Soo-min gasped inwardly.

She hadn’t expected Yeon-joo to say something like that, so she turned around to check Yuhyeon’s expression.

Yuhyeon glanced at his watch and then looked over at Soo-min who was standing a short distance away.

“Ms. Soo-min, is she a friend of yours?”

“Ah… yes… yes.”

Before she could gather her scattered thoughts, she quickly stepped forward.

“She’s my closest friend. She’s in musicals…”

Yeon-joo suddenly held out her hand.

“I’m Park Yeon-joo. I knew she was married, but you looked so much like someone I know… I’m sorry if I was rude when we just met.”

“It’s okay. When Ms. Soo-min first saw me, she also mistook me for someone else.”

The two exchanged a quick handshake.

“But I didn’t know until today that the man you mentioned died in a fire.”

“Ah, he had an accident.”

“Is that so?”

Yuhyeon’s sharp gaze shot over to her.

Soo-min jumped.

If he ever found out that the man he resembled was her first love, it would surely upset him.

“You must be busy, so I’ll formally invite you another time. Yuhyeon, please go ahead and take care of your work.”

Soo-min grabbed Yeon-joo’s wrist – who was still studying Yuhyeon intently – and pulled her back into the cafe.

Her heart was pounding.

“W-Why… Why did you say that out there?”

“I was just testing him. To see how he’d react.”

“Wait, don’t tell me… you still think he’s like Junhwan?”

“Seeing him in person makes me believe it even more.”

Yeon-joo had a confused look on her face.

“But you said you went to the funeral yourself, didn’t you?”

“Yes. He’s not. It can’t be – of course not. But it still feels unsettling.”

“I was suspicious at first, like you. When not only the face but also the voice, the height and even the habits are the same, it’s hard not to think it’s the same person.”

It was Junhwan whose funeral they had held.

There was an abundance of evidence confirming his death.

“Besides, Junhwan couldn’t have suddenly become a billionaire and reappeared – as a Korean-Russian, no less.”

“It’s just a coincidence.”

She said it firmly, but her voice softened.

“But… haven’t you noticed any similarities while… you know, being with your husband?”

“Huh? W-What do you mean?”

“I mean s*x. Didn’t you two go on a honeymoon?”

“Ah… uh… well…”

Soo-min stammered. As her face turned bright red, Yeon-joo clicked her tongue.

“Don’t tell me… you two haven’t done it yet?”

“……”

“Unbelievable. Come on, the most obvious way to tell is in bed, right?”

“It just… didn’t work out.”

“Why? Because otherwise you’d feel guilty towards Junhwan?”

“I must sound ridiculous, right?”

Soo-min smiled awkwardly.

Yeon-joo tapped her lightly on the back of the hand.

“You’re so innocent… tsk tsk… I can guess without seeing. How did you stay married for five years?”

“Exactly. I should just close my eyes and get it over with.”

“Exactly. You’re going to be with him for the rest of your life anyway, so it’s better to face it now than to worry about it all the time. If it were me, I’d have to be sure he wasn’t Junhwan to get it out of my mind.”

“So in the end, this is the only way, right?”

“Obviously. There must be something that only you two would know, right?”

‘Yes, there is. The initials carved just below the pelvic bone. If I see that, I’ll know for sure that he’s not Junhwan.’

And yet, she couldn’t understand why it felt so difficult.

All she had to do was take one more step.

She’d already shown him everything during their intimate moments – even in the form of near-s*x – so what was holding her back?

Soo-min was frustrated with herself.

“Oh, that reminds me – Junhwan. Right! The reporter who first covered the fire, Jo Dong-sik, turned out to be my college senior. Did you know that?”

“W-What did you just say?”

Her head buzzed.

“I just found out recently, too. What was it…? I heard he even won a journalism award last year? They say he finally ended his ten-year streak as an unknown reporter and has been bragging about it ever since.”

“…….”

“Why? What’s wrong?”

“Could we, um, maybe meet?”

“Well, I said I’d meet anytime if a junior asked… I have a business card.”

Soo-min took Yeon-joo’s hand and looked at her seriously.

“Please set us up.”

“Okay, I’ll arrange a meeting.”

KTN reporter Jo Dong-sik. He was the first to report the fire incident and published several articles about it afterwards. While other newspapers also reported on the massive fire several times, KTN was the only outlet to publish the full name of the deceased.

Soo-min bit her nails anxiously.

‘If something seems suspicious, I have to confirm it with my own eyes—whether it’s a reporter, or his body… I must.’
Soo-min decided that this time she would not put off sleeping with Yuhyeon like before.

RRRRRR.

It was Chairman Go calling.

“Yes, it’s me.”

– “You’re back from your honeymoon, so you should stop by your parents’ house. Come with Beom soon.”

“I’ll make time.”

– “Let me tell you something. There are no second divorces in our family. So you have to make it work this time. The fate of the Jaewon Group rests on your shoulders.”

“I understand.”

A second divorce – she didn’t want that either.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned.

Today was one of those days.

The chief secretary began a brief report.

“Park Yeon-joo has been transferred from the fine arts department to the music and drama department. She recently returned to Korea after completing her studies in England. Our investigation shows that she auditioned for several agencies while she was studying abroad.”

“……”

“It seems that you’ve run into your old college classmate sooner than expected, sir. At this rate, the number of people who suspect you of being Ji Junhwan will only increase.”

Yuhyeon checked the message that had just arrived and let out a small chuckle.

[If you’re not too busy today, can you come home early? Let’s have a drink together tonight.]

Yuhyeon knew very well that the two of them were the closest of friends.

That’s why she had called Junhwan’s name – to test him.

Even though he had met her friend unexpectedly, he hadn’t been shaken.

Anything that stood in his way could simply be removed.

With the power he possessed.

“Keep her busy for now.”

“I’ll arrange for an agency to reach out.”

After the chief secretary left, Yuhyeon looked back at the message from earlier.

‘So today is finally D-day? Good. She must be curious about my body. She’ll want to check if the initials are there.’

Yuhyeon postponed an important meeting scheduled for that evening.

***

That night, the couple spent their first wedding night together since getting married.

From dinner, to a simple glass of wine, to the bedroom, Soo-min had only one thing on her mind – to see his body.

‘It’s okay. Don’t be nervous.’

“At this rate, when exactly are you going to undress me? We’ll be here till morning.”

He lowered his eyes and stared intently at Soo-min.

With a soft click, he began to unbutton his shirt, gradually revealing his firm, muscular chest.

Her heart pounded wildly, almost out of control.

When she completely removed his shirt, her eyes immediately fell on his stomach, where everything was now clearly exposed.

‘A little lower – I have to look there. If this man is really Junhwan, there must be a mark.’

Just as Soo-min started to unbuckle his belt with shaking hands…

Gasp!

Suddenly, he wrapped his tie around her right wrist.

The tie pulled up and in no time her wrist was firmly bound in Yuhyeon’s hand.

“I can’t show you for free.”

“…!”

Yuhyeon gently climbed on top of her.

Then, in one swift motion, he opened her robe on both sides.

The cold air made her *rect n*pples tremble slightly.

He slid his hand between her thighs and spread her legs wide.

“So today is finally the day I get to put it in here?”

“Wait a minute. You should take yours off as well.”

“I will. But first… let me taste you a little.”

He took her br*ast in his mouth, bit down gently and caught her n*pple between his teeth. Her back arched instinctively.

The strong suction made her feel as if her n*pple would tear from the pressure.

“Ah…”

Soo-min tried to gather her senses, but she found herself slowly melting under his touch.

The sound of him pulling off his pants brought her back to consciousness. She wanted to lower her gaze, but his grip on her wrist kept her in place.

“I’m aroused too. As are you.”

“Ah…”

The warmth of his skin touching hers for the first time was startling – almost burning. Their legs were tightly entwined, wrapped around each other.

She had no room to move. Her arms and legs were completely bound to him.

“Were you curious? Huh?”

“Ugh…”