I'll Play the Wife Well

“Ah—!”

It was a scent no perfume could ever hope to imitate — the distinctive warmth of Seo-won’s own skin. While she was still caught in it, the two of them had drawn so close their lips nearly brushed. One slight tilt of the head and they would have met.

Yuju’s heartbeat began to climb at a geometric rate.

And then —

Click.

The scrape of metal made her open eyes she had already half-closed. She blinked at Seo-won, who was already back in his seat.

Understanding hit a second later, and her face ignited. He had only been buckling her seat belt for her — because she had shown not the slightest intention of doing it herself.

He had acted with the purest of motives. She, on the other hand, had let her imagination run wild in every possible direction.

“Ah!”

Just as she was clicking her tongue in disappointment, a sharp little pain bloomed on her forehead. She realized Seo-won had rapped her with a knuckle and made a great show of suffering over it.

It hadn’t actually hurt. He had only pretended, the lightest of taps.

Leaving her behind with her full repertoire of pained expressions, Seo-won started the car.

“For someone so young, you’re shameless. When did you get so filthy-minded?”

“You’re the one who turns even the purest people filthy-minded, Oppa.”

“What?”

“Look at that. Every time you turn the wheel, the veins stand out on your forearms. How is anyone supposed to endure that?”

“Well, well.”

Seo-won laughed, half in disbelief. For a moment her gaze lingered on his face, on that beautiful smile.

That he could laugh this easily, that he sometimes teased, that he talked more than she had ever expected — she had only learned these things after they began living together.

Yuju was continually surprised by the large and small changes that had slipped into their daily lives. Above all by how close she had become to her brother’s once-distant friend.

“You’re really handsome.”

The murmur slipped out before she could stop it. Seo-won’s brows drew together, as if to ask what nonsense she was talking. As if he had no idea how good-looking he was.

But Yuju had known about Seo-won’s looks since she was little. Even before everything with her mother, she had paid attention to her brother’s friend. Being drawn to a face like that as a girl had been only natural.

“Yeah.”

While she was lost in thought, Seo-won’s voice suddenly cut through. They had just entered the main road.

A call was coming in on the phone connected to the car’s Bluetooth. Yuju glanced at the name on the display.

Secretary Lee.

Seo-won’s closest aide — the executive assistant she had met a few times since their marriage.

“I know. I already cleared the schedule.”

“What?”

Ever since she had moved into Seo-won’s home, the staff had naturally begun calling her “Madam.” At the mention of herself, Yuju’s ears pricked up.

Her prediction that her father would use the Ohsong Group’s name had been exact. Once again, Yuju felt certain that the collapse of her brother’s forced marriage had something to do with the position of the man who was now her husband.

In that case, this was not something to hide. It was something to broadcast to the world. The greater the power they held, the more weight it would give her brother’s freedom.

She had already planned to speak with Tae-ju about this soon, and now she listened to Seo-won’s side of the conversation with even sharper attention.

“That might be a little difficult—”

“I’ll go.”

Yuju, who had been silent until then, cut him off. Only then did Seo-won’s eyes turn to her. She met his gaze and spoke carefully, each word clear.

“I can do it well. The role of Oppa’s wife.”

Her eyes shone as if she had made some great decision. Seo-won looked uneasy. It seemed to him that she had seized on some reckless idea.

Oblivious to Seo-won’s unease, Secretary Lee accepted Yuju’s offer at once. It was the tone of a man who had been in an awkward spot and was relieved that things had worked out.

Before the conversation could properly end, the light changed. Seo-won drove on. But for all his calm movements, his expression had darkened.

Somehow, he had a bad feeling about this.

Seo-won swiped the key card and stepped hurriedly into the suite.

A sudden tangle in his schedule had left him arriving only as the ceremony’s start time drew near.

Yuju had said she would come the moment her lecture ended. She was supposed to be getting ready in the room now.

It was a vast suite, bedroom and living room separate. He had expected her to still be preparing in the bedroom, but she was already out in the living area, nearly finished.

“You’re here?”

She had been checking the face the makeup artists Seo-won had sent ahead had prepared for her. Sensing him, she called out a greeting.

Seo-won gave no answer. Even when Yuju, belatedly sensing something odd, looked at him in puzzlement, he only stood there staring. The Yuju in front of him was strangely unfamiliar.

“……”

Tae-ju, too, had always had his share of admirers for that refined face, even back in school. Whenever Seo-won stopped by near the prosecutor’s office, he still felt the presence of colleagues who eyed Tae-ju with interest.

The siblings resembled each other, so of course Yuju’s beauty was exceptional as well. Until now, though, he had never paid it close attention.

Today was different.

With makeup that gave her presence and clothes chosen with care, it struck him afresh that Yuju was a woman — and a striking beauty at that.

Her mouth, at least, was still pure Han Yuju.

“You’re dressed differently from when you left for class. When did you change?”

“What, were you hoping to catch me changing?”

Reading the regret in her tone, Seo-won struck where it hurt. Unable to argue, Yuju only smiled.

There had been more than a few days when she had openly swallowed at the sight of his solid back muscles. She had even once pulled the sleeping man into her arms in secret, hadn’t she?

But for all her ulterior motives, Seo-won had no room to talk. He had felt desire looking at her as well — especially today.

“Madam, I’ve brought the shoes.”

A late-night hotel room.

An atmosphere unlike the ordinary.

A beauty he had failed to notice until now.

One by one, they stirred every sense. Seo-won, briefly lost in Yuju, reacted to a familiar voice.

Through the open door, Secretary Lee had stepped inside. In his rush, Seo-won must have forgotten to close it.

“The shoes arrived late.”

Meeting Seo-won’s eyes, Secretary Lee offered a quiet bow and explained. When he approached Yuju and held out the shoes, she took them at once, as if she had been waiting. There was little time left before the ceremony began.

“Ugh…”

But her body would not keep pace with her urgency. The dress had no plunging cut, the neckline fully covered — yet it fit so closely that the lines of her figure were plain to the eye.

Even bending at the waist looked difficult. Watching her struggle and grunt for some time, Seo-won’s expression turned sour.

“The kid can barely breathe. Did it really have to be this dress?”

“They said it’s a new piece — only a few made it into the country…”

Seo-won couldn’t press the flustered secretary any further. When had the man ever bought women’s clothes? He spent every day glued to Seo-won’s side, working.

With a sigh, Seo-won looked back at Yuju, still wrestling with the shoes. Checking the time, he walked over to her.

“Give them here.”

“Wh—what?”

“Hold on.”

He snatched the shoes from her startled hands. Settling her awkwardly floating hand on his shoulder, he lowered himself — meaning to put them on for her himself.

When did the two of them get this close?

Finding the sight a pleasant one, Secretary Lee quietly stepped aside, leaving them their privacy. The moment that followed was not quite as intimate as the secretary imagined.

“Feet are a dirty place…”

Yuju muttered under her breath, glancing toward the door Secretary Lee had left through.

They had already kissed. Their bodies had already fit together. His mouth and hands had already been all over her. Thinking of that now, the remark felt almost ridiculous.

And then, just as quickly, her thoughts wandered somewhere else entirely.