As if it were his own home, Jungwook hammered a nail into the center of the living room wall and hung the painting. The once bare white wall was now filled with spring. Just looking at it gave a feeling of warmth.

“Do you like it?”

“He does have good taste.”

“He said you’d like it – and he was right.”

“I do. Very much.”

“I’m glad.”

Only then did Soo-min start looking around Eunhyuk’s apartment.

It wasn’t part of a huge apartment complex, but it was a newly built unit in the 40-pyeong range, clean and well-kept.

Located on the 17th floor – the top floor – it had a wide, open view and two separate terraces that were impressive.

On the spacious terrace, there was a barbecue grill and some cherry-shaped string lights.

The atmosphere was lovely.

Perhaps because this was the apartment they would have lived in if they hadn’t divorced, it was clear that he had chosen it with Soo-min’s taste in mind.

Yeon-joo brought over a warm cup of tea and handed it to her.

“The terrace is really nice. If there were some soft lights and music playing, it would be perfect. You could even do a little home camping here.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“Let’s have a barbecue next time.”

“I’ll make an appointment.”

Yeon-joo looked around and then spoke carefully.

“By the way… it seems that Eunhyuk has no idea that your husband looks a lot like Junhwan?”

“There’s no way he could know that.”

“Well, yeah… you two had a pretty low-key relationship, didn’t you?”

“Yeah…”

It was because her uncle had always warned her that she wouldn’t get a single penny of her inheritance if there was a scandal.

They hadn’t gone so far as to hide the relationship completely, but they hadn’t made it obvious either. Only a few close friends knew they were together.

“Well, I understand that you had to be careful because of your uncle, but I still don’t understand why Junhwan Sunbae kept it secret as well.”

“I’m not sure… even I don’t really know.”

Five years later, she found out that Junhwan was an orphan.

“Come to think of it, Junhwan really did seem like someone with a lot of secrets. I was curious enough to ask some of the seniors in his department, and they said he never talked about his family.”

“H-he didn’t?”

“Isn’t that strange? Even among close classmates, people usually share basic things about themselves, right? But he was completely silent. Just goes to show… he was a bit of a mystery, too.”

“……”

A bitter smile spread over Soo-min’s lips.

“Well, I was his girlfriend and even I didn’t know – so how could his friends have known?”

“Ahh! You scared me!!”

Yeon-joo turned around and let out a startled gasp. Her heart dropped. Eunhyuk and Jungwook were standing behind her.

“……!!”

What just happened?

When did they reach the terrace?

To get there, they would have had to open the glass door – but she hadn’t heard anything.

Ah! Wait – the two separate terraces!

Could they be… connected?

She had no idea. She’d passed by the smaller terrace without giving it much thought, but it must have been connected to the larger one.

There was a half-smoked cigarette in Eunhyuk’s fingers.

“Noona… what were you two talking about? Who looks like who?”

“Uh, well…”

Soo-min hesitated and looked around nervously. It wasn’t something that needed to be kept a secret, but since there were already so many things she hadn’t told Eunhyuk, she couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

Yeon-joo clicked her tongue and then casually tossed the truth to Eunhyuk.

“Why are you hesitating? What if someone looks like someone else? Yes, your brother-in-law Soo-min’s husband looks like the guy she dated in college.”

“Is that…true?”

Soo-min nodded slightly.

“How much do they look alike for it to sound so serious?”

“Like twins.”

“Yeon-joo! That’s enough, stop.”

“Why are you so afraid of hiding it? It’s not like they’re the same person, right? So what do you all think about marrying someone who looks exactly like your ex, like a twin?”

“……”

Eunhyuk said nothing, the weight of silence pressing down on the room.

It was Jungwook who finally stepped in to ease the tension.

“Come on, Yeon-joo Noona. I don’t think it’s that strange. I really wondered how Noona could fall in love with someone so quickly – and now it makes sense. He looks just like her first love, right? They say that everyone has at least three doppelgangers in the world. Maybe he’s just one of them. Don’t you think?”

He gave Eunhyuk’s arm a light nudge, trying to keep things light.

“Wouldn’t it have been faster to just get back together with him after the divorce? You know, if he was still single.”

“Ah…”

A faint shiver ran down her skin. The words hit closer than she expected, brushing against something fragile inside her.

“If the guy was already married, she’d probably want to avoid anyone who looked like him. If it was a college relationship, they probably broke up because of an arranged marriage.”

“……”

Soo-min bit her lip quietly, unable to answer right away.

“If there’s something I should know, I want to know everything. Why did you marry a man who looks exactly like your ex?”

‘How did this conversation even end up here?’

Sweat ran down her back.

Right now, Eunhyuk was starting to question their marriage.

Her whole body was tense, her posture stiff, but Soo-min calmed her breathing.

“I was just… attracted to him.”

It was the honest truth.

Meanwhile, Yuhyeon had taken root in her heart more deeply than Junhwan ever had.

No matter how much she denied it, no matter how hard she tried to resist it, it felt like she had fallen in love with someone who looked just like him – something beyond her control.

“Let me ask you something. When you said you could never see him again… what exactly did you mean?”

“Because he’s dead.”

Eunhyuk’s eyes widened. Jungwook, also shocked, let out a hiccup.

“D-dead?”

“He died. In an accident… Is that enough?”

She had no idea how long it had taken her to finally say out loud that Junhwan was dead.

It felt like her heart was being torn in two, but in order to accept someone new, she knew she had to finally acknowledge Junhwan’s death.

She felt like she could cry at any moment.

It hurt so much.

‘Please… don’t make me think of him again, Eunhyuk. Stop doubting me. Even if you’re suspicious of my marriage… can’t you just pretend not to see it for now? Let me fall in love again…please.’

She wanted to beg him – to say it out loud – but the words remained stuck in her chest.

Perhaps sensing the storm building inside her, Jungwook suddenly grabbed Eunhyuk’s arm and pulled him away.

“Hey. Han Eunhyuk. That’s enough. Come talk to me for a second.”

He glared at him.

“What the hell is wrong with you? This is none of your business. It’s Noona’s life – who she’s loved, who she’s with now, that’s up to her. Not you. Man, you need someone to knock some sense into you. Do you think you’re her father or something?”

He turned to Soo-min and softened his voice.

“N-noona, we’re just going to get some air.”

Eunhyuk was reluctantly dragged away by Jungwook, but his face still held lingering doubt.

***

Yuhyeon had come to Madam Jung’s club.

“What brings you here? I didn’t expect to see you all the way out here.”

“Business going well?”

“As you can see, I’ve arranged several meetings again today. But more importantly – shouldn’t you be busy enjoying your sweet newlywed life on a weekend like this?”

Yuhyeon slumped down on the sofa.

“Byun Yedo was transferred to another hospital.”

“Really? Then… shouldn’t I prepare for that as well?”

“There is something more urgent.”

“What is it?”

“Vladimir.”

Madam Jung’s eyes widened in shock.

“Your adoptive father? Why?”

“They say an ally can become an enemy overnight… I just didn’t think I would be that person.”

“Then this is serious, isn’t it? It’s not just anyone, it’s Vladimir…”

“It won’t be easy. But I’m not the kind of person to sit back and let myself be taken down without a fight.”

“Are you sure about that? Going up against him is extremely dangerous…”

Yuhyeon pressed his lips together with the back of his hand.

It was true – Vladimir was a dangerous man, someone who preferred brute force to the law. But there was one thing Vladimir didn’t know.

The five years he had entrusted to Yuhyeon had not only been used to accumulate wealth.

Yuhyeon gritted her teeth.

“No matter what happens, I won’t stand by and watch someone threaten her.”

His eyes were sharp and determined.

***

Eunhyuk slapped Jungwook’s hand away.

“Let go.”

“Why are you so tense?”

“Because something doesn’t feel right.”

“Like what?”

“Ten billion won.”

“Ten billion? You mean the money that Noona borrowed? Didn’t she sign a loan agreement and everything?”

“Still… something’s wrong. The timing is too perfect.”

“What do you mean?”

“Her husband showed up in Korea just when she needed the money.”

A sharp glint flashed in Eunhyuk’s eyes.

“Come on, don’t turn this into some wild story. Whatever you think – people don’t just come back from the dead.”