The emergency exit was plunged into darkness. In this moment where her heart felt like it would burst, her husband simply remained still. Yet, everything about him stimulated Taeryeong. The even breaths brushing past her ear. The heavy scent that burrowed into the tip of her nose as if to intoxicate her. The warmth of his large hand carefully placed on her waist. This was why she disliked the darkness. It felt like it would conceal anything, stirring up dark desires. She had to turn on the light before she became an even more sly and greedy person. But her husband moved lightly before Taeryeong could. The sensor activated, and the emergency exit became bright again.

“Today’s bribe is a kiss.”

Her husband, who had whispered softly in her ear, making Taeryeong tense, slowly moved away again.

“......I wish I could receive it as that, but that will have to wait for another time.”

Strangely, it was Taeryeong who felt disappointed. He had set the mood as if he were going to kiss her, and this was the end? It felt like she had been scammed.

“Instead, let’s go have dinner after you get off work.”

The heat in his deeply gazing black pupils hadn’t yet faded. Taeryeong looked at her husband, who was suggesting they eat with those eyes, with a slightly bewildered expression.

“You said it was a skinship bribe. Is that really all you want?”

“Well, for this time.”

But then her husband suddenly brought his face close to Taeryeong’s. He met her eyes at a distance where their noses almost touched and grinned mischievously.

“You look disappointed. Should we change it back to a kiss?”

“Who? No! It’s fine!”

Taeryeong, who had retorted sharply as if flustered, instinctively pressed her back against the wall. In case the lights went out again and darkness returned.

“Even if it’s a bribe, my pride won’t allow me to receive it unilaterally.”

Her husband, who had placed the shopping bag in Taeryeong’s hand, sat down on the emergency stairs and patted the spot next to him. Wary of her husband, who kept deviating from her expectations, Taeryeong carefully sat down beside him.

“Would you like to open it in front of me?”

Her husband urged Taeryeong, who was only fiddling with the shopping bag straps.

“Hurry.”

Having no choice, Taeryeong opened the shopping bag and momentarily doubted her eyes. Next to a luxurious dust bag, she saw a green yogurt drink and a straw. This is too cheap, shaking someone’s heart like this with just a thousand won. As Taeryeong silently looked at it, her husband moved.

“I thought Taeryeong-ssi would chase me away immediately.”

He took out the yogurt drink from the shopping bag, inserted the straw, and held it out to her.

“I brought a little bribe.”

Taeryeong wordlessly sucked on the yogurt. She finished one, moved the straw to the next, finished that one, and continued. She hoped this sweet and sour taste would push away the hot lump in her chest.

“Won’t you check your gift now?”

At her husband’s slightly sulky tone, Taeryeong put down the empty yogurt drink. Inside the dust bag was a briefcase. Taeryeong’s pupils slightly wavered at the unexpected gift.

“......Why did you buy this?”

She would have preferred it to be a meaningless accessory that anyone could easily gift. But like the yogurt, and now the briefcase, why did this man keep digging into her heart? He had never given her the right answer even once. Yet, annoyingly, this man always succeeded.

“Because it’s the bag Taeryeong-ssi uses the most.”

He seemed to have been watching her, even though he acted indifferent. It was always with her on her way to work, even if she carried a handbag or clutch, it was always in her hand.

“I wanted Taeryeong-ssi to use the gift I gave her often.”

Inside the briefcase was the laptop she used when exchanging emails with Jin-kyung and Director Kang. In the past, she couldn’t trust Secretary Kim, so she couldn’t leave it with him, but now it was just a habit. At Taeryeong’s silence, he asked carefully, his voice tinged with nervousness.

“Do you like it?”

Instead of answering, Taeryeong quietly ran her hand over the surface of the bag. She could clearly feel the cool and soft texture of the leather. When was the last time she had received a gift? Even Jin-kyung had only took care of her birthday once by chance and never did it again. Because she had disliked it. From a young age, she had disliked and felt burdened by gifts containing someone’s kindness, things given without expecting anything in return. Food, clothes, or household items. Or school uniforms, shoes, workbooks, and so on.

‘They’re just giving it to you because they pity you. In this day and age, you have to pay to throw things away.’

‘Did you see? Even though we went out of our way to take care of her, the kid doesn’t even know how to be grateful. She’s the kid who devoured her own mother and was born, just looking at her makes me feel unclean.’

They would act nice and took care of her in front, but behind her back, they would ultimately pity and despise her. It was a bitter lesson learned through experience at a young age. Don’t hope for or receive the kindness of others, and don’t trust anyone. She had never given or received gifts, so she didn’t know how to react.

“I’ll carry this bag starting tomorrow.”

When this contract ended and she returned to her place, Taeryeong didn’t plan to take anything with her. There was nothing that had been hers, and Inno Fashion was enough. But now there was one thing she would take. It was a bag she had used for almost seven years, so it was about time to replace it anyway.

“What should I gift Kangjoon-ssi... Ah!”

Her husband had flicked her forehead lightly with his finger. It was the first time she had been hit on the forehead. Too surprised, Taeryeong stared blankly at him with wide eyes.

“Let’s just accept kindness as kindness.”

“......”

“Is that so difficult?”

It was so difficult for her. So difficult it was driving her crazy. But because he kept moving straight towards her, she wanted to try even if it was difficult. She also wanted to be a little greedy and gather some courage. As Taeryeong swallowed the words she couldn’t bring herself to say, her husband’s large hand reached out into her vision.

“Let’s go eat.”

Could she take this hand? She hesitated for a moment, but then Taeryeong carefully took his fingertips. She felt like she could afford this much greed. But her husband’s long fingers smoothly intertwined with her slender ones. In an instant, he interlocked their fingers and stood Taeryeong up.

“Since we’re holding hands anyway, we should hold them properly.”

Her heart fluttered at her husband’s grinning smile. What was this feeling? It felt like soft feathers were tickling her chest.

________________________________________

The one month of freedom she had gained in Germany was the price of giving up her entire life. But Alicia had no confidence in playing the role of the mistress of Hanshin. She would rather die than be careful with her words and actions 24 hours a day, pretending to be demure and elegant. In the end, Alicia had no choice but to complain to her father, England, the vice president of Inno Group.

“You said I only had to endure for five years if I didn’t want to have children. But why did you suddenly change your mind? Trying to tie me down in marriage for the rest of my life is the same as telling me to die!”

She screamed, then cried, then complained. England listened to it all silently. Of course, Alicia also knew. That her father, despite his decent looks, was indecisive. That after committing an unforgivable sin, he had completely become her mother’s puppet.

“I just want to take my share and live freely. I don’t want to be the mistress of Hanshin, and I don’t want to be a chaebol’s wife either!”

When she had the arranged meeting with the successor of Hanshin, she had even thought about trying to make it work. He was a man that any woman would want to have, even if it meant sacrificing her soul. His pheromones were strong, but he also had a unique elegant charm that captivated women. Just like Kyung-soo had always told her, she also liked his perfection, which couldn’t be pierced even by the tip of a needle.

“The successor of Hanshin will slowly wither me away like a mummy! He’s the kind of man who would do that and still have enough left over!”

But if the successor of Hanshin dreamed of revenge with that perfect personality. Just imagining it was terrifying.

“Even if he and I look a lot alike, he’ll quickly notice that the person has changed. If he digs, he’ll even find out that I used a substitute from the wedding. Would that great Hanshin family just stand by? And what if Grandpa finds out about that? Dad, it’s not too late. Let’s just end it cleanly in five years. Okay?”

Only her grandfather, the chairman of Inno Group, could move Madam Jo. It was all because of Chairman Yoo that Madam Jo had pushed so hard for the marriage with Hanshin. But Chairman Yoo, with his strong preference for sons, didn’t even know his granddaughter had been replaced. Despite being the eldest son, the incompetent England, who only had one daughter, kept getting pushed out of the management succession. So, Madam Jo had no choice but to scheme. Finally, England spoke.

[What’s so proud about not being able to handle one man properly? You didn’t inherit that from your mother.]

“Dad!”

[Your mother is right. It might be better to take charge of a profitable Hanshin affiliate than just having the title of a powerless vice president.]

As the eldest son, England was currently the vice president of Inno Group, but even that position was under threat. Chairman Yoo had begun to gradually give more power to his second son, who had two sons.

[You have to give birth to at least one son no matter what. Then we’ll take care of the rest.]

Tears of blood welled up in Alicia’s eyes as she looked at the disconnected phone. Now, her only remaining hope was that child. She wished that child would fall in love with Seo Kangjoon. So that she would get pregnant and give birth in her place and take the name Yoo Taeryeong forever. That child would be able to endure it well. Demure, elegant, wise, and cunningly.

________________________________________

She had thought Taeryeong only ate Korean food well, but she also ate Mediterranean food well. It was rewarding that he had set aside his selfish desires and asked her to have dinner with him. Even as she calmly used her fork, she would give him a shy smile when their eyes met.

“This restaurant must be famous. These are foods I’m trying for the first time, but they really suit my taste.”

He always felt it, but his wife seemed to smile prettily only when he fed her delicious food. He could buy her five meals a day instead of three, but she had to eat them for him to buy them.

“It’s true that it’s a famous restaurant where you have to wait at least two weeks for a reservation, if you can even get one.”

He was trying to act nonchalant, but in reality, Kangjoon was uneasy and disturbed. The retriever-like man he had seen at the department store kept coming to mind. What was the relationship between that man and his wife? How close and affectionate were they for him to worry so much? Were they just friendly, something more, had they dated, or had they been in love? He himself was surprised. He never knew he could be so narrow-minded and imaginative. Of course, love was 100% to blame. It had turned him, who had lived rationally and coldly for 31 years, into a petty jealous man.

“Surely, Kangjoon-ssi didn’t make a reservation two weeks ago?”

“Kyungjin’s junior is the owner here.”

He had lived a smooth life so far, with no particular need for restraint or outbursts. But he knew that without restraint, he was a ferocious and cruel predator. So, he wanted to trust his wife and wait for her until the end. No matter what his wife’s past was, or what her relationship with that man had been. If he could gain this woman’s trust and receive her love. He felt like he could control that predator with the余裕 of a man who had a woman he loved. Just then, his wife suddenly stood up and held out her fork to Kangjoon.

“Kangjoon-ssi, try some too.”

He didn’t want to eat it. Kangjoon preferred a low-sodium diet and enjoyed protein-rich meals. To be honest, he didn’t know the pleasure of taste and didn’t want to know.

“It’s a dish called falafel, and it looks like they baked it here instead of frying it. It tastes even more fantastic when you dip it in the yogurt sauce.”

Still, when Kangjoon hesitated, his wife continued,

“Shouldn’t you try it at least once? I feel awkward eating so enthusiastically by myself.”

At her slightly sulky tone, Kangjoon had no choice but to open his mouth. He didn’t particularly want to eat it, but his wife wanted him to.

“How is it?”

“It’s quite delicious.”

It didn’t suit his taste, but he felt like he should say that. But then a brown, round food was picked up with the fork again and approached him.

“Then have one more.”

He regretted not just telling the truth, but the fork was already in front of him. If he had to eat it, he would, but he had to ask this.

“If you answer just one of my questions, I’ll eat this too.”

“What is it?”

Kangjoon paused for a moment. He remembered his friends telling him it was one of the questions women hated the most.

“What is your weight now compared to your weight at the wedding?”

Taeryeong asked with an incomprehensible expression.

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

“There’s something I need to calculate.”

He knew it was a sudden question, but Kangjoon was serious, even grave.

“What could you possibly calculate with my weight?”

“I can’t tell you right now, but there is something.”

Taeryeong hesitated for a moment but soon answered.

“Before the wedding, it was 50 kilograms, and now it’s about 45 kilograms.”

For the first time in his life, Kangjoon had the bizarre experience of his vision going white. Where could there possibly be 5 kilograms to lose from that small body?

“And I think I’ve lost another kilogram this week.”

At his wife’s casually added words, Kangjoon’s mouth felt bitter. He felt like that one kilogram was really his fault. That hot night. He had devoured his wife, who deserved to be cherished like delicate glass, from head to toe all night long.

“I’ll order more food.”

Kangjoon pressed the bell and ordered more dishes from the waiter. Even in the midst of that, his mind was engaged in meticulous calculation. Fattening up his wife. That was the mission given to Kangjoon now. He didn’t like the idea of another man worrying about his wife. Even if the Joo Se-hee that the puppy-like man mentioned wasn’t his wife. He recalled his wife’s frail body from that night, which felt like it would break with just a little force. He also remembered how much he had regretted not treating her more carefully and gently the next day. He felt like he needed to fatten up his wife for their second night as well. Two birds with one stone.

“Kangjoon-ssi.”

“......”

“Kangjoon-ssi?”

Now it was Taeryeong who felt uneasy because her husband wasn’t even answering. What on earth was he calculating? How could he be so serious without even answering when someone called him? Of course, Taeryeong had no way of knowing. That her husband was making meticulous calculations about devouring her.