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Alicia was mesmerized by the man’s hand that firmly gripped her shoulder. The prominent blue veins on his fair hand, his masculine yet smoothly extended fingers, and his neatly trimmed, clean nails. Seeing his handsome hand, she yearned to see his face more clearly. He had been so captivating that she felt a desire to be serious about marriage. As Alicia slowly lifted her head, her heart pounded abnormally. A thrilling current flowed through her brain, caused by a mixture of anticipation for this sexy man and anxiety that he might recognize her. Lost in the feeling she hadn’t experienced in a long time, she thought of her first words. Should she sweetly say thank you? Or should she just gaze at him intensely with her eyes instead of words? As she pondered, the man’s hand disappeared.
“…?”
She saw Seo Kang-joon’s back as he walked away with long strides, without a single word. It was the first time Alicia had been ignored by a man. Even when she acted spoiled and mean, men had always been kind to her. Amidst her confusion, the bell of truth, which she hated to acknowledge, rang in her mind. Seo Kang-joon had caught her out of mere reflex, not out of courtesy. As if he were simply righting an object that had fallen in front of him. “How dare he treat me like an object! It must be because he didn’t get a proper look at me, at my face!” Just then, Kang-joon paused briefly to answer a call. Alicia muttered, glaring at his broad, solid back, “Would you still ignore me if you knew who I really was?”
Thinking about it, it was true. What was there she couldn’t say? Revealing the truth wasn’t wrong, was it? Seo Kang-joon was the only golden lifeline that could save her from being treated like an object by her family. He was the perfect husband who could give her a luxurious life incomparable to her current one. And now, Seo Kang-joon was said to be a kind and gentle husband. These were rightfully hers, things she deserved to enjoy. The possibilities were abundant, so there was no need to hesitate further. She would go right now and tell him. “I’m your real wife.” Just as she was about to walk towards Kang-joon, as if enchanted, someone grabbed Alicia’s arm and spun her around. She naturally expected it to be a man, but instead, Tae-ryeong stood there with a cold expression.
“Follow me quietly while I’m being nice.”
Alicia wanted to argue, “Who are you to order me around?” But she had no choice but to bite her lip and let Tae-ryeong pull her away. The venom in Tae-ryeong’s calm eyes was extraordinary. “That fierce girl, anyway.”
________________________________________
The two sat side-by-side, receiving nail care without a word. Afterward, they sat together by the window in the well-decorated lounge, like separate customers. Alicia’s elbow slightly grazed a teacup as she moved somewhat distractedly.
“Ah, hot! They should give it after it’s cooled down enough, why is it so hot?!”
Tae-ryeong subtly frowned and stopped Alicia, who was about to call a staff member without considering her own fault. After wiping the spilled water from the table with a tissue, she slowly opened her mouth.
“Were you going to chase Kang-joon and tell him the truth? That you’re his real wife?”
At the direct question, Alicia blinked her large eyes, seemingly flustered.
“When did I ever say that?”
Alicia was clearly the type whose true intentions were easily read by anyone. Simple, impulsive, stubborn, high-maintenance, and in need of protection. She was like an immature girl whose next move was unpredictable. She attracted attention and evoked protective instincts in strange ways. “Is this why men like her?” Alicia rolled her big eyes and changed the subject with a prim expression.
“You be honest. Did you sleep with Seo Kang-joon?”
As Tae-ryeong just stared at her instead of answering, Alicia scoffed.
“Don’t even think about lying. What other reason would there be for a man who used to be cold to suddenly become gentle? Men are so simple and instinctive.”
Alicia suddenly leaned in, her eyes sparkling, and lowered her voice.
“So, what’s Seo Kang-joon like in bed? His physique isn’t just for show, is it?”
So Tae-ryeong also leaned in close and whispered tenderly in her ear, “Snap out of it. Even if you die and come back to life, you and Kang-joon will never happen, Unnie.”
Alicia straightened up and glared at Tae-ryeong as if to kill her.
“You’re the one who needs to snap out of it. Honestly, if it wasn’t for my name, do you think that man would be good to you? To someone born as filthy as you?”
“Kang-joon knows I’m not the real Yoo Tae-ryeong.”
At Tae-ryeong’s bombshell, Alicia’s eyes widened as if they would pop out.
“That’s impossible! Then why is Seo Kang-joon being good to you? It can’t be love, obviously. Did you perhaps find a weakness of Seo Kang-joon? What is it?”
“It can’t be love.” As Alicia said, Kang-joon’s feelings for her might not be love. It might just be acting for true revenge. But now, Tae-ryeong didn’t want to doubt her husband. Just because she had lived crookedly until now didn’t mean she had to view the world crookedly forever. She also wanted to believe it was love. Because they didn’t have much time left.
“I didn’t find any weakness.”
“Then?”
“Preventing you from finding your real name. He might have thought that was the best revenge. He’s a very smart man, after all.”
Alicia, biting her nails with an anxious expression, asked nervously, “Seo Kang-joon figured it out, but Mom and Dad don’t know, right?”
“They don’t know yet.”
“Don’t ever let them find out. If they do, you’ll get nothing. Understood?”
Tae-ryeong felt like she could see Alicia’s extremely simple brain working. If she had already been found out, Alicia would have no value to anyone, not even her parents. Knowing that made her anxious. Only if Kang-joon didn’t know could she secure a good sum when she left. And even after that, she could hold it over Madam Jo as a weakness, threatening to reveal everything to Hanshin Group in Korea if she didn’t get money. It was obvious she would be blackmailed too, so why would she accept that offer? Another name for a secret was a weakness.
“So, when are you going to get pregnant? Or are you already pregnant?”
Alicia’s gaze went to Tae-ryeong’s flat stomach.
“I’m not pregnant.”
“Then you’ll have to get pregnant within a week. I’ll give you money only if you get pregnant with Seo Kang-joon’s child.”
“…”
“If you want 1 billion won, you’d better pretend to die at my words. Don’t look down on me and use informal speech…”
“Will you shut your mouth, Unnie?”
Tae-ryeong cut her off, feeling she couldn’t listen anymore. Looking at Alicia, who was just mouthing words with an incredulous expression, Tae-ryeong calmly continued, “Unnie, you saw the news, right? That Ino Fashion acquired Dora Shopping Mall for 20 billion won. And that Dora’s CEO owned 100% of the shares.”
“You’re not going to say you’re that Dora CEO, are you?”
“What if I am? From the beginning until now, and forever. If the CEO is Joo Se-hee.”
Alicia’s pupils vibrated violently.
“Are you really crazy? Telling me even that? I’ll tell Mom everything… Are you laughing right now?”
Tae-ryeong was calmly smiling despite Alicia’s threats.
“It seems you’re still not grasping the situation, Unnie.”
Tae-ryeong took out an envelope from the briefcase Kang-joon bought her.
“Inside this is the contract we wrote together. I also recorded all our conversations that day.”
“…!”
“If your aunt finds out you tried to team up with me to backstab her, how do you think she’ll react? Will she generously forgive you out of maternal love for her daughter?”
“You cunning, wicked bitch!”
Alicia sprang up and was about to show her bad habit of striking again, but Tae-ryeong snapped coldly, “Just try to lay a hand on me. I’ll return it tenfold.”
Alicia’s hand paused in mid-air.
“Stop being your aunt’s puppet and listen to me if you want to live freely.”
Alicia glared at her, then slumped down with a resigned expression, muttering, “So, what are you going to do?”
“Unnie, for now, pretend to die at your aunt’s words and wait. I’ll think about it.”
The accelerated timeline had complicated things. As Tae-ryeong slowly got up, Alicia suddenly asked her from behind, “Hey! Then why did you sleep with Seo Kang-joon?”
Even in this situation, Alicia asked out of pure curiosity. Her simplicity was almost enviable. Instead of answering, Tae-ryeong slowly walked away.
________________________________________
It was 11 p.m. Tae-ryeong spotted Kang-joon in the company parking lot and quickly approached him.
“What brings you here without warning?”
“A surprise. I was thinking of going to see a late-night movie.”
She hadn’t noticed when he was far away, but up close, a faint tiredness spread across Tae-ryeong’s face. It was because she was overworking her schedule due to the hastily arranged trip. Kang-joon was in the same boat. The conclusion was that what the two of them most desperately needed and desired right now was sleep. Yet, there was one reason he suggested a late-night movie. A while ago, Tae-ryeong had been intently watching a movie advertisement. When he asked if she wanted to see it, Tae-ryeong had replied in a small voice, “I’m just curious about the ending of this movie for some reason.”
“If you’re curious, you should see it.” He thought idly, and today, for once, he finished early, so he checked if that movie was playing. But it turned out today was the last day of screening. So, he had no choice but to show up as a surprise. Whatever Tae-ryeong wanted, no matter how small, Kang-joon didn’t want to let it slip away. His desire to do everything for her overflowed to the point of madness. But seeing her tired face like this, Kang-joon wondered if he had done something unnecessary and asked again.
“If you’re tired, should we just go home?”
“No, let’s go. I want to see the late-night movie.”
Again, Tae-ryeong smiled faintly and said she was fine with it. In the flow of time, his wife was changing. Slowly, carefully, she was expressing her feelings and being honest with her emotions. Kang-joon was both happy about it and strangely anxious.
“Then let’s go.”
Kang-joon drove Tae-ryeong to the movie theater. When the car stopped at a red light, Tae-ryeong cautiously looked at Kang-joon. He knew the meaning of that gaze. She was probably looking to see if he would kiss her again. At his wife’s gaze, which held a little tension and a little expectation, Kang-joon smiled and said, “I won’t kiss you.”
“Why not?”
“Do you think I’m a man who’s always lusting after you?”
“You have been, until now.”
“When have I ever…”
Kang-joon stopped speaking. Thinking about it, it seemed he had been like that all the time. To be honest, it was accumulated sexual frustration. He had to kiss his wife and touch her whenever he had a chance, just to endure it. So, when they were alone, he probably did advance on her regardless of time or place. Looking at himself, he was like a beast unleashed.
“I’ll restrain myself from now on.”
Just then, the light changed again, and the car started moving. Tae-ryeong, who had been looking out the window, suddenly remembered something and spoke again.
“I saw it earlier today, when you were dropping me off, you caught that woman who was about to fall. I think you have good manners, Kang-joon.”
At Tae-ryeong’s words, Kang-joon recalled the incident from earlier. The strange woman who had deliberately approached and bumped into him on the wide street, swaying her body.
“It was more of a reflex than manners. Something swayed in front of me, so I caught it…”
Kang-joon stopped speaking and asked again, “Are you perhaps jealous right now?”
“Yes, I’m jealous.”
At her incredibly fast and honest answer, Kang-joon looked at Tae-ryeong with a dazed expression.
“I didn’t know I was such a narrow-minded woman. Am I ugly?”
His wife’s eyes, blinking with long eyelashes as she looked up, were clear. “Ugly? You’re so beautiful it’s driving me crazy right now.”
“If you look closely, my wife is really good at it.”
“…?”
“Playing with my heart, lifting it up and bringing it down.”
Should he just kiss her now? As Kang-joon pondered, a horn sounded from behind him.
The two entered the movie theater and sat in the center couple’s seats. As the movie began, Kang-joon, as if he had been waiting, wrapped his arm around her small shoulder and pulled her into his embrace. He buried his lips in her fair neck and murmured, “I thought I was going to die from missing you all day.”
The warm, soft sensation on his lips and the intoxicatingly sweet scent of her skin. How much he had missed her all day. As he rubbed his lips, he heard his wife’s faint breathing falter. It was pleasant to hear. The way her composure was disrupted by him.
“What if someone comes?”
“No one’s coming. No one will come.”
His wife’s small hand, which had been trying to push Kang-joon away from his chest, stopped.
“Surely, you didn’t rent out the entire movie theater, did you?”
“Would that be wrong?”
“Are you crazy? Why would you waste money like that?”
Kang-joon slowly lifted his head and looked at his wife. He thought her small, fair face, shimmering in the dim light, was breathtakingly beautiful as he brought his face closer.
“Why, you ask?”
Kang-joon chuckled and muttered, “To do this.”
As he brought his lips closer, Tae-ryeong slightly turned her head, avoiding his kiss.
“The movie has started. Let’s watch the movie, okay?”
Her shy gaze and gentle voice. That alone was enough to drive him crazy, but she was nervously biting her soft lips with her pearly white teeth. “How can I resist this?” Before kissing his wife’s petal-like lips, Kang-joon whispered tenderly, “You watch the movie.”
“I’ll do what I want.”
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