Chapter 1
“Madam, have you been under a lot of stress lately? Your neck and back feel like solid rocks.”
“Really? I’m sorry. It must hurt your hands.”
“No, it’s fine. This is my job. I was just worried that you might be exhausted.”
This was a spa inside the hotel.
Yoon-seo had been coming here regularly for treatments.
Her husband, Jung Seung-woo, was the president of the hotel.
Anyone would envy her situation. She could use all the hotel facilities without a second thought, including the expensive spa, simply because she wished for it.
People probably thought that she, once merely a secretary, was now enjoying luxuries far beyond her due after marriage.
When Yoon-seo got married, the newspaper articles about her were all like that. From headlines calling her the “Modern Cinderella” to similar stories running one after another.
No one really knew what kind of life she was actually living.
Fortunately, Seung-woo had been on a business trip for the past few days, so Yoon-seo had enjoyed a taste of freedom.
Even if he had been home, he was always so busy that they barely spoke. But it was definitely different not having him around at all.
He said he’d be back tonight, so she had plenty of time.
Feeling relaxed after her massage, Yoon-seo went to the locker room in her gown.
After changing and picking up her phone, she was startled. She had more than ten missed calls.
Her body suddenly trembled. What had happened now? She quickly checked the caller ID and bit her lower lip.
It was her mother-in-law, Jung In-hye.
Yoon-seo released her bitten lip and let out a small sigh.
Stepping outside the hotel, she asked the waiting driver to stop the car briefly, got in, and called.
“Hey.”
The voice echoed in her ear, followed by a low sigh.
Yoon-seo could picture her mother-in-law’s expression. She had been sighing like that ever since the first time she saw Yoon-seo—an expression that silently said, I feel so awkward and troubled having you next to my wonderful son.
Since then, Yoon-seo had barely been able to speak properly in her presence.
“Mother, I’m sorry I missed your call.”
[Where are you?]
In-hye’s voice cut Yoon-seo off sharply.
If she mentioned she was at the hotel getting a massage, it would certainly lead to scolding. How dare she ignore her mother-in-law’s call while enjoying the hotel thanks to her amazing husband?
Her mother-in-law always compared her unfavorably to other daughters-in-law and said she was embarrassing to speak of.
“I’m in the car right now.”
It wasn’t a lie.
She hoped her mother-in-law would assume she was on her way somewhere for a reason.
[Ah, so you’re on your way.]
But In-hye spoke as if she already knew where Yoon-seo was going without asking, which slightly flustered her.
[What time is Seung-woo coming back?]
Only then did Yoon-seo realize what her mother-in-law thought—she assumed Yoon-seo was going to pick Seung-woo up at the airport.
Of course, Yoon-seo had no intention of doing so. And he didn’t want that either. The first time she had tried soon after their marriage, he had scolded her in a way that left her embarrassed, so she never went again.
“Well…”
Yoon-seo bit her lip again. He said he would get home around eight, but hadn’t told her his arrival time. There was no need for him to tell her, and she didn’t need to know.
[You don’t know, do you?]
A chill ran down her spine. It felt like being called to the blackboard in class and confronted with a problem she had no idea how to solve.
[Why are you like this? You should know these things in advance. How can you go to pick him up if you don’t even know? I just can’t with you two… Never mind, forget it.]
After hearing over five consecutive sighs, Yoon-seo felt suffocated.
[Contact me when you meet him at the airport.]
The call ended.
Her pleasant mood from the massage crumpled completely, as if thrown straight into the trash.
She closed her warm eyes for a moment and opened them again.
In this situation, she had no choice but to go pick him up. Just thinking about seeing her husband at the airport made her head spin. She could already guess how he would act.
Yoon-seo slowly rolled down the car window.
“Mr. Oh, driver.”
“Yes, are you done with your call?”
Driver Oh’s face was puffy, wearing a friendly smile. Yoon-seo knew it was the kind of smile he wore out of obligation as her chauffeur, yet she sometimes thought, Any woman married to a man like him must be happy.
“Yes, but I need to stop somewhere else. If you have to get off work…”
“No, that’s fine. Let’s go. Where to?”
Driver Oh quickly got into the car.
“The airport.”
“The airport?”
He looked at her in surprise.
“I’m sorry. My mother told me to take President Jung to the airport.”
“Oh, no, it’s fine. Let’s go, haha.”
Though she said it casually, he was visibly flustered at having to go somewhere unexpectedly far. He probably thought it would just be a quick errand.
“Excuse me, may I make a call?”
“Do it here.”
“No.”
“I said, just do it. I’ll wear the earphones.”
“No, you don’t need to. Excuse me.”
Driver Oh bowed awkwardly and started the car.
He connected his phone to the earphones and made a call.
“Hey, honey.”
He was calling his wife. Yoon-seo felt apologetic, understanding why.
“I’ll be late today. I have to drop off Madam. Eat first, okay?”
If Seung-woo were in Oh’s position, he would probably just say he’d be late, without explaining.
“Sorry. But don’t worry, I’m much more comfortable at work now than before. I love you.”
After hanging up, Driver Oh glanced at Yoon-seo.
“Sorry if that was awkward to hear.”
She felt oddly embarrassed even to receive such an apology.
“No, it’s fine. It was nice to hear. Seems like he really loves his wife.”
“Ha, just lip service.”
“You seem really considerate in real life too.”
“Well, men these days are all like that. Otherwise, they don’t get fed.”
Some aren’t like that, Yoon-seo thought, but kept it to herself, not wanting to feel smaller.
“Just take me to the airport. I’ll go with my husband’s car from there.”
She felt bad asking him to drive all the way home after overtime.
“Oh, I see. But I still need to go back to the office anyway.”
“You can leave it at your place. There’s parking, right?”
Her teasing tone made Driver Oh chuckle.
“It’s not that, but it’s a bit much to leave it at my place.”
“Then just leave it at the parking lot.”
Of course, she wanted to ride separately from her husband. But she couldn’t ride Driver Oh’s car either—it would be strange. Like at home, sharing space but keeping the air separate would do.
She hoped this moment would pass slowly. Yet the traffic was smooth, and they arrived at the airport much earlier than expected.
Only then did she realize she hadn’t called her husband yet.
She dialed quickly. The line went through.
[Yeah.]
Her mother said “hey,” he said “yeah.” Keeping answers to a single syllable must be genetic.
“Where are you?”
[On a business trip.]
A colorless, unreadable tone. She took a deep breath.
“I’m at the airport.”
His response was half a beat late.
[What?]
Then another question immediately followed.
[Why the airport?]
“Mother told me to.”
[Just ignore it. I’ll take care of the rest.]
Yoon-seo didn’t want him to take responsibility—she wanted him to understand.
But he still didn’t know her well.
“Call me after you meet him.”
His breath was rough. How long would he take to realize she was always in a subordinate position? Or would he never notice?
Her mother’s sighs were long; his were short and sharp.
[Where are you?]
This time, his voice had more emotion.
“At the airport.”
[Where exactly?]
“I just arrived and I’m in the car.”
“Get out. Go to the first floor.”
The call ended.
Yoon-seo looked at Driver Oh.
He, too, seemed to sense the tension and gave her a slightly nervous look.
“Then, as I said, you go ahead. I’ll enter.”
“Yes, see you tomorrow, Madam.”
Driver Oh got out, bowed politely, and let Yoon-seo enter the airport first. She nodded and stepped inside.
Inside, despite the spacious area, she felt an oppressive tightness, struggling to breathe.
She had no idea where he was. Should she call? As she searched her bag for her phone, a cool scent hit her nose.
Just as she grabbed her phone, someone firmly grabbed her wrist.
“What are you doing?”
A deep voice resonated near her ear.
Her heart sank as she looked up and saw the cold, imposing face before her.
The first thing she noticed was his sharp nose, then thick, dark eyebrows and intense eyes.
A face with strong features that stood out anywhere, giving more intimidation than charm.
“W-what are you—”
Seung-woo frowned in annoyance without answering.
Her heartbeat quickened again. It seemed today wouldn’t end peacefully.
