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Chapter Text

The Hong family has constantly undermined and underestimated Baek Hyun-woo. Almost as if his humble background and their chaebol status gave them a right to look down upon him. But it's not just them. People in Hong Hae-in and Baek Hyun-woo’s vicinity - be it in their professional lives or their personal lives - have also done the same. Time and again.

Baek Hyun-woo is not the person to ponder over external opinions. He felt bad about the way his wife’s family constantly demeaned and humiliated him, but he let it go all for his wife’s sake. He didn’t care what they said as long as his wife Hong Hae-in was beside him.

However, things have been going downhill for their marriage over the past few months ever since the miscarriage. Hyun-woo was seriously wondering if their relationship was even a relationship these days. They hardly spoke to one another unless it was something work-related. They slept in separate rooms. They avoided each other as much as possible. There were only two things they did together – breakfast and driving to work and that too for the sake of maintaining the façade for the outside world.

At work, Hong Hae-in’s cold and detached attitude and ire towards Baek Hyun-woo started garnering attention in meeting rooms. Baek Hyun-woo to all his credit still tried not to let their broken relationship become a spectacle even more than it already was. He had learned early on that Hae-in grew up amongst wolves and had a hard time navigating emotions. He understood that her cold, calculating, and detached self was a coping mechanism, but he also knew for a fact that he didn’t deserve this treatment from anyone – not his wife, or her family.

But no matter what, the feelings they had for one another never died. Hong Hae-in and Baek Hyun-woo have always been extremely protective and possessive of one another.

People knew that Hong Hae-in was the embodiment of “touch my husband and you die vibes.” It was so obvious in the early days of their marriage. People knew never to cross him scared of earning Hong Hae-in’s wrath. 

On the other hand, people know that Queen’s Legal Director Baek Hyun-woo is smart. Not only is he intelligent and a good team leader, but his looks garnered a lot of attention – much to Hong Hae-in’s irritation, not that she would EVER accept it. Only Hae-in’s secretary knows just how jealous her boss gets when she hears or sees women simping over her husband.

Today Hong Hae-in would learn that Queen’s Legal Director Baek Hyun-woo, the SNU Law graduate belonging to a humble family based in Yongduri, could be brutal when provoked. There was a protective and possessive side of Hyun-woo buried deep inside him – a side that he rarely showed to anyone. Heck, even Hong Hae-in, his wife of three years had never witnessed it.

Baek Hyun-woo POV

"Look who is here. Finally done with your day, Director Baek?"

Lim Jae, the idiotic and worthless son of one of Queen's board members. The guy's been badgering us for the past month to provide legal approval for expanding his already loss-making brand's shop to three blocks compared to its current one block.

He is supposed to receive a notice of immediate evacuation from Queens tomorrow morning for the continued delay in rent payments. I signed the order just this morning and have the letter in my bag as we speak.

He and his thugs, five of them, have just stalled me and my secretary in the basement parking.

"Mr. Lim, how can I help you?" I ask calmly.

"Ah, Director Baek, you know very well how you can help me. Why don't you just provide the legal approval for the expansion? I am offering you a 5% cut in the profits!"

"Mr. Lim, for the nth time, given the fact that your shop has been facing losses for the past two years, we can't provide approval for expansion. That's written in the contract you signed with Queens. If all of this wasn't enough, you have been delaying rent payments for the past six months. Also, I am happy with what I earn. I have no interest in taking bribes from anyone." I set the facts straight.

"I must mention that that six-month extension is only because your father is on the board. We have asked others to vacate if there were delays of more than a quarter," I add further.

The tick in his mouth told me that I had pissed him off. He could have utilized the money he is wasting on these thugs to get some competent advice on how to run a damn business.

"So, you see there is no way we can provide you an approval to expand. That's my final answer." I say as I start to walk away and my secretary follows.

"You know I always wondered what the hell did the Hong princess see in you? Like seriously, your worth is less than that of the dirt on my shoes," he sneers out and his voice echoes in the basement. Each of those words pierced through my heart painfully. No matter what, I would never be worth Hong Hae-in in people's eyes. Only because I didn't belong to the same circles as her.

"SNU Law graduate from Yongduri, with a father desperately trying to hang on to the title of the village head, a mother slacking at home, and two good-for-nothing siblings. Jinja? I make more in a day than what your family makes in an entire year," he laughs out as his thugs follow cue.

My breathing slows to a painful beat as my chest constricts.

"I see that you did a background check on me. Thanks for sharing what I already know. Yes, that's my family. One that is everything to me. No one's opinion matters in this case." I maintain my steady voice despite the anger surging through my veins.

"Aish, this son of a bitch really is cocky, isn't he?" he breathes out to his band of lapdogs, who religiously cackle behind him as if Mr. Lim has cracked a joke.

Baek Hyun-woo calm down. Ignore. Do not take this personally. He is just trying to goad you into losing your cool and making the first move. Once you do, he would use the videos and defame Queens for harassment through their legal representatives.

I turn to my secretary, who looks red with anger and somewhat fear, but he hasn't said a word. He knows better than to step into such situations because unfortunately anything and everything can be used against us.

I am done talking to this guy. He is so blinded by his greed that he can't see the facts for himself. His father holds a deciding vote on the board and the elder Lim has never given me good vibes either. The old man is sexist to the core and is almost always in the cross-hairs with Hae-in’s ideas. Sadly, the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree.

I take a deep breath as I make an effort to maintain my gaze on Lim Jae. Gosh, I would like to break his teeth right now for calling my mother a bitch. But there are some lines I would prefer not to cross because, at the end of the day, I am still responsible for my wife's image. Irrespective of where our relationship is going, I would never willingly jeopardize her work.

I walk up to him and stare right at him as revulsion and disgust rages through me. Taking a deep breath, I say, "I will let this entire episode slide Mr. Lim. I suggest you work on improving your business rather than trying to feel good about yourself by insulting others."

"No wonder you are such a pussy, Director Baek. It's not surprising though. You live with a family full of bull-headed women who have whored themselves out. All sluts these female Hongs. If you ask me, all women are. "

Silence.

My Eomma. Jeon Bong Ae.

My Noona. Baek Mi Sun.      

My Sister-in-law. Cheon Da-Hye

My Aunt-in-Law. Hong Beom Ja.

My Mother-in-Law. Kim Seon Hwa.

The women in my team, our offices, and our home staff.

Each of their faces ran in my mind over the next few seconds like a running film.

The last one is my wife. Hong Hae-in.

Looks like the universe does want to witness my fury.

I stare at my opponent as I dial Hae-in's secretary. She picks up on the second ring, "Secretary Na, can you please hand the phone to Hong Hae-in? It's urgent."

"De?" Comes the standard cold voice from the other end as my wife waits for me. I try to muster the words through the red haze of fury.

"I don't have all day, Director Baek, so.." she says in irritation.

"I resign. Effective immediately. Just do me a favor and take care of my team. What's about to happen is not their fault. Do I have your word?" I ask.

I hear a clattering noise in the background as my wife shouts out, "What the hell? Wae?" I can tell that she is already moving, most likely to trace me.

"Just give me this Hong Hae-in. Do I have your word that no one from my team will be touched? Not a single one gets fired after I leave." I shout.

She must have heard the tremors in my voice because, in the next breath, she agrees. "Yes, I promise. Hyun-woo, tell me where..'

I cut the call and throw my phone and I punch Lim Jae in the face with my left hand. The crack of his jaw does nothing to tame the beast roaring in my chest.

I have ignored all the shit he has spewed against my blood because I am numb to those insults. I hear this condescension almost everywhere I go. Especially since I married Hong Hae-in. But disrespecting women just because he is incapable of achieving anything on his own is a new low.

Deep down, in the innermost corner of my heart, someone calling my beloved wife a slut is what triggered my fury. I was silent regarding my parents and siblings, but Hong Hae-in...tolerating people's nonsense against her is not my strongest forte. Who am I kidding? I can't hear a word of disrespect or insult against her from outsiders. The fact that I put up with my in-law's reckless attitude towards Hae-in is challenging enough.

Mr. Lim Jae will know what it's like when cool-minded people are pushed beyond limits.

Hyun-woo Secretary POV

This idiot has picked a fight with the wrong guy. I have worked for Director Baek for the last two years and people underestimate him too much. Just because his words are always measured and he prefers to speak less, people just assume that he is powerless. If only people knew just how much the Legal Director of Queens is capable of, they would learn to show some goddamn respect.

The moment Mr. Lim called women (especially the Hong women) sluts and I saw my boss’ aura become chillingly cold and I knew shit was about to hit the fan.

My fear was proven right when my boss resigned without giving two fucks and shouting at CEO Hong, his wife – that never happens. Nobody shouts at Hong Hae-in. Ever. Unless you are Baek Hyun-woo. People don’t realize this but Baek Hyun-woo is untouchable. Hong Hae-in would eat the person who even looked at her husband wrong for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Only she is allowed to bully him.

The next few minutes are a complete blur as I see my boss kick ass of all six douchebags and Mr. Lim in a matter of few minutes. 

Gosh, did Director Baek know boxing by any chance? How the hell is he so good at this? He is anticipating his opponent’s moves even before it happens. He seemed to be waiting for them to lose energy before he made his moves.

I hear the cops (thank God they are on time) just when Mr. Baek has twisted Mr. Lim’s hand behind his back and pushed him over the hood of a car.

“My Bag!” Director Baek yells at me and I rush to him with bag which I was holding for him.

“Take out the evacuation notice I signed this morning.” I do it as my hands tremble because Director Baek’s voice is still lined with barely restrained fury.

“Yah, let me go you, asshole. Do you know who I am?” Mr. Lim shouts out in pain.

“Sir, please let him go,” the police officer steps in.

I hand my boss the letter and he slaps it over Mr. Lim’s chest, “You have been served asshole. You better be out of the premises before this week ends after you have given a formal apology or I will be suing you for defamation. Legal Director of Queens or not, your insults against my wife and the women in my family are grounds for legal action – a right, which I will exercise if you don’t leave.”

“I have a brilliant track record as an attorney Mr. Lim. I suggest you choose wisely.” Director Baek adds coldly after a beat.

He is not gloating – not one bit. Baek Hyun-woo has one of the best track records amongst the conglomerate attorneys in South Korea. Director Baek is revered for his intelligence and attention to detail – there is hardly anything that misses his eye. I can’t even count the number of times other firms have tried to poach him, not understanding that his first and foremost loyalty would always remain to his wife Hong Hae-in. No amount of money or incentives would budge him from her side.

As we start walking away from the mess, I take in my boss’ state. He has a split lip, a few bruises, and a cut on his face and one near his eyebrow, while his knuckles are bruised and bleeding.

“Director Baek, I think we should go to the infirmary right now. You need to get your wounds cleaned.” I say worriedly.

“I am fine. Can you do me one last favor?” he asks.

“Anything,” I say without thinking. He just put his life on the line for me and our team. The least I can do is help him out.

“Do you mind dropping me to my hometown? It’s a few hours drive from here. I don’t think I can drive that much in my current state. You can crash at my place tonight and come back tomorrow.” He asks hesitantly. He has this sad look in his eyes almost as if he is regretting something.

“Of course.” I nod immediately.

As we settled in and hit the road, I saw him taking out his phone, which had been ringing non-stop for the past ten minutes. He made me switch off my phone before I started driving because he didn’t want to be bothered by anyone from the office.

To my surprise, he sets his phone on his lap and starts recording.

“Hyun-woo here. I am going to Yong-duri for a few days.”

He sounds tired and resigned almost as if he wants to get away from everything even if it’s just for a short time.

“As for what happened today – you will learn about it from Mr. Lim’s perspective soon enough so I am not going to say much, but I recommend you check the security cameras once to see for yourself the actual chain of events. You may want to talk to my secretary once to understand my side of things to confirm that I am not lying.”

Oh, the CEO is getting a long-ass mail and a heavy attachment from me today. Don’t worry Director Baek. I will be supporting you. I hadn't mentioned this to Director Baek yet, but I had recorded everything on my phone. I had seen Lim Jae before we had entered his view and for some reason my gut told me that I should discreetly record a video just in case things went south.

“Hae-in, I hope you will keep your promise of protecting my team. All 10 of them are highly competent individuals and do not hold any responsibility for what happened today. Three got married just last year, two have elderly parents who moved in with them, three were blessed with babies just in the past few months, and the remaining two which include my secretary have long-term loan burdens on them. They do not deserve to be treated wrongly for my actions. As for me, I will mail my resignation letter by tomorrow morning. Thanks.”

“Please send this voice note to CEO Hong tomorrow morning,” he tells me tiredly once he is finished recording.

My throat is clogged up. I feel like the smallest person on the planet for all the times I have spoken shit about Director Baek behind his back, mocking him for remaining tight-lipped about the obvious mistreatment he gets from the Hong family. The entire team has gossiped about him to no end during team parties and lunch breaks. Heck, some call him the Hong Butler as a mockery. The same guy we laughed and mocked for so long has just stood in front of us like a shield protecting us from the oncoming wrath of a board member. Did we even deserve such a boss? Someone who knew everyone’s struggles, but has never commented on it. Not a single time have I heard him bad-mouthing anyone or disclosing anybody’s financial struggles to the wider team. So, what gave us the right to judge him for his personal life?

We have been absolute jerks. We don’t deserve someone like Baek Hyun-woo as our leader. Getting an asshole of a boss next time might put our asses in place and maybe then we will start appreciating what we had right in front of us this whole time.

I drop him at his home that night and as planned take a halt at his place.

When Director Baek asked me the next morning if I had slept well, I lie through my teeth.

He didn’t need to know that I had spent the night mailing the video to the entire Queens employee base right from the board to our interns. When I walked into the office in the afternoon the whole place was in an uproar and I had been summoned by the chairman.

As for the recording that Director Baek made for CEO Hong yesterday – I had taken the liberty to share it on the group chat as well. Every person on the team deserved the guilt trip for treating our ex-boss like absolute crap.

Amidst all this one thing that catches my eye, but doesn’t surprise me is that CEO Hong Hae-in is not in the office today.

I pat myself on the back for the discrete message I was able to send out to Secretary Na halfway through our journey yesterday during a loo break.

It was hard to act dumb when I saw the Valentino heels on the veranda today morning and the Mercedes parked just behind Director Baek’s car. I tried to act nonchalant when Director Baek gave me a knowing look. We both knew I was fooling no one and I had told his wife of his whereabouts despite his clear instructions to send out the recording today. 

I am just praying that Hong Hae-in walks in with her claws bared tomorrow morning. It's been a while since I have seen her obliterate someone and I have my popcorn ready for when she decimates the Lim’s to the ground for crossing her husband.

Chapter Text

Hong Hae-in, the chaebol heiress, with immeasurable wealth, considered her husband Baek Hyun-woo the most precious of all. She considered him hers – hers to love, hers to cherish, even hers to bully, and hers to fight with. Baek Hyun-woo has hers. Only hers.

What people didn’t know was that Baek Hyun-woo, Hong Hae-in’s husband of three years, and boyfriend of two years before that – had also earned all of her firsts. She was only his as much as he was hers.

When she had first met him, she had found him soft-spoken, gullible, and the biggest green flag in the history of mankind. She was at times ashamed to admit that in the beginning, she had doubted each of his actions because she wondered how someone as smart as him could be so detached from reality that he still hadn’t figured out her true background.

When he had proposed to her based on his 35 cows and 2-year apartment lease she hadn’t known whether to laugh or cry. She hadn’t met any person as genuine, innocent, and giving as him in her entire life. So, she just took on the role of the protector. She vowed to herself that she would protect Baek Hyun-woo from the harsh realities of the world at any cost. Marrying him had been the easiest decision of her life because believe it or not he was her guiding light in the darkest of days of constant struggle with her emotionally draining family.

Hong Hae-in knows that things between them have been a mess since they lost their baby. She also knows that she has been a horrible wife to him. He tried talking to her multiple times after what happened hoping, heck begging her to open up. He had even broken down in front of her one night after a particularly scathing dinner with her family, where almost everyone had something snide to say to Baek Hyun-woo. Her husband repeatedly told her to talk to him about what happened. She truly believed that the miscarriage was her fault, so she didn’t think she deserved to be relieved of the guilt or pain. She had just walked away and closed the door on his face as she collapsed against the wall and broke down all by herself.

Baek Hyun-woo stopped all conversations with her starting the next day. In the coming weeks, she realized that the only way for her to get her husband to even look at her was to do it through work, and that too in front of an audience. Because for the first time in years, she was scared of this silent and closed-off version of her husband. She felt starved for his attention and affection so much so that a petty corner in her heart tried to reason that picking fights with her husband amidst an audience was her way of hurting just a tad bit less. As if publicly lashing out at her husband would somewhat shorten the size of the gaping hole in her heart by a few millimeters knowing that she couldn’t protect their baby.

She knows. She knows there is a lot she has to apologize for. Especially to Baek Hyun-woo. However, its safe to say that Hong Hae-in thinks she knows Hyun-woo like she knows herself. Five years with him and she doesn’t expect any surprises from him. Baek Hyun-woo, an SNU Law graduate belonging to a humble family based in Yongduri – Hong Hae-in’s first love, rather her first everything, was about to prove her wrong. She would shortly realize that there were shades of her husband laying dormant, which he rarely showed to anyone, and for good reason – because Baek Hyun-woo’s angry, protective, possessive, and lethal husband mode had the potential to wreak absolute havoc.

Hong Hae-in POV

I had been reviewing a file just before an important meeting when Secretary Na had rushed in.

“Director Baek says its urgent,” she says as she hands me the phone.

This has never happened in the five years I have known Baek Hyun-woo, so the word “urgent” does scare me a bit.

"De?" All possibilities varying from a small legal issue to someone dying run in my head. Is something wrong with his family? Or mine? I can hear his heavy breathing almost as if he is controlling himself.

"I don't have all day, Director Baek, so.." I ask in equal parts worry and irritation. Why the hell is he not saying anything?

"I resign. Effective immediately. Just do me a favor and take care of my team. What's about to happen is not their fault. Do I have your word?" he asks.

"What the hell? Wae?" my reaction is immediate as I stand up with too much force which has my chair crashing towards the wall behind me.

What the hell happened? No ways. Baek Hyun-woo is not leaving. I will step in if I must because losing someone as smart, hardworking, and loyal as him will be an absolute loss for Queens.

I rush out of my cabin as my secretary scrambles to follow.

"Just give me this Hong Hae-in. Do I have your word that no one from my team will be touched? Not a single one gets fired after I leave."

He shouts out the last part clearly waiting for me to give him my word. Oh, he is a good lawyer. One of the best I have ever met.

But the shock of him raising his voice has me bringing the phone away from my ear and staring at it for a solid second incredulously as I forget to breathe.

Did he just shout at me? Nobody shouts at Hong Hae-in. I do the shouting.

You are NOT leaving Baek Hyun-woo. Over my dead body.

I had heard the tremors in his voice so I took a deep breath and reverted, "Yes, I promise. Hyun-woo, tell me where….”

Before I can finish the line is cut.

Did he just hang up on me? Nobody hangs up on Hong Hae-in. I do the hanging up.

I enter the Legal team’s office space and the entire team scrambles to their feet.

“Where is Director Baek?” I ask.

“They left for a meeting just about twenty minutes ago. It's for negotiations with an external contractor,” one of the employees replies.

Okay, so something happened before they left. “Secretary Na, call up the security and ask them to check the cameras and tell me where Director Baek was last spotted. I would assume the basement parking, but I want a confirmation.”

She is out the door in the next breath as I keep calling Hyun-woo in the meantime. His calls keep going to voicemail to my utter disbelief and worry. Is he okay?

“You were right. He was last seen in the basement parking along with his secretary. The footage shows that Mr. Lim Jae was also there and after a tense exchange, Director Baek got into a fight with Mr. Lim and his men,” Secretary Na says. 

There are gasps all around me as my heartbeat slows.

Baek Hyun-woo is not violent. So for him to react in this manner comes as a surprise to me. What did Mr. Lim say that could have pushed my husband to such limits?

“He had it coming if you ask me,” I hear the man closest to me whispering.

“What do you mean by that?” I ask sharply and his face pales.

“Nothing. Nothing CEO Hong,” he blabbers out.

“I will ask one more time why did you say that Mr. Lim had it coming?” I see that the others also look uncomfortable. They know something that I don’t.

“Well, Mr. Lim has always been disrespectful to Director Baek. Always making snide comments about his humble background. He thinks his father's presence on the Queens' board gives him the right to treat others badly. But things have gotten much worse in the past few days because Mr. Lim has been harassing Director Baek to provide legal approval despite knowing that his shop is not profit-making and is lagging on rent payments,” one person shares.

Oh.

Oh. I. See.

Oh. I. See.

Mr. Lim Jae.

Mr. Lim. Jae.

The name flashes like a huge red sign in my mind as I subconsciously start planning his end. 

“Boss, we need to get to a meeting,” Secretary Na says. I just nod and turn to the Legal team.

“I am sure you all will hear it soon enough, but your team leader Director Baek Hyun-woo has resigned, I still haven’t gotten a hang of the whole situation but if I have it my way nothing will happen. But it's my job to give you a heads-up,” I state calmly as many surprised gasps are heard.

The whispers begin before I even reach the door. For some reason, I share before walking out, “Just so you all know Director Baek took a promise from me that none of you will be fired for his actions and will be protected from what’s about to come.” I wait as I take in the reactions of surprise, with some of them looking down in shame.

Hm, seems like it's not just me who has treated Baek Hyun-woo badly. I just hope we all can make it up to him soon.

The next hour is absolute torture as I try to sit through the meeting and pay attention.

But I can’t concentrate one bit.

My husband’s shout and the blurry images of him injured from the security cams keep running in my mind on a loop.

Just as we wrap up, Secretary Na rushes in to show me a message on her phone.

There is a message from Hyun-woo's secretary which came in just a few seconds ago.

I am driving him to his hometown. Please let CEO Hong know.

Just as I have absorbed his words another message comes through. One which his secretary was most like sharing with mine in full confidence.

As you may already know he has resigned. Just between the both of us, I don’t think Director Baek is coming back after this. I have never seen him look so done and defeated.

The last statement sends shivers down my spine. What does he mean my husband looks defeated?

Just about two minutes later a video comes in and I ask my secretary to play it.

Mr. Lim’s confrontation and stating that he tried to bribe Baek Hyun-woo.

The repeated rent payment delays.

The asshole questioning my husband’s and his family’s worth. If only people knew. I am the one who doesn’t deserve him and his family.

Him indirectly calling Eomonim a bitch.

The final nail in the coffin of the slut tag. It's not the first time, it won’t be the last, but the swift change in my husband’s expression tells me that he had reached the end of his patience.

I was wrong.

I was so so wrong.

Not only did he lose his cool, he looked like a fucking hero – my fucking hero – singlehandedly fighting against five men, without even breaking a sweat.

I am speed walking towards the elevators as Secretary Na tries to keep up. 

We get another audio recording just as I step into the empty elevator. My husband's tired and heavy voice echoing between the four walls as he once again asked me to keep my promise of protecting his team. Gosh, Baek Hyun-woo. Baby, what am I going to do without you?

As my driver pulls up front and I direct him to Yongduri, I know one thing for sure.

By tomorrow the world will know that Baek Hyun-woo, my husband – the brightest and the most shining piece on the black and white board of my life – is untouchable. No one insults his family – no, my family – manages to draw his precious blood and lives to tell the tale.

Chapter Text

Hong Hae-in POV

By the time I reached Hyun-woo's home in Yongduri, it was around 10 pm. Abeonim was surprised to see me when I stopped at his shop and asked him where Hyun-woo was. I was visiting after almost a year. I had never tagged along with Hyun-woo on his monthly trips to his hometown.

I should have. If he attended every weekly family dinner without a single complaint, the least I could have done was visit my in-laws.

The whole time on the way here my family tried to call me as I am sure they learned something or the other about what went down. But I just ignored them and turned off my phone after telling them where I was going.

"Abeonim," I give him a slight bow and ask, "where is Hyun-woo?"

"He should be at home. We finished dinner just about half an hour ago," he tells me.

"Is everything okay? Why did he turn up home injured? Do you know what might have happened?" He asks and I hesitate. I didn't want to disclose anything without my husband's permission. It was not my place to tell the story.

"Abeonim, I will explain everything later. I just want to check up on him first," I say softly.

He just nods. Giving him another bow I make my way towards his home.

I am just about to enter from the gate when I spot Hyun-woo and Eomonim in the front yard. My husband with his head on Eomonim's lap, is looking up at the sky as I see a single tear rolling down his cheek.

This is a new view for me. Hyun-woo always told me that he is close to his mom and that she is his safe space when he is lost. It's the first time I have seen him being like this with his mom in our five years together. I can see his split lip from my position outside the gate as I look at the mother-son duo from the crack in the gate, which is tall enough to hide my presence completely.

"Eomma mianhe," he whispers brokenly. 

His cracking voice sends pain splintering through my chest. It reminds me of the night he broke down in front of me.

"What happened Hyun-woo ya, why are you saying sorry?" Eomonim asks softly.

“I have been a horrible son,” he says.

“What? That’s nonsense,” she says angrily as she hits his arm with no force.

“No, I am. You and Appa worked extremely hard to provide me with a conducive environment and unwavering support to make it to the top. But I haven’t even shown the guts to take a stand for you all until now. Not once,” he says as tears stream down his eyes as he looks up at his mother’s face.

His confession and guilt bring immense pain and shame as I realize that ever since he married me Baek Hyunwoo has had to hear a lot against his family. Heck, my family has so many times downtrodden on his worth by mocking his humble background and has always acted as if he was lucky that he was able to marry into a chaebol family.

I have been no better. I haven’t visited my in-laws in an entire year. I haven’t messaged them or called them to check up on them, nor did I ask Hyun-woo about them. I had been so self-focused and drowning in guilt over the miscarriage that I completely shut out my husband and his family. 

“Aega, tell me what brought this on?” Eomonim asks as she moves her hands through Hyun-woo’s soft hair.

“Something happened today at Queens,” Hyun-woo says.

“And?”

“Things went south and I got into a fight,” he confesses, “hence the bruises and the bandage.” He brings up his left hand and there is a gauze tied around his knuckles and fingers. My stomach bottoms out as I see just how big a portion of his hand the bloodied gauze is covering.

I almost lose my cover as my feet move forward to go and see my husband’s injuries for myself.

“He called me a son of a bitch. It didn’t matter that he cursed at me, but the fact that he called my mother a bitch made me furious, but I didn’t do anything. I stood there and calmed myself down,” Hyun-woo continues.

“Hyun-woo-ya, you need to..”

“Since that didn’t work on me he changed tactics and called women sluts. Specifically, Hong Hae-in. I couldn’t feel anything for a few seconds as I lost my balance today for the first time in a decade.”

He gets up and brings his knees closer to himself as his hands circle them but keeps his back towards Eomonim almost as if he couldn’t bear to even meet her eyes.

“My wife is not perfect but she doesn’t deserve such treatment. She has gotten to where she is today through extreme hard work and dedication at times at the cost of her health,” he explains softly as my heart thunders in my chest.

He did it for me.

The question I had asked myself earlier on what had pushed Baek Hyun-woo to resort to violence. I got the answer.

He. Did. It. For. Me.

How is he still thinking about me after what I have put him through these past few months?

“So for the first time in years, I let go of my control.”

“But you know what Eomma? I feel like the biggest loser because I could go to these lengths for Hong Hae-in, but never showed the guts to take a stand for you or Appa. People have mocked me and by extension you for the past few years now, but not once have I taken a stand for my family,” Baek Hyun-woo says as sobs break out of his chest.

He is right. He has heard anyone and everyone judge him for his background. His parents. His elder brother and sister. Himself and how unworthy he is and how unworthy they all are to be associated to the Hongs. Only if people tried to understand just how pure the Baek’s were.

You hypocrite, Hong Hae-in.

I laugh at myself internally. How the fuck can you expect people to treat them better when you have stayed silent the whole time the Baeks were being humiliated and mistreated by your own blood?

Do I even deserve to stand here? What right do I have to be here after being a key contributor to this whole situation? After everything that Baek Hyun-woo and his family have been subjected to thanks to me and my family, what right did I have to come here?

“Mianhe. Jeongmal mianhe. You deserve a better son than me,” Hyun-woo’s head bows down as he cries his heart out and Eomonim hugs him from behind. Her hands came to hold her son against herself as she leaned against his broad back.

“Aega. Baek Hyun-woo. You pabo. You are the best child we could have asked for. It’s a sign of immense strength and resilience to maintain your composure when people are constantly undermining and underestimating you.”

“As for you taking a stand for Hae-in-a. That was right. No one has the right to talk about my daughter like that. So, I am glad that you put that twat in place, otherwise, I would have driven to Seoul myself to put beat his ass,” Eomonim says as she softly pats his chest and her fierce protectiveness over me has my heart splintering into a million pieces. My mother-in-law had the expression of a lioness ready to protect her precious cub at any cost.

“Thanks Eomma. I love you,” Hyun-woo chuckles softly and wipes away the tears from his eyes.

Eavesdropping on this whole conversation is a much-needed wake-up call. I turn around and see Hyun-woo’s secretary returning with Hyun-woo’s elder brother and Abeonim. 

“Why haven’t you gone inside yet?” Abeonim asks as soon as he is close.

“I just was attending a call,” I answer awkwardly as I fiddle with my phone which was thankfully in my hand this whole time.

No one mentions anything about my red eyes or tear trails – I am glad, otherwise I knew I would break down.

Oppa and Abeonim go inside and Hyun-woo’s secretary gives me a bow. He seems to have borrowed clothes from Hyun-woo's brother who has the similar height, unlike my husband’s 6 feet tall frame and huge ass clothes.

“Thank you for taking care of Baek Hyun-woo. Also, for sharing the video,” I say.

“It’s the least I could do CEO Hong. He has done a lot for me. This doesn’t even come close.” He shares sincerely.

“Are you going to accept his resignation?” he asks in a slightly scared tone.

I don’t have an answer to that just as yet. My answer two hours ago would have been an aggressive “Hell no.”

But after all that I have just heard, I am not so sure anymore. Baek Hyun-woo has suffered enough.

I change the subject and ask, “That video. Can you do me a favor?”

Just as I have finished giving him instructions, the voice from behind me sends shivers down my spine, “Hong Hae-in, what are you doing here?”

Baek Hyun-woo POV

What the hell is she doing here? I thought Appa was joking earlier when he said my wife was standing outside and that she had reached almost 15 minutes ago.

I see my secretary giving her a bow and then turns to give me one as well. I chuckle tiredly and say, “I am not your boss anymore. Stop with the bows. I am a nobody.”

Hae-in for some reason has a pained look in her eyes as I make that statement.

“You haven’t given a formal notification to the CEO yet and she hasn’t accepted it either. So, technically you still are the one deciding my KPIs and annual increments,” my secretary says steadily. He sounds stubborn almost as if he doesn’t want me to leave.

He leaves immediately not waiting for me to reply. Odd. For someone who has called me the Hong Butler so many times behind my back, my secretary sure has had a change of heart.

“Are you okay?” comes Hae-in's soft and concerned voice. Why is she concerned?

I just turn to her and raise a questioning brow. All of a sudden, she cares?

“Why are you here?” I ask once again, choosing to ignore her question.

I didn’t want to discuss how not-okay I was at the moment.

“Do you think I wouldn’t check on you after you resigned out of the blue? And then ignore my calls for hours and when I finally do get a hold of you,” she sucks in a pained breath as a tear rolls down the corner of her eye, “you look like shit. Bloodied and bruised. Baek Hyun-woo, I am not as emotionless as you think I am.”

I take in her appearance. She is in the same clothes she wore this morning. Her hair is in disarray almost as if she has been fiddling with them in irritation and worry. I keep my face carefully blank waiting for her to speak because I have had too much emotion today. I just want the day to end and then maybe tomorrow I will decide what the hell am I going to do with my life now.

“What happened? I want to hear it from you,” Hae-in says.

“Didn’t you see the video my secretary sent you?” I ask with a hollow laugh.

“You knew?” she asks in surprise.

“There’s hardly anything I don’t notice Hae-in-a,” and I see my wife’s eyes widen comically. “He lingered outside the car way too long because he was waiting for the large attachment to get sent. I am not his boss anymore so I had no right to tell him what he should or shouldn’t do. So, I just acted dumb,” I say.

“How many times have you acted dumb like this Baek Hyun-woo?” she asks in a painful whisper.

“You don’t want to know,” I reply brokenly. She has no idea how difficult it has been to act naïve and nonchalant while living amongst the sharks.

“Aega..” my mother’s voice comes from behind me.

I turn around to see my mother register Hae-in’s presence and her face breaks into a big smile.

“Ommo. Ommo, my youngest baby is here,” she rushes to Hae-in and pulls her into a hug.

I watch as the carefully built façade around Hong Hae-in breaks in my mother’s arms. The initial surprise turns into tears in the span of a few seconds as I see my wife break down in silent tears.

To my further surprise, Hae-in’s arms tighten around Eomma’s back and she hides her face in my mother’s shoulder as she says sorry again and again and again.

“Eomonim mianhe. Jeongmal mianhe,” she repeats. It was so unlike Hong Hae-in to apologize. To anyone. Let alone to the mother-in-law she hasn’t bothered talking to in months.

“Oh, my baby, I have missed you,” Eomma says as she pats Hae-in’s head softly.

When Hae-in finally pulls away, I see relief in her eyes. For the first time since we lost our baby almost a year ago, I see Hong Hae-in genuinely smiling – a smile that is reaching her eyes.

When she looks at me, I sense the relief and happiness. As if a boulder pressing down on her precious heart, which had been slowly chipping away her sanity and peace, has finally been lifted. Maybe what happened today wasn't such a waste afterall. 

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

The next morning I woke up early and helped out Eomma in the kitchen. The night had been awkward as Hae-in, much to my surprise, decided to stay. Sharing a room with her had been painful and awkward at the same time.

Immediately after breakfast my secretary, sorry ex-secretary, leaves and he tries to act as if he has no hand in my wife’s sudden appearance here.

But I saw Hong Hae-in smiling and eating well after months so I was going to let it slide.

Just as he is about to get down at the bus station, I say, “That video you took yesterday – send it to me. If my gut feeling is right, I am going to need it either today or, at the latest by tomorrow.”

He just nods and leaves.

I return home sometime later only to see that Hae-in’s car is not there. Huh. Seems like she left. Would it hurt to tell me before leaving? Is it that big a burden?

As I am removing my shoes, I notice her stilettos in the corner.

“Oh, good you are back. Eomonim needs these groceries,” I see Hong Hae-in come out from the kitchen as she registers my surprised look.

She didn’t go back? She is staying? Jinja?

“No, we will be going back after lunch. Eomonim won’t let us leave without eating,” she answers with a huff. Oh, I said that out loud.

She hands me the list and goes back to the kitchen. Since when is Hong Hae-in a kitchen person?

I don’t think I have ever seen her cut a single fruit until now let alone cook.

Chuck it, Baek Hyun-woo. I scold myself and get out once again to get everything Eomma wanted. Gosh she could have just told me earlier, would have saved me time.

Lunch is once again an awkward affair because no one in my family is used to having Hong Hae-in at the table. Everyone tries to do small talk with her, except for me. I don’t bother maintaining a front. This is my home and I wasn’t going to bother projecting lies for my family trying to show we were a happily married couple.

Because we were not only not happy, I didn’t feel like even married anymore. Just two strangers sharing a roof and trying to get through each day to the best of our abilities.

Everyone noticed my attitude towards my wife and I did not have even an ounce of energy to provide any explanations. I just wanted to get through the coming shitstorm unscathed and then see what I was going to do moving forward.

I sensed Hae-in’s gaze on me multiple times ever since she arrived here yesterday. She was trying to make sense of this new side of mine, I guess because I could see the intrigue in her eyes. I ignored her. I did not talk to her unless necessary and acted cordially enough to avoid my mother’s scolding.

I am in my room, tending to the wounds on my knuckles when Hae-in comes in and joins me. No permission. Nothing. As usual bulldozing into my life.

I look up at her and raise a questioning brow waiting for her to speak. “Yes? Do you need anything?”

“You. I need you,” she says. I stare at her for a beat, sense the seriousness in her tone, and notice that she barely holding on to her emotions.

“You are Hong Hae-in - a chaebol princess with billions to your name. You don’t need someone like me.” I say as I look down and focus on applying ointment but being left-handed using my right hand to do such tasks is a major pain.

Before I knew it, she snatched the earbud, pulled my left hand in her, and started applying it herself.

Her thumb brushes over my bare wedding ring finger a few times and she looks up at me in question, but there’s no anger or judgment.

“I didn’t want it to get bloodied so I have kept it in the drawer.” I lie. She didn’t need to know that I was wearing it in a chain as we spoke. I can’t part with my wedding ring even for a second. It makes me feel cold and lonely.

She nods and whispers after a few beats, “I know you are angry,” which brings a sarcastic laugh out of me. Gosh, that’s the understatement of the year. She looks at me and a painful look crosses her eyes as she sees just how much I am holding in.

“You don’t have even a tiny idea of what I am feeling Hae-in-a and I truly believe that you wouldn’t understand. You have never been in my shoes so you will never understand what I am going through.” I say softly as I pull the earbud and do the final touches.

“Mianhe. Jeongmal mianhe,” she whispers. I am shocked because that’s the second time in less than a day that Hong Hae-in has apologized.

“What exactly are you apologizing for?” I ask coldly as every instance in the past few months of her public lash outs and the constant humiliation from her family runs through my mind.

Before she can reply, she gets a call.

I don’t wait around and wrap up my hand as I hear Hae-in saying after a few beats, “Okay. I am coming. I will be there in about three hours.”

Once I am done with the gauze, I look up to find her already staring at me.

“I will drop you to Seoul. Come on,” I say knowing that her driver had gone back. Whether it was intentionally done by Hae-in or not, I don’t know.

She just nods and moves towards the door.

“Wait,” I get up and go to my table and pick up the resignation letter I typed out earlier.

Handing it to Hae-in, I see all the color drain from her face. “As promised, my letter of resignation. Also, I will not serve the one-month notice, so you can cut my salary as well. Yesterday was officially my last day at Queens.”

She looks up at me defiantly and says, “I don’t accept it. I can’t relieve you until this whole issue with the Lims is resolved.” But she isn’t fooling me. I see the desperate gleam in her eyes as she valiantly tries not to break down.

I just give her a tired nod. “Okay. I will resign after that then.”

Not waiting for her to answer I walk out and say, “Let’s go. We need to leave now if you want to make it to your meeting in time.”

Hong Hae-in POV

My husband drives me back to Seoul as I sit beside him in the passenger seat in his sleek Mercedes after ages. Baek Ho Yeol, Hyun woo's nephew (also mine by extension) tagged along with us.

He saw us leaving and started throwing a fit wanting to go to Seoul with his samchon.

If there’s one thing I know well after five years with Baek Hyun-woo then it’s the fact that with Ho Yeol, Hyun-woo never says no.

Even when we were dating, Hyun-woo would never stop talking about his nephew. Before every single trip back to Yongduri, I would see Hyun-woo buying loads of gifts for the little man.

For Hyun-woo, Ho Yeol is the perfect kid and there is nothing her husband wouldn’t do for his nephew.

The handful of times I had spent with his family, I always heard Hyun-woo’s elder brother scolding Hyun-woo for constantly spoiling his son. Hyun-woo just ignored him and continued to dote on Ho Yeol in the very next breath.

Even now, it has been over an hour and a half and Hyun-woo has checked up on Ho Yeol every fifteen minutes. I already know that the key reason Hyun-woo agreed to let his nephew tag along was to ensure that there was no confrontation from my end. I would never discuss our issues in front of anyone, let alone a child.

Just as we are nearing the headquarters, I call up my secretary and tell her to be ready with my clothes. I planned on changing in minutes because there was no way I was showing up to a board meeting in crumpled clothes – it was a sign of weakness, one which I was not going to show to my opponents.

When we are just five minutes away, Hyun-woo says, “You don’t need to take a stand for me with the board Hong Hae-in. I have more than enough proof to defend myself. Just focus on yourself and your company.”

“Ottoke…” I ask and he chuckles.

“Gosh, do you think I didn’t see this coming? Lim Jae’s dad has a controlling stake. Of course, the senior is out to draw blood for his useless pampered ass of a son. He will be passing a proposal to have me fired and sued on behalf of Queens Group, which would need board approval,” my husband says coolly as if he is discussing the weather with me.

Baek Hyun-woo is already ten steps ahead of everyone. I can feel it in my bones that he has already decided his next steps.

No one would look at him right now, with his white t-shirt, black jeans, black jacket, and Nikes with his bangs down his forehead in soft waves, and peg him to be such a cold, calculating, and ruthless person.

Before I can muster up a reply, we reach the entrance. When I get down, I see Secretary Na as well as Hyun-woo’s secretary waiting for me. I turn around and bend slightly to look at my husband, who has rolled down the window.

“Drive safe. Are you going back to Yonduri?” I ask hesitantly, really hoping that he would say no. He only gives me a slight nod, telling me that he needs his own time.

I plaster a fake smile and nod. Before I know it he has pulled onto the road.

Hong Hae-in, let's go. You need to be on your A-game.

I turn to the secretaries and take in their grim expressions. As I start walking, I promise myself that no one will dare to harm Baek Hyun-woo on my watch. 

At 4:45 pm, I make my way to the conference room on the 50th floor after changing my clothes. There are whispers all around the whole time. Baek Hyun-woo’s assistant seems to have followed my instructions to the T.

Just before entering I turn to look at both the secretaries and say, "You know what to do."

They nod and leave. Just before entering I check in my phone with one of the assistants who is holding a tray. Its already filled to the brim. Looks like I am a late.

All 15 board members are already seated. My grandfather, father, and brother are at the head of the table, and my seat is empty right between Soo-cheol and Abeoji.

Just as I settle in, I see a seething Mr. Lim Myung Chul taking a seat right opposite me. I stare right back at the old man as he glares daggers at me.

If not for the fact that the guy was sitting beside Mr. Lim Myung Chul, I wouldn’t have recognized Lim Jae at all. His left eye is black and blue, is sporting a split lip, a cut on his forehead, and the right side of his jaw is swollen.

The black eye is a good touch – should give credit to his make-up person, but I am well-versed enough in cosmetics to know what is art and what is true skin color. Moreover, I have seen the video almost a hundred times and know for a fact that my husband didn’t hit this jackass anywhere near his eye.

Gosh, Baek Hyun-woo! I am so damn proud of you baby.

One of these days I would love to become a spectator of his boxing skills. Plus it’s a huge turn-on. Baek Hyun-woo looks out of the world hot when he is furious and is throwing punches without a care in the world.

Harabeoji begins, "Thank you, everyone, for making it on such short notice. However, Mr. Lim Myung-Chul had some very serious allegations against Queens Group's Legal Director Baek Hyun-woo. We are here to listen to what Mr. Lim has to say and take a call based on facts, evidence, and witnesses. Mr. Lim you may start."

The old man (a venomous snake in my opinion) gets up and plasters a fake pained and concerned look on his face and starts, "Thank you, everyone, for coming in today. What I am about to say may surely come as a shock to many but I come here with proofs."

"For the past few weeks, the Legal Director and team lead of the Legal Department Mr. Baek Hyunwoo has been harassing my son. As you all know, my son's clothing brand is placed in the north wing of Queens Department stores. Mr. Baek has been making weekly visits to my son's shop and mistreating and manhandling him, demanding a 5% cut in the profits. Moreover, he has constantly turned down his request for legal approval for two more blocks to expand his brand's presence. Things had gotten so bad that I put a team of five bodyguards on him.”

In the meantime, he presents a collage of a few pictures staged near Lim Jae’s shop, but funnily not a single one shows Hyun-woo’s face. They seemed to have hired someone with a similar build and acted as if Lim Jae was being manhandled.

I laugh internally. These idiots conveniently forgot that my husband is left-handed, unlike the guy who has raised his right hand as if to hit Lim Jae. Secondly, one of the pictures is taken in such a manner that the left hand of the fake Hyun-woo is visible – and his wedding ring is missing.

“Yesterday though Mr. Baek crossed all limits. He accosted my son in the basement parking of this very building and attacked him.”

The old man walks over to his son and keeps his hands on his shoulders. “As you can see Mr. Baek Hyun-woo has caused bodily harm to him. You can see it clearly in the video.”

The tampered video much to no one’s surprise starts exactly when Hyun-woo punches Lim Jae. It's as if he teleported right in front of Lim Jae and his “guards” and just started throwing punches for the heck of it. None of the provocations from Lim Jae or Baek Hyun-woo's resignation are included. The video has been doctored in such a manner that it portrays that the guards stepped in only after my husband physically attacked the guy they were supposed to protect.

The conversations and whispers begin amidst the people as I wait for the older man to put forward his motion.

“As you all can see for yourself, Mr. Baek Hyun-woo has been acting like a thug and inappropriately taking advantage of his position,” he turns to look at me and continues, “as well as his connection to CEO Hong Hae-in. He is doing collective harm to our company. I would like to pass an immediate motion to fire Mr. Baek Hyun-woo and also be cognizant of the fact that such an unethical person shouldn’t be practicing law. The firm should file for immediate disbarment of Mr. Baek Hyun-woo so that he doesn’t get to practice law and destroy innocent lives.”

Every single word out of his mouth is a dagger to my heart as I try to reign in my fury.

Patience Hae-in-a. Wait for the right time.

Taking a deep breath I maintain my calm and indifferent façade even as my blood thunders in my ears.

“I have also invited my son’s guards as witnesses. Chairman Hong, I request that we let them in.” Mr. Lim looks at Harabeoji, who nods.

Just as the massive floor-to-ceiling doors of the boardroom open, the five so-called guards walk in.

And just as planned Secretary Na rushes in and bows to Haraboeji.

“Chairman Hong, apologies for barging in, but everyone needs to see this video which came out just before the board meeting started. Its with regards to Mr. Baek Hyun-woo and Mr. Lim Jae."

"What the hell is this nonsense? This is not the way to disrupt a board meeting and no phones allowed." Mr. Lim shouts. 

I get up and walk over to Secretary Na, take the phone, and ask the technical assistant to run it on the big screen. "What's wrong Mr. Lim? If we are passing an evidence-based motion, then we should be taking into account every thing concerning your allegations."

The video starts off in the background before Mr. Lim Jae can make any accusations. 

With every progressing second the look on my father's and grandfather's face sours. My father and brother stand up with such force when Lim Jae called Hong women sluts that their chairs collapse. 

My brother is a whirlwind as he rushes towards where we are standing but I am quick to place my hand on his chest as I see his eyes blood red and tearing. I just shake my head and stand in front of him shielding him from the Lims. 

Both the Lim men are now standing and Lim Jae shouts, “This is a doctored tape. We have already shown you the real one.”

He gets a crazed look in his eyes as he edges closer to me and says, “You. You did this. You are doing this to protect your worthless husband.”

“We have witnesses. My guards, they will tell you.”

He rushes to the five men standing a few feet away.

“Tell them. Tell everyone what happened.”

The one dressed in a pin-stripped magenta-colored suit comes forth and says, “My name is Pyeon Seong Uk. We all work for Mr. Lim Jae and Mr. Lim Myung-Chul hired us just last week. What Mr. Lim Jae mentioned is correct.”

“See? See, I told you all,” the senior says as he turns to look at the board.

“We were told to laugh and mock Mr. Baek Hyun-woo by Mr. Lim Jae to such an extent that Mr. Baek would be forced to attack Mr. Lim Jae first. We were supposed to let Mr. Lim Jae get hit at least once for the sake of the video before we stepped in as if to indicate that we were protecting Mr. Lim and weren’t his hired goons,” Mr. Pyeon finishes.

Wait a minute. What the hell is going on? This was not a part of my plan. I turn to my secretary and notice that she is just as shocked.

“Hya! What the hell are you talking about? I will destroy you.” Lim Myung-Chul seethes out pointing at Mr. Pyeon and catches the guy’s collar.

“I would recommend that you step back Mr. Lim Myung-Chul unless you want my client to sue you for assault.”

I look toward the door to find Kim Yang Gi, Hyun-woo's college friend, walking toward the group. He stands beside Mr. Pyeon and makes a scene of removing Mr. Lim’s hands from his client’s collar.

“Are you okay, Mr. Pyeon? Don’t you worry. This is caught on video so we will file a case against Mr. Lim if you want.” Yang Gi-ssi says in his usual sassy voice.

Isn’t Yang Gi-ssi a divorce lawyer? Ottoke…

The words that I acknowledged to myself not even an hour ago came back rushing to me.

Baek Hyun-woo is already ten steps ahead of everyone.

Lim Jae’s furious eyes turn on me and he shouts, “Hya! I will have him disbarred at any cost, You did this. You bitch!” he screams. I have to physically restrain my brother from punching the asshole as my brain tries to contemplate just what would happen if my husband's career was destroyed over this.

Before I can reply to his threat and make sense of what’s happening someone is standing in front of me. It only takes me a second to recognize the familiar cologne. I realize it's Baek Hyun-woo, my husband.

I feel him pushing me and my younger brother behind him with his right arm as his six-foot-tall frame vibrates with unbridled anger.

"You really are as dumb as you look, aren't you Mr. Lim Jae?” he asks in a menacing voice.

Chapter Text

Hong Hae-in POV

"You are as dumb as you look, aren't you? What had I told you just the other day, Mr. Lim?" Hyun-woo asks in a menacing voice.

"You will evacuate and you will provide a public apology. Specifically to my wife," Baek Hyun-woo adds after a beat just as I move forward to stand beside him.

"A public apology? My foot. I would die rather than apologize to this woman” the younger Lim screams like a toddler while looking at me. Hyun-woo almost punches him, but I hold his wrist just in time and give him a shake of my head. He needs to try and stay calm.

The elder Lim is seething and he looks at Harabeoji and says incredulously, "Are you going to let this worthless piece of shit talk to us like that?”

"Mr. Lim," I raise my voice. Who the fuck does he think he is calling my husband worthless?

And I expect to my husband to stay calm when people here spew such nonsense. 

“I have a controlling stake in this company. I stood by you Hongs for years and you think I would let you humiliate me like this?” the elder man fumes out. “I own 10% shares in this company. If I want to I can ensure that you lose billions in hours."

The sinister smirk that follows tells me that Lim Myung-Chul is planning to do just that. But before I can say anything, my husband laughs out loud. It’s a cold and mirthless laugh.

He takes out his phone and calls someone, "Come inside. Get all the files," he says as his smirk sends shivers down my spine.

What the hell is he going to do?

Not a second later, several of Hyun-woo's team members walk in with three boxes and they quickly hand over everything to Hyun-woo.

As he takes out the files one by one and smashes them on the table right beside him "Embezzlement, Fraudulent Entries, Illegal funding - these are for you, Senior Lim."

"Fake accounts, tax evasion, and sexual assault  - these are for you, Junior Lim."

The room is stunned into silence. I step closer to Hyunwoo just as I see the faces of our opponents paling as they take in the sizable evidence against them.

"Hya, you asshole stop making shit up. You have no right." Lim Jae tries to hit Hyun-woo, but my husband is much faster.

Even in this situation, he pushes me behind him with his right hand and in the next second promptly twists his opponent's arm and pushes him against the conference room table.

"Do you think I couldn't do a background check on you and your father when you both had me and my whole family stalked for months?"

"What the hell?" I step in not able to help myself. How did I not know about this?

Hyun-woo ignores my question and pulls up Lim Jae by the collar so that they are eye to eye now.

"You continuously broke Queens' rules. I let it go. You kept badgering me for weeks. I let it go. You stalked me and did a background check on me and my family. I let it go. You spoke shit about me. I let it go. You spoke shit about my family. I let it go. But I will make you regret going after my wife. Going after Hong Hae-in will prove to be the dumbest mistake of your life."

Despite everything that has happened these past few months, he is openly taking a stand for me. My heartbeat is thundering in my chest as I witness my husband's protective and possessive aura. I would kiss him senseless right now if we didn't have so many people around.

Lim Jae snatches one of the files and starts going through it as if he couldn't believe others could find dirt on him.

Baek Hyun-woo turns to the elder Lim and says, “You are dreaming if you think your controlling stake is of any use now.”

He steps back looks at both the Lim's and declares, "Lim Myun-Chul and Lim Jae: I will be suing you both for your life's worth and I plan on dedicating my life to ruining yours."

I have NEVER seen Baek Hyun-woo like this. He looks positively murderous.

And hot. So fucking hot.

The white t-shirt he is wearing leaves nothing to imagination. His biceps and forearms flex as he tries to reign in his anger.

This is the perfect time.

The space is limited so when I step in front of my husband to talk to Lim Jae, I can feel Hyun-woo breathing behind me.

Pulling the file which the douchebag has in his hand I say, “Three months ago, you tried to act smart with me. Using your dad’s stake in my company’s decision-making so that I would push my husband to do your bidding. Back then itself I had warned you that my husband would shred you to pieces if he ever wished to do so. Baek Hyun-woo is no one’s pawn. He is the king on my board. I will leave it up to my husband to hand out the punishment. If he wants to sue you to the last of your pennies, then I will support him in every way possible.”

I feel Baek Hyun-woo stiffen behind me and he holds his breath. I can feel the eyes of every single person glued to me, including my husband.

“I think we should hand them over to the cops,” Abeoji says. Elder Lim starts laughing in disbelief. True nutjob.

I just raise my hand and my dad stops understanding that I wasn't finished. 

“All of this can go away. No cops. No cases. You live your lives, we live ours. You just need to do two things.” I look at both the men who look pathetically close to tears.

“Anything. We will do anything as long you promise none of these things go out of this room.” The elder man croaks out and he hits his son on the head after a beat to make him nod as well.

Their affirmative nods send sheer sadistic pleasure cruising through me. I turn to my secretary and nod at her.

Oh you will regret crossing my husband and family for every second of the remainder of your worthless lives. 

Baek Hyun-woo POV

What is she doing? The look on her face is scary. She is in her devil queen mode at the moment, with her claws beared to latch on to her next target. 

"First. You will transfer your entire 10% stake worth 100 billion won to my husband Baek Hyun-woo by the end of this week and hand in your resignation." 

I hold her hand planning to step in. But she squeezes back requesting my silence.

What the fuck is she doing? I don't need that money. She should get it transferred to herself or her family. I couldn't give two hoots about the money.

"What? How can you..." Lim Jae starts to say.

She just picks up the top file and arches her brow. The action in itself is enough to send the message to the dunderhead.

"Okay. Okay, I will do it," Lim Myun-Chul croaks out.

To my surprise, Eomonim and Abeonim walk in. Why are they here? Did Hae-in call them?

I arch a brow at Abeoji in question but he just shakes his head slightly.

“And the second…” the elder asks hesitantly.

Even with the already cramped space, I see my wife step closer to Lim Jae. He has a few inches over her but if looks could kill, Lim Jae would have already been in the seventh pit of hell.

In the next breath and in a move that would make anyone proud, Hae-in managed to kick Lim Jae in the shin and bring him to his knees as he shouted out in pain, “Hya-“

“Apologise,” Hae-in breathes out with barely restrained fury. Her eyes are red with unshed tears of anger. That’s the most amount of emotion I have seen my wife displaying in public.

I belatedly realize that she has made him kneel in front of my parents.

“What the - ” he once again starts. Hae-in crouches down to his eye level and says, “Either you apologize to my in-laws for insulting them..” once again her sinister smile comes to the fore.

“….or I will ensure that my husband decimates you in court. Baek Hyun-woo is the best corporate lawyer in the country and has a 99% success rate. So choose wisely.”

For the first time since I met Hong Hae-in five years ago I come to the blinding realization. She is so fucking proud of me.

I can see the Schadenfreude dancing in her eyes. She would thoroughly enjoy me taking apart these men in court and then she would devour me the moment we get home because I know for a fact that my brains are a turn on for my wife. 

Before he can say anything, Eomma steps forward and keeps a hand on Hae-in’s head, “Aega. It's not necessary. Just forget about it.”

Hae-in looks up at her and says, “Eomonim, no one talks to my family like that and not face consequences.”

Everything becomes white noise as he splutters out apologies and I hold my wife’s gaze – with me standing, her crouched down – almost as if she is trying to apologize.

She is silently pleading. Its her way of asking for forgiveness for the way she has treated me. Her apology from today morning comes rushing back. 

Oh Hae-in-a, what will I do with you?

Hong Hae-in POV

We are in Harabeoji's office sometime later. Baek Hyun-woo and his friend Yang-gi are sitting opposite us. While Yang-gi looks slightly uncomfortable, Baek Hyun-woo is sitting as if he doesn't have anymore fucks to give.

I saw some of his anger melt while I was crouching down desperately trying to convey a million sorries which I couldn't even manage to whisper out. A brief look of understanding passed between us, but he was back to the cold and closed off version now. 

He seemed so done and beyond caring. My brother and dad had raised brows when they had seen him take a seat and make himself comfortable. His left leg was thrown over his right and his right hand was resting on the top of the sofa as once again his biceps and forearms remain on full display. 

I am thanking my stars that there is no female here expect for me because I would go crazy if anymore females witness this sexy side of my husband. 

After both best friends are done narrating the whole Lim family fiasco and what all they had found, Haraboeji says, "Baek Hyun-woo, you have done a great job indeed. You deserve a raise and a promotion for this."

Baek Hyun-woo just gives an emotionless chuckle as if he doesn't believe a word Harabeoji says and I can't blame him. He has never been treated like a family member by the Hongs. So its obvious that he will not fall for this. 

"Thank you Chairman Hong for your kind words, but I must decline." 

He gets up before anyone can react, so does his friend. He turns to face Harabeoji and says, "I have already submitted my resignation to Hong Hae-in. Yesterday was officially my last day with the Queens group."

"You have got to be kidding," Soo-cheol scoffs out as if Baek Hyun-woo was doing the dumbest mistake of his life. 

If only he understood that for so many people self-respect is a million times more important than money. Baek Hyun-woo has put up with enough because of my family. 

My husband ignores the jibe but I see a look of shame pass on my father's eyes. Yes, he does know very well what absolute assholes we have been to Baek Hyun-woo. 

I turn just in time to see Hyun-woo bowing slightly, and a chain is dangling across his neck. I notice the wedding ring in it. He may have acted nonchalant in the morning as if he didn't care but he couldn't part from the ring either.

All of a sudden, there's an influx of people into the room and I see whole of Hyunwoo's team barge in without permission.

One by one, starting from his secretary started lining up in front of Harabeoji.

"If you are going to accept our team leader's resignation, then please accept ours as well. We go where he goes," the secretary says as he points a thumb at Baek Hyun-woo, who is standing like a statue.

Maybe there's still some hope left after all. 

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

"If you are going to accept our team leader's resignation, then please accept ours as well. We go where he goes," my secretary says as he points a thumb at me.

"Hya, have you all lost it?" I seethe.

All ten of them turn sideways to look at me and each one looks like a kicked puppy.

These idiots have gossiped so much about me, the whispers echoing in the shared space of the Legal team. Each one was a stab in the initial days, but after Hae-in's open insults all of it became even more unbearable. 

I don't give a fuck if these people have had a change of heart. No matter what they did to me, no one deserved to be punished for my actions. That's the only reason I ensured that they would be protected to the very end. 

"I didn't work so hard to take a promise from Hong Hae-in only for you to throw it down the drain this way. What the hell are you all doing?" I shout. The entire Hong clan is staring at me as they see me openly shouting for the first time. 

"We will not stay here without you," my secretary says.

I glare at him as if to say, "Oh Seok-jin, you wait. You have a thrashing coming your way." The guy has been more loyal to Hong Hae-in than me. But he has the decency to look away immediately. He knows I am beyond pissed.

"What is wrong with you all? Do you want to be in the dumps along with me? I have nothing figured out yet. What will you do? Farm with me in Yongduri?"

"Yes, if need be," Yoon Joo won, one of the first persons to become my reporter says.

"Hya, Yoon Joo won..."

"Hyung, jebal.. we are not staying here without you," the guy raises his voice.

"Do you think calling me Hyung will melt me? Yoon Joo won, your kid needs you. He is just two months old dammit."

"Yes, I know. I got the anonymous gifts just last week. Do you really think we don't see what all you have done for us? Hyung, please."

"You have done too much for us to turn our backs on you now. And we are beyond ashamed of ourselves for how we have treated you. Each one of us wants to apologise individually. But before that we stick by our decision to resign," He continues after a beat.

I am stunned in silence and am trying to figure out how the hell to convince these people otherwise.

Just as the wheels in my head start turning, the next bomb drops as I hear Hong Hae-in say, "I too resign."

What. The. Fuck. Is. She. Doing? 

What is wrong with everyone today?

Before she can say anything else, I pull her out of the room. Luckily she follows silently.

When we are outside in a quiet corner, I turn and get to the point, "Don't give up on your One Trillion Club dream for someone like me."

"Someone like you? What do you mean?" She asks with furrowed brows.

Why is she doing this? The more I try to get a clean cut from this place, the deeper she seeps into my bones.

She didn't care when I was getting humiliated on a regular basis in the office or at home. Heck. There were times when she was the one throwing painful insults my way. After losing the baby, losing my wife was the heartbreak I wouldn't even wish on an enemy.

But.

My wife made one of the most high handed persons in the Queens Group kneel and apologize to my family after winning me 100 billion won.

I can't help but sigh. I am so tired and confused.

"Hong Hae-in, I am exhausted and quite honestly tired of everything this place has put me through. It's time I put myself first because it's been made abundantly clear that I will only ever be the poor village guy who married you for money. Guess what, I don't want your money and I have no expectations from you either. So let me go."

Maybe even as a husband.

She grasped the unsaid words.

I don't know how long I can stay in a marriage which has no love and communication.

She gets a pained look as she trembles as if she knows that I am almost on the verge of giving up on our marriage. Her actions today have put me on the crossroads because I realised that my wife did care. She just didn't know how to show it.

She had looked like a wrathful queen when she destroyed the Lims. She looked highly offended when the elder Lim had called me worthless. I could see that she would have loved to physically attack the guy for insulting me. This kind of emotional display from my wife was a shock to the system.

To my utter shock she steps closer and holds my left hand in hers, with her thumb touching my bare wedding ring finger. As her eyes briefly go to the chain which I am wearing, she whispers "I am not letting you go. You are the only person in my life worth living for. If you leave I will lose myself."

My eyes widen and breathing stutters at her words. Hong Hae-in is many things but she is not a liar. I can see it in her eyes. She is telling the truth.

"Please. Don't leave. Give me a chance to apologise properly." she continues.

Her red rimmed eyes are tugging at my heartstrings and I am once again reminded just how powerless I am in front of this woman. 

Not now Baek Hyun-woo. This wife of yours you can handle tonight. There are people waiting for us.

11 people. That's how many peoples lives I would be responsible for if I resign. Gosh, wae??? Why me?

"Okay. Let's go." I take in a deep breath and start walking back. To my suprise, she follows and slips her fingers through mine and holds my left hand tightly.

As soon as I enter everyone looks up. We might have gone hardly ten minutes but it looked like everyone had waited.

"Chairman Hong. I will stay. But I have my own demands," I say.

He nods and asks me to continue.

"I will only work four days in a week. I would like to have a three day weekend going forward because I plan on spending more time with my family."

He nods.

"Secondly, since I am saving Queens' significant amount of time, effort, and money for replacement of 10 Legal department staff, the company will give all these people a 30% raise effective immediately."

I hear the suprised gasps from my team.

"Don't you think that's a bit too much?" Hong So Cheol asks in a condescending voice. My wife sucks in an irritated breath beside me, but doesn't say anything.

I look at him and revert calmly, "My team has saved this firm nearly 100 billion won in the last two years. By that calculation they should be getting 10 billion won each. I am asking only for 30% raise per head which would cost the firm about 4-5 billion won. If I wanted to be too much I would have asked the firm to divide 100 billion won between my team."

"Why don't you just divide the 100 billion won which you will be getting from Lim Myung Chul then?" So Cheol asks. Does he think he will get some bonus points with the Chairman by acting as if he was negotiating with me? Gosh how is is this kid so naive? 

"For once you have said something which makes sense Hong So Cheol."

I turn back to the Chairman, "Irrespective, the 30% raises are non-negotiable, if you want me to stay," I say after a careful consideration. 

Everyone is looking at me once again. I can feel my wife's eyes glued to me on my left.

"Okay. Since we are already discussing pays, how much raise will you take Baek Hyun-woo? And what title are you looking for?" Chairman Hong asks.

"Nothing. I am more than happy with my title and current pay," I say.

"Hya, Baek Hyun-woo, are you crazy?" My best friend speaks up from his place on the sofa.

I had forgotten that he was here.

I look at him for a beat and he chuckles hollowly. "You know better than anyone that it's never been about the money."

My wife sucks in a sharp breath beside me but I don't look at her.

"Okay, send me the drafted contracts by tomorrow." Chairman Hong says and adjourns the meeting.

I am the first one to walk out followed by my entire team who have no clue how to react.

Before anyone can say anything Yang-gi stands in front of me as he faces them with a scathing look.

They don't dare to look up.

"You insult Baek Hyun-woo one more time and I swear to God I am going to sue your asses for defamation and ensure that you are buried into the ground."

"Yangi-ya, that's enough," I say.

"Yah, shut up. You will not rob me of this opportunity. I have heard enough nonsense against you in this place. Not a single person knows who you really are," he seethes with righteous anger. 

"Its okay. Let's go. I need to check up on my parents as well on our way out."

Before I leave, I turn to my team and say, "Go now. You guys need the rest after the amount of work I dumped on you guys last night to dig dirt on the Lims. Go and sleep. Before that head out to dinner at that sushi place and put it on my tab."

"Your team leader is right" Hong Hae-in walks out and stands beside me. "Go. You have earned a week's worth of paid leave for your loyalty to my husband."

My entire team is looking close to tears and I am not even joking. They understand the magnitude of what all has transpired in the last half an hour - as they should. They would think a hundred times before even considering the idea of backstabbing me or my wife. 

Each and every single one bows before leaving. 

I think it's time I talk to my wife. I turn to my best friend and one look is enough for him to take the cue. He leaves without a word. 

I finally turn to my wife. 

Hong Hae-in. 

"Let's go home. It's about time we talk," I say. 

Hong Hae-in POV

We are driving back home in Baek Hyun-woo's car. It's the same scene from hours earlier except that it's just two of us now. 

I had asked my driver to take my in-laws and nephew back to Yongduri immediately after the board meeting was finished. 

The entire walk from Harabeoji's 50th floor office down to the parking was silent. But every single person who walked past us was bowing to Baek Hyun-woo specifically. All of this was obviously because of the video. They knew the kind of stand my husband had taken for not only me, but also all women in general.

My husband, being the gem of a person that he is, bowed back to every single one. He didn't think he deserved the respect for doing the bare minimum. 

I got out of my musings just as he pulled into the Hong premises. 

Once we are in, he turns to me and says, "Give me 15 minutes. I want to take a shower first."

"Me too," I say softly. 

We part our ways to our respective rooms as my anxiety skyrockets. 

The hot shower does nothing to calm my nerves. When I finally make my way towards the sitting area some time later, I am surprised to see that the staff has left and there are sounds coming from the kitchen. 

I follow the sound only to find that my husband is cooking. 

Getting over the highly arousing view I make my way to stand beside him and ask, "Do you need help?"

"No. Today you will sit and I will feed you. You haven't eaten properly in forever," he says as he marinates the chicken. 

My breath catches in my throat. Despite his anger, he has noticed. I thought he was indifferent now and didn't care anymore. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Everything that has happened since yesterday evening comes crashing down on me like an avalanche.

Lim Jae's insults.

Baek Hyun-woo's resignation.

Visiting Yong-duri after months.

Hearing to my husband's confession of shame and guilt to Eomonim. 

Eomonim's hugs and doting.

The showdown with the Lims during the board meeting.

The extent of my husband's possessiveness and protectiveness and experiencing first hand just how ruthless he could be when pushed to the very edge.

The negotiation with Harabeoji.

The loyalty earned by my husband from his entire team in the span of a day. 

Everything that Baek Hyun-woo selflessly did for his team in return for their help to bring down the Lims.

All of it runs like a film. But it stops at the very real possibility of my husband giving up on us.

Before I know it I have hugged him from the back and I break down in body-wrecking sobs.

My tears continue even as I feel Baek Hyun-woo pull me to his front. 

God knows how much time later, whether it was ten minutes or an hour, I realise that we are now in the seating area with me in his lap, my head on his shoulder.

He is dropping soft loving kisses on my hair and forehead and whispering soft nothing's.

His words of comfort finally register a few minutes later. 

"Hae-in-a, I am not giving up on us. That's a promise."

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

“Cry as much as you want. Let it all out,” I whisper soothingly as the tears keep coming. I let myself cry along with her.

“Mianhe,” she croaks out.

“Stop apologizing Hae-in-a. Please,” I plead.

She slides out of my lap to sit on my right and wipes away her tears.

‘No, I need to. A few sorries won't be enough after how I have treated you these past few months.”

“I am not looking for apologies, Hae-in-a. I want us to talk and learn from our mistakes,” I say as I wipe the tears on her pale cheeks.

She needs to eat.

“Come on let me feed you first, then we can talk,” I pull her towards the dining table.

As we ate, I saw Hae-in looking surprised and appreciative, “I had no clue that you cooked so well.”

“It just never came up,” I shrug popping a meatball.

“If you want, I am happy to cook once every week,” I say softly looking down hoping she doesn’t notice how desperate I am for her to say yes. It would give us the perfect chance to spend more time without the outside world constantly butting in on our relationship.

“Baek Hyun-woo..” she says after a beat. I keep looking down and hum as an answer.

“Yeobo,” she whispers out, and my brain short circuits. She has called me that for the first time in close to a year and it's music to my ears.

“I would love that,” she says sincerely, but I am unsure she can make the time. Hong Hae-in being the workaholic that she is, is always busy.

“I won’t repeat that mistake. Our relationship is more important.” She states firmly as she sees the doubt in my eyes.

Seeing the sincerity in her eyes, I give her a grateful smile and softly nod at her plate.

Hong Hae-in POV

"Eat," he says as he once again looks up.

I nod and start eating.

"You boxed?" I ask curiously as I recall his fighting skills.

He nods and says, "Way back in college. But I got back into it as a part of my exercise regime over the past year. So I have been improving."

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" I asked somewhat hurt that I had no clue about this hidden talent of my husband's.

 "It just never came up. It is a hobby of mine which I resort to when I am extremely stressed and looking to vent out."

"Don't worry, now that I am staying back at Queen's, I will be back to boxing by next week. And I will let you tag along if you are interested," he adds laughingly.

I know that he is just joking. Still, a dread passes through my entire being. Is he going to be happy at Queens? No matter how hard I try, I can’t save him from everything.

"I am sorry you have to handle so many messy things on behalf of me and my family," I say.

"Hae-in a, will you please stop apologizing? I want us to talk about anything and everything instead of just saying sorry to each other. I too have a lot I want to apologize for and will do it when we start opening up."

"I will try. I promise," I whisper after a beat.

We finished up our dinner in no time and for the first time in God knows how long, I help him clean out the dishes.

"You want to hang out for a while?" He whispers hesitantly as we are heading up the stairs some time later.

While there is doubt on his face, the blush on his cheeks sends warmth spreading through my very pores. My enthusiastic nods bring out his signature shy smile.

"Let's go for a walk. The weather's nice," I suggest. It's about time I utilize the massive Hong estates for something useful other than tea parties and family functions.

As we step outside, we stick to the pathway and walk side by side silently for quite some time.

"Are you okay?" I ask softly. He has been through a rollercoaster of emotions since yesterday.

My focus immediately goes to his left hand, which still has bruises but no bandage is needed. I take his hand in mine and examine closely looking for any signs of infection.

"Kwenchana. You have always been such an obsessive worry wart," he laughs.

"Hya, Baek Hyun-woo, what good wife worth her salt wouldn't be bothered over her husband's injuries and the fact that he got beaten up by five men? My heart was in my throat when I saw you go up against so many thugs yourself. " I retort.

"I didn't get beaten up," he says vehemently and in a somewhat offended tone.

He is right.

He won fair and square, but I am too worried that if something like this ever happens again my sexy as fuck lawyer-by-day, boxer-by-evening husband would once again get hurt. So no, I won't accept in front of him that he didn't get beaten up.

"The next time you are outnumbered just run away. Get beaten up like this one more time Baek Hyun-woo and I will kill you myself." I point a finger at him and give him a look which is hopefully masking my worry and concern with a warning. I am dead serious. I absolutely hate seeing him hurt.

"Answer me," I step closer, straining my neck to look up at him and pull his face closer to mine with my right hand and squish his cheeks.

He is quick to slip his hand across my waist and further pulls me into him in a gentle embrace and whispers calmingly, "Arasso. As long as they don't cross you, I promise to not throw any punches."

"Hya, Baek Hyun-woo -"

"Hong Hae-in, there's a line no one will ever be allowed to cross. Do not expect me to accept nonsense when it comes to you or our children. That's final," he states in a dead serious tone all his boyish charm gone.

The word children has me freezing though.

He sees my frozen and pained expression and raises his right hand to cup my cheek.

His thumb brushes over my cheek softly as he tries to provide comfort without actually bringing up the topic.

We are not ready to talk about it. Yet.

My gaze instinctively lands upon his lips. It's been ages since we have been so close, with us sharing the same air almost breathing from one another.

The slightly swollen part from the split lip still needs to heal but otherwise his lips still look so soft. Being the attention and affection starved wife that I am, I can't help but imagine how it would feel like to kiss him right now.

How did we let things get so bad that I have to double guess before kissing my own husband?

"Kiss me, please. Its been too long," he whispers pleadingly, his breathing accelerating as he waited for me to make the move at my own pace.

When I look up at him, I realize that my husband is verbalizing the request more for my sake than his own. I see it in his eyes. He knows better than anyone how hard it is for me to verbalize my emotions.

I don't think and just act. 

Through the night I randomly woke up and couldn't help but touch my swollen lips. Baek Hyun-woo had devoured me as if I was the only oasis of peace in a deserted world. 

Next Day - Queens Group Headquarters

I was at the negotiation table, my eyes darting between the documents and the faces around me. Hong Seo Cheol, led the discussion with an air of confidence that bordered on arrogance and naivety. 

We were in a meeting with one of our leading competitors the Kings Group. We had finally decided to put our famous rivalry to some good use and see if we could collaborate on specific sub-segments within our industries with major focus on attracting the young consumer base. 

And my dear brother Hong Seo Cheol is leading this initiative. 

In my opinion, he is failing to see the pitfalls in his ideas. 

Baek Hyun-woo, is sitting across from me, his expression tight with frustration.

"Mr. Hong," Hyun-woo said, his voice measured and professional, "these clauses are dangerous. They expose us to significant risks. I am sorry to say this but Mr. Hong Seo Cheol is being over enthusiastic. We need to reconsider."

Harabeoji dismissed him with a wave. "You've made your point, Director Baek. Let's proceed."

Hyun-woo's gaze turns towards me, silently pleading for intervention. If he is seeking my support then the clauses really do us harm. Baek Hyun-woo's understanding on these matters is unparalleled. 

"Chairman Hong, maybe we should revisit these terms internally before signing." I say out loudly not making eye contact with anyone.

I should brace myself for my mother's berating tonight. 

"Okay, sure," Harabeoji says after a few beats of being stuck in thoughts. He stands up, a clear sign of the meeting being adjourned. I stand up and Secretary Na shows me my next list of appointments when I hear Harabeoji say out loudly, "Baek seobang, you really need to loosen up. We can't have all our projects getting delayed just because you keep having concerns over each clause."

I turn around just in time to see my husband stiffen but he doesn't say a word just bows slightly even as he takes the jibe with dignity.

What the hell is wrong with the Hong men? How are they not seeing that Baek Hyun-woo had put forth well founded concerns.

"Harabeoji..." I say only for him to raise his palm to indicate silence. 

As the boardroom starts emptying, I see my husband loosen his tie and ran a hand through his hair, the frustration evident in his every movement. 

Before I could approach him, I see the CEO Lee of Kings Group stride over to Baek Hyun-woo. Even from where I am standing, I see the elder man's admiration is palpable.

"Baek Hyun-woo ssi," CEO Lee said, extending his hand, "you are excellent at what you do. It's clear that Queen's Group leadership doesn't value you. Come work for me. I will pay you whatever you ask for. Your brains and brilliance are unparalleled."

My heart skipped a beat, a mix of panic, and guilt washing over me. I knew for a fact that Hyun-woo was highly sought after, but hearing it so plainly struck a chord.

Baek Hyun-woo looked at the elder man, his face calm - all traces of frustration from just a minute ago - completely gone. "Thank you for the offer, CEO Lee. But I must decline."

The head of Kings Group is not happy with that answer because he steps closer as I see his fist tighten slightly.

"Why though? What's so great about this place? We can give you everything this place has to offer and much more. Especially the respect you deserve," CEO Lee pressed further.

To my suprise my husband just smiles and says firmly, his voice unwavering, "CEO Lee, my first and foremost loyalty is to Hong Hae-in, my wife. Where she goes, I go," He bowed respectfully to CEO Lee and turned back to his task at hand.

I felt a lump in my throat and my eyes sting with unshed tears as the weight of his loyalty hits me hard. Despite everything—the harsh words, the neglect, the constant humiliation from my family— Baek Hyun-woo had remained steadfastly by my side.

I am still processing my husband's words when CEO Lee turns towards me - his expression a mixture of admiration, frustration, and envy.

"Do you have any idea what kind of a partner you have been blessed with?" his voice was stern but sincere as it echoed in the boardroom with only four occupants. "I would have given anything to get a son-in-law half as loyal as your husband is. I've offered the guy a job for the third time today, and his answer hasn't changed one bit."

I swallowed hard, the impact of his words sinking in. When I gaze at Baek Hyun-woo, he is acting as if he is aligning the files in front of him, but I know better.

Immense guilt and a rush of gratitude run through me simultaneously.

"Cherish him and appreciate the fact that you have been blessed with his support," CEO Lee continued, his eyes boring into mine. "Getting such people in today's world is a luxury."

As CEO Lee walked away, I felt a profound sense of realization wash over me. I know that my husband is a man of integrity and loyalty, but hearing it from someone else—someone who had tried to poach him multiple times—made it hit home differently.

I thought back to all the times I had dismissed his advice, the moments I had allowed my family to belittle him, and the harsh words I had hurled at him after their miscarriage. Despite it all, he had stood by me, unwavering in his support and loyalty.

As I look up at my husband a few moments later, I find him waiting patiently - most likely wanting to make sure I was okay. 

He raises his eyebrow in a silent "Kwenchana?" and I give him a firm nod as I valiantly try to reign in my emotions. 

As he walks away after giving me a small smile, I take in a deep breath and square my shoulders, determination flooding in my veins.

I couldn't undo the past, but I could start making amends now. I will show my husband Hyun-woo that I understood his worth, that I cherished his loyalty, and that I was willing to stand by him just as he had always stood by me.

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

The absolute silence when I entered my team's seating space should have been my first clue that something's wrong. 

I know for a fact that my teammates are the chattery type. Every few minutes someone would pull up their chair close to another, and start speaking in low voices. 

Today it seems that hell has frozen over. Every single one is dead silent and for some reason isn't making eye contact with me. 

I turn to my secretary and ask, "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Um Director Baek, you have meeting with CEO Hong in an hour." 

I nod and smile internally, remembering that I did indeed have a discussion on one of the ongoing negotiations with her. 

I had missed her. 

The past week had put many things into perspective for me. My misunderstanding over the past few months over my wife not caring about me had definitely been blown to dust.

Especially after the kiss. 

She had let me devour her that night and had openly shown her vulnerability in front of me after ages. 

We were finally speaking about the little things. We had started texting every couple of hours checking in on one another. 

Not getting a single message or reply to any of my messages yesterday had been an absolute torture. By evening I had almost decided to go back to Seoul and check on her myself, when I got a single line confirmation that she is fine. 

While going to Yongduri over the extended weekend was great, it made me realise just how much I missed Hong Hae-in. I had come to the conclusion that going forward I would most likely have to keep my visits just a day long because I didn't want to make my wife uncomfortable.

However, I knew it deep down that Hong Hae-in and I could wade through this. As long as we cared enough, we could definitely take care of our relationship. 

When I finally make my way to her office an hour later, I can't help but give her a big smile. 

With how much I had wanted her by my side every waking moment these past three days, seeing her right now makes me so happy.  

But.

She looks furious. At me. 

Then I notice her attire. Blood red.

My wife's clothes were a dead give away that something is definitely wrong. But for the life of me, I can't figure out if I did something wrong. 

I quickly revoke my memory to see if I had made any errors on the current negotiation, but don't recall Hae-in being in the cross hairs with my inputs on this one. Surprisingly, she had been on board with almost all the clauses I had proposed. Today's was just the finalization meeting. 

As the meeting progressed, I made several last minute suggestions, all of them practical and well-thought-out. But Hae-in's anger was at it peak. She deliberately turned down each of my proposals, finding fault where there was none, just to take a dig at me.

"I don't think that's the best course of action, Mr. Baek," Hae-in said, her tone icy. "We need more innovative solutions, not the same old strategies."

My face faltered. These were some of the suggestions I had made to her on during Thursday's dinner - one which I had cooked - and she had mentioned that they were fine. 

I am confused and somewhat hurt. "But, CEO Hong, I believe these suggestions align well with our current objectives and..."

"Enough," she cuts me off sharply. "We'll revisit this later. For now, let's move on."

The room fell silent, the tension palpable. I clenched my jaw in frustration, but didn't say anything further. 

My team once again exchanged uneasy glances, sensing the undercurrents of conflict between us. If anyone had thought that things had gotten better after what happened last week, clearly they were wrong. 

After the meeting, I hold back and walk over to her desk and ask in a low and controlled voice, "Can we please talk about what just happened?"

She looked at me, her anger and hurt simmering just below the surface. "I have nothing to say to you right now, Baek Hyun-woo-ssi."

Once again. No communication. 

She promised. 

I sigh, a mixture of disappointment and resignation. "You promised to talk to me, Hae-in a."

She gets a pained look almost as if she is struggling to find the words, but doesn't say anything else.

"Fine." I whisper. 

What more could I do? Despite the humiliation just a few moments ago, I had once again tried to talk to her. 

Had I gotten ahead of myself? Is our relationship beyond saving? Was last week just a dream? 

Hong Hae-in POV

I had once again done it, hadn't I? Hurt the one person who is everything to me.

My heart cracks as I watch him walk away, feeling a mix of regret and stubborn defiance. I knew we needed to talk, but my pride held me back.

Hong Hae-in, you are repeating the same mistake.

This is exactly what you did last time and you almost lost him.

What are you going to do if he decides to leave you forever thinking that you didn't care or value him? 

There are people out there trying very hard to poach him and he refuses to leave you. Heck, it took a competitor CEO's confession for you to realise just how much your husband has remained loyal to you.

Hae-in-a, this is your marriage. Don't keep your ego above the love of your life.

No. No. No.

Before I know it I am hurrying out planning to follow my husband, only to be stopped by my secretary.

"CEO Hong, its time for your weekly rounds."

No. Baek Hyun-woo deserves a proper apology. I will make it up to him today evening.

An hour later we are in the north wing on the second floor. Now that my earlier irritation has waned I am more focused on the changes needed in our stores.

But every few minutes my thoughts would go back to my husband and I would recall his hurt expression and I would feel like the worst wife on the planet. 

My walking speed would automatically increase so that I could finish the damn work and clear out my calendar to go and say sorry to Baek Hyun-woo.

No matter what I will not repeat my past mistakes.

I couldn't believe that I had let my feelings of being left out from the Yongduri trip take up such a huge turn that I had once again humiliated him.

Hong Hae-in, why do you always resort to hurtful words when in reality you are craving for his hugs and kisses?

I had missed him so much over the weekend. I would pick my phone every few minutes to either ping him or call him, but then I would recall that he hadn't even invited me to his hometown.

Did he not want me around? Was he somehow embarrassed of me when it came to his own family?

And I didn't think we were on the same comfort levels as the first year of our marriage just as yet for me to go and demand an explanation.

We both had been operating as separate entities for over an year now. That comfort and openness was gone.

We are rounding a corner as Secretary Na mentions about the repair works on this floor wrapping up in a week, when my foot gets caught on something.

I am stumbling forward in the next breath.

As the pain sears through my right foot, I am trying to make sense of my surroundings slowly coming out of the suddenness of everything.

Did someone scream my name?

Before I could fully comprehend what had happened, I felt someone grasping my injured foot with gentle yet firm hands.

Confusion clouded my mind and I looked up only to find my husband, Baek Hyun-woo, kneeling beside me. My heel seems to have fallen off in the process and I know for a fact that something has cut through my sole just by how much it stings.

I let out a soft whimper as he straightened my foot and we both note that it's sprained.

Blood stained my foot, and Baek Hyun-woo wastes no time in pulling out his handkerchief and tying it around the wound with practiced ease.

The mall around us is silent, all eyes are on the unexpected scene unfolding before them. Numerous people are recording and clicking pictures.

Gosh, this is going to result in bad publicity. Especially since the CEO herself has fallen prey to security oversight. I make a mental note to tell my secretary to get into firefighting mode.

But back to the present - being a hot headed person myself I know what it's like when people around me are angry. I have made an observation over my years in business, that everyone's anger is different.

So is my husband's.

To be more specific, Baek Hyun-woo's anger is precious.

It's because he reacts so rarely - might also be a product of his profession as a lawyer that he needs to remain calm and composed at all times - that when he is truly angry, people around can't help but remain silent and just watch the absolute annihilation.

That includes me.

I know better than to poke the lion when he is thirsting for a fight. But Baek Hyun-woo, my husband, is a sight to behold when he let's his tightly reined in emotions take over his entire being.

When he finally looks up, after tending to my injury and using his handkerchief as a temporary solution, his gaze is steely, his jaw clenched tight as he fights hard to remain calm.

He is barely hanging on by the thinnest thread. But the protective instincts lurking just beneath are so strong that my heart skips a beat.

We had a fight not an hour ago. I was so sure that he would most likely hate me after how I acted this morning. But he is here, looking like a caged animal who has been forced to see his mate get injured.

After removing my other heel, he helps me up and after ensuring that I have my balance, he quickly bends down to check if the handkerchief is still tight enough.

When he stands up again, he towers over me as his crazed look from earlier has been transformed to ice cold fury.

Still holding on to me, he turns to my secretary, who looks rightly scared, Baek Hyun-woo says, "Two things Na biso. A doctor should be there in my wife's office by the time I reach. Second, get me the Maintenance Director."

When Secretary Na doesn't respond, most likely frozen from the look on my husband's face, the following roar of "Now." sends shivers down my spine and I almost lose balance.

The raw power in his voice makes his words cut through the air like a whip, leaving no room for argument or excuses.

But Baek Hyun-woo seems attuned to my needs and he effortlessly picks me up in his arms in princess style as his deep breaths reverberate through my body.

Secretary Na POV

I always wondered how someone like Baek Hyun-woo - a pitiful person - managed to convince someone like Hong Hae-in for a relationship, let alone marriage.

I never understood what my boss Hong Hae-in saw in this guy.

Sure he is smart and one of the best looking men to have ever worked in the whole of Queens Group.

But I seriously wondered if the guy even had a spine to take a stand for himself. He was ill-treated day in and day out, even by his own wife, but he never budged. Didn't he have any self respect whatsoever?

I had always seen him as a laid-back figure, overshadowed by his powerful wife's success.

The past week had been an eye opener of epic proportions. Not only was Baek Hyun-woo not pitiful - one must accept that he looked sexy as hell with his anger and muscles flexing - not that I would ever accept it in front of my boss or husband - he could be lethal when provoked. 

And loyal. 

Its an underappreciated fact that Baek Hyun-woo's loyalty to his wife runs through his very bones. Sticking by her side no matter what is as natural as breathing to him because if there's no Hong Hae-in, what exactly would be Baek Hyun-woo's point of living? 

My boss' fall is so unexpected that I get flustered. I am not proud of it, but even the best of us take time to make sense of sudden accidents.

Before I can even call for a doctor Legal Director Baek is already crouching down and tending to her wound with temporary means.

Turns out the maintenance team has a death wish because who the fuck would be so reckless to keep tools lying unattended in the middle of the walkway. It's a mall for Christ's sake.

When he stands up and turns to me, the cold look in his eyes scares me. I have never seen him like this. 

My brain to mouth coordination seems to have gone on a vacation because I am scared of this version of Baek Hyun-woo.

The ensuing roar though - that guy whom I once found pitiful has a lion's roar - makes all the employees around look terrified.

I am literally breaking out in a sweat as I feel the fury roll off of Director Baek in waves. It's only the calm and composed nod from my boss, which makes me stand straight and not cower in front of her husband.

Within the next breath and in absolute k-Drama worthy fashion Baek Hyun-woo picks up his wife as if she weighs absolutely nothing. 

He starts walking towards the elevators just as the flustered Maintenance Director reaches the spot. 

The guy's face pales as he realized the gravity of the situation. Baek Hyun-woo's eyes bore into him with an intensity that made it clear he meant business.

"You and your company are getting sued for negligence and ignorance towards safety rules," Baek Hyun-woo's voice was cold and unyielding, each word laced with fury.

The Maintenance Director stammered out excuses, but Baek Hyun-woo's patience had worn thin.

"You should have thought about that before your recklessness resulted in my wife's precious blood being spilled," he spat out, his words cutting through the air like a knife.

He starts moving clearly not wanting to waste any time and I furiously type away instructions for the in-house infirmary to send medication and have the Queens' doctor on stand by immediately. 

Just as I enter the elevator right behind him, with just us three occupants, I sense my boss cup her husband's cheek and whisper out, "Yeobo, kwenchana?"

"Hae-in-a, help me calm down. Please," he whispers brokenly, clearly trying to kip a lid on his emotions. 

If I saw my boss devouring her husband like an x-rated movie, that's for me to know and you to find out. 

Chapter Text

Hong Hae-in POV

The universe is clearly on my side today. I don't care if it came at the cost of a small wound, a few scrapes, and some bad publicity which would definitely cause me a headache tomorrow morning.

After how badly I messed up, my husband's plea to help him calm down, felt like a golden opportunity for me to make it up to him.

And I didn't hesitate to pull him down into a searing kiss.

The kiss helped because when I do let him go after a few beats, his eyes slowly lost that intensity. While his worry lingered, he was no longer breathing fire.

What suprised me was that not once did his hold on me waver despite me kissing him like it was the end of the world.

The last few months had been so torturous with the entire universe playing against me -  a draining and demanding family, a scheming mother and brother, wolves in the industry - you name it and I had those villains chipping away at every precious atom of my peace.

But nothing broke me the way my husband's distance did.

All through the past week, it seemed as if I was destined for reprieve from the absolute agony of not only losing our baby, but also losing my husband.

I must thank Mr. Lim Jae though. I was finally able to see for myself just how much Baek Hyun-woo cares.

He still loves me. Despite everything.

My safety is and always will be my husband's priority - the past fifteen minutes pretty much broadcasted that whole fact to the world.

I had completely forgotten my secretary's presence and couldn't help but blush profusely looking at her embarrassed expression as Baek Hyun-woo walked out of the elevator.

My husband, on the other hand, has decided that he doesn't have any care of what people around us thought about us or our relationship. He has been so open with his emotions, but I am still trying to make sense of all of it because I am the last person to be comfortable with outward displays of care, concern, or affection.

---------------

My husband is hovering and making the doctor nervous.

He removed his coat and tie, and rolled up his sleeves the moment he placed me on the sofa in my office.

Thankfully he has calmed down.

"Should I take her to the hospital for a full check-up?" He asks for the third time and I am close to giving him a full on glare.

He just ignores my side eye and worries his bottom lip as the doctor finishes bandaging my wound.

He is brimming with worry because every few minutes he would clutch his hands together - a habit of his when he is scared.

It makes me so happy to see this side of his after months but he needs to chill out. It's not as bad as it looks.

When the doctor and my secretary leave, he turns to me and immediately gets to the point, "We need to talk about this morning. What happened? Did I do something wrong?" He asks slowly, looking like a hurt puppy seeking its owner's attention.

Shame floods through me as I look down. And as is my habit, I try to hold it in by biting my lip.

He crouches down in front of me and frees my lip and whispers huskily, "That's my job."

While that was a distracting statement, he wipes my tears and looks at me encouragingly as if to say, "Tell me."

"You left me," I can't help but say accusingly.

"After everything that happened last week, you left me for three days. Did it not occur to you that I would have wanted to come with you?"

He sucks in a sharp breath.

"Are you- " I am scared to ask this because what if he says yes?

I look down at my hands and whisper brokenly, "Are you ashamed of me?"

What will I do if my husband doesn't see me as a worthy partner? Had my actions over the past year finally lead to his breaking point?

"Hae-in a, look at me. Please." He says after a few beats.

I can't. I can't bring myself to look into his eyes. I am hurt and way too ashamed of my actions when it came to him.

I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't want me around his family after I ignored them for a whole year. But that doesn't mean that that knowledge doesn't hurt like a bitch.

If there's one person whose opinion of me matters, then it's my husband's.

"Hong Hae-in, look at me," his voice is commanding, low, and dominating and the tiny submissive side of me which only Baek Hyun-woo can bring out, takes note and I immediately look up at him even as tears blur my view.

While he is trying to calm me down and wiping my tears, his expression is closed off as if he is trying to hide something.

He sighs and says,"Hae-in-a, why would I be ashamed of you? It wasn't my intention to hurt you. But you clearly don't like my family, so I didn't want to impose."

"What gave you that impression?" I ask sharply, taken aback.

I adore my in-laws; they have given me more love and care than my own parents ever did. It's a different case altogether that I have treated them like shit this past year and I had no excuses to give for my less than acceptable behavior.

"Do you remember me breaking down a couple of months ago?" Hyun-woo's voice was gentle, reminding me of that painful night. 

He had begged me to open up about the miscarriage, but I had shut him out, consumed by guilt.

"Well, Eomma's birthday was that weekend and the village was throwing her a small party. She had really wanted you to be there. As you know, she adores you," Hyun-woo said softly, his eyes filled with sadness.

I am sensing the gravity in his tone and brace myself, knowing it would likely make me loathe myself even more.

"I had requested Secretary Na to put it on your calendar and had also dropped by to ask you in person. But hearing your words, I decided not to say anything."

"What did I say?" I ask, my voice weak with a growing sense of dread.

Hyun-woo hesitates, clearly reluctant to hurt me. "I think you had a big deal to crack that day...so it's okay. Let it be."

"Tell me." I press further.

I need to know if I fucked up once again. My husband's hesitance confirms that I did.

He remains silent, his expression pained.

I pick up my mobile from the seat right beside me and call my secretary in.

She is quick to come in and close the door to ensure our privacy.

"Secretary Na, my mother-in-law's birthday party which Baek Hyun-woo-ssi had asked you to add to my calendar. What did I say?" I ask directly.

My husband's face pales and he turns to my secretary with a pleading look, requesting her to remain silent.

That's not gonna happen. She knows my word is above everyone else's.

Secretary Na looked down, hesitant to speak. "Even if it's Queen Elizabeth's birthday, I can't make it. The deal with the Americans is more important," she finally said, quoting my exact words.

I thought I had had enough shame to last me a lifetime. No, turns out there's more. I close my eyes as the weight of my actions come crashing down on me.

No wonder Baek Hyun-woo stopped talking to me.

I had not only not cared for his emotions, but I had indirectly belittled his mother as well.

Gosh, is apologizing going to be enough for my massive fuck ups?

But the events of that day come rushing back to me.

The showdown with my mother.

"Tell your husband to stop being a thorn in my son's side or I have my ways to get him fired."

The only way of ensuring that that didn't happen was for me to become a part of the One Trillion Club and then Harabeoji would make me a veto shareholder on the board.

"Director Baek, in my boss' defense...." Secretary Na starts and I cut in.

"Na biso that's enough," I say.

It's better that my husband doesn't know about this. He already puts up a lot from my family. Threats to his career shouldn't be an added concern for him.

"But Sajangnim,"

"You can leave-"

"Wait. Tell me," Baek Hyun-woo cuts in, gets up and walks over to her.

"Na biso you do remember who's your boss right?" I say from my seat knowing that it was pointless to stand.

"Na biso, I will transfer 5 million won the moment you tell me what happened that day." Baek Hyun-woo says as if he is negotiating.

"Hya, my secretary is not buyable," I huff out in annoyance.

He just turns and gives me small glare, "If this has something do with our relationship, then I definitely deserve to know. Even more so given your constant need to protect me from everything."

He keeps looking at me and once again says, "Na biso, 10 million won. Tell me."

My eyes widen as I watch my husband bribing my secretary and realise that she is actually considering it.

"10 million and a fully paid week long vacation," she retorts.

The traitor.

"Done."

"In Hong Sajangnim's, defense, I hadn't mentioned to her that it was your mother's birthday party. Before I could even explain, she had cut me off. Moreover, that morning CEO Hong's mother had made a huge scene in the lobby and had thrown some hurtful words. She called her own daughter a bitch and insinuated that boss constantly tried to snatch things away from her brother, Hong So Cheol. She also threatened to have you fired because according to her you were deliberately not providing legal approval to Mr. Hong So Cheol's projects."

"Since you were threatened for no fault of your own, boss was in a very bad state of mind," she adds softly.

She bows and leaves.

Hyun-woo sucks in a sharp breath and looks up as if he is trying to once again calm down.

When he doesn't turn around or react within the next five minutes, I start crying.

"Mianhe. Mianhe. I didn't realise what I had done," as I whisper brokenly.

Baek Hyun-woo POV

I have hated my wife's family from the very beginning. With passion if I may add.

Not because they treated me like dirt, but because they treat Hong Hae-in like an adopted child they couldn't throw away for the sake of maintaining their public image.

No one in that place seems to give two fucks about her or her feelings.

I realised early on that Hong Hae-in is her own parent. She grew up by herself, all alone, un-protected, and surrounded by wolves. Day-in and day-out it's a battle for survival.

Her absolutely useless and worthless family is a driving factor of why I am overprotective about my wife. Because she has no one in her corner.

And I had vowed to myself that I will remain by her side no matter what.

I finally turn around, when I register her sobbing.

After ensuring that the blinds are still closed, I walk over to her and pull her into my lap.

"Yeobo..."

She looks up at me, tears running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize... I never meant to hurt you or make you or your family feel unimportant."

I squeezed her hand gently. "I know that Hae-in a. It was a misunderstanding on my end and I am sorry that I didn't just barge in and demand an explanation then and there."

"But I am equally upset after finding out the true reason behind your reaction. Why do you never tell me these things? Why is it that you try to face such nonsense all by yourself?" I ask in exasperation.

She continues to sniffle softly and hides her face in the crook of my neck trying to find comfort in my embrace. 

"Stop trying to face everything by yourself. Why is it that you never allow yourself to lean on me when things get rough?" I ask sadly while tightening my hand around her slim waist. 

"I have always operated by myself. Its always been Hong Hae-in against the world. So whenever something goes wrong my default setting is to either blame myself, brave it myself, or solve it myself - and I know for a fact that that's what drove us apart. Because I quite honestly don't know how to open up. Not just to you, but to anyone."

"Well, we are married now and I promised to remain by your side irrespective of the circumstances. So stop trying to be so fucking strong all the time. Let me be your safe space where you are more than welcome to break down and rebuild yourself."

Her breathing slows as she looks up at me and her eyes have a hopeful look as she whispers, "You are my home Baek Hyun-woo. I just need to learn to let myself break and rebuild in your arms."

I pull her close by her nape and whisper, "Do you promise, Hong Hae-in?"

With how fast and passionate her kiss is within the next breath, I get the answer I am looking for. 

Hong Hae-in POV

That PR nightmare that I was concerned about - well things took an interesting turn. 

My secretary had walked in a few hours after lunch brimming with excitement. 

I just raised a brow in question as she places the iPad in front of me.

She has opened X and the top hashtag trending globally is #mywife'spreciousbloodbeingspilled

Wait a minute. No way.

As soon as I press on it there's a flood of posts and videos of what had happened today.

Baek Hyun-woo's roar of anger, his protective gestures, and his decision to sue the maintenance director were all captured in various clips. The views were skyrocketing, and the comments were overwhelmingly supportive.

"Oh my God, her husband is so protective! #relationshipgoals"

"Baek Hyun-woo is the definition of a knight in shining armor. Look at how he cares for his wife!"

"The way he carried her... I'm swooning. #mywife'spreciousbloodbeingspilled"

I scrolled through the comments and articles, my initial shock giving way to a mixture of relief and amazement. Even major media houses had picked up the story, both in Korea and internationally. The narrative had shifted from a potential PR disaster to an overprotective husbands being relationship goals.

"Oh my God, Baek Hyun-woo is so hot when he's angry!"

I agree.

"Did you see the way he carried her? Total heartthrob material."

Yes, but he is mine.

"Baek Hyun-woo-si, will you marry me?"

Two people will be getting sued today - the Maintenance Director and an X handle by the name IamBaekHyunwooFanGirl123.

Hya, he is mine. 

Several women who had witnessed the scene in person had uploaded their own videos, gushing about how attractive and commanding Hyun-woo had been.

"Honestly, I'm swooning over Baek Hyun-woo. What a man! If you ever part ways with Hong Hae-in, then let me know."

Oh third person added to my "To Sue" list. Who else -

Before I can go on further the iPad is snatched from my hand and I find my secretary looking at me guiltily.

"Boss calm down. Focus on the fact that a PR issue has been diverted and people are not focusing on the security oversight. We can't have you suing women-folk for swooning over your husband. Please," my secretary pleads.

My mood is too good today, so I take deep breaths to calm down my possessive thoughts.

"Okay. I will not sue them as long as its all online and people don't bother my husband when he is working or in the mall." I knew what it was like to be constantly watched - I had grown up in an environment where everybody around me was assessing every breath I took. 

"About that.." my secretary stutters. 

"What?" I ask sharply. 

"Director Baek had planned to go on a round with his team to check the progress on the new shops we are adding on the top floor. I heard from Director Baek's secretary that they had to cancel it because as soon as they stepped in, Baek Hyun-woo-ssi was mobbed by a throng of people who had dropped by to the mall just to get a glimpse of him."

My anger and worry skyrockets. I stand up and try my best to keep myself steady and try to walk. 

"Na biso, help me get to my husband's office right now," I say giving zero fucks about coming across as weak. I trust my secretary enough to know she would never utter a word about this to another soul.

"Put two guards on my husband and inform the security team that I am about to go down to the Legal Department --"

"-- and they better have started running imaging and background checks on all the people in the crowd. I want all their profiles and information right from which diaper their parents used for them to what their hobby is as an adult - I want to know everything and I want it yesterday. Their hobby better not be fawning over Baek Hyun-woo - that's my birth right. No one elses."

"Oh and one more thing, if I see a single scratch on my husband because of this, heads will be rolling."

If I hobbled towards the elevator spewing every demand like a dictator, but looking like a kid trying her best to make her way around with her best friend as her crutch, not a single employee would dare mention it.

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

Had I done something terrible in the past few months that the universe has decided to test my patience to such extents over the past week?

Did I somehow forget to feed the universe's starving cat? Because for the life of me I can't figure out why the hell is everyone and everything testing the limits of control these days?

I am a calm person.

By choice.

My profession demands it. I need to keep a poker face at all times. Especially since Hong Hae-in's family is filled with dimwits with zero sense of making the right business decisions. I have no clue how they managed to add so many zeros to their bank balance with their out of the world IQ levels.

My emotional control skills are tested day in and day out - at work and family dinners.

I did not build a reputation and a track record of being the top most corporate lawyer in this country by being emotional.

The only people who have witnessed that side are my family, my wife Hong Hae-in, and my best friend Kim Yangi.

But.

This was before Lim Jae decided to obliterate my carefully built image. His actions have opened up a side of me I keep hidden from everyone including my family.

Once again. By choice.

Because even your anger can be used against you.

And in a world where there are a million things out of my control, I refuse to let those under my control be the reason of my downfall. I am smarter than that.

I am a fool only when it comes to my wife, but that's a story for another day.

After the meeting had wrapped up I returned to my cabin, when my secretary informed me that my wife had dropped by three times since early morning.

He silently added, "Every single time she would become pale after realizing that you hadn't come in. I think she didn't know that you had planned to walk in just before the meeting."

My heart clenched at that bit of information. She had sought me out and her reaction just some time ago was purely out of unfounded anger because she was clearly waiting for me to return.

Hae-in-a, is it so hard to tell me that you miss me without getting into a fight?

"When does she leave for her rounds?" I ask my secretary.

"In 5 minutes," he says.

"Clear out my calendar until 3 pm," I tell him as I rush out.

One minute I was wondering how to get my wife to talk to me and in the next I screamed out her name as I saw her fall due to tools left unattended on the floor.

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Hae-in-a!

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She is hurt!

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So you could imagine how my anger skyrocketed from the negative side of the Cartesian plane straight to the limitless skies along the vertical axis.
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My wife.

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Thank God I was stalking her secretly the whole time, ever since she started out on her rounds.

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She is hurt!

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The next few moments were a blur as I tried to think ahead despite the red haze of fury and fear.

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Doctor. She needs a doctor right now.

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Na biseo. Ask her. She can do anything at lightning fast speed.

She is hurt!

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I did not want to roar. I am being honest. I respect Na biso a lot. The woman is efficient, smart, and has been my wife's support system for quite long.

But could you blame me? My wife's foot was bleeding and her ankle was sprained, we had had a nasty showdown in the morning, and then there were people who were reacting too slow for my tastes.

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The culprit is here.

She got hurt because of your recklessness.

I want to scream.

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The Maintenance Director got lucky. He would have gotten a punch to the face, if I wasn't carrying my wife.

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But not too lucky. Because he is getting sued no matter what.

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Baek Hyun-woo, get moving. She is hurt!

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Next thing I know the fog slowly clears as my wife kisses me senseless.

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The doctor says it will heal in a few days. She just needs to stay off her feet. 

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Thump. Thump. Thump.

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She is okay. She is fine.

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Hong Hae-in is okay.

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I will just carry her everywhere. 

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When I step out of her cabin almost an hour later feeling the lightest in months thanks to our conversation, her heels catch my eye. 

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Note to self: Buy shoes for Hae-in after today's rounds. 

One another thing is I, Baek Hyun-woo, am not a social media person. Never have been. Never will be. 

Anything related to social media, I leave it to my wife and her team. I have never even opened a social media account, let alone know what hashtags are trending globally. 

I am so busy being the Hong family's rescuer, that I don't have the time to be clued in on what fashion statement a celebrity made or what scandal is wrecking apart which couple's life - like seriously have you met the Hongs? Looking after them is a 24x7 job. 

So you could imaging my suprise and irritation, when I got mobbed not an hour later. There were 100 odd people waiting to -I don't know what the fuck?

Mobbed! Me. I just got mobbed.

I appreciate the fact that my actions caught so much attention and clearly a PR nightmare got averted, but seriously I wanted to buy shoes for my wife. I couldn't even walk ten steps into the mall, before the security had to rescue me out.

"Director Baek, are you okay?" my secretary asks as we make way to my office. 

"I am fine," I say slowly.

Everyone is looking at us as we step out of the elevator. Guess the mobbing videos are also out. 

My dreams of being away from limelight are crushed it seems. 

There are two burly guards standing outside my cabin and I ask, "What's going on?"

"The CEO has appointed us as your bodyguards," one answers. 

"She knows?" I ask with a sigh. I was hoping to avoid this. They just nod. 

All of a sudden there's a flurry of activity as people make way and I realise its my wife. Of course she would come down to check for herself. 

My frustration rises as I see her hobbling in her heels. "Hong Hae-in, what are you doing here?"

Ignoring my question, she stops and checks me from head to toe. Her eyes are filled with worry. "I heard what happened. Are you okay?"

She is leaning on her secretary for support. Why is she walking when she has been told to stay off her feet?

My frustration boiled over as I rush to her, scoop her up in my arms for the second time that day. "Are you out of your mind? You should be resting, not walking around in those heels with your injury." I ignore everyone and carry her to the couch and set her down gently, my eyes flashing with a warning glare.

My wife glares right back. 

"As if I could just sit still after hearing that you were mobbed."

"Hong Hae-in, your doctor told you to stay off your feet," my voice rises.

"I don't care. You could have been hurt," she says in an equally high pitch. 

"Secretary Na!"

"Secretary Oh!" 

I yell out for both. 

"Yah, are you practicing your yells and roars today?" my wife bristles while sitting on the couch.

"Calm down," she says after a beat, which is somehow a warning and a plea at the same time.

Hong Hae-in POV

I understand his anger about me walking so much despite my injury, but my worry for him had trumped everything else.

He gazes at my heels as if they are the biggest villains of his life, but a closer look tells me that he is thinking through something.

The secretaries exchanged nervous glances before stepping closer, only to cower once again as Hyun-woo’s warning glare swept over them.

"How many footwear brands does this mall have?" Hyun-woo demanded sharply.

What is he doing?

"25," Secretary Na answered immediately. "13 of which are international."

Baek Hyun-woo nodded, turning to face both secretaries. "Go and make an announcement. Within the next 15 minutes, I want each brand to prepare two of their best pairs of walking shoes for my wife and have them sent over here. Whoever comes to drop off the shoes should also add a one-liner note on why they think their product will ensure safety for the user, while also being trendy enough to meet current fashion standards."

My eyes widen in suprise and my breathing stutters in my chest. Aside from the fact that the whole move is stemming from her husband's over-protectiveness, I am caught off guard by the brilliance of the idea. If my instincts are right this will turn into a healthy competition among brands. 

Before I could say anything, Hyun-woo continues, "Whichever brand manages to catch my wife's attention by not only adhering to her safety, but also fulfilling her fashion standards will receive 10 billion won from me to ramp up the production of that pair of shoes—equal parts for adults and kids. Those made for kids will be donated to orphanages under the brand's name, generating goodwill for them, while I will fund the expense."

I am stunned to say the least. 

Even without the support, getting the stamp of approval from the CEO for a certain product would have been enough motivation, but by adding in financial incentives and giving the brands a chance to generate goodwill, they would be truly motivated to do their best and think outside the box. 

I am so caught up on this whole strategy and its potential that I don't register that the secretaries have already left. 

Moreover, my husband is down on one knee in front of me and he is removing my heels. He carefully looks over my right foot and inspects for himself that the bandaging is still in place. 

"Its not bleeding anymore," he whispers to himself and my heart clenches as I notice his furrowed brows and worried expression. He has been worried sick. 

"I think we should go to the hospital for a full body check up once the shoes come in," he says as he looks up at me.

"Hya, Baek Hyun-woo, I am not made of glass. Its just a small wound. It will heal in no time." I say in exasperation. 

"Fine. I will just have to carry you everywhere then," he says in a tone which leaves no room for argument. 

"And I will kiss you every single time as a thank you," I whisper as I pull his much larger hand into mine.

"Don't tempt me Hae-in a. The only reason I kept a leash on myself in the elevator was because your secretary was with us," he whispers huskily as he settles beside me. 

Before I can revert there is a knock on the door and our secretaries are back and it seems like the brand representatives have already lined up outside.

I am amazed at the efficiency and enthusiasm of each brand's representatives. They entered the office with their best products, their eyes wide with excitement and nerves. Each representative bowed to me and then turned to bow separately to Baek Hyun-woo, acknowledging the man who was about to fund their success with 10 billion won.

My husband's cabin quickly transformed into a mini shoe closet, with some of the shiniest and finest shoes displayed neatly. The vibrant colors and varied designs added a lively touch to the usually stern and professional space. It was an unusual but delightful sight.

Na biseo rushes to me as I am going through the options and hands me the tab.

"Sajangnim, the traction has shot up. Your accounts are getting tagged by all brands and the interactions are amazing,"

Curious, I take a look at the frenzy of social media posts. Every major footwear brand from Queens Mall is posting about two specific pairs of shoes, pitching them directly to me. Each post was accompanied by detailed explanations, highlighting the safety features and fashion-forward designs. It seemed the whole internet had caught on to the competition.

"Yeobo, you might get mobbed out of love over the next few days," I address my husband, who is talking to his secretary just a few steps away.

"I am not stepping into the mall anytime soon. Having my hands grabbed and scratched by overenthusiastic females is not my idea of fun," he says in exasperation as he shows me his hands as proof.

My anger and possessiveness skyrockets, "You will have two guards on you at all times starting today."

He just huffs and says, "Pick your shoes first. We will discuss this later."

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Baek Hyun-woo POV

Later. Much later.

After she has picked her shoes. 

After I have gifted the pair chosen by my wife to every single female in my team and to the female family members of the males.

After all the remaining shoes are bought and donated to the needy - because even if they didn't win, we appreciated their efforts.

After my wife fell asleep on the couch in my office obviously tired with the rollercoaster today, while I conducted my end of the day 10-minute stand up with my team.

After I carried her to the car as she continued to slumber in my arms. 

After we had showers and a simple dinner. 

I finally pulled her into my arms as we shared the same bed. 

It had been the most peaceful sleep I had had in months. 

Chapter Text

Hong Hae-in POV

Over the next few days work keeps us packed.

But Baek Hyun-woo's weekly cooking sessions continue.

We talk about anything and everything these days.

And I keep learning new things and new facets of my husband, which I hadn't taken a note of earlier.

_______________________________________

Baek Hyun-woo cooks. I try to help, but he picks me up, settles me on the counter, and returns to cooking.

He is not just good, but a pro.

He tells me stories of how his cooking helped him stay healthy during his law school days.

"It became a safe space. My small kitchen, first in the shithole hostel, then the small apartment were the places where I could truly be myself with no expectations, no pressures, no competition."

One night I have my head in his lap, my hair strewn across his legs and he is softly roving his fingers through my hair.

"What about you?" he asks suddenly.

I just look up at him in question looking away from the book I was reading.

"What's your safe space?" He asks.

I give it a thought.

I have never had a safe space growing up.

Harabeoji had high expectations. He only cared about the number of zeros we added to the business and wealth.

My mother blamed me for my brother's death. Heck, I did too. For so long, until I took therapy and started accepting that I too was a child and all of it wasn't my fault.

My father was lost in his own world. He is not a bad person, but he just never cared enough to pay attention to me.

My younger brother was my go to person for years until he grew up and started getting coddled by my mother.

Only one person remains.

Baek Hyun-woo. My husband.

The guy has been by my side for more than five years now.

He was there when I was happy.

Still is.

He was there when I was sad.

Still is.

He was there when I was seething.

Still is.

He was there when I was lonely and lost.

Still is.

He was there when I was grieving.

Still is.

"Yeobo," he pinches my cheek softly.

"If we define a safe space as the one place where we can truly be ourselves," I whisper as I look up and continue, "then it's you." 

His eyes widen and he looks down at me completely caught off guard.

"You are my safe space, Baek Hyun-woo. The best way to describe your presence in my life is that I finally have a home to come back to. It's you." I say honestly and I thread my fingers through his left hand which is lying on my stomach.

"The insults and fights in office - I was trying to get your attention. I am so sorry that I let my own insecurity and fear over loosing you get broadcasted in front of everyone. By the time I realized what I had been doing it was too late. People were already gossiping."

"I was so starved for your love that I did something unforgivable - I will keep apologizing for that for the rest of our lives." I whisper brokenly.

He is quick to bend down and kiss me softly.

"I am sorry too. I shouldn't have shut you out. Especially after Eomma's birthday party incident. I could have just asked you directly instead of jumping to conclusions," he says sadly.

"I am sorry that I was on the verge of giving up. I didn't try and dig deeper into your feelings. I should have tried harder. I started to think you didn't care anymore." He confesses softly as my heart breaks at the pain in his voice as he confessed something he had kept hidden for too long.

"Also, Hae-in a, it's not just you. I was starved for your love and attention too. Not having your constant bossiness, jealousy, and care these past few months had been an absolute torture."

My tears roll down the corner of my eyes as my husband's words bring a huge smile on my face.

He is quick to make me get up and sit on his lap, with both my legs folded beside his thighs.

As my arms go behind his neck, he holds my nape and brings me impossibly closer.

"Hae-in a, saranghe," he whispers as he softly brushes his lips against mine and my heart thunders in my chest.

"Nado saranghe," I whisper before I loose myself in him.

____________________________________________

We are having breakfast one morning when he looks up and asks, "I am going to Yongduri on Friday and will be back on Saturday. On Sunday, Yang Gi needs help because he is moving into his new home."

I look up at him curiously as I wait for the question to come, anticipation bubbling in my stomach.

"Would you like to come with me?" he asks hopefully.

"I would love to. I hope I am not imposing on your family though."

I pick at the fruits in my plate as I whisper, "They might not like me anymore after how I have treated you."

He grabs my hand and says, "Yeobo they adore you. My mother sees you as her fourth baby."

"I am not the youngest one anymore," he adds with a pout, which has me chuckling.

"So?" He asks expectantly.

I nod giving him a beaming smile.

I send a message to my secretary.

• Clear out my calendar for Friday.
• Prepare gifts for my in-laws and nephew.
• Send a 5 million won Queens Stores gift card to Kim Yang Gi as a housewarming gift.

________________________________________

While driving to Yongduri, we both were dressed down.

I had switched over to a jeans, t-shirt, and a jacket look for the first time after returning from the States.

My husband's right hand is clasped in mine as he expertly handled the steering with his other hand. 

He too had opted for a simple look and let's his hair down.

He looked so carefree and boyish like this.

"Can I ask you something?"

He nods.

"How come are you so close to your nephew? At times it feels you consider him like your own kid."

I also have a nephew. Hong Geon woo is a nice kid. He is adored by everyone. While I am not super close to him or have a very deep bonding as an Aunt, he is the first kid of our family and it's obvious that he would be the apple of everyone's eye.

But with Baek Hyun-woo and his nephew - it's just different.

My husband is truly invested in his nephew and worries about him like a father would.

During their regular video calls last week, he found out that Baek Ho Yeol had taken a fall while playing and had hurt both his knees and palms.

If it weren't for his elder brother getting on call and pretty much giving him a lecture on being a damn worrywart and that the wounds weren't as bad as his mind conjured them to be, I am sure my husband would have driven down to Yongduri the same night.

"Hyung married early, but he and his wife had a hard time conceiving," he says softly.

"Baek Ho Yeol was born just an year before I joined law school. His mother moved to the States when he was just a few months old."

He turns to me and continues, "Who do you think looked after him for a few hours everyday to gain some pocket money?"

"I have fed him, changed his diapers, spent nights with him when he was teething, given him baths - I have been witness to every single one of Ho Yeol's milestones as a baby."

"He taught me the true meaning of being responsible for someone. It's true. I do see him as my own kid at times and that's the reason why Hyung let's me get away with the spoiling. Hyung knows just how much Ho Yeol means to me and showering gifts over him is my way of showing love."

I squeeze his palm tightly and give him a smile as understanding dawns over me. 

"Oh by the way, if by any chance you take your own car to Yongduri some day, do you mind giving him a ride?" 

I turn to look at him curiously wondering why he would even ask.

"When you came that day - the day I resigned - he was fawning over your car the next morning. The kid loves cars, but he was hesitating to come and ask you for permission." He chuckled fondly.

"I told him that imo wouldn't mind, just go and ask but he seemed shy for some reason."

"I couldn't bear the forlorn look on his face when your driver left. So I just let him tag along with us because he really likes the rides."

I nod as I pull my mobile out and send a message to my secretary.

• Send my car and driver to Yongduri today evening, with gifts for 8-12 year old kids.
• Going forward, have one of the drivers drive down to Yongduri on the last weekend of every month with a new car from the Hong family garage - tell them they must pick Master Baek Ho Yeol and take him for an hour long ride wherever he wants to go. Take his dad Baek Hyun-tae's permission every single time.

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I don't remember the last time I had such a leisurely day. The whole day had been about eating, talking, helping Eomonim, eating ice-cream, playing with Ho Yeol, taking a walk in the evening, and then drinking with the Baek siblings at night.

They are close unlike me and my brother.

His elder siblings rib and tease Hyun-woo a lot, but there's an underlying tenderness when they look at their youngest.

They are not jealous of him in any manner - not over his intelligence, or his wealth.

They treat him the same. For them Baek Hyun-woo is just their youngest, whom they see as a critical pillar of the family.

Looking at them I wonder if we would have been like this Oppa were still alive.

I guess I would never know.

My husband catches on to my somber mood in no time.

When we had settled into his small bed, and my face was tucked under his chin, he asked softly, "Yeobo kwenchana?"

His underlying worry makes me choke.

"Do you remember I told you once that I had an elder brother?" I whisper moving slightly so that my voice doesn't get muffled.

"Yes."

We had briefly spoken about it.

"He died. Because of me"

I feel him stiffen beneath me and his hands tighten around me as he waits for me to speak further.

"Oppa and I had gone on a boat ride and it overturned. Mysteriously. My memories are fuzzy, but he died saving me," I say brokenly. 

"Everything changed after that. Especially with Eomma. She could never forgive me. I don't think she ever will."

He softly pats my head as he continues to listen. 

"Hae-in a, it wasn't your fault," he says in a firm tone. 

"I know. But I can't shake of the guilt. Because it felt like I stole his life," I sob out. 

"Your relationship with your siblings - it made me wonder if Oppa, So Cheol, and I would have been like that if my elder brother were still alive." I cry as I confess my deepest thoughts.

"Hae-in a, you still have the opportunity to experience that. You may have lost one brother to a tragedy, but you have a younger brother whom you can still focus on. Hong So Cheol is just spoilt, but he is a good guy," my husband says softly after a few beats. 

I look up at him and he wipes my tears.

"I am not saying start wearing your emotions on your sleeves, but be there for him. Guide him. Try and be his anchor because if you try and dig just a bit deeper you will notice that Hong So Cheol does what he does only because he is trying to prove his worth," he adds softly. 

His words bring back a barrage of good memories with my younger brother as I reminisce the old times. 

I agree. I still have Hong So Cheol.

__________________________________________

I am so annoyed right now. 

We were in an introductory meeting with a US based retailer and we were completely taken aback by their ideas of operation. 

The translator sitting beside us is Korean and is a good friend of my secretary's. 

But the other side doesn't know that. We only introduced her as an external translator hired for the purpose of this meeting.

They wanted to utilize a Buy Now Pay Later model of operation for their customers to ensure that there will be steady footfall and high attractiveness, especially for the youth who are normally strapped for cash. 

However, that meant that we would also have to give extra leeway (much more extra than Queens ever gave) to the retailer for rent payments on some of the most premium spots in the mall. 

They were planning to give 3-6 months long EMI payments to their customers and were demanding 6 months of leeway on their rent payments. 

This is a well-renowned clothing, apparel, and textile retailer than we have been trying to crack a deal with for the past six months. 

What bothered me as they explained their terms, was that we were completely blind sided by their payment model terms - something that should have been anticipated if their words of "established precedence of success" are anything to go by. 

I look to my right and my husband's face is blank - his expression not giving anything away. 

My brother is looking like an excited puppy and his body language is too enthusiastic as if he would even agree to donating his left kidney, if need be. 

So Cheol-a, when will you learn that people in business are attuned to treating to you as per your body language?

I keep a hand on his thigh when the CEO and Legal Counsel on the other side softly whisper something to one another and are distracted. 

He arches his brow in question and I give him a silent look saying, "Calm down."

Luckily he catches on and switches to a more somber expression in the next few seconds.

Gosh, I will have to teach him a lot in the coming months. 

An hour later, after Baek Hyun-woo has listed a list of questions for them which at times they look at in exasperation and has requested them to send over their calculations and assumptions for the whole model. 

Once the meeting is done and everyone is gathering their things, we hear the CEO chuckle out in a low voice in English, "Is their Legal Director dumb? Did you see the absolute cluelessness on his face?"

My anger skyrockets and I can't help but look up in the next breath. 

Before I can say anything, I hear my husband say, "Sajangnim and Hong So Cheol, do you mind following me to my office?" 

Once in his office he remains standing and leans against his table as we take seats, "The Americans have a very different style of working. Let me dig deeper on the legal ramifications of the payment model they are proposing - I will have to see what laws Korea has in place in this case."

I sense that my brother was about to mock him, but my husband continues as he turns to my brother, "Can I give you an advice - not as the Legal Director of Queens Group and your advisor, but as your brother-in-law?"

I see my brother nod.

His voice was firm, yet kind at the same time. 

"Instead of portraying your excitement and enthusiasm, let people think that you are dumb," he says.

I look at my husband with an incredulous look. He ignores me and keeps talking. 

"The fact that everyone underestimates you is a blessing. I speak from experience."

He takes in a deep breath and continues, "The American CEO earlier called me dumb because throughout the meeting I just kept giving him clueless and gullible looks although I understood each and every single word of English they spoke - you did too." 

"But I am already ten steps ahead of him. My friend based in the US is doing background checks on the company as we speak. Anything and everything there is to know about the company and the decision makers - we will have all the info by today evening - that's still four hours before they even board their plane back to the States."

"My moles tell me that they have already held talks with three of our main competitors and the terms and conditions are different for each. They are obviously coming in with their own agenda."

All this new information swirls in my mind as I grasp the extent of network Baek Hyun-woo has built over the years. 

Then it strikes me. 

"That's your tactic," I whisper and he looks at me. 

"I always wondered why you blinked so many times in the first few meetings." I say in a low voice.

With every passing negotiation Baek Hyun-woo's attitude would become demanding and authoritative so much so that those in opposition - who had underestimated him in the initial phases - would be in a difficult spot with no option but to agree by the time we came to closing the deals. 

My husband doesn't confirm or deny it. But he doesn't need to. 

The sheer brilliance of his actions and strategy sheds light on just how much he has endured to get where he is today. 

My brother is still grasping what Hyun-woo just said, but I can sense that he somewhat agrees and sees the whole point. He nods and whispers a soft thank you before leaving.

I turn to my husband and say, "Your brains Baek Hyun-woo - they are the biggest turn on of my life."

I stand up and head over to him as he gives me a shy smile. I lean in and steal a kiss from him, "I must have done something really good in my previous lives to have met you."

"Ditto," he whispers against my lips and steals the breath out of my lungs as he devours me.

We both don't really care that his office blinds are open.

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

It's around 6 pm that evening, when Hae-in calls.

"Hi," I say softly.

"Yeobo, it's family dinner night," she whispers guiltily.

She knows for a fact that I don't like them and we have skipped the last two citing work and health already, so skipping this one isn't going to be possible.

"It's okay if you want to bail. I can handle it," she says after a few beats because I didn't revert immediately.

"No, I will be there. But I still need two more hours. I have a trial tomorrow morning for which I have to prepare."

"Why don't you head home and take some rest? I will directly join the dinner," I suggest.

"Okay. See you."

"De, bye." I say as I cut the call.

Gosh. It's going to be an eventful night.

I am almost 20 minutes late and I am honestly exhausted.

The case I am handling is one of a kind and none of my team members have handled such a tricky situation ever before, so there's a lot of oversight involved.

As I get out of my car and hand over the key to the valet, I am in half a mind to message Hae-in and tell her that I will just eat by myself.

I get a message from her the very next second. "Yeobo, have you left? Drive safe. I will wait for you."

My heart skips a beat at that. Well, I am not going to disappoint my wife.

When I walk in, I notice the obvious drawn lines - typical of Hong Hae-in’s family gatherings. It's always Hae-in and I on one side and her parents, So Cheol and his wife on the other side.

I give subtle nods to everyone, but don't bother with bows or apologies or justifications. With the absolute drama over the past few weeks and the hidden Baek Hyun-woo avatar coming to forefront, I have noticed underlying respect in her family's gazes, especially her father and grandfather.

I settle in beside her and loosen out my tie. 

As the staff serves us both, I listen to So Cheol's ongoing chatter with practiced detachment. 

Hong So Cheol, seated next to his mother, seems to be recounting this morning's meeting with the retailer with the usual excitement.

"Baek Hyun-woo gave me an interesting advice: to occasionally act dumb and let others underestimate me, using it to his advantage in later stages of business deals." 

The moment he says this I feel it in my gut that the dinner is about to go to shit.

I see my mother-in-law's expression darken immediately, her eyes narrowing as she glared across the table at me. "What did you say?" she demanded, her voice rising. I just look at my wife, who has a carefully blank expression in place, but I notice her tightened fist hidden beneath the table.

So Cheol glanced nervously between his mother and us. "Hyun-woo hyung suggested that I...well, act less knowledgeable sometimes, to catch people off guard later."

The elder woman's face turned a shade redder as she turned her full ire on me. "So this is your brilliant advice? To sabotage my son's potential by making him look like a fool?" she spat, her voice dripping with venom.

"Eomma, that’s not what he meant," Hae-in began, trying to defuse the situation.

But she is cut off, as her mother slams her hand on the table. "Don’t defend him, Hae-in! He’s trying to sabotage your brother’s success! Just like you always do."

"With all due respect, Eomonim, that was not my intention at all. In business, it’s sometimes strategic to let others underestimate you. It can be a powerful tool." I have stepped in as I munch on my chicken. I am not going to stop eating for this woman's tantrums. 

I lean back slightly and pick up the wine glass. My posture and cool look seems to piss her off further. Good. 

She scoffs obviously insulted by my demeanor, "You think you know everything, don’t you? You think you can come into this family and give advice that undermines my son? You’re nothing but a gold digger! You wouldn't have been anywhere if it weren't for my daughter."

There it is again. Unworthy Baek Hyun-woo. 

"Eomonim, I know you don't like me and you have your reasons. I am not a big fan of yours either to be honest - for obvious reasons," I say and I sense the stares as I openly oppose Kim Seon-Hwa the matriarch of the Hong clan, "but please know this - I would never harm my wife's younger brother. I only want to help him succeed."

"Unlike some people, I have been taught to put family above everything else," I add as I keep staring right at her. 

My mother-in-law bristles at my audacity. She hasn't seen anything. I am maintaining a leash on my words, so that she doesn't torture my wife later.

I turn to my wife who is looking at me in awe and I get up, "Yeobo, I am not hungry anymore. So please excuse me."

Hae-in gets up as well.

"Help him? By making him look like a fool? No, you and Hae-in are just trying to bring him down. I should have known better than to trust you two. You’ve always been envious of So Cheol’s potential. Well, it ends here. You will not sabotage his future with your foolish advice!"

I chuckle inwardly at that. As opposed to what this woman thinks, we are trying to build his potential which is buried beneath years of spoiling.

I look at Hong So Cheol and he has a contemplative look on his face as if he is trying to weigh if what his mother says is right. The guy really needs to be given a free reign to build his own opinions. His mother's over pampering has made him a literal man child. 

"Also, you are talking about family? Don’t talk to me about family. Your wife has always been out for herself, and now she has brought you along to do her dirty work."

"I respect you as my wife's mother, Eomonim, but I will not let you insult her or me without cause." I say in the next breath and my voice has a threatening undercurrent which has the others taking note. 

"Let's go," I say softly holding out my hand, which my wife immediately takes. 

I give her a gentle reassuring squeeze, but she comes to a sudden stop just a few steps later and pulls away. 

She walks up to where her mother is sitting and bends down with her hands spread out against the table.

“Eomma,” she began, her voice steady and cold. “I have given you many chances to redeem your actions against my husband until now. I have been extremely kind and patient. But let me be very clear: you insult my husband one more time, and I promise you I will do worse.”

My breath stutters in my chest as I see my wife openly threatening someone from her family on my behalf. 

Her statement makes it clear that she has done this in the past - just never in front of me. 

How the fuck did I ever reach this conclusion that she didn't care?

I see Eomonim flinch slightly because Hong Hae-in is furious.

Hae-in continued, her gaze sweeping over everyone present, like a wrathful queen. “It was okay until the words were focused on me. But I have had enough of you people looking down at Baek Hyun-woo.”

The room fell into an uneasy silence, everyone holding their breath. “Do not test me on this. You will not appreciate what I will do if you cross my husband again.”

Her words were like a thunderclap, leaving a tense, electrified silence in their wake. She turned back to me, and our eyes met. 

I sense the fury and protectiveness even from where I am standing. 

She walks out of there without a backward glance and I obviously follow. 

This woman. My wife.

Hong Hae-in.

How many such showdowns have I missed? Because she looks like an absolute Goddess when she is putting people in their place.

So fucking sexy.

The perfect arch of her back and her slender waist as she bent down.

Her waist-length soft as silk hair.

"The fucking audacity." she seethes as she walks into her room and throws her stilettos off in a corner. 

Before she could get into a proper tirade, I have pushed her against the nearest wall. As her breathing falters, I lean down and pull her lower lip between my teeth and whisper, "Calm down, wife."

"Baek Hyun-woo, mian-"

I kiss her before she can apologize. 

I am not going to let her fault herself for other's actions. 

The kiss is frantic and all consuming, with each of us trying to gain dominance over the other. 

I take the lead and hold her nape making it easier for me to direct her movements. It helps me slow her down and enjoy every second. 

I pull back slightly as we breath from one another and I see the lust, possessiveness, and love in my eyes mirroring in hers. 

"You don't need to apologize. You are not responsible for anyone else's actions Hae-in a." I whisper as I softly brush my thumb over her swollen lips. 

"You looked so fucking hot baby," I can't help but add after a beat and I see her eyes darken. 

Sensing the direction of her thoughts, I pull back with world class restraint and say, "As much as I would love to fuck you senseless Hae-in-a, I still have to finish the final touches for my case tomorrow. I will have to work for a few more hours. Mainhe."

She pouts cutely and pulls me in for another soft kiss, but continues seriously a moment later, "As much I would love for you to fuck me senseless, I think we are still not there yet."

"And we need to talk about our baby," she finishes.

I nod, happy that she is on the same page and willing to talk. Maybe not today, but soon. 

"Come on, get into the shower. I will go get us a plate of fruit. We didn't eat properly."

Much later, I am settled in on the left side of the bed with the files on left side and Hae-in has decided she wants to sleep with her head on my lap.

With just one section of the lights on and with my wife's head on my lap, I focus on getting my plan chalked out. There was no way in hell I was losing tomorrow - no matter how tricky the situation. 

When I finally retire sometime just before midnight, I pull Hae-in close and drop a kiss to her head.

"Thank you for taking a stand for me. Saranghe," I whisper softly as I brush her hair behind her ear. 

The soft whisper of "Nado" send waves of peace rolling through my entire being.

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

I am reminded of my forthcoming doom on a day when I would have liked to celebrate a well-earned win.

My secretary walks in just as I am planning to call it an early day and says, "Director Baek, it's that time of the year."

Shit.

The Annual Hong Family Hunting Weekend.

I close my eyes and focus on breathing trying my best not to recall just how much of a torture the last two trips had been.

God help me.

------------------------------------------

Seriously, God help me.

I had known that I was going to have a hard time during the hunting trip. 

But not only am I having a hard time, I am also jealous as fuck.

Because for some reason my wife thought it would be a great idea to invite her friend Yoon Eun-sung - who was currently visiting from the States - for this trip and gosh was he jelling extremely well with everyone.

My wife was laughing at something he said and I can't help but want to kick his ass.

The guy is slightly taller than me and I am 6 feet, so this tree of a guy is making my wife laugh. 

I am secure enough in our relationship to not act like a possessive and jealous husband. Moreover, this is the first time I have met any of my wife's friends and I would rather not embarrass my wife by acting like a teenager wanting to stake claim. 

We head towards the hunting grounds and I am walking slightly behind everyone. 

I see the entire Hong clan and Yoon Eun-sung walking together like one happy family. 

My wife stops and turns back looking at me, "Yeobo. Let's go." 

She offers me her hand as I walk towards her and she is quick to thread her fingers through mine. 

The gentle squeeze and the smile she gives me makes me so happy. 

As I look up and I find Yoon Eun-sung had turned back and was looking at us with a blank face. 

Yes, that right you asshole. I am the husband.

I immediately pull my wife slightly closer and drop a kiss to the side of her head.

"Did you guys date by any chance?" I whisper after a few minutes and the look in my wife's expression tells me there's a story there. 

"He had proposed. I declined," she answers honestly, but she gives me a somewhat guilty look for not sharing this earlier. 

"Why? He seems like a decent guy and he is clearly rich." I say in a low voice, trying hard not to pout. I trust my wife fully so this is just my fleeting jealousy peeping its head at having met someone who could have been a good match for Hong Hae-in. 

"He is not Baek Hyun-woo." she answers without a second thought and I come to a complete stop and look down at her.

She is looking at me with all her defenses down, completely open, giving me an inlet into the depth of her feelings. 

"He is not you jagi. No one can be." 

To my suprise, she pulls herself up and drops a quick kiss to my lips and once again starts walking as I focus on calming my heartbeat. 

This woman!

Once each of us has collected our hunting rifles, the caretaker of the grounds starts giving us instructions.

"Here is the number of preys you can catch. There's no limit to crows or magpies. As for boars, water deer, and pheasants, you can each catch a maximum of five. An accident might occur if you get in each other's way and mistake each other for an animal. So make sure to stay in your course."

"You should not hunt boars by yourself. Do not aim or turn your back on them if you're alone."

Hm, there's never been a boar during the last two times we were here and I don't think its about to happen this time either. 

I just make my way backwards as the Hongs start taking  their positions. 

"Ah, Baek Hyun-woo, do you even know how to handle that rifle? Your track record is... unimpressive, to say the least," I hear Hong So Cheol behind me. I turn around to see that he has taken a position to the right closest to the dense forest, which is less than two yards away.

His voice is taunting as he seers, "You have never caught anything during any of our hunts until now. How about I teach you a few tricks?" 

I just ignore and keep walking. "Thanks for the offer So Cheol, but I will pass." I turn to my left and my gut stirs uncomfortably as I look at the forest. 

Looking back at my brother-in-law, I just add loudly so that my voice carried, "Keep a watch on your right."

My wife turns and I give her a silent warning and she nods having made a note of what I had just said. She is the one standing beside So Cheol on the left, so I know she will be alert unlike her brother who had a tendency of losing focus quite easily.

I don't need to justify to anyone that I abhorred hunting for the sake of a hobby. It just didn't fit in my principles to kill innocent lives for some momentary thrill. 

I keep a tab on the shots as I stand almost a yard away. So Cheol, my father-in-law and mother-in-law seem to be buttering up Harabeoji even if his shots don't seem to be hitting any of the targets. Gosh these rich folks have such big egos.

My eyes scan the tree line every few minutes, a habit ingrained from my time in the Special Guard Team. The forest is calm, yet something felt off.

Its too quiet. 

Everything after that is a blur.

One second I see the dark outline of the wild boar timing itself to charge against its prey - Hong So Cheol and Hong Hae-in - and in the next I am running at full speed as I scream out "Hong Hae-in."

700 meters

To my horror the wild animal charges towards them in the next second and I notice Hae-in pulling So Cheol behind her as he seems to have lost all bravado from earlier.

500 meters

My training kicks in as I push myself so because I see my wife missing a shot as the boar keeps its speed.

Not Hong Hae-in. 

Not her. 

300 meters

Not my wife.

100 meters. 

No, not her. Too close. Too fucking close.

Hong Hae-in POV

As I stood in the line, my mind kept wandering to my right amidst the rustling leaves and distant bird calls. My gaze constantly searching for threats.

Especially since my husband looked dead serious with his warning earlier.

Baek Hyun-woo was known for his shooting during his time in the military. Given the fact that he had managed to gain a spot in the coveted Special Guards Team was testament enough that he knew what he was talking about.

My family of absolute idiots especially my younger brother were mocking someone who had shooting skills exponentially better than all of us combined. 

My husband just hated killing for fun and I respected that. I would never force him to participate in a game which would need him to compromise on his principles.

I glanced over at So Cheol, who stood at the edge of the group, closer to the dense forest on the right. 

He was once again using his stupid binoculars. Gosh this dumbass needs to focus on-

"Hong Hae-in," I hear my husband's scream from behind and the suprise has me stumbling a bit as I notice him running towards us at full speed with his gun drawn. 

That's when I catch the sight of the boar charging towards us at full speed and I pull my younger brother behind me as fear creeps up my spine and take an immediate shot, but miss.

My hands shake and I freeze, sweat breaking all over. 

Too close. 

Its too close. 

Hong So Cheol.

Not him. 

I would rather -

Boom.

Too much noise. 

Everyone is talking all at once. 

Are you okay?

So Cheol-a, kwnechana?

Somebody go get some water...

Oh, thank God for your husband.

Is someone touching my hair?

I cancel everything out and open my eyes and look straight ahead. 

Baek Hyun-woo is breathing heavily, his rifle thrown on the ground beside him and I notice the collapsed boar just a few feet behind me, with a shot right between its eyes. 

Perfect fucking shot.

"Are you both alright?" Hyun-woo's voice is calm, but his eyes were filled with concern as he walks over to us. 

I gulp.

Am I okay?

I don't know. 

I turn around and look at my younger brother, who looks shaken but seems to be doing fine. 

I stumble forward and grab on to his shoulders almost pushing Eomma in the process. But I don't care. 

As my fear morphs into overwhelming relief I hold his face in my hand - for the first time in years - as I check for myself that he is indeed doing fine.

My body trembles as I pull him into a tight hug and let the emotions flood my system, my face against his right shoulder.

I feel my younger brother's arms tighten around me as he lets me hide my face and tears from the onlookers.

I belatedly realize what I was whispering the whole time.

"Not you. Not again. I am not losing another brother."

After a few minutes, So Cheol whispers, his voice kind and assuring, "Noona, I am okay. Breathing and alive. Thanks to your husband. Calm down."

"Hae-in a," comes the soft voice from beside us. 

Baek Hyun-woo.

I move back slightly from my brother's embrace. 

My husband is looking at both of us with unbridled worry. 

He repeats his question from earlier, "Are you both okay? Are either of you hurt?" 

What would have our fate been like if not for Baek Hyun-woo?

Would my brother and I be dead?

Would my parents once again have to go through the absolute hell of losing a child? Correction, children?

As I crash into my husband's arms my brain provides the glaringly obvious answer. 

As long as Baek Hyun-woo is by my side, I would never have to know because there was no way in hell he would ever let any harm befall us. 

Chapter Text

Hong Hae-in POV

We settled into the massive seating area for supper, the events of the hunting ground fiasco still fresh in my mind. The family, though relieved to be safe, seemed subdued.

As we all took our seats, I couldn't help but sneak glances at So Cheol, every few minutes. I needed the reassurance that he was indeed safe and sound. 

Hae-in a, he is safe.

Alive and breathing.

Thanks to my husband.

The ordeal had shaken me more than I cared to admit.

Plates of food were set out beautifully, but the atmosphere was tense - the usual in our household, but I had too many things on my mind to even care.

My mind kept replaying the day's events over and over.

My heart pounded each time I remembered So Cheol's frozen expression in the face of danger, and the calm, decisive action of my husband, Baek Hyun-woo, saving us both.

I see the man himself make an entrance. He looks somewhat angry and I wonder what might have happened.

I look over to my left as Baek Hyun-woo settles down beside me.

Ignoring the conversation between my brother and Yoon Eun-sung - something about US investors - I focus on my husband.

He is stiff, his shoulders taut with tension and he is staring at the entrance. As if he is waiting for someone.

"Baek seobang," my dad says and Baek Hyun-woo looks at him quickly replacing whatever was going on in is mind with a polite look, "have something." Dad is looking at the untouched snacks and tea on front of him. 

"I am good," he murmurs and once again looks at the massive wooden oak doors on the right.

Before I could ask, a commotion near the entrance caught everyone's attention. A few members of the ground staff entered, carefully carrying all the rifles that had been used during the hunting trip.

They bowed respectfully to Baek Hyun-woo and began arranging the rifles on an elevated space right in front of the seating area.

I sense everyone exchanging puzzled glances, whispers of confusion spreading through the room.

Eomma raised an eyebrow, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "What's the meaning of this?" she demanded, her voice cutting through the murmur of voices.

I look at my husband curiously but he stood up, his expression resolute and just says, "I asked the staff to get all the rifles here." 

He moves towards the table without any further explanation.

With a methodical precision, he began checking each one for any signs of tampering. His fingers moved swiftly and confidently, his eyes sharp and focused.

"Do you even know what you are doing, Baek Hyun-woo ssi? You got lucky earlier." Yoon Eun-sung's condescending voice cut through the room, dripping with derision.

While I would have loved to slap Eun-sung right now, Baek Hyun-woo didn't respond immediately.

Instead, he picked up one of the rifles, loaded it smoothly, and in one fluid motion, aimed it directly at Eun-sung.

The room fell deathly silent, every eye widening in shock and horror. With a deathly calm and face devoid of any emotion, my husband asks, "Would you like to see for yourself?"

As if he isn't just pointing a loaded gun at this dumbass, his arms flexing seamlessly, relishing in the undercurrent of fear rolling through the majority of us. 

The color drains from Eun-sung's face as he stared down the barrel of the rifle, frozen in place.

Not so confident any more are we Yoon Eun-sung?

The rest of the family looked equally horrified, their expressions a mixture of fear and disbelief.

I, however, watch my husband with a smug and proud look, as I let my admiration shine through. 

Hyun-woo smirked, lowering the rifle and getting back to his task of checking each one. The room remained silent, the tension palpable.

I take a slow sip of my tea, and say loudly, "Eun-sung-a, you are looking at the best shooter from the Special Guards Team. The guy you are mocking is more than capable of taking the perfect shot at you from any distance."

I give him a well deserved mocking side eye as I see the realisation dawning on my family gleefully. 

Baek Hyun-woo, despite the stares, just ignores everyone and continues with his inspection. 

Once he is done about five minutes later, he picks up the closest one and starts to disassemble it. 

Then before I know it his voice is ringing out, "Hong So Cheol. Hong Hae-in. Come here. Right now." 

The raw power and command in itself has us standing up and walking over to him. No one dares say a word. 

The look in my husband's eyes when he turns is indication enough that we are about to get a scolding.

His glare piercing and he is channeling his military aura, a stark contrast to his usual composed demeanor.

"You absolute fools. Both of you. You do not ever freeze up or hesitate in front of wild animals. You need to train your minds with singular focus when you are hunting."

He steps closer and towers over the both of us and says with utter seriousness, "There are no do-overs here. No second chances. One mistake will cost you your lives."

My brother and I are once again transported back to childhood as we got scolded by Oppa for our reckless behaviour.

We both look down at our feet, feeling the weight of his words.

"Starting this evening, both of you are getting shooting lessons. Because your aim is shit. You guys can shoot down an useless pheasant for a damn soup, but are incapable of taking down a boar which would definitely chew you up and throw you out in no time."

By the time he finished, Baek Hyun-woo is seething, his fury barely contained.

The image of So Cheol freezing up and the thought of how close we had been to danger hits my system once again.

I look to my right at my brother. The usually brash and overconfident dumbass looks rightly schooled.

I am fairing no better. My husband's right. I may have prided myself once at being good at hunting, but at the first instance of danger, my entire body froze. I wouldn't be able to protect myself let alone my loved ones, if this were to ever happen again. 

"This isn't just about hunting. It's about survival. It's about being prepared and responsible. You owe it to yourselves and to those who care about you." 

Baek Hyun-woo took a step back and beckoned us closer. "Come here," he said, his tone firm but patient.

He picked up the disassembled rifle and laid out each unique part in front of them. "This is the barrel," he began, holding it up. "It's the heart of the rifle, where the bullet travels through."

He moved on to the next part. "The bolt. It locks the cartridge in place and is responsible for chambering the next round."

Piece by piece, he explained each component with meticulous detail. "The trigger. It's what initiates the firing sequence. Treat it with respect and never place your finger on it unless you intend to shoot."

As he continued, we listened intently, absorbing his every word. Hyun-woo's expertise was evident, and his passion for what he was teaching shone through. 

Finally, he began to reassemble the rifle, his hands moving with practiced precision. Within minutes, the rifle was whole again, every part fitting seamlessly into place.

Then, much to our surprise, Hyun-woo placed the rifle in front of him and folded his hands in a namaskar, bowing to it in reverence. "You and your rifle need to be one. You are a team. Give it the respect it deserves. Always."

He straightened up, his eyes locking onto ours. "This is not just a tool. It's a responsibility. A weapon in the wrong hands or treated carelessly can lead to disaster. Never forget that."

With those final words, he turned to leave, but not before giving us one last instruction. "I must see you both at the shooting range sharp at 5 pm."

His voice echoed through the hall as he walked away, leaving us standing there. 

I didn't know how to react. I had just gotten schooled by the sexiest man possible and if the situation weren't so serious, I would have most likely jumped his bones the moment he made a show of shooting Yoon Eun-sung. 

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

I walk out of there trying to calm myself down.

There have been many times in my life when I have been scared. It's a part of being human.

New things. New experiences. New challenges - everything scares you.

But being scared is one thing and being scared shitless is another.

Everyone has a trigger for raw fear.

Hong Hae-in in danger - that's my breaking point.

Seeing her so close to danger wrecked me apart piece by piece. It's only my training in the forces and complete shutdown of emotions which helped me save both of them.

I had been unhinged when I had seen her falling last week. I don't even know how to define the absolute hell the universe put me through in matter of few seconds today.

What would have happened if I hadn't made it?

My wife is not a soldier, so I had no right expecting her to remain calm and composed when a wild boar twice her size was barreling towards her.

Stupid. Stupid Baek Hyun-woo.

You called her a fool knowing that she has her own trauma.

She lost her brother for fuck's sake. What were you thinking undermining her emotions in such a manner only because you were scared to death?

Despite all of this, that stupidly protective and sacrificial wife of yours, with a heart larger than the world deserved had squashed her own fear and protected her younger brother.

I had registered it halfway through.

My wife was ready to die as long as it meant that her brother would be saved.

She could have died.

One second late and that beautiful person who keeps me going would have been gone.

My panic skyrockets as my brain absorbs the possibilities.

I clutch my chest as I try to breathe through the fog.

Breathe in - She is okay - breathe out

Breathe in - She is right inside - breathe out

Breathe in - Safe and sound. Heart beating steadily - breathe out

.

.

.

.

.

"Yeobo, what's wrong?" Comes the high pitched question as her hands hold my face and my eyes finally meet hers.

She is fine.

"Panic attack," I whisper lowly and she understands.

A few more breaths along with her help me find my footing. It seems I had slid down the wall and am sitting down on the small walkway.

As my breathing normalized I once again recall what an idiot I had been just a few minutes ago. Next thing I know I am apologizing brokenly.

"I am so sorry. So sorry."

"Why would you apologize Baek Hyun-woo? You saved us." She looks at me truly puzzled.

"I was an asshole inside. I had no right to call you a fool."

A tear rolls down the corner of my eye as Hae-in still gives me a somewhat confused look.

"Hae-in a, you are not a soldier. I can't possibly expect you both to remain calm and composed like trained individuals in face of such situations. Additionally, you both have trauma. With your elder brother-"

Her breathing stutters at that and I gulp in before continuing, "What I mean is you have been through a traumatic incident, which really impacts how you react in certain situations."

I stop trying to ascertain if I had hurt her once again. I am not trying to undermine her strengths, but she is also human and the best of us make mistakes.

She looks at me and nods firmly, encouraging me to finish.

As I look at my wife - the woman who has been through hell and back with almost no support from her family - I wonder how many people have told her that it's not her fault.

"What I am about to say. Just listen. There's this little girl. A bright, kind, and loving little girl who has grown up to be a gorgeous, intelligent, fiercely protective, and sacrificial woman. Her name..."

I suck in a breath as I see my wife's eyes widen.

Bringing my hand up, I place it right over her heart as it beats steadily - helping mine beat in rhythm as well.

"That girl is my wife. Hong Hae-in. But there are some things which her loved ones forgot to tell her. Well, as her husband I will do that duty."

"It's not her job to deliver on each and everything under the sun. She is allowed to fail at some things because she is excels at things which only a handful of people can handle."

"It's not her job to be a pillar of strength for every crisis in the family and the company. She is allowed to make mistakes, learn from them, and become better. "

"It's not her job to always meet everyone's expectations in the family - her grandfather, her parents, her brother, her aunt, her husband, her in-laws. She is allowed to be the one expecting something in return for once in her life. For a woman who has been constantly failed by everyone, it's about time we take the onus. I will, if no one else does."

"It's not her job to take blame for every single thing that goes wrong. She is allowed to point fingers for once in her life. She never claimed to be perfect, but it's always been a matter of survival for her - so she just goes ahead and absorbs the blames and focuses on solving the issues."

"Hong Hae-in. While what happened shouldn't have happened, but irrespective you were not at fault. Your reaction was not your fault. You freezing up - baby, it was natural and human. You were never at fault - not today, neither on that day years ago."

With every word I see her walls break and her tears flow freely. I pull her into my arms as she sobs out.

There's nothing more to say right now. Other than me being by her side supporting her through every painful breath - there's nothing more I can do.

As helpless as it makes me feel, I have been through enough emotional rollercoasters myself to know that there's no way to deal with them without meeting them head on.

You can only get over them if you address them with complete honesty.

It goes on for minutes or hours I don't know and I don't care.

But when she finally looks up there's a shine in her eyes I have never seen before. She looks at peace almost as if after years of torture she has put something to rest.

As if after years of breathing through broken ribs and a a knife wedged between them, finally someone has come to remove the knife and let her ribs heal.

She tries to speak, but I shake my head.

"Talk to yourself first. Confess everything you are feeling to yourself. Accept the fact that you were a victim, not a culprit. And then start talking to someone you trust. It can be anyone. Me, Eomma, Secretary Na - anyone whom you trust to be by your side no matter what." I whisper as I wipe away her tears.

She settles down beside me and links her arm through mine.

"I am sorry, yeobo." I say once she has calmed down.

"I didn't mean to scold you guys like that. You both are adults and that was uncalled for," I say in a somewhat embarrassed tone. I link my fingers through hers and look down at our hands.

"Baek Hyun-woo," her voice is clogged as she speaks.

"I have seen death up close. Once when Oppa died..."

She stops and takes in a deep breath as if she gathering the courage and the strength to speak as her entire system floods with grief.

"After Oppa died, do you know how my parents reacted?"

I look at her waiting patiently for her answer knowing that I wouldn't like it. But my feelings here don't matter.

"My mother stopped looking at me. Completely. She wouldn't even let me touch her, let alone hug her on worst of days. For years, her sentences began with Just how you killed my Su-wan,.... The accusation never left her eyes."

"My father became indifferent. He couldn't care less what was happening to his children. He saw how I was being treated but he was just too exhausted and too lost in his grief to care."

"But you already know this."

"What you don't know is: To this day I am shit scared of water. You might have wondered why we have never been to a beach in all our years together? Water brings me nothing but mental destruction."

She tightens her hold on my fingers and says, "The second time."

Today.

She doesn't need to verbalize it. We both known how close we were to loosing each other.

"Turns out I am also scared of wild animals," she adds softly.

"But the for the first time since Oppa died I have someone."

"Someone to teach me all the parts of a rifle as if he were doing hand-holding for a rookie. Someone to tell me when I make mistakes because there are no do-overs in such situations. Someone to understand that I would protect my younger sibling until my last breath even if it meant giving myself up. Someone to give me shooting lessons by taking on the role of a teacher."

A tear rolls down her eye as she pulls up our clasped hands and drops a kiss to my hand, "Fate has finally given me someone who scolds me because he cared."

"Maybe someday that someone could also help me overcome my hydrophobia because I too need someone to lean on when I face the one place which took away everything from me."

She looks up at me as I absorb her honest words. 

"Thank you for being that someone in my life Baek Hyun-woo. You care and that's more than I could have ever dreamt of for such a long time."

I more than cared. This woman is the axis of my universe and sometimes it seems as if she has no clue of the depth of my feelings. 

I drop a tender kiss to her forehead, but choose to remain silent. Anymore words would be an injustice to what all has already been spoken today.

I hear her soft deep breaths after a few minutes as she falls asleep with her head on my shoulder. I focus on the greenery in front of me and cherish the peace. 

I look down at my watch and see that its way past lunch time. Maybe I should wake her-

The door to our left opens and her father steps out. 

I watch as the old man, usually so composed and stoic, quietly slipped down against the wall and sat beside us. The lines on his face seemed deeper, the weight of the day's events evident in his eyes.

"Baek seobang," his father-in-law began, his voice rough with emotion, "no amount of thanks will be enough. But still, I will say it. Thank you."

I blink in surprise, not expecting such words from the man who had always kept me at a distance. "There's no need to thank me," he replied quietly. "I did what needed to be done."

The old man breathed in deeply, the sound shaky. "Thank you for saving my children. Losing one was enough. If anything had happened to them, it would have been as good as being a living corpse."

He looked at his peacefully sleeping daughter, and for the first time ever since I had met him, he seemed vulnerable. "I know I have made many mistakes when it came to you, Baek seobang, and that has been the case even with my daughter. Especially with how my wife treats her."

I remained silent, allowing the man to speak, my own feelings of resentment and hurt momentarily set aside.

"I am so grateful for you, Baek Hyun-woo," the old man continued, his voice softening. "We couldn't have asked for a better partner for Hong Hae-in."

The sincerity in his words struck me. I look at him and see a man who, despite his flaws and mistakes, truly cared for his family.

"Thank you, sir," I said quietly, my voice thick with emotion. "That means a lot to me."

It truly does. Hong Beom Jun had finally accepted me. After years.

We sat in silence for a while, the only sound the soft breathing of Hae-in as she slept. The old man reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair from his daughter's face. "She's always been strong, but she's stronger with you by her side," he said, his eyes meeting mine. "Take care of her. And forgive us. For everything."

I gulp in a shuddering breath and give him a small smile. It looks like Hong Hae-in now has one more person in her corner.

Chapter Text

Hong Hae-in POV

The week following the hunting trip is filled with nightmares. Every single night, my mind conjures up various scenarios of the incident and the outcome is always the same: Hong Soo Cheol dead.

The first night when we were at the hunting estate was the worst.

----------Flashback-------------

The shooting practice had tired me out. I was literally sleep walking by the time we retired to our rooms.

I don't know how I managed to take a shower after the grueling day, but I did.

Baek Hyun-woo was kind enough to give me a foot massage to ensure that I slept properly and at ease.

Joke was on me.

Because my past caught up with me.

I found myself back on the boat, the cold, churning waters surrounding us. The sharp bite of the wind and the ominous creaking of the boat as it struggled against the waves sent waves of fear filling through every cell of my being.

Not this again. Please.

My heart pounded with a familiar dread as I looked around, desperately trying to find Oppa.

But it wasn't my elder brother who was with me.

It was my baby brother.

Hong So Cheol, his face pale with fear, his eyes wide with panic as the boat lurched and tipped, throwing us both into the icy water.

I tried swimming towards him, but the waves are just too strong.

So-Cheol-a, wait - Noona is coming.

He is struggling. His small legs and hands not being able to do anything against the stream.

I screamed, my voice lost to the roar of the waters.

I once again try swimming towards So Cheol, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't reach him. His head bobbed up and down, each time staying underwater longer than before.

The water was freezing, numbing my limbs, but I fought against it, my lungs burning for air. I watched in horror as So Cheol's struggles weakened, his face contorting in terror and pain. "No!" I screamed, my voice hoarse and desperate. "So Cheol, hold on!"

But just as he slipped beneath the surface, the scene shifted. We were back on the hunting grounds, the wild boar charging at us. The same paralyzing fear gripped me as I saw So Cheol frozen in place, unable to move.

"Run!" I shouted after my shot fails, but my voice seemed to fall on deaf ears. The boar's snorting breaths grew louder, its charge unstoppable.

My heart pounded as I relived the horror, unable to change the course of events. Just as the boar was about to strike, I woke up with a jolt, a scream tearing from my throat.

Hyun-woo was instantly awake, his hand on my shoulder, eyes filled with concern. "Hae-in a, what's wrong?"

My eyes darted around the room, my breath coming in ragged gasps. I clutched at my husband, the terror still fresh in my mind. "So Cheol... he..."

But my panic didn't abate. The nightmare's grip still held my mind and body in a vice, my breathing shallow and erratic.

Proof of life.

I need a proof of life.

The next moment I am stumbling out of bed, almost falling to my knees as my vision blurred with tears.

I faintly hear Hyun-woo's concerned voice echoing behind me, but I was too consumed by terror to respond.

Barefoot and disoriented, I made my way down the hall to my brother's room.

I clearly am out of it because I bang on their bedroom door, not caring about the disturbance I was causing. "So Cheol-a! Hong So Cheol!"

Moments later, the door opened to reveal a very sleepy Cheon Da-hye, her hair tousled and eyes half-closed. "Hae-in? What's going on?"

My desperation was palpable. "Can I... can I come in? I need So Cheol," I beg as tears streaming down her face.

Fuck coming across as weak. I don't care. My pride is not more important than my baby brother.

Without hesitation, Da-hye stepped aside to let me in. "Of course."

Baek Hyun-woo POV

I wake up to my wife's screams.

The dim light from the bedside lamp cast a pale glow on her face, revealing a look of sheer terror.

"Hae-in? What's going on?" I ask softly. 

She didn't answer, her eyes wide and unseeing. Before I could react, she threw off the covers and bolted out of bed - almost falls - and then she is running, her footsteps echoing in the quiet night. Alarmed, I followed her.

She had a nightmare. 

I see her running towards Hong So Cheol's room. She bangs on their door, her desperation palpable.

I reach her just in time to see Cheon Da-Hye letting her in. 

The look on my wife's face - unbridled fear, red-rimmed eyes with torturing memories, and her entire body shaking - all of it breaks something inside me. 

Her legs buckle as she settles herself on the floor beside the bed. Even in her own distress, she is careful not to wake up her peacefully sleeping younger brother. Softly removing the hair which are falling over his eyes, she runs a loving finger over his cheek as tears of relief run down. 

I look to my left and notice the look of absolute shock on Cheon Da-Hye's face. I am sure she has never seen her sister-in-law show this kind of emotion. 

She just holds his wrist between her fingers and the sheer relief on her face almost brings me to my knees.

In the dead silence of the night, her whispers of "He's alive. So Cheol-a, Noona's here. He's alive. Not like Oppa." echo through the room.

I choke because how the fuck has fate played my wife such tragic cards, I have no clue.

If losing one brother wasn't enough, yesterday's incident will now give her nightmares about her last remaining sibling as well.

Pushing down my own feelings, I knelt beside her, placing a comforting hand on her back. "It's okay, yeobo. He's safe. You feel it. Still steady and thumping pulse, hmm."

And she nodded like a small baby, her fingers still pressed against So Cheol's pulse. Her relief is palpable as she breaths out, "Yeah. Yeah, he -So-Cheol-a is fine - I just needed to be sure."

I have never seen her stumble this much, but I understood. I knew the weight of her grief, the constant fear that lingered just beneath the surface. 

She needed a proof of life.

Da-Hye comes closer and gives Hae-in a glass of water, which my wife takes without even moving her gaze an inch from her brother's face. 

It might have been a few minutes later, when Hae-in realizes that we are in the room and she turns to her sister-in-law and whispers in a pleading voice. "Can I - can I stay here? I will not - I promise - I will not disturb either of you."

The following words, "Need him. Please," are literally wheezed out of her chest and I see Da-Hye breaking as well. 

She is not close enough to Hong Hae-in to pull her into a hug or comfort her, but her voice cracks as she says, "Take as long as you need."

That night we spend with me and Da-Hye and I, sitting on the floor leaning against the wall watching over our respective spouses, being extremely grateful that there was at least one of us - the one who had managed to make the great Hong Hae-in a crying and begging mess - sleeping like a baby.

For the first time in my life someone's soft snores actually felt like a symphony rather than an annoyance. 

As long as every upward note of Hong So Cheol's snores and his soft sighs brought a small smile on my wife's face, I was okay. 

----------Flashback ends------------

The nightmares continue through the week. Every night, even after we return to Seoul, the same pattern follows so much so that I and Da-Hye started sharing texts. I would let her know when Hae-in was coming to their room and she would let me know when my wife had calmed down and was making her way back to our wing.

Neither of us uttered a single word to Hong Hae-in. Or the family. 

I knew for a fact that my wife would feel embarrassed and there was no way in hell I would make her feel bad about caring. She was finally showing that she cared. Even if she is taking the support of the veiled nights to cover up her emotions. 

But there's one another person who has figured out what's happening and I am just realizing it. 

The room was electric with triumph. Queens Group had just secured the deal with the American firm, and the atmosphere was charged with a mix of relief and exhilaration. 

I couldn't help but feel a swell of pride as I glanced at Hong Hae-in, who stood confidently beside Hong So Cheol. The negotiation had been tough, but they had outmaneuvered the opposition with strategic finesse.

The asshole CEO who had mockingly called me clueless the last time we met, looked like he has had to swallow a very bitter pill. 

Hong So Cheol had remained calm, delivering some great punchlines that had subtly yet effectively weakened the opposition's resolve.

Hong Hae-in's random lectures and guidance sessions seem to be bearing fruits. 

As the final signatures were put on the agreement, the room erupted in congratulations. Hae-in was speaking animatedly to her secretary, her face alight with the thrill of victory after everyone's left.

I was about to join the conversation, when I noticed So Cheol lingering awkwardly nearby.

Is he blushing?  What's he doing?

I waited because I was way too curious about why he was acting the way he was. 

Ten minutes passed, and So Cheol continued to hover, clearly waiting for an opening. My curiosity piqued, especially since my brother-in-law didn't really have the best relationship with his sibling - not after the poison which Kim Seon Hwa has fed him over the years.

"Noona," So Cheol whined suddenly, the word cutting through the chatter like a blade.

It was a tone I had never heard being directed towards Hae-in — a soft, almost childlike plea for attention.

Hae-in turned, her expression softening at the sight of her brother.

But it was what happened next that made my breath catch. So Cheol stepped closer to Hae-in, taking her hand and placing it over his heart.

The gesture was intimate and poignant, as if he was trying to convey something words couldn't capture. He then pulled her into an embrace, holding her tightly for a moment before releasing her.

Proof of Life.

He whispered something which made my wife stiffen for a few seconds, but then I see her hands coming up to hug her brother tightly. 

I look at Na biseo and we both leave, deciding to give the siblings some privacy. 

That's what he has been doing this past week - randomly feeding Hae-in morsels from his plate, showing up to our wing during breakfast under the ruse of Geon-wu apparently having forgotten his toy in our seating area (there was no toy of course), personally dropping off snacks for us one afternoon saying that he had made some for Hong Geon-wu.

He knew about Hae-in's visits, but it seemed that he acted as if he was sleeping to not make his sister feel bad about coming across as weak.

Instead he took it upon himself the job of being the clingier sibling, so that his sister got her proof of life updates during the day as well.

Oh God.

When Hong So Cheol steps out a few minutes later, he sees me leaning against the wall of the boardroom. I just look at him and pat him on the shoulder, trying to convey my gratitude and valiantly trying to not cry. 

"You are a good man, Hong So Cheol."

When my wife steps out the same moment and grasps the scene in front of her, with red rimmed eyes and a happy smile on her face, a child like spark in her beautiful eyes almost as if she had found something precious after decades of wait. 

I can't help but choke up as I squeeze his shoulder, "Ani, you are the best."

Both the Hong siblings' breath catches at the same time, but the look of genuine happiness on their faces - that - that was something I had witnessed for the first time. 

Chapter Text

Hong Hae-in POV

Secretary Na rushed into my office with a hesitant on her face. "CEO Hong, there's something you should know."

I raise an eyebrow and wait for her to speak. 

"Actually....it's Director Baek," she starts off slowly and I freeze. "He's become the talk of the building."

"What's he done now?" I ask sharply. 

Baek Hyun-woo's coolness quotient has shot up in the past few weeks. With all that went down he has become a celebrity of sorts.

"He's leading a meeting in the Legal department," she explains, "and he seems to be attracting a lot of attention. He has got one of his team member's baby in his arms."

My eyes widen in surprise. "He's holding a baby during a meeting?" I ask incredulously.

She nods. "Yes, and everyone is talking about it. Pictures and videos are also being uploaded as we speak."

I am out of my seat in the next breath. When I finally reach his floor, the crowds and commotion catch me off guard. There are easily 50-60 people who all of a sudden seem to be best friends with people, who sit on this floor and everyone is sneaking glances and whispering loudly near the glass partition. 

My heart almost skids to a halt at the view.

There is my husband, Baek Hyun-woo, coatless and with his sleeves rolled up, his strong forearms cradling the sleeping baby as he led the meeting with confidence and authority. His huge hands were delicately holding the baby and their was a cloth on his shoulder for the baby's drool.

"He looks so hot," a female whispers to my left and my glare is instantaneous. As my secretary already mentioned quite a few people who are clicking pictures and videos.

Okay, the entire damn firm will be getting new directions on clicking pictures and videos of Baek Hyun-woo - especially after what happened with the mobbing. 

But when I look back at him, I freeze.

Our baby.

Is this how Baek Hyun-woo would look with our baby?

Is this how he would have operated frequently - handling meetings while our son or daughter slumbered in his arms?

The man in question opens the door of their seating space and gives everyone an exasperated look.

"If everyone is done staring, can you please leave?" he requested, his voice carrying a hint of authority. "I would prefer that Won-joon sleeps some more so that his Appa can work comfortably."

His team has been swamped with the American deal as we have just about a week in hand to file everything and get started with business.

My muscles seem to have a mind of their own because I start walking towards him. Without a word, I reach out, silently asking for the baby. There's dead silence all around. Everyone curious to see what would happen next.

I want to hold the baby.

Desperately.

He is suprised by my presence. But his expression softens, when he registers my actions.

However, I see doubt flickering in his eyes and he turns to a male (Yoon Joo won, if my memory serves right) and seeks permission with a questioning glance. 

When he received a nod of assent, he carefully transfers the sleeping baby into my waiting arms.

My heartbeat stutters for the second time just in the span of few minutes as the baby's small head nuzzles on my chest.

So trusting. 

Cradling the sleeping infant close to my chest, I felt a rush of warmth and tenderness wash over me. The baby nestled contentedly against me, his soft breaths a soothing melody.

Is this what it would have felt like?

"Please work comfortably," I say in a low voice keeping my gaze settled on my husband's chest. I can't bring myself to look at him right now.

"I will look after Won-joon, so that you can finish your meeting."

I turn around and slowly walk towards the elevator as the baby's breaths against my neck sooth me. His tiny hand involuntarily catches a hold of my hair and then his small fist tightens as if he is holding on with all his might.

I realize only when I see us in the elevator's mirrors that I too am holding on to him with all my might.

I will protect you at all costs.

Secretary Na POV

I follow my boss, Hong Hae-in, into the elevator, feeling a mix of amusement and bewilderment.

While witnessing Baek Hyun-woo with a baby was a sight, seeing my boss volunteering to look after the baby was a shock to my system. 

I have seen many shades of Hong Hae-in over the years. But this - the sight of the fierce CEO of Queens Group cradling a sleeping baby was not something I had ever expected to see.

“Okay, Na biseo,” my boss' soft words reach my ears. I can hear her only because we are alone with how low her voice is. Its almost as if she is speaking to herself and expects me to read her lips. 

“I need you to get a small nursery setup in my office. We need a crib, a changing table, some toys, and whatever else a baby might need," she whispers, but the order is clear as day. 

I blink, trying to process the sudden shift from high-stakes corporate strategy to baby care logistics. “Uh, yes, ma’am. Where should I—”

Then all of a sudden, she turns and glares at me. “Shh!” she whisper-yells, her eyes darting to the baby as it stirred slightly. “Not so loud!”

Gosh, I have a baby. They need quiet, but not one where we need to read each others lips. 

“Sorry, ma’am,” I reply in a hushed voice, but I can't keep my amusement and confusion at bay.

“Any specific brand you prefer? And… a crib?” I ask doubtfully. She arches a brow as if I was asking dumb questions. 

Well, its not a dumb question if we don't have a set precedence of such events. I have no clue what is going on in my boss' mind right now.

When the mild glare holds, "I will call the best brand in the mall," I say as I pull up my contacts list.

“Yes, a crib. And don’t forget the changing table. Just get everything a baby might need for a few hours. We need to be prepared," she adds softly as I catch her tapping the baby's back softly from the corner of my eye.

Yes, looks like Hong Hae-in is very invested in being responsible for a baby for a few hours. 

The elevator dinged as we reached our floor, and I follow her out, jotting down notes on my iPad.

“Call the best baby care brand in the Queens Mall and tell them it’s an emergency and we need everything delivered within the hour. Use my name if you have to.”

“Understood, ma’am,” I say, dialing the number of the baby store as we enter her expansive office.

I watch as she surveys the room, mentally rearranging the furniture to accommodate the impromptu nursery. She points to a corner near the window. “Set up everything over there. I want the baby to be comfortable.”

I nod, speaking quickly and quietly into the phone as I focus on arranging for the emergency delivery. “Yes, we need a crib, a changing table, some toys, and anything else a baby might need. Everything needs to be of top-notch quality no matter what the cost. It’s for Hong Hae-in, CEO of Queens Group. Yes, it’s urgent.”

Minutes later, I hang up and approached my boss, who is settled on the sofa staring at the baby in her arms. “The store will have everything here within the hour, ma’am.”

“Good,” she whispers, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. “Now, let’s go over the rest of today’s agenda. Remember, keep it down.”

I nod, suppressing a smile as I hand over the day’s schedule. As we went through the list, a delivery team arrived, discreetly setting up the makeshift nursery. I watch, impressed, as the team worked efficiently, transforming the corner of the office into a cozy space for the baby.

Over the next few hours I see varying kinds of shades of Hong Hae-in. 

Much to my surprise, she continues to hold on to the baby despite having made such an elaborate set up with a crib worth my monthly salary.

Every now and then, she glances down at the peaceful bundle, her body language screaming of her protective instincts. 

If all of this was suprising, Hong Hae-in's glares were down right funny. Each visitor, who made it through her cabin, was met with a firm but silent warning: speak softly or face the consequences. My boss' usually sharp gaze had transformed into a maternal glare that could silence the boldest of voices.

Sometime later, an intern enters balancing a pile of files. His eyes widen at the sight of the CEO with a baby in her lap, his steps faltering. He carefully places the files on her desk, trying to be as quiet as possible.

However, in his haste, he accidentally knocks over the pen stand. The clattering sound echoes through the room, causing the baby to stir slightly.

Does he have a death wish?

The glare is instantaneous and shoots across the desk like a laser.

Thank God, its not directed at me. 

He freezes, his face paling as he looks at Hong Hae-in with wide eyes. He quickly steadied the pen stand, his hands trembling. "I-I'm sorry, ma'am," he stammers, backing away slowly as our boss continues to stare at him with such intensity that I am sure he is questioning his entire existence.

Its going to be a long day, isn't it?

Hong Hae-in POV

Something's wrong. I screwed up, didn't I? 

Yoon Won-joon - the adorable baby - who has been slumbering in my arms for the past hour and a half is crying. 

He is crying. Why is he crying? 

Is he hungry?

"Na biseo, get me food. No, wait - baby food -"

"Hold on. How old do you think Won-joon is?"

His wails become louder and his nose scrunches up. 

"He is crying - get the doctor right now. Tell him its an emergency and that little Won Joon is crying."

“But ma’am, it’s just—” Secretary Na begins, but my glare silences her.

“Now!” I snap, clutching the wailing baby to my chest as if the world depended on it.

I fumble with my phone, dialing the one person I know to be an amazing father.

"Hong So Cheol. Come to my office immediately! It’s an emergency!” I yell, but my voice breaks breaks as I continue, “It’s Won-joon. He’s crying, and I don’t know what to do!”

“Noona, what’s going on? What happened?” Seo Cheol panted, skidding to a stop.

“I don’t know! He just started crying, and he won’t stop! I called the doctor, but he’s not here yet!” I tell him in panic.

Seo Cheol takes a deep breath, trying to assess the situation. He walks over to me and gently takes the baby.

“Let me see,” he says, bouncing Won-joon lightly.

Not a second later, he sighs and gives me an exasperated look. 

“Noona, seriously? How can you panic so much?” he says shaking his head. “He just needs a diaper change.”

My eyes widen in realization, but my burning cheeks don't stop me from smacking his head. “Hya! Do you think I have experience with babies? How was I supposed to know that it was his time for a nappy change? 

The doctor comes in rushing just then, "CEO Hong-"

"Its okay. I overreacted." I breath out in a soft voice, my eyes glued to the sight of my brother changing the baby's diaper. He is making weird faces at the baby, which is inducing heart-stopping giggles from little Won-joon.

He is such a natural at this and I can't help but feel envious at how well versed he is at the whole parenting thing.

After I have asked my secretary to clear out my calendar for a few more hours, we both settle down against the wall as Won-joon lays on his back and plays with the new toys. 

"Thank you," I whisper out. 

My younger brother looks at me hesitantly, "What- what for?" 

The innocent look in his eyes as he tries to figure out is endearing and heart-breaking at the same time. For once in my life I decide to be honest.  

"There's a lot-"

I gulp. Where do I even start?

"- a lot I need to thank you for."

"Thank you," here goes.

This is your chance Hong Hae-in. That bridge, which has been broken for years - mend it.

"for rushing to help me despite everything,"

"for giving me proofs of life over the last few days,"

"for not making a big deal out of the fact that I was visiting you every night,"

"for taking care of me when its my job to look after you,"

"but most importantly, thank you for finding it in you to give me a chance to be a part of your life after everything that's happened."

He just links his fingers through mine and gives me his standard gummy smile.

"I am great, aren't I?" he muses as he continues to smile ear to ear.

"Hya, you little -" I start off.

"Noona, my list of thank you's is never ending. I wouldn't know where to begin. Irrespective of what all Eomma has said and done, I have noticed what all you have done or tried to do for me over the years. My thinking was so warped because of our mother's constant criticisms, that I failed to see your side and give you the due credit. But I will not repeat that mistake."

"You are my Noona. I love you," he whispers, his smile soft and reassuring.

I gulp in a shaky breath trying to keep the tears at bay.

"Whatever happened with Su-wan Hyung is not your fault. It never was and its high time that you accept it as well," his voice trembles as he turns to look at the baby most likely trying to find the right words.

"Even if I have to remind you that fact every single day for the rest of our lives -" he looks back at me and continues, "then that's exactly what I will do."

Those bridges- looks like fate has finally mended the second bridge in my universe.

First Baek Hyun-woo - from almost loosing him and our marriage - to us finally moving forward.

The second - my baby brother - a bridge that I was so sure was broken forever.

I was wrong. 

I am finally getting a chance to build a new bridge with Hong So Cheol and there is no way in hell I will let this second chance go to waste.

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

The day has been unbearably long. One moment, I am handing over the baby to my wife, and the next moment its already evening. As we are wrapping up I tell Yoon Joo-won to take a breather and I will go and get the baby.

I push open the door to Hong Hae-in's office, the familiar creak hardly registering in the quiet room.

I step inside, my eyes immediately landing on the sight that both warmed and pained his heart.

I am not even suprised with all the make shift nursery in the corner. I would expect nothing less from my wife. 

Hae-in is asleep on the corner sofa, cradling little Won-joon in her arms. The baby is snuggled against her chest, his tiny fist clutching a strand of her hair.

The scene is peaceful, yet it stirrs a profound ache within me.

I am frozen as I take in the image that could have been our reality if not for the miscarriage.

Silently, I approach them, heart heavy with memories and unfulfilled dreams. I kneel beside the sofa, as my eyes mist as my whole system grasps the view.

My ingers instinctively trace the back of my wife's hand. The touch is feather-light, but it is enough to make her stir.

She opens her eyes slowly, and I see the glistening tear escape from the corner of her eye. It trails down her cheek, a silent testament to the pain we both carried.

"This could have been our baby," she whispers, her voice trembling with emotion.

My throat tightens and I squeeze her hand gently.

"I know," I reply softly. "But for now, let's pretend that Won-joon is ours. We have about twenty minutes before his Appa has to leave."

Hae-in nods and shifts slightly, making room for me on the sofa.

I settle beside her, careful not to jostle the baby. 

"He is so cute," Hae-in whispers her voice filled with awe and adoration. 

"If it were my baby, I would have wrapped it up in a bubble wanting to protect him or her from everything." 

The comment is so painfully Hae-in - always wanting to protect her loved ones. Even at her own expense, if required.

The twenty minutes - where we both stared at the little baby - pass in the blink of any eye. 

I look at the clock and get up. "Let's go, yeobo. Joo-won needs to take him to his mother in-law's place." 

I offer to carry him, but my wife's hands tighten around the baby. 

As we step out, Hae-in turns to her secretary and says, "Have all the baby's things inside delivered to Yoon Joo-won's home. These are gifts from our end to little Won-jun. Also have all those items delivered to the other two people in the Legal department who have had babies recently. Its a small thank you for the amount of effort they put in for us while being full time parents."

Again. I am not suprised. Just proud. 

Hong Hae-in - my wife. Mine.

She carries Won-joon the whole way down to the Legal department, where we find Joo-won waiting.

As Hae-in approaches him, my team falls silent.

They have never witnessed this side of Hong Hae-in - a  formidable CEO holding a baby so tenderly.

My wife hesitates for a moment, looking down at Won-jun with a reluctant expression, as if parting with her most precious possession.

She looks back to me and pouts.

Her demeanor, usually so composed and commanding, now seemed almost childlike.

She looks at me pleadingly and if I hadn't known the woman for years I couldn't have guessed the question in her eyes at all.

"Do I really have to give him back?"

I only raise a soft brow as if to say, "Yes, yeobo. We don't want to get slapped with a kidnapping case."

She schools her expression before turning back and she gently hands the baby back to his father, her fingers lingering a moment longer on the baby's tiny form.

"I want him here at least once every week," Hae-in says, her tone carrying the authority of a command but laced with a plea that was hard to miss. "I like him, and I’ve realized that little Won-jun is a very good stress buster for me. I will look after him personally."

I remain silent too shocked by wife's request. I muster a smile as everyone leaves for the day.

As we drive back home sometime later, Hae-in looks happy. She tells me everything she did with the baby today. She also recounts the diaper change incident and her conversation with her brother. There's a lightness in her walk as we enter our home. Dinner is a normal affair, but the worry keeps nagging at me. 

I remember every tiny detail of the days after Hae-in's miscarriage. 

She became so cold. 

Stopped talking. Stopped eating properly. Stopped laughing or smiling.

Stopped.

She just stopped living.

It was like the death of our baby had put a full stop on every thing that was Hong Hae-in. I am worried that Won jun's presence would bring back the pain in full force.

Sure, it was hell for me as well. Losing my wife's love and support, so soon after losing our baby had been a big blow. I can't even count the number of times I got drunk and moped in front of Yang Gi.

But my pain has been nothing compared to hers.

Why would she put herself through that pain? Today would have been hard enough.

Does she not remember the hell she went through after the miscarriage?

I am fiddling with the pen stand on my desk as the painful memories whirl in my mind. 

After everything she has shared about her family and the way I have seen them treating her - I still want to protect her from unnecessary pain.  

I call Yoon Joon-won. Gosh, this is going to be a difficult conversation. 

After a few rings, he picks up, his voice tired after the day we had.

“Director Baek. Is something wrong?” he asks.

I pause for a moment before speaking, carefully choosing my words. “Joon won-ah, I am calling you as a friend. Not your boss."

My voice must have sounded almost broken, because I immediately hear him moving and a soft click of a door. He just waits for me to speak.

"I wanted to talk to you about something important.” I whisper.

“Of course, Hyung. Is everything alright?” he asks softly.

“Yes, everything is fine,” I reply.

“It’s about Hae-in. She mentioned to you earlier about bringing your son to the office once a week, right?”

“Yes, she did,” his voice softens. “She seemed really excited about it.”

I close my eyes for a moment, trying to push back the memories of our loss.

I look up, trying to reign in my emotions and the glow in the dark star is right there.

Our baby.

“Joon-won ah, most don't know this, but Hae-in and I… we lost a baby last year. It was a miscarriage, and it was really hard on both of us, especially on Hae-in.”

There was a long pause on the other end, and when he finally spoke, his voice is filled with understanding. “Oh, Hyung, I’m so sorry.”

“I know she’s trying to be strong,” I continue.

“She’s doing everything she can to keep going, but I’m worried that seeing Won-joon so often might be too much for her. I don’t want her to be reminded of what we lost every time she sees him. I want to protect her from that pain.”

"Does that make me a bad person?" I ask brokenly.

"Hyung, you are trying to protect her. Please don't blame yourself and believe that my wife or I would feel bad about this. Kwenchana Hyung."

A wave of relief washes over me. “Thank you. I really appreciate it. And please don’t tell her about this conversation. I don’t want her to feel like she’s being shielded or coddled.”

“Of course, Hyung. This will stay between us,” he assures me.

When I finally keep my mobile on the table and look up, I see my wife standing there with tears streaming down her eyes. 

Fuck.

Hong Hae-in POV

Baek Hyun-woo has been pretty silent through the whole evening. Once I am done dealing with a few pending emails for the day, I make my way across our room to his home office.

He is talking to someone it seems.

I catch Yoon Joon-won's name and my curiosity piques. His words are muffled by the door. I frown, stepping closer. When I hear the word miscarriage I know for sure he is talking about me. That's when I push the door open slightly and I hear -

"-I’m worried that seeing Won-jun so often might be too much for her. I don’t want her to be reminded of what we lost every time she sees him.-"

My request to have baby Won-joon in the office has clearly concerned my husband.

Does he not trust me? Is he doubting my ability to handle a baby? 

My brain registers the end of the conversation-

“...just don’t tell her...”

I feel a lump form in her throat as I hear his soft voice, filled with a tenderness that would have melted her under different circumstances.

But now, it only makes me feel suffocated, like I am being smothered.

My heart sinks. 

He is hiding this from me. 

He doesn't trust me, does he?

Who are you kidding Hong Hae-in? Your own mother doesn't trust you.

Why would you think anyone else would?

I don't know when I barged in, but the moment he registers my presence, he knows that I heard everything.

“Hae-in—” he began, but I cut him off, my voice trembling with barely controlled emotion.

“Is that what you think of me?” I can't help but ask, my voice low and strained. “That I can’t handle being around a baby?”

His eyes widen in shock. “Hae-in, it’s not like that—”

I take a step closer, my hands clenched at my sides. “No, don’t lie to me. I heard you. You think I’m too weak, that I’ll break down the moment I see Won-joon. You don’t trust me, Baek Hyun-woo. You don’t think I can take care of a baby.”

“That’s not true,” he said quickly, standing up from his chair. “I was just trying to protect you—”

“Protect me?” my voice rose, my emotions spilling over. “From what? From my own pain? You think I don’t know how to deal with it? You think I’m not strong enough?”

His face twists with anguish. “Hae-in a, please, just listen—”

“No, you listen to me!” I shout, voice breaking. “You don’t trust me because you blame me, don’t you? You blame me for our baby’s death.”

The room falls into a deafening silence.

Utter silence. 

Just our labored breaths. 

Hyun-woo’s body has gone rigid, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

He opens his mouth, but no words came out. It seems he can barely comprehend what I am saying, let alone respond to it.

My chest heaves with the force of my emotions, fresh set of tears welling up in my eyes.

“You resent me for it, don’t you?” I whisper. “You resented me then, and you still resent me now.”

I can literally see the heartbreak on Baek Hyun-woo's face.

He looks utterly shattered at my words. As if hearing me say those things felt like the ground had been ripped out from under him.

“No,” he finally says, his voice thick with emotion.

“No, Hong Hae-in, I never blamed you. I could never blame you. Please, believe me.”

He is standing in front of me now, but I just shake my head. “Then why are you so afraid of letting me near a baby? Why are you so sure I’ll break?

A thought crosses my mind a beat later and I look up at him, "You think I’m not capable of being a mother anymore, don’t you?” I ask in a truly horrified tone.

Hyun-woo takes a step forward and I take one back, his own tears flowing. “Hae-in, I was only trying to protect you because I love you. Because I couldn’t bear to see you hurt again. It wasn’t about trust—it was about my fear of losing you to that pain.”

Before I know it I am running away towards our bedroom the pain and tears making it too much. 

But being a mess meant that I didn't realize that my husband followed me and I feel his hands wrap around my waist as he pulls me into a hug from the back. I thrash in his arms, but he is much stronger. 

After minutes or an hours - I have no clue - I finally hear the words he is murmuring against my ears, "You will be the best mother, Hae-in a."

"I am so sorry. Forgive me. I was just trying to save you the pain."

Over and over again he repeats these words like a mantra as he drops soft kisses to my hair. 

His voice is completely clogged as he let his tears flow. 

Hae-in a, just listen to his side once. Its possible that you went ahead and misunderstood. Just let him explain.

When I sniffle out softly he stills. 

My silence is all the invitation he needs for to make his case.

He picks me up and settles me down on the bed. Softly turning me over he lays behind me and pulls me into his tall frame. 

For the first time in months, his hand goes and settles on my stomach - right where our baby would have been. 

"I just didn't want you to go into lockdown mode again," he says softly.

"You just stopped. You stopped living and I had been too caught up in my own grief to notice it immediately. Why do you think I begged you to open up Hae-in a?" 

A whimper follows, "Do you know how scary it was for me seeing my wife just shut down? No matter what I tried, you just shut me out."

"And for you to think that I blamed you? A knife to my heart would have hurt less than that yeobo. All this time - have you truly believed that I blamed you?" he asks brokenly.

I can only nod. I am ashamed to even admit it, but I don't want to let this opportunity go. 

We are finally talking about the one thing which drove a wedge in our relationship - the miscarriage.

He is silent for a few beats, but he is breathing heavily. I remain silent knowing that he will speak when he is ready. 

I have already jumped the gun once tonight. Not anymore. I want him to tell me what he is thinking. 

Communicate.

"Hong Hae-in. I will be honest. There have been a few times during our relationship, when I have truly resented you. The public fights in office and the family dinners."

My heart breaks at that. 

"Mianhe-" I immediately turn back and look at him, but before I could continue he kisses me. 

Its a soft and tender kiss, "Shh."

"Let me finish," he whispers softly. The relief of having me making eye contact with him is palpable. Both our eyes are red rimmed.

"But the baby - our baby - losing him or her was our curse to bear. It was not your fault. It wasn't a part of our fate. You, Hong Hae-in - thanks to your mother - believe that you murdered your own brother."

The use of the word murder just feels like a fresh wound has been opened because he is right. In my head, I have always considered myself my brother's murderer. 

"But let me tell you something. No murderer in the world steps in front of her younger brother to save him from a charging boar. No murderer brings a valued board member to his knees because he threatened her husband and insulted her in-laws. No murderer fawns over her husband's nephew and sends fancy cars every month to give him rides. No murderer tries to learn cooking from her mother in-law because she sees it as a bonding opportunity. No murderer buys the most expensive stuff known to mankind for her brother's kid on each overseas trip."

I am sobbing now. 

Him saying all these things mean the world to me. I could never put my gratitude in words.

"You were never at fault Hong Hae-in. Not in case of Su-wan Hyung, nor in case of our baby," he says softly as he lets me cry my heart out. 

When I finally calm down and look up at him, he kisses me softly. 

"With Won-joon, you were so great today yeobo. But Yoon Joon-won's mother in-law had an accident last week and she broke her leg. With her age, the doctor said that it could take six to eight months for a full recovery. So his wife is moving to her hometown by the end of this month along with the baby so she could look after her mom - she is a single child, you see."

Realization dawns on me. If the mother is moving, then its obvious baby Won-joon would also be relocating.

"I just didn't want you to spend more time with him and then have your heart broken when he moved in a few weeks. It would have been like a hauntingly real repeat telecast of our baby." he adds in a low voice.

"I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you or imply that you couldn't take care of him. Heck you were so natural with him." he says.

I understand his perspective now. He really was trying to ensure that the vicious cycle from last time doesn't repeat and I get where he is coming from. 

"I am sorry. I didn't mean to scream or make you feel bad. But I am so glad that we spoke about this," I look up at him as I finally gather the courage. 

Next thing I know, he is kissing me and I am on my back as his mouth devour me. 

We taste each others tears but its cathartic finally closing a subject which has loomed large over our heads.

When the soft, loving, and reassuring kisses turn demanding I have no clue. But my husband is capable of short-circuiting my senses and I before I know it he has divested me of my t-shirt and his hand moves to my center. His hand on my waist is the only thing which is stopping me from moving against his length, which I feel against my stomach.

He pulls back before entering my core. 

His hair a mess, eyes wild, face tight with arousal.

"Hong Hae-in, once we do this, there's no going back." His voice has a desperate and possessive edge. 

"You bet," and I pull him down for a searing kiss just as he wedges a finger into my dripping center. 

Baek Hyun-woo POV

"The utter nonsense that you spewed some time ago deserves punishment," I say while adding the second finger to her pussy. She has always been tight. But months without sex and I am sure it will be like our first time all over again.

I am a well endowed man and Hae-in always has difficulty adjusting to my size. Her mewls in that initial bite of pain were also a turn on for me.

"Please, Yeobo," she gasps.

"Words, Mrs. Baek," I address her with her title only reserved for our bedroom. She looks up at me as her blush spreads to her chest. Oh she remembers alright. She knows for a fact that I won't do anything without her verbal confirmation.

"More, please," she whimpers.

I pull her into a searing kiss. She gasps into my mouth the moment I add pressure to her clit. A few strokes has her moaning loudly. And just as she is on the edge of her orgasm, I add a third finger and wedge my palm against her clit. The increased pressure on her G-spot and the stimulation sends her spiralling into a breathtaking orgasm.

She looks ethereal like this.

With no armor. No facade.

Just Hong Hae-in.

My wife.

She looks so fragile and trusting. The fact that Hong Hae-in has given me the exclusive rights to see her in this vulnerable state for years now is an honor in itself.

Just as she is coming down and finally starts opening her eyes, I pull out my fingers and lick them.

Just like I remember. Tangy and sweet at the same time.

I can't help but moan out as her taste floods my senses, "You somehow taste even better now," I whisper as I let myself lay over her and drop soft kisses on her face.

She is impatient as she bites my lip and looks at me pleadingly.

"Fuck me," my wife's say in a demanding voice, which sends my mind into a frenzy as my cock hardens painfully.

If that's even possible.

My clothes are gone in seconds and her hands tremble as she removes my boxers. And as is always the case with Hae-in's go-getter attitude, she is quick to give my cock strong upward thrusts, her actions and the sight of her small hands sending into me a haze of lust.

Within the next breath, I have pulled her into my arms and carried her over to table near the door. The best part about this table is that there is a pull up rod which runs just above it along the wall.

Its a part of my daily exercise regimen. I had it installed in our room early on in our marriage. 

But more than the pulls up, its best trait is the fact that its easy for me to tie up my wife because of it.

Settling her onto the table her breathing speeds up and she whines when I step away to head over to our closet - stark naked - to I pick the first tie I could reach.

As I walk back to her I see her pupils dilate as I softly pull up her hands above her head, as I drop kisses to the underside of her arms.

"Do you trust me, Mrs. Baek?"

"Yes," comes the firm and unwavering answer.

After months of agony I see the unwavering trust swimming in my wife's eyes. Along with the unbridled lust and unconditional love.

"I promise I will cherish it going forward. Forever," I say softly as I pull her into a kiss.

I pull away a few beats later and tie her hands against the ceiling rod with my tie.

Her breathing is labored and she is so aroused and pretty like this.

Her nipples, the perfect pink peaks, perk up due to the cold as I see goosebumps mar her flawless skin.

I step closer and slot my cock at the entrance of her pussy. She moans softly at the first bump to her clit, but I see some of her nervousness return as we both recall our first time.

Hae-in's 5 ft 4 ass is quite tiny compared to me. She hadn't been able to sit without wincing, let alone walk straight after our first time. Although it had stroked my male ego to no end, I didn't like putting my wife through unnecessary pain.

I kept on with the soft thrusts against her clit as I pulled her mouth to mine focusing on distracting her.

"Jebal, Baek Hyun-woo. Hurry up," she cries out as I continue the torture for the next five minutes.

I finally put us both out of misery as I slowly edge my way inside her. The first push has me breaking down in sheer relief almost as if I have been welcomed home after months long abandonment.

Her pussy flutters around me and my wife gasps all of a sudden.

I look at her and the realization strikes that I am bare inside her.

After what happened the question remains whether we would be ready for the consequences?

The same question reflects in her eyes as our minds and hearts work in tandem.

Since her hands are tied up, Hae-in uses her core strength (something which she has mastered with years of yoga) to not only pick herself up slightly but also tighten her legs around my waist and much to my suprise drive me deeper into her.

Giving me the answer to my earlier question.

"Are you sure yeobo?" I ask as I moan.

She nods and whispers right across my lips "Whatever happens, this time we will face it together."

As our lips crash in next breath, I push her right leg further up. Just a few strokes on her clit and soft thrusts has her becoming impossibly wet. She finally pulls back as our breaths dance across each other's faces.

I wait for her final confirmation and she nods silently.

"Tell me if it's too painful baby. You have been untouched for more than a year. I don't want to hurt you."

She nods and I once again focus on her clit. Bringing my head down I pull her pert nipple into my mouth and suck.

Keeping the triple assault on her senses with my mouth, hand, and cock - she is moaning in no time.

"So close. So fucking close. Please jagi..." She whimpers.

Deciding that it had been way too long since I had made my my wife scream I double down. Pinching her clit and biting down on her nipple at the same time.

It sets off her orgasm and just as she is climbing up the crescendo I thrust up strongly catching her G-spot on the way.

I know I have succeeded the moment, the "Baek Hyun-woo" breaks out of her mouth in a high pitched scream.

I let her ride her orgasm as her muscles writhe around me in wild abandon. It's a test of my limits, trying to hold myself from coming. There is no way in hell I would come before making my wife orgasm at least a few more times.

Her eyes are closed as she comes down from her high and I see tears streaming down her eyes owing to the strong release.

Without opening her eyes she pulls me into a kiss - her tears mix into our kiss and the saltiness hits my senses further adding to the vulnerability.

I slowly pull out as she sucks in a sharp breath and once again drive back in aiming to hit the back of her tunnel.

There are times when I have this incessant need to own Hong Hae-in.

Because she owns my fucking soul.

Today is surely one of those days.

"I change my mind," I say softly planning to give her ample heads up for what's about to come because I know I can't hold myself back.

She opens her eyes and just raises a sweat laden brow in question as she shifts hoping that I would move.

I hold her waist in a tight grip to stop all her movement.

Luckily her purse is right beside us on the table from earlier.

I pull out her phone and hand it to her.

She looks at me incredulously as if she couldn't believe I could think of the phone in the middle of our lovemaking.

"Call your secretary." I say firmly.

"Huh? Hya Baek Hyun-woo..." she starts.

I just pull back and thrust back in hitting her g-spot with precision. She immediately moans out in pleasure.

"Mrs. Baek, if you don't want me to edge you all night, call Secretary Na right now." I said once again, my voice laced with authority and a hint of domination which has my wife's pussy tightening. 

She dials "Okay what do you want me to tell her?" and pants out slowly as the ring goes through.

"De, Sajangnim?" Comes the voice from the other end.

"It's the Sajangnim's husband. Hong Hae-in will be on leave tomorrow." I say as I see my wife ready to protest, I just pull out and once again drive into her as her mouth falls open in a silent scream.

"Oh Director Baek. Sure. May I ask why? Is she sick?" Comes the worried question.

While I appreciate her secretary's concern, I want to get back to fucking the daylights out of my wife. Boring into my wife's eyes I say with finality, "Because she will be unable to walk."

I cut the call in next breath as I see my wife flushing prettily at my insinuation.

Pulling her lips to mine, I finally set a strong pace and let my control go.

My only aim is to make my wife forget everything but me for tonight. She should learn that my world begins and ends with her and that she has never been at fault about anything. Not a single fucking thing.

Hong Hae-in POV

.

.

.

.

If there's one thing I absolutely adore about my husband Baek Hyun-woo, right from the very first day I met him, is the fact that the guy knows what he is capable of, but he is modest.

He is not the one to brag about anything other than his precious 35 cows and two year apartment lease. Not that sincere feelings and care for me could ever be called bragging.

I, on the other hand, have grown up knowing exactly what I can do and ensuring that everyone else around me knows it, acknowledges it, and respects me for it.

His modesty became even more clear the first time we slept together.

For a man so lean and tall, I had expected him to be big. He is more than just big. His cock, except for the initial bites of pain, has the capability to transfer me to the gates of heaven in minutes.

We were each other's firsts so our experiences have been educational and enlightening at the best.

There had been so many running conversations around me after marriage where I heard women being unsatisfied in their sex lives and I couldn't make sense of it because my husband satisfied me more than my own hands or vibrator ever could.

But it's safe to say that my husband Baek Hyun-woo - with a possessive side I recently discovered - a boxer and with brains which can make me melt on the spot, is a beast in bed.

And he is very modest about it.

"You are close, Mrs. Baek," his thrust hits my cervix and I can't control the scream coming out of my parched throat. His words bringing me back to the reality.

I whimper out as my body makes space for him. His sweat beaded face indicating the effort he is taking to satisfy me.

"Baby please," I plead trying to pull his lower lip but my tied hands and loosing energy amidst Baek Hyun-woo's insane fuckery skills make it hard for keep a track of the present as I once again edge closer to that slice of heaven only my dear husband can show me.

Next thing I know he has picked me up and moved to the right, with only him and the rod supporting my entire weight.

I adjust my hands slightly and hold on to the pull up rod knowing that it was strong enough to carry my weight, if it was strong enough to sustain my husband's daily morning pull up exercises.

But gravity and Baek Hyun-woo have different plans.

Because the moment I tighten my hold on the rod and loosen my lower body, my husband starts driving into me at full speed.

The moment he hits that spot inside me only he is privy to, I loose all semblance of reality.

My entire world blacks out as he fucks me into oblivion and I belatedly register my own screams.

I force myself to open my eyes.

Only to find my husband's feral and possessive ones looking into my very soul. It's as if he knows he is the owner of every secret my soul has ever had since time immemorial. Because it's the same way I look at him.

"I really want to own you Hong Hae-in. Just as much as you own me. Your ownership is stamped on every single thread of my messed up soul from the very first day."

"Saranghe," he whispers as he keeps his thrusts steady.

I pull him into a kiss, "Nado. You own me too. More than I could ever express."

"Let go, baby" I say as I focus on tightening my muscles around him to push him to the edge.

Few more thrusts and my husband's face etched in pleasure are a sight to witness as he finally comes.

When we both somewhat calm down, Baek Hyun-woo carries me to the bed. I don't know how the hell he has the energy. I can't even lift a finger right now.

Despite his orgasm just seconds ago, my husband's cock hasn't softened completely.

I don't even have the energy to ask how he is still hard. 

As he carries me, he keeps bumping against my g-spot and I can't help but moan out once again as I tighten my hold over my his shoulders.

"You are so responsive. It's beautiful," he whispers and goes on to repeat the hits again and again.

I am writhing by the time he lays me on the bed and he starts off with slow and soft thrusts as he kisses me.

When he adds a finger to my clit and the ensuing clench are enough to indicate how close I am.

"Come, Hae-in a. Let go. Let yourself break in my arms," comes his commanding voice as he intently focuses on making me come for the nth time tonight.

I am so out of it that I miss his second orgasm.

When he finally moves God knows how much time later, I can't help but use the last ounce of my energy to whine out.

He just looks at me curiously.

Don't go, I plead silently. It's been so long since we have been this close.

"Hae-in-a, as much as I love being inside you, we haven't had sex in over an year. Baby you are going to be sore as hell tomorrow."

As he finally moves out, the gush of our release has me blushing profusely. Gosh I forgot just how much my husband fills me to the brim. It's always too much.

He looks down and the look of ownership returns to his eyes in full force.

He falls to my left and brings his right hand up to rest his head on his palm as his gaze remains steady on me.

His left hand is innocently roving over my left thigh, but I know better. He has something on his mind going by the dangerous and possessive glint in his eyes.

He slowly pulls up my thigh and bends it so that it's slung over his legs.

He makes show of his first two fingers slowly walking down towards my core, the soft pads of his fingers sending shivers of anticipation down my spine with their downward descent.

He looks at me as he slowly traces my swollen pussy lips and I can't help but moan despite the sensitivity.

"You should go to office like this everyday. With my cum fresh in your pussy, running down your legs as you command boardrooms and people treat you like the queen you are. My Queen."

I moan wantonly as his words paint a vivid picture in my head as I imagine myself wearing some of my favourite brands right after I have let my husband fuck me to the brim.

"Jagi, please stop. Too much," I whimper because even his softest of brushes are sending electric shocks through my system thanks to my over sensitized core.

He ignores me and continues with the torture.

"But only I know what you look like when you beg for a release, isn't it Mrs. Baek? Would help the gossiping idiots realise that our sex life is just fine and I am more than capable of satisfying my wife's needs."

"Yeobo please,"I beg once again. This time more as a demand to finish what he started, rather than a plea for reprieve.

In the next breath he is leaning down to kiss me and before I know it, he is peppering kisses all over my face.

And moving southwards.

"Let me help you with the pain Mrs. Baek," my husband filthily whispers against my clit and dives right in.

I quite honestly don't remember anything after that other than my echoing screams and moans.

Chapter Text

Hong Hae-in POV

When I wake up in the morning, I am all alone as the sunrays stream in from the slight gap in the curtains. 

I see a glass of water and orange juice on my bedside and a small note is peaking out. 

I pick it up to find my husband's sweet words, which bring an instant smile on my face. 

Morning Jagi. Have a trial at noon today. Please have proper breakfast and drinks lots of water. You were wiped out last night. Enjoy your day off!

Saranghe. 

That reminds me. 

My husband - that condescending bastard - had the audacity and the presence of mind to call up my secretary and tell her that I won't be in today. 

"Because she won't be able to walk," he had said. 

If I hadn't been so far gone with arousal, I would have balked at how straight forward and matter of fact he was being.

That too with my secretary. 

Hong Hae-in, you wouldn't be able to meet her eyes tomorrow. 

I stretch lazily as my hands go above my head and-

Oh.

Oh.

My legs feel like jelly and core is sensitive. So sensitive that it's bordering on painful. I wince slightly as I sit up and lean against the pillows. 

Gosh, thank God for Baek Hyun-woo.

I had been half dead as he had given me a quick bath and then had been an absolute sweetheart as he had applied a cooling salve to my core.

I had whimpered slightly, half asleep as his long fingers moved over my pussy once again to apply the salve as he dropped kisses over my face.

He apologized a few times for being so rough, but I wouldn't have it any other way. 

I just pulled him down and kissed the corner of his lips having no capacity left whatsoever to even tell him that there was absolutely nothing to be sorry for.

No, he is not a bastard.

My sweetheart.

Mine.

I finally manage to get out of bed and take a relaxing bath. 

I go down for breakfast and see quite a few boxes being brought in to the dining room. 

I raise a brow at the staff and the revert is, "Mr. Baek's mom has sent home made stuff. I heard Mr. Baek complaining to her just two days ago that we are out of his favourite kimchi."

That brings a laugh out of me. 

Baek Hyun-woo and his obsession with kimchi is really cute. But him and I, in general, are crazy about anything Eomonim makes. She could boil water and we would still feel that it's better than the best dishes made in Michelin star restaurants. 

Before I know it, I have dialled her number.

"Ommo. Aega. How are you?" The happiness in her voice sends waves of warmth rolling through me. 

"Eomonim, we got the food you sent. I wonder if you feel that we are some young college going teenagers, who are always hungry. It's so much Eomonim." I say with a kind laugh. 

"Ah, it's not enough. I send ten big boxes everytime. This time I only managed eight. You guys are always so busy, I am worried that you won't be eating enough. Moreover, I am not there to force feed you. Especially you, Aega. Hyun-woo is a bull. He scarfs down food when he is hungry. You, I know for a fact, forget to eat all together."

Her words bring tears to my eyes.

The fact that my mother-in-law actually noticed these small habits, whereas my mother hasn't spent one meal without finding a reason to nitpick on me is telling of just how different our families are. 

I miss her.

"Eomonim, are you free today? Can I drop by?" I whisper the question softly. 

"Why would you ask Aega? It's your home. Just drop by whenever you want." 

I pull on laidback clothes - American laidback i.e., t-shirt, jeans, and Nikes - and ask the driver to take me to Yongduri. 

Keeping in mind Baek Ho Yeol, I pick out the Aston Martin - the latest buy of the family - for today's outing. 

I let my husband know of my plans, but he doesn't reply. 

Hmm, he must have already reached the court.

When I reach Yongduri, a few hours later, I am well rested and have also managed to read a few reports on my iPad for an hour. 

Eomonim is already waiting for me at the entrance and I can't help but run (I do wince inwardly because of the soreness from our last night's shenanigans), but being in her arms as she kisses my cheeks and forehead is completely worth it. 

After a hearty meal with everyone, we are settled into Hyun-woo's childhood room when Eomonim brings in a few photo albums. 

"Aega, I don't think you have seen many of Hyun-woo's childhood pictures. Would you like to see them?"

I am eagerly nodding before she even completes the question. 

Any new information on my husband is always welcome. 

I smile as she points out various moments—his first steps, his fifth birthday party, his school awards—each photo accompanied by a story that made me feel like I am discovering a whole new side of my husband.

But then, we turn to a page that made my breath catch in my throat.

Why does it look so familiar?

Its a picture of Baek Hyun-woo, maybe eight or nine years old, standing with a group of kids dressed in all-red uniforms. They were smiling, some of them giving playful salutes, with the ocean stretching out behind them.

The beach. 

There's only one beach I have ever been to. 

I couldn't bring myself to go to a beach after that wretched day.

My mother-in-law’s voice broke through my thoughts. “Oh, this was when Hyun-woo was in the Children’s Marine Corps. They used to have these little camps during the summer. He was always so proud of that uniform."

She gets a look of sheer pride on her face and she shares softly, "You know Aega, he saved a girl that day. Almost his same age, from drowning."

My heartbeat stutters as I freeze. 

No way.

This can't be real. 

"Eomonim," I whisper, "which- "

I gulp in trying to overcome the tightness in my chest. 

"Which beach-" 

Thankfully, she catches on to my question. 

"Oh, I think it was Hamdeok beach. It's a part of the Jeju trail, isn't it?"

It was him. 

It is him. 

Baek Hyun-woo - my husband - the love of my life, was the one who saved me.

"He never talked about it much, but we were so proud of him,” she says. 

"For months he had nightmares and used to wake up in tears," she adds sadly. 

"Why?" I can't help but ask, forcing out the words wanting to know every single detail. 

"He didn't speak much about it Aega. Even as a child Baek Hyun-woo was very sensitive. But after one particularly harrowing night, he had shared while sitting in my lap that he couldn't get the girl out of his mind. He said he always remembered how alone she had looked as the paramedics had taken away her dead brother and her entire family had just followed."

A cold shiver runs down my spine.

I could see it now, the scene from so many years ago: my brother’s lifeless body being carried away, my family trailing after the paramedics, leaving me standing there, soaked and shivering, utterly alone.

I had never thought about how it must have looked from the outside, how someone else might have seen me in that moment.

But Baek Hyun-woo had seen her, and the memory had haunted him as a child.

"Eomma, no one was with her. She too had drowned, but no one comforted her."

Eomonim repeats his words as she gets a sad look on her face. 

"There were a few times where he had begged me and his Abeoji to trace the girl and her family just to see if she was doing alright. We did try of course, but the police never co-operated or shared contact details."

Of course they didn’t, I think bitterly. The whole thing had been swept under the rug by Harabeoji to avoid bad publicity.

The incident had been buried, just like my brother, and my family had been left to deal with the aftermath in silence.

"Every time we came back empty handed he used to apologise thinking he was being burdensome to us by making such requests. He had no clue that we were beyond proud of him for caring for someone he didn't even know. He used to always whisper on those nights, Eomma mianhe, I just don't want her to be alone."

My heart completely shatters and heals at the same time. For years. No decades. This man has been my saviour for decades. 

"Eomonim," my voice cracks and she finally notices the tear which rolls down my eye. 

"Oh Aega. Don't cry. He doesn't hurt over this anymore. You don't -"

"It was me," I whisper.

When she doesn't respond and her face pales as she tries to register what I just said, I verbalise it fully, "Baek Hyun-woo saved me from drowning that day."

Then.

Then the dam breaks.

For the first time in years, I completely break down in arms, which don't belong to my husband. 

-------------------------------------------

I walk into the estate, my footsteps slow and deliberate as I make way through the grand halls. The weight of the revelation from earlier in the day still hung heavy.

Every breath feels like it carries the full burden of the years we had spent together, unknowingly intertwined by a thread neither of us had seen until now.

The house is quiet, a stark contrast to the storm of emotions brewing inside me.

I had spent the entire drive home replaying the conversation with Eomonim, the memories swirling around my mind like a whirlwind.

I don't know how to process the fact that Baek Hyun-woo—the man I love, fight with, and lean on—has been the boy who saved my life so many years ago.

As I approach the kitchen, the soft sound of sizzling and the faint aroma of spices reach me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I stop at the entrance and peek inside.

There he is.

Baek Hyun-woo.

Standing at the stove, his back to me as he carefully stirs something in a pan.

For a moment, I just watch him, taking in the sight of the man who has saved me, not once, but twice in my life.

“Yeobo,” I call softly, voice barely above a whisper.

He is quick to turn around, rush to me, drop a kiss to my forehead and rush back to whatever he is making.

"Jagi, did you have fun at Yongduri?" He asks, turns around slightly and continues with a pout, "I would have also liked to come, you know?"

I step further into the kitchen, hands trembling slightly as I approach him. “Can we talk?” I ask, voice thick with emotion.

Hyun-woo’s brow furrows in concern as he sets the spatula down and turns to face me fully.

“Kwenchana?” he asks, sensing the gravity in my tone.

There's that simple question again. 

The fact that he has asked me this question so many times with the same amount of care and emotion makes my knees tremble, but I hold on to the counter and steady myself. 

 “I talked to Eomonim today,” I begin, my voice wavering.

He nods slowly, waiting for me to continue, though he looks scared.

“She showed me some pictures… of you when you were younger,” I say and my voice growing softer with each word.

“There was one… you were with a group of kids, all dressed in red uniforms.”

"The Children’s Marine Corps,” he says, his voice barely audible.

His face pales and it seems as if he is recalling some bad memories. 

I take out my mobile and bring up the only digital copy that I have of the publication of the drowning incident. One of the only two which had gotten out to the media before Harabeoji had silenced all voices.

"What - what beach was it?" 

My hands shake as I hold out my mobile for him and he answers my question softly, "Hamdeok."

He reads through the article which talks about a young boy's death and young girl being miraculously saved. 

I know the moment he connects the dots because his entire body freezes. 

The next few breaths play out like the utter coincidence and intertwined fates we have been blessed with because we both look up at the same time.

And we whisper at the same time, "It was you."

Then Baek Hyun-woo crashes to his knees.

Hides his face in my stomach, his large hands digging into my hips, and bawls like a baby.

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

The salt-laden wind stings my face as I stand on the sandy edge, watching the distant blue horizon.

Its been an ordinary day—just another outing with our Children’s Marine Corps group, with us training and playing along the beach.

But then, out of nowhere, something changed.

The laughter and shouts of my friends faded into the background as a sound cut through the air—a piercing scream.

I turn around to find a boat overturning and I see a someone falling in. Most likely a kid from the small glimpse I caught.

Why aren't they coming-

Without thinking, I brake into a run, feet pounding the hot sand as I sprint towards the water. “Hey! Someone—!” I try to yell, but my voice gets lost in the rush of the waves.

There is no time to wait for help, Baek Hyun-woo.

I have to do something.

As I wade into the water, the coldness of the sea hits me like a shock to my system, but I push forward, my legs straining against the tide.

The waves are stronger than I had imagined, tugging at me, trying to pull me under.

I had only learned to swim a couple of years ago, but now, it feels like I am battling the entire ocean just to get a glimpse of the kid.

Keep going Baek Hyun-woo.

Then I see her.

She is sinking and most likely unconscious.

Panic flares in my chest. The salt stings my eyes, and for a brief, terrifying moment, I couldn’t see anything but the murky blue beneath me.

My lungs screame for air, but I force myself to swim deeper, kicking hard against the current.

Her small, limp figure is drifting downward, her hair floating like tendrils around her head.

She isn’t moving.

My heart pounds in my ears, and I push myself harder, stretching out my arms until my fingers catch hold of her wrist.

I pull, fighting the current as it tries to drag us both deeper. My arms burn from the effort, lungs aching with the need to breathe.

For a moment, fear grips me—what if I couldn’t do this? What if we both—No.

I won't think like that.

I won’t let her go.

Summoning every ounce of strength I have, I kick as hard as I could, propelling us both upwards. My chest feels like it is going to explode, the pressure building as my vision begins to blur.

But then, just as I thought I couldn’t hold on any longer, we broke through the surface.

I gasp, sucking in deep lungfuls of air, my arms still wrapped tightly around the girl.

She isn’t coughing, isn’t breathing, and panic sets in again. I could barely hear anything over the roar of the waves and the pounding of his own heart, but I didn’t stop moving.

With everything I had left, I begin swimming towards the shore, dragging her with me. The tide is relentless, pushing against me with every stroke, but I refuse to give up.

I keep my grip on her tight, even when my muscles scream in protest, even when the shore seemed so far away.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, my feet touch the sand beneath the water, and I stumble forward, half-carrying, half-dragging the girl with me until we were clear of the waves.

I collapse onto the sand beside her, my chest heaving as I try to catch my breath. My vision swam, but I force myself up on my elbows, looking at her still form with growing fear.

“Come on,” I gasp, voice barely audible over the sound of the crashing waves. “Come on… breathe.”

For a split second, nothing happened. The world seemed to freeze around me, my heart pounding in my ears.

My hands tremble.

How do I-

How do I save her-

But then, a shallow gasp—her chest rose, and she coughed violently, sputtering water as she came back to life.

My breath leaves me in a rush, and I collapse back onto the sand, my whole body trembling with exhaustion.

Relief flooded through me as I watch her breathe, her eyes blinking open, dazed but alive.

I didn’t know her name, didn’t know anything about her, but at that moment, none of that mattered.

She is safe.

Then it's all chaos as her parents, my instructors, the police - absolute chaos.

I see the girl standing all by herself freezing, trembling, still drenched, crying on top of that rock.

Her entire family running behind the stretcher which seemed to be carrying a little boy.

Not a single person is near her from the family. No one. 

She looks so lonely.

Did I save her, only to curse her with isolation for the rest of her life? 

My eyes briefly catch hers. 

Devastation vaster than the ocean I just saved her from. 

All I want do is, go and ask her. 

"Kwenchana?"

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

I had nightmares over the drowning incident for years. 

During the first year, I made Eomma and Abeoji trace the girl. All rounds to the police station were useless. 

I just wanted to ask her one question. 

"Kwenchana?"

All I wanted to know was if she was doing okay. Was that too much to ask? 

My young mind back then wondered continuously if no one in the girl's family cared if she was doing okay.

Why had no one - absolutely no one - paid attention to her? She too had drowned. 

Was she being punished for being alive?

That question and even a small possibility of the answer to that question being an "Yes" was so horrifying that it translated into nightmares. 

My entire world had come to a grinding halt when Hong Hae-in had walked in and showed me the newspaper article of the drowning from years ago. 

Disbelief. 

Relief. 

Blinding relief. 

Pain. 

Absolute fucking pain. 

Guilt.

So much guilt for not having tried harder. 

Even more so because I know that my fears have been my wife's reality.

They have been her reality for decades now. 

Hong Hae-in's wretched reality.

Crashing to my knees, bawling my eyes out along with her, sleeping with her in my arms - did a shit job of reducing my guilt. 

For two nights the nightmares continue and I thankfully don't wake up my wife even as I struggle to breath, sweating as if I have run a marathon, with terror curling in my chest. 

Only having her - my wife, Hong Hae-in - the girl I saved - helps me get back to normal. 

By the third evening, my wife is worried. 

I noticed because she showed up randomly thrice to my cabin today and tried to dig deeper as to what was bothering me. 

But the guilt is just so big, that I can't muster a single word.

My mind just runs a rolling tape these past three days.

.

.

.

You failed, Baek Hyun-woo. 

.

.

You failed to protect her mentally.

.

.

.

You. Failed.

.

.

.

.

When I walk into the family dining room that night in my work clothes because there was another Hong So-Cheol screw up to clear out, I am at the end of my patience.

Hae-in's already taken a seat and I don't bother with the pleasantries. I just give everyone small nods, remove my coat and tie as I settle down.

I can feel it in my gut that something's going to happen today, so I am bracing for it. 

The meal starts off and Harabeoji asks, "Baek Seobang, is the mistake covered up?" 

I look up and glance all around, the expectations weighing heavy on my shoulders, but I decide to go with the truth. 

"We need more time. The people are livid," I look at Hong So Cheol and can't help but glare. 

The idiot has once again made an investment mistake with the wrong group - who just my fucking luck - have ties with the mafia and now we are just a breath away from a scandal because some douchebag from that group was convicted of murder yesterday.  

He looks pale and I am sure he is sorry - because Hong So Cheol has truly grown up in the past few months - but the man still had weak spine when it came to his mother. 

The woman's agenda of God knows what the fuck has resulted in this mess. She somehow teamed up with Hae-in's friend Yoon Eun-sung - lo and behold - here we are with the real probability of Queens getting slapped with fines worth 30-50 billion won. 

Yoon Eun-sung - that cockroach - has rubbed me off the wrong way front the very first moment, but I ignored my gut feeling.

"Then find out a way to make it go away," the shrill voice of my mother in-law rings out. 

"It's your job as the firm's Legal Director." The woman adds, her slightly unmatched eye liner pissing me off even further. Right now, maintaining eye contact with her in itself is a task. 

But I nod. 

"We are trying our level best, Eomonim."

"So-Cheol what the hell were you thinking?" Hae-in speaks up for the first time, not letting the silence settle. 

The man in question looks close to tears, "Noona-"

"No, don't. Just don't. For weeks I have been telling you to keep a cool head while making decisions, not jump into them without careful considera-"

"Hya, who are you to talk to him like that?" Kim Seon-hwa butts in.

"Eomma, I think I have some understanding of how business works - not as much as Abeoji or Harabeoji - but definitely more than So-Cheol."

Her mother has gone red in anger of course, but Harabeoji and Abeoji both nod, which makes the woman's opinion useless.

"Noona, I am sorry. It won't happen again." So-Cheol says, he knows and accepts his fault, but my wife is not one to hand out easy forgiveness. 

"How many more mistakes Hong So-Cheol..when will you grow up and start taking accountability for your actions? We have a staff of 20,000 people here in Korea, that means 20,000 households to provide for and even more stomachs to fill."

I turn towards her and for the first time see her showing her true self to her family.

That she cared.

About everyone. Even the employees.

"Have you ever just waited for a moment and thought what would happen if we made such mistakes and we reach a point where we have to fire our employees to survive as a company? You met baby Won-joon the other day - his father is the sole earner of the family now, because his wife is taking care of her sick mother. Have you thought how our decisions impact the thousands of families which rely on us?" Hae-in says all of this with a straight face, but I see how tightly she is clasping her hands beneath the table. 

She really does care.

Kim Seon-hwa starts laughing. 

"Jinja? You - you Hong Hae-in - are talking about family?" 

The utter vile tone has me freezing and I see from the corner of my eye that my wife shuts down. 

"You?" Then she laughs again and So Cheol stands up and says, "Eomma. That's enough." 

For the first time I see the man truly pissed. I can see it in his eyes. 

"You don't know anything So Cheol-a-" she says again.

And this time Harabeoji says, "Enough. I am leaving." His voice is low and he stands up, but the woman doesn't stop. 

"She killed my son Harabaeoji."

Next thing I know I have thrown my chair and I am standing up, my voice echoing through the walls, "Shut up. Just shut up." 

My eyes rove over them - Harabeoji, Abeoji, Kim Seon-hwa, Cheon Da-Hye, a still standing Hong So Cheol with tears streaming down his eyes, and then to my wife. 

Hong Hae-in - calm, zero emotion, entirely dead - looking straight ahead like a robot. 

And something inside me snaps. 

I look at the closest staff and snarl out, "Everybody out."

When they don't move immediately, I just raise a cold brow at them, ready to yell if needed. The look in my eyes is enough for everyone to scramble out. 

Harabeoji also starts to move and I say in a soft voice, "Sit down Harabeoji. I won't repeat myself."

The man of course bristles as everyone looks at me in shock, "Baek Seobang, how dare you -"

"I have enough leverage on you Chairman Hong, so it would benefit you to sit. the. fuck. down." I say in a level voice not a single breath out of place and the man pales. 

He sits down. 

That's what I thought. 

I go and stand in the middle of the dinning room and look directly at Kim Seon-hwa and I let all my anger towards this woman brew and boil over. 

"Five years."

"I have known you guys for five fucking years and not once - not a single time have I seen either of you being on Hong Hae-in's side." I look at all of them. 

"I have stayed silent for so long - hoping, wishing, praying - that at least one of you wakes up. But that clearly hasn't happened." I take in a deep breath. 

I walk back to our side of the table and lean against it. 

"Today I will talk and you all will listen," I grit out through my teeth. 

Yes, I, Baek Hyun-woo - the underestimated, constantly humiliated, and never good enough son-in-law - am going to obliterate these people tonight. Fuck patience and control.

I will not fail my wife. Not today.

Chapter Text

Baek Hyun-woo POV

For five years, I held my tongue, thinking that it wasn't my place to intervene and they will open their eyes some day.

For five long years, I have failed my wife.

"Today I will talk and you all will listen," I grit out through my teeth. 

"My wife can’t even fucking cry because of you guys!" I say pointing at her - still sitting there like a stone. She hasn't even twitched.

The words reverberated off the walls, echoing in the stunned silence. Kim Seon-hwa flinched, her condescending smile wiped clean off her face, and even Harabeoji, the ever-composed patriarch, seemed momentarily taken aback.

"She can’t bring herself to show any fucking weakness because of you vultures!"

I am gonna rip each one apart today. Everybody will get their turn on a silver platter.

I turn my gaze directly to Chairman Hong, the man who thinks he is in control of everything, of everyone. "Mr. Hong Man-dae — yes, I have zero fucks to give about respect right now — you’ve used her since the day she could walk! You’ve made her carry this company on her back, made her prove herself over and over again like she was some goddamn pawn in your business games."

He stiffens, his face flushing red with anger, but I am not done. 

"You set impossible standards for her! You forced her into a corner, pressuring her to live up to your absurd expectations while giving her nothing in return. All for what? So you could claim credit for her success? So you could act like it was all part of your great plan?"

I let out a bitter laugh, filled with disgust. "The only plan you had was to break her down and mold her into the perfect CEO while you reaped the benefits, lived a fancy life, enjoyed away with your good for nothing mistress, while ignoring your family the whole bloody time."

His mouth opens to retort, but I cut him off.

"No! You’ll listen to me now. I’m done with your bullshit. You know what’s even more pathetic? You’ve been so busy making Hong Hae-in run your empire that you’ve forgotten she’s your granddaughter! Not just a fucking tool!"

Harabeoji shifts uncomfortably in his seat, but I don't care. I am just getting started. 

Next is her father. The father who was supposed to protect her, support her. Instead, he has always been distant, cold, never offering her a shred of empathy.

"And you," I spat, narrowing my eyes at him. "You’re her father, but you’ve done nothing but add more weight to her shoulders. You’ve sat there, silent, watching her drown under the pressures of this family. You’ve stood by and let everyone treat her like she’s nothing more than a cog in the machine—someone who exists only to keep your name pristine."

He swallowed hard, his face paling under my words. "Do you even know what it’s like for her? How many nights she can’t sleep because the weight of your expectations is crushing her? Do you even fucking care?"

He tried to speak, to say something, but I didn’t let him. My chest heaved with the force of my fury, my voice rising again.

"Every single one of you has failed her! And for what exactly?"

I whipped my head towards Hong So Cheol, her brother, the only one who had ever shown her a sliver of kindness, but even he isn’t innocent. His face was ashen, his eyes filled with tears, but I dont care.

"You think just because you’ve been a little nicer to her that you’re off the hook? You’ve seen how she suffers, how much she’s endured, and yet you’ve never once stood up for her. Not really. Not when it mattered. You have only gone and bitched about her to your parents like a tiny kid."

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. I see the guilt etched on his face, but I had no sympathy for him.

"You could’ve helped her. You could’ve stopped this. But you didn’t. And now look at her."

I gestured wildly at Hae-in, who still sat there, motionless, staring straight ahead like she wasn’t even in the room. It broke me to see her like this. My voice cracked as I continued, but I didn’t stop.

"She can’t even let herself feel pain because you’ve all made her believe that she doesn’t deserve anything - to feel love, to be happy, to grieve, to show weakness. That she has to be perfect, emotionless, strong."

I turned to the last person—the one who had cut the deepest, her mother. Kim Seon-hwa sat stiffly, her face expressionless, but her eyes betrayed her shock. 

"What exactly are you waiting for, Eomonim?" I asked, my voice lowering but no less sharp. "Are you going to start appreciating your daughter after she’s dead?"

I hate myself to even say it. I can't fathom a world where my wife is dead, but these assholes and the stress they put her in might definitely put her into an early grave.

Her lips twitched, as if to respond, but I didn’t let her.

"What the fuck are you waiting for? For her to collapse? For her to break completely under the weight of your expectations? For her to finally die before you realize you were wrong?"

I suck in a few breaths and head over to where the woman is sitting and bend down getting right in her face. I have forgotten rules of modesty today. 

"That non-sensical tape that you run everytime - that Hong Hae-in killed your son - guess what? I was the one who saved her."

The silence is deafening as I step back slightly and everyone looks at me in utter shock. 

"Yes. I was there that day on Hamdeok beach - I am sure you all remember. I saved her that day and let me tell you -  Su-wan Hyung hadn't been there. He hadn't gone back in to save her, as you guys assumed. He wasn't there. Period. She was the only one I found." I say in a cold voice.

I took a step closer to her, my heart pounding in my chest. "You blame her for your son’s death, but what have you done for her since? Have you ever once let go of that misplaced hatred? Have you ever once told her that she’s enough? That she’s worth loving?"

Kim Seon-hwa paled, her mouth opening and closing in shock.

"Or are you still waiting for the right moment to actually care about your daughter?" My voice was cold, devoid of the patience I’d once shown. "Are you waiting until it’s too late?"

I step back and look at all of them and for the first time - all I feel is pity. What sort of a life have these people led to be so shallow?

"You guys baffle me. Are you even a family? You guys have seven ongoing cases slapped on one another. Seven."

"Hae-in and I lost our baby - not a single one of you ever bothered to even check in on us."

I look at Abeoji and Eomonim and my voice cracks as I say, "You both lost a son. Did it never - not even once occur to you - that your daughter and son-in-law would be going through hell because of the miscarriage?"

"You guys were dropping hints of us trying for a baby not even a month later. We hadn't even been able to grieve for the one we had lost and you guys had already moved on to the plans of future lineage."

"How can you guys be so stone hearted that not a single one of you showed up at the hospital the day your daughter had a miscarriage?" I roar out again.

Silence fell over the room again, heavy and oppressive. No one moved. No one spoke.

For the first time in five years, I had said everything I had held back. 

I walked over to my wife, standing by her side, my voice quiet but firm as I addressed everyone.

"She deserves better than this. She deserves better than all of you."

Then, turning to Hae-in, I reach for her hand. 

Still numb. Shut down. 

Staring right ahead. 

Not a single emotion on her face.

"Let’s go," I said softly, my anger giving way to the overwhelming need to get her out of this place, away from these people who had hurt her for far too long.

She finally moved, her eyes still distant but focused on me now. Slowly, she stands, her hand trembling in mine. We turned together, and without looking back at the shattered remains of her family, we start walking.

Let them sit with their guilt. Let them sit with their failure.

Because my wife doesn’t need them anymore.

And neither do I.

As we approach the door, my hand still clasped around Hae-in's, I once again feel an intense surge of anger that I can’t quite shake. It claws at me, tightening in my chest until I can't move any further. Something inside me tells me this isn't finished, not yet.

I stop, and Hae-in glances up at me, confused, her eyes still clouded with the blankness she wears whenever her family does this to her. But I can't let it end like this, not without making something perfectly clear.

I turn around, my grip on her hand firm, and look at every one of them—Chairman Hong, her father, her mother, and So Cheol. Their faces, still in shock from my outburst, stare back at me as if they can't quite believe what just happened.

Good. Let them feel it. Let them finally understand.

"Listen to what I’m saying, and listen well," I begin, my voice cold, calculated, and filled with a threat I don't even bother to hide. "One word against her going forward, and I will make it my personal mission to destroy every single one of you."

I take a step forward, my eyes burning into them. I see the way they pale, the way their expressions shift from surprise to fear. They know exactly what I’m capable of. They’ve always underestimated me, but they’ve always known deep down that I hold more power than they’re willing to admit.

"Don't push me," I continue, each word deliberate, "to become your destroyer after being your protector for so long."

I pause, watching the weight of my words settle on them. Chairman Hong stiffens, his jaw clenching, but he doesn't move. He knows. They all know.

"I have already said this before, and I will repeat it for the last time—my loyalty is to my wife, Hong Hae-in."

My gaze locks onto her mother, Kim Seon-hwa, who is trying so hard to keep her composure but is failing miserably. I focus on her for a beat longer, making sure she understands the full extent of my meaning.

"Anybody who tries to harm her mentally or physically will be my number one target from this moment forward."

I look at each of them, one by one, letting the silence stretch, watching as they all struggle to maintain their composure.

But their fear is palpable, almost suffocating. They know what I’m capable of. They know I have the resources, the connections, and most importantly—the information. Everything they’ve tried to bury, every secret they’ve tried to hide—I know it all. And I can use it. They know I can.

"Try me," I say, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I will dedicate my whole life—every single breath—to ruining yours."

The room is still, the tension so thick it feels like the air itself is pressing down on us. I see it in their faces—recognition. They understand now. They’ve pushed me too far, and they’ve lost the only ally they ever had. 

This mess will get sorted the day they start making up to my wife, and if she decides to forgive them - then and only then I will step down.

Chairman Hong looks down, his face drawn and aged by the sudden realization of how much power I hold over him. Her father shifts uncomfortably, as if unsure of what to do with his hands. So Cheol, tears still lingering in his eyes, stays frozen in place, knowing he’s as much a part of this as the rest of them.

But it’s her mother, Kim Seon-hwa, who reacts the most. Her eyes dart between me and Hae-in, her face paling with every word I say. She opens her mouth, as if to protest, to say something—anything to defend herself. But nothing comes out. She knows she’s already lost.

I hold her gaze for a long moment, making sure she fully understands the depth of the promise I’ve just made.

"You’ve done enough damage," I finish, my voice steady and cold. "Don’t make me finish what you started."

Without a backward glance, I tug my wife's hand. She follows, her grip tightening around my hand, but she doesn’t look back either. We’ve said everything that needed to be said.

As we walk out, I feel a strange sense of finality. They won’t dare cross me again. Not after this. They can’t afford to. 

And I won't allow them to hurt her ever again.

Chapter Text

Hong Hae-in POV

The dining room felt suffocating, the air heavy with unspoken accusations and disappointment. I sit there, perfectly composed on the outside, a mask of calm that I had perfected over years of dealing with my family.

The clinking of silverware against plates was the only sound cutting through the tension, but it was a lull before the inevitable storm. I could feel it building.

It always built up like this—small comments, cutting remarks, a silent war of disapproval waged against me by my own blood. I had long stopped trying to win them over.

There was no winning with people who had already decided you were a failure.

Always a failure. 

A murderer.

But tonight was worse.

My mother's laughter cuts through the table like glass, that vile, mocking sound aimed straight at me.

I didn’t even flinch. I had learned a long time ago to let it bounce off me.

My fingers, though, told a different story, tightly clasped under the table, knuckles turning white. I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of seeing me react. Not ever.

“Jinja? You—Hong Hae-in—are talking about family?” My mother’s voice oozed with derision, her laughter following in that hollow, cruel way it always did.

I sense rather than see So Cheol stand up beside her, ready to defend me.

I am grateful. He had definitely grown up. Hong So-Cheol did indeed screw up, but he is definitely realising his mistakes these days.

Knowing what is coming in very shortly, I do the only thing I have mastered over years: I shut down.

The hollow feeling inside me grows, as it always did. I couldn’t afford to let her words get under my skin.

Not anymore. Not after all these years.

She had perfected the art of breaking me down, and I had perfected the art of pretending I didn’t care.

But something in me—something buried so deep I didn’t even recognize it anymore—ached every time she laughed like that. Every time she reminded me of what a failure I was in her eyes.

"You don't know anything, So Cheol-a," she sneered again.

That was when Harabeoji stood up. His voice was low, quiet even. “Enough. I’m leaving.”

And then it happened. The sentence that shattered everything.  

Every single time. 

Those words. Physical assault would have hurt less than those four wretched words.

“She killed my son, Harabeoji.”

Murderer Hong Hae-in.

I didn’t move, didn’t react. Not outwardly.

I am numb.

This wasn’t new. She had said it before. Heck she has accused me of murdering Oppa every chance she got.

The first few times, it had destroyed me. The guilt she carved into me with those words had eaten me alive.

For so long, I had believed her.

I truly believed her.

Murderer Hong Hae-in.

A part of me still believes her. This time - like so many others - I stay perfectly still, my face a mask of indifference.

But I had heard these words so many times that sometimes, in the darkest corners of my mind, I wondered if maybe, just maybe, it was.

Before I could let that thought spiral, I heard it.

“Shut up. Just shut up.”

Baek Hyun-woo’s voice rings out, louder than I had ever heard him speak in this house.

The dining room seemed to freeze in place. Everyone’s eyes turned to him.

Even mine. For the briefest second.

His chair had been thrown back, and he is standing, fists clenched at his sides, his face a mask of fury.

My heart stuttered in my chest.

What is he doing?

Baek Hyun-woo may have taken to being the growly one over the past few weeks, but never in front of the Hongs.

Not once in the past five years.

My husband had always been the calm one. The measured one. The one who stayed in control, who never raised his voice, who kept everything bottled up with a practiced ease I had admired and envied at the same time.

But right now, as I look at him, I see none of that.

I see fire.

Raw, uncontained anger that seemed to have been simmering for far too long.

I had been under the impression I had seen the peak of my husband's anger. 

I was wrong.

“My wife can’t even fucking cry because of you guys,” he roared, his voice echoing off the walls.

My breath catches in my throat. I had never heard him sound like that—never seen him so unhinged.

How - how had he known that?

“She can’t bring herself to show any fucking weakness because of you vultures.”

I couldn’t move.

I could only watch, my hands now unclasped, resting limply on the table, as he turned toward each and every one of them.

Harabeoji, my father, my mother, So Cheol. His gaze was like a razor, cutting through them one by one.

“You think this is normal?” He turns to my grandfather first, his voice quieter but no less fierce.

“-You’ve used her since the day she could walk! You’ve made her carry this company on her back, made her prove herself over and over again like she was some goddamn pawn in your business games.You set her up to fail from the beginning.”

With every passing word the older man pales, his usual commanding presence withering under the sheer force of Hyun-woo’s words.

I had never seen anyone speak to Harabeoji like this.

“You—” Hyun-woo turned to my father next. “You’re her father, but you’ve done nothing but add more weight to her shoulders. You’ve sat there, silent, watching her drown under the pressures of this family. You’ve stood by and let everyone treat her like she’s nothing more than a cog in the machine—someone who exists only to keep your name pristine."

My father doesn't utter a word. He looks ashamed and he just looks away.

"Every single one of you has failed her! And for what exactly?"

He doesn't spare So Cheol either. While I am protective of my baby brother, I can't fault my husband this time. Hong So Cheol has stood on the sidelines and watched - even gleefully at times - as my mother tore me apart.

And then, finally. Baek Hyun-woo turns to my mother.

All of a sudden the temperature just drops.

“What exactly are you waiting for, Eomonim?” His voice was ice, cold and lethal. “Are you going to start appreciating your daughter after she's dead? What the fuck are you waiting for? For her to collapse? For her to break completely under the weight of your expectations? For her to finally die before you realize you were wrong?"

My mother stares at him, wide-eyed, speechless for once in her life.

She has always known how to wield words like knives, but now, under Hyun-woo’s blistering gaze, she has nothing.

"Or are you still waiting for the right moment to actually care about your daughter?" His voice is cold. "Are you waiting until it’s too late?"

I sit there, still numb, still in shock, as I watch him do what no one had ever done before.

Defending me.

Not just in words, but with everything he had. I could see it in the way his fists shook, the way his voice cracked ever so slightly as he spoke, the raw emotion simmering just beneath the surface.

For the first time, I truly see him.

My husband. Baek Hyun-woo.

The man who has been by my side through everything, even when I hadn’t asked for it.

Even when I hadn’t noticed.

He had been watching me—really watching me.

He had seen every single wound they had inflicted on me, every tear I hadn’t let fall, every time I had forced myself to stay strong because I couldn’t afford to be weak.

And he had been holding all of it in, waiting for this moment.

Hong Hae-in - you were going to lose this man for your idiotic pride. 

Thank God for the Lims.

And now, as I look at him, my heart shatters and mends all at once.

He noticed.

He has always noticed.

I hadn’t realized how much I had needed someone to see me, really see me, until now.

And the fact that it was him—Baek Hyun-woo, my husband—who stepped up to defend me, who cares enough to fight for me when I had long stopped fighting for myself… It is overwhelming.

My heart feels like it is bursting out of my chest, and I can feel the heat rising to my eyes. I blink rapidly, refusing to cry.

Not here. Not in front of them.

I will not give them that satisfaction.

But God, the way he is looking at me now, the way his eyes softened as he finally turned to face me, as if to say "I’m here. I’ve always been here" —I didn’t know how much longer I could hold it together.

I am in a daze as he helps me get up and we start walking out. Only for him to stop all of a sudden.

He turned back to my family, his voice low and steady now. “One word against her, one more attempt to tear her down, and I will make it my personal mission to destroy each and every one of you."

Everyone in the room visibly paled. They knew what he was capable of. He had always been underestimated, but not anymore. They had pushed him too far, and now they were seeing the consequences of that.

"Anybody who tries to harm her mentally or physically will be my number one target from this moment forward.”

His hand squeezes around mine tightly as his voice drops dangerously, "Try me, I will dedicate my whole life—every single breath—to ruining yours."

My head is swirling at this point and I don't register when we have walked out of there.

My mind is racing, my heart pounding, but all I could focus on is him. 

I just keep staring at him the entire way back.

My husband. My protector. My partner.

I had never realized just how much he had been there for me. But now, as we stepped into the cool night air, I knew one thing for certain.

I am not alone anymore.

Chapter Text

Hong Hae-in POV

As we walk into the quiet of our home, the weight of the evening still presses down on us. I could sense Hyun-woo’s presence behind me, but something felt fragile about it, like he is holding on by a thread.

Then, just as I reached to flip the hallway light, he stops in his tracks, his voice soft and raw.

“Hae-in a,” he murmurs, so quietly I barely catch his words, “I… I’m sorry.”

The words hit me like a punch, hollow and baffling.

Why is Baek Hyun-woo apologising?

I turn to look at him, searching his face, but his gaze is downcast, fixed on the floor. His shoulders are rigid, his hands clenched at his sides, as if bracing himself.

I step closer, my brows furrowing in confusion.

"Why are you apologizing?" I ask softly, half a whisper, but I couldn’t keep the disbelief from my voice.

Still no eye contact. 

What's wrong, baby?

He swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but he doesn't look up.

Instead, his eyes remain down, and then, as if something in him gave out, he took a shuddering breath and slowly sinks to his knees.

My heart lurches, caught somewhere between shock and something indescribable.

Baek Hyun-woo — kneeling — is a sight so vulnerable, so painfully humble, that I almost want to reach out and pull him up.

But then he starts speaking, his voice broken and hoarse.

“I feel like I crossed a line today,” he whispers, almost as if he were confessing.

“I… maybe I went too far, Hae-in a. Maybe… maybe I shouldn’t have threatened to destroy them. I am so sorry. Please, please know that I would never harm them, even if I said I would.” He paused, his fingers dig into the fabric of his trousers.

“I just—I just couldn’t stand it anymore. But I need you to know that I wouldn’t hurt your family. I hope… I hope you know that.”

It hits me, then, just how much he is torturing himself for tonight.

This man!

The man who defended me, who had finally given voice to the anger he and I’d buried for so long, is now on his knees, apologizing for standing up for me.

And I can see in his slumped shoulders and bowed head just how deeply he is doubting himself.

Without hesitation, I kneel down to his level. My folded legs automatically get stacked above his thighs - I need the proximity to make sure he understands me.

Reaching out to cradle his face in my hands, I force him to look at me.

His gaze is shattered, flickering between emotions he can barely contain, and I can feel his shame, his worry bleeding out from every look. 

"Yeobo," I say softly, my voice steady even as a surge of disbelief and frustration bubbles up in me. "The fact that you’ve kept your composure for so long, without shutting down like I have… that in itself is a miracle. The way you lost it today? That was a long time coming, Hyun-woo."

He flinches, the guilt still evident in his eyes. “Hae-in a, but—”

“No,” I say, cutting him off, my voice gentle but firm as I tightened my hold on his face.

“You didn’t cross a line. You didn’t go too far. If anything, you showed more control than anyone else would have in your position.” I take a breath, steadying myself as I look at him with all the conviction I could muster.

“Do you know how long I’ve waited for someone to defend me like that? To call them out? I didn’t ask for it because I didn’t believe anyone would ever do it. I’d accepted being alone in this. But you… you stepped in. You did what I couldn’t bring myself to do.”

He started to shake his head, as if he couldn’t let himself believe it, but I don’t let him look away. “Hyun-woo, you have no idea what tonight meant to me,” I whisper, feeling my own emotions cracking open. “It's one of the only handful of times, I wasn’t alone. You showed them that I matter to someone, that I’m worth fighting for.”

His expression softens, a flicker of understanding finally piercing the storm in his eyes, but there is still that lingering guilt, a shadow that hadn’t quite lifted. 

“I just… I didn’t want you to think I’d truly hurt them, Hae-in a. At least not physically," he said, his voice barely audible, like a child afraid of being punished.

“I… I said those things because I was angry, but I would never… I know for a fact that you love them - each one of them - to your very bones. I see it in the smallest things you have done over the years and I will never sabotage that. I am incapable of doing such things when it comes to you Hae-in a. Jaebal...”

Tears rolls down his eyes and I seriously can't fucking believe that this man is mine. Has there been anything he hasn't noticed?

A surge of warmth and sadness washes over me, and I shake my head slowly, keeping my eyes locked on his. “I know, Baek Hyun-woo,” I murmur, brushing my thumbs over his cheeks, my own voice wavering.

“I know you wouldn’t. You’re not that person. But they needed to hear it. They needed to understand that their actions have consequences, that they can’t keep tearing me down without expecting something to snap.”

His hands slowly moved to cover mine, holding them against his face, and he takes a shaky breath, as if finally allowing himself to absorb my words.

His fingers tighten over mine, and I can feel the tension start to ease, though a trace of worry still lingers in his gaze.

I suck in a long breath and can't help but say, "I am proud of you,” I whisper, my voice thick with emotions I’d held back for too long.

“I am so fucking proud of you, Baek Hyun-woo. You’ve been patient with them - and with me -  for so long….”

"Hae-in a, don't.." he whispers. 

"No. You had a proper rant session. Now it's my turn." I say in a pleading voice. 

"I have been the worst wife on the face of the planet Baek Hyun-woo. I have been a complete A-grade bitch and I have no excuses to make..all I can do is beg for forgiveness." I say with absolute honesty. 

"Hong Hae-in-" his voice gets a dangerous edge and his hands slip to my waist.

"I am sorry," I whisper in a broken voice.

"For everything. For being ignorant of your needs. For abandoning you because I couldn't see past my own grief and guilt. For humiliating you for months - you truly are the bigger person Baek Hyun-woo. I would have given up on our relationship if I were in your shoes, even more so if I had been treated the way you were. You stayed despite everything - despite the taunts, the insults, the pain, the loneliness. You stayed."

I am sobbing now and he pulls me into his chest,  soothing me. Still focused on my needs. 

Oh Baek Hyun-woo, what will I ever do without you?

"Mianhe-"

Sob. 

"Jeongmal mianhe. I hurt you. The one person who has been in my corner -  not even my own blood - and I have been beyond horrible to you and your family. I am so sorry."

He lets me cry. 

Gosh I can't recall the number of times I have cried in the past few weeks.

"Hae-in a...listen to me," he says in a loving voice.

"I am sorry too. I had come very close to giving up. I am not proud of it, but I felt like I was at a dead end. I just couldn't get through to you and in hindsight, I should have tried harder. Hong Hae-in, I have said this once, I will say it again. I want us to stop apologizing and start talking. We both are so busy protecting each other that we forget that we are a team." His voice is breaking as he tries to get the words out. 

We are a team. 

He is right.

I pull back and look up at him. My face - I am sure - is beyond presentable, but Baek Hyun-woo is looking at me as if his world starts and ends with me. 

"Saranghe." I whisper.

I am too happy to say anything else.

I love him. 

I love Baek Hyun-woo. To my very bones. 

What he said is true. I love my family - despite their faults - I am protective of them. 

But I truly have no limits when it comes to Baek Hyun-woo. I have no idea what I would do for this man. What lines I would cross to keep him safe and most importantly mine for the rest of our lives.

Because yes, intelligent or not, Baek Hyun-woo is a painfully naive and innocent person beneath his armor.

His breath hitched, and he closed his eyes, as though trying to hold himself together.

When he opened them again, his eyes glistened, the weight of his feelings finally visible, unmasked, as he stared back at me. 

“Hae-in a...nado saranghe. I would fight for you every day, Hae-in a,” he said, his voice barely more than a whisper, raw and honest. “Every single day, if that’s what it takes.”

A tear slipped down my cheek, but I didn’t bother to brush it away. I just leaned closer, pressing my forehead against his, and closed my eyes, letting the warmth of his presence seep into me.

“I know,” I whispered, a tremor in my voice. “I know you would.”

And as we knelt there together, I felt something inside me shift. The walls I’d built, the armor I’d donned to survive my family’s coldness, finally cracked.

Because in front of me, here on his knees, was a man who had shown me what it meant to be loved. To be defended. To be seen.  

Hong Hae-in. You are not alone. Never again.

----- Later that night ----------

"I should have tried harder," he whispers as we lay in bed. I am almost on the verge of sleep, but I look up from my position over his chest. I had been counting his heartbeats for the past few minutes. 

"Hae-in a… I’m so sorry," he says, his words barely louder than a breath, each one cutting into the stillness around us. 

I am not sure if I am ready for another emotional breakdown, but I want to know what's bothering him. So, I wait. 

I watch his face, the shadow of something deeply buried stirring in his eyes. But when he finally looks at me, the pain there is raw and heartbreaking.

“You… you looked so lonely that day,” he whispers. 

My brows furrow and his hand on my waist tightens.

The drowning.

“Even then, all I wanted was to ask if you were okay.” He takes a shaky breath, his hands trembling slightly as he tries to steady himself, blinking hard against tears that were threatening to spill all over again. “I was just a kid myself, but when I looked at you… God, it didn’t matter. I wanted so badly to help you. To know you were safe.”

My breath hitches as I see the torment flickering in his eyes, his voice breaking as he continues. “No one from your family stood by your side that day. No one held your hand as the paramedics took away your brother. You were just there, this tiny girl, all alone… and all I wanted was to reach out. To tell you it wasn’t your fault.”

He swallows, his voice becoming almost a whisper, tinged with a vulnerability I had never seen before. “But I didn’t do enough. I couldn’t reach you. And after that day, I couldn’t shake that image of you… I couldn’t bear the thought of you alone.”

I am completely frozen, rooted to the spot by his words. I can't breathe or think. 

“I went to the police station with my parents, time and time again, trying to find you, to make sure you were safe. But every visit ended in nothing. We couldn’t trace you… your family was impossible to find. And every time we came back empty-handed, I felt like I’d failed you all over again...."

"....like I’d abandoned you.” he completes after a few painful beats. 

"Every time I thought I would get the chance to meet you, I only had one question which I had wanted to ask....only one...."

I wait with bated breath as he softly asks, "Kwenchana?"

And something inside me breaks.

Something as simple as an "Are you okay?" would have meant the world to a love starved child like me.

Despite the low lights, I see the tear rolling down the corner of his eye as he stares at the ceiling - his face a mixture of sorrow and shame. 

"For years, Hong Hae-in," he whispers, "I wondered if I’d saved you… only to leave you to live a cursed, wretched life. I couldn’t shake the thought that maybe… maybe you would’ve been better off if you’d never met me.” His voice broke completely, his pain laid bare.

He laughs and cries at the same time - as if the irony wasn't lost on anyone. 

“Guess what Hae-in a? That's exactly what happened. You have been miserable after that incident. And to think that I had reached a point where I was considering getting out of this marriage - can you imagine how that makes me feel?”

Baek Hyun-woo, who had saved me all those years ago, this same person who’d shown up for me time and time again, is carrying this guilt in silence. My heart feels like it is splitting open as I cup his cheeks, my own voice trembling.

“Hyun-woo, no.” I suck in a sharp breath and continue.

“You… you saved me. Not just that day, but every day since then. I have no idea how you did it—how you carried this, all this time.”

His grip tightens around me, as if he were clinging to something that had been slipping away for far too long. I wipe the tear that had slipped from the corner of his eye, my own tears blurring my vision.

“You didn’t fail me,” I whisper. My tone is surprisingly firm. “You saved me. You’ve saved me more times than I can even count. And knowing now… that you tried to find me all those years… God, Baek Hyun-woo - baby - you did everything you could.”

“Please, don’t carry this anymore,” I plead, running my hand along his cheek. “You’ve been my savior from day one - even when we were strangers. And tonight, you’ve given me something I didn’t even know I needed. You have had my back for years now."

He still looks sad, but I see the pain give way to something else, a kind of quiet release, like the years of carrying that guilt has finally loosened its hold.

"Also, please stop feeling guilty that you wanted an out. I already told you once and I will repeat this a million times - despite those feelings, you stayed. You didn't let go. You have given me a chance to apologize and make up. You have never abandoned me Baek Hyun-woo - get it through your beautiful head and there is no way in hell I would let you leave either."

"Promise?" His voice is painfully soft as he bring his pinky finger to the front. 

Gosh such an innocent baby. All mine.

I slip my pinky finger through his, punch out our promise, while pulling him into a deep kiss. 

When I finally settle down beside him, ready to sleep, I once again keep my head over his chest. 

Thump. 

Thump. 

Thump. 

"I promise." I whisper as his heartbeats lull me to a peaceful sleep. 

Baek Hyun-woo POV

I wake slowly, the soft morning light warming the room. The first thing I became aware of is the familiar warmth beside me.

Hong Hae-in. My wife. 

Her body tucked closely into me, is still, breathing softly. My arm is wrapped possessively around her waist, fingers resting on the soft curve of her hip, as if even in sleep, I couldn't bear to let her go.

Not after everything that has happened in recent weeks. Especially last night. 

For a moment, I kept my eyes closed, enjoying the peacefulness of the morning, the quiet intimacy of holding her. But soon, curiosity gets the better of me, and I open my eyes, blinking away the last traces of sleep.

My gaze lands on her immediately—her head is resting on the pillow, her expression relaxed in a way I only see when we are alone like this. She is staring at me, her eyes warm and soft, as if she had been watching me for a while. 

I didn’t say anything—didn’t need to. Instead, I tightened my arm around her and pull her closer. Without thinking, my lips find hers, and the kiss deepens almost instantly.

There is no hesitation, no thought of anything but her. My other hand rested on her lower back, fingers tracing over the bare skin where her tank top had ridden up. My grip is firm, holding her tightly against me, my need for her more intense than usual.

My hand brushes over her nipple. A flick and she gasps.

We haven't done anything since that night last week because things had gone south after her revelation about the drowning and well - my wife needed the rest. 

Hong Hae-in has completely taken over and straddles me, her hair spread around us like curtains. 

"I want you to fuck me," she whispers as she grinds down on my thickening cock. I groan.

"Please Yeobo," and I know that she is desperate for the connection - just like I am.

I can see the pleading. Hong Hae-in - the queen - is pleading to be fucked and I am smug enough to say that its a massive boost to my ego. 

Our clothes are gone seconds and I help her take my rigid cock as the little vixen drops addicting kisses and bites on my chest. She will leave marks for sure.

I massage her clit to make it easier for her to take me, my cock still slotted at her wet entrance. 

Pulling her into a searing kiss, I start pinching her nipples and begin to edge inside her with soft exploratory thrusts.

"Baby, straighten up please," I say in a low commanding voice and she complies immediately. Keeping the thrusts steady, I pet her clit and Hae-in comes in no time.

She looks ethereal like this.

Her head thrown back, the sun rays falling on her, her hair messy - and my wife Hong Hae-in completely lost in pleasure as she orgasms.

When I am sure that she is coming back and to make sure she knows who she is with - because yes, I am bloody possessive of my wife - I finally start inching in.

Gosh, she is still tight and I don't think it would ever change.

Not that I want it to.

As I am halfway through, she keeps her hands on my chest, her eyes soft and pleading.

"Stop. Just give me-" her voice a whisper and I completely stop.

We had tried this position a few times before and she found me hard to take like this, but we both had had explosive orgasms once we had found our rhythms.

She moans as she makes slow up and down movements getting acquainted to my size, when she all of a sudden moves down.

And gasps - equal parts in pain and suprise.

"Careful," my growl is instant as I stop her movement by holding her waist. My wedding ring digging into her right hip.

She is breathing heavily and I notice the beads of sweat on her chest and I can't help but bring her down for a kiss. So fucking sexy.

She tightens around me and I once again start petting her clit. 

When I bite her lip, she becomes impossibly wet and in the next breath she moves down with my cock sheathed completely inside her.

"Ah-"

"Fuck-"

Our groans are loud and I see the slight strain on my wife's face as she gets used to being filled. Hong Hae-in looks down at me and her eyes are blazing with lust and love as she whispers, "So full."

"You feel divine Yeobo," I return the compliment, my voice cracking trying to maintain composure.

I help her move up slowly, her tight, snug, and extremely warm walls being the best slice of heaven for my cock.

Hong Hae-in. My wife.

All fucking mine.

My protective and possessive instincts have me pushing back in without a second thought and she moans out loudly as I hit her G-spot.

This woman has been mine long before I met her. Fate has made us cross paths time and again. 

And I ask her the one question which I had wanted to ask her since that wretched day. 

"Hong Hae-in, kwenchana?" 

She stops and stares down at me as she catches on.

"Kwenchana. Now. Right now, with you, I am alright."

She leans down and we both gasp as the angle pushes me deeper and she whispers against my lips, "I am whole now, Baek Hyun-woo. Thanks to you."

Chapter Text

Hi Readers,

I hope everyone is doing well.

I started UKWQ way back on April 10, 2024, when the show was still running. Back then, it was meant to be just two chapters. I’m not joking — I only wanted to explore the possessive and territorial side of Baek Hyun-woo.

But somehow, those two chapters turned into twenty-four — something I never imagined possible. I’ve never thought of myself as a great writer. I have too many thoughts, and I know my writing and grammar aren’t perfect. But with your love and support, I kept going, doing my best to explore new sides of Baek Hyun-woo and Hong Hae-in’s story.

I had mentioned before, in an update on my other QoT fic, that I’d hit a writer’s block with this one. My motivation to write, which had already been fading over the past few months, has now completely vanished after everything that’s happened recently. I don’t wish to comment further on it.

Over the weekend, I re-read the entire story and truly feel that I’ve done justice to this couple. Chapter 24 feels like a fitting ending in itself.

Rest assured, I will not delete this piece. I’ve poured my heart, soul, and energy into it, and through it, I’ve met some wonderful readers and supporters. I can never fully express how much I’ve learned and how much this fandom has given me over the past year. Thank you, sincerely.

With that, I’d like to officially close this story. I hope you’ll understand.

Adios,
Love and regards,
Envinyatar27