With her head hung low, Eun Chae’s trembling gaze caught sight of sharp, black men’s shoes.

“I want to take you away.”

Eun Chae stiffly raised her trembling eyelids and lifted her rigid head.

It was Kwon Ki Joo, who hadn’t shown his face since yesterday.

Black suit, black shoes, black leather watch.

He, completely opposite to the all-white bride, was looking down at her.

Eun Chae stared at him as if she was seeing a ghost. Since he suddenly became reclusive, she had somewhat resigned to the end of their relationship.

So, being excluded from the security duty would have been agreeable to him as well.

An impulsive and limited relationship was doomed to end in tragedy.

That’s what she had been concluding.

But Eun Chae was so stunned by Ki Joo, who had come within arm’s reach, that she dropped the bouquet she was holding.

The bouquet rolled on the floor, hitting his foot.

Ki Joo bent down to pick it up, carelessly rolling it in his hand, and said with a grave expression,

“Today’s wedding can’t happen. What do we do now?”

Eun Chae frowned as if asking what he meant. Ki Joo placed the bouquet on an empty spot on the sofa and spoke calmly,

“Thirty minutes ago, Executive Han Seung-Yoon fainted.”
Eun Chae almost mistook Kwon Ki Joo’s too-bright expression for a congratulatory remark on her wedding.

Her tensed shoulders relaxed.

Feeling relief first at the news of someone’s collapse. Had she still harbored a sliver of sadness, despite resolving to accept whatever came?

Eun Chae swallowed a bitter laugh and looked at him.

A man who always reached out a saving hand when she was on the brink.

As expected. Once again.

Was it just a coincidence?

Eun Chae couldn’t quite believe Han Seung-Yoon’s fainting. It seemed like another bizarre twist in the tale.

To gauge the truth, she narrowed her eyes at Ki Joo.

His lips twisted oddly, perhaps surprised by her calm, almost cold demeanor.

“He became a target of a special tax investigation.”

The penalties for the profits obtained through deceit, including astronomical fines, were due. A few might even end up in handcuffs. Without a scapegoat, Han Seung-Yoon might be the one going in.

So, they’d delay as much as they could. Typical of businessmen to resort to such cliched tactics.

“……And this just happened to be today?”

Eun Chae asked, skeptical.

This was beyond reason. Having witnessed and heard enough at Song Myung-Hwan’s side, she knew such a move was impossible without a targeted investigation.

There must have been malice or an internal whistleblower.

In any case, it was a planned event. There was no other way to explain such perfect timing.

“Why did you rush things?”

“…….”

“I said we should delay it.”

Eun Chae scanned Ki Joo’s indifferent face.

Was it the chairman’s directive?

No. Song Myung-Hwan wouldn’t suddenly go mad and let go of his investment in Han Ji-Chang. He was the type to recoup his investment with interest.

Then Ki Joo alone orchestrated this?

Why?

That question remained unanswered.

It was daunting. Nothing had changed from when he disappeared, leaving her knowing nothing about his family, friends, or home.

Not inquiring or trying to know was an unspoken rule between them, both accepting a futureless relationship. She wasn’t discontent now.

But suddenly, Ki Joo seemed unfamiliar. Right in front of her, yet like facing an illusion.

Had she missed something?

Amidst her turmoil, Ki Joo extended his hand.

“Are you just going to stand there?”

He lowered his eyes to the small-framed woman, adorned in ornate decorations. She couldn’t be hidden. She had noticeably thinned in just a few days.

“We should go.”

Eun Chae bit her lip, fighting back a surge of emotions.

She wanted out. Regardless of her reluctance to marry, amidst this chaos, no one cared for her.

The chairman, so eager to arrange the marriage, must have forgotten about his daughter left alone in the bridal suite, busy handling the situation.

In the end, it was only Ki Joo again.

The only one extending a hand in this pit of misfortune was Ki Joo.
Despite knowing that accepting his hand would render all her efforts to detach herself futile, Eun Chae resignedly closed her eyes and grasped Ki Joo’s hand. She stood up with his help but walked proudly, clutching the hem of her dress.

The place, once bustling with guests, was now eerily deserted, as if it had never been crowded.

Clearly, something major had happened.

Riding the elevator to the parking lot, Eun Chae glanced at their intertwined hands.

She was at a loss. This relationship, so confounding, made her heart heavy.

Despite her efforts to calm the rising heat behind her eyes, tears were inevitable.

Walking through the parking lot, Ki Joo held onto her hand without letting go.

A man like a maze. Though she felt incapable of handling him, she couldn’t ignore his sacrificial nature.

Suddenly, he turned – no, Eun Chae had jerked her hand away, leaving him staring at his empty hand.

Tears brimming, she glared at Ki Joo.

“Why do you keep giving me hope…?”

“…….”

“Why do you shake me up, again?”

Tears cascaded down her cheeks.

“Just believe when I say I like you?”

“…….”

“No? You can’t keep anything from me anymore.”

“…….”

“I won’t forgive you.”

Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, her face was flushed red, but she managed to steady her voice.

“This is your last chance. Be honest.”

Ki Joo’s shoulders twitched slightly at her words.

“When did you start liking me again? Did you have lingering feelings before you returned?”

She needed to confirm his feelings first. To break down Ki Joo’s armor, piece by piece.

In Ki Joo’s eyes, a fire seemed to ignite as he looked at her.

“……Me.”

“What did you say?”

“Always.”

He reached out, and before she realized, her cheeks were cupped in his cold hands, and her lips were engulfed by his. A current ran down her spine.

A tumultuous wave of emotions surged within her.