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At Sehee’s words, Kang-joon narrowed his eyes and said playfully,
“Hey there, Joo Sehee. It hasn’t even been a day yet, has it?”
What does it matter if it hasn’t been a day? The situation was already resolved in less than half a day. Tomorrow, it’ll be even more perfectly resolved.
You, Seo Kang-joon, the man I know, you’re always like that. Meticulous and swift.
“Do I really have to wait a full day?”
“I’m someone who likes things to be planned.”
It meant that even that wish was part of the plan.
“It’s not a plan, it’s a scheme, isn’t it?”
Kang-joon chuckled at Sehee’s mumbled words.
“If possible, call it planned, it sounds better.”
“Then I’ll call you a planned and scheming man.”
Sehee truly thought so.
From the moment this man purposefully approached her, to the moment she was inevitably conquered.
She had helplessly fallen into this man’s meticulous scheme, as he systematically and carefully tightened his grip, step by step.
How could she refuse a man like this?
“Acknowledged. I am quite planned and scheming.”
Kang-joon chuckled, gently pulled Sehee closer by the waist, and whispered intimately in her ear.
“Of course, that was until I met Joo Sehee.”
“Lies. You targeted me systematically too.”
At that, Kang-joon feigned an aggrieved expression, as if wanting her to acknowledge his emotional struggles.
“Impossible. How many times did I have to change my strategy and make tactical retreats because of Joo Sehee?”
She wasn’t sure about the emotional struggles, but she had to acknowledge Kang-joon’s patience and endurance.
If it weren’t for your patience and endurance, we wouldn’t have made it this far.
She felt like she should give an award to the man who was planned, scheming, and also possessed patience and endurance.
Sehee smiled faintly and rose on her tiptoes.
“Don’t change your strategy or retreat from now on. From now on, I’ll adjust everything to you.”
With a sweet confession as their lips met, she gave Kang-joon a short, intense kiss.
Mwah—.
His eyes, widened slightly in surprise by the sudden kiss, quickly returned to normal.
Kang-joon, as if he had been waiting, devoured Sehee’s lips.
The mango sherbet on the plate, abandoned by its owner, was slowly melting.
________________________________________
The doorbell rang.
Sehee got up instead of Kang-joon and headed to the front door.
When she opened the door, Alysha and a man were standing there.
They were an even more surprisingly contrasting couple than they appeared on TV.
Alysha in an overly revealing dress and heavy makeup, and a man like a college student with a neatly buttoned-up check shirt.
Yet, they strangely suited each other well.
“Wow, your belly’s out a bit, isn’t it?”
Alysha’s eyes widened when she saw Sehee’s cute, round belly peeking out from under her softly fitted dress.
“It’s been over five months.”
Alysha watched Sehee gently cup her belly for a moment, then looked over Sehee’s shoulder and blurted out again, “Anyway, why make people come and go so tiringly? If you’ve been working people so hard, you should let them rest properly. Does your boyfriend have any sense or not?”
It was Alysha, who would immediately blurt things out, even though she wouldn’t dare utter a sound if Kang-joon were right in front of her.
Sehee smiled and replied, her personality still unchanged, “My senseless boyfriend is in the living room.”
“You said you missed us and called us over, didn’t you? Then, since we’re uncomfortably acquainted, just send your boyfriend out so it’s not awkward for us... Ugh!”
“Hello, Sister-in-law.”
The man who pulled the struggling Alysha into his embrace had a voice as proper as his appearance.
“Nice to meet you, Kyung-soo.”
“Please call me Rex.”
Looking at him again, he was truly gentle and naive. It was hard to believe he had pulled a con on Seo Kang-joon.
Sehee spoke in a calm voice. “I know this meeting is uncomfortable for both of you. But I was genuinely curious. What kind of person would Kang-joon’s cherished brother be? And...”
As Sehee’s words trailed off, Rex narrowed his eyes as if curious about her next remark.
As the saying goes, blood is thicker than water; perhaps because they were cousins, his face subtly resembled Kang-joon’s.
“I also wanted to thank you directly.”
If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to meet Seo Kang-joon.
As if Sehee’s sincerity had been conveyed, a gentle smile spread across Rex’s lips.
“I am more grateful to you, Sister-in-law. For helping Alysha and for saving the notoriously prickly Director, who would have died a lonely bachelor. And this is a small gift, given with gratitude.”
Rex extended the shopping bag he was holding.
“Congratulations on your pregnancy. Alysha carefully chose this.”
“Thank you.”
As Sehee accepted the shopping bag, clearly containing baby items, Alysha peeked her head out from Rex’s embrace.
“Joo Sehee, please tell me it’s a girl?”
Suppressing a laugh, Sehee answered seriously, “It’s a boy.”
“A little Seo Kang-joon? No way!”
Rex was looking at Alysha, who was overreacting with an expression like the end of the world, with loving eyes.
His eyes, filled with such blind gentleness and love, were similar to how Kang-joon looked at her. It made her wonder if the way Seo men loved was perhaps genetic.
Anyway, they were always extraordinary, no matter what they did.
It was not a bad first meeting, making her worry about awkwardness seem pointless. The eccentric Alysha, the seemingly friendly Rex, and herself dealing with the two of them.
She found it strange that she no longer dealt with others calculatingly, unlike before.
It meant she had more peace of mind. Changed by Seo Kang-joon, and by the life she began to live through Seo Kang-joon.
With a much more relaxed heart, Sehee led the two into the living room.
“Come in.”
Despite having spent a considerable amount of time at the entrance, Kang-joon was still sitting on the sofa.
“Kang-joon.”
When Sehee called him, Kang-joon slowly turned his head.
“...”
Instead of an answer, the moment his deep, jet-black eyes met the two, silence fell, and a stillness flowed as if time had stopped.
It was also the moment Sehee realized that her thought of it being a not-bad first meeting was her own misconception.
Alysha’s eyes, who originally disliked Kang-joon and had been thoroughly used this time, were venomous.
Heo Kyung-soo, who knew Kang-joon better than anyone and had committed a sin, looked incredibly tense.
On the other hand, Kang-joon was as terribly still as a deep ocean. As if it didn’t matter one way or another.
But all four people in the living room knew. This moment was the calm before the storm.
Kang-joon slowly rose from the sofa, as if in slow motion.
Yet, the atmosphere he exuded was so oppressive it felt like people’s mouths would dry up just looking at him.
Unlike Sehee, who was unsurprised, Alysha, who had been glaring, quickly lowered her gaze.
Rex flinched, seemingly quite scared, but thankfully held his ground.
With long strides, Kang-joon stopped in front of Alysha’s couple in just a few steps.
Before doing something, Kang-joon quietly looked down at Sehee. It was a look seeking unspoken permission.
As Sehee quietly nodded, allowing him to do as he pleased, Kang-joon immediately grabbed Rex by the collar.
“Follow me.”
Rex was dragged out onto the terrace without being able to resist Kang-joon’s strength.
Sehee grabbed Alysha, who was startled and tried to follow them.
“Let go of me!”
Alysha’s face was grim, but Sehee calmly said without batting an eye,
“This isn’t something we should interfere with.”
“You must be comfortable knowing your man will never get hit. But I’m not! Who knows what that beastly guy will do to our Rex!”
“Of course, Kang-joon will do something. But what more could it be than a few punches? If a younger brother makes a mistake, it’s natural for his older brother to discipline him. That’s what being brothers is about.”
More accurately, cousins, not brothers.
“...What?”
“You know what kind of person Kang-joon is, Sister. If he sets his mind to it, he’s someone who can brutally crush an opponent without lifting a finger. So what does it mean when Kang-joon himself resorts to fisticuffs?”
To Alysha, who frowned as if not understanding, Sehee whispered softly,
“It means he’s making up.”
In a way that only men who share a deep friendship can.
Regardless, for Sehee, it was the moment she realized that Kang-joon truly regarded Rex like a younger brother.
“They’ll have a decent fisticuff, then come back as if nothing happened. In the meantime, we’ll drink tea.”
“But...!”
“Don’t worry. Kang-joon is a very rational man, so he’ll control himself well.”
Just then, a thud came from beyond the terrace.
Unlike Alysha, who flinched in surprise, Sehee remained perfectly calm.
“Hey! You hear that sound and still say your boyfriend is rational!?”
“I trust Kang-joon.”
Sehee knew Kang-joon. The man who had remained terribly rational even in those nightmarish moments.
Such a man would never lose his temper and throw punches in a mere situation like this.
Sehee could bet everything that he would hit him a few times, admonish him, and then bring him back as if nothing had happened.
“I don’t trust Seo Kang-joon!”
“If Kang-joon and Rex make up, Rex will gain a reliable older brother. The only ally and blood relative he can lean on when something happens.”
Like you and me, Sister. At her quietly added words, Sehee smiled and pulled Alysha’s hand, whose eyes widened.
Alysha, unable to tear her eyes from the terrace, reluctantly allowed herself to be pulled along.
And Sehee’s prediction was accurate.
By the time the warm tea had cooled and their cups were half-empty, the two men returned.
Kang-joon looked no different from before, as if nothing had happened, while Rex had tissues stuffed up both nostrils.
________________________________________
“My goodness, Rex!”
Alysha dramatically rushed over and examined Rex’s messed-up face.
But Sehee smiled gently and calmly, quietly taking Kang-joon’s hand as he sat beside her, as if to praise him for making up well with his brother.
Although it was briefly boisterous, a peaceful lunch began.
________________________________________
Until they left the house, Alysha still behaved like a cat, hissing and extending her claws at Kang-joon. Of course, Kang-joon was not one to react to such a cat.
Alysha was no match anyway, and Rex had appropriately resolved his grievances in a male-only fashion.
After that, Kang-joon said nothing else and remained consistently indifferent and composed. It was as if the two of them weren’t even there, as he focused solely on Sehee.
“Husband-to-be, absolute devotee.” Alysha boldly teased, but Kang-joon remained unresponsive.
He was always that kind of man. Indifferent and composed about everything, showing no interest.
Rex, as Sehee had expected, was an amusing and warm man. With his gentleness and warmth, he took good care of the hedgehog-like Alysha.
Regardless, they had a pleasant time, and with plans for the future, Alysha’s couple left the house.
Finally, they were alone.
Sehee stepped out onto the terrace first, leaving Kang-joon to answer his phone, and looked up at the darkening sky.
Everything seemed to be flowing too smoothly, and Sehee was suddenly scared. She often lost her sense of reality, wondering if she deserved such happiness, if it was all a dream.
When she was with Kang-joon, Sehee often felt like she was still an insignificant being.
Kang-joon’s background, wealth, and impeccable perfection had been overwhelming. That’s why she had hesitated, felt anxious, and been so afraid.
But not anymore. Through this man, she had found happiness, rediscovered her laughter, and began to dream of ordinary happiness.
Just then, Kang-joon came out onto the terrace.
Sehee looked at Kang-joon with gentle, smiling eyes.
All of this is because of you. That’s why I’m grateful to you and I love you.
Kang-joon sank down beside her, his eyes narrowing slightly at the boundless love Sehee poured out through her gaze.
“Why are you looking at me so tenderly?”
“Just because I’m grateful. And I also feel like meeting you was the greatest fortune of my life.”
Her morning sickness had subsided, and the frustrating situation was completely resolved. And Pré also had an aunt and uncle.
She knew all of this was Kang-joon’s thoughtful consideration. He had even eliminated the tiny speck of anxiety hidden deep in her heart, refusing to ignore it.
Now, all that remained was to have the wedding, give birth to Pré, and live an ordinary, happy life.
“To Joo Sehee, Pré is a gift and I’m good fortune?”
When Kang-joon articulated it so clearly, Sehee smiled and nodded.
“Then will you marry me?”
Sehee blinked in surprise.
Had she ever given this man a vague answer about marriage? She couldn’t recall anything.
“I remember telling you I’d marry you, Kang-joon.”
“That was under unavoidable circumstances and you reluctantly gave in to my persuasion, wasn’t it?”
She admitted she had given in to unavoidable circumstances and persistent persuasion.
But ultimately, it was a marriage she said yes to because of love.
Then why?
Kang-joon met Sehee’s eyes, which looked at him with an inscrutable expression, gently.
“So, I’m formally proposing now.”
There was no grand event, no expensive ring, no prince charming on one knee.
It was a simple, understated proposal, just a single request to marry him.
But she understood.
Why a man who usually loved extravagant events would propose in such a simple way.
The unadorned truth, delivered without embellishment, struck Sehee’s heart like a hurricane.
“Marry me, Joo Sehee.”
The moment Kang-joon uttered that truth again, Sehee’s eyes welled up.
Even his proposal was a meticulously planned scheme from Seo Kang-joon, the scheming man.
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