s how he was raised, so it’s true. That’s why I’m putting up with this unsightly situation now.”

Do Eum already felt defeated before they even began.

“He’s a man who doesn’t even go near paths that aren’t right. He’s not the type to hide a woman and meet her, nor to embrace a woman without certainty, and he won’t carelessly have his own child unless he has a leash on them.”

A heavy silence filled the spaces between the green plants.

“Even for an arranged marriage, what man could resist if a woman flirts with him to her liking? It’s hard to taste once, but once a man gets a taste, it’s not easy to let go of that food.”

Do Eum swallowed hard.

“Do just that much. After that, I’ll take care of the rest.”

So the elder was politely telling her to just be eye candy for her grandson, who treats women as if caring for them.

Do Eum’s bewildered gaze met the elder’s cool eyes.

“A poor person is much better than someone who only looks at money, indeed. You must have known your place, right?”

The white-haired elder smiled faintly beyond the hot steam filling the tea cups.

“I grabbed that boy’s mother by the neck just to bring in one woman. So you must remember this. If you mess things up, it’s not just that boy who will die, but also that boy’s mother.”

Six months to a year.

It was a contract that started with a set time limit.

So there was no reason to be upset by the elder’s words to just plant the meaning of a woman in the man’s mind and leave.

But even though they weren’t lovers and it wasn’t sincere feelings, she felt wronged without knowing why.

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

Behind the neat answer, the rich aroma of well-steeped tea leaves spread.

*****

The wedding proceeded smoothly.

Chairman Jang cleared up the rumors overnight, showing his satisfaction by sitting in the highest seat at the venue, looking down at his grandson and grandson’s wife with a light expression.

The bride’s parents’ seats and guest seats were filled with people Woo Seok had bought with money.

Ji Wan didn’t show his face once during the usual wedding schedule.

Woo Seok carefully filled in for the absent groom, and the marriage in name only was carried out amid formalities.

[Bando Construction CEO Seo Ji Wan marries ordinary college student with stunning looks.]

The marriage of Bando Group’s prominent illegitimate son was quietly announced to the world in a single line of news.

*****

In the upscale residential area on the outskirts of downtown, Hwa-an-dong.

The newlywed home was located at the very top of the complex.

The heat from the warm ground below turned into a cool breeze up on the hill.

With school out for break, Do Eum was stuck at home for the past few days.

She thought they’d at least go on a honeymoon even if it was just a marriage in name, but forget the honeymoon, the man called her husband hadn’t brought a single belonging to their newlywed home.

It had been three and a half days since the wedding, but with no one coming or going, Do Eum spent more than half her days on the garden bench.

Rrrr.

Who could it be?

The only contacts she had were her three business school friends, but they had left for an overseas vacation as soon as break started, so there was no one who would call.

It was an unknown number.

“Hello?”

−Madam, this is Manager Han.

The familiar name was welcome in her boredom.

“Manager Han!!”

−I’m sorry for the late greeting. I came on a business trip right after the ceremony with the CEO. Is everything alright?

“Ah, yes.”

She had learned about Ji Wan’s business trip through the news.

It was Dubai or some large shopping mall site.

−The housekeeper, move-in helper, and gardening couple will visit tomorrow. It was difficult to coordinate schedules, so it’s a bit late.

“It’s fine, I’ve been eating well with the ingredients you put in the fridge.”

−Ah, that’s good. Then I’ll stop by briefly tomorrow.

She was about to hang up when:

“Um, Manager Han?”

−Yes, what is it, Madam?

A quiet silence followed.

The hesitation was evident, wondering if she should ask.

“…Um, the CEO. Is he… doing alright?”

After saying it, Do Eum squeezed her eyes shut.

For some reason, she felt like Ji Wan’s cold scolding would pour out from the other end of the phone.

After a very brief hesitation, Woo Seok’s reply followed.

−Yes, he’s doing fine, thanks to you.

*****

In the sedan, Woo Seok turned as he pressed the speakerphone end button.

“Isn’t this enough of a cold shoulder, CEO?”

On the way out of the airport.

He was clearly scolding the man who had left the woman at the newlywed home right after the ceremony and hadn’t set foot there since.

Even so, he felt sorry for Do Eum asking after her husband.

“If you keep this up, this marriage won’t last even 6 months. You don’t know women at all, CEO.”

“That’s rich coming from Manager Han Woo Seok, who couldn’t get married even at 38.”

Ahem, ahem.

Driver Park chuckled at Woo Seok’s fake cough.

“Was there nothing said in Anseo-dong?”

That day when he brought the woman to Anseo-dong.

When Lady Jang told Ji Wan to step out for a moment, he sent in Hyang In, the tea room team leader, as planned.

If Anseo-dong was monitoring his every move, there was no reason he couldn’t plant his own person in enemy territory.

Ji Wan had put in no small effort to recruit a capable person for the special tea room dedicated to the elder who was obsessed with tea.

It was also why he kept bringing tea that would tempt Lady Jang to important meetings.

According to Hyang In, the tea room’s head team leader, Lady Jang had expressed doubts about this marriage that day.

She was satisfied with the woman’s background of having nothing to gain or lose, but worried that such people were easily swayed by money.

Before the suspicion deepened further, it was right to move into the newlywed home.

“Let’s go to Hwa-an-dong.”

Driver Park and Woo Seok exchanged glances and quickly replied.

“Yes, we’ll go right away.”

*****

In the Hwa-an-dong garden.

“Aren’t you going?”

Ji Wan turned and asked Woo Seok, who was following him from the car.

“I’ll go after I see you go in, CEO.”

The younger boss lowered his thick eyebrows and rebuked the hesitating chief of staff.

“Why? Afraid I’ll run off somewhere? Or maybe you think I can’t even find the house?”

Ji Wan added one more thing to the awkwardly smiling Woo Seok.

“Just go, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With Ji Wan being so insistent, Woo Seok had no choice but to bow and leave.

Left alone, Ji Wan stood staring up at the two-story newlywed home.

‘Was this house always this big?’

The woman had been alone in this big house for over two whole weeks.

Standing in front of the entrance, Ji Wan realized he didn’t know the house password and didn’t even have the house key card.

He hesitated about going back, but the door he pushed casually opened without much fuss.

‘What kind of woman doesn’t even lock the door in this day and age.’

The interior, all decorated in white marble, was quiet.

The garden lights beyond the undrawn curtains substituted for light over the living room where not even the lights were on.

‘And why aren’t the lights on.’

Click.

Despite the clear button sound, the living room lights didn’t turn on, so he clicked it a few more times. Click, click.

‘What’s this, is it broken?’

He had just taken a couple steps towards the center of the living room.

“Ahhh!!”

With a sharp scream, something white pierced through the darkness and charged towards him.

Thud.

That something, caught in the large man’s hands, pushed him forcefully to the edge of the sofa.

Thump.

As Ji Wan fell onto the sofa, that soft thing overlapped on top of him.

The faint scent of soap brushed past his nose.