episode_0002

“Indeed, the bed is the best.”

The double-sized bed I lay on for the first time in my life was truly deserving of being called the best. Despite my head feeling groggy from a deep sleep, my mind was clear and refreshed.

“Ah~ but the mess isn’t just in my head…”

Letting out a short yawn, I looked around the room and couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight.

Due to the body search that took place around midnight, the clothes I wore yesterday were scattered on the bed, and in an attempt to find a place to hide the passbook, I had opened all the drawers, resulting in a complete mess.

Furthermore, the search conducted in an excited state only brought about the unfortunate outcome of wasted time. However, perhaps discovering unexpected information about Ju Eun-hye was a gain?

“Discovered two dots near the left chest! No, this is also useless information.”

Thinking of pointless things, I stretched and found my smartphone placed near my head.

It was fortunate that Ju Eun-hye had set the lock to fingerprint recognition instead of a pattern. Even though I had gained access to her memories, I didn’t possess all of them, so there could be a difficult situation if something went wrong.

“7 o’clock.”

7 AM on a Saturday morning. Most people I knew would still be asleep at this time, but I usually took a bus from home to my part-time job in logistics, which took about two hours… huh?

“Wait, 7 o’clock? I’m late!!”

Panicking, I quickly got up with my smartphone in hand and rushed towards the door. If I hurriedly washed up and skipped breakfast, I might not be too late. Of course, today’s shift would be more tiring than usual, but I had to pay the rent until next week, so it was inevitable.

-Thud!

“Ouch… my butt… who is it, seriously! I’m in a hurry!”

At that moment, not looking ahead due to my urgency, I collided with someone passing by the door and fell over, clutching my buttocks.

“What’s with the commotion so early in the morning? Bumping into me out of nowhere.”

“Oh. It was you~ Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, did you sleep well too?”

Meeting again after about 6 hours, the man suddenly turned his head, his face turning red.

“Did you… not think to put on some clothes before coming out? What’s with that appearance?”

“Clothes? Oh…”

As I lowered my head, I noticed the apricot-colored underwear. I had fallen asleep in my underwear after the body search I had done in the early morning… but even in this state, I didn’t feel much embarrassment.

“We’re a married couple, so it shouldn’t matter, right?”

“It does matter!”

The man scowled and went into the bathroom, slamming the door shut with a thud.

“Why is he so angry? Anyway, I should get ready quickly… huh?”

Wait, do I really need to go to work?

Come to think of it, I am now in Ju Eun-hye’s body, so there’s no need for me to act like my old self…

And in the contract with the man, we agreed not to interfere in each other’s personal lives, so I can relax, right?!

That means…

“I am free!”

—

“There’s not much prepared, but eat a lot!”

After preparing a simple breakfast for the man who had finished showering, I looked in the fridge and found there was not much, so I made kimchi, fried eggs, bean sprouts, and seaweed.

“What are you doing?”

“Can’t you tell? It’s breakfast! Oh, do you not usually eat breakfast?”

“I don’t usually bother. If I’m hungry, I’ll buy a bread on the way.”

Certainly these days, I’ve heard that many people skip breakfast and eat too much for lunch instead. But isn’t it against etiquette to refuse a meal that has been prepared so diligently?

“Where are you going that you won’t even eat? Isn’t today your day off?”

“Ah…uh, the chairman has called me, so I have to go.”

“The chairman? Is it something urgent?”

“Well, there’s still plenty of time…”

Does this mean he doesn’t want to eat because the side dishes are lacking? This man is really too much!

“I went to the trouble of preparing this, and you’re not going to eat it? I even reheated some leftover rice in the fridge… If you don’t eat it, it will all go to waste…”

Seeing the tears in my eyes that I had never shed before, the man seemed a bit flustered and reluctantly nodded his head while scratching his head.

“Alright then, sit down quickly! We can’t be late.”

Grabbing the man’s arm tightly, I sat down at the table opposite him and started eating. It was a shame there was no soup, but I couldn’t prepare it in advance, so there was nothing I could do. I guess I’ll have to pay more attention to the menu for dinner tonight.

As I made such a futile imagination, I looked at the man and saw him quietly putting a fried egg on his rice with a dissatisfied expression. Was it really the side dishes that he was dissatisfied with?

“Doesn’t it suit your taste?”

Stopping his chopsticks at my words, the man quietly looked into my eyes. Hmm, looking at him like this, he’s definitely handsome. Looking closely, his body is quite muscular, and he’s tall, so it’s natural that he has a partner.

“No, this is fine.”

Turning his gaze away, the man resumed eating, finishing his meal in 10 minutes, then hurriedly drank some water and got up from his seat, starting to dash towards the entrance.

“What, did he say that just to be polite, but actually didn’t like it?”

Finishing my meal quickly and following him, I opened the door and shouted towards the man who was leaving.

“I’ll pay more attention to the meals from now on! I’m sorry!”

Yes, I have to show myself well to that person so I can live here~ Money is money, but how else can I find such a good house?

Moreover, if I have the ability to give 600 won a month, I can even block my source of funds when necessary, so there’s nothing good about making him dislike me.

If I get kicked out, it’s unreasonable for me to go back to the house where Joo Eun-hye used to live, and besides, Joo Eun-hye’s house isn’t such a good place either.

I have no intention of marrying that man, but since he says the same, I want to continue this mutually beneficial relationship.

“Then, shall we start with cleaning?”

Let’s see if I can earn some points by cleaning and cooking every day. I don’t have much to do and I have plenty of time~

Oh, but do I have to play the role of a housewife who is just a decoration?

‘Hmm… I don’t know!’

#

“It seems she got in safely. So you don’t have to worry so much.”

“Really? Phew… that’s a relief.”

After checking the text message sent to me, my daughter let out a sigh of relief. As we were about to go out to the terrace to have tea together, the figure of my husband, who was still searching the house to find Eun-hye, was reflected outside the window.

It was a loveless marriage, but still, I lived thinking of him as my husband… I am pathetic to have harbored such hope.

Suddenly, as I looked at my daughter, I saw her sighing as she looked at her father with a cold gaze.

“Mom, do you think Eun-hye will be okay?”

“I’m a little worried, but since she’s at that house, she should be fine.”

“Will she really be okay? That person and even the grandparents don’t seem like they’ll let it go quietly.”

“It’s okay. She’ll be fine for now…”

Words like this make me worry, to be honest.

I’m not sure if it’s okay for that child, who has been shrinking away all this time, to be alone with an adult man.

When I found that child who lost her mother in an accident, she had already closed the door to her heart. Minjeong, the daughter, was happy to have a sister, but she couldn’t easily approach the broken Eunhye, and her parents also avoided approaching Eunhye, who was a child born out of wedlock.

It’s all my fault. Six years ago, it was wrong to let him know about Eunhye’s existence behind his parents’ backs.

At that time, I was shocked to learn that my husband had done such a thing to her and that there was a child named Eunhye, but I couldn’t pay attention to the pitiful Eunhye who had lost her mother early on.

However, things started to get complicated from the moment I realized that my husband had brought Eunhye with impure intentions.

Moreover, I was afraid that the efforts I had made for six years to keep him away from Eunhye would hurt her…

“Minjeong, do you think she resents us?”

“Probably. From Eunhye’s perspective, we were nothing but bystanders.”

Although we treated Eunhye coldly in front of her, there was no other way. My parents despised Eunhye’s very existence and constantly threatened her, and the man called my husband lusted after the young one and looked at Eunhye with a lecherous gaze…

I wanted to protect that child confidently, but Minjeong and I were not enough. All I could do from my position was to secretly help from behind.

Still, I am grateful to those who extended a helping hand to our pitiful Eunhye.

“Hopefully, Eunhye can live there in peace…”

Thanks to my parents’ cooperation in wanting to drive Eunhye away, I was able to secretly send her away, but I still can’t relax. The cruel actions committed by those three people must not be repeated.

As I watched my husband, who was abusing the servants, I remembered my childhood, when I wore the friendship necklace I had exchanged with my best friend, and renewed my vow from the past.

“I couldn’t protect you, but I will definitely protect your daughter.”