A team of three lawyers arrived at the police station. The families were strictly prohibited from speaking to either Hauen or Hyunwoo, as they were currently taken for interrogation.
Hauen was crying nonstop… and Suho was falling apart. Every minute without seeing her felt like a knife twisting deeper. His thoughts were a tangled, aching mess.
"Mr. Kim," a calm, familiar voice called out.
It was Mr. Han, the senior attorney, who handled all the Kim family's legal matters. "Han…" Haraboji and Suho stood up immediately, desperation written across their faces.
"Han uncle… please," Suho spoke, his voice trembling. "Hauen… my Hauen is being falsely accused. They took her into custody. Please get her out. She's innocent."
He sounded like a child begging for help, his heart showing through every word. Haraboji glanced at his grandson and felt his chest tighten. Suho, usually strong and controlled, but now looked shattered… vulnerable as if one wrong breath would make him break completely.
"Don't worry, Suho. We're here. Nothing will happen to your wife," Mr. Han said gently. "I'll speak to the officer right now."
The lawyers headed into Officer Park's cabin. Suho sank back into his seat, his body giving up before his heart did.
Mrs. Kim watched her son silently. Daehyun wasn't there. Yuna was trying to comfort Mrs. Kang, who couldn't stop crying, while Mr. Kim was consoling Mr. Kang.
Haraboji placed a gentle hand on Suho's back.
"Suho, my son… don't worry. Nothing will happen to her," he said softly. "Han is talking to the police. She will be free. Just hold yourself together."
Suho broke. He leaned into his grandfather and cried, his voice shaking. "Hauen is innocent. I know her, Haraboji… she would never do this. She's everything to me. She gave me a new life, happiness, love, hope..., why would she hurt me?"
"I know, my son. I know what you feel," Haraboji murmured, holding him firmly. "Stay strong. She will be proven innocent soon."
Thirty painful minutes passed.
Then Mr. Han finally stepped out of Officer Park's cabin. His tie was loosened, and his face looked defeated. The moment Suho saw him, he rushed forward.
"Han uncle… what happened? Can I take her home?" he asked, desperation spilling through every word.
Mr. Han looked at him quietly, then shifted his gaze to Haraboji.
"Suho…" he said, voice heavy. "Mr. Kim… I need to speak with you all."
That tone. That hesitation. Haraboji's heart dropped. In all the years he had known Mr. Han, he had never once heard him speak like that. No matter how difficult a case was, he had always sounded confident.
But today… His voice carried something Haraboji feared more than anything. A warning. Something he never wanted to hear.
"What happened, Han?" Haraboji asked, his voice low but firm. Everyone gathered around them, waiting, bracing.
Mr. Han spoke carefully, almost painfully slow. "The evidence is strong, Mr. Kim. The man who attacked Suho… he confessed that he did everything under Hauen's instructions. The police have call history, some call recordings, though the voice is modified, chat logs, and most importantly… Hyunwoo. He has confessed to everything he and Hauen planned."
"What…?" Mr. Kim gasped, stunned. Even Haraboji froze. "Why would they do that?"
Mr. Han glanced at Suho, then back at Haraboji and Mr. Kim. "There are things you may not know, Mr. Kim. But I believe Suho is aware of it."
Suho blinked, confused, shaken. "What are you talking about, Han uncle?"
Mr. Han took a deep breath, as if preparing himself. "Hyunwoo confessed that your marriage with Hauen started as a contract marriage."
The words dropped like a bomb. Everyone stood in stunned silence, the shock spreading through the entire room.
He continued slowly, each sentence sinking like poison.
"This was a deal between Hauen and Suho," Mr. Han continued quietly. "Suho agreed to give 5 billion won to the Kang family business. In return, Hauen would marry him for a contract period of twelve to eighteen months… and give him a child. After the child was born, they were supposed to separate."
Mr and Mrs Kang collapsed onto the nearest bench. Haraboji felt his heartbeat thud painfully in his ears, his knees weak.
Mr. Han continued further, his tone heavy.
"Even after marrying Hauen, Suho was still seeing his former girlfriend, Seo Yerin. But somewhere during the marriage… Hauen fell for Suho. She grew jealous of Yerin and terrified that once the baby was born, she would be pushed out of Suho's life. She believed Suho would be with Yerin again and build a family with her."
The room fell completely silent.
"That fear is what made her plan the accident," Mr. Han said quietly. "She wanted to separate Suho and Yerin permanently. And… somehow, her plan worked. Yerin left. Suho was hurt. And Hauen used that time to stay by his side, caring for him, hoping he would fall for her in return."
He let out a long breath.
"But Suho never felt that way for her. He was recovering from his injuries, and the contract period was coming to an end. Hauen panicked. She thought once he was healthy again, he would leave her and go back to Yerin."
Everyone listened in stunned disbelief.
"So she tried again," Mr. Han said. "Another attack. This time, she took the injury herself to gain his sympathy, his trust. She even attempted to paralyze him temporarily again, thinking she could extend the time she had with him by becoming his 'caretaker'. She believed that if she suffered for him, he would finally love her."
"At that point," Mr. Han continued, "she knew Suho wouldn't abandon her as long as he was weak and dependent on her. To the world, she was his wife… and she used that. But she didn't just want his responsibility. She wanted his heart. Entirely."
Everyone froze, listening.
"She wanted him to confess first. To love her the way he loved Yerin. And to push those feelings awake, she deliberately saved him from drinking the poisoned water. She wanted to earn his trust, make him believe she was his protector… his everything."
Mr. Han exhaled slowly. "The day the contract ended, she wasn't ready to let him go. But she sensed that Suho had started to feel something for her. So she left him on purpose, expecting he would chase her. And he acted… exactly as she predicted."
His voice dropped. "And if he hadn't gone after her that day… she already had another plan prepared. Another way to hurt him, another way to gain trust from him… another way to bind him to her."
Mr. Han ended with the last part of Hyunwoo's confession.
"Hyunwoo said that Hauen once told him she would never give up until Suho belonged only to her. She said she would keep hurting him… and then take care of him… just to stay close to Suho. Hyunwoo said she was obsessed with Suho. She wanted to control him, make him depend on her completely. And for a while… she succeeded."
Everyone held their breath as Mr. Han continued.
"But when she finally got Suho's attention, when she became part of the Kim family, she betrayed Hyunwoo. She refused to return the favor. At the anniversary party, she created another emotional scene to make him look like the villain in front of Suho. Hyunwoo said he felt used. He said he helped her in every way to secure her place in the Kim family, but she abandoned him once she got what she wanted."
Mr. Han opened the file and placed Hyunwoo's written confession on the table. Every line was there. Cold. Clear. Cruel.
The entire room froze. No one blinked. No one breathed. Every word slashed the family in silence.
Suho stood there… still… empty… as if every vein inside him had turned to ice. His lips trembled.His vision blurred. His heart shattered.
Hauen. His Hauen. His warmth. His peace. His light. The woman he dared to love. The woman he believed was his destiny. The woman he trusted. The woman he believed was his reason to live… Was this really the same person? Did all this?
His chest tightened. His ears rang. The room blurred as if someone had pulled reality away from him. His world tilted. Then everything went silent. Suho's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor.
"Suho!" Gasps filled the room as the family rushed to him, terrified.