Unable to bear Jae Hyuk’s gaze any longer, A Rin walked first to the franchise coffee shop opposite the VAN Group headquarters.

As it was lunchtime, the cafe was bustling with customers.

Sure enough, as soon as they entered, several people in the cafe recognized him and stood up abruptly.

He nonchalantly waved his hand towards the people. At his gesture, those who had stood up sat down one by one.

“Is it okay here?”

A Rin asked, conscious of the people alternately looking at her and Jae Hyuk.

“It’s fine. They know you’re my wife, sorry, mistake. They know you were my wife, but they won’t easily say it out loud. Don’t worry.”

My wife? Shouldn’t it normally be ex-wife?

Jae Hyuk’s words, seemingly passing by, strangely bothered her.

“You know what I’m going to say today. I don’t think it’ll do any good to let people know I’m meeting my ex-wife. Let’s go somewhere else then.”

She spoke with a sharp edge. But it was the same this time too. He didn’t erase his smile even at the cold words.

“We can do it here. And don’t worry. If you don’t like it, I have enough power to suppress a single rumor.”

They settled at a table by the window. He didn’t sit down, but leaned on the table with his hands and stared intently at her. His deep black eyes, seemingly about to pull her in, were like a black hole.

“Do as you please. Then, Ban Jae Hyuk will lose more than I will.”

“Alright. I’ll bear it all. Sit down, I’ll go order.”

His composed demeanor made her heart waver. It seemed she needed to wear an even harder armor to hide her wavering heart.

Jae Hyuk glanced at the menu and said,

“You won’t drink coffee, right?”

“…No?”

She unconsciously uttered a denial.

“You don’t drink coffee anymore, right?”

Her heart fluttered at his tone, knowing something he shouldn’t.

“I run a cafe, how could I not drink coffee.”

Though she denied it, he continued as if not particularly concerned.

“There’s lemonade. I think that would be good to order?”

“……”

When there was no response, he stared intently as if trying to read the truth from her expression.

Finally, A Rin had to give the answer he wanted.

“……Lemonade, please.”

A Rin answered in a very small voice so that Jae Hyuk wouldn’t notice her trembling. Only then did Jae Hyuk nod with a satisfied smile.

“Wait a moment, I’ll be right back.”

A Rin watched Jae Hyuk’s retreating back as he walked to the counter with wavering eyes. She was confused.

‘How does he know… that I now prefer lemonade over coffee’

He knew her preferences as if he had been by her side all along. In the past, she lived on coffee to the point of being called a caffeine addict.

On the other hand, she never touched lemonade. If anything, she disliked sour foods and never put them in her mouth.

In other words, it meant she had never drunk lemonade in front of him.

‘But he knows my taste?’

Her taste changed after she had a child. She could no longer drink the Americano she used to, and started drinking lemonade she didn’t like before.

Thinking about it now, perhaps even when she wasn’t conscious of it, her body was naturally preparing to welcome the child.

But her taste didn’t return even after losing the child.

‘How does he know about my changed taste……’

Suddenly, a glass of lemonade full of ice was placed in front of her. A Rin looked up at Jae Hyuk’s voice above her head.

“I asked for lots of ice and strong flavor.”

A Rin felt another strong wave in her heart when her eyes met Jae Hyuk’s. As she stared at him blankly, a smile appeared on his face as if painted.

“Drink.”

“……Yes.”

A Rin put the lemonade Jae Hyuk handed her to her lips. Her mouth felt refreshed and her stuffy throat seemed to cool down.

‘This is just a contract. Choi A Rin, never forget why you’re accepting his proposal now.’

After shaking off her distracting thoughts, she took out the contract documents from her bag.

‘Will he still look at me like this even if I say this?’

Somehow, the lemonade going down her throat felt sour and bitter.

Jae Hyuk watched A Rin silently fiddling with her glass.

Her small, round lips that had trembled as if about to open several times were now tightly closed, showing no signs of opening.

How much longer would he have to wait?

Jae Hyuk knew well that all he could do was wait. But impatience came first in this indefinite wait.

The time when he had unknowingly let out an exclamation of joy upon receiving contact from A Rin, whom he had been waiting and waiting for, felt distant now. The fear that suddenly rushed in was due to her behavior since meeting until now.

It seemed as if her cold and distancing attitude was indirectly rejecting his proposal.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come out today.’

During the indefinite waiting time, he could have lived with hope of ‘maybe’.

But if she completely rejected his proposal now, he couldn’t even live with false hope anymore. He might fall into despair, struggling with the fact that there was no chance.

His foolish heart, still engraved with only one woman, beat quickly upon seeing its owner.

Under the table, where no one could see, Jae Hyuk clenched his fist so tightly that his veins popped out.

With his surging emotions, Jae Hyuk composed himself several times.

‘Whatever she says. So that A Rin doesn’t feel burdened. So that she can leave comfortably even if she refuses, like that.’

She was within reach now.

He couldn’t guarantee when he would see her this close again.

No, there might never be a next time.

His throat choked up.

‘So, I should engrave A Rin in my eyes as much as I’m allowed. Enough to live on the memory of this moment for the rest of my life……’

This time should be unbelievably happy.

Jae Hyuk bit hard on the soft flesh inside his mouth.

‘I wish she wouldn’t say anything at all.’

The brief silence felt like an eternity. If A Rin came to any conclusion, it seemed there wouldn’t be time to steal glances at her like this anymore.

He thought silence was better.

A Rin raised her head, feeling Jae Hyuk’s gaze acutely.

Reflected in those deep black eyes that seemed to pull her in was only a wavering A Rin.

“I’ll accept the proposal.”

She clenched her small fist on her knee.

Jae Hyuk stared at her blankly without a word. After a moment, he asked as if in disbelief.

“Did you just say you’ll accept the proposal?”

She nodded, trying to maintain the firmest expression possible.

“But I hope you don’t misunderstand. My accepting your proposal doesn’t mean I’m accepting your feelings.”

She spoke in the coldest voice she could muster.

This was a message to both him and herself.

“……”

He closed his mouth. His eyelashes were trembling slightly. Though he was trying not to show it, A Rin noticed that Jae Hyuk was hurt.

It didn’t matter. No, it shouldn’t matter, because if she wavered due to personal emotions, she wouldn’t be able to do anything, let alone revenge.

“I have conditions.”

“……Tell me.”

“I want you to set a definite period. Last time you said it would be one year for now but could be longer depending on the situation, but I don’t like that. If you promise to set a period and completely leave each other’s lives when that period ends, I’ll accept your proposal, Ban Jae Hyuk.”

Jae Hyuk blinked slowly. After a moment, his lips parted.

“If that’s what you want, we’ll do that.”

A Rin noticed that Jae Hyuk’s voice was wet. But there was nothing she could do.

“I think it would be good for both of us to make things clear.”

“……Yeah.”

She wasn’t feeling particularly good about saying this either.

‘There’s no chance of things working out between us anyway, so I don’t want to get hurt anymore.’

A Rin pushed a piece of paper towards Jae Hyuk.

“I added what I want to the contract you gave me last time.”

She couldn’t understand why. Though she was doing what she wanted, somehow her throat felt uncomfortable as if something was stuck.

He took the document.

‘I need to make it clear that this is a contract.’

Writing up a contract wasn’t because she didn’t trust him.

‘Don’t think about casually joining with him like this. I need to remind myself that this relationship is just a contract.’

It was a warning to him, and also a warning to A Rin herself.

Ironically, deciding to stand by his side was to protect herself.

The desire for revenge against Madam Jung, and the threats from those she once called family, ignited A Rin’s heart.

She didn’t have the power to stand against Madam Jung yet. There was no one who could help her sever ties with those she called family.

No matter how much money she earned, she couldn’t gain enough power to face Madam Jung.

Madam Jung would appear before her anytime and torment her. She didn’t want to suffer in silence anymore. She wanted to completely break free from this ill-fated relationship.

A Rin accepted his proposal with the thought of using Jae Hyuk as that shield.

“I want Madam to stop entering my life anymore. The same goes for other people. I want Ban Jae Hyuk to be that defensive wall.”

Jae Hyuk stared at A Rin without answering.

“So if you don’t like that……”

“No, I’ll do it.”

Jae Hyuk said he would before she could finish speaking.

“You heard me correctly, right? I’m going to use you.”

“Yes.”

“You heard correctly that I’m accepting this to use you?”

“Yes, I heard exactly. But, there’s nothing unsatisfactory about this condition for me. Even if you use me, I gain more benefit from this contract. Because VAN Group will come into my hands.”

A Rin closed her mouth.

“Moreover, accepting this proposal means you agree to live with me. It’ll be very uncomfortable for you.”

Jae Hyuk’s face was dark as he said this.

“So, I can accept any unfair conditions you put forward. But from my perspective, what A Rin is saying isn’t unfair at all. Rather, you could say more.”

“Even if I tell you to completely reject Madam?”

A self-deprecating smile appeared on his face.

Jae Hyuk’s relationship with Madam Jung had irreversibly soured right after A Rin left him.

He didn’t want to give her unnecessary burden.

Swallowing the words lingering in his mouth, Jae Hyuk said.

“I’m sorry about my mother. I only heard about it this morning too. From now on, I’ll make sure my mother never approaches you again.”