PROLOGUE

Every event has a reason.

Outside the window, unexpected snow was falling. Snow, which was not even in the weather forecast, made the staff at 'Boncha Cafe' excited.

"I guess it's a white holiday this year. Boss, how about we go out for a glass of wine today?"

Eunju, who had finished clearing the last table, asked her if she wants to come with them without any hesitation.

Silent Mode.

Ring...

Ring...

Dinner, a glass of wine. A romantic atmosphere immediately came to mind, but it wasn't a very pleasant memory for Jumi. Her cell phone rang earlier. She thought it was her friend Hye-seon, but the unexpected caller got on her nerves. The candle that melted the cold, the soft and fragrant wine that moistened her throat, and the uncomfortable images were slashing her mind like a whip, told her that this is not a dream. She put her cell phone in her bag and sealed it as if she was going to get it out of her sight.

"Let's have fun today, just the two of us, without the boss. It wouldn't be fun now if she joined. She looks quite busy."

"Aww... no way."

Eunju's face immediately shows that she is really disappointed.

A bright light appeared. The end of work was just around the corner.

"Bye Boss."

"Then let's go out now."

"We'll be excusing ourselves, Boss."

"See you tomorrow."

"Oh yeah. Goodbye Eunju, Inho."

On Friday evening, she and her two employees started cleaning up a little earlier than usual ahead of the weekend. Still, the evening when darkness had already begun to fall showed that winter had not gone yet. She thought of a man with a cold and sharp expression who suited this chill-filled darkness, but then she shook the thought away and forcefully pulled up the last venetian blinds.

A man who puts pressure on people just by staring at them. The more she thinks about him, the more difficult it is for her to forget.

The fragrant smell of coffee felt a little uncomfortable somehow so Jumi reopened the window she had closed. Her head felt feverish and her cheeks felt hot. In fact, this physical condition has been going on for a few days now. She turned off the music that was playing softly in the background. When the voice that had been bothering her sensitive ears the whole time stopped, a surprisingly peaceful calm came over her. If it weren't for the sound of her cell phone vibrating behind her again, she would have been mesmerized. It's been like that lately. Even if empty silence comes only for a moment, she got lost in her thoughts and her focus was nonexistent. Afterwards, she managed to regain her reverie and she brushed away her flowing hair from her face.

No matter how she feels, the cars outside the window roll and the world spins without any cracks whatsoever. It was a very simple and obvious reason, but in the midst of it all, Jumi felt as if she was being swept away by distress, her body was trembling and her mind was complicated. It couldn't have been uglier. Finally, as soon as it stopped ringing, she took out her cell phone from her bag.

Should I pick up the phone? What does he want now? But if I do answer the phone...

Jumi bit her thumbnail while staring at her phone. The conflict continued even after reading the name of the caller. Even if she had ignored the call, he will call her back. Jumi held the phone tightly and blocked the number. She felt a leash was tightening around her neck.

I need to stop thinking about him and hurry up so I can go home and rest for the day. I'm still not feeling well due to my current condition.

As she turned around to finish cleaning up, a black sedan stopped in front of her Café, right in the middle of it. The car that stops roughly resembles its owner.

"We have arrived, Director."

Unbeknownst to her, a group of men started crowding the front door of her small restaurant.

The dangerously attractive man's large hand coming out of the slightly open rear seat window and the shadow created by the discarded cigarette were sharp. A large, muscular man in a black suit riding in the passenger seat gets out from quickly opens the backseat door. Next, dark coloured shoes coming out of the car, long legs wearing a black slacks, a dark coat over a white polo draped with a black suit, and an expensive watch on the left wrist that is slightly visible.

Jumi heard the front door opening.

"Sorry but we are already close for the day...", she stopped talking and gasped in surprise.

It was only when Jumi saw the man's handsome face that came inside the door that she finally took a step back. She hesitated without realizing it, and as she was taken aback by his strong presence as always. The dark eyebrows of the man coming in through the door became slightly furrowed. Those leather shoes came right in front of Jumi view and stopped. She was so nervous, she kept her head bowed. There was no hesitation or concern in his steps. He was originally that kind of man. In the group of companies he works for called Woosung, everything rolls with a single hand gesture and command from this man. A man who is accustomed to people kneeling and subjugating themselves in front of him, no, it is natural for him to do so. She knew very well that she was nothing more than a handful of sand in this man's world.

As he stood closer, the smell of the man's strong perfume and manly scent filling the store became even stronger. She gulped, drooling from tension.

"Why are you here?"

"Why?", he scoffed. "How long do you have to stay quiet?"

It was clear that he wasn't in a very good mood. He had a small smile on his lips, but the problem was that that smile was closer to mockery.

For some reason, he seemed angry, making an inconceivable facial expression. It just seems clear that it doesn't feel very good.

What is he doing here now? Did he find out already? Oh my God!

The corners of his eyes narrowed and his forehead wrinkled, but even that small change felt like a lot. He was a man who contained a lot in just one facial expression and a glance. Jumi glanced behind him. Men in suits guarding this man were standing in front of the store door.

"You seem to have only one eye on you. You keep forgetting things and overlooking important matters while I was away."

Even though she only looked somewhere else for a moment, his sharp voice stabbed her.

"Oh, if it's because of the dinner party, I'll tell my father. I'll make sure to let him know about what happened. You don't have to worry about it."

She even blinked and tried so hard to avoid this current situation. His scrutinising beautiful eyes makes her agitated. Meanwhile, the unpleasant smell of coffee is increasing and her feverish head is spinning. She stood with wobbly strength in her hand holding one arm.

"Tsk! What about the child there?"

She was scared to see where his eyes were pointing. It felt as if he was going to kill the baby, who was still only a pea-sized, in her stomach with those sharp hazel colored gaze. Her hands were shaking. She no longer lost her sense of calm. She couldn't hide herself now. In the end, she had to cover her mouth due to the morning sickness that was constantly wracking her stomach. An unbalanced hand grabbed the sleeve of his coat. But she immediately let go and raised her head to look at him. He was still standing there, looking down at her coldly.

"How did you know? H-how..."

To her embarrassment, her speech became slurred and her voice cracked.

"I want to know if you've been hanging out with someone else while I was gone."

"What on earth are you saying...?"

"I'm asking you if it's my kid in here."

This time his hand gently came down to her flat stomach. A large, warm hand grabbed her slender waist and pulled her tightly. It would have been correct to say that she was dragged towards him. Just like that night, as their naked warm, bodies were pressed together without any gaps. She grabbed his arm with a startled hand. His body temperature was as hot as it was that unforgettable night.

"I guess you have no intention of answering, do you?"

Jumi's pride was hurt to answer casually. She bit her lower lip tightly.

Anyway, when she looked up with eyes full of tears, she knew he wasn't the person who would take care of the situation. If he had been a person who was helpful and considerate of other people's circumstances, he would not have gotten to the position he was in in the first place. The more miserable she became, the more she painfully felt that no words could hurt the man who ruled over those who survived in a world of survival of the fittest.

She pushed him away with all her strength and walked away. At best, she only took two steps away from him.

As Jumi caught her breath, she noticed Inho standing outside the window of the Café. She wondered what did he left behind. He was standing with a perplexed look on his face, blocked by the large men standing in front of him.

Tha man turned his head to where her gaze was directed. His sharp, fierce-looking eyes turned to Inho. There seemed to be no mercy in this ever harsh snowy weather. He was that kind of person.

"I guess you're not going to start making any excuses because this child is my bastard."

"Director...."

"Why are you nervous? Isn't that what you expected?"

"I-I am..."

She didn't even have the strength to fight back against his bitter sarcasm. However, in order not to be discouraged, she gathered all the strength in those cynical eyes and answered back.

"It's not the director's child. No, actually, I don't even know whose child it is. After you, I had sex with at least one or two men."

"Are you kidding me right now?"

"What, do you think I only slept with you?"

"If you're lying now,  I will get angry even if it's you."

"This child..."

"So you want me to think that you were spreading your legs around and shaking that sexy ass of yours with other men? Huh! I don't want to listen to this nonsense."

"That night with you was a mistake... After all, this doesn't concern you. It doesn't matter to you whose child this is. So, whether I raise this baby or not, I'll take care of it. If I want to get rid of it, it's none of your business. So... all you gentlemen, especially you Director, please leave."

He kept quiet for a moment then he spoke menacingly.

"Stop saying utter nonsense and follow me. Pack your bags and come out. I'll wait for you outside."

His command made Jumi feel like she wants to burst into tears.

"Do you really think I wouldn't sell a woman who is pregnant with a child? So you better come out."

He turned around and left the store.

Inho had already disappeared.

The man who commanded her stood leaning his upper body in front of his parked car, surrounded by his men. He lights a cigarette and looks in her direction.

"Ugh...."

The smell of cigarette makes her sick.

Even while she was packing her bag, she got morning sickness. Jumi hesitated and struggled to keep her balance on her feet. The man crushed a freshly lit cigarette with his shoe and entered the store again with a faint sigh. The faint smell of cigarettes touched her sense of smell, but her condition was so bad that she had no time left to pay attention.

"Here take it."

He was handing her his handkerchief.

"No, I will be fine."

"I insist." He tossed the cigarette away.

She refused to accept the handkerchief he offered to her, but she had no choice but to take it and cover her mouth with it. Even the handkerchief that was tied over her mouth smelled of him. The musky smell of his skin and perfume seeped through her sensitive senses. In the end, she burst into tears.

It was sad. She didn't want to do this, but her mind and body were as broken as her weakened body. Her heart, barely able to stand, became weak and disheveled like a water-stained sand castle. She wanted to hide behind excuses like it was the effects of pregnancy or hormonal changes, but she didn't know that facing the facts was the only way for her to solve the problem now.

No matter what, this man was convinced that the life inside her stomach was his child. He was not a man who would offer a handkerchief to a woman who was pregnant with another man's child. He was not a man who would return kindly, nor was he a man who would take the time to meet face to face like this. No, even if he did raise his own child, he wasn't a man who would give the baby even a single glance. She also knew that he wasn't good at patting anyone on the back. She can't understand how his mind works, what are his thoughts and actions. She cannot even predict what the next words will come out from those thin, sexy lips.

She shook her head because she didn't want to show any more indecent behavior. Still, there was no way to stop the overwhelming sadness she was feeling.

Jumi fumbled with her bag and hurried out of the store. She quickly passed by him and came out, not rebelling, but instead leisurely leaving the store, one of his men opened the car back door and gestured to his subordinate to let her get in.

Jumi went inside his car that opens wide like a monster's mouth. She slowly got into the back seat. And then he buried himself in the seat next to her. The car started at his command. Jumi hugged her stomach using the bag she was holding tightly as an excuse. She never even thought about getting rid of it in the first place. She felt sorry for pouring out words like that, so she hugged her stomach and patted the life hiding in her that didn't even know how to breathe on its own yet, and her eyes met with him.

Him, the young, attractive Director Jeong Yun-kyo, was leaning on the car window and looking at her. A handsome, dangerous man who makes her feel suffocated by his oppressive pressure just by standing still. The strong scent of a man that she has now become accustomed to shrouded her. Everything about this man was overwhelming.

Jumi held out the handkerchief she had been holding to him, but he did not take it. Sitting still and trying to compose herself, holding the handkerchief against her lap, she tried starting a conversation.

"Do not worry. I won't let you take responsibility even after I give birth." She turned her head away from him. Avoiding his eyes.

"Really now? I didn't think you would."

An air of silence clouded them.

Jumi didn't respond.

"It's not like I said we will be getting married."

"I never expected that to happen."

She kept her mouth shut, hoping he wouldn't say anything more.

"Choi Jumi..."

She thought it had been a long time since she threw her pride in the trash can. She tried not to dwell on the little things, damn it. Her body wants to continue to vomit out her sorrow. Jumi took a deep breath to hold back her tears.

"You're not answering?"

In the end, she looked at him with a feeling of protest. With tears of hatred filling her eyes.

"I am not going to marry you."

He laughed as if it were a child's joke. He let out a small sigh as he wiped away her tears with a delicate hand that felt like it could break in his grasp.

"Stop the car."

The car that seemed like it wouldn't stop stops on the shoulder at his command. His eyes were still focused on her.

"Go and get her something to eat."

"I'm fine, don't worry."

"Are you going to endure this even before the baby is born?"

"Yes, Director Jeong. I told you I'm okay."

The words "I'm okay" scattered into the silence without meaning. Either way, the man who got out of the car at his director's command disappeared before her eyes.

As was his habit, he noticed Jumi staring at him as he placed a cigarette between his teeth.

He took out a cigarette. Even at that moment, she felt sick and tears welled up in her eyes. The hand that had put away the cigarette ran through his hair a little nervously. The hand that had thoroughly caressed her whole body, not leaving an inch of her skin untouched. A hand that is still a bit rough when it pats her back. She felt like a fool for relying on that insensitive pat before.

She raised her hand and bit down on her thumbnail again. He doesn't frown at all, but looks at her as if asking what she's doing and gives an absurd smile. Even if she did, she wouldn't be able to hit him. Not that she knew what his weakness is.

Jumi wrapped her slender hands around her stomach again, which would soon be as big as balloon. The price for that one-night stand was too harsh for them both.

Wouldn't this have happened if we hadn't met? No, we would have met again, as if it were a terrible, unavoidable relationship. Without his will or her own will.

It must have been about a month and a little more than 15 days. She guess it was a little more than that. She decided to consider her relationship with him based on the child in her stomach. The child has already become the standard for everything between them.

Meeting him was somewhere between coincidence and inevitability. Maybe it was irrevocably unavoidable. So, if she look back to that day, it was the beginning of winter. It was cold, and perhaps because of that, it was one of those days when she wasn't in her right mind and that they both got unlucky.

Coincidence and fate will always tie them back together. No matter how much they try to avoid it.