The next morning, Taeryeong let out a small sigh while putting on makeup after her shower.

“Maybe I should have just kissed him.”

Her weight had increased by 1.5 kilograms. It had taken her almost a month of hard work to lose that weight, but gaining it back was so fast and easy. It was all her husband’s fault. Yesterday, he had suddenly barged in and treated her to dinner as compensation for his acting. And he had bought her so much beautiful and delicious food.

“Next week is the day they check my weight.”

……What should she do?

“I can lose enough in a week.”

Taeryeong went downstairs and stopped walking. Her husband, whom she thought had gone to work, was sitting on the living room sofa, looking at his tablet PC.

“Aren’t you at work yet?”

“I waited to see Taeryeong-ssi’s face before leaving.”

Such a husband made Taeryeong feel both bewildered and afraid. With each passing day, her husband seemed to be changing little by little, slowly closing the distance between them. Her husband, who had stood up from the sofa, held up a shopping bag.

“The restaurant yesterday is also famous for its brunch, so I asked them for a favor.”

“At this hour?”

At 6:30 in the morning? Taeryeong slightly frowned, and he chuckled.

“I paid enough for it. So, I wish you wouldn’t look at me like I’m a terrible guy throwing money around.”

Taeryeong ended up laughing because her husband had so accurately read her mind.

“Let’s eat breakfast together.”

Looking at his broad back as he headed to the dining room, Taeryeong said carefully.

“I’m sorry, but I think you’ll have to eat breakfast alone, Kangjoon-ssi.”

Her husband turned back as if asking what she meant.

“My stomach feels upset because I overate too much yesterday. And I gained some weight.”

Throughout her words, Taeryeong felt sorry towards her husband. She was ignoring the kindness he had shown her, regardless of his intentions. Her husband, who had come right up to her, slowly scanned her from head to toe with his eyes.

“Where did you gain weight?”

His slowly outstretched hands gently wrapped around Taeryeong’s waist.

“Your waist is getting so small that your clothes are loose. It makes me anxious and unable to hold you properly.”

Along with his low murmur, her husband met her eyes intently. Taeryeong couldn’t look away from those eyes that seemed to be trying to dig into her thoughts. She knew she had lost a lot of weight. But she had no choice if she wanted to match Madam Jo’s daughter’s weight. As Taeryeong worried about how to explain, the shopping bag was pushed into her view.

“Secretary Kim has something I owed you yesterday, so give this to him.”

“Are you perhaps upset?”

His wife’s cautious eyes and tone. Kangjoon disliked that. He wished she would treat him comfortably, say she disliked something if she did, and refuse if there was something she wanted to refuse. He knew very well what kind of answer he should give. But when his wife became this soft, Kangjoon became greedy.

“If I said I was upset, would you try to comfort me?”

He felt like he could be a little petulant with his wife. Whatever it was, it felt like she would accept it.

“What can I do for you?”

His wife’s lower lip, bitten tightly between her pearly white teeth, captivated Kangjoon’s gaze. He knew the scent and feel of those lips.

“Don’t say things like that carelessly.”

Because it makes me want to kiss you. Lowering his gaze, which he couldn’t bear to tear away, Kangjoon looked at his wristwatch.

“Would you see me off?”

They arrived at the front door like that. When he turned back, he saw his wife standing demurely. As Kangjoon closed the distance, his wife flinched and tried to subtly step back. But Kangjoon wasn’t a nice enough guy to let that happen. With his right hand, he wrapped around her slender waist, and with his left hand, he cupped the back of his wife’s head. After making her completely unable to move, he slowly lowered his face. He wanted to do it on her lips, but he didn’t trust himself to stop. He also didn’t want his wife to hate him. Chuu- With regret, he kissed his wife’s round forehead.

“I’ll be back.”

His wife, who was startled, put her hand on her forehead and glared at Kangjoon with a hint of annoyance. Did she know that even that look was beautiful to him? Kangjoon wanted to confess his love to his wife every day. But if he openly said he loved her, she would obviously dislike it and try to run away. So, he had no choice but to confess like this. Holding back the corners of his lips that kept wanting to rise, Kangjoon whispered in his wife’s ear.

“Look up the meaning of a kiss on the forehead.”

I swear my unchanging love to you. That was the meaning of a kiss on the forehead.

“Have a good day, and see you in the evening.”

Arriving at the parking lot and getting into his car, Kangjoon made a call.

“Hello, Mother-in-law.”

He thought he knew the most effective way to fatten up his wife.

________________________________________

“I bought this because I thought it would suit Mother-in-law.”

After the meal, Kangjoon handed Madam Jo a small shopping bag.

“Oh my, you shouldn’t have. Thank you, Kangjoon-gun.”

Madam Jo, who had checked the luxurious case inside, smiled brightly.

“I heard there are only 10 of this design in Korea, I wonder how you got it. You didn’t just get a gift for me, did you? That would put me in an awkward position.”

Yeonsuk gave a bright smile at the gaze directed towards her.

“Don’t worry about me, In-law. Having a meal with my son like this is a big gift for me.”

It was half a lie and half the truth. Her son had never once asked her to eat with him before. So, when she received a call from her son this morning, she felt 불안하다 rather than happy. She wondered what this guy was up to, doing things he never used to do. After hearing the explanation from her son, Yeonsuk couldn’t understand Madam Jo. What mother in the world would like it if her daughter was so skinny? Of course, she also didn’t understand her son. If the daughter and son-in-law showed a good relationship, Madam Jo would like it, so why hide it? She asked him several times, but her son kept his mouth shut, saying he would tell her when the time was right. She was dying of curiosity, but she decided to grant his request for now. In fact, Yeonsuk also felt sorry for Taeryeong, who looked thinner every time she saw her. Touching the watch on her wrist, Madam Jo murmured as if for Kangjoon to hear.

“It would have been nice if our Taeryeong was here too.”

“Taeryeong-ssi is very busy. Even I, who live with her, have a hard time seeing her face.”

At Kangjoon’s strangely cool answer, Madam Jo smiled elegantly.

“I will apologize on behalf of my daughter. I explained the situation before, but she will quit her job in 3 or 4 months and focus on supporting you, Kangjoon-gun. I will educate her properly, so please trust me and wait a little longer, okay?”

“That’s right, Kangjoon-ah. Your mother-in-law is famous for being a good homemaker. Your mother guarantees it. Her bloodline speaks for itself, doesn’t it?”

Homemaking it was. Everyone said that the incompetent eldest son of Inno Group held the vice-presidency all because of his wife. Of course, Yeonsuk didn’t feel like praising that even a bit, but her son had asked her to. He had asked her to be unconditionally on Madam Jo’s side at this meal.

“Actually, I asked you to have dinner with me because there is something I would like to ask of Mother-in-law.”

Staring intently at the unresponsive Madam Jo, Kangjoon continued slowly. “After I returned, my wife lost too much weight. Everyone who knows about this marriage thinks it’s my fault. Especially Grandfather and Mother.”

“......”

“I hear my wife’s weight is 45 kilograms now. Please tell her to gain at least 50 kilograms.”

He didn’t know his wife’s secret, but this one thing was certain. Right now, his wife would pretend to die if Madam Jo told her to.

“My wife is a filial daughter who would follow Mother-in-law’s words even if it meant pretending to die, so she will listen well.”

“I’ll try talking to her, but Taeryeong’s determination to diet is strong...”

“You must make the impossible possible. That is the bribe and the favor I am asking for.”

Kangjoon’s expression as he leisurely cut off her words was arrogant, even cold. A subtly deadly atmosphere filled the air. Like a shrimp caught in a fight between whales, Yeonsuk could only gulp.

“I remember you telling me to enjoy myself freely for a year. If my wife is so withered like a mummy, how can I enjoy myself comfortably?”

Madam Jo suddenly realized that Kangjoon had been quiet. She had thought it was because he was obsessed with that poisonous woman, but it wasn’t. Chairman Seo and Yeonsuk had been nagging Kangjoon, so he was temporarily restraining himself.

“I think I can keep my promise only if Mother-in-law keeps hers.”

Clearly, Kangjoon’s intention was this: he would come to his senses in a year, so in return, he wanted her to guarantee his remaining freedom. It was a reasonable request. But Madam Jo felt like she was being threatened. She also seemed to know why Taeryeong was absent from this meal and only she and Yeonsuk were present. They called him the sun of Hanshin. She had thought he was only good at business, but he was also a clever schemer.

“In-law, don’t be too hard on Kangjoon-gun. It’s just that our daughter has an obsession with dieting, it’s absolutely not because of Kangjoon-gun that she lost weight. And he said he’ll come to his senses in a year, so let’s wait together, okay?”

“No, I...”

Yeonsuk avoided eye contact with a subtle expression and mumbled her answer. She probably didn’t like it, she had been vehemently against it back then too. But Madam Jo had no reason to refuse Kangjoon’s request to nail Yeonsuk down. If Kangjoon came to his senses when her real daughter returned, it would actually be beneficial.

“If that’s what In-law wants, then so be it.”

Only when Yeonsuk reluctantly answered did Madam Jo look at Kangjoon with an elegant smile. As if asking if he was satisfied now.

“I trust that Mother-in-law will also resolve my wife’s target weight well.”

But that wasn’t the end. Dry eyes, cold expression, firm tone.

“At least 50 kilograms, starting today.”

Kangjoon wasn’t making a request, he was giving an order. Madam Jo felt a strong urge to pour her tea over his smug face.

“I don’t like skinny women.”

Now, her own daughter had to adjust her weight to match that poisonous woman’s weight. Her stomach churned at the blatant reversal of the situation. But Madam Jo had no choice but to agree.

________________________________________

‘Did I give birth to a beast instead of a human? Is there nothing else to bite that you had to bite your wife! If you treat her so harshly one more time, I’ll bring Taeryeong back to our house immediately, so you better know that!’

It felt like Yeonsuk had hit him dozens of times before he got into the car after the meal. She was small and her hands were small, but her slaps were incredibly fierce. He arrived home at 9 PM. Kangjoon held shopping bags with the logo of a famous traditional Korean restaurant in both hands. Partly to check if Madam Jo had kept her promise, and partly to feed his wife delicious food. His wife was nowhere to be seen on the brightly lit first floor. Naturally, Kangjoon’s steps headed towards the second-floor stairs. He could hear the sound of water from the bathroom at the end of the hallway. She could have just come downstairs. But that sound pulled Kangjoon’s feet like a magnet. Even though he knew he couldn’t do anything, even though he knew he would only be tormented. Standing in front of the door, Kangjoon listened to the sound of the water for a moment. Just as he was about to turn away from the wretched imagination that filled his vision even without closing his eyes, the bathroom door was opening. The moment Kangjoon narrowed his eyes at the glimpse of a pale silhouette that appeared through the shyly opening door.

“……!”

“…….”

Thwack, the bathroom door slammed shut again. Kangjoon’s gaze slowly descended. His eyes, looking at the clothes carelessly thrown in front of the bathroom door, became subtle. Except for her sleeping habits, his wife was always calm and neat. But why did she leave her underwear outside today without any fear? Hadn’t she become too careless?

“Taeryeong-ssi.”

Kangjoon leaned against the wall next to the door and knocked gently. But the tightly closed door didn’t open, and the person inside didn’t answer. But Kangjoon wasn’t one to give up that easily. At his persistent knocking, a calm voice carefully crossed the door.

“I left my clothes outside, so could you please come down to the first floor?”

Since she had so suddenly shown a gap, he couldn’t help but become mischievous. Holding back a laugh that was about to burst out, Kangjoon said nonchalantly.

“It makes me sad if a married couple acts like strangers. We even spent a hot night together.”

He himself realized for the first time that he had this mischievous side. He felt sorry for his wife, but strangely, he enjoyed it. This seemingly meaningless conversation, and this situation. Just then, the bathroom door opened. Not wide open, but just a crack. Through the narrow gap, a slender arm with pale skin suddenly reached out and fumbled on the floor. But without securing her vision, her small hand had no chance of finding its target properly. Seeing that, Kangjoon couldn’t help but laugh. This was too unfair, wasn’t it? He had only known she was incredibly beautiful, but she was also unbelievably cute. He felt like he would go crazy just imagining her crouching naked with only her hand stretched out. He wanted to be even more mischievous, but he decided to stop here. Kangjoon, who had knelt on one knee, carefully wrapped the dainty underwear inside the clothes and placed them in her small hand.

“You’re looking for your clothes, right?”

“……Thank you.”

Unlike her words, her voice trembled thinly as if suppressing anger. Kangjoon grabbed the small hand that was trying to disappear like a sneaky thief and pulled it towards him. He pressed his heated lips firmly onto the white back of her hand, where faint blood vessels were visible. It was an impulsive action.

Giving the dropped clothes back into her small hand, Kangjoon whispered.

“You’re welcome.”

It’s all because of you that I’m acting mischievous and have become this sly. Because you, Joo Se-hee, are so incredibly beautiful and unbelievably cute.