Yeon-joo was startled.

“Yes.”

“Wait, is that even possible? How could an unburned ID card remain intact when the person’s body was destroyed in the fire?”

“The senior was suspicious of that as well. But the body was so badly damaged in the fire that identification by facial recognition was impossible.”

And there were no family members available for DNA testing, so the suspicion simply remained unresolved.”

“Still, the Senior, being a reporter, must have found it disturbing! Was there anything else strange?”

“No, nothing else.”

“I thought that meeting the Senior would give me clear answers, but now I just have more questions.”

Yeon-joo tilted her head in confusion. Soo-min was just as perplexed, but there was no way to verify anything further.

“It’s strange, but I think it’s time to accept that Junhwan is dead.”

“If Junhwan were alive, wouldn’t he have contacted someone else instead of me?”

“Probably. But something still feels wrong.”

“It must have been my selfish wish that he was the same person…”

“A love you can’t forget, even in death. You are as steadfast as ever…”

Soo-min smiled bitterly. Yeon-joo, feeling uncomfortable, sipped her drink without stopping.

“By the way, how did you and your ex-husband get labeled as a loving couple?”

“Loving couple.”

It was a phrase often thrown around by others. Since her remarriage, she’d heard it even more often, and it embarrassed her.

“The person involved must have spread it around. Men who cheat often act overly affectionate toward their wives in front of others, don’t they?”

Even though he was unfaithful, Yedo’s actions of cloaking his relationship with his wife in the guise of true love created such misconceptions.

“Anyway, men who cheat should all have it cut off. Snip.”

Yeon-joo held up her fingers like scissors.

“Pfft. That’s scary. The man who marries you will really have to be prepared.”

“Of course! I can’t stand anything soft or spineless.”

They burst out laughing.

“Oh, right. Yeon-joo, are you free this Saturday?”

“I think I’ll be free. Why?”

“Then how about coming to Eunhyuk’s housewarming party? It’ll be a family gathering and I thought Jungwook might feel uncomfortable being the only guest there.”

“Oh, Jungwook, that kid? Has he grown a lot?”

“He’s grown so much it’s almost scary.”

“Okay, I can’t miss this! I’ll take the chance to have a closer look at your husband.”

It had been almost seven years since everyone, including Jungwook, had gathered in the same place. Just the thought made her smile with excitement.

As they say, girl talk makes time fly. After a long conversation, Soo-min realized that she was five minutes late for her appointment.

She rushed to the parking lot. Would Yuhyeon give her a “punishment” for being only one minute late? The thought made her heart race – maybe he’d greet her with a storm of kisses.

Spotting the familiar car, she opened the back door.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“I just came down.”

“Are you hungry? Shall we go home for dinner?”

Looking at the clock, it was already 8 p.m.

“Let’s eat out.”

“Oh…”

“I’ve made reservations at a nice restaurant.”

“O-Okay.”

Given the tight schedule, a quick dinner out seemed like the best option.

The car went straight to the restaurant he had reserved.

Soon a building with a charming atmosphere appeared not far away. After parking, they entered the building. People’s eyes turned to them.

“Wow, look at that guy. Is he a movie star? He’s so handsome!”

“My goodness, he’s glowing. I’ve never seen anyone like him before. I envy the woman next to him.”

A man who attracted attention wherever he went.

‘This man is mine.’

Her shoulders straightened instinctively. Fighting the urge to smile like a fool, she forced her lips back down.

As soon as they sat down, the food Yuhyeon had ordered began to arrive one by one.

“I took the liberty of ordering things you might like.”

“I’m not picky, I’ll eat anything.”

Her eyes widened at the mountain of food on the table. There were so many options, she didn’t even know where to start.

“Let’s eat.”

“Is anyone else joining us?”

“No.”

“But this looks like enough food for four or five people.”

“The plates are just big – it’s not as much as it looks.”

“It looks delicious.”

Apparently hungry, he started to eat, and Soo-min started with the appetizers as well. While she was eating, she sneaked a glance at him.

‘He eats well. I guess he prefers Western food than Korean. Who knew he had such an appetite?’

Watching him eat made her feel happy – what could she call that feeling?

“By the way, I also invited Yeon-joo to Eunhyuk’s housewarming. Is that okay?”

“……!”

Yuhyeon’s hand froze for a moment.

“I felt bad that I couldn’t invite her to the wedding, so it was on my mind. If Yeon-joo makes you uncomfortable…”

“No.”

Yuhyeon rejected the idea immediately.

“Whew, that’s a relief.”

“We can’t afford a mistake.”

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, our performance can’t be exposed. We have to perform flawlessly as a loving couple.”

“Oh, yes. Of course.”

Since theirs was a marriage rooted in love, they had to make it look especially genuine in front of those closest to them.

“I’ll take care of the housewarming gift.”

“If it’s okay, can I come too?”

“Sure, let’s go after dinner. It’s better to go when there aren’t many people around.”

Were they going to a department store?

She sped up her eating pace a bit. Trying to keep up with Yuhyeon’s pace – given his hearty appetite – was risky as she might end up with a stomach ache.

Still, his pace was unusually fast today.

Still, it was nice to share an intimate meal, just the two of them. She couldn’t help but smile and feel a flutter of excitement, even though she was afraid to show her feelings too obviously.

After they finished eating, they got into the car and drove to their next destination.

She expected to arrive at a department store, but was startled when they stopped in front of a large building instead.

It was the Seoul Arts Center.

‘Are we here to buy paintings? But wouldn’t this place be ridiculously expensive…?’

Yuhyeon entered the exhibition hall as if it was completely familiar to him.

“I’m not sure if there’s a painting that matches your brother-in-law’s style.”

“They seem to be high quality works.”

“Art is one of the best investments.”

As they walked in, she couldn’t help but gasp. She didn’t have an eye for paintings, but the oil-painted canvases looked like works from long ago.

She remembered that her former in-laws had some paintings in this style, and they stuck in her mind.

“Ah…”

“It’s beautiful.”

“It… feels alive.”

The artwork Yuhyeon was looking at was a landscape painting. Flowers, trees, mountains, a lake, and moonlight blended together to create a dreamy atmosphere.

The painting was so vivid that the calm flow of the lake made it seem as if they were standing right there.

Each piece of art completely captured Soo-min’s attention.

“This one seems perfect. What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Then let’s go with this one.”

Soo-min nodded in agreement. While Yuhyeon settled the payment, Soo-min looked at the painting again and admired it.

‘Amazing. It feels like I’m being drawn into it.’

She hadn’t realized before – how someone like her, unfamiliar with art, could be so deeply drawn to a piece.

‘It felt like I was discovering something new. A side of myself that I didn’t even know…’

Soo-min’s heart raced as she admired the brightly blooming wildflowers in the painting.

***

When they returned home, Ivan greeted the couple with an ice cream in hand.

“You two went out for dinner alone while leaving the guest behind?”

Ivan patted his stomach.

“I ate a lot. Even without the landlords, I was treated like one. Hi, sister-in-law.”

“Sorry about that. Let’s eat together next time.”

“I don’t really like eating out. I prefer home cooking. But, brother, at least have a drink with me.” “Sure.”

“I’ll make some snacks. You’ll have wine, right?”

As Soo-min took off her coat and prepared to go into the kitchen, Yuhyeon grabbed her hand.

“I didn’t marry you to set up a drinking table. I can make snacks myself, so rest.”

“But…”

“You’re tired, aren’t you? If there’s nothing else to do, just relax and watch some TV.”

“If that’s okay…”

“Let’s have a drink some other time, sister-in-law. Tonight, I have too much to discuss with my brother. I hope you understand.”

With a gentle nudge from Ivan, Soo-min had no choice but to go upstairs. It had only been a few days since they started living together, but Ivan didn’t feel like a typical younger brother-in-law – he was surprisingly easy to be around.

‘Living under the same roof like this… will it finally help me untangle the questions I have about Yuhyeon?’

She wanted to know – really know – Beom Yuhyeon. She wanted to understand the life he had lived, the path that had shaped him.

Vladimir had children of his own. So why adopt him?

Was she just driven by curiosity? Or was she still clinging to the possibility that Yuhyeon might actually be Junhwan?

She would probably spend the rest of her life comparing Junhwan to others.

Soo-min shook her head.