TCE 05

Chapter 5

[Alright, I’ll do it.]

There was a spark of life in her eyes as she said it.
It was the same face that, for as long as he’d known her, had been shrouded only in a darkness that left people uneasy.

[Marriage.]

Joo Ae-jung.

Instead of clinging to Go Woori, who had far too much, he reached out his hand to Ae-jung, who had nothing—floundering in the mud, desperate to grab onto any straw that might not break.

He intended to take her as his wife—not to demand anything beyond the basics, just to have her sit beside him when necessary during the one-year contract, pretending to be his wife when needed.

Which meant—

Smooch.

—he never expected something like this to happen.

“…”

Just moments ago, he’d seen her slip in a rather pathetic way, but his hands had been occupied with a lit cigarette.

In the end, she fell on top of him, throwing him off balance, and they both went crashing to the floor—resulting in a catastrophe he never could have imagined.

And she wasn’t the only one stunned by it.

“Ow, that hurts…”

Her glasses had fallen to the floor from the impact, and at the same time, their lips had brushed together and parted.

It had been so quick he almost wondered if he imagined it, but no—it had definitely happened. There was even a sound.

But Yoon-jae’s mind was distracted by something else.

Clear, black eyes. When she pushed herself up off of him, using him as a cushion, those black pupils caught his gaze.

‘…Were her eyes always this color?’

He’d never really gotten a good look before, so he couldn’t be sure, but the thought quickly vanished.

Her eyes were… mysterious. Black, but with a subtle bluish tinge, as if dusted with starlight.

“Uh, so…”

They blinked awkwardly, moist with a faint shimmer, like clear starlight.

He’d seen Ae-jung without glasses a few times before. Those times, her eyes had always looked a dull, cloudy gray, leaving him with a stifled feeling.

‘…Different.’

But this time, something was different.

It wasn’t just his imagination—he couldn’t define the reason, but there was something else there.

The brief sensation of her lips touching his was far too unfamiliar, enough to halt his thoughts entirely.

Soft, carrying a faint scent, they had pressed gently against his before pulling away, leaving behind a moist trace—like a lingering illusion.

It was soft and warm.

And it smelled… nice.

Meanwhile, Ae-jung assumed Yoon-jae’s stunned expression was because of the accidental lip collision.

‘Damn it.’

Her vision was blurry without her glasses, her lips were tingling, and worst of all, she had been the one to fall on him. She quickly averted her gaze to search for her glasses.

Fumbling.

Even though she could feel her chest brushing against his body, she ignored it, searching until her fingertips finally found the glasses. She snatched them up and quickly moved aside.

‘Crap, crap!’

Shoving the glasses onto her face, she hurried to speak.

“It wasn’t on purpose, I’m really sorry. But my hands hurt so much—look at this.”

With about 5% genuine indignation, she held out her hands for him to see. Yoon-jae slowly pushed himself upright.

“How can you have so little strength in your arms? Does that even make sense? You don’t exercise at all, do you? Seriously, you get a little sun and you already have scratches on your hands.”

“…”

“Don’t you ever make her work out? You just keep it all to yourself?”

Realizing she was rambling from embarrassment, Ae-jung quickly shook her outstretched hands.

“Anyway, this was not a kiss. Don’t get the wrong idea. This was an accident, just an accident.”

Despite her efforts to downplay it, silence hung in the air.

Under the quiet wall of his gaze, Yoon-jae brushed a hand down his face.

Calm down. He repeated it silently to himself, sorting out his emotions before finally speaking.

“What the hell are you, anyway? What do you want so badly you’d go this far?”

It was a blunt, primal question, but Ae-jung didn’t flinch.

“If I tell you, will you let me go?”

“Yeah. Where is it you want to go?”

“Hannam-dong.”

“Why Hannam-dong?”

“I have something to check.”

“What is it?”

“Why do you keep interrogating me? Just because you’re my husband?”

Her shameless retort made his brow crease.

With a head full of thoughts, he stood up and straightened his rumpled clothes. Looking down at her still sitting on the floor, he spoke.

“I already know you’re out of your mind, so let’s make one thing clear.”

Her round eyes blinked behind her glasses. Her expression was pure, almost incongruously so, as he continued.

“You do what I say.”

“…”

“You go—after that.”

Flinch.

From below, his gaze was icy enough to make her shiver.

Show-off.

She was intimidated, but she masked it, pushing herself up and adjusting the glasses she would probably never get used to wearing.

“What do I have to do?”

* *

An elegantly decorated reception room—its luxurious accents placed with restraint, and not a single part of the house from exterior to interior spared from meticulous attention.

The silence inside lingered for a long time.

Glance. Glance.

On the black sofa in the middle of the spacious room, reflecting the owner’s taste, sat three people.

A dignified middle-aged man and woman sipping tea, and a young woman in her twenties who looked distinctly displeased.

The young woman, especially, couldn’t hide the annoyance in her eyes and finally snapped.

“They’ve been here for ages—why aren’t they coming in? Are they plotting something outside?”

Her voice was thick with irritation as she glared toward the reception room door.

No reply came. Huffing to herself, she crossed her legs sharply.

“It’s ridiculous. They’re bringing in something that’s not even half a person, but a quarter at best…”

“Eun-se.”

Finally, the middle-aged woman, Seo Hye-won, set her teacup down and gently stopped her beloved daughter.

“She’s your sister-in-law. Mind your manners.”

“…Mom, you’re joking, right?”

Eun-se let out a scoffing laugh of disbelief and took a gulp of her now-cold tea.

The middle-aged man—Chairman Ha Tae-won—remained silent all this time.

“At least not today.”

Clink.

Speaking in an elegant tone that matched her refined appearance, Hye-won turned her gaze to the archway as the awaited guests finally appeared.

Rising from her seat as if she’d been waiting just for them, she walked to the door to greet them.

“Welcome.”

Wearing the most benevolent smile in the world, she placed a hand on her daughter-in-law’s shoulder before they could even offer greetings.

“There’s no need to be so nervous or worried. We all understand you.”

With a smile as warm as her flawless skin, Hye-won guided them to the sofa.

“Come, greet your father. Chairman, the kids are here.”

Ae-jung blinked in mild surprise at the unexpected warmth.

I didn’t think she’d be this kind.

Given Joo Ae-jung’s unpleasant circumstances—and the fact that she had fainted at the wedding—this excessive kindness was startling. It didn’t feel like a façade; it was the same gentleness Go Woori had once experienced.

“We’re late.”

“It’s fine—this is a busy time.”

The chairman’s relaxed response to Yoon-jae’s greeting didn’t sound at all like someone speaking to his son’s illegitimate spouse.

Finally, the silent Chairman Ha spoke for the first time.

“Sit.”

His heavy voice was exactly as she remembered it.

“Bring out some tea. Ae-jung, what kind of tea do you like?”

Hye-won had asked her a similar question the first time they met.

She had said she liked tea back then—leading to several expensive tea sets being gifted to her. Wanting to keep her in good spirits, Ae-jung opened her mouth.

“I…”

“Oh, I doubt we have anything you’d be familiar with. We don’t just bring in any tea. This time, I’ll choose for you. Give Yoon-jae his usual, and for Ae-jung, use that black tea we were gifted recently.”

“Yes, madam.”

“…”

Any tea?

The subtle jab made her eyes narrow slightly, but she didn’t let it show.

Hye-won’s hand patted hers gently.

“There’s no need to try so hard to fit in from the start. Being different isn’t bad, you know.”

Not different—wrong?

“Eun-se, greet your sister-in-law.”

It was a sly, almost playful dig, and Ae-jung’s eyelid twitched—but her thick glasses hid it.

The conversation, already taking a slanted tone, became even more heated with Eun-se’s next words.

“Thanks to you, I had quite the shock yesterday. The level of guests was shocking enough…”

Her sweet tone contrasted sharply with the venom in her words, and Ae-jung was momentarily taken aback.

Was she always like this?

This was nothing like the Ha Eun-se she remembered—who used to follow her around like a puppy, calling her “Unni, unni.”

But then again, it was a different person in front of them now, so perhaps the treatment was different, too.

“How are you feeling? Better?”

Calming herself, Ae-jung answered Hye-won’s question evenly.

“I’m sorry for worrying you…”

“It must’ve been a shock. We were surprised, too. You’re not in good health, and then that happened—how hard it must’ve been. And with her personality, there’s no way she would’ve stayed quiet after losing Yoon-jae. She was the most vicious girl I’ve ever seen. Still, it’s a shame someone so young passed away like that.”

Even without a subject, Ae-jung instantly knew who they were talking about.

The most vicious girl.

That’s… me, isn’t it.

Hearing someone insult you to your face—it was a rare, novel experience, even in her eventful life.

“And to think she was so petty she’d even take the ring.”

Her stomach churned. It was true, but she hadn’t meant it like that.

There was even a faint sting of betrayal. All those friendly smiles, all those cheerful greetings… how meaningless they’d been. Ae-jung was no stranger to fake smiles herself, but Hye-won was no amateur, either.

“With a personality like that, she must’ve looked down on you for having nothing, all while clinging to what wasn’t hers. I can see it without even having been there. Well, there’s no point dwelling on it now.”

“…”

“Now you can live without worry. We’re all family, after all.”

Ending the conversation entirely on her own terms, Hye-won tightened her grip on Ae-jung’s hand.

“Welcome, dear.”

Squeeze.

To an outsider, it would have looked like the endlessly tender care of a loving mother-in-law.

But the tingling pain traveling up from where Hye-won’s hand gripped hers made Ae-jung blink.

This woman… is interesting.

If Hye-won knew what Ae-jung was really thinking, she’d probably foam at the mouth.