The lips that touched the back of her hand were hot. Startled, Taeryeong tried to pull her hand away, but it was no use. At the sensation of his burning touch pressing down even more firmly, she covered her mouth with her other hand to stifle a moan. Only then did the hot lips leave the back of her hand, and her hand was freed.

“I’ll be waiting downstairs, so come down.”

The gentle voice from beyond the door and the sound of her husband’s footsteps slowly receding. Taeryeong sank down onto the floor as she was. She remembered her husband’s eyes that had met hers through the slightly open door. The heat that had momentarily filled his dark pupils, the desire he had carelessly revealed. Her heart fluttered with a strange anticipation as if something was about to happen. That’s why she couldn’t even answer her husband’s call. She was afraid this trembling would be conveyed, that her strange nervousness would be discovered. What if he opened the door? What if he asked her to sleep with him? Should she refuse, or should she accept? She was dumbfounded at her own slyness, but she felt like she should get dressed first. But her wrist had been grabbed, and she had received a kiss on the back of her hand. After shaking her up so thoroughly, her husband had disappeared as if he had no lingering feelings.

“......Get a grip, Yoo Taeryeong.”

After spending such a hot night, what was a mere kiss on the back of her hand? At the end of her downcast gaze, she saw the clothes her husband had given her. Oh, dear God, Buddha. She felt like she would die of embarrassment. It was the first time since she was born that Taeryeong had sought a deity. Judging by the way he had wrapped the clothes around her, he must have seen her underwear, and to make matters worse, it was a silk material in a strong red wine color.

“He’s definitely harmful to me.”

Both love and the man Seo Kangjoon. Taeryeong, who had finally gotten dressed, checked her phone first. There was a message from Director Jung.

[The target weight for this time is over 50 kilograms, and the weekend meeting is as scheduled.]

The last time she had seen Alicia, she was so thin it was pitiful, so she had been prepared. But to gain weight? And 50 kilograms was her previous weight. The moment she suspected what Madam Jo’s ulterior motive was, her husband came to mind. He had asked about her previous weight and said he had something to calculate with her current weight. Her husband was a man with enough power to move Madam Jo. Thinking it couldn’t be a coincidence, Taeryeong went downstairs. Her husband was setting the table in the dining room, not the living room. As Taeryeong quietly scanned the table, her husband approached her.

“Gondre rice, mulberry jelly, shiitake mushroom sweet and sour pork, pine needle sujok, pumpkin flower ssambap, pickled vegetables. Is this your preference, Madam?”

When she looked up, her husband was gazing at her like a large dog seeking praise from its owner. But Taeryeong had something to confirm first.

“Did you perhaps talk to Mom?”

“I didn’t.”

As Taeryeong narrowed her eyes suspiciously, her husband continued calmly.

“But we did meet for a meal.”

At those words, Taeryeong felt her heart shrink. She trusted her husband and the promise he had made. But she couldn’t help the instinctive reaction of suddenly feeling afraid.

“What......did you say?”

“Are you worried that I didn’t keep my promise?”

Her husband, who had bent down, tilted his head to the side.

“Because you don’t trust me?”

His whispering voice in her ear was low. Taeryeong, who had slowly closed and opened her eyes, replied calmly.

“I trust you.”

No matter what else, she wanted to tell her husband that much. Even if his intentions in being kind were impure, she trusted the man he was. As if it was an unexpected answer, her husband, who had slowly straightened up, asked again.

“You really trust me?”

The gaze of his wife, who nodded quietly at Kangjoon without avoiding his eyes, was unwavering. As if there wasn’t a hint of falsehood.

“Can I ask how much you trust me?”

“My trust in you as someone who keeps their promises is absolute.”

At the word “absolute,” Kangjoon wanted to ask his wife. Did she trust him enough to confide her secrets in him? He even wanted to desperately plead. Couldn’t she just trust him? But he became cautious, afraid that if he acted rashly, even that trust from his wife would be shattered. Unlike himself, who wanted to love her, his wife still wanted to run away. The weakness Madam Jo held over her was greater than the feelings she had for him. Or maybe it wasn’t a weakness, but a condition of the contract, whatever it was.

“Of course, I kept my promise.”

“......”

“It means I played the role of a bad husband properly in front of Mother and Mother-in-law. Although I did offer my back to Mother as payment.”

Of course, the reason he had offered his back was different, but he didn’t want to tell his wife that. He thought it might be okay to evoke a little sympathy. He wanted his wife to worry about him, to show interest.

“Can you tell me how you acted like a bad husband?”

But his wife wasn’t interested in whether Kangjoon was right or not. As if she had been splashed with cold water, she suddenly became alert. How cold the woman he loved could be when she was being cold. Although he was the only one who knew the sweetness that drove people crazy was hidden within that coldness. Kangjoon, who had let out a small sigh, obediently told his wife like a well-behaved puppy.

“I told Mother and Grandfather that my wife had lost a lot of weight after I came, so they were trying to eat me alive, and that Mother-in-law should take responsibility and fatten up her daughter.”

“......”

“Wouldn’t I keep my promise later if I could play comfortably without being cursed at? I made a little request.”

Taeryeong carefully mulled over her husband’s words. He said it was a request, but the person listening wouldn’t have thought so. It must have been an elegant and polite threat. The conclusion was that her husband had kept his promise. The problem was how Madam Jo had taken that threat. When Taeryeong didn’t ease her serious expression, her husband said a little sullenly.

“Don’t thank me. I’ll be satisfied if you lose your frown and eat deliciously.”

Taeryeong couldn’t help but laugh at her husband’s cute audacity in accepting the gratitude himself. It was true that she had escaped the harsh diet thanks to her husband. Sitting at the table and looking at the food that clearly catered to her tastes, she said softly.

“I’ll eat well, Kangjoon-ssi.”

“Don’t worry about your weight anymore. I plan to buy you a lot of delicious food from now on.”

Those seemingly insignificant words made Taeryeong’s eyes well up. She wished he would stop being so kind. That he wouldn’t dream of a future with her.

“Once I’m over 50 kilograms, I’m going to diet again. This isn’t Mom’s rule, it’s mine.”

“Let’s work out and sweat together every day after work. Then you’ll never gain weight.”

When Taeryeong looked up, her eyes met her husband’s suggestive gaze. At his meaningfully staring eyes, she suddenly remembered what Yeonsuk had said. Outstanding genes, and something else just as outstanding as genes... Surely, it wasn’t exercise in bed. Her mind was filled with all sorts of red-hot imaginations. Covering her flushed cheeks with both hands, Taeryeong let out a small sigh. Was it her who had become sly, or was this man making her that way?

“Madam?”

At her husband’s careful call, Taeryeong suddenly came to her senses.

“But you, why don’t you call me by my name?”

A fact she had overlooked until now, distracted by other things. Today, her husband had been calling her “Madam” instead of her name the whole time.

“Just because.”

The returning answer was bland and light.

“Let’s just say it’s because I like being called Madam more than my name right now.”

The gaze of her husband looking at her was heavy and serious. As if whispering, because that name isn’t your real name. That gaze was too much for Taeryeong, so she avoided his eyes.

________________________________________

The next morning, after a light breakfast, the two left the house and got into the elevator. Even though his wife was always the same, Kangjoon felt good just looking at her. Her neat face, upright posture, the gentle curve of her forehead and her lowered long eyelashes, her long and elegant neckline. He couldn’t take his eyes off his wife, who was only looking straight ahead without giving him even a glance. This must be what it feels like, to love someone. The feeling of his heart swelling just by looking at them. Just wanting them so much it felt like he was about to go crazy with longing.

“I have a lot of patience. I also know how to wait earnestly.”

When his wife looked at him as if asking what he meant at his sudden words, Kangjoon chuckled and took her hand.

“Just, I wish you would bear with me a little.”

He interlocked his fingers with her small hand that was wriggling to get free. He couldn’t kiss her or hold her as much as he wanted, but he wanted to hold her hand as much as he pleased. Getting out of the elevator, Kangjoon took his wife’s hand and headed towards the car. Not his car, but his wife’s car.

“Kangjoon-ssi’s car is over there?”

His wife asked in a quiet tone.

“I’m going to see Madam off and then go.”

“Suddenly?”

Of course, Kangjoon knew. Until now, there were many days when he would get in the car first and leave. But he didn’t plan to do that from today onwards.

“Suddenly, and I plan to continue doing so from now on.”

Her slightly parted lips seemed to want to say something but then closed. Looking at her, Kangjoon slowly bent down. As if giving her enough room to avoid him if she disliked it. His wife didn’t avoid him, and Kangjoon lightly kissed her soft lips.

He wanted to shower her with kisses, not just a light peck, and indulge in her as much as he pleased. Those lips, that breath, that sweetness. But he pulled away his lingering lips, leaving behind his deep desire. He would open his wife’s heart first, and that sweetness could come later. Even if he had to spend every night sleeplessly singing holy songs. Even if he had to train himself every day with the feeling of practicing asceticism. If she would just trust him and come to him, he would willingly wait.

“Have a good day.”

As he whispered gently in her ear, confusion spread in his wife’s clear eyes. Of course, she would be confused. But this was one of the things his wife had to get used to. His quietly extended fingertips carefully brushed his wife’s smooth cheek. If only he could keep this soft, warm, and delicate touch in his hand. If only he could take it out and feel it whenever he had a moment. Then he would be happy all day. Holding a wish in his heart that was completely unlike himself, Kangjoon took a step back.

“See you after work.”

It was time to let her go. He politely opened and closed the car door for her. Only after the car carrying his wife had left the parking lot did Kangjoon turn around.

‘I trust you.’

That one word his wife had answered without hesitation last night gave Kangjoon strength. It told him to think positively because he could see hope. Love was waiting, patience, understanding, and generosity. It was his wife who had made him realize that. It was infuriating that she herself didn’t seem to realize it. But he could always return the favor in another way later. As much as he had endured, suffered, and waited patiently. Kangjoon planned to fatten up his wife by feeding her well, letting her sleep soundly, and making her comfortable. He didn’t know when it would be, but their second night. Ms. Joo Se-hee, mark my words for that day. Spending days locked in the bedroom from head to toe... Just thinking about it made an uncontrollable explosive energy burn fiercely beneath his muscles. Letting out another sigh of endurance, Kangjoon got into his car and murmured.

“I miss her already.”

It had only been a minute since he had parted ways with Joo Se-hee.

________________________________________

As soon as she entered her office, Taeryeong let out a sigh. Since yesterday, her affectionate husband had attempted another upgrade. A man like a top predator was acting like a docile, clingy large dog that only knew its owner.

“This wasn’t in the plan.”

Teasingly tempting, almost kissing, dangerously close to crossing the line. Ever since their first night, her husband had been doing that to Taeryeong. He thought he was being considerate, but it was Taeryeong who was dying because of that consideration. If she had no feelings, she would just ignore him. This overflowing emotion was the problem. Just being near her husband made her heart feel like it would burst and made her self-conscious. That night kept coming back to her. The hot eyes looking down at her, the throbbing muscles, the beads of sweat running down his sharp jawline. Just thinking about it made the senses and brain in her entire body feel like they were melting hotly.

“Grandma, your granddaughter is so immature.”

Taeryeong gave a bitter smile. She had been doing so well until now. For 29 years, her mind had been filled only with her grandmother, money, and revenge. She had never had a first love, never deviated, never even dated. She had planned to continue that way. But Seo Kangjoon had shaken that firm resolve. Instead of her grandmother, whom she hadn’t seen in over three years, she was thinking about a man. She must have gone crazy. To love someone might be happiness for other people, but for Taeryeong, it was unhappiness. It kept putting on the brakes. It was turning her into the immature Joo Se-hee. After dealing with urgent matters first, Taeryeong drove herself to the Gangnam Convention Hall. The driver had suddenly had a family emergency, and Secretary Kim didn’t have a license. Since she was used to driving anyway, it wasn’t like anything would happen if she drove herself. When Taeryeong successfully parallel parked in one go, Secretary Kim gave her a thumbs-up with an innocent expression.

“Wow, one-hand parking. President, you’re so cool.”

Instead of answering, Taeryeong smiled quietly and was heading towards the elevator when she got out of the car. An familiar voice reached her faintly from afar.

“Se-hee-ya!”

Closer now. She heard it again along with the sound of quick footsteps.

“Joo Se-hee!”

Kim Jin-woo was standing in front of her. His soft brown hair swaying, his slightly disheveled breathing settling down. He looked at her with a beaming smile full of joy, his pearly white teeth showing as he smiled broadly.

“Joo Se-hee, right?”