After the fistfight with Woo Jin, Tae Ha was suffering more than ever.

Even though the one who got hit was over there, it felt as if his heart was torn to shreds here. If he were the one who got beaten up, would she have stepped in to protect me?

[“You’re the one I’m going to marry. You can’t hit him anymore in front of me.”] If Si Hyun had said that for him, Tae Ha would have been happy to die. Even if he were to die, he thought he could die smiling. He was envious of Woo Jin who held her heart and he hated him so much that he wanted to kill him.

Since Si Hyun said she would forgive Woo Jin, Tae Ha had been continuously agonizing.

Should I tell her the truth? That her fiancee and the one who cheated on her is none other than me. If Si Hyun finds out, wouldn’t she be able to stop the wedding?

But even if the wedding is called off, it didn’t seem like Si Hyun would come to him.

[“What can I do to make you come to me?”] Brushing off his desperate hand, Si Hyun said,

[“Be reborn.”] It was a phrase saying that whatever he did wouldn’t work.

He even thought about actually dying and being reborn. A life without Kang Si Hyun, he thought there wouldn’t be any point in living.

But thinking about it calmly, if he died now and was reborn, there would be a gap of over thirty years.

After a few days of contemplation, Tae Ha decided to tell Si Hyun the truth. Even if she got hurt, he thought she should know the truth and make her decision. If she got married without knowing, wouldn’t it be a bigger problem when she found out later?

More than anything, keeping silent even when he knew was too hard, as it felt like he was deceiving her.

[“Oppa, are you okay?”] But seeing Si Hyun’s attitude towards Woo Jin that day, he had a strong feeling that she wouldn’t break up even if she knew the truth. If that happened, it would be no different from him pushing her into hell.

At any time, Si Hyun’s happiness was the most important thing to him. Just like the day when he rushed to see her as soon as he got his first leave from the military, saw her happy face, and couldn’t say anything and turned around.

He could bear it when he thought she could be happy even with another man. But now that he knew that wasn’t the case, he felt like he was going crazy.

During his painful days, when he couldn’t do anything, he received a call from his father, Leon.

“It seems like the decision to acquire the hotel will be made soon. I’ll be going to Seoul personally for this matter, let’s meet then, son.”
The prospect of meeting his son after a year made Leon’s face in the video call brim with excitement. Tae Ha, however, who was already consumed with thoughts of Si Hyun, had no room to pay attention to anything else.

“Yes.”
Tae Ha responded dryly, when suddenly a thought crossed his mind.

“Would the hotel oblige if I request something?”
Well, they might. The parent company is in quite a serious financial crisis, they’ll want to sell the hotel to us by any means.
“What if it’s against the law? Like, requesting the CCTV footage of a guest.”
What’s going on?
Although doing so wouldn’t make Si Hyun come to me, it could be necessary for her later. With this in mind, Tae Ha opened his mouth.

“Dad, I have a favor to ask.”
At the word ‘Dad’, which he had never heard from his son before, Leon on the other side of the screen swallowed hard.

Tell me, son.
“Please contact the hotel and arrange a meeting with the highest possible person.”
Leon, who was on the other side of the earth, looked blankly at Tae Ha’s face through the screen. This was the face of a man who was called ‘Dad’ for the first time in his life.

I’ll set up the appointment. Go there and say whatever you want.
His father repeated once more.

Anything.

((()))

Tae Ha was striding towards us.

“What are you doing here?”
Tae Ha asked. Si Hyun hesitated a bit before answering honestly. She didn’t feel like talking, but she couldn’t lie either.

“We had a premarriage meeting here at this restaurant today. How about you?”
A ripple passed over his handsome face for a moment. However, Tae Ha quickly regained his composure and responded.

“I’m here for some business with my father.”
His voice quivered ever so slightly, so Si Hyun knew he was pretending to be calm.

“Oh, I see.”
Ah Hyun was looking back and forth between Tae Ha and Si Hyun with a surprised face. It seemed like she was wondering, ‘What’s going on between these two?’

The hotel staff at a distance were also looking in this direction with their hands politely folded. They seemed to be waiting for Tae Ha.

“Well, my parents are waiting outside. So, see you later.”

“Quickly murmuring, Si Hyun turned away. The gaze piercing her back hurt.

((()))

“What was that just now?”
Entering the back seat of the car opened by the waiting chauffeur, Ah Hyeon mumbled. Her heart pounded as if it would burst out.

What she had just witnessed with her own eyes was unbelievable.