The one overlapping on top of Ji Wan, who had fallen onto the sofa, was none other than Do Eum.

“What are you doing right now?”

The woman’s face, which had been buried in the man’s chest, lifted up in bewilderment.

“……Sir?”

In the living room where pure white moonlight poured in, the two people perfectly overlapped stared at each other’s eyes for a while.

“Do you intend to stay like this?”

“Ah!”

As the woman hurriedly got up, the broom fell from her hand and made a loud noise.

Clatter.

Seeing her not only jumping but also diligently grabbing a weapon, a smile escaped Ji Wan’s lips.

For a man who almost got hit with a broom, it was quite a relaxed smile.

“So the living room light hasn’t worked since you moved in?”

“Yes.”

The living room where yellowish moonlight substituted for lighting.

The two people sitting face to face looked like a student dragged to the teacher’s office by mistake and a scolding teacher.

“You thought I was a thief when I visited unexpectedly?”

“……That’s right.”

“For someone so afraid of thieves, why didn’t you lock the door?”

“I didn’t know. I didn’t get any explanation about the locking mechanism. I thought it locked automatically, but I found out a few days ago that the door doesn’t lock.”

Sigh.

Ji Wan lifted his head and pressed his temples firmly.

The man wouldn’t have known.

That since coming to this house, no, ever since meeting Do Eum, he had been frowning constantly, not to mention sighing habitually.

Every time, feeling like she had become a bundle of worries for the man, Do Eum kept shrinking back.

Swallowing numerous words that would only become nagging if added, Ji Wan asked.

“Is your mouth just for decoration?”

Do Eum, who had been observing his expression, answered in a very small voice.

“……I didn’t want to be a bother.”

For someone who didn’t want to be a bother, she was quite bothersome.

Thinking of the woman who had taken a light nap without properly locking the front door in a living room where the lights didn’t even work, all his nerves stood on end.

“I didn’t know you were coming, so I couldn’t prepare a meal. If you wait a moment, I’ll prepare it right away.”

Without waiting for an answer, Do Eum busily moved towards the kitchen.

“That’s enough.”

It was a voice that could barely be heard even if one concentrated.

It was also words uttered while barely suppressing a greatly twisted mood.

Swish, swish.

Only the sound of slippers brushing against the marble floor replaced the man’s empty space.

Do Eum stared for a long time at the tightly closed bedroom door at the very end of the long hallway, which the man had entered.

*****

“Lastly, before we send off our Yoon Yi Seol, shall we ask one question that Cine Down viewers are most curious about?”

Brushing back her curly bangs under her cute protruding forehead, Yi Seol smiled leisurely.

“You haven’t had even one common scandal in the three years since your debut. Yi Seol, what’s your ideal type?”

Not even one common scandal, huh.

The reporter’s eyes wavered as she checked the question on the interview sheet.

It was as if she wasn’t a skilled veteran calmly asking an obvious lie.

“Can I be honest?”

“Of course, our Yi Seol is famous for being very honest.”

“To be honest, my standards are quite high. I’d like someone handsome and capable…”

The face of manager Jung Hyeok, who usually scolded her for not being less honest, darkened rapidly.

Everyone present, including the filming staff, would have recalled the one-line scandal that circulated in the stock market gossip a week ago.

[Actress Y, unable to eat or drink after hearing news of marriage of chaebol S, second son of B Group, who had been ardently courting her.]

Yoon Yi Seol’s long-standing unrequited love for Seo Ji Wan, CEO of Bando Construction, was a widespread rumor in the broadcasting industry.

“If possible, I’d like someone with more money than me too. I guess I can’t date, can I? Haha.”

Nobody laughed at the joke meant to lighten the mood, except for Yi Seol herself.

There were many rumors circulating that the two had been in a deep relationship and broken up, or that the reason for their breakup was Seo Ji Wan’s coming out, but neither of them gave any explanation, so there were only speculations about their relationship.

Regardless of the truth of the rumors, the one certain thing was that Yoon Yi Seol, who was like an untamed wild horse, became a docile cat when it came to Seo Ji Wan.

“Good work.”

Director Kim approached Yi Seol, who was coming down after finishing the interview, and greeted her.

“Yi Seol, you worked hard. This movie seems to be showing signs of a big hit, doesn’t it?”

“Haha, is that so? I still can’t feel it. It seems like everyone around me is just saying nice things. Director, you’re not doing that too, are you?”

“Come on, what are you saying? Two consecutive weeks at the top of the weekend box office, and already over 5 million viewers? Wow, our Yoon Yi Seol will be going to Cannes soon.”

Yi Seol, who had been smiling faintly without much response, got into the elevator that manager Jung Hyeok had secured.

Seeing her capitalist smile with raised corners of her mouth disappear cleanly even before the elevator doors closed, Jung Hyeok shook his head.

“You can’t do anything properly, can you? I’m going to die of heart disease because of you.”

“That Director Kim, when did he ever see me to speak banmal so consistently? Whether I go to Cannes or Guam, why is he the one bragging about it? That guy is just unlucky, as always.”

The woman’s face, smooth like a peeled egg, crumpled along with her swear words.

At the beginning of the film production, as soon as the news of ‘Yoon Yi Seol, casting confirmed’ was reported, the director had been going around saying he had never seen a movie do well when the lead was given to a rookie with little acting experience.

Now that the rookie was likely to go to Cannes, he must be burning up inside.

“He said he personally apologized to the CEO for talking like that. Just apologized? He said he really wants to work with you on his next project.”

Manager Jung Hyeok added, watching Yi Seol’s reaction.

“Why add ‘personally’ there? If it’s ‘personal’, he should do it to me, the person involved. I’m the one with an arrow stuck in my chest, bleeding profusely, so why is he going somewhere else to apologize?”

Yi Seol got heated.

“Tell him that arrow is still stuck, so he should come apologize directly and pull it out. After that, we can talk about working together on the next project or not.”

Bang!

The van’s back seat door closed loudly right in front of Jung Hyeok’s nose.

Yi Seol, leaning back on the dark leather seat, took out her phone to check for missed calls.

There was no contact from Ji Wan, who should have been here by now.

Not even a message, let alone a missed call.

“Oppa, was there no call?”

Jung Hyeok, who had just gotten into the driver’s seat, once again watched Yi Seol’s reaction.

“How long has it been since the wedding ended? He went on a business trip right away, didn’t he?”

“You’re saying he hasn’t come back from that business trip yet?”

“Is a wedding a small matter? There must be a lot of schedules backed up due to wedding preparations, so he couldn’t even go on a honeymoon and went straight to a business trip. Frankly speaking, did he even have time to go to the bathroom?”

As Jung Hyeok mumbled evasively, Yi Seol snapped at him.

“Send a gift to the newlywed home right away. Whatever it is, put my name on it in big letters, send the biggest one.”

“……Ah, Yoon Yi Seol!!”

Having said her piece, Yi Seol leaned back on the headrest and closed her eyes.

*****

It was big.

If the intention was to make her presence known through a gift, it was truly from an impressive person

If she wanted to show off her wealth, it was a large bird of paradise plant pot that seemed sufficient, the kind that would be placed in a hotel lobby.

Do Eum tilted her head in front of the pale silver leaves and fully bloomed orange flowers.

[Sincere congratulations on your marriage. Seol.]

Seol.

A name Do Eum had never seen in the Bando Group personnel records that Woo Seok had given her, saying it was basic information she should know if she was a person of the Bando family.

If she sent it directly to the newlywed home, it must mean she’s that close to Ji Wan.

The reason why this thing, disguised as a gift, felt so threatening was probably because the sender was a woman.

Gardener Kim, who had been busily going back and forth in the garden, stopped in front of the large bird of paradise.

“Someone really raised this flower well, which is not easy to bloom indoors.”

“Is that so?”

“Eternal unchanging, never changing even after a long time. That’s the flower language of the bird of paradise.”

After dropping that comment, Kim disappeared, and Do Eum’s gaze immediately returned to the plant pot.

Even after a long time, it doesn’t change, huh.

Isn’t this kind of phrase usually used between long-time lovers?

As Do Eum was chewing over the flower language that was meaningful to the point of being solemn, it was then.

“Why are you out here?”

Woo Seok, who had accompanied Ji Wan on his way to work early in the morning, had said he would come to see about the household help, and was just coming in.

Woo Seok, who was striding in, turned serious when he saw the name ‘Seol’ on the marble pot, and hurriedly removed the ribbon.

“Did the madam receive this directly?”

Nod, nod.

“You don’t need to worry about it. If you want, I can take it back.”

Instead of asking what she shouldn’t worry about, or why he would take back a gift that had just been delivered, Do Eum raised the corners of her mouth and smiled.

“I don’t want that. Mr. Kim said it’s an extremely well-raised bird of paradise.”

It was quite fortunate that a woman who was sharp enough to understand the man after seeing him just a few times acted so obliviously in this situation, unlike her who took 6 months to grasp Ji Wan’s intentions.

Relaxing his tense expression, Woo Seok changed the subject.

“Oh right. Did you prepare breakfast for the CEO this morning?”

Do Eum, who had just stepped onto the marble floor of the living room past the entrance, stopped in her tracks.

Her expression, which had been calm at the bird of paradise pot with the woman’s name, suddenly turned pale.

It was because of the memory of the morning she wanted to forget.

From what she had heard, the man’s work start time was 8 o’clock.

She got up a little early and diligently prepared breakfast.

Praying that her cooking skills, which she had honed so far, would fully serve their purpose in making up for the previous day’s commotion.

From clear bean sprout soup to neatly shaped rolled omelette, and even freshly squeezed juice with celery and banana, the breakfast table was certainly presentable.

Exactly 7:30 AM.

It was, until the neatly dressed man came out of the room, briefly scanned the well-set table, and left just like that.

“…Aren’t you going to eat?”

Do Eum closely followed Ji Wan, who was heading towards the entrance.

Still, there’s the sincerity of the person who prepared it.

He wouldn’t have set the breakfast table at this time for her to eat.

Although she knew he was indifferent, she didn’t know it would be to this extent, so there was clearly resentment in Do Eum’s words.

“I’ll take care of breakfast myself.”

“But I prepared it with care, even if you could eat a little…”

The answer that came without stopping his steps or even looking back was cold.

“You don’t need to make such efforts.”

The man who had stridden to the entrance stopped just before putting on his shoes and looked down at his feet.

A neat pair of shoes turned towards the front door.

“This too.”

It had been Do Eum’s long-standing habit and custom.

The energy of the person who goes out to earn money thrives when the shoes in the shoe rack are neatly arranged.

It was because of her adoptive father who would pull young Do Eum’s hair to make her arrange the shoes whenever he drank.

No, should it be called a virtue?

As he slipped his feet into the neatly placed shoes, Ji Wan muttered once more.

“There’s no need to do it.”

It seemed that the woman’s habit, which had been praised as neat wherever she went, was not to the man’s liking.

The sigh escaping between her red lips, her slightly furrowed brow showed that.