Tae Gyu, driving his car towards home, recalled the morning. He lowered the window as much as possible, feeling stuffy.

“Ji Eun Jae is getting married.”

It might have been better to face the wind instead. Then, he wouldn’t have heard such news. He wouldn’t have become this miserable.

How foolish must I have looked in your eyes, trying to win your heart all this time? No, to you, I was always just that kind of existence.

“I’m still struggling like this.”

The day he first met Eun Jae in front of the school, he regretted not even being able to speak to her. He had worried a lot about how to find that female student whose name and age he didn’t know, but it was unnecessary.

Ji Eun Jae was quite famous at school.

Rumors said she was the daughter of the tteokbokki shop owner in front of the school, and her unique appearance contributed to her fame. Her pitch-black eyes, which looked especially deep against her dazzlingly pale skin, and her bright red lips were striking.

Recently, stories circulated about a male classmate, and before that, a third-year senior, failing to get Ji Eun Jae’s number.

Among the boys, getting Ji Eun Jae’s number became a sort of bet, but it always ended in failure stories.

Although it was somewhat forced, I was the only one who got her number, and I thought I would soon win her heart too.

It was a huge miscalculation. To Ji Eun Jae, Yoon Tae Gyu was less than a background character.

Ji Eun Jae couldn’t even remember his name properly. Sometimes she called him Yoon Tae Gu, and other times Yoon Gyu Tae.

Each time, he corrected his name, but still, there were many days when she got it wrong. Making the lame excuse that the name was difficult.

“Yoon Gyu Tae is more difficult.”

Tae Gyu stepped on the accelerator irritably. On the quiet road, Tae Gyu’s car sped at a fast pace.

[This is the timeline separator]

After work. Sun Woo and Eun Jae sat side by side at the dining table, just like yesterday. The difference was that they set the table together with the man who had returned home earlier than expected.

Was it just a feeling that the man’s return from work had been earlier lately?

After that encounter with Aunt Seongsan, every morning at a regular time, an insulated bag filled with food was quietly placed in front of the entrance.

It was obvious. The man must have requested it.

Today’s main dish was clear angler fish soup. It was clean, light, and the refreshing broth was charming. The scent of water dropwort at the end further enhanced the appetite.

As the meal was nearly finished, the man spoke.

“Did you meet your friend well?”

Even that brief meeting, should it be called a meeting? After pondering for a moment, Eun Jae decided it was better to say she didn’t meet.

“I didn’t meet.”

“I didn’t tell you not to meet.”

“I told you I wouldn’t do anything that could be misunderstood.”

Contrary to his words, a smile spread across Sun Woo’s lips. Feeling the woman’s gaze on him with slightly narrowed eyes, Sun Woo pulled up the corners of his mouth even more.

“What does your friend do?”

His voice was mixed with laughter.

“She’s a doctor.”

If she’s Ji Eun Jae’s friend, she must be a resident. The man muttered to himself and then continued insensitively.

“At that stage, there’s no time to meet anyone, no time for dating.”

“Who said anything about dating?”

Eun Jae grumbled as if incredulous.

“Whether it’s dating or marriage, it’s better for both parties if it’s with someone who’s somewhat stable.”

The man’s chopsticks, which were heading towards the vegetable salad with grains, paused for a moment, and Eun Jae looked at Sun Woo. Sun Woo raised his head and met Eun Jae’s eyes.

“I’m not saying that about myself, but that’s usually the case.”

As he continued speaking, the man’s chopsticks moved back to the salad. From his mouth, which usually didn’t make much noise while eating, came the crisp sound of fresh vegetables being chewed.

“I thought it would be better not to meet. It seemed like the right thing to do.”

Even if she hadn’t known about Tae Gyu’s feelings for her, now that she knew, whether this marriage was real or a contract, it didn’t change the fact that she would soon be a married woman. So she thought she shouldn’t give any room for misunderstanding.

Trying to reject him in front of Tae Gyu, who was smiling without knowing anything, made her feel like she was the bad person, and it weighed heavily on her heart.

If she had rejected him over the phone, it might have been a little easier. Why did he ignore what I said and come all the way to the hospital?

Remembering the complex expression Tae Gyu had made at the news of her marriage, she felt her chest tighten and kept spooning the clear broth that had been ladled out.

“I really have a question, if your family opposes this marriage and it falls through, that’s not my fault, right?”

“It would be Ji Eun Jae’s fault.”

“Why!”

Sun Woo, who had been listening to Eun Jae’s story, put down his chopsticks and said,

“Would you give up even if I were a lover you couldn’t live without?”

“You’re not my lover.”

“That damned ‘mister’…”

The man, who had been muttering softly, was about to scoop up some soup with an displeased face, but as if he had more to say, he put down the spoon irritably.

Whether it was because she said she would give up easily, or because she called him ‘mister’, it was unclear. But one thing was certain – his mood was very displeased right now.

“You should think of it that way. That’s also explicitly part of the contract.”

“…”

At the woman’s silence, Sun Woo, whose lips had been about to curl up slightly, barely stopped himself and continued speaking.

“With that mindset, make sure you get permission, Ji Eun Jae.”

“I’ll do my best since I’ve received something too. But I’m asking based on the assumption that it doesn’t work out. No matter how hard I try, it might not work out, right?”

Listening quietly to the woman’s words, he found himself wanting to see her try her best.

Looking at the grumbling Eun Jae, Sun Woo smiled and pushed the bowl of braised short ribs towards her, saying,

“Eat your meal.”

That won’t happen.

As the meal concluded and the man pressed the dishwasher button, he turned and asked,

“Shall we have a cup of tea? We can continue our conversation from yesterday.”

When Eun Jae nodded, the man soon placed a white mug emitting a sweet aroma in front of her. It was hot chocolate with marshmallows floating on top. Along with it was a pink shopping bag.

“What’s this?”

“A bathrobe.”

The man’s lips moved subtly.

“You said it was big.”

Recalling the day a few days ago when she had encountered the man in front of the water purifier while wearing a robe, Eun Jae’s cheeks, which had been as white as rice cakes, turned pink.

“Are, are you going to introduce me to a part-time job?”

Seeing her stumble over her words and try to change the subject while her cheeks were flushed like peaches, Sun Woo decided to let it go for now.

“Not meeting was Ji Eun Jae’s decision.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Eun Jae didn’t deny anything else. Sun Woo took a sip of hot chocolate, put down his cup, and said,

“There’s something Ji Eun Jae is good at, right?”

“What’s that?”

“Cleaning, laundry, dishwashing. Didn’t you say you were good at those?”

“What? No, that’s just natural—”

“There’s nothing natural about it. Even real couples divide these tasks.”

The word ‘couple’ seemed to be imbued with heat. No matter how much she thought about it, it was a word she couldn’t get used to.

“There will be many more days when I can’t help. If you have free time and are bored, you can study what you want, or meet friends. Ah, preferably female friends rather than male ones.”

“…”

“I don’t want to hear that my wife met other men.”

Following ‘couple’, now ‘wife’. Flustered, Eun Jae quickly swallowed her hot chocolate instead of answering.

Hot! She burned her tongue on the hastily swallowed hot chocolate.

“I told you it was hot.”

The man, who had been smiling just slightly at the corners of his mouth, pulled out a tissue and handed it to Eun Jae.

“I told you before. At least during the contract period, I’ll make sure you don’t regret making this choice.”

A black card was gently placed in front of Eun Jae.

“While you’re by my side, use it without hesitation. This is also part of the contract.”

The same card that had been placed on top of the lunchbox not long ago.

“If there’s something you want to buy, buy it. If there’s something you want to do, do it.”

That card, which she had returned to the man saying she probably couldn’t use it.

“By the way, there’s no limit.”

[This is the timeline separator]

A week has passed since then.

Every morning starts with having breakfast with the man and running the washing machine.

The laundry is done by the washing machine, the dishes by the dishwasher. She cleans the house, which has nothing to tidy up before the man comes home.

When passing by his room door while vacuuming, she remembered his words that he would take care of his own laundry, room, and study cleaning.

It seemed like he wanted to clearly maintain his own space, so she didn’t even touch the doorknob.

They sometimes ate dinner at home, but more often ate out.

It was the same routine every day, as if caught in a time loop. It was unbearably boring.

Comparing the days he specified as part-time work to the days before, there was nothing particularly different about the day.

As the man said, the urge to do something was surging like a tidal wave.

Whirr—

As the vacuum cleaner’s noise that had filled the living room subsided, silence quickly settled in.

“…”

Eun Jae, standing in the middle of the living room, blinked blankly at the empty space.

What do I want to do?

Is there such a thing? I’ve never thought about wanting to do something in my life. To be honest, I never had the chance.

After putting the vacuum cleaner back in its place, Eun Jae entered her room and idly fiddled with her phone.

She remembered Tae Gyu appearing before her in his impressive doctor’s gown.

She knew their starting points were different. Everyone at school knew his family was well-off because Tae Gyu’s grandfather was the chairman of the educational foundation of Eun Jae’s high school.

Nevertheless, seeing Tae Gyu in his proper doctor’s gown at the same age as her made her situation feel even more stark in comparison.

Twenty-seven years old.

Not a young age, yet no proper job, and no dreams either.

Eun Jae sighed deeply, feeling that even eating a proper meal seemed luxurious, and substituted lunch with the cheesecake the man had bought.

Around the time she finished the cake and was clearing the table, the shopper came by.

It wasn’t surprising. Tomorrow was the day to visit the man’s house for greetings.

Even when sitting still, thinking about tomorrow made her heart pound and feel nervous.

The woman who came with shopping bags full of clothes carefully set up the clothes on a mannequin-shaped display stand.

It wasn’t just clothes. Bags, shoes, and even small accessories.

Looking at the mannequin set up alone in the living room, Eun Jae laughed dejectedly.

Yoon Sun Woo is really different from me.

Do I have the qualifications to be your wife? Can I really do well? Isn’t this just pretending? What happens if we get caught?

Various worries floated around chaotically. Her fists kept clenching tighter.

It was a marriage based on the man’s need, and he said I was the best choice, but the feeling of being infinitely shabby when standing next to him was unavoidable.

Nevertheless, she had to do it. She shouldn’t be a burden, even if she couldn’t be of help.

That was the only thing the man wanted from her, and the only way she could repay him.

Around 4 PM, a call came from the man.

It seemed he had just finished work, as his refreshing voice echoed in the parking lot. The sound of the man’s shoes clicking also reverberated along with it.

Eun Jae was quietly listening to the sound of the man’s shoes. As the footsteps quickened, Eun Jae’s heart seemed to beat faster in tandem.

[Ji Eun Jae, where are you?]

“I’m, I’m at home.”

[The shopper came by, right?]

Click, click. As the sound of car doors opening and closing was heard, Eun Jae snapped back to attention and answered.

“Yes. Around 2 o’clock.”

[Get ready, as set up.]

“What? Now? What kind of preparation?”

At Eun Jae’s surprised voice, laughter could be heard from the other end of the phone. It was faint, but definitely laughter.

The man’s voice, which somehow seemed to be in a good mood, continued softly.

[We have somewhere to go. Is an hour enough?]

“Where are we going?”

[I’ll explain the details at home.]

After the call ended, curiosity spread across Eun Jae’s face as she looked at the mannequin set up.

“Wasn’t this for wearing tomorrow?”

After saying he would explain at home, the man who came home said he would explain after showering, teasing Eun Jae. And that promise changed again to saying he would explain after she was fully prepared.

Grumbling, Eun Jae put on the dress that the shopper had set up and trudged out to the living room.

The man was sitting on the armrest of the sofa, reading a newspaper. He was wearing black pants and a basic white shirt, but was it because of his long legs? Or his small face? The man casually perched on the sofa looked just like a model.

As Sun Woo slowly raised his head at Eun Jae’s presence, Eun Jae, who had been momentarily lost in admiration, quickly averted her gaze to empty space.

“I’m all ready. If you say anything else, I’m not going anywhere.”

“We’re going to greet your mother, Ji Eun Jae.”

“My mom?”

“We need her permission to get married.”

Sun Woo answered as he neatly folded the newspaper he had been reading and put it down.

“Were you not planning to tell your mother?”

“It’s not that, but if your family objects…”

It would be meaningless. While mulling over the sentence she couldn’t finish in her head, the man’s voice, now right in front of her, was heard.

“That won’t happen.”

It was a resolute and confident voice, as if the decision had already been made.

Since the greeting date was set, Eun Jae had been practicing and worrying several times a day about how to answer if questions other than what the man had instructed came up, but how could this man be so carefree?

“I’m worried about what to do if my mother doesn’t give permission.”

But that thought was brief,

“Do I just need to trust Ji Eun Jae?”

Looking at the man’s face smiling as brightly as spring sunshine, Eun Jae nodded unconsciously, as if enchanted.