WAK 04

Chapter 4

Hana tightly closed the front of her robe and came out of the bathroom. A female doctor had just arrived, and Hana followed her into the bedroom for treatment. Only then did she realize this place was a **suite**.

“The burn isn’t serious. If you apply the ointment well, it won’t get worse, and the heat will go down.”

Hana retied the loose belt and bowed slightly.

“Thank you.”

“It doesn’t look like it’ll leave a scar.”

Her skin was still red and warm, but the doctor said it would return to normal with time.

When the doctor left the bedroom, Jeonghan, who had been sitting on the living room sofa, stood up.

“How is she?”

“There’s no need to worry too much. The burn isn’t severe. The pain and heat will slowly subside.”

After repeating the explanation, the doctor left the suite with Jeonghan seeing her off.

Jeonghan walked toward the bedroom. Through the half-open door, he saw Hana sitting cross-legged on the bed.

Hana was pressing her inner thighs with both elbows, typing and deleting a message over and over.

“What are you doing?”

“Ah! You scared me!”

She jumped in surprise.

“Why?”

She quickly knelt down, suddenly aware that she was wearing nothing under the robe.

“I was wondering why you weren’t coming out.”

“I was trying to text my sister…”

But she still hadn’t pressed send.

She needed clothes to leave, and the only person she could ask right now was her sister. If she asked friends, they would definitely imagine all kinds of things once they heard she was in Jeonghan’s suite. Her sister wouldn’t be much better.

“Are you going to stay on the bed?”

“No!”

She hurriedly got off. Sitting on a bed wearing only a robe felt strange. Maybe because of that, her heart was racing too fast.

“I’ll make a call and then leave.”

She awkwardly smiled and held up her phone.

“If you’re worried about clothes, don’t be.”

“Huh?”

“I already asked someone to bring them.”

Her eyes showed both gratitude and embarrassment.

“You can’t go out wearing wet clothes.”

“Thank you.”

“But…”

He suddenly tilted his head and stepped closer.

As the distance closed quickly, Hana’s eyes shook.

“W-why?”

She stuttered and stepped back.

He stopped right in front of her and raised a large hand toward her face. She instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.

A cool hand rested on her forehead. Hana froze, forgetting to breathe.

“You feel warm. Are you hurting anywhere else?”

Hana quickly pushed his hand away.

“I’m fine. I don’t have a fever.”

Her voice trembled slightly.

“But your face is really red.”

She cupped her cheeks with both hands. Her face felt hot. Even though the burns were on her stomach and thighs, her face felt like it was on fire too.

This was all because of this damn bathrobe.

Clothes were like armor. Right now, Hana had no protection at all. That made everything feel dangerous.

“I naturally have a high body temperature… Let’s go outside.”

She gestured toward the bedroom door. It felt like their roles were reversed, but she needed to get out of this room. The bed felt dangerous for no reason.

Without him noticing, Hana tightened the robe even more. Even after closing it completely, she didn’t feel safe. Instead of the sofa, she sat at the dining table.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

“I’m fine.”

Being alone with him already made her too nervous to feel hungry.

“You didn’t eat breakfast.”

He muttered to himself. She hadn’t either.

“I’ll order room service. Let’s eat together until your clothes arrive. We still have things to talk about.”

“I don’t think there’s anything left for us to talk about.”

> “Are you sure?”

He smiled meaningfully and walked to the desk phone.

“Anything you want to eat?”

“Something soft.”

She answered vaguely, but he didn’t ask more and called the front desk.

After ordering several things, he returned to the table.

When he sat across from her, Hana unconsciously smoothed the front of her robe again.

He followed her movement with his eyes, then looked up at her face. She had calmed down enough now to meet his gaze.

“Why go on a blind date if you don’t want to get married?”

“You might not believe me, but I didn’t know it was a blind date.”

Every time she refused, her family had pushed harder—now even tricking her.

“Why do you hate marriage so much?”

She laughed in disbelief.

“Don’t people usually ask that *before* asking someone to have a child?”

> “I was too rushed yesterday. I’m sorry.”

His straightforward apology made her feel awkward.

“Why do you want a child so badly?”

His eyes darkened slightly.

“I want to pass everything I have to my own blood.”

She didn’t quite understand.

“Then get married. That solves everything.”

“And if I get divorced later, I come looking for Kang Hana?”

Hana smiled and nodded.

“I’ll give you a special 10% discount out of gratitude. VAT not included.”

He shook his head and laughed.

“I get why Kang Hana is such a successful divorce lawyer.”

“I’m confident I can give my clients satisfying results.”

He laughed quietly. The way she already treated him like a future client—despite him not being married and having no plan to—was funny.

“Did working as a divorce lawyer make you avoid marriage?”

“That’s part of it. There are other reasons too.”

She answered vaguely. She wasn’t ready to open up fully.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Room service arrived.

Hana stared at the food being set down.

“Why did you order so much?”

“So we can eat longer. And the longer we eat, the longer we can talk.”

At his low words, her heart thumped without permission. She ignored it.

“You’re very thorough.”

“I am.”

He gestured to the fork and knife in front of her.

“Eat.”

“Thank you.”

As she picked up her fork, Hana thought she never imagined she’d be eating room service with the famous senior lawyer **Ryu Jeonghan**.

“Yesterday, I forgot for a moment that you’re a lawyer.”

She looked up and saw him pull out a small USB and wave it.

“I should’ve shown you materials first before making a deal.”

Her eyes fixed on the silver USB.

“What’s that?”

“A detailed list of assets our child would inherit.”

He smiled meaningfully.

“You keep saying *our child*…”

> “Just imagine it. Wouldn’t they be incredibly pretty?”

She should have shaken her head firmly—but instead, she swallowed.

A child who looked like Ryu Jeonghan.

It felt like an even stronger temptation than wealth.

He lifted his chin confidently. Arrogant and shameless—but undeniably attractive.

Smart, rich, and handsome. Perfect DNA tempting her at arm’s reach.

“You like children?”

Not just like them.

Since deciding not to marry, she had vaguely thought she’d never have children. She always said she wanted kids, but in Korea, that wasn’t easy.

If someone like Ryu Jeonghan stood firmly as the father, life—for her and the child—would be stable.

Her thoughts ran far ahead, all the way to a kindergarten entrance ceremony for a child not yet born.

Jeonghan watched her expressions change. He had expected money to work first, but seeing her imagination bloom at the mention of a child amused him.

“So?”

“Huh…?”

She snapped back.

He stood up and stepped close. Her head tilted back as he moved.

He placed one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the table, trapping her between his arms.

He leaned close to her ear.

> “If you agree, we could start right now.”

Her eyes rolled toward the half-open bedroom door. She imagined the soft bed beyond it.

That was dangerous.

“L-let’s eat first.”

She straightened up, pretending nothing was wrong.

Ding-dong.

The bell rang. Her clothes had arrived.

—

She changed in the bathroom and put her wet clothes into a shopping bag.

Coming out, she spoke to Jeonghan on the sofa.

“I’m going to leave.”

He stood up and walked over.

“It’s a shame to let you go like this.”

It didn’t suit the situation at all.

“How are you going to repay me for saving you today?”

As she opened the door, he asked.

“You’re very precise.”

“I am. That’s why I make a lot of money.”

“I’ll buy you a meal.”

“We already ate.”

“Then I’ll buy you a drink.”

“Alright. That’s enough for me.”

She laughed and stepped into the hallway.

“Thank you for today.”

He nodded. After bowing, she turned and headed for the elevator. She felt his gaze on her back.

She caught a taxi from the lobby and leaned her head back, closing her eyes.

It wasn’t even sunset yet, but she felt exhausted. A lot had happened today.

As she smiled weakly, her phone vibrated.

A message from an unknown number—with a photo attached.

She knew immediately who it was from and opened it without thinking.

The moment the photo loaded, her pupils shook wildly.

> —Just in case. A photo of me as a kid.

On the screen was a five- or six-year-old **Ryu Jeonghan**.

“Oh my god…!”

The words slipped out.

The taxi driver glanced at her in the mirror.

She covered her open mouth and zoomed in.

Arrogant eyes already complete, pale skin, chubby cheeks, and a sharp nose—painfully adorable.

“…Too cute!”

Compared to vague imagination, this was a far stronger lure.