She had only planned to stop by the toilet before going home.

But when she heard her name, along with Se-hyeon’s, coming from inside, she was frozen to the spot.

She had thought that everyone had said their goodbyes and left.

She hadn’t expected them to gather here and talk like this.

Leaning quietly against the wall, Ji-an listened to their conversation.

“They’ve been seeing each other for three years now, but only because the guys are close. Honestly, I can never figure Yoo Ji-an out. She never talks about herself. She just sits there quietly and listens to us. It feels shady, like she’s always hiding something.”

“Exactly. I’ve always felt uneasy around her. But marrying President Woo? She definitely traded her father’s life for that. Instant status upgrade.”

“Seriously. When President Woo first returned to Korea, every family was trying to arrange a match with him. For someone like her, it should have been nothing but a wild fantasy.”

As if they had simply been waiting for the chance, harsh, cutting words poured out one after another.

“……”

A quiet, bitter breath escaped from Ji-an’s lips. Of course, she had suspected how they truly saw her.

Even when they gathered together as a group of women, she always felt out of place—like oil on water, never quite blending in.
But to think they would belittle her like this…
Her father’s life!
To her, he was someone to be proud of.
Reducing his noble sacrifice to nothing more than a bargaining chip was unbearable.
Unable to listen any longer, Ji-an quietly turned and walked toward the lobby.

***

The moment she stepped through the hotel’s main entrance, the icy winter wind wrapped around her entire body. She pulled the front of her coat tightly closed and hunched her shoulders against the cold.

Se-hyeon was standing a short distance away in the smoking area, chatting and smoking with his friends.

As she gazed at him, lost in thought—

“Oh my, Ji-an, you’re still here.”

Yoon-young’s voice rang out from behind her, as if nothing had happened. With a bright smile that reached her eyes, Yoon-young stepped in front of her.

For some reason, the vivid red lipstick she wore looked especially cheap and vulgar tonight.

“It’s time for me to leave now.”

Ji-an replied, forcing a small smile.

“Why are you standing out here? You’ll catch a cold!”

Se-hyeon had come up behind her unnoticed and was now gently adjusting her coat and wrapping a scarf around her neck.

The sharp scent of cigarettes mingled with Se-hyeon’s familiar fragrance, filling her lungs.

After tying the scarf, he gave her a faint, soft smile.

“All set. Let’s go now.”

“Let’s meet up again sometime.”

“Keep in touch.”

One by one, Se-hyeon’s friends said goodbye and left. Kyung-jin, who had stayed behind to see the others off, patted Se-hyeon on the shoulder before getting into his car.

The car carrying him and his wife quickly pulled away from the hotel entrance.

The once bustling area soon fell into quiet stillness.

At that moment, a sleek black sedan pulled up in front of them.

As the hotel staff opened the door, Se-hyeon wiped the expression from his face and turned to Ji-an.

As if he had been waiting for this moment, he released her hand, which he had held all night.

“…”

The chilly night breeze brushed against the spot where his hand had just been.

Feeling oddly empty, Ji-an quietly curled her fingers into a fist.

She stepped into the car first, followed by Se-hyeon, who took his seat beside her.

“I’ll take you home now.”

Chief Joo said, turning slightly towards Se-hyeon before starting the engine.

Se-hyeon gave no reply, simply leaning back against the headrest and closing his eyes.

Ji-an sat beside him, quietly watching.

From the moment everyone had left, he had reverted to his true self.

The sudden shift in his demeanour left a bitter taste in her mouth.

The atmosphere in the car always seemed to turn like this on the way home.

Even after three years, she still couldn’t understand why her heart felt so heavy whenever she saw this side of him.

Ji-an turned her head to gaze out of the window.

The brilliant night-time view of Seoul sparkled before her eyes, providing a cruel contrast to the torment churning inside her.

‘What kind of life am I even living?’

Unlike the glittering city lights, the barren winter landscape always made her feel cold inside.

Her mood always seemed to plummet at this time of year.

Part of the reason was that the anniversary of her father’s death was approaching.

With her younger sibling and grandmother having died not long ago, this anniversary felt even more significant.

“Why are you standing out here? You’ll catch a cold.”
The echo of Se-hyeon’s voice from earlier reverberated in her mind, accompanied by the memory of him gently wrapping the scarf around her neck.

The tender look in his eyes as he called her name gently flashed vividly before her.

Slowly, Ji-an raised a hand, her fingertips brushing lightly over the scarf.

Then, quietly, she untied the knot.

“Drop her off at home first, then head back to the office.”

Se-hyeon suddenly ordered.

“Yes, sir.”

Startled by his voice, Ji-an turned her head.

He was pressing his temple with one finger as though he had a headache.

“You’re not coming home again tonight?”

But, as always, he gave no response.

Three weeks had already passed since Se-hyeon had started avoiding her.

Tonight, they had shared the car only for appearances’ sake. The gazes of others had left him no choice.

Recently, Se-hyeon had been spending most nights sleeping in his office or in a hotel suite that he often stayed in.

It all began after that day —

— the day he started to suspect her meetings with Yang Jin-hee.

They had never been an especially affectionate couple, but he had never been so cold to her before.

No matter how many times she insisted it was a misunderstanding, Se-hyeon simply refused to believe her.

She had no idea how to untangle this mess anymore.

The closer they got to home, the more anxious she became.

“We’ve arrived.”

Just as she was about to speak again, the car pulled up outside her family home.

Chief Joo got out and opened the door for Ji-an.

“It really was a misunderstanding.”

Ji-an finally managed to speak. She had to resolve this before it was too late.

But even at her words, Se-hyeon kept his eyes closed, offering no response.

“Chief Joo, I’d like to speak with Se-hyeon for a moment. It won’t take long.”

Joo Tae-hoon nodded slightly in response to Ji-an’s request and quietly closed the door behind her.

Taking a breath, Ji-an repeated what she had told him many times before.

“Mother called me over for a brief meeting. We barely even spoke. She only gave me a few instructions—”

“Which weren’t significant. And you’re certainly not one of Yang Jin-hee’s people.”

Se-hyeon cut her off abruptly, opening his eyes and addressing her in a cold, flat voice.

Then, turning his head slowly, he fixed his piercing gaze directly on her.

“You’re getting desperate, aren’t you? We’re supposed to have a child, yet I keep staying away.”

His voice was sharp and laced with bitter sarcasm.

“Did Yang Jin-hee tell you? That tonight would be a good night to conceive?”

His words stabbed straight into her chest like a blade.

For a moment, Ji-an was at a complete loss for words.

She was speechless.

“Honestly, it’s too much. She doesn’t come from a proper family. President Woo practically saved her life by marrying her.”

“Talk about hitting the jackpot! Marrying President Woo? She traded her father’s life for that. Instant status upgrade.”

“For someone like her, it should have been nothing but a wild fantasy.”

The women’s voices from earlier echoed relentlessly in her ears.

As the de facto head of her household, she didn’t have much choice.

Despite receiving financial aid and working part-time until she was on the verge of collapse, it still wasn’t enough to cover her grandmother’s and younger sibling’s mounting medical expenses.

So, she accepted the offer from the man her father had saved — an offer that, truthfully, was her father’s life in exchange.

She knew better than anyone that the proposal was the price for her father’s sacrifice. But at the time, she was desperate for money.

“We’re connected by fate.”
“You needed me, and I needed you. It worked out for both of us.”

Just as Se-hyeon had said, she had convinced herself that it was somehow meant to be.

To others, she was merely a woman who took advantage of the accident to become Woo Se-hyeon’s wife.

Even now, her life was miserable. She didn’t want to reveal the real reason she had met Yang Jin-hee that day.

Struggling to untangle the jumble of thoughts in her mind, Ji-an forced herself to swallow the words she had longed to say.

“It’s… really not like that.”

All she could manage was a quiet denial.

His cold gaze bored into her, making her heart ache all the more.

“Of course you’d say that.”

Se-hyeon scoffed, letting out a bitter, mocking laugh.

“Even after three years, I still love her just as much.”

The man who had looked at her with such affection earlier had vanished.

Now, his eyes were filled with nothing but betrayal.

“I never imagined you’d do this behind my back, knowing full well what kind of relationship I have with Yang Jin-hee.”

“Se-hyeon…”

“Just get out. I’m tired.”

With those cold words, he ended the conversation, refusing to let her say anything more.

Before she had even had a chance to explain, it was over.

Seeing that he was obviously unwilling to listen to her, Ji-an had no choice but to open the door and get out of the car.

Chief Joo immediately got back into the driver’s seat, and the sedan pulled away swiftly, disappearing into the night.

Ji-an lowered her gaze and watched the car grow smaller and smaller in the distance.

“…”

In her hand was the scarf that she had intended to return to Woo Se-hyeon.

She had intended to return it to him, but couldn’t.

It no longer held even the slightest trace of his warmth.