TO 1

Chapter 0

“Come back to me, Lee Seo-ah.”

Taehyuk’s low voice drifted through the chilly autumn air, striking right at the center of Seo-ah’s heart. There was a time when she loved that voice.

It was relaxed yet crystal clear, cutting through the silence with just the right mix of arrogance and coldness. She loved it all the more for it, believing it was his defining trait.

He hadn’t changed a bit. Standing nearly 190 centimeters tall, he carried a balanced, athletic build built by discipline. His skin was clear, framing sharply defined features that looked as though they had been carved into him. Even his jawline was razor-sharp. Even from a distance, he naturally drew everyone’s attention—a man who still shone like a star.

Brilliant, yet freezing cold.

“No.”

Seo-ah pushed away his intense, lingering gaze.

Why was it so hard to do this back then? She let out a self-deprecating smile.

Overbearing dark eyes bore into her vision. Then, Taehyuk uttered words he never would have said seven years ago.

“Would you listen to me if I got down on my knees?”

His gaze dropped to the floor, as if he were truly ready to kneel right then and there.

“Do you know what? It takes seven years for human nerve cells to regenerate.”

His quiet, heavy gaze swept over her, sending a jolt through her skin so sharp it almost felt painful.

“It’s been seven years since we last met. That means all the nerve cells once filled with you have died and been reborn. I no longer remember you, I no longer hold you inside me, and I certainly don’t love you anymore.”

“I don’t care.”

Taehyuk took a long, confident stride toward her. His graceful, assured steps were those of a man coming to reclaim what was rightfully his.

As he stood straight in front of her, his broad chest blocked her view. Seo-ah stared fixedly at the red pocket square tucked into his suit. As his chest rose and fell with each breath, the soft movement of the crimson fabric looked almost like blood dripping from his heart.

“I’ll still be by your side seven years from now—and twenty, or thirty years after that. So your nerve cells will keep being filled with me. Until the day I die.”

Taehyuk grabbed her wrist. His touch was cold, heavy as iron chains she couldn’t break free from.

“I won’t ask you to stay my wife after I die. But while I’m alive, focus on me. Stay by my side, as my wife.”

“Mr. Jang Taehyuk.”

“So, Lee Seo-ah. If you want to get away from me… start praying today that I die as soon as possible.”

Chapter 1

Stepping straight into the bedroom after a shower, Taehyuk was completely naked, as usual. Seo-ah should have been used to it by now, but seeing him so raw still made her blush.

Broad shoulders stretched out, tapering down from a firm, inverted-triangle chest to a lean, trim waist. His lower body, planted firmly like solid pillars, radiated power just from a glance.

Seo-ah handed him a towel.

“You’ll catch a cold.”

Taehyuk shook his head. A stray droplet hanging dangerously from his wet hair fell silently to the floor.

“Forget it. I’m going to wash again soon anyway.”

Instead of taking the towel, Taehyuk kept his eyes fixed on Seo-ah as if he had other business with her. Under his rough, intense stare, her porcelain skin flushed red, as if scraped.

Whenever those dark eyes stared straight at her, her knees went weak against her will.

Yet, that look had never contained a trace of warmth.

It was always analytical and cold, matching the chilly tone of his voice. Rather than two people about to share an intimate moment, it felt more like they were about to conduct a high-stakes business meeting.

“Lie down.”

Taehyuk gestured toward the bed with a flick of his chin, his sharp jawline directing her on what to do. Seo-ah carefully climbed onto the mattress.

“Take your clothes off,” Taehyuk said, sounding annoyed. “Why are you wearing so many layers anyway? You’ll just have to take them all off.”

Listening to his scolding voice, Seo-ah silently slipped out of her sleepwear. The rustling fabric dropped to her feet.

Just as her hand reached the hook of her bra—

“That’s enough. No need to take that off.”

With those words, Taehyuk turned off the only lamp beside the bed. Darkness settled in, concealing them both.

Meanwhile, Seo-ah lay flat on the bed with an impassive face. Moments later, she felt Taehyuk climb up beside her. The scent of a man mixed with the heavy darkness rushed over her. Soon, his large hand pulled down her panties with a mechanical, indifferent touch.

“Spread your legs.”

His quiet voice was completely robotic.

Always the same routine. Always the same conclusion.

Their relationship was always like this, allowing only the bare minimum of touch. There was never any unnecessary affection—like a kiss.

Just as Taehyuk lowered his head between her legs as usual, Seo-ah reached out and grabbed his shoulders.

She felt his broad shoulders flinch beneath her palms. But it wasn’t out of disgust or guard; his upturned eyes confirmed it as he looked at her.

It was surprise.

And understandably so, since Seo-ah had never voluntarily touched his body in bed before.

“Just do it.”

Seo-ah’s voice was barely a whisper, yet firm. Taehyuk’s brows furrowed.

“It’ll hurt.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

It had been a long time since she gave up on seeking pleasure or joy with him. Even the minimal foreplay he gave her was merely lubrication to make the deed run smoother.

Taehyuk lifted his skepticism-filled brows and raised his body.

“Fine then.”

His heavy chest pressed down against her, though he never let his full weight rest on her. Even while maintaining a careful distance with minimal physical contact, lying beneath him always made Seo-ah feel crushed under a boulder.

“Relax.”

At his command to relax, Seo-ah’s body tensed up even more. This was still so hard for her.

Bracing himself, Taehyuk parted her tight body. Possessing Taehyuk was overwhelming for Seo-ah, both physically and emotionally.

“Don’t squeeze so tight. We’ve barely started.”

At his thick, raspy voice, her tension slipped away for a brief moment.

Once upon a time, Seo-ah would worry and rejoice over every minor shift in his reactions. But now she knew better: the only person who could ever move Jang Taehyuk was himself.

In an instant, he opened her narrow passage and pushed all the way inside. It felt as though a massive figure forged out of darkness was piercing through her. A wave of sensations flooded her, heightening her taste, touch, and hearing all at once.

Seo-ah bit her lip, trapping a moan behind her teeth. But she couldn’t keep it locked away like a block of ice forever—not when Taehyuk was the kind of man who hunted down everything she tried to hide.

“Ah…!”

Her body lifted slightly. The soft groan escaping her slender neck seeped sensually into Taehyuk’s skin.

Hearing her faint, secret moan, Taehyuk’s movements grew fiercer. For a split second, losing control, his body pressed deeply into hers.

“Ungh.”

Taehyuk’s low groan invaded deep inside her like thick tar. For a brief moment, their two silhouettes melted into one.

But it was short-lived. Taehyuk pulled himself up and headed straight to the bathroom, turning on the shower before his warmth on her skin could even cool down.

Left alone, hot tears spilled silently from the corners of Seo-ah’s eyes.

It wasn’t out of shame or humiliation. It was the realization that she couldn’t endure this anymore—and tears of resolve never to try again.

“What did you just say?”

As Taehyuk turned around, his broad shoulders and wide chest stretched the fabric of his white shirt tight. Fitted perfectly to his shoulders, his upper body still held a tense energy from the brief yet intense physical exertion moments ago.

He was putting his clothes back on to head back to the office, just like always.

To him, intimate relations with his wife were just another item on his daily schedule. Today, he had taken time out of his lunch break to come home. After a quick session, returning to work made him look no different than an employee coming back from a business errand.

At least, until he heard Seo-ah’s bombshell declaration.

“Let’s get a divorce.”

Seo-ah repeated what she had just said. Her face was nonchalant, as if she were simply deciding on today’s dinner menu.

“Lee Seo-ah.”

Taehyuk slowly closed and opened his eyes, the dark boundaries of his irises looking strikingly clear, as if wet.

“What’s the problem now?”

His sluggish voice carried clear disapproval. Just that alone made Seo-ah’s fingertips tremble and her heart pound wildly.

“Please, just let me go now.”

Taehyuk frowned openly, as if dealing with a troublesome work issue.

“All I’ve ever had of you was your empty shell. I wanted a husband, not a business partner.”

“We are business partners. The best kind.”

His tone was brutally indifferent, yet laced with a sharp chill. Seo-ah couldn’t argue back because he was right.

‘Bear my child. That is my only condition for marrying you.’

His proposal two years ago had been completely cold, devoid of any warmth.

“It’s been two years. For two years, I did everything you and your mother wanted. I slept with you once a month right on my ovulation days, but I still haven’t gotten pregnant. So stop forcing yourself into an unwanted relationship and just let me go.”

“Forcing myself? Sounds like you’re talking about yourself, not me.”

Taehyuk tilted his head slightly. The gaze he aimed at her held a cold, metallic edge.

Seo-ah’s eyes widened at his words.

So… it wasn’t forced for you? Even when you treated me like a coffee machine sitting in your office every single time?

“And failing to get pregnant isn’t my fault either.”

“I never said it was your fault. That’s…”

“Right, because it’s your fault.”

Seo-ah flinched at the slow, deliberate words he let out after a beat.

Taehyuk took a step closer to her.

Overpowering her with his sharp gaze, he reached out with one hand and opened the nightstand drawer beside him without even looking. It was her underwear drawer.

His hand searched through her undergarments without hesitation, sending delicate fabric falling to the floor like dying petals. Seo-ah’s face flushed red.

“What are you doing—?”

Before she could finish, Taehyuk’s hand emerged, clutching something.

Birth control pills.

Taehyuk pinched the foil pack between his fingertips as if it were poison, throwing it down right in front of her.

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

“I-If I had known you were the kind of man who goes digging through his wife’s underwear drawer…” Seo-ah stammered back, her face pale.

“I’m not in the mood for jokes. When do you think I found this?”

“Wh-what?”

“I’ve known since a year ago, when you first started taking them.”

“If you knew, then why…?”

If you knew, why did you hold me every single month on my ovulation day? Knowing better than anyone that I couldn’t get pregnant?

“Well now. Why do you think I did?”

Throwing the question back at her, Taehyuk’s eyes flashed with a cold intensity.

“Listen carefully. I’ve been patient enough. Do you think it’s easy for me to drop everything at work and clear my schedule just for your ovulation day once a month? How dare you pull a stunt like this after making a busy man run back and forth?”

Taehyuk glared down contemptuously at the birth control pills on the floor.

“Do you think it’s easy for me to drop everything at work and come running home like a madman just because I’m crazy about my wife?”