II - 80

The couple returned to the lounge restaurant where she had accepted his proposal, sitting in the exact same spot. It was a seat I-jun had deliberately reserved. 

Though there were a few other tables around theirs, they all remained empty. 

To ensure their special day wouldn’t be interrupted, I-jun had reserved every table. 

Unaware of this fact, I-ryeong enjoyed her meal with delight. 

After the main course was cleared, dessert and champagne were brought to the table. 

As they gazed out at the Seoul nightscape, I-ryeong took the first sip of her champagne. 

“I-ryeong.” 

He called her name in a low voice. 

“To be honest, I really wanted to give you that building in style.” 

“Ahh!” 

Remembering the building belatedly, I-ryeong exclaimed and set her glass down. 

“I-jun, you’re joking, right?” 

“Why? Do you wish it were a joke?” 

He gave her a mischievous smile as he watched her surprised expression. 

“Did you say that because of them?” 

“In the coming week, an asset manager will take care of your property. I’ll introduce them to you soon, so keep that in mind.” 

“Honey, why do I need an asset manager?” 

A building was surprising enough, but now an asset manager? I-ryeong couldn’t hide her bewilderment. 

“For managing the building and handling the company shares you’ll eventually receive. You’ll definitely need one.” 

Even amidst his playful tone, his sincerity shone through. 

I-ryeong hadn’t desired material things from their marriage. 

She had resolved that even the smallest bit of his affection would be enough for her to live happily. 

“I’m already satisfied with just the yacht. No, the car you gave me. And your card too…” 

Then, realizing how much she had received from him, her face turned bright red. She felt so embarrassed she wished she could crawl into a hole and disappear. 

“These are things you deserve because you’re Seojun Lee’s wife.” 

“Honey…” 

“Seojun Lee is Chae I-ryeong’s husband, so it’s only natural that we share everything.” 

His voice began to tremble slightly. 

“We’re truly husband and wife.” 

At that moment, I-ryeong, unable to hide her own trembling, fidgeted nervously with her hands. 

Suddenly, I-jun stood up from his seat and knelt before her, lowering himself to her eye level. 

“L-I-jun? What are you doing? Get up!” 

Startled by his sudden action, I-ryeong hastily tried to rise from her seat. 

“Thank you for coming into my life.” 

Moved by his heartfelt confession, she collapsed back into her chair. 

“I know I’m lacking, but will you be by my side forever?” 

His confession made her eyes well up with tears, warmth spreading through her chest. 

She wanted to confess her love in return, to tell him she felt the same. But her trembling lips couldn’t form the words, and she could only wipe away her tears as they streamed down her cheeks. 

“I-ryeong, let’s be happy together for the rest of our lives.” 

I-jun pulled a ring from his pocket and held it out to her. Even holding the small ring, his hand shook uncontrollably. 

Ever since he realized his true love for her, he had longed to propose to her again. 

He had prepared this day, hoping to dim the painful memories of that day and replace them with something beautiful. 

Overwhelmed by the surprise, tears rolled down I-ryeong’s face in droplets. 

“For the rest of my life, I’ll stay by your side and be yours.” 

The dazzling ring slid onto her finger as she extended her hand. 

---

Amidst the serene autumn atmosphere, winter loomed near, and Jeong-min’s college entrance exam day arrived. The couple took leave from work to support their younger sibling. 

“Oh, honey. Hana called.” 

I-ryeong approached I-jun, who was changing clothes, clutching her phone tightly. 

Hana was in the midst of a divorce lawsuit. 

“It’s fine. Go ahead and answer it.” 

“Are you sure it’s okay?” 

Even though her husband reassured her, her heart still raced. 

“Take deep breaths. Don’t tremble. Even if it goes to court, Joo Hana will win, so you don’t have anything to worry about.” 

“You think so?” 

I-ryeong widened her eyes and exhaled deeply. 

And then— 

“This is Chae I-ryeong.” 

She answered the call while tightly gripping her husband’s hand. 

—I-ryeong, I filed the complaint today. I wanted to let you know first, so I called. 

Thanks to the evidence and testimony I-ryeong had provided, Kang Suktae had been deemed the culpable spouse, just as Hana had hoped. 

—You filing that lawsuit against him was the biggest help. Thank you so much for making such a big decision. I’m truly grateful. 

It was because Hana’s claim about Kang Suktae’s responsibility for the series of events had been accepted. 

Though money wouldn’t heal her wounds, Hana insisted I-ryeong deserved compensation. 

—I’ll need to meet you for the settlement discussions, so let me know when you’re free. 

“Okay. I’ll contact you soon.” 

Despite her nerves, the call ended anticlimactically, and I-jun embraced his wife tightly. 

“While we’re at it, how about suing those colleagues of yours too? They don’t even deserve the title. Or sue the entire apparel company.” 

“No. I don’t want to get tangled up in any more of that.” 

In his arms, I-ryeong shook her head vigorously. Just thinking about it made her head throb and her heart uneasy. 

“Let’s take it slow, step by step. We still have plenty of time.” 

“I’m definitely going to do it, so don’t try to stop me.” 

Her husband’s determination was unwavering. She smiled lightly, knowing there was no stopping him. 

“No matter how you look at it, I won’t budge. Got it?” 

“Got it. I’ll do whatever you decide, but for now, shouldn’t we head to the testing center?”

Even though their parents couldn’t close the store, they had planned to go to the testing site after the college entrance exam ended. 

Fortunately, the testing center wasn’t far from Dogok-dong, so they arrived without being late. 

“I’m so nervous, as if I’m the one taking the test.” 

I-ryeong stood in front of the school gate, clasping her hands together in prayer. 

An hour later, Jeong-min emerged after finishing the second foreign language section. 

“Sis!” 

“How was it? How were the questions?” 

More excited than the actual test-taker, I-ryeong perked up her ears to hear Jeong-min’s response. 

“It was super easy.” 

Jeong-min whispered into his sister’s ear, mindful of other students and waiting parents. 

“Honey, honey!” 

I-ryeong urgently called out to her husband, standing on her tiptoes. 

“He says it was easy.” 

“Really?” 

Just like she had done with her brother, she whispered the news into her husband’s ear. 

Smiles lit up all three of their faces, and filled with joy, they headed together to the snack shop. 

The shop was bustling with customers. 

“Oh, you’re here? Do you want to go inside first?” 

Her father, who had been serving tteokbokki, greeted them warmly. 

“Yes…” 

Looking at the bright red tteokbokki and fried snacks displayed on the counter, I-ryeong suddenly felt drained of energy. She hadn’t even been hungry after snacking earlier in the annex. 

The three of them squeezed into a cozy room inside the snack shop. Since the boiler had been turned on in anticipation of the children’s arrival, the floor was warm. 

“Brother-in-law, were the questions really that easy?” 

“Yes. I knew every question, so it was simple to solve them.” 

Jeong-min pulled out a rough grading sheet from his bag and handed it to I-jun. 

It was a request for him to grade it on his behalf. 

“Your confidence is impressive! Alright, let me check it for you.” 

Seeing I-jun’s cheerful expression, I-ryeong couldn’t help but smile. 

“You said you’d apply through the regular admissions process, right? Where are you thinking of applying?” 

She finally brought up the topic of his future career. 

“Originally, I wanted to become a doctor. I even aimed for Korea University’s pre-med program. But recently, I changed my mind. I want to go to law school.” 

Jeong-min looked quite confident. 

“Law school? Why law school?” 

“I want to become someone who can help you and Brother-in-law.” 

Both husband and wife were surprised by this unexpected revelation. 

“Why do you want to do that?” 

Touched, they asked for his reasoning. Jeong-min glanced outside before lowering his head. 

“I heard about Mom being sick. And because of that, you suffered a lot emotionally.” 

“…!” 

She hadn’t expected him to know. Her eyes grew hot, and her chest swelled with emotion. 

“That’s why I always wanted to be a doctor when I was little. I wanted to become an amazing doctor and heal your wounds.” 

“Jeong-min…” 

Her voice trailed off as tears blurred her words. 

“When you were hurting, Mom was hurting too. As a child, I desperately wanted to fix both of you. I thought becoming a doctor would make everything better.” 

She couldn’t fathom the depth of her stepmother’s pain or the weight of her younger brother’s silent suffering. 

And she loathed herself for being the reason they had been separated. A wave of nausea hit her. 

“Now, I want to become someone who can practically help you and Brother-in-law. That’s why I want to go to law school.” 

Jeong-min expressed his desire to gain power through the law—whether as part of a legal team or as a lawyer. 

“I want to protect you and Brother-in-law from close by. Of course, Mom and Dad too.” 

After hearing her brother’s heartfelt words, I-ryeong broke down and cried aloud. Her face was drenched in tears, and no matter how much I-jun and Jeong-min tried to console her, the tears wouldn’t stop. 

Eventually, the sound of her sobbing reached outside, and her parents rushed in. 

“I-ryeong.” 

“I-ryeong.” 

Startled by her tear-streaked, red face, her parents quickly approached. 

“Breathe, quickly. Breathe.” 

Her mother, Ji-hyun, embraced her tightly, patting her back as if soothing a child. Only after a long while did her tears begin to subside. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” 

“What do you have to be sorry for? There’s nothing to apologize for. Stop crying.” 

Under Ji-hyun’s gentle pats, her tears eventually stopped, and after the emotional outburst, hunger began to creep in. 

“Are you done crying now?” 

With swollen eyes, I-ryeong nodded. She couldn’t feel more embarrassed. 

“Even with puffy eyes, you’re still beautiful.” 

“Pfft. You always say I’m pretty.” 

As I-jun gently caressed her eyes, her parents and Jeong-min watched with smiles. 

“There’s a Hanwoo restaurant nearby. What do you think, Brother-in-law? Since today’s star is you, choose whatever menu you like.” 

Since it was almost time for the snack shop to close, they began discussing dinner options. 

“I’ll eat anything.” 

“We’re not picky either, so don’t worry about us. Just choose what you want to eat.” 

They were stuck, each trying to defer to the others, when suddenly— 

“Wherever we go, let’s start with this first. I’ve been craving it since earlier and can’t stand it anymore.” 

I-ryeong’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her parents. 

“Um… I want tteokbokki.” 

“Tteokbokki?” 

She had barely touched tteokbokki while living at her childhood home. 

“But not just tteokbokki—I also want some rice stir-fried in the sauce.” 

I-ryeong smacked her lips, already salivating at the thought. 

Watching her intently, Ji-hyun suddenly covered her mouth with both hands and hurriedly stood up. 

“Could it be… I-ryeong! I’ll make it right away, just wait a moment! It’ll be quick!” 

“Mom! If there’s cheese, sprinkle some on top, please!” 

As I-ryeong listed foods she had never shown interest in before, a glow of excitement spread across her face. 

A new sense of anticipation filled the air—a precious treasure had come to the couple. 

[Main Story - The End]