“Seo Ah, wait for me for a moment. I just need to make a call. I’ll explain everything.”

Ha Joon lightly kissed Seo Ah’s forehead as he got up and left the room.

Seo Ah watched his retreating figure, her eyes flickering slightly.

[Star Icon]

Ha Joon immediately went to his study and checked the message from Seok-hoon.

[The item that Choi Young-ju stored this morning was retrieved by a young man who attends the same school as madam. Here are the text messages between the student and Choi Young-ju.]

Ha Joon’s eyes shook violently as he saw the following picture.

[I’ll put a down payment of one million won in the locker at Daehwa Station. If you get a few affectionate pictures with Han Seo Ah, that’s three hundred thousand, five hundred thousand if you manage to get her out for drinks in the evening. The amount increases with the intimacy. A million for a hotel.] [But she’s a married woman, wouldn’t that make me a bad guy?] “Having a drink with a friend is no big deal. In this world, friends even have one-night stands after drinking. And your face will hardly be in the photos. Even if another reporter takes them, they’ll mosaic you out because you’re a civilian. If something happens, I’ll compensate you generously.”

“But Han Seo Ah is always picked up by her bodyguard…”

“Why do you think I chose you? I know you’re in the same project group as her. It’ll be easy to call her out under the pretext of the project, right?”

“But she’s from Taesung Group…”

“Imagine if you were seen entering a hotel with Han Seo Ah. Then Taesung will come to you to make a deal. Ask you not to tell anyone, and then you can earn even more money, right? They won’t be able to do anything to you. By that point, there will be too much attention on the situation.”

“But how can I trust you?”

“Is one million won as a down payment not enough? You’re earning a million won for doing nothing, and I’ll keep adding more as you proceed. Even if you fail, I won’t harm you. I know she’s a tough opponent.”

“If you know that, one million won won’t be enough. And wouldn’t it be easier for you, who know me, to find me? I’ll take her to a hotel for sure, so put twenty million won in. If I can’t do it, I’ll return it myself, but if I succeed, you come to find me.”

“I like how smart you are. Let’s do it that way. But if I have to come looking for you, be prepared.”

“Make sure you provide a generous additional compensation if something happens.”

“Sure. By the way, Han Seo Ah is weak against beer and soju mixed together. She’ll pass out after just one drink.”

Ha Joon’s hand, clutching the phone, trembled violently.

He had suspected it but sincerely hoped it wasn’t true, desperately wishing he was just being oversensitive. Now, he was at a loss for how to tell Seo Ah.

He wanted to confront Choi Young-ju right away and deal with her harshly, but talking to Seo Ah was the priority.

He hoped that Young-ju’s past actions weren’t intentional, that she wasn’t deliberately targeting Yu Young Group, and that she was just forced to do it by the broker.

[Star Icon]

Regaining his composure, Ha Joon returned to the room and immediately embraced Seo Ah, who was sitting on the bed.

Startled by his sudden action, Seo Ah’s eyes wavered.

“Oppa, what’s wrong?”

“…….”

Without responding, Ha Joon hugged her even tighter.

After holding her for a while, Ha Joon let out a deep sigh and pulled away.

“It’s hard to believe after how I’ve been acting, but those pictures are fake.”

Seo Ah’s eyes widened, and her heart started pounding wildly. She had suspected this, but hearing it directly from him felt like a heavy weight lifting off her chest.

“Someone was trying to make you hate me, to prevent our marriage.”

This wasn’t surprising to Seo Ah, as she had considered the possibility of the photos being fake.

But then, Ha Joon continued with an unexpected remark.
“And, I’ve liked you since I was thirteen years old when I heard about the arranged marriage from my father. My feelings for you haven’t changed for a single moment since then. I’ve never met another woman, and I certainly haven’t hung out with women at bars.”

Seo Ah’s large eyes trembled violently. She could accept that he hadn’t met other women, but to think he had liked her since he was thirteen. It seemed impossible when she remembered how he was back then…

“If I had expressed my feelings for you, it wouldn’t have stopped at just those photos. That’s why I had to pretend I didn’t like you. To protect you. To ensure we could marry without issue.”

Tears quickly filled Seo Ah’s eyes, overwhelming her, and spilled down her cheeks.

“It can’t be…”

She had known he liked her, but she thought it started after he returned from studying in France, and that was why they rushed the marriage.

Her lips trembled as she tried to suppress the surge of emotions.

Ha Joon then hugged her tightly.

“I was planning to tell you everything after I found out who the enemy was. I feared you would be scared, regret the marriage, or hold any bad feelings.”

Startled, Seo Ah pulled away.

“Sob, what are you saying? Did you know? That I received those photos?”

“…….”

“Or were you also being monitored? Could it be… you also received my photos?”

“Yes, I received them. But I didn’t believe them. You wouldn’t do that.”

Seo Ah went back into his arms, crying endlessly. She had doubted Ha Joon, but he had trusted her.

Ha Joon then patted her back.

“I know you had to believe it because of my actions. It’s my fault for not thinking that you could have received similar photos.”

“Sob…….”

“You can resent me. Hate me. It’s okay to pay me back for all the harsh things I’ve done to you. But…”

Ha Joon hugged her even tighter, pouring his earnest feelings into his words.

“Do it by my side. Don’t go anywhere, stay by my side. I’ll spend my life making it up to you.”