Chapter 5. RESTART
After returning home, Doseok burst into laughter.
“Ha… seriously. What am I supposed to do about my charm?”
It had already been a month since he decided to target Ryu Seol-young and started approaching her mother, Eun-hwa.
And he had made decent progress.
At first Eun-hwa had been wary of him, but after seeing him accurately predict small future events, she began to trust him enough to invite him into the house.
Pretending to be a kind and devoted son wasn’t natural for him, and it had been exhausting.
But now the decisive moment was right in front of him.
The key to that moment was the item he had handed Eun-hwa earlier when he visited her house.
“Here. This is water made by boiling a talisman, and this syrup was made with medicinal herbs. Make sure you drink it all yourself. It only works if it’s kept secret, so don’t tell anyone—not even Seol-young. Okay?”
Once she drank it, she wouldn’t die—but she would become just sick enough.
Just as he had predicted, when Eun-hwa collapsed she would rely on him even more.
After that, controlling Seol-young would be easy.
That was the plan he had been carrying out step by step.
But now Seol-young had approached him first with a smile.
If things continued like this, maybe he wouldn’t even need to keep working so hard to win over Eun-hwa.
“Did she fall for me a little? Asking if I wanted to become her mom’s son-in-law… that was some pretty obvious flirting.”
After hearing something that basically sounded like “If you’re interested in me, come straight to me,” Doseok felt his ego swell enormously.
“Ryu Seol-young used to ignore every guy unless it was someone like Han Jae-kyung. But she finally realized I’m the real deal.”
Doseok had attended the same middle school as Jae-kyung, one grade above him.
There was no way he wouldn’t know him.
A guy with a face like an actor’s who also happened to be from a wealthy family—Jae-kyung had been famous enough that students from other schools came just to see him.
Every time Doseok saw him, he felt a pointless sense of inferiority.
Before Jae-kyung transferred there, Doseok had been the most handsome student in school.
But that guy was better looking than him, richer than him, smarter than him, and even had a better personality.
He was the kind of person whose mere presence made others feel small.
Just thinking about it irritated him.
And on top of that, Jae-kyung always stayed around Seol-young, protecting her like a shield.
Because of that, Doseok could hardly approach her.
“I heard he’s going to America or somewhere like that. Seol-young probably knows too. She must realize there’s no chance she’ll end up with him. That’s why she started noticing someone just as handsome as him—me.”
Pfft.
Laughing happily to himself, Doseok continued muttering.
“Well, whatever. The heavens must be helping me.”
“Eat up Ryu Seol-young and turn my life around!”
Now that Seol-young seemed to be coming to him easily, he felt certain everything would proceed smoothly.
Standing in front of the mirror, he practiced all kinds of seductive expressions.
He winked.
He bit his lips.
He ran his fingers down his neck and smiled slyly.
Then, as if Seol-young were standing right in front of him, he declared:
“Oppa will come straight for you, Seol-young. But don’t fall for me too quickly. If it’s too easy, it won’t be fun. Take your time.”
* * *
Seol-young immediately took Eun-hwa to the hospital for a checkup.
Eun-hwa had asked why this was suddenly necessary, but perhaps remembering what Doseok had said earlier, she agreed without much resistance.
Seol-young used the same excuse.
She said she had become a little worried after hearing Doseok’s words.
They started with a simple blood test to check her liver function.
Fortunately, the results came back normal.
That meant Eun-hwa had not yet been harmed by Doseok’s scheme.
Even so, Seol-young persuaded her mother to undergo more detailed examinations and arranged for her to stay in the hospital for observation.
After that, Seol-young returned home alone.
The first thing she did was move her recipe notebook to a safe place.
She changed every password—her computer, phone, email, and all the websites she frequently used.
She memorized them completely instead of writing them down.
Her ID card, passport, and other documents that had been kept in drawers or her wallet were also moved to a secret place only she knew.
In this life, she would never marry Doseok or live under the same roof as him.
But just in case things went wrong, she prepared for the possibility that he might try to steal or take them by force.
She wouldn’t allow him to misuse her identity or her recipes again.
After that, Seol-young began the next task she had planned.
The reason she had sent Eun-hwa out of the house wasn’t only for the health checkup.
It was also to get rid of any suspicious food.
“Seol-young. If you get the chance, tell your mother thank you for everything. Especially for eating what I made for her.”
Remembering those words Doseok had said that day, Seol-young searched the entire house carefully.
Eventually she found something unfamiliar at the very back of the refrigerator.
It was a container filled with a thick black liquid that looked like herbal medicine.
This must be it…
She was certain.
The thing Doseok said he had made himself.
The thing he said he was grateful her mother had eaten.
This had to be it.
Seol-young transferred the liquid into another sealed container and hid it among unused detergent bottles.
She saved it so no one would accidentally drink it—and so she could return it to Doseok someday.
Just in case there were more suspicious things, she continued organizing the refrigerator and pantry.
Anything that seemed even slightly questionable was removed.
Then she replaced them with identical or similar items so Eun-hwa wouldn’t suspect anything.
This alone isn’t enough.
If the evil Doseok continued trying to gain Eun-hwa’s trust, Seol-young needed to break the connection between him and her mother.
I need to make my mom stop trusting Pan Doseok.
Perhaps preventing him from marrying her again was also part of fulfilling the message she had seen at the Bliss Shop.
[You must capture the thief and find your destined husband.]
Seol-young repeated the words in her mind.
The thief…
There was only one person in her life who deserved that title.
Pan Doseok.
The man who had destroyed her life.
Seol-young began thinking about how to bring him down.
* * *
About a month passed like that.
Seol-young continued going to her restaurant, checking on her mother, and meeting Doseok several times.
It wasn’t easy.
But now she could smile naturally even while facing him.
She hid her hatred deep inside and wore a fake smile to deceive him.
So far, no rumors had spread about her restaurant.
However, every time Doseok visited, she secretly watched the greedy expression on his face.
It only confirmed his true intentions.
Meanwhile, Doseok grew more and more intoxicated by the belief that Seol-young had fallen for him.
Sometimes he didn’t even bother hiding his true nature.
Using the excuse that life as an unknown actor was difficult, he made Seol-young pay for every date.
Even today, he had chosen a restaurant far too expensive for his income and ordered a bottle of wine that cost over a million won.
This much is nothing.
Compared to the future where Pan Doseok spent thirty million won a month right after marriage, this is practically cheap.
Seol-young smiled smoothly while hiding her thoughts.
“Oppa, is there anything else you want? Something you’d like to have?”
“Why?”
“Why do you think?”
Seol-young acted as if she were completely in love.
“Seol-young… are you planning to give me a present?”
“Yeah. Actually, I’m thinking of closing the restaurant for a while to rest and recharge. So I wanted to buy you a gift while I still have time. Tell me. What do you want?”
She was testing him.
What will he say he wants?
The Mercedes he signed a contract for shortly after we married?
But unexpectedly, Doseok spoke in a low, serious tone.
“But Seol-young… isn’t it a waste to quit the restaurant?”
“I’m not quitting. I’m just taking a short break.”
“Good. That’s the right decision. Your restaurant isn’t just a restaurant. It’s like… a place that holds the soul of your cooking. A truly amazing place. You should protect and nurture it for a long time. Think about your cooking career in the long run. Keep developing it steadily. Okay?”
Seol-young thought his words were hilarious.
But she clasped her hands together and pretended to be touched.
“Oh my, oppa. How can you say such beautiful things? Thank you so much…”
“I guess I always become like that when I’m in front of you. Actually… it’s because I’ve started thinking about you much more seriously.”
“Seriously…?”
Of course you’re thinking seriously.
You probably think I’ll fall easily now.
You probably think I’ll hand over my recipes myself.
Isn’t that right?
“Yeah. Seol-young, we’ve only been dating for a month, but thanks to Doran we’ve known each other for a long time. So…”
Seol-young already knew what he was about to say.
He was about to propose.
Just like before.
If things were the same as the last timeline, he would ask her to marry him without even a ring.
He would cry and promise to donate part of his liver someday.
But this time, he wouldn’t need that lie.
So what would he say?
“Let’s get married.”
Doseok spoke with a serious expression.
“Seol-young, I need you. I promise I’ll treat you well from now on.”
Seol-young didn’t know what expression to make, so she covered her face with her hands as if she were moved.
That was surprisingly simple.
Did he really think I’d accept just from that?
It would have been more amusing if he had bragged about becoming a future top star.
But this was still proof.
Proof that her act as the “easy woman Ryu Seol-young” had worked perfectly and made him careless.
Slowly, Seol-young opened her mouth.
“Opppa… but there’s one problem with our marriage.”
