II - 28

Perhaps it was alright to have a little hope. She wanted to lean on his gentle voice. 

Even if it was just sleepy murmurs he wouldn’t remember in the morning, she wanted to live with the occasional memory of his tender moments. 

“So you should rest too. You don’t need a lullaby, do you?” 

She could sense his exhaustion from his faint smile. 

“I wouldn’t mind singing one, but…” 

Before he could even start, his breathing became rhythmic, signaling that he had fallen asleep. His chest rose and fell gently against her back with each shallow breath. 

Listening to his steady breathing, I-ryeong sifted through the tangled thoughts in her mind. 

It was agonizing to hold back the urge to ask him why he kept confusing her so much. 

Just as she decided to get up and drink some water to clear her head— 

“…!” 

Her eyes caught the tightening of his arm around her, even in his sleep. It felt like a silent warning not to run away. 

His earlier words about pretending to be a married couple seemed at odds with the sincerity she now felt from him. 

“I’m always sincere.” 

The memory of his confession made her anxiety spike. 

All the resolutions she had made on the way home were now forgotten. The only thing left was the overwhelming realization of how deeply she felt for him. 

And the fact that she didn’t dislike how he kept confusing her—that made things even harder for her. 

Early in the morning, she woke up and carefully dressed in her hanbok. The couple’s traditional attire had been tailored with her own money. 

Looking radiant like newlyweds, they performed the deep bow to her parents. 

“I-ryeong, here’s the ibaji food set. I prepared it just in case—it might not be perfect, but I hope it’s okay.” 

Ji-hyun presented the ibaji food set. Seeing the boxes stacked on the dining table, I-ryeong felt flustered. 

The sheer amount of food suggested it hadn’t been prepared in just a day, and guilt washed over her. 

“…Thank you.” 

She smiled sincerely at Ji-hyun. 

Since this would be her last visit to her childhood home for a while, she didn’t want to engage in any unnecessary tension. 

“I’ll carry it.” 

“It’s heavy. Let me help you.” 

After handing off their luggage to the chauffeur waiting outside, I-jun returned to find I-ryeong struggling with the box and snatched it away from her. 

“It’s fine. I can handle it alone. Just put your shoes on.” 

“But it’s heavy even for you. Let me help.” 

The box was heavy regardless of its size. 

No matter how strong I-jun was, carrying something this heavy wasn’t easy. 

“Are you underestimating me?” 

Casually stacking multiple boxes and lifting them effortlessly, he smirked. 

“What do you mean, underestimating? I just…” 

“Don’t you know me best?” 

He pressed his body closer to hers. 

“Have you already forgotten how much of an Energizer bunny I am?” 

His low whisper, accompanied by warm breath, sent shivers down her spine. The same excitement she had felt in the bathtub resurfaced. 

But having realized during their honeymoon that nothing would actually happen, I-ryeong lightly shook her head. 

“I don’t know anything about that. There’s nothing for me to forget.” 

“You don’t know?” 

For a moment, I-jun’s eyes flashed dangerously. 

“If you don’t know, then I’ll have to remind you.” 

With the same predatory gaze he had shown her in bed. 

The car carrying the couple drove quietly and arrived at Dogok-dong. 

As the vehicle ascended along the long wall, I-ryeong unconsciously placed her hand over her chest. Her rapidly beating heart thudded heavily beneath her palm. 

She carefully touched the tassel hanging from her fur vest, but her trembling didn’t subside. 

“Nervous?” 

“Nervous? Me?” 

Eyes wide, I-ryeong feigned ignorance, pretending not to understand what he meant. 

“Yeah. Anyone can tell you’re nervous.”

“If you say so, I-jun, then I’ll take your word for it.” 

Honestly, she was surprised he had been watching her. 

“Trying to act like you’re not nervous?” 

I-jun let out a faint chuckle before quickly composing his expression. 

She hadn’t wanted to appear so visibly shaken, but it seemed her nerves had betrayed her. 

This was her first time entering Dogok-dong as a member of the Seo family, and her palms were damp with anxiety. 

Even though their marriage was built on deception, the titles of “wife” and “daughter-in-law” weren’t going away anytime soon. 

“Let me see your hand.” 

“My hand? I-jun…” 

She lowered her head toward his outstretched hand and shifted her gaze to the soft pink hues of his durumagi (traditional robe). 

I-jun gave a faint smile with his eyes. It was puzzling because he had just wiped away his earlier grin moments ago. 

I-ryeong remained lost in thought, her head bowed, before alternating her gaze between I-jun and the chauffeur. 

“You don’t need to worry about appearances.” 

His words made her furrow her brows. He truly seemed oblivious to how much others might be scrutinizing them. 

“Still feeling self-conscious?” 

Instead of answering, I-ryeong let out a quiet sigh. 

At that moment, the car carrying the couple came to a stop in front of the gate. 

“Shall I open the door for you first?” 

“Yes, Senior Managing Director.” 

Once the chauffeur stepped out, only the two of them remained in the car. 

Was it the warm air from the heater surrounding them? Or was it the lingering tension still making her heart race? 

Her face flushed hot, and she turned her head away from him entirely, deciding that calming herself down was the most urgent task at hand. 

“It’s just the two of us now. Feeling better?” 

With only the two of them left, I-jun’s voice softened further, becoming more tender as he urged her. 

He tapped lightly on the back of her unresponsive hand, coaxing her to give it to him quickly. 

“…I-jun, listen. It’s just—” 

She wanted to explain that she was simply nervous, like any ordinary bride or newlywed couple would be. 

“You seem really tense.” 

He spoke faster than she could. 

Ignoring her resistance, he gently pulled her hand into his and overlapped their palms. 

“This is the house where you and I will live together as a married couple.” 

Following the deep resonance of his voice, her gaze returned to him. 

“This marriage was my choice, but you agreed to it too. This is the result, right here in front of us.” 

His repeated reminders that their marriage was a fabrication made her head throb. 

It felt like he was drawing a clear line—while he seemed fine leaving room for ambiguity, she couldn’t help but feel irritated by his rigid stance. 

“There will be tough moments ahead, but I hope you can endure them. I’ll keep my promise to protect you—” 

The sensation of his touch grazing the back of her hand felt strange and uncomfortable, almost as if he were soothing a child. 

“But if something unfair happens when I’m not around, I regretfully can’t take responsibility for that. You’ll have to handle it wisely.” 

The warning tone in his voice unsettled her, like an unremoved fishbone lodged in her throat. 

“From the moment we step into Dogok-dong as a married couple today, I’ll erase all feelings of guilt. Our contract begins in earnest now.” 

Feelings of guilt? 

I-ryeong stared at him with hazy eyes. 

She wanted to ask when he had ever harbored such emotions, but her stiffened lips wouldn’t move. 

“Of course, I’ll pay the appropriate price. Since you’ve freed me from this marriage, it’s only fair that I compensate you accordingly.” 

His words, treating her like an object, made her feel as though the fishbone in her throat had pierced through her skin. 

Whether he was deliberately trying to hurt her or not, his actions were incomprehensible, and it only worsened her mood. 

“I-jun.” 

Her voice sank low and dark, reflecting her plummeting emotions. 

“Is this part of your promise to protect me?” 

“What do you mean by ‘this’?” 

Pretending not to understand, his gaze lingered past hers, falling instead to their intertwined hands. 

“If you don’t know, then I’ll have to remind you.” 

I-ryeong despised herself for having foolishly held onto some hope after his cold, calculated words. 

Why had she fallen for someone like him? Why had she come to love him?

She tried to steady her emotions by forcibly recalling his tender demeanor from the previous night. 

“No, it’s fine. The elders are probably waiting for us. Let’s go inside.” 

Her voice suddenly turned calm, as if she had completely shifted gears. 

“Wait, wait a moment. This isn’t about the elders right now. Why do you keep cutting off your words?” 

Just from his expression, it was clear he was upset. 

“Let’s go in quickly.” 

I-ryeong pulled her hand away first, opened the car door, and stepped out. 

Staring blankly at her hand, which still felt warm from his lingering heat, she shook it vigorously as if brushing off dust. 

Hoping the chilly spring breeze would carry away the unsettling sensations he left behind, she continued shaking her hand until the warmth faded. 

Only then did she finally take in the full view of the Seo family mansion. In front of the wide-open gate, the entire Dogok-dong security team stood lined up in perfect formation. 

The men, dressed in crisp black suits even at this early hour, stood rigidly at attention without a hint of disorder. 

Overwhelmed by the stark difference in atmosphere compared to when she had visited her in-laws alone, she froze momentarily. 

I-jun also exited the car after opening the door. 

“Good morning, Senior Managing Director.” 

The head of the security team stepped forward from the line and bowed deeply to I-jun. He was as tall as I-jun himself. 

“Why is everyone gathered here so early in the morning?” 

I-jun asked while holding down the fluttering hem of his durumagi against the spring breeze. 

“Some employees haven’t yet familiarized themselves with Madam’s face, so we assembled here.” 

“Is that so?” 

Trailing off, I-jun turned his body toward I-ryeong. Sensing her tension, the team leader also bowed respectfully in her direction. 

“I’m Team Leader Han Yusung, in charge of security at Dogok-dong.” 

“…” 

I-ryeong gave a brief nod to Team Leader Han as her form of greeting. 

Though she was meeting him for the first time today, she couldn’t shake the strange feeling that she had seen him somewhere before, causing her to stare rudely. 

“Surely you’re not planning to enter separately, are you?” 

I-jun interrupted her thoughts. 

“Of course not.” 

“Come here.” 

She understood well that with so many eyes watching, he meant they should enter together. 

“I-jun?” 

I-ryeong extended her hand toward him, her heart hoping he would follow her lead, at least here. 

“Perfect timing—I was feeling cold, so this works out well.” 

Without a trace of displeasure, he smiled faintly and approached her. 

“I never expected you’d want what I wanted too.” 

The couple, each hiding their ulterior motives, clasped hands. Their intertwined fingers fidgeted subtly against one another.