ANMELDENWhen the call ended, Seoyun slipped her phone into her bag.Jaeheon's gaze followed her fingers."Is Lee Jungwoo coming to pick you up?"Seoyun didn't answer. She headed for the front door."Not tonight."Jaeheon stepped into her path.Only then did she look up at him."What isn't happening tonight?""You're not seeing that bastard.""And who are you to decide that?"Just then, relatives began spilling out of the living room after dinner. The household staff handed out coats while chauffeurs brought cars around one after another outside."Jaeheon, we're leaving."His uncle patted him on the shoulder.Jaeheon barely nodded.His eyes never left Seoyun.The older man glanced between them, but his wife quickly caught his arm and pulled him away."Let's go. Don't get involved in a married couple's fight."Once they were out of earshot, Jaeheon spoke again."Don't see Lee Jungwoo."Seoyun let out a humorless laugh."Get Cha Yuri out of this house first.""That's different.""Only to you."Sh
Dinner wasn't even over when Seoyun left the table.Behind her, laughter and the clinking of glasses continued as though nothing had happened. The staff cleared empty plates and wine bottles, while relatives gathered around Kang Taejun in the living room, talking loudly as he opened his gifts.Seoyun turned her back on the noise and headed for the entrance.The sharp click of dress shoes followed her across the marble floor."Han Seoyun."Jaeheon.She kept walking."Where are you going?""Home.""This is your home."Only then did Seoyun turn around."Really?"A faint, humorless smile touched her lips."That's news to me."Jaeheon's face hardened.The name card that had been placed at the far end of the dinner table seemed to flash between them."That was my mother's doing.""In your house."Jaeheon had no answer.Outside, chauffeurs were busy bringing cars around for departing guests. Cool night air swept through the open doors, lifting the hem of Seoyun's black dress.She turned to le
The laughter around the table vanished in an instant.Only moments ago, champagne glasses had been clinking beneath the chandeliers as relatives traded birthday wishes across the table.Now no one seemed willing to make a sound.Park Junghee's gaze remained pointedly fixed on Seoyun's stomach."You've been married for more than three years. Other couples would have two children by now."Someone cleared their throat awkwardly.Another relative quietly lowered their champagne glass and looked away.It was Kang Taejun's birthday dinner, but Park Junghee didn't seem to care how many people were listening."I was patient at first. Everyone said young couples should have time to enjoy being newlyweds. But three years? That's a different story."Seoyun silently lifted her water glass."Mother."Jaeheon's voice dropped."That's enough.""You stay out of this."Park Junghee cut him off without hesitation."Did I ask her to produce a child out of thin air? Am I not even allowed to tell my daught
Saturday evening.The Kang mansion was far more lavish than usual for Chairman Kang Taejun's birthday celebration.Black sedans lined the driveway, while enormous flower arrangements and gift boxes arrived one after another. Beneath glittering chandeliers, formally dressed relatives mingled with Kangseong Group executives, champagne glasses clinking amid polite laughter.At one end of the living room stood a floral arrangement nearly as tall as a person, with an enormous birthday cake displayed beside it.When Seoyun descended the stairs, several heads turned.Her black dress hugged her slender waist before falling in a sleek line to the floor. There were no extravagant jewels or decorations, yet the clean curve of her bare shoulders and the elegant line of her neck drew more attention than anything glittering around her.Jaeheon noticed her too.His hand stilled around his champagne glass.His gaze moved slowly over her, tracing the line of her neck before lingering at the narrow curv
Friday afternoon.With Chairman Kang Taejun's birthday only a day away, the mansion had been bustling since morning.Gift boxes arrived one after another at the entrance while the staff hurried back and forth carrying flower baskets and cases of wine. Silverware and glasses clinked in the living room, while the sounds of sizzling oil and chopping knives spilled from the kitchen.The air was thick with the scent of expensive flowers, wine, cooking oil, and simmering meat. Every corner of the mansion seemed to be preparing for the same celebration.The moment Seoyun walked in, Park Junghee handed her an apron as though she'd been waiting for her."Good. You're here. Change and come downstairs. We have more dishes to prepare than I can count."The kitchen counters were crowded with ribs, ingredients for jeon, and vegetables for japchae."You expect me to make all of this?"Park Junghee scoffed."If you can't even earn your keep on a day like this, what good are you after marrying into thi
"I'm not going to ask where you were or what you were doing all night."Park Junghee looked Seoyun up and down.The old family albums were still spread across the living room table. Photographs of Jaeheon and Yuri lay between half-empty teacups, their younger faces smiling beneath the morning sunlight.Seoyun stood alone on the other side of the table."But if you've married into this family, you need to earn your keep. Did you think being the daughter-in-law of this family came for free?"Seoyun's gaze turned cold.Park Junghee jerked her chin toward the sofa across from her."Sit.""I'll listen standing.""Fine. I suppose a brilliant doctor like you is too busy to sit down."Park Junghee's lips twisted."The Chairman's birthday is this Saturday. All the relatives will be here, so come home Friday and help prepare.""Me?""Who else? Me?"Park Junghee scoffed."I finally get a daughter-in-law, and somehow I'm still expected to do the daughter-in-law's work myself."Yuri quickly stepped







