Living with the enemy

Liliana Valehart had faced assassins, double agents, and a sniper who once tried to take her out with a bullet carved with her initials.

None of that compared to the dread pooling in her stomach as she stood outside Ryang‑ha Song’s apartment—their apartment now, apparently.

The door swung open before she could knock.

Ryang‑ha leaned against the frame, hair slightly tousled, wearing a black T‑shirt that did nothing to hide the fact that he was annoyingly fit.

“Welcome home, wife.”

Liliana pushed past him. “Don’t start.”

“Too late.”

The apartment was… unsettlingly perfect.

Warm lighting. Neutral colors. A faint scent of cedar and something darker—him.

And everywhere she looked, there were signs of a life she didn’t live:

- Framed photos of them smiling together

- A wedding album on the coffee table

- A closet already filled with her clothes

- A king‑sized bed with two pillows dented as if they’d slept there for years

She swallowed hard. “Lucy really went all out.”

Ryang‑ha shrugged. “She likes realism.”

Liliana walked deeper into the apartment, trying to ignore the way her pulse quickened. “We need to review the mission details. No distractions.”

“Funny,” he said, following her, “because you look pretty distracted.”

She spun around. “I’m not.”

He stepped closer. “You are.”

For a moment, neither of them moved.

The air between them felt charged, like static before a storm.

Ryang‑ha finally broke the tension. “Relax. I’m not going to bite.”

“Good,” she muttered. “I’d bite back.”

He smirked. “I’m counting on it.”

---

🕵️‍♂️ The First Test

They sat at the dining table, reviewing the Marquez Syndicate’s guest list.

Couples. Politicians. CEOs. Criminals disguised as philanthropists.

Ryang‑ha tapped a name. “This one—Elena Marquez. She’s the key. She doesn’t trust men. She’ll talk to you.”

Liliana nodded. “And her husband?”

“Suspicious of everything. He’ll be watching us.”

“Then we need to be convincing.”

Ryang‑ha leaned back. “We will be.”

Liliana hated how confident he sounded.

Hated how part of her believed him.

---

💍 Practicing the Act

Lucy had left them a list titled “Newlywed Behaviors to Practice.”

Liliana read it aloud:

- Hold hands naturally

- Use pet names

- Maintain eye contact

- Show casual affection

- Share personal stories

- Sleep in the same bed

She froze at the last one.

Ryang‑ha raised a brow. “Problem?”

“We’re not—”

“It’s just sleeping.”

“It’s unnecessary.”

“It’s on the list.”

Liliana glared. “I’ll take the couch.”

“No,” he said simply. “Married couples don’t sleep apart.”

She hated that he was right.

---

🔥 The Almost-Moment

Later that night, they stood in the bedroom, both pretending not to feel awkward.

Liliana changed behind the bathroom door, emerging in a simple tank top and shorts.

Ryang‑ha looked up from the bed, eyes widening for a fraction of a second before he masked it.

“You can take the left side,” he said.

She climbed in stiffly, keeping as much distance as possible.

The lights went off.

Silence.

Then—

“You breathe differently when you’re nervous,” he murmured.

“I’m not nervous.”

“You are.”

She turned toward him, barely able to see his outline in the dark. “Why do you always do that?”

“Do what?”

“Act like you know me.”

He shifted closer, his voice low. “Because I do.”

Her breath caught.

For a moment, she thought he might kiss her.

For a moment, she thought she might let him.

But then he rolled onto his back. “Get some sleep. Tomorrow we start training.”

Liliana stared at the ceiling long after he drifted off.

She wasn’t afraid of the mission.

She was afraid of how easily he could get under her skin.

---

🗝️ The Secret

At dawn, Liliana woke to find Ryang‑ha already up, cooking breakfast like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Eat,” he said. “We have a long day.”

She sat, watching him move around the kitchen with practiced ease.

“You’re too calm about this,” she said.

He didn’t look at her. “I’ve done undercover marriages before.”

Liliana froze. “Before?”

He finally met her eyes. “Yes.”

Something sharp twisted in her chest.

Jealousy?

Annoyance?

She didn’t know, and she hated that she didn’t know.

“Did you… care about her?” she asked before she could stop herself.

Ryang‑ha paused, expression unreadable.

“No,” he said quietly. “But this time… feels different.”

Liliana’s heart skipped.

Before she could respond, he slid a file toward her.

“Eat. Then we train.”

But she couldn’t shake the feeling that he’d just revealed something important—

Something dangerous.

Something that made this fake marriage feel a little too real.

---

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***