The tears eventually subsided, but the raw emotions remained. Hae-in's head was still on Hyun-woo's chest, her breathing now a soft, hiccuping rhythm. He held her close, his arms a strong, comforting presence. The chasm of two years had been bridged, but the silence that followed the storm felt both fragile and new.
To ease the moment, to distract her from the lingering grief and vulnerability, Hyun-woo gently lifted her chin. His eyes, though still tear-filled, held a familiar glint of mischief. "Now that we've had our tearful reunion," he whispered, his voice soft, "I have some questions for you, my dear wife. And I want honest answers."
Hae-in's lip curled into a slight pout. "Questions? Now?"
"Now," he insisted, a playful smile on his face. "So... from the beginning. When you first saw the picture of me and heard about my so-called 'unprofessional' behavior, what was the first thing that went through your mind?"
Hae-in pulled away slightly, her face still red from crying, but a small, embarrassed grin forming. "I... I thought it was a trick. A new way for you to get on my nerves. I was annoyed. My work was being disturbed."
"Annoyed?" he teased, his smile widening. "You looked furious. And you air-quoted the comments about me being charming. You didn't like that one bit."
"I did not," she grumbled, a familiar indignation returning. "You're my husband. I don't need other people looking at you like that. The nerve of them."
"Aha," Hyun-woo said, his voice a triumphant whisper. "Possessiveness. I knew it. And my teasing messages from Yongdu-ri? What about those?"
Hae-in's cheeks flushed. "The first one, about the spy, was infuriating. The way you knew… I felt completely outmaneuvered. But the one about the shower… that was just cruel, Baek Hyun-woo. Do you know what you did to my poor, innocent heart?"
"Your poor, innocent heart was a fortress," he countered, a low chuckle rumbling in his chest. "I had to find a way in. And what about my little surprise in the hallway? The ear bite?"
She flinched at the memory, a small shiver running through her body. "That was… it was ridiculous. And completely uncalled for. I was so angry, I wanted to hit you."
"But you didn't," he said, his voice laced with a gentle triumph. "You just stood there, all flustered and blushing. The way you looked, like a deer in headlights... it was worth every bit of my mother's scolding."
Hae-in rolled her eyes, but a small smile was now firmly in place. "The pillow fort. The way you called me out on that. That was so smug of you. I had a good reason for that, you know. I wasn't going to let myself fall for your tricks."
"Tricks?" he said, his smile now a full-blown grin. "My dear wife, that pillow fort was a sign of your defeat. You were so afraid of your own feelings, you had to build a wall against them." He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "But even in your sleep, you couldn't stay away from me. You were all curled up on my chest, with your leg on top of me. Your pillow fort was a complete failure."
Hae-in felt a fresh wave of embarrassment. "It was... an accident. A subconscious mistake. Nothing more."
"An accident that you secretly loved," he countered, his grin widening. "I felt you relax in my arms. You snuggled closer. You missed me."
Hae-in tried to protest, but the words died in her throat. He was right. She had missed him more than she had ever admitted.
"And then," Hyun-woo continued, his voice softening, "when I woke up, and you were pretending to be asleep. I told you how beautiful you were. And then I kissed your forehead and told you I loved you and that I wanted to cuddle you all day long, but I didn't know if you would like it or not. I saw you flinch. You were awake, weren't you?"
Hae-in's cheeks burned with a blush. "I was," she admitted in a tiny voice. "And you're an idiot, Baek Hyun-woo. Of course, I would have liked it. I wanted to tell you to stop being an idiot and just hold me. I almost squealed when you kissed my forehead."
Hyun-woo's face lit up with a profound joy. "You did? You really did?" he asked, his voice full of an almost childlike wonder.
"I did," she whispered, her heart aching with a mixture of love and remorse for all the time they had lost.
"And what about my little game?" he asked, a playful glint in his eyes. "My little show in the office, my shirt, the rumors. What did you think about that?"
Hae-in's eyes narrowed playfully. "I wanted to kill you," she said, her voice a low growl. "You were broadcasting your charm for the whole company to see. The nerve of you. I had to put a stop to it. I had to show them you were mine."
"And you did," he said, a slow, sensual smile spreading across his face. "You walked into my office, sent those women running, and you claimed me. I thought you were going to scold me, but then you grabbed my collar and pulled me in... and you kissed me." His voice dropped to a low, intimate murmur. "That was the best kiss of my life, Hong Hae-in. The best. I was so surprised, so happy, I couldn't think. All I could think about was you."
"And you kissed me back," she said, her voice now a confident, sensual purr. "And you told me you were mine. And you still are."
"Always," he confirmed, his voice a vow. "I am always yours. And you are always mine."
They looked at each other, the space between them filled with a new kind of understanding. The two years of pain and silence had finally been shattered, replaced by an honesty that was both terrifying and exhilarating. The game, the flirting, the teasing—it had all been a way to find their way back to each other. They had faced their past, their pain, and their unspoken grief. They had confronted their feelings, and now, finally, they were home.