Hyun Woo, who was eating cake with his mom and dad in the living room, put down his fork.

“I ate well! Hyun Woo has to go to Gahoe-dong now.”

At breakfast, Hyun Woo said he had to introduce Black to his family. Even though it was mom’s birthday, he had promised his grandfather in Gahoe-dong a few days ago, linking fingers, so he couldn’t cancel the promise he had to keep.

“Mom wants to be with Hyun Woo all day, are you really going?”

When So Yeon asked with a disappointed expression, Hyun Woo looked at his dad and said firmly.

“Today is mom’s birthday, so dad should play with mom. Hyun Woo has a promise with grandpa, so I’m very busy.”

“Heh…”

Seo Jun laughed briefly.

It’s unclear who he takes after with that personality of absolutely doing what he sets his mind to. It was quite funny how his son treated his mom like a child.

Moreover, the sight of the 4-year-old little boy trying to speak like an adult was incredibly cute. Of course, his thoughtfulness towards his pet dog seemed very mature and was admirable.

Still, it was So Yeon’s birthday today. In that sense, Seo Jun threw an enticing bait to Hyun Woo. Entirely to a child’s taste.

“Later, dad is going to the amusement park with mom. We’re going to buy churros that you like. Don’t you want to come with us? Gahoe-dong only has adults, so it’s boring.”

“Hyun Woo is not bored at all. Playing with grandpa and the dogs is more exciting. It’s fun. The amusement park, we went recently so Hyun Woo doesn’t really want to.”

Despite Seo Jun’s gentle coaxing, Hyun Woo was very firm. Though still a tiny little boy, his desire to fulfill his responsibilities as Black’s owner showed a seriousness surpassing adults.

Having finished speaking, Hyun Woo quickly went to his room and came out with his luggage packed. Though his luggage was just a small bag full of treats and toys for Black.

As So Yeon put the blue bag on his back, Hyun Woo hugged his mom and dad’s necks tightly with both arms and whispered, smacking his small lips.

“Don’t fight and get along well, okay? If you misbehave because Hyun Woo is not here, I’ll scold you when I come back.”

It was when So Yeon and Seo Jun made eye contact and chuckled, finding their son’s words both cute and astonishing. Just then, Jessica came out of the second-floor room, hurriedly descending the stairs as she spoke.

“Chairman, the madam keeps calling, urging us to come quickly. Well then, we’ll be going.”

Already, the car of Secretary Kang, sent by Chairman Tae, was waiting in the parking lot.

After seeing their son and Jessica off to the front of the house, Seo Jun and So Yeon returned to the living room and stood side by side for a while. There was a sense of disconnect between being parents and lovers. Suddenly being alone together, even the atmosphere felt awkward.

“What should we do now?”

“There’s plenty to do.”

When Seo Jun threw out a comment, So Yeon, who had briefly replied, only then started to move slowly.

Though she was receiving his heated gaze.

Though her heart was pounding uncontrollably, unable to ignore that gaze.

Though she desperately wanted to put everything aside and stick close to him.

Cutting off all temptations, So Yeon sat at the tea table placed by the large living room window, holding her movie script. Not only was she unaccustomed to taking laziness as a companion, but also due to the weight of her first leading role, she couldn’t neglect practice at all.

So Yeon, busy expressing more than the script’s content through her acting, was completely unaware that Seo Jun continued to watch the back of her head.

About an hour passed from then.

Something fell in front of her eyes as she was muttering lines. The small, light object that suddenly flew in was a ping pong ball.

“Oh!”

So Yeon’s eyes, turning around startled, discovered Seo Jun lying halfway down on a large sofa. He was spreading both arms towards her.

“What! You scared me.”

“Isn’t that enough practice? Now come play with me.”

“If you’re that bored, why not just call me instead of throwing a ping pong ball?”

Though glaring at him, So Yeon’s body and legs moved on their own. As she fell into his broad, firm chest, Seo Jun tightly embraced So Yeon on his chest.

“I called you. Several times, but you didn’t hear, you know.”

“That can’t be. I’m the type who never misses anything from Tae Seo Jun.”

“I did, I tell you.”

“Really…?”

So Yeon’s words trailed off as she tried to recall a memory that seemed both true and not.

“Yeah.”

If he said so, then it must be so.

“Do you want to drink wine? I thought about it this morning while eating cake, but I held back because of script practice.”

“I’m a very expensive man. If you want to drink with me, there should be something worth it.”

“What…?”

“The fire kindled in my chest. I’d like that put out first…”

“R-right now, in broad daylight?”

“There are people who drink during the day, so why do you think this isn’t allowed?”

Seo Jun’s gaze and smile suddenly turned seductive as he stared at her small, plump lips. Like that face she had seen every night at the end of the day. So Yeon, who couldn’t help but understand what that expression meant, felt dizzy enough for her hair to stand on end.

The scenes flashing through her mind and the newly drawn pictures incited her.

“Who said it wasn’t allowed? I’m just embarrassed and nervous…”

Those deep, intense eyes looking only at me. That gaze that becomes even more persistent when we’re alone. A man who becomes even more charming because of it. I must be the only woman who knows this Tae Seo Jun.

It was because of that thought. So Yeon, who had been resting her cheek on his chest, buried her lips in it and slowly unbuttoned his shirt one by one.

“…!”

Seo Jun’s neckline flinched as her hand, which he thought would pull away a little, caressed his waist. Whether that invited more desire, So Yeon boldly undid the last button of his shirt. And she began to push Seo Jun convincingly.

He was a man with smooth skin. This was an act commanded by her inner desire, and though embarrassing, it also felt okay. After all, it was this man who taught her this madness.

“Stay… still.”

“I am still.”

“Even more still.”

“…”

An irrepressible smile made Seo Jun’s clear lips dance.

It was mind-boggling that she would even give orders in a soft voice while trembling. Yet his own behavior of trying not to move at her words was also funny. That’s why.

The fingertips that gently separated and touched again were like feathers. As that strange sensation tickled his heart, Seo Jun lowered his eyes intently while stroking her long hair. The small face fearlessly swallowing an unusual fantasy was extraordinarily sexy.

Seo Jun raised his sharp jawline haughtily at the cute breath and frowned deeply.

Though it was still noon, the time for the two was midnight.

It was sometime later.

So Yeon, whose two cheeks were flushed red and madly lovable, faced Seo Jun.

Why does the desire to hold her more intensify even after embracing her passionately several times? Seo Jun scattered kisses all over So Yeon’s face, which was looking at him with deep kisses. It was when those kisses slid down to her snow-white shoulders.

“I like you so much.”

So Yeon whispered in a slightly husky voice.

“Me too.”

It would be nice to go straight to the bedroom like this, but remembering her words about wanting to drink wine, Seo Jun asked with a languid gaze, pressing his forehead against So Yeon’s.

“Shall we… drink wine?”

“Hmm… I want to drink coffee.”

“Let’s do that.”

Seo Jun, carrying So Yeon lightly, headed to the kitchen.

After sitting So Yeon on the sink, Seo Jun started brewing coffee with skillful hand movements, and the rich aroma of coffee beans quickly spread throughout the kitchen.

While blowing on the mug he handed her and taking a few sips of coffee, So Yeon recalled what had happened recently at the main house in Gahoe-dong.

So Yeon, who arrived a little late to the family gathering due to filming, was just about to turn from the entrance to the reception room. The voices of two people coming from inside were enough to bind So Yeon’s feet.

‘Eom So Yeon is quite a high-level player, isn’t she?’

‘Yes. From the beginning, father threw that massive 10% of assets as bait to marry the youngest young master and Eom So Yeon. Eom So Yeon even included that in her calculations. It’s just a guess, but my intuition has never been wrong.’

‘Now that I hear it, it makes sense, doesn’t it? If my elder sister-in-law and I couldn’t get pregnant, father’s wealth would have gone to the youngest young master anyway. Whether we got pregnant or not, we were just stand-ins for the youngest sister-in-law from the start.’

‘What’s the use of saying that now. And what sister-in-law already? Until after the wedding ceremony, I only have one sister-in-law.’

‘Still, she’s already a beloved daughter-in-law in the family. Just now, father was looking for the youngest daughter-in-law so much, I was secretly jealous.’

‘So how much fox-like behavior must she have done? With that wealth father promised, the business world rankings would completely change. No, isn’t that right. If she hadn’t drawn such a big picture, there would be no reason to have a child at that young age. Even secretly raising the child was cunningly waiting for this time to come, don’t you think?’

As the sound of the two elder sisters-in-law’s conversation was ending, what made So Yeon even more flustered was Cha Yeo Jin’s seemingly mocking voice from behind her.

‘As you’ve heard, being a daughter-in-law in a chaebol family isn’t particularly difficult. Everyone in this family, except for your brother-in-law and sister, thinks you’re a child greedy for wealth. I think so too. You still have a long way to go.’

That day, So Yeon’s spine chilled at Cha Yeo Jin’s cynical tone, but she didn’t pay much attention. No matter how much she came forward to deny it, preconceptions fixed from the beginning don’t change easily.

So she ignored it, but since Hyun Woo was mentioned, it was something that needed to be addressed at least once, so So Yeon brought up the matter with difficulty.

“I heard that the Chairman offered his wealth because of Hyun Woo. Is that true?”

“It’s true, do you dislike it?”

Even though it was an enormous wealth that could naturally create greed where there was none, Seo Jun answered as if it was nothing. He didn’t even ask where or how she heard it. His low voice and the way he naturally swallowed his coffee, as if it wasn’t anything new, seemed as comfortable as usual.

Then isn’t that enough? He must be expressing it casually because it’s nothing, and I never intended to get deeply involved in his family matters anyway.

So Yeon, grateful for him considering her feelings first, shook her head slightly and said.

“Is it something I should feel bad about?”

“Should we not accept it?”

Seo Jun asked So Yeon, raising his black eyebrows. His tone was playful.

“Did you perhaps refuse?”

So Yeon swallowed dry saliva with a serious expression.

“Well. I wanted to hear what you think.”

“I don’t think it’s something I should rashly interfere with. Also, I believe you’ll handle it well.”

At her very Eom So Yeon-like answer, saying that money shouldn’t be followed but also that she couldn’t handle it carelessly, Seo Jun stretched his lips into a long smile.

“Actually, I told father to give it to Hyun Woo. I have no intention of increasing my wealth by selling my child. It’s not that big a deal to me anyway.”

“That…”

If it’s not that big a deal… then how much more does this man have?

Though curious, So Yeon quickly bit her moving lips inward and gulped down the coffee in her hand with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.

“Ah, hot!”

Completely forgetting that the coffee was still not cooled.