At that moment, Seong Jun rose from his seat. Han Seo Yeon’s gaze, which had been staring at Seong Jun with blank eyes, moved with him.

His expression seemed as cold as if he had been hit by a chilly wind in the middle of winter. And a moment later, words like a bomb burst from Seong Jun’s mouth.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“What?”

“Forget about it. I have no intention of cooperating.”

“……!”

At those words, Han Seo Yeon’s lips, which had been pressed together, parted slightly. Her heart, which had swelled up like a balloon, felt like it would burst at any moment.

“Why?”

Han Seo Yeon instinctively grabbed Seong Jun’s arm as he was about to turn away. And she spoke as if she couldn’t comprehend this situation at all.

“Why did you suddenly change your mind? You just told me you understood. You said you were fine with it too.”

At Han Seo Yeon’s seemingly indignant reaction, Seong Jun began to glare at her intensely. That gaze seemed to be blaming Han Seo Yeon. As Han Seo Yeon flinched back at that intimidating aura, Seong Jun slowly opened his mouth.

“If you really want to know, think hard about it yourself. Once. Don’t come looking for me until you find the answer.”

*

Click, click.

A woman, beautiful at first glance, was striking an alluring pose. She was one of the candidates selected to be the face representing the Han Kyung Group for the upcoming summer.

“She’s still a rookie so her acting skills are lacking, but with good direction, it seems like a level that can be overcome. Her height and face look good.”

“What about rumors?”

“It’s known that she leads an exemplary life, only going between her agency and the gym when not working. Her relationships with men are also clean. She’s currently the most likely candidate.”

At the PR team’s explanation, Seong Jun’s gaze turned back to the model posing. As if she had been aware of Seong Jun from before, the model’s gaze also turned to him.

“Sir!”

Noticing this, Park Jin Sung intervened between the two.

“What is it, Park Jin Sung?”

Ignoring Seong Jun’s curt response, Park Jin Sung slightly turned his head to check on the female model and saw her openly giving him a displeased look for blocking her view. Park Jin Sung’s eyes narrowed at that look.

Deep, intense eyes, a high nose bridge, a sharp jawline, and features so outstanding that no other lighting was needed. With his gaze, face, and figure all impeccable, Seong Jun was a man with the best conditions among his peers, and even though he was married, there were still many women aiming for the spot by his side.

Just like today. He had wondered if it was his imagination, but it wasn’t.

“If you called me, state your business, Park Jin Sung.”

“Ah!”

He didn’t actually have any business. He just wanted to interfere before the model with futile feelings for Seong Jun did something foolish.

But if he told the truth that he had no business in front of Seong Jun, who was giving him a cold look, the only one in a difficult situation would be himself. Park Jin Sung racked his brain and said:

“Don’t you need to leave now to make it to your 1 o’clock schedule? The roads are expected to be congested from 12, so you should hurry if you want to make it on time.”

“Then let’s leave now.”

At Seong Jun’s answer, disappointment filled the face of the female model who had been evaluated as lacking in acting skills but having an outstanding face. Soon after, her lips began to pout as if displeased with the current situation. Seeing this, Park Jin Sung replied with a smile.

“Yes. I’ll go ahead and prepare.”

Park Jin Sung opened the door of the car parked in the underground garage, started the engine, and turned on some soft classical music.

Somehow, Seong Jun’s mood seemed off today as well. When Seong Jun wasn’t feeling well, playing this kind of soft classical music would often improve his mood a little.

However, today that formula didn’t work. As soon as he opened the car door, Seong Jun frowned and said:

“Play something else.”

It was the expression he made when extremely annoyed. At that reaction, Park Jin Sung tilted his head.

“Elder brother, didn’t you like classical music?”

“I never liked it. So change it, quickly.”

“Really? Then I’ll play whatever I want.”

Though puzzled, Park Jin Sung changed the selection to the idol music he enjoyed lately. Soon, a fast-paced, upbeat dance song filled the car.

Honestly, classical music was not to Park Jin Sung’s taste at all as it induced drowsiness while driving. After confirming that Seong Jun had gotten into the backseat, Park Jin Sung slowly pressed the accelerator. And as soon as they entered the road, he opened his mouth as if he had been waiting.

“Elder brother, I think Oh Ji Young who we saw last week acts better than today’s model. This person today can’t act at all! As an employee of Han Kyung, I strongly oppose!”

And she was trying to make a pass at a married man! Park Jin Sung ground his teeth in indignation as Seong Jun’s voice reached his ears.

“Park Jin Sung seems to have been busy lately, looks like he’s taken a job in the PR team. So versatile and busy.”

“Ahem, that’s not it… I’m just expressing my sincere opinion as one of the employees? An actor should be good at acting rather than just having a pretty face. I’m against people who are only pretty. Oh Ji Young is better!”

Seong Jun sighed and closed his eyes tiredly.

“Alright. I’ll take it into consideration.”

Usually, Seong Jun would point out his behavior at this point, but when he agreed instead, Park Jin Sung was very perplexed.

“Huh? Elder brother. You must be really tired today. I’ll be quiet now, so get some rest. I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

As Seong Jun closed his eyes to forget the unpleasant things, memories from last night flowed into his mind. When he asked why she wanted to share a room, Han Seo Yeon said with her round eyes sparkling:

‘It’s already been 3 years since we got married. I didn’t want to keep living in this uncomfortable state. And I thought our couple needed some kind of change.’

He couldn’t believe those words came from his wife. Wasn’t she the woman who, until just recently, would lower her head as if she had committed a crime when he tried to speak to her, expressing with her whole body that she was uncomfortable talking to him?

He had been constantly wondering why his wife’s attitude had changed so suddenly. But the moment he heard that answer, the reason for the change didn’t matter at all.

‘I agree with your thoughts too. I feel the same way.’

He just hadn’t noticed. He realized that he too had been waiting for a small opportunity for their relationship to change.

Three years…

Three precious years had already passed. Even now, they could slowly get to know each other and improve their misaligned relationship. Maybe someday they could even fill the gap of those long three years.

Although he still had to prove himself every minute and second to the chairman and directors of Han Kyung Group due to the aftermath of the scandal Han Jung Hyuk had caused three years ago, there was nothing he couldn’t do if he tried to make time somehow.

‘You probably know this, but wanting to share a room doesn’t just mean literally sharing a room. I want to have a child soon.’

And the moment the words about wanting to have a child came out of Han Seo Yeon’s mouth, Seong Jun felt his entire life shake at once.

A child? A child, she said. Of course, it was a topic he had never thought about before.

How could he have imagined such a situation when they were lucky to have one conversation a day?

As he tried to think seriously about it, all he could see was his wife’s face.

Seeing the face of a little girl who looked exactly like his wife naturally appear in his mind, Seong Jun unconsciously blurted out, ‘She would be pretty.’

He got scolded by his wife for that comment. Apparently, he shouldn’t discriminate whether it’s a son or daughter. Seong Jun found Han Seo Yeon nagging at him to be nothing but fascinating and cute.

‘I don’t care if it’s a son or daughter. I’ll raise them better than anyone so that they’ll say they were born well.’

Only after hearing those words did Han Seo Yeon nod in satisfaction, a small smile appearing on her lips.

Thanks to that, dimples formed on her cheeks again. He couldn’t understand why those dimples were so cute. As he couldn’t take his eyes off his wife for a long time, focusing entirely on her, Han Seo Yeon suddenly stood up.

‘Actually, I didn’t just go to the sheet music store today.’

When she returned, she showed Seong Jun books related to pregnancy and childcare, saying they were books she bought today. As if it wasn’t just a momentary impulse but something she had thought about for a long time. And soon she confidently laid out her plans.

‘I really want to have a healthy baby. It doesn’t matter if they’re not smart or pretty, I just want them to be healthy. I bought these books wondering if they might help even a little. I’m going to study hard with these.’

He didn’t know.

That his wife had made such specific plans. Since when had she started thinking well of him? Was it from when her attitude suddenly changed?

At that moment, Seong Jun marveled at his own patience. Because he suppressed all the urges to touch, kiss, and embrace his wife, who was so lovable as she said she wanted to improve their relationship and have a child.

He didn’t want his feelings to be misunderstood by approaching rashly, carried away by the mood. Right now, he only wanted to hear her thoughts.

Seong Jun looked at Han Seo Yeon as if she were adorable. He was genuinely sorry that the time to talk with his wife was decreasing.

‘Then should I set the date and let you know?’

‘You said you’d cooperate with having a child. To do that, we need to. Our wedding night.’

‘We don’t need to do it many times, I think just once should be enough…’

But at that moment, he realized his wife’s true intention was not to improve their relationship, but to use him because she really wanted to have a child.