Ha-Joon stared at the growing pile of documents.
There were medical reports, school records, photographs, receipts, certificates, handwritten notes, and several pages Ji-Ah had carefully arranged so nothing would get mixed up. The table, which had looked completely ordinary a few minutes ago, now looked like the center of an investigation.
Seo-Yeon slowly lowered herself into the chair.
Her eyes moved from one document to another.
Then to Ji-Ah. Then back to the documents.
"Ji-Ah..." Her voice was quieter this time. "What is all this?"
Ji-Ah didn't answer immediately.
She stood on the other side of the table, both hands resting against its edge. She had imagined this moment so many times during the night that she had almost memorized the words.
But saying them out loud was different.
She drew in a slow breath. "I'll explain."
Ha-Joon's eyes remained on the documents.
Ji-Ah looked directly at him "Min-Ji isn't who you think she is."
The room seemed to become noticeably quieter.
Even Seo-Yeon's expression changed.
Ha-Joon finally lifted his eyes.
Ji-Ah continued. "Her real name is Seo-Rin."
His fingers, which had been sorting through one of the reports, stopped.
"Seo-Rin," he repeated quietly.
Ji-Ah nodded. "She lied about her identity."
She picked up one of the certificates and placed it in front of him. "Mr. Kang and Mrs. Kang aren't her real parents."
Seo-Yeon's eyebrows rose. "They aren't?"
"No."
Ji-Ah's fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the paper.
"Her actual parents are still alive. They live in a village outside the city. I Went with Yoo-Nah and spoke to them once."
She hesitated. "They told me they don't want anything to do with her anymore."
Seo-Yeon stared at her. "Why?"
Ji-Ah shook her head. "I didn't ask for every detail. There was too much happening. But from what I understood, she left them behind."
Ha-Joon picked up the photograph lying among the papers.
He studied it for several seconds.
The picture showed a young boy smiling brightly at the camera.
There was something innocent about his expression that made Ji-Ah's chest tighten.
Ha-Joon turned the photograph slightly. "Who is this?"
Ji-Ah reached over and gently took it from him.
"This..."
Her voice caught for a moment.
She looked at the boy again. "This is Min-Ji's son."
Seo-Yeon's hand immediately went over her mouth. "Her son?"
Ji-Ah nodded. "His name is Park Tae-Hyun."
She placed the photograph beside the medical records. "All of these belong to him."
Seo-Yeon leaned forward.
She picked up one of the school reports and scanned it. "The medical records too?"
"Yes."
"And the school records?"
"Yes."
Seo-Yeon's eyes widened further.
She looked at Ji-Ah. "And she's married?"
Ji-Ah nodded slowly. "To Park Ji-Hoo."
The words seemed to land heavily.
Seo-Yeon stared at her. "She wants to marry Ha-Joon while she's already married?"
Ji-Ah didn't answer immediately.
She looked toward Ha-Joon.
He was still staring at the photograph.
"Yes," she finally said.
Her voice was quieter now.
"She wants to deceive him."
Ha-Joon's jaw tightened.
"Why?"
"Money."
Ji-Ah's answer came without hesitation.
"His money. His position. His reputation. The Kim family name. Everything that comes with marrying you."
She exhaled through her nose. "And the worst part isn't even that."
Ha-Joon looked up.
Ji-Ah gave a small, almost disbelieving laugh.
"Her husband still loves her."
Something softened in her expression.
"He still wants his wife back."
She glanced down at the picture of Tae-Hyun. "And that little boy still wants his mother."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Ha-Joon slowly pushed his chair back.
The legs scraped quietly against the floor.
"I need to deal with this."
He started toward the door.
Ji-Ah immediately reached out and caught his hand. "Wait."
Ha-Joon stopped.
He looked down at her fingers around his wrist.
Then at her face.
"Don't be faster than your shadow."
His eyebrows pulled together.
Ji-Ah gently tugged him back toward the table. "We're going to expose her properly."
Ha-Joon's expression hardened. "How?"
"At your wedding."
Seo-Yeon looked between them.
Ha-Joon stared at Ji-Ah.
"You're serious?"
"Very."
She began gathering the papers into separate piles. "Those two important people I told you about?"
He nodded. "Ji-Hoo and Tae-Hyun?"
"Yes."
"Make sure they're safe."
Ha-Joon's expression softened slightly. "I will."
"I mean it, Ha-Joon. Don't let anything happen to them."
"I won't."
Ji-Ah nodded. "And when the time comes, they're going to be there."
Ha-Joon leaned against the table. "What exactly is going to happen at my wedding?"
A tiny smile appeared on Ji-Ah's face. "You wait and see."
Seo-Yeon narrowed her eyes. "Ji-Ah."
Ji-Ah looked at her.
"Nothing grand." She paused. "Nothing wild."
Another pause.
"Just Min-Ji getting exposed."
Seo-Yeon stared at her. "That doesn't sound like something that will be 'nothing wild.'"
Ji-Ah couldn't help the small smile.
Ha-Joon remained quiet, watching her.
Seo-Yeon finally sank back into her chair. "I genuinely cannot believe this."
Ji-Ah nodded. "I couldn't process it either."
She looked down at the documents.
"When I first found out, I thought I had misunderstood everything."
Her fingers brushed against the photograph.
"But Ji-Hoo told me himself."
Ha-Joon's eyes settled on her. "You did all of this by yourself?"
Ji-Ah looked up. "You didn't know anything."
"You didn't tell me."
"I was trying to protect you."
Ha-Joon's expression changed.
"What would have happened if you hadn't found out?"
Ji-Ah's smile faded slightly.
She looked away.
"It's nothing."
"That isn't an answer."
She didn't respond.
Seo-Yeon watched the two of them quietly.
Then she suddenly stood.
"No." Both of them looked at her. "I can't process all of this."
She rubbed her forehead. "I need water."
She picked up the glass she'd brought earlier and walked out.
The door closed behind her.
Silence returned.
Ji-Ah began gathering the evidence again, stacking each document carefully.
Then she looked at Ha-Joon. "You just need to pretend you like Min-Ji."
Ha-Joon's entire face changed. "Eww no."
Ji-Ah stopped.
She stared at him. "Why eww?"
He looked genuinely uncomfortable. "She's married."
Ji-Ah smacked his hand lightly. "I didn't mean that!"
"Then what did you mean?"
"I mean make her feel important."
She lowered her voice. "For a while."
Ha-Joon's eyebrows rose. "You want me to act affectionate?"
"Yes."
He stared at her. "Do I have to?"
"Yes."
His expression said he would rather attend another family meeting.
Ji-Ah sighed.
"You have to make her believe everything is going exactly how she wants."
She pointed toward him.
"Be nice. Listen to her. Make her believe you care about the engagement."
Ha-Joon looked deeply unimpressed.
"And then?"
"Then we'll expose her in front of Madam."
"And after that?"
"Everything goes back to normal."
Ji-Ah's voice became softer.
"I'll leave."
Ha-Joon's expression immediately changed.
"Ji-Ah."
She kept her eyes on the papers.
"Madam won't have to keep putting up with my nonsense anymore."
Ha-Joon slowly stood.
The movement startled her.
She looked up.
He was standing directly in front of her now.
"Thank you."
Ji-Ah blinked. "For what?"
"I don't know what I would've done without you."
His voice was quiet.
"What would've happened if you hadn't found out about Min-Ji's secret?"
He glanced toward the closed door.
"She was playing with all of this."
Then his eyes returned to Ji-Ah.
"And I know you would never do what she accused you of doing."
Ji-Ah smiled faintly.
"I'm glad you trust me."
"I do."
He reached down and took her hand.
His fingers closed gently around hers.
Then he lifted their joined hands slightly between them.
"I trust you completely."
His eyes stayed on hers.
"With all of my heart, Ji-Ah."
For a second, Ji-Ah didn't know what to say.
The words settled somewhere deep inside her.
After everything that had happened the previous night, after standing in that living room while everyone doubted her, after watching Min-Ji turn the entire family against her, those simple words felt almost unreal.
She looked down at their hands.
Then back at him.
A small smile slowly appeared.
"Okay, Mr. Tyrant."
She squeezed his hand. "Thank you for trusting me."
A very deliberate throat-clearing came from the doorway.
"Cough. Cough."
They both turned.
Seo-Yeon stood there with her glass of water.
Her eyes immediately dropped to their intertwined hands.
Then slowly rose to their faces.
"This," she said flatly, "is not the time to become romantic and lovey-dovey."
Ji-Ah immediately let go.
Ha-Joon calmly looked away as though absolutely nothing had happened.
Seo-Yeon walked back to the table.
"You two need to explain to me what happens next."
Ji-Ah nodded.
"I've already told Ha-Joon what to do."
Seo-Yeon turned toward him.
Ha-Joon rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I'm doing this."
"What?" Seo-Yeon asked.
Ji-Ah waved a hand. "Don't mind him."
She turned toward Seo-Yeon. "Your part is important too."
"My part?"
"You're going to work with Yoo-Na and Seo-Jun."
Seo-Yeon's expression immediately became suspicious. "Why am I involved in this?"
"Because I need you."
Ji-Ah leaned forward slightly.
"I'm going to speak with Seo-Jun. He's going to take you to Min-Ji's real parents."
Seo-Yeon's eyes widened.
"You want me to bring them to Seoul?"
"Yes."
"And then?"
Ji-Ah's smile became almost unbearably innocent. "You use your powers."
Seo-Yeon blinked. "My powers?"
"Being nice to parents."
Seo-Yeon stared at her.
Ji-Ah smiled.
"Okay?"
There was a long pause.
Seo-Yeon sighed.
"Okay."
Ji-Ah looked down at the mountain of evidence covering the table.
Then at Ha-Joon.
Then at Seo-Yeon.
For the first time since that terrible family confrontation, the fear inside her chest had begun to loosen.
There was still a long road ahead.
But now she wasn't walking it blindly.
She had the documents.
She had witnesses.
She had a plan.
And, most importantly, Ha-Joon believed her.
Ji-Ah gathered the papers into one neat stack and smiled.
"We're going to give Min-Ji a very big surprise."