CHAPTER 20………………………

“Huh?! What? You’re leaving already?”

Nayeon’s eyes widened in surprise.

“I have something scheduled. I just stopped by on my way.”

As Geonwoo answered shortly and turned to leave the lounge, Nayeon hurriedly grabbed his arm.

“Just thirty minutes! Really, only thirty.”

“No.”

“Please! My friends were freaking out because you were coming. You have to at least show your face.”

Nayeon tugged on his arm. Geonwoo let out a reluctant sigh, as if he couldn’t win against her, and followed.

Inside the lounge, Nayeon’s friends were gathered in small groups. The moment Geonwoo stepped in, a quiet murmur spread.

“Is that her brother?”

“He’s seriously handsome…”

Soft whispers floated through the air. Geonwoo didn’t pay attention to the stares, only bowing his head lightly in greeting.

That was when—

The door opened, and a woman hurried inside. She paused briefly to catch her breath, holding a neatly wrapped gift box.

Her long tied-back hair was slightly messy, and her cheeks were flushed red from running.

“Hey! Why are you so late!”

Nayeon called out happily as she ran toward her.

“Sorry. The line to pick up the gift was longer than I thought.”

The woman carefully set the gift down on the table.

And in that moment, Geonwoo’s gaze stopped.

Sunlight slipped in, brushing across her profile, and her smile bloomed brightly.

It was so natural that Geonwoo lost his words for a second.

“Oppa, this is my closest friend, Seo Hana.”

Nayeon introduced her, stepping closer.

“And this is my brother’s friend, Jung Geonwoo. He’s the CEO of Ilju Group.”

Hana turned her head to look at him.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

Her eyes were clear and composed. There wasn’t even the slightest trace of pretense or hidden intent.

“Hello.”

Hana greeted quietly, bowing her head. Even her short voice was distinct.

Geonwoo froze for a heartbeat, simply staring at her, until Nayeon’s voice snapped him back.

“Oppa?”

“…Yes. Hello.”

Only then did Geonwoo respond awkwardly.

Hana smiled and walked toward the other friends.

The way she laughed with them, chatted, cut the cake—every small movement strangely drew his attention.

Geonwoo stood there for a long time, watching her.

For some reason, he couldn’t look away.

Each time she smiled, each time her eyes shimmered slightly under the lights, something deep in his chest trembled.

Without realizing it, the faintest smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

It was an emotion he hadn’t felt in a long time.

Unfamiliar—so it felt even more vivid.

And then, a year later, as if by fate, he met her again.

“Get married.”

It was a single sentence from his grandfather, spoken in the name of keeping a promise to a dead friend.

A marriage alliance between Seoga Foods and Ilju Group—

A contract marriage dressed up as business.

Seoga Foods had no reason to refuse, so the preparations moved forward without a moment to breathe.

On the wedding day—

She, dressed in pure white, was more beautiful than ever.

But there was no emotion in her eyes.

Geonwoo knew that, and still, he held out his hand.

“I look forward to being with you.”

“…Yes.”

She lowered her head and answered briefly.

And just like that, the two became husband and wife.

Marriage was different from what Geonwoo had imagined.

Hana was a perfect wife.

She managed his schedule, kept the household in order, and was flawless at social gatherings.

But she never looked at him.

She never spoke with him.

She only fulfilled her duties.

Geonwoo tried.

He bought flowers she might like.

He suggested dinner together.

He asked her on weekend drives, invited her to movies.

“I’m sorry. I’m a little tired today.”

Hana’s answer was always a polite rejection.

Three months passed.

Then six.

Geonwoo’s efforts crashed into the same wall again and again.

She never stepped closer.

No—if anything, she seemed to drift even farther away.

One evening, as Geonwoo reviewed documents in the living room, a vibration buzzed nearby.

It was Hana’s phone on the table.

Hana glanced at the screen, and her expression shifted subtly.

Startled… almost shaken.

She quickly picked it up and disappeared into the bedroom.

“Is something wrong?”

Geonwoo asked, but she only shook her head and closed the door.

After that day, things changed.

Hana began to smile.

Whenever she looked at her phone, a faint smile spread across her lips.

Sometimes, she even let out a quiet laugh.

Geonwoo’s chest sank.

It was an expression she had never shown him in six months.

She was exchanging messages with someone, showing emotion like a living person.

A side of her he had never been allowed to see.

“You seem happier lately.”

“…Do I?”

Hana set the phone down and returned to her blank expression, as if switching something off.

In that instant, Geonwoo realized—

She did have emotions.

Laughter. Excitement. Warmth.

They just weren’t directed at him.

A few days later, when she stepped away briefly, her phone lit up on the table.

[Are you free tomorrow? I miss you.] — Yoo Taeo

Geonwoo felt as though his breath stopped.

His hand moved on its own.

He scrolled up.

Countless messages poured out.

Everyday conversation, checking in… and intimacy woven between the lines.

His fingers trembled.

Hana’s tone on the screen wasn’t the Hana he knew.

That night, Geonwoo couldn’t sleep.

Her laughter, the smile she wore while looking at her phone—it wouldn’t leave his mind.

And then, a few days later—

An anonymous message arrived on Geonwoo’s phone.

A single photo was attached.

A hotel lobby.

And inside it was Hana.

Beside her stood a man.

The two of them were walking side by side toward the elevator.

[Your wife is meeting another man.]

Geonwoo got into his car immediately.

His mind went blank.

He tried to think rationally, but something burned fiercely inside his chest.

There’s no way…

But the anxiety only grew.

When he arrived at the hotel lobby, the elevator doors opened.

Hana stepped out.

Her face was pale, her eyes rimmed red.

Her clothes were slightly disheveled, damp hair clinging to her cheeks.

Behind her, a man followed.

With a calm expression, he placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered something.

Hana flinched and shoved his hand away.

Head lowered, she hurried out.

The man watched her retreating figure with a smile that was impossible to read.

Then Geonwoo’s phone vibrated again.

Another photo.

This time, a hotel corridor.

The man’s arm was wrapped around Hana’s waist, and Hana’s hand rested against his chest.

Because it was taken from far away, it looked as though they were embracing.

[Need more proof?]

Geonwoo’s fingertips turned white as he stared at the screen.

The phone trembled in his grip.

Rage and confusion surged all at once.

And beneath the storm of emotion, one tiny question seeped in—

Who sent this…?

But it lasted only a moment.

Geonwoo was already drowning in the wave of feeling, unable to hold onto the thought.

When he returned home, Hana was already in the bedroom.

Geonwoo sat blankly in the living room.

Countless scenes flashed through his mind.

Her laughter.

Her messages.

Her eyes.

All of it… meant for another man.