‘He is so handsome. It’s almost unfair when a man is prettier than a woman.’

As she studied his face, he began to look more and more like Junhwan. Looking closer, she noticed a small mole at the edge of his forehead.

‘Junhwan didn’t have a birthmark on his forehead, did he?’

The Junhwan she remembered had a perfectly smooth, flawless forehead.

‘I want to touch it.’

Soo-min’s heart began to race.

What should she call that feeling – the urge to gently stroke and caress the sleeping man’s face?

‘Do I like him because he looks like Junhwan? Or… do I just like Beom Yuhyeon, the man himself?’

She was confused. It was her own heart, but it felt strange.

Still, one thing was clear – she liked him. And not just as an act – she really wanted to be his wife.

Not just a s*x partner.

A bitter smile tugged at Soo-min’s lips.

As she studied his face, perhaps sensing something unusual, he slowly stirred from his deep sleep.

When their eyes met, her heart pounded wildly.

“Good morning.”

“……”

When he suddenly pulled her close, her heartbeat quickened. They were so close now that their noses almost touched.

‘Why… why? This had never happened before.’

Their lips… came closer.

It felt like a dream – his lips approaching hers in slow motion. When they finally brushed against hers, a wave of heat swept over her entire face. She could feel her heart pounding in her ears.

“A kiss is a way of saying good morning.”

“Ah…”

His lips parted from hers for only a moment before pressing against her again. This time, his tongue trailed along her lips, then slipped inside. A rush of adrenaline coursed through her entire body.

There was no hiding the pleasure – her lips parted willingly.

Their tongues intertwined in a deep kiss, unlike the ones they shared before s*x.

It was so tender.

Her whole body went weak and she found herself wanting to be even closer to him. As if sensing this, his hand around her back held her a little tighter.

Like any newlywed couple, they shared a heated kiss from early in the morning.

As a thin silver cord connected their lips, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Before the morning kiss could turn into morning s*x, she quickly sat up.

“I’m going to take a shower first.”

Soo-min hurried out of the room.

Only after she closed the bathroom door did her racing heart finally calm down.

She slowly brought her fingers to her lips.

‘I like him… Is it really okay to feel this way?’

Her feelings for Yuhyeon had crept in so naturally that she hadn’t even noticed how far they had come.

***

After a late breakfast, they left the house together.

Before they went to Eunhyuk’s house, they had to pick up Yeon-joo on the way, so Soo-min followed Yuhyeon.

“I’ll make sure we get there on time. The painting is already in the car, so please give it to my brother-in-law first.”

‘Isn’t he the one bringing it?’

“Where’s the car?”

“Over there.”

As he pressed the remote, a beep sounded and the engine started from behind the garage.

There were several cars in the spacious garage, but next to Ivan’s red Ferrari was a brand new car.

“Isn’t that your car?”

“This car is for you, Soo-min. I had it picked out for you.”

“M-my car?”

“The guard will drive it.”

“A-a guard too…?”

The guard took the keys from Yuhyeon and got into the driver’s seat.

“There may be pesky paparazzi following you, so you must be accompanied by a guard at all times.”

“Oh, right – you’re a celebrity. I keep forgetting.”

“It’s a specially built vehicle. It’s safe-even bullets can’t get through it.”

“Wait… b-bullets?!”

“Don’t be afraid. No one would dare shoot my wife.”

“R-right… Especially in Korea, guns are…”

“Still, be careful. More dangerous than bullets is the sharp tongue of the media.”

Yuhyeon gently brushed her hair aside. Once again, heat rushed to her face.

He was so kind – too kind – that she felt guilty for seeing Junhwan in him all the time.

“Yeah, don’t worry.”

“I’ll see you tonight.”

Soo-min gave him a small wave. As soon as Yuhyeon got into the car, she followed and got into hers as well.

It was a brand new car, but there was no trace of that typical new car smell – maybe it had been removed completely.

Instead, a faint hint of Yuhyeon’s cologne lingered in the air. A smile formed on her lips.

*** Once the car was far away from the house, the chief secretary gave Yuhyeon a report on Vladimir’s current situation.

“It is true that the chairman has intervened. The nephew of Madam’s former mother-in-law works in the Blue House. He used that connection to get him transferred to another hospital.”

Yuhyeon’s brow furrowed.

“How long will the effects of the medicine last?”

“Three days at the earliest – he’ll regain consciousness within a week at the most.”

“Three days, huh…”

“Another bribe would be too risky. It seems they’re starting to get suspicious.”

“Then we’ll just leave it alone.”

“Are you sure that’s wise? If Byeon Yedo wakes up, the truth about the incident might come out.”

“He can’t accuse anyone without evidence.”

“That’s true, but… framing Mr. Eunhyuk for the incident…”

Despite the chief secretary’s concern, Yuhyeon remained unperturbed.

“He doesn’t know anything – who I was dealing with or what the real story is. And even if he did, he couldn’t report it to the police. He was definitely involved in the illegal drug trade, so Beon Yedo will have to take responsibility.”

“Good thing you made sure you had insurance.”

Yuhyeon had prepared for any unforeseen circumstances. No matter what the plan was, having a plan B was essential for safety.

Still… it’s going to be hard to keep deceiving Soo-min. It looks like things are going according to the Chairman’s plan. So is this the moment when the real revenge begins?

But… somehow it doesn’t feel right.

***

On the way to Eunhyuk’s house, they pick up Yeon-joo.

“Wow, this is a bulletproof car, right? Your husband must really take care of you.”

“Yeah.”

“He’s such a romantic. A total love bug. I guess that’s why you married him.”

“I guess so.”

“He even assigned you a guard.”

Yeon-joo looked at the man in the front seat.

“Because of the paparazzi.”

“The media is always watching your husband, so they’ll be watching you. Still, no harm in being careful. Since we set the date, let’s make it count. You really get to know someone over drinks.”

“Yuhyeon better be ready.”

The two women laughed.

The car drove directly to Eunhyuk’s house.

Arriving early, Jungwook was there to greet them.

“Noona, it’s been a while!”

“You’ve been doing well, right?”

“That’s not fair, Noona. How could you not even send me a wedding invitation?”

Jungwook spoke with a touch of hurt.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think a second marriage was something to brag about…”

“What is wrong with a second marriage? If my sister wants to find new happiness, this little brother should at least throw her some flowers.”

“Thanks for the congratulations. And hey, we had to meet like this today instead.”

“I couldn’t sleep all night. Beom Yuhyeon… wow… I’m nervous. Really nervous. They say he’s Vladimir’s adopted son – is that true?”

“Well…”

After Vladimir attended the wedding, rumors had spread that Beom Yuhyeon was his adopted son, but she hesitated, unable to answer right away.

“Noona, don’t you trust me? You know I’m not the type to reveal secrets.”

“I know. Of course I do. Yeah… it’s true.”

She trusted Jungwook like family.

“No way. This is huge. Seriously. How did a Korean get adopted by someone so powerful?”

“I don’t really know either. It’s a sensitive subject, so I didn’t dare ask.”

“What’s the big deal? Everyone has their own story! Hahaha.”

Jungwook laughed heartily.

Soo-min left Yeon-joo to explore the house with Jungwook and went to the kitchen. Eunhyuk was preparing vegetables. Judging by the ingredients on the table, it was clearly too much for one person.

“You hired someone.”

“Well, cooking should be left to chefs. I hired a hotel chef.”

“Good decision.”

Soo-min grabbed Eunhyuk’s collar and asked him to step out into the living room for a moment.

“What is this?”

“A gift – from him.”

Soo-min handed Eunhyuk the painting wrapped in white paper. Just then, Jungwook came running over after finishing his tour of the house.

“Oh! I wanted to see what kind of gift Beom Yuhyeon would give you. Come on, come on, open it!”

“…!”

As Eunhyuk unwrapped the package, his eyes widened in surprise. A sound of admiration escaped Jungwook’s lips.

They didn’t know the exact value of the artwork, but since it was said to be a valuable investment piece, it probably cost hundreds of millions of won.

“Wow!!! This is by that artist?! What a statement piece – talk about the next level. He really is the son of a big shot. Hahaha, impressive! I noticed the walls felt a little empty as I looked around, but this is perfect. I’ll hang it myself.”