II - 52

Her heart felt strangely at ease. Instead of discomfort, apologizing made her feel lighter and more relaxed.

I-ryeong mirrored his smile, layering her gaze over his.

“It’s strange. Talking with you feels like I’m starting to see a way forward. Thank you for that.”

Though she hadn’t found a solution yet, her heart felt significantly lighter.

“I’m grateful if I could be of any help to you, Madam.”

He remained as composed and polite as ever, bowing deeply to show respect.

She waved her hands dismissively, trying to stop him from being so formal, but an uncontrollable smile lingered on her face.

To an outsider unaware of the situation, their interaction might have seemed overly familiar—almost affectionate. And that was exactly how I-jun interpreted the scene he saw.

He had been worried about her not returning home even after midnight.

For hours, his phone had been in his hand. Pressing just one button would have allowed him to check on her safety, but he chose not to.

Instead, he waited, hoping she would reach out first or extend a hand.

And so, I-jun had spent hours in the annex study, staring out at the garden. Not a single light was on as he stood silently by the window.

“Baek Hyun-wook, then Team Leader Han, huh?”

As the faint silhouettes approached the annex, he realized it was I-ryeong and Team Leader Han.

Relieved that she had returned safely, he simultaneously felt irritation rise within him. His chest tightened, and his eyes burned with frustration.

He couldn’t understand why he felt so irritated by Team Leader Han’s perfectly normal actions. Watching them walk slowly together almost made him throw his phone in anger.

A fiery heat surged through his chest. Finally stepping away from the window where he had stood like a statue, he descended to the first floor.

“Are you still here?”

“Yes, Vice President. I was waiting for Madam’s return.”

Mrs. Choi, whom he thought had already gone home, was still in the annex.

She wasn’t a live-in housekeeper; her work hours were guaranteed. Yet, she had stayed past midnight to wait for I-ryeong.

“From tomorrow, leave on time, even if neither I nor I-ryeong are here.”

“Understood, Vice President.”

His firm tone made Mrs. Choi smile gently.

Her warm and comforting presence seemed to reassure I-ryeong, who appeared to trust her completely.

At that moment, I-ryeong entered the living room.

“What are you two still doing here?”

Her face showed no sign of worry.

“She’s back now, so you can go home.”

“Yes, Vice President.”

Mrs. Choi prepared to leave after bowing respectfully to both of them.

“I’m sorry for keeping you here so late, Mrs. Choi.”

“Not at all, Madam. See you in the morning.”

I-ryeong escorted Mrs. Choi to the door despite her reassurances.

Once alone, she took a deep breath and tried to compose herself. She clenched her teeth, determined not to let any shadows show in the annex.

Relaxing the tension in her stiff shoulders, she walked into the living room as casually as possible, pretending nothing had happened, and faced I-jun again.

Though her expression was carefully controlled, she lacked the energy to engage in conversation.

“When did you get home?”

She couldn’t ignore the dark look on I-jun’s face.

“Why didn’t you take the car?”

“Did you see?”

“Even if I hadn’t, Manager Kim would have checked. Isn’t that obvious?”

He sounded aggressive, like someone itching to pick a fight.

“I was tired.”

“Tired people don’t wander around until this late. What were you doing?”

His sharp words stung her deeply. It felt like he was deliberately being cruel, making it hurt even more.

“I needed some time alone.”

“I gave you a study for that. Is it not enough?”

He advanced toward her menacingly. His pale face was chilling, as if demanding she confess something.

“How I use the study is my decision, not something you should interfere with.”

I-ryeong raised her voice and took a step back.

“Interfere?”

I-jun tilted his chin defiantly, rolling his tongue inside his mouth.

He was angry with her.

“Why do you think it’s interference? I’m your husband. I was worried because my wife didn’t come home until now.”

“Do you really expect me to believe you were worried? Don’t make me laugh.”

In that moment, an unpleasant thought crossed her mind. She hated herself for comparing his concern to the genuine worry she had seen from Baek Hyun-wook and Team Leader Han earlier.

But her twisted feelings refused to subside. His concern didn’t feel sincere—it felt like something else entirely.

She completely abandoned any intention of confessing her secret.

“You’re not really my husband, are you?”

The words slipped out before she could stop them, irretrievable.

She hadn’t meant to say that. She shouldn’t have been angry with him in the first place. Yet, she had created the worst possible scenario herself.

“Is that so? Then what do you think I am?”

His lips curled into a bitter smirk as he closed the distance between them with a decisive step.

The familiar scent of him enveloped her, stirring the chaos in her heart.

It was always the same scent. While he remained unchanged, she felt like she had become a completely different person. A bitter smile tugged at her lips.

“Are you delusional enough to think you’re my real husband?”

Her lips moved recklessly, venting her frustration.

At that moment, the living room filled with I-jun’s laughter.

One corner of his mouth twisted upward, and the thinly veiled sarcasm in his narrowed eyes was unmistakable.

Far from amused, his laughter made her feel humiliated and sent shivers down her spine. As a chill ran through her, she instinctively touched her nape.

“It seems you’re the one who’s delusional.”

His voice turned icy as he grabbed her wrist.

Before she could blink, she lost her balance and collided with his chest.

“Ah...”

Of all places to fall, why did it have to be against his chest?

I-ryeong couldn’t bring herself to pull away as she listened to the irregular rhythm of his heartbeat. It felt so eerily similar to the pounding in her own chest.

She wanted to lean into the comforting sound and close her eyes, letting go of everything, even if it felt undeserved.

But even that small comfort was a luxury she couldn’t afford.

“I need to make something clear.”

He tilted her chin upward forcefully.

I-jun leaned his upper body closer, exhaling warm breaths onto her face without pause.

She remained motionless, her reddened lips slightly parted as if gasping for air.

An overwhelming urge to press through the small gap between them consumed him. He wanted to push all the heat rising from his core into her.

“We are legally married. A real couple.”

His voice came out rough, grinding his teeth in frustration.

The image of her walking alongside Han Yu-seong flashed in his mind. The fiery irritation bubbling within him refused to be contained.

“…Is that supposed to mean something now?”

“Judging by your expression, it seems you’ve found someone.”

“What do you mean by ‘someone’?”

Her bewildered expression twisted with disbelief.

“Or maybe he was there from the start.”

Even he, I-jun, could admit that Han Yu-seong was impressive. His impeccable character and outward appearance were enough to captivate anyone.

A man with such an illustrious career didn’t need to work as a guard in Dogok-dong. Yet here he was.

Without understanding why, I-jun compulsively compared himself to others, trying to tear them down.

The bitterness he tasted for the first time was unpleasant, something he never wanted to experience again. Shuddering at the alien sensation, he gritted his teeth.

“Seo I-jun!”

I-ryeong screamed with every ounce of strength she had. But even then, her anger refused to subside, and she exhaled sharply, like a wild animal panting.

“So you’re angry.”

“Did you drink? Or have you lost your mind?”

After being cruelly rejected by a lover, I-jun had been the only man she’d met in the months since.

She had spent over half a year after their marriage secretly pining for him alone. And now, his accusations—calling her an unfaithful mistress—ignited a blazing fury within her.

“Don’t get worked up. The more agitated you are, the guiltier you seem. Don’t you agree?”

With the same hand gripping her chin, he roughly traced her lips. His cold touch made her skin crawl.

His vacant gaze terrified her.

“A married woman shouldn’t wander the streets alone at night.”

“But I clearly said I was going to my parents’ house…”

“To your parents’ house, huh?”

I-jun didn’t believe her stated destination.

He could have sent Manager Kim to check or gone to her parents’ house himself—but he didn’t.

He already knew why she had wandered and come home late tonight. Hoping she would simply tell him the truth as it was, he refrained from digging deeper.

“How many eyes are watching in Dogok-dong? Do you think it’s okay to roam around this late by yourself?”

As I-jun’s accusations continued, I-ryeong clamped her mouth shut. She couldn’t tell if he was implying surveillance, but her unease grew with each word.

“I warned you to live as Seo I-jun’s wife, as my mother’s daughter-in-law. So why do you keep breaking the rules?”

“I... I...”

She wanted to protest, but no defense came to mind.

She wanted to clear his misunderstanding, but doing so would require revealing her secret. Her lips trembled as she clenched them tightly.

His expression turned fierce, his neatly arched eyebrows furrowed. No excuse seemed capable of reaching him now.

“Could it be you’re planning to stir up some scandal and tarnish my reputation?”

A bitter sneer escaped him. His chilling expression sent shivers down her spine, making her flinch.

“What are you talking about?!”

Terrified, I-ryeong forced herself to yell despite her trembling voice.

Already exhausted from the day, his accusations pushed her to her limit. She felt like collapsing somewhere to rest—but tonight, sleep seemed impossible.

“You…”

I-jun read the darkening expression on her face.

“If you don’t want my misunderstanding to deepen further, you’d better tread carefully.”

Releasing her chin, he turned and walked away.

Left alone in the living room, I-ryeong stood frozen for a long while, lost in thought. Unaware of how deep the night had grown, she replayed his sharp words over and over in her mind.

“Scandal… Misunderstanding.”

She had prayed that I-jun wouldn’t see the post, but it seemed God had ignored her plea once again.

Frustration washed over her. She hadn’t even been given a chance to explain before being misunderstood.