~Prologue~
Was it because winter days were so short?
Or was it just her imagination?
Why does night fall so quickly?
Before she knew it, darkness had settled outside.
Standing in front of the bedroom door, Yoon Iseol hesitated, unable to bring herself to turn the handle.
The moment she stepped inside, she would have to sleep in the same room as her husband.
On the same bed.
They had been married for two years.
Yet tonight would be the very first time they had ever shared a bed.
It was a secret she couldn’t tell anyone—not even her husband.
The thought of lying beside him all night left Iseol restless. She lowered her head with a sigh.
If a loving married couple suddenly insisted on sleeping in separate rooms… that would seem strange, wouldn’t it…?
“Maybe… I should at least ask.”
Ask if they could sleep separately.
Just as she stood there absentmindedly fidgeting with the doorknob instead of going inside—
“Why are you still standing out here?”
Her husband’s voice came from behind her.
She had assumed he was already in the bedroom.
Startled, Iseol spun around.
There stood Cha Sunho in light sleepwear, his expression calm and completely at ease.
He took a step closer.
Then, without warning, he leaned toward her and reached out an arm.
I haven’t even gone into the room yet, and he’s already—!
Thinking their bodies were about to touch, Iseol squeezed her eyes shut, her whole body stiffening.
Click.
The bedroom door opened behind her.
Carefully opening one eye, she saw that Sunho’s hand was simply resting on the doorknob.
Does he always have to open a door in such a suggestive way?
As she grumbled to herself, Sunho leaned down, keeping only the smallest distance between them, and whispered beside her ear,
“Shall I carry you inside?”
A faint smile played on his lips as he looked down at her.
For some reason, she felt herself being drawn in.
No. Stop it. Get a grip.
Calming her racing heart, Iseol quickly turned away and walked into the bedroom.
Being inside had to be better than standing so dangerously close to him.
She was wrong.
The bedroom door closed behind them.
Now that they were alone in the enclosed room, the silence was so overwhelming that even breathing felt difficult.
The room was utterly still.
Behind her came the sound of her husband walking toward her after closing the door.
His footsteps echoed far louder than they should have.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
The closer they came, the faster her heart pounded.
When the footsteps finally stopped behind her, Sunho spoke.
“So… what should we do?”
Iseol whirled around.
Her eyes trembled as she stammered,
“W-What do you mean… what should we do?”
Moments like this made her complete lack of experience with men painfully obvious.
She couldn’t even pretend to stay composed.
Not wanting him to notice her flustered expression, she lowered her eyes to hide their nervous trembling.
Then his serious voice reached her.
“Ah… I wasn’t being considerate.”
What is he talking about?
Slowly regaining her composure, Iseol looked up at him.
A broad shadow fell over her.
Sunho had stepped even closer, stopping directly in front of her.
The distance between them was so small that she instinctively tried to take a step back.
Before she could, his arm slipped around her waist.
In one smooth motion, he pulled her into his embrace until there wasn’t the slightest space left between them.
“Shall we?”
His dark eyes locked onto hers, unwavering.
Looking down at his silent wife, the corner of Sunho’s lips lifted into a relaxed smile.
“We’re newlyweds, aren’t we?”
How much longer can we keep this lie going?
As Iseol imagined the days ahead—pretending to be newlyweds every single day—her vision went dark with despair.
