II - 16

The car arrived at I-ryeong’s neighborhood and soon naturally pulled into the park’s parking lot. 

After the meeting between their families, they had agreed to spend time talking and getting to know each other whenever they had a moment. 

“What about the wedding registry?” 

Even though it was a marriage in name only, she felt uneasy entering the family of AE Cosmetics’ second son without giving it proper thought. 

“I’ve already entrusted the appliances and furniture to professionals, so there’s nothing for you to worry about.” 

I-jun dismissed her concerns outright. 

“But still…” 

“Just accepting my proposal is more than enough.” 

“There are elders involved. How can I just show up empty-handed?” 

She understood his consideration, but I-ryeong still felt self-conscious. 

“In that case, you can prepare just the bed. But we’ll choose it together. We’ll lie on it and pick the most comfortable one.” 

Thinking that choosing the bed would give her some sense of agency, I-jun nodded in satisfaction—only for I-ryeong to sigh deeply and throw him off balance. 

“You really don’t get it, do you, I-jun?” 

Seeing her pout, I-jun began to fluster. 

There he was—Senior Managing Director Seo I-jun, the arrogant man who thought himself above everyone else—now visibly nervous and trying to read her mood. 

I-ryeong didn’t dislike seeing him like this. In fact, her unease melted away, and she couldn’t help but let a small laugh slip out. 

“I-jun.” 

She called his name after finally suppressing her amusement. 

“Yes, I-ryeong?” 

He was completely focused on her, his ears perked up like a large, obedient dog waiting for its master’s command. She even found herself wanting to pat his head but resisted the urge. 

Instead, she pulled out her phone and showed him a saved photo. 

“Should I ask your mother about this, or will you?” 

Sensing the suddenly serious tone, I-jun adopted a grave expression. 

“What is this all about?” 

He took the phone and began reading the densely packed text. 

“The first step to a happy married life: Plan your housing and registry budget. The start of marriage isn’t the proposal—it’s buying a house…” 

The house in Dogok-dong, where I-jun had grown up, was so luxurious that it had been featured on the news, with a publicly listed price exceeding 20 billion won. 

Since they were starting their honeymoon in the annex, the issue of housing wasn’t relevant. 

“The construction will be finished soon, so let’s go take a look together.” 

The main house and the annex were quite far apart. This distance, along with the separate path being built through the garden, had prolonged the construction process. 

“The house isn’t the problem here.” 

“I already said the registry isn’t necessary either. We’re just buying a bed together. So what’s the issue?” 

I-jun genuinely seemed clueless as he stroked his chin. 

“Even if we’re staying in the annex, there will be times when we’ll clash with the elders. But I-ryeong, as I promised before, I’ll always take your side. I promise.” 

“W-Wait a minute! Just a moment, I-jun!” 

I-ryeong hastily covered his lips with her hand. This wasn’t what she had intended to discuss. 

Even regarding the construction, she had received updates directly from the interior design company because I-jun had arranged it out of consideration for her curiosity about the progress. 

“We can’t think about marriage as just the two of us. There are elders involved.”

She began to explain why she had shown him the photo, trying to steer the conversation away from just the house. 

“Since my brother and his wife are also part of the household, we should go through the processes that others normally do… right?” 

Her initial resolve to calmly explain faded as she tilted her head, puzzled by the strange sensation lingering on her palm. 

The sticky, humid breath—his impure touch—had left an undeniable impression on her. 

“…Stop teasing me.” 

I-ryeong slowly pulled her hand away. 

If she stayed like this any longer, she felt like her mind would spiral out of control, so she rubbed her palm against her thigh to erase the lingering sensation. 

“What I’m trying to say isn’t about the house. Look below. If you look…” 

She tried her best to remain composed, pretending everything was normal, but— 

“Are you okay?” 

He tilted his head slightly, asking with concern. The corner of his lips curled up as if something amusing had happened. 

I-ryeong shrugged nonchalantly, signaling that she was fine. 

“Don’t lie. You’re clearly not okay.” 

This time, his breath directly brushed against her face. 

The warm, tingling sensation made all the strength drain from her body. 

“…Ha.” 

A sigh escaped through gritted teeth. Her determination to hold back crumbled into nothing. 

“What did I do to make you react like this?” 

And with that, she revealed the full weight of her heightened emotions. There was no reason to hide anything from him now that he’d already seen through her. 

“You felt it too, didn’t you? Here, and here—you’re already reacting.” 

I-jun gently cupped her cheek, illuminated by the streetlamp’s glow. She trembled faintly, like a young bird flapping its wings. 

“Don’t say strange things.” 

But despite her words, she rubbed her face against his palm. 

The moment his hand touched her, her rationality evaporated, leaving only instinct behind. 

“It’s not strange. Look, I can feel your heartbeat here too.” 

I-ryeong’s eyes widened at the sudden turn of events. She didn’t know how to respond. 

In the middle of the night, alone in the car, it felt like something inevitable might happen, making her head spin. 

“I thought you were just beautiful, but you’re cute too?” 

I-jun genuinely found her cuter than a tiny puppy at that moment. 

Her wide, trembling eyes made him want to keep teasing her. 

“So, where should I check?” 

Barely suppressing his instincts, he removed his hand from her cheek and focused on the phone. 

“To become a beloved and pretty daughter-in-law, don’t neglect the wedding gift. The budget for the gift is usually equivalent to the price of the house… Ha, I-ryeong.” 

He sighed before finishing reading and lowered the phone. Then, he tightly grasped her damp, nervous hand. 

“Have you been worrying about this?” 

Regret seeped into I-jun’s deep voice. 

“I never gave you permission to worry about things like this.” 

His tone was firm, yet sincere. 

“This marriage has already skipped all the usual steps. We bypassed the ordinary procedures.” 

But his next words pierced her heart.

“Why are you trying to follow the procedures everyone else does?” 

His words sped up slightly, and the pressure in his grip revealed how hard he was trying to suppress his excitement. 

Regretting ever bringing up the topic, I-ryeong’s heart grew heavier by the second. 

“There’s no need to try to look good for me.” 

The shock of his statement left her completely drained. 

It felt like a reminder that this marriage didn’t even allow for emotions. 

Yet, her feelings for him had already grown uncontrollably. 

“No, that came out wrong. What I meant to say is—” 

I-jun belatedly realized his misstep and tried to backtrack. But as he looked at I-ryeong’s complex expression, he instinctively knew no words could fix it. 

“Don’t misunderstand. I just meant that you don’t need to be tense around me. There was no hidden meaning behind it.” 

In the end, I-jun exhaled a fragmented sigh. He bit the inside of his cheek with the tip of his tongue, trying to shake off his frustration. 

Even in this moment, I-ryeong found him endearing. His desperate attempt to smooth things over felt genuine. 

“I didn’t want to make any demands of you when you’re already following my lead. Just your decision to marry me feels like I’m in your debt.” 

Simply watching him try so earnestly to explain himself made her heart flutter. 

“It’s okay, I-jun. I understand everything,” I-ryeong said, forcing a smile and nodding. Inside, she was crumbling, but she didn’t let it show. 

“Thank you.” 

Finally, I-jun’s expression softened. 

How could one person display such a variety of expressions? I-ryeong decided she was satisfied knowing she had him all to herself. 

“The wedding gift isn’t necessary. My sister-in-law skipped it too. If you’re worried, I’ll ask Mother about it. That should settle it, right? So—” 

Just then, an alarm rang, cutting him off mid-sentence. His gaze naturally shifted to her phone as the screen lit up with a notification. 

I-jun couldn’t contain his curiosity. 

“I think I know who it might be. Can I take a look?” 

He suspected it was probably that mutt taking the bait. 

[Chae I-ryeong. Are you getting married? How long has it been since we broke up?] 

As expected, the message was from Cho Dong-hwa. 

“I told you, didn’t I? I knew he’d contact you.” 

I-jun let out a short, dry laugh as he read the message. 

He had anticipated some reaction from the other party after the sudden marriage announcement. 

“For someone who claims to be a man, he seems jealous.” 

He had secretly worried that Dong-hwa might drunkenly call her late at night, but thankfully, it hadn’t come to that—yet. 

“He seems very interested in our marriage. Let’s invite him.” 

“Huh? Invite who?” 

I-jun handed the phone back, leaving I-ryeong flustered. 

Surely, he wasn’t suggesting inviting that mutt, was he? 

“I mean the mutt. Let’s invite him to our wedding.” 

Invite her ex-boyfriend, who had cheated on her with a friend? I-ryeong was speechless, blinking rapidly in disbelief. 

“If you’re uncomfortable with it, we can arrange a separate meeting. But inviting him to the wedding would be ideal.” 

“I don’t want either.”

She flatly rejected his inscrutable suggestion. 

Though it was a fake marriage, she wanted to be the happiest bride in the world, at least for that moment. But to invite an unpleasant guest who would only ruin the mood? 

I-ryeong couldn’t hide her displeasure. 

“Don’t you want revenge? Use me for it.” 

At the mention of revenge, her eyebrows furrowed. 

She had always believed that forgetting the past entirely was the best form of revenge. 

“That’s why I’m marrying you, I-ryeong.” 

Unconsciously, she swallowed hard. 

“I’m going to use you thoroughly.” 

His strong voice drew her gaze to meet his. 

“So, use me thoroughly too.” 

I-jun cupped her face with his large hands. 

She wanted to melt into the warmth of his touch, to lean on him completely. 

I-ryeong didn’t want to think anymore. 

She simply wanted to naturally fall into his arms, and eventually, like a cat, she rubbed her face against his palm. 

“Are you really okay with me using you?” 

“I’m ready to take whatever you give me.” 

She found herself utterly captivated by this man who claimed he was prepared to endure it all. 

Even knowing there was no turning back now, even realizing she might not be able to handle what lay ahead, she still wanted to lean on him.