Tae-ryeong was bewildered by the knife-like gaze. She couldn’t believe that the man before her, the husband who had supposedly fallen in love with his wife at first sight, was this person.

“I heard from Chairman Seo. I found out today too.”

But she didn’t show it and answered calmly.

“You seem to have a warmer personality than you appear. You even contact my grandfather.”

His polite, low-toned speech was still respectful, but this time she definitely felt it. Her husband’s contempt for her. Why on earth?

“My mother often calls the Chairman to check in on his well-being in my stead.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

His quiet mumble pierced her ear painfully.

“If you think so, there’s nothing I can say.”

An intense gaze was fixed on Tae-ryeong’s face as she answered indifferently with a submissive demeanor.

“But, madam.”

The unfamiliar title caught in her ear like a grain of sand.

“It feels quite strange.”

At that one word, Tae-ryeong felt her heart sink.

“It’s like we’re strangers.”

Could he have possibly noticed something? Her makeup and styling were exactly the same.

“Or is it because it’s been three years?”

Even in that moment of slow speech, her husband’s gaze was fixed on Tae-ryeong with an almost obsessive intensity.

“Ah, we were originally a couple worse than strangers. And we’ll continue to be, right?”

Tae-ryeong reflexively raised her head and met the clear eyes looking down at her. She thought she understood now. That the previous words were just bait to set up the last one. His soft tone seemed to be asking, but it was actually a message from her husband. That their relationship would continue to be this way. No matter what kind of gaze her husband had, what words he spoke, what kind of expression he wore, what actions he took. It had been ten minutes since she had composed herself, resolving not to waver and to remain detached. But it was all in vain. Seo Kang-joon was beyond her imagination. But her confusion was only momentary, and Tae-ryeong quickly regained her composure. She had to keep her distance from this man anyway, so this was for the best.

“......Yes.”

As she answered demurely, he asked again,

“Do you have any questions for me?”

Right now, Tae-ryeong desperately wanted to part ways with her husband quickly. But there was one thing she absolutely had to ask.

“Are you coming home tonight?”

It was a gut feeling that this man wouldn’t come home. And Tae-ryeong’s prediction was spot on.

“I’m not.”

“I see.”

Muttering with a sigh of relief, Tae-ryeong flinched. But the gaze of her husband already fixed on her had grown even colder.

“Since this was an unexpected meeting for both of us, let’s go our separate ways today. No objections, right?”

“No objections, but I have one request.”

If she told Madam Jo that she had parted ways with her husband right at the airport, Madam Jo would surely make a fuss. Rather than deal with that, it was better to create evidence of her efforts, even if it was a bit uncomfortable now.

“Let me take you to your destination.”

For example, that she had taken her husband, who had a prior engagement, to his destination.

“I wonder if we really need to do something that would make us both uncomfortable.”

“Wouldn’t it be better not to do anything that would make us both feel sorry?”

Perhaps he hadn’t expected a retort, as Kang-joon’s eyes narrowed with interest.

“You’re stubborn.”

“It’s not stubbornness, I think it’s a wife’s basic duty.”

“In that case, as you wish, madam.”

Kang-joon, who had been looking at her with a subtly changed gaze, reached out his large hand. It was a gesture to ask for the car keys.

“I’ll drive. You must be tired from the long flight.”

“I detest owing favors. Especially to Tae-ryeong-ssi.”

After hesitating for a moment, Tae-ryeong eventually placed the car keys in his hand. It was an accurate description to say that she dropped them very carefully and slowly, as if afraid even their fingertips might touch. Tae-ryeong didn’t notice Kang-joon faintly creasing his brow as he watched this.

*** The car carrying the two drove for about fifty minutes without a word. Kang-joon looked straight ahead, and Tae-ryeong fixed her gaze on the passing scenery outside the window. Nevertheless, she could feel with all her senses that his driving skills were excellent. The scenery outside the window flashed by rapidly, and lane changes occurred frequently. It was as if his driving represented his desire to shorten this moment of being alone together by even a second. Yet, her body trapped in the seatbelt didn’t allow even the slightest movement or recoil. If she closed her eyes, she could have mistaken it for driving straight at a slow speed. Having left the busy areas, the car was now driving on a quiet road. Where on earth was their destination? Tae-ryeong was curious, but she didn’t ask him. If she accompanied him to his destination, today’s mission would be complete, so she would just endure a little longer. It was then. Screech-. With the sound of harsh braking, Tae-ryeong’s body lurched forward despite wearing her seatbelt.

“Are you alright?”

Tae-ryeong nodded slightly and lowered her gaze. Despite wearing her seatbelt, a firm arm blocked somewhere between Tae-ryeong’s shoulder and chest. It was probably an unconscious reflex.

“Just a moment.”

After asking for her understanding, he turned on the hazard lights and got out of the car. Tae-ryeong’s heart was pounding abnormally as she followed his movements with her eyes. Surprisingly, on his hand, which he had bent down and then straightened, was a kitten. That was the reason he had braked suddenly. Only after placing the kitten in a safe place did Kang-joon get back into the car. Just by watching his movements as he wiped his hands with a wet tissue and meticulously applied hand sanitizer, she could tell he was a germaphobe. As Tae-ryeong quietly watched, Kang-joon replied as if it were nothing.

“The kitten was very dirty.”

Only after confirming that the kitten had gone to its mother did Kang-joon start the car again. Fixing her gaze back out the window, Tae-ryeong came to her first conclusion about her husband. Seo Kang-joon was a truly contradictory man. His action of holding the dirty kitten and taking it to a safe place. The unconscious manners he showed even while looking at her with disdain. The moment the five-star Palace Hotel came into view, Tae-ryeong’s phone rang. The fact that Secretary Kim was calling despite being told not to contact her unless it was urgent meant it was urgent business. But the timing was strange. It was just when they had arrived at their destination.

“It seems like this call will be long. Would it be alright if I take it?”

If you’re just going to say goodbye, hurry up and let’s part ways. That was Tae-ryeong’s real intention. She had created enough of a pretense, so now they could go their separate ways as Kang-joon had said.

“Room 1003. I have something to say, so come up after you finish your call.”

Watching Kang-joon tell her the room number instead of saying goodbye and disappear into the hotel, Tae-ryeong murmured,

“How nice it would be if we could just part ways.”

*** Presidential Suite Room 1003, Palace Hotel. For the past five years, it had been where Kang-joon stayed whenever he came to Korea from his scheduled business trips in Germany. Aside from Kyung-soo, who had assisted Kang-joon for a long time, no one had ever set foot in this space. Not even family or friends. Yet, he had impulsively invited Yoo Tae-ryeong here. Originally, he had planned to just give her the notification he needed to in front of the hotel and then send her back ostentatiously. But the moment he caught the hidden intention in her demure question, his mood soured.

‘It seems like this call will be long. Would it be alright if I take it?’

Couldn’t we just part ways now? The way she phrased it was impudent and audacious. If she was going to pretend to be a virtuous wife, she should have carried it through to the end, instead of revealing her true nature in moments like that. After showering, Kang-joon put on a bathrobe and came out to the living room. Yoo Tae-ryeong stood there, the sunlight streaming through the large window wrapping around her like a spotlight.

“The door was wide open, so I came in.”

Instead of approaching his wife, Kang-joon stopped in his tracks. At their arranged meeting, Yoo Tae-ryeong had stood just like that. As if she absolutely wouldn’t sit down until he pulled out a chair for her. The real Yoo Tae-ryeong was as he had expected. Luxurious and fiery, with an arrogance that seemed to place all men beneath her feet. And a captivating allure that drew men in as much as her glamorous looks. But the wife standing before him now was, how should he put it? More aloof than arrogant, more refined than flamboyant, and more likely to stimulate a man’s protective instincts than exude a strong sexual appeal. Not even a human chameleon. Looking at his wife with even colder, clearer eyes, Kang-joon slowly opened his mouth.

“I should probably shower.”

To Kang-joon, his wife was more familiar by the name Alicia Barton than Yoo Tae-ryeong. The moment he decided to marry Alicia, he had conducted a background check and accidentally found out. Alicia Barton was a fake, and Ino Group’s eldest daughter, Yoo Tae-ryeong, was her real identity. The belatedly received report made it clear why she had hidden that she was Ino Group’s eldest daughter and used the alias Alicia. A glamorous life addicted to parties and shopping, and a ceaseless history of promiscuous relationships with men. There were dozens of related reports, but not a single photograph. That made him think she might have a rather meticulous personality. Even up until their arranged meeting, Kang-joon believed his wife was indeed such a woman. He hadn’t paid much attention at their formal meeting between families. The adults had led the conversation, and Yoo Tae-ryeong had kept her head down without saying a word. The woman who had seemed so predictable changed completely from the wedding onwards. Her gaze, expression, atmosphere, way of speaking, even her seemingly meaningless gestures. The elegance and poise flowed so naturally, it was hard to believe it was acting. What did she hope to gain by acting this way?

“Since I don’t know when my wife will come up.”

Could it be that she really intended to play house? To cleanly forget the things she had done in the past without taking any responsibility and make a fresh start?

“I have no choice but to leave the door open.”

If so, his wife should have been more careful. Especially in choosing him as her groom at that starting line.

“What did you want to say to me?”

At his wife’s question, Kang-joon slowly approached instead of answering. His wife’s movement to step back and maintain the distance as he closed in was concise and elegant. But the eyes that met his for a fleeting moment were desperate to escape. When she had insisted on taking him, talking about a wife’s duty. Didn’t she know that the more she wanted to run away, the less he wanted to let her go?

“Since I’ve used this place often for the past five years, I find it more comfortable than home. So I’m thinking of staying here while I’m in Korea.”

Call him petty if you want. Kang-joon wanted to make his wife uncomfortable.

“I mean, if I stay at home, there won’t be anything that makes us both uncomfortable.”

If they lived separately, it was his wife, not him, who would be hassled by both families. So just reveal your true colors already, Yoo Tae-ryeong. You can even beg.

“You understand what I’m saying, right?”

But Kang-joon’s expectations were pleasantly off.

“......Yes.”

Ha. She was going to pretend to be submissive until the very end? Passing by his demurely standing wife, Kang-joon headed to the dressing room. He was curious. Whether his wife would continue to act even in the face of temptation. Or if she would reveal her true colors as if she had been waiting for this. Why not try to wield that femme fatale charm that had swayed so many men on him too? Having put on pants, Kang-joon slipped his arms into a wrinkle-free dress shirt. But his movement stopped right there. Without buttoning it, Kang-joon called his wife’s name.

“Yoo Tae-ryeong-ssi.”

The sound of light footsteps brushed his eardrum, and a slender silhouette slowly filled his pupils. But as if she didn’t want to get any closer, Tae-ryeong stopped right at the entrance. Kang-joon wasn’t one to let that slide. The more you dislike it, the more I want to do it.

“Closer.”

At his request, Tae-ryeong, who had approached slowly and reluctantly, had minutely trembling pupils. Perhaps because she was wearing slippers instead of dizzying stilettos, her eye level was exactly at his chest. The dizzying expanse of his chest revealed between the unbuttoned white shirt. She stared blankly for a moment, then startled and turned her head away as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have. Unlike before, her gaze wasn’t natural. Because her hair was tied up high, her noticeably reddened cheeks and nape were defenselessly exposed. Not only a demure and virtuous wife, but now she was even going to pretend to be innocent? But unfortunately for Yoo Tae-ryeong, she had taken the wrong direction. The better she acted, the more he wanted to draw out the duplicity hidden inside her. Sitting on the accessory dresser, his eyes, trapping his wife between his outstretched long legs, were persistent.

“Could I ask you for a favor?”

His dark gaze landed on a pre-selected tie, tie clip, and cufflinks.

“I’ve never done it by myself before.”

It was the moment Tae-ryeong, who had hesitated for a moment, reached for the cufflinks.

“We have to follow the order.”

Tae-ryeong carefully met his eyes as if asking what he meant.

“Buttons first. Of course, you can refuse if it makes Tae-ryeong-ssi uncomfortable.”

He asked as if being considerate, but it wasn’t consideration. The moment she refused, Yoo Tae-ryeong would face quite a bit of disadvantage in the future. There was no way a smart woman wouldn’t grasp the hidden intention behind that consideration. So Kang-joon spoke to her in an even softer voice.

“We’re a couple worse than strangers, so I should at least understand this much.”

While he was in Germany, the reports about Yoo Tae-ryeong were always the same. Living a reclusive life, only knowing home and work, and only briefly showing her face at official events. But Kang-joon didn’t believe it. With that pretty face, she must have been seducing other men behind his back while he was away.

“It’s not uncomfortable at all. Even if we’re a couple worse than strangers, I’m still your wife.”

With a small whisper, as if gathering courage, his wife reached out again. But was she being too careful? Or was it quite intentional? Her finely trembling fingertips touched his skin instead of the button.

“......Ah.”

Tae-ryeong, who let out a small moan, met his wavering eyes. Her wandering fingertips groped the air.

“I’m sorry.”

If an outsider had seen it, they would have been completely fooled by that innocent reaction; it was perfect acting. But Kang-joon, as if it were nothing, calmly led her hand back to the spot she was trying to avoid.

“It’s alright, continue.”