The next day, Hyun-woo walked into a small, bustling law office. The sign on the door read "Go & Sons Legal," and inside, a familiar face with an easy smile and a perpetually disheveled haircut was buried under a mountain of paperwork. Yang-gi looked up as the bell above the door chimed, and his eyes widened in surprise and genuine delight.
"Baek Hyun-woo!" he exclaimed, his voice filled with a warm familiarity. He stood up and walked over to his friend, a wide, easy grin on his face. "I can't believe it! It's been so long. I thought you had forgotten about me!" He pulled Hyun-woo into a hearty, masculine hug. "I was beginning to think I'd be dealing with your divorce for the rest of my life!"
Hyun-woo just laughed, a deep, contented sound. He sat down in a chair opposite Yang-gi's desk, the familiar chaos of his friend's office a comforting sight. "You're not going to be dealing with our divorce at all, old friend," he said, a triumphant smile on his face.
Yang-gi, a seasoned divorce attorney who had seen everything, was taken aback. He sat down, a look of profound confusion on his face. "What? But the papers... the proceedings... what happened? I thought you were just going to wait for the finalization. I thought you had given up on it."
Hyun-woo's smile softened, a thoughtful, tender expression. "No," he said, his voice a low, heartfelt murmur. "I didn't give up. I just… things changed. And I'm here to tell you everything. From the very beginning."
He began to talk, his voice a steady, calm narrative that recounted a story that was part melodrama, part comedy, and all love. He started with the moment he had asked Yang-gi to cancel the divorce proceedings, the moment he had decided he couldn't go through with it. He spoke of his unwavering determination to win Hae-in back, to show her that he was a changed man.
He spoke of his new, brazen confidence, a personality trait that had both terrified and thrilled him. He described the moment at the dinner table when he had joined forces with Beom-ja to tease Hae-in, the first time he had seen a genuine blush on her cheeks. He spoke of the night of playful revenge, the way she had pinned him against the bed, her face a mask of furious, possessive joy.
Yang-gi listened, his eyes wide with a mixture of disbelief and fascination. He had always known Hyun-woo as a quiet, thoughtful man, a brilliant lawyer who was also a little too meek for his own good. But this man... this man was a force of nature.
Hyun-woo continued, his narrative now a story of public scandals and private triumphs. He told him about the day of the public kiss, the way Hae-in had left the lipstick mark on his cheek as a brand of her ownership. He spoke of the way he had worn it all day, a badge of honor that had made him the hero of the office.
"She called me her 'sexy menace,' can you believe it?" Hyun-woo said, a proud, satisfied grin on his face.
Yang-gi just shook his head, a stunned, disbelieving smile on his lips. "Hyun-woo, you've gone mad," he said, his voice filled with a joyous awe. "I've never seen you like this."
"I am," Hyun-woo said, his voice filled with a profound conviction. "I'm madly in love with my wife. And she's madly in love with me."
He then told him about the public kidnapping, the princess carry out of the boardroom, the photos in the photo booth, the laughter, the quiet retreat to his old apartment. He told him about how their work performance had skyrocketed, how their love was now a source of power, a silent, undeniable force that had commanded the respect of the entire company.
"And then," Hyun-woo said, his voice dropping to a low, tender whisper, "I asked her to marry me again. In the middle of the hallway. In front of everyone. I got down on one knee, and I gave her a new ring. And she said yes, Yang-gi. She said yes."
Yang-gi's eyes welled up with a profound sense of relief and happiness. He had been so worried about his friend, so pained to see him go through the motions of a loveless marriage. But now... now he was seeing a man who was truly, profoundly happy.
"I'm so happy for you, my friend," he said, his voice a little choked up. "This... this is a miracle."
Hyun-woo smiled, a soft, loving expression on his face. "It is," he agreed. "It is a miracle. So... all the loose ends. Are they taken care of? The divorce... is it officially gone?"
Yang-gi nodded, a confident, professional air returning to his demeanor. "It's all taken care of. The proceedings were halted, the papers were shredded. There's no legal record of it. You're a married man, Hyun-woo. And from what you've told me... you're a very, very happy one."
Hyun-woo's face lit up with a joyous, loving smile. He was free. Their past was now officially, legally, and personally gone.
But as he was about to stand up, a thought occurred to him. He looked at Yang-gi, his smile fading, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"There is one more thing," he said, his voice a low, teasing whisper. "You know, when I told her I was coming to meet you... she had a very interesting reaction."
Yang-gi, intrigued, leaned forward. "Oh? What did she say?"
"She looked at me, with that look she has, the one that says she's about to murder someone, and she said she should 'pay you a visit and kill you' for helping me betray her." Hyun-woo laughed, a low, contented sound. "She called you a 'professional traitor.' So... you might want to watch your back. She's a little possessive."
Yang-gi's face, which had been a picture of profound relief and happiness, suddenly went pale. His jaw went slack, and his eyes, wide with a newfound, comical terror, looked at Hyun-woo in stunned disbelief. He knew Hae-in's reputation. He had seen the videos. He had read the articles. And the thought of that powerful, fierce, and utterly terrifying woman coming for him... a shiver, a cold, comedic shiver, ran down his spine.
"She's... she's not serious, right?" Yang-gi stammered, his voice filled with a palpable fear.
Hyun-woo just shrugged, a nonchalant, unconcerned gesture. "I don't know," he said, his smile never wavering. "She did call you a professional traitor. You might want to get an armed guard. Just in case."
Yang-gi just stared at him, a horrified expression on his face. He had helped his best friend find happiness, but in doing so, he had just made himself a target. The life of a divorce attorney was always full of risks, but a hit order from the CEO of Queens Group was a whole new level of danger. He had a feeling that he was going to be dealing with Hyun-woo and Hae-in for the rest of his life, but this time, it was not as a divorce attorney, but as a terrified, professional confidante.