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“Ha-yeon, you’re the amazing one. You express emotions through dance—tell stories and move people.”
“It’s not as impressive as all that.”
Ha-yeon waved her hand modestly, her face reddening slightly. Then, she subtly pointed in the direction Joo-hyuk and Eun-yoo had gone earlier.
“Those two seem unusually serious today.”
Sena turned her head to see the pair, their hands full of plastic bags and coffee cups, pausing mid-walk to engage in what looked like a grave conversation. Their expressions grew increasingly tense as they spoke, clearly not discussing anything pleasant.
“Has Eun-yoo seemed a bit off lately?”
“Oh, is Joo-hyuk the same way?”
“Yeah. He often seems lost in deep thought, like he’s carrying some kind of worry.”
“The fact that they’re both acting the same way likely means it’s related to KMS.”
So, something was definitely going on.
“Don’t worry. If it’s something we need to know, they’ll tell us.”
As a relationship veteran, Ha-yeon reassured Sena with confidence.
Fortunately, the two who had been talking at a distance seemed to notice Sena and Ha-yeon’s gaze. They softened their expressions and returned with smiles.
“She’s a good person.”
Walking back from the convenience store, Eun-yoo remarked. Her gaze lingered on Ha-yeon and Sena, sitting together on a riverside bench in the distance.
A good person.
For a moment, Joo-hyuk felt uneasy labeling Sena with such a simple adjective.
“Yeah, she’s a good person.”
“The funds will be returned to Chairman Wang, and Reporter Seo hasn’t made any significant moves yet. I just hope the next few days pass quietly.”
“Yeah, that would be ideal.”
Only three days remained until the KMS launch. Though he doubted much would change after those three days passed, the thought of unresolved issues weighed heavily on him.
The fleeting relief he’d felt during their double date evaporated as his worries resurfaced, causing his head to throb. He stopped walking for a moment.
“Are you alright?”
“No.”
At his shake of the head, Eun-yoo sighed deeply.
“There will be some commotion, but it’ll be fine. It’s true we acted late, but we’ve already started returning the investment funds and are investigating whether there’s more.”
“More?”
Frowning at this new information, Joo-hyuk prompted Eun-yoo to awkwardly chuckle.
“There’s no rule saying your father’s money could only come through Chairman Wang.”
“Ah.”
He hadn’t considered that possibility. He had assumed resolving things with Chairman Wang would be enough.
“I didn’t want you to stress too much, so I’ve been looking into it on my own. Don’t worry too much. In KMS’s early days, the only suspicious investment was from Chairman Wang.”
“Thank you.”
“Stop being so formal. KMS is my everything too.”
She playfully tapped his arm and smiled—a smile tinged with bitterness—but having someone trustworthy by his side was undeniably comforting and empowering.
“Let’s go. Those two are giving us strange looks.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
“Does Sena still not know?”
“No. I’ll tell her soon.”
“I haven’t told Ha-yeon either.”
Their steps back toward the others felt heavy.
It hadn’t even been a full week since their marriage, and already he was becoming the kind of husband who burdened his wife with worries.
Deep down, he hoped Sena wouldn’t find out until this matter was resolved. It was an irrational wish, but he couldn’t help it.
Before the news broke, shouldn’t she know? Surely her family and acquaintances would be deeply concerned. To leave her completely unaware, only to be blindsided later, wouldn’t be right.
“Didn’t the coffee get cold?”
“Sorry, sorry.”
As Ha-yeon grumbled while accepting the coffee, Eun-yoo apologized.
Beside them, Sena cast a questioning glance, clearly brimming with unspoken questions.
The car ride home after parting ways with Eun-yoo and Ha-yeon was silent. Sena, seated in the passenger seat, stared silently out the window.
“Am I mad at you?”
As they neared home, Joo-hyuk stopped the car at a red light and asked. When Sena turned her head, she saw him looking at her with a slight frown.
“I’m not mad.”
But I am hurt.
It was frustrating—she knew something was clearly going on, but every time she asked, he brushed it off. She understood it was work-related, but seeing Eun-yoo act similarly made her suspect it wasn’t just about the KMS launch.
“You seem mad.”
“It’s not anger...”
“Then what is it?”
“...I feel hurt.”
Admitting that out loud unexpectedly brought tears to her eyes.
Throughout her life, she had rarely felt wronged or hurt. Even when such feelings arose, she had never voiced them to anyone.
“Hurt?”
“I tried to understand since it’s work-related, but... it’s obvious something’s going on, and you’re not telling me anything.”
“Ah.”
“We’ve only been married for a week, and I know I can’t know everything about you... but I can’t help feeling useless.”
“What?”
Startled by her last words, Joo-hyuk quickly pulled over to the side of the road and turned to face her.
“What do you mean, useless? Don’t ever think that way. I was actually planning to tell you everything soon.”
“Really?”
“Really. It’s something you need to know.”
As Sena listened to his explanation, her expression hardened.
“I didn’t know about any of this, and if the investment funds have been returned, isn’t it resolved? Or rather, why is it even a problem that your father invested in KMS?”
“Do you not know what my father does?”
“I’m sorry, but no.”
How could she? All Sena knew was that Chairman Choi had greatly helped her own father’s business. She didn’t even fully understand why she and Joo-hyuk had gotten married—asking Chairman Kang wouldn’t have yielded answers anyway.
“My father is a lobbyist.”
“A... lobbyist?”
The unexpected word left her momentarily stunned.
A lobbyist? That kind of lobbyist?
“In the past, he made money exporting military supplies during the Vietnam War. Now, he’s handed the business over to my older brother and is preparing for retirement, but he’s still lobbying between defense contractors and government agencies.”
“So that’s why you...”
She swallowed her question: Is that why you dislike your father?
Joo-hyuk seemed to catch the unspoken question and gave a bitter smile.
“That’s not the only reason. The situation is complicated.”
“I see.”
Still, knowing one of the secrets surrounding Joo-hyuk lifted her spirits slightly.
“This issue might cause some public commotion.”
“I imagine so. People who know your father well won’t just sit back and watch.”
“And to make matters worse, my second brother is running for mayor of Seoul, so things will get noisy on that front too.”
“Your brother is running for mayor of Seoul?”
This news surprised her more than the KMS situation, and Sena’s voice rose involuntarily.
“I’m sorry! Mayor of Seoul? I knew he was a legislator, but running for mayor means he’s aiming for the presidency next, right?”
“You really don’t pay attention to politics, do you?”
Chuckling softly, Joo-hyuk teased her.
“Yeah, I guess I should start paying more attention,” Sena said, blushing as she nodded sheepishly.
“He doesn’t have grand political ambitions, but somehow he ended up as a mayoral candidate.”
“Doesn’t your brother also face suspicion because of your father? This seems like more than just a KMS issue.”
“Probably. But my brother is aware of it and tries hard to ensure my father doesn’t interfere. Of course, we don’t know exactly what my father might be doing behind the scenes.”
Unlike his sons, Chairman Choi was clearly an ambitious figure.
“I understand. In any case, it’s clearly a serious matter.”
“For now, we’re planning to return all the investment funds, so I can only hope our explanation will be accepted.”
Joo-hyuk’s smile lacked strength, his voice heavy with worry. Sena tightly gripped his hand, which had been holding hers.
“Everything will be alright.”
“Thank you.”
“Really, everything will be fine. Please don’t worry too much.”
Though her words were the only comfort she could offer, even that felt necessary—otherwise, she’d feel as though she wasn’t fulfilling her role as his wife. With sincerity, Sena tried to reassure him.
Perhaps unburdening himself had helped, as his expression softened slightly, and he restarted the car.
The path to their home still felt awkward, but she hoped that someday it would feel natural. Feeling the warmth of their intertwined hands on the gearshift, Sena silently wished for that day to come soon.
As usual, Joo-hyuk left for work first, and shortly after, Sena prepared to head out when someone blocked her path.
As she descended into the underground parking lot, she sensed movement behind her but assumed it was another resident and ignored it, heading toward her car. Just as she was about to open the door, a stranger appeared in her side window, startling her.
“Who are you?”
She stepped back cautiously, asking the question. The man gave her a sly smile.
“So you remember me.”
“You’re… a friend of Joo-hyuk’s, right?”
“My name is Kang Un.”
Kang Un extended his hand toward her, but instead of shaking it, she simply stared at him.
“Did I surprise you?”
He awkwardly withdrew his hand, but she continued to eye him warily.
“I just stopped by on my way.”
“On your way?”
“Yes.”
A lie.
She was certain he had been hiding in a corner of the parking garage when she came down and had followed her. His claim of “just stopping by” made no sense.
“I’m sorry, but Joo-hyuk already left for work. You’ll have to visit another time.”
“Is that so? He must be busy with the broadcasting station launch.”
“Yes.”
Please just leave, Sena silently pleaded with her eyes, but he didn’t budge from where he stood beside her car.
Even after she told him Joo-hyuk wasn’t there, his demeanor suggested he wasn’t done with whatever he had come for, making her tense up again.
“Do you still have something to discuss?”
“It’s just… I find it interesting.”
“What do you mean?”
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