#65.

Kim Eun-ju was preparing breakfast in the kitchen. Her movements were as usual, but the traces left all over her body brought back memories of last night, distracting her. Lee Han had already woken up early, given her a light kiss, and quietly left the house.

Kim Eun-ju glanced at the living room. She saw Jin-ho playing with his toys alone. She smiled as she watched her son for a moment, but soon focused on preparing breakfast again. However, the memories of last night were still lingering in her mind.

Kim Eun-ju unconsciously touched her neck. Moments of passion that continued endlessly in the bathtub, in the living room, in the bedroom… She couldn’t even remember how long it had been since she had such a passionate encounter.

,It must have been the first time since I dated Hyun-woo before Jin-woo was born…’

She sighed. The current Hyun-woo still loved her, but he didn’t embrace her as passionately as before. ‘He must be tired…’ Even as she thought that, a sense of disappointment crept up from a corner of her heart.

That disappointment soon turned into guilt. But at the same time, a strange thought flashed through her mind.

‘By being punished like this… it feels like our family is becoming happier.’

Kim Eun-ju was startled by this thought and shook her head. But the thought had already taken root in a corner of her heart.

The guilt caused by her delusional jealousy made her accept the relationship with Lee Han as a punishment, and it was now transforming into a distorted form of affection for her family. But Kim Eun-ju, without noticing this change, was still justifying her actions.

,Mom!’ Jin-woo’s voice brought Kim Eun-ju back to reality.

,Yes, my baby.’ She smiled and approached her son.

Kim Eun-ju picked up Jin-woo and thought. ‘This is all for our family. I just want to be a good mom, a good wife.’

She kissed Jin-woo on the forehead and finished preparing breakfast, starting to get ready for work.

—

Lee Han yawned as he headed to the management office. His whole body ached, probably because he overdid it last night. As he arrived in front of the office and stretched, Park Min-ah, who was waiting in front of the door, caught his eye.

Park Min-ah was nervously fiddling with the choker around her neck. Her fingers slowly moved along the edge of the choker. Her eyes sparkled as Lee Han approached.

,Manager-nim,’ Park Min-ah shouted happily and ran over.

She hugged Lee Han without hesitation and gave him a light kiss. Lee Han wrapped his arms around her waist and asked.

,Did you wait long?

,No, I just got here,’ Park Min-ah replied.

Lee Han glanced at his watch. It seemed like Park Min-ah was cutting it close to her work time. He playfully pinched her cheek and said.

,I thought Min-ah-ssi couldn’t lie?

Park Min-ah smiled bashfully and kissed Lee Han’s lips once more. Her hand went to her choker again, but this time she seemed to be touching it proudly.

,I’m off to work.’

She hurriedly started running. Lee Han chuckled at the sight.

He shook his head and opened the office door. As he stepped inside, Lee Han yawned once more.

—

The midday sun streamed through the windows of the management office. Lee Han sat at his desk, looking at Han Soo-jin with an uncomfortable expression. Han Soo-jin was sitting comfortably on the sofa, flipping through a magazine. Lee Han’s face was a mixture of annoyance and disbelief.

‘I can’t do my work as planned because of this woman.’ Lee Han muttered to himself. His fingers tapped lightly on the desk.

Han Soo-jin felt his gaze and looked up. She smiled at Lee Han with a twinkle in her eye. ,Is something not going well?’ There was a hint of mockery in her voice.

Lee Han waved his hand, gesturing for her to mind her own business. Then he looked at his watch and said. ,I think she’ll be here around this time.’

Before he could even finish speaking, the management office door opened. Jung Seo-yeon entered. She looked around the office, and when she saw Han Soo-jin sitting on the sofa, her expression hardened slightly and a look of wariness crossed her eyes.

Seeing this, Han Soo-jin immediately smiled and stood up. ,Hello. I’m Han Soo-jin, the head of the apartment’s women’s association.’ Her voice was soft and friendly.

Jung Seo-yeon seemed momentarily flustered, but soon returned a polite smile and greeted her. ,Hello, I’m Jung Seo-yeon.’ Her voice was calm.

Han Soo-jin carefully stood up and said to Lee Han. ,Then I’ll be going now.’ She gave Lee Han a meaningful look.

As she approached the door, Jung Seo-yeon stepped aside slightly, and she expressed her gratitude. In the process, Han Soo-jin naturally wrapped her arms around her stomach. Jung Seo-yeon watched the scene closely. A look of curiosity crossed her eyes.

As the door closed, Jung Seo-yeon turned to Lee Han. ,Why did you contact me again?’ There was a hint of wariness in her voice.

Lee Han licked his lips slightly and began to speak. There was a subtle anticipation in his eyes.

,Seo-yeon-ssi, can we talk a little more about what we discussed last time?

Jung Seo-yeon hesitated for a moment, but then sat down on the sofa and said.

,Isn’t it already over?.

Lee Han slowly got up from his seat and approached Jung Seo-yeon. A subtle smile appeared on his face.

,Actually, I found out something about Seo-yeon-ssi…

Lee Han slowly took out a few photos from a document envelope and placed them on the desk in front of Jung Seo-yeon. Jung Seo-yeon’s eyes went to the photos. A look of tension flashed across her face.

The first photo was of her with a foreign man. The second and third photos were similar. Jung Seo-yeon’s expression grew increasingly stiff.

The last photo was of her walking with Kim Tae-woo last night. Jung Seo-yeon gasped. Her eyes glared fiercely at Lee Han.

Lee Han sat down opposite Jung Seo-yeon without saying a word. A faint smile hung on his lips.

Jung Seo-yeon bit her lip. Her voice was resolute.

,What is this? This is an invasion of privacy.

Lee Han shrugged his shoulders.

,Kim Tae-woo-ssi, you’re a specialist in surgery at Seoul National University Hospital, right?

Jung Seo-yeon’s expression hardened even further. Her elegant expression instantly changed to a cold one.

Lee Han admired the sight inwardly.

‘She’s really an amazing woman.’

,What do you want?

Jung Seo-yeon’s voice was as cold as ice, but Lee Han still smiled as he replied.

,Well.

Jung Seo-yeon suddenly leaned back on the sofa.

She glared at Lee Han, bit her lip tightly, clicked her tongue, and said

,Tch, I got caught here.

A moment of silence passed. Jung Seo-yeon’s eyes changed. The panic and anger disappeared from her expression, replaced by calmness and calculation.

,Okay. Let’s negotiate.

Jung Seo-yeon said. Her voice was now businesslike.

Lee Han leaned back further in his chair. A light of victory flashed in his eyes.

,What kind of offer are you going to make?

Jung Seo-yeon slowly stood up. Her eyes were sharp.

,First, tell me exactly what you want.

A tense atmosphere filled the air between them. This was not a simple negotiation. It was a moment when the desires and schemes of the two collided.

Tension filled the air. Jung Seo-yeon’s fingers moved nervously on the desk, and Lee Han watched her with a relaxed expression.

Jung Seo-yeon asked with a sharp look.

,Is it money?

There was wariness in her voice.

Lee Han slowly shook his head. There was a playful look in his eyes. Jung Seo-yeon’s eyes narrowed. She paused for a moment to think, then opened her mouth again.

,Then… do you want my body?

Her voice was cold and resolute.

A smile spread across Lee Han’s lips. Reading the meaning in that smile, Jung Seo-yeon chuckled and uncrossed her legs. Her fingers tapped the photos on the desk.

,Is this all you have?

Jung Seo-yeon’s eyes scanned the photos.

,Of course not.’ Lee Han’s voice was soft, but the meaning hidden within was threatening.

Jung Seo-yeon bit her lip for a moment. Several thoughts flashed through her mind.

,How can I trust you?

,If we can’t trust each other, we can’t make a deal.

Jung Seo-yeon’s eyes sharpened at Lee Han’s answer. She tried to find the trap hidden in Lee Han’s words.

Silence flowed before Jung Seo-yeon opened her mouth. There was determination in her voice.

,Let’s set a deadline.

Interest flashed in Lee Han’s eyes. He seemed surprised by Jung Seo-yeon’s proposal, but at the same time, he felt anticipation.

Jung Seo-yeon continued to speak.

,I might as well turn everything upside down rather than being dragged around by you for the rest of my life.

There was a mixture of threat and resolve in her voice. Lee Han admired her confident attitude inwardly.

‘This woman is really not easy to deal with.’

He felt intrigued by Jung Seo-yeon’s boldness.

,Alright. Let’s think about it and discuss the proposal again tomorrow.

Lee Han suggested. There was a relaxed tone in his voice.

Jung Seo-yeon picked up all the photos and stood up. There was tension in her movements.

,Can I take these?

When Lee Han nodded, Jung Seo-yeon immediately began to tear the photos. The sound of the photos being torn echoed in the office. Her actions were filled with anger and determination. The torn pieces of photos fell into the trash can.

Watching Jung Seo-yeon’s back as she slammed the door shut and left, Lee Han leaned back deeply in his chair. A smile spread across his lips. The smile was a mixture of triumph and anticipation.

‘It’s going to be interesting.’

He slowly got up and walked to the window.

Outside, Jung Seo-yeon was walking away quickly. Her gait was filled with anger and anxiety. Lee Han watched her back and fell into thought.

‘I wonder what kind of proposal she’ll make… I’m looking forward to tomorrow.’

—

Jung Seo-yeon entered the house with unsteady steps. As soon as she closed the door, anger surged on her face.

,Lee Han, was it…’ she muttered.

Past memories came back vividly. The first time they encountered each other. When she brought her black friend, they ran into a male and female couple. She didn’t know it then, but she remembered being called to the management office the next day. Thinking about it, the person she met then was Lee Han.

The second time was when she was being carried in by Kim Tae-woo, pretending to be drunk. Lee Han approached and greeted her, and at that moment, Jung Seo-yeon had a bad feeling, but she just brushed it off.

,Judging by the way he acts, he’s done this more than once or twice.’

Jung Seo-yeon’s voice was filled with annoyance and anger. She also remembered seeing Lee Han with a woman the first time she saw him. She instinctively felt wary of Lee Han because he seemed similar to her.

,I’ve been caught by a viper.’

She sighed. She could intuitively sense that Lee Han was not just a simple manager, that he was drawing some kind of big picture. Jung Seo-yeon bitterly regretted that she had not been careful enough.

She threw herself onto the sofa. She clutched her head and tried to find a solution, but the deadline was too tight. In the end, she was overwhelmed with frustration at the fact that she had to sign a contract with him.

But she couldn’t just accept it like this. Jung Seo-yeon tried to think as hard as she could. Her eyes sharpened.

,I have to make this situation work to my advantage no matter what.’

She decided. She began to draw up various scenarios to make the contract terms as favorable to herself as possible.

Time passed. Jung Seo-yeon got up from the sofa and walked to the window. As she looked at the scenery outside, a plan slowly began to form in her mind.

,Lee Han… I know what you want. But I’m going to play this game from the most advantageous position possible.’

Determination settled in her eyes.

Jung Seo-yeon took out a notepad. She began to meticulously write down her demands and negotiation strategies. She carefully organized the time limit, the number of meetings, and, above all, the protection clauses for her privacy and her main job.

,I have to protect myself as much as possible like this.’

She muttered. There was no more anxiety on Jung Seo-yeon’s face. Instead, a cold and ruthless determination had taken its place.

As she prepared for her next meeting with Lee Han, she continued to ponder how to maintain her secrets while securing the most advantageous position possible. Her determination to turn this crisis into an opportunity shone in her eyes.