"My body has become a sanctuary for the butterflies you give me."
— R.M. Broderick

Before having the privilege to see past her husband's façade, Seo Ara never once thought that the arrogant and notorious womanizer Byun Baekhyun could ever accomplish anything that would genuinely impress her—but only three months into their marriage, her deeply held conviction was already proven wrong.

Like the highly skilled executive that he was, the man's ability to tackle complicated tasks singlehandedly, successfully, and quickly, was truly remarkable.

"So how did you do it?" Ara asked as she watched the last of Attorney Shin disappear into his black Mercedes.

Peeling his eyes away from the same scene, Baekhyun glanced down at her and smirked. "With my irresistible and once-perfect charms, of course," he answered jokingly.

"Once perfect?" his wife repeated, meeting his gaze with an eyebrow arched in question.

Baekhyun broke from her dark lenses, tucked both hands his pants' pockets, and released a hefty, playful sigh. "Uh huh. Before a certain someone barged into my life, my ability to enchant had never once failed me," he explained as he looked back at her, "but now, and without so much a struggle, that individual remains so damn resistant to my undeniable charms."

"Hmm," Ara hummed as she spun on her favorite Louboutins and continued the journey back to her department. "Well, if things continue to go as they are…" she continued over her shoulder, her rosy lips summoning a teasing smirk in the process, "maybe I'll stop being an exception."

Almost instantly, the young husband felt his stomach swell with what others referred to as "butterflies"—the pleasant sensation that was still quite foreign to him, but one that promptly caused a toothy grin to appear on his handsome face.

With a fluttering heart and a quick turn of the heel, Baekhyun caught up to his wife with just a few long strides. There was too much excitement swirling inside him for him to allow their conversation to end that quickly. 

Letting her lips curve into a light smile, Ara kept her dark brown eyes ahead. "So where is it?" she asked after sensing his presence beside her.

"That…" Baekhyun began hesitantly with a slight tilt of the head. "…That was something I thought you'd have the answer to," he replied honestly, slowing their matching pace to a stop.

Ara turned to her apologetic yet still cheerful husband once more, confusion the main expression featured on her beautiful face—one that questioned if her little "pat on the back, good job" was awarded a little too early.

"I've squeezed every last bit of information I can from the guy, but he could only tell me who's currently in possession of the will and not their whereabouts," Baekhyun explained.

Ara broke from his gaze and released a faint sigh of disappointment, not at Baekhyun, but at their new situation. She had thought Shin Myungsoo would be the last of her mother's crooks to tie up all loose ends, but now, a new man hunt was in the works.

Who could that witch have given the document to? She wondered as she began to go over all the possible allies still residing in Camp Da Ye. But not too long into the process, her husband's next words halted her mental search completely.

"He said your mother left the original with the person she trusted most," Baekhyun continued, making Ara's expression soften. There was a second-long look of surprise followed by another glimpse of pain her in eyes—one that told him whoever the individual was, was someone personally connected to his wife of many layers.

"Of course," he heard Ara whisper before she faced him once again with a faint smile meant to hide the lingering tightness in her chest.

"Yangyang-gun," she stated with confidence soon after, "that's where the will is."

|| Byun/Seo Residence ||

"Coming!" Ara yelled over her shoulder after hearing the doorbell that rang half an hour earlier than expected.   

A little panicked, she quickly lowered the heat of her gamjatang, ironed out her apron, then tucked away the loose strands of hair that escaped from her bun before proceeding to the living room to welcome their lone guest for tonight.

Yet to her surprise, the face that showed up on the security screen wasn't Sehun's aloof expression, but rather, her husband buried under six bags full of groceries—two in each hand and the remaining cradled in his arms.

"O—!" she exclaimed before rushing to the door to relieve the man of some of the weight he was carrying.

However, the moment she pushed open the metal-plated barrier, their gaze became trapped in each other's, freezing their bodies and tinting their cheeks a light shade of pink. Somehow, both had come to a sudden realization of a common scene materializing before their eyes—a scene that would've been normal for most, but one that was unfamiliar and surprisingly awkward for the two them.

With Ara draped in her ruffled striped apron and Baekhyun in his dark navy suit, the scene they subconsciously acted out was that of a wife taking a quick break from her dinner preparations to greet her hard-working husband after a long day at the office.

Silence ensued for a good thirty seconds as both wondered why such thoughts even entered their minds, and why a cloud of nervousness suddenly engulfed them. Though they weren't physically intimate even after more than three months of marriage, they had gotten used to each other's presence—comfortable, even—therefore, it made no sense as to why this insignificant interaction made them feel shy. It made no sense why it made them feel…

Different.

"Uh, honey…I'm home…?" Baekhyun joked hesitantly, but with a playful smile, one that ended their unplanned staring contest. 

Coming back to her senses, Ara released a soft chuckle. She never would've thought greeting her husband at the door would incite such an unexpected reaction, and it genuinely shocked her. How strange…she thought as she reached for the bags her other half was cradling.

Leading the way to their kitchen counter, the young wife snuck a glance inside the paper bags in her arms. "What did you buy and why are there so much?" she asked, actually curious of the goodies he brought.  

"Um…" Baekhyun began as he unloaded his purchases one item after another. As his contribution to tonight's group meeting with Sehun, he had asked Secretary Kim to do some snack shopping earlier this morning—but suddenly getting the urge to do it himself come afternoon, he retracted his instructions and set out on his own, driving down to Farmer's Bounty, a high-end supermarket in the heart of Gangnam known for their imported products, high quality produce, and luxury goods. To his surprise, grocery shopping was more fun than he initially thought.

"Just this and that," he answered, continuing to dig inside the first of six bags. He honestly couldn't remember much of what he spent over 1.5 million won on—all he knew was that he had filled his cart with anything and everything Ara could've possibly wanted from each shelf.

"Oh I love these!" Ara announced as pulled out the recognizable four-drawer box of Pierre Marcolini chocolates.

Seeing the joy and excitement on his wife's face, a growing smile tugged on both corners of Baekhyun's lips. "I thought you would," he replied before setting his eyes back on the task.

With her signature teasing smirk, Ara leaned in on the marble counter and rested her chin on the palms of her hands, her dark eyes commanding his to meet them. "But how did you know?' she continued, the upward curve of her plump lips never fading. 

This woman may just be the death of me…Baekhyun thought as the kaleidoscope of butterflies once again roamed free in his stomach. Copying her initial movements, he closed the distance between their faces and met her magnetic gaze, holding it in his. It was a lucky guess, of course, but he would gladly take the credit. "Somehow I just did," he answered, matching his wife's charms.

Feeling a portion of the same winged insects fluttering in her midsection, Ara's teasing smirk slowly morphed into a gentle smile. She never thought a day would come when she and this man staring back at her would become so close. And with every passing hour, minute, second…her best friend's claim was proving to be more and more true—that Byun Baekhyun was far greater than what meets the eye.

"Mmm," Baekhyun interrupted as he broke from her compelling lenses and sniffed the air. "What is that?" he inquired, trying to hunt down the fragrant and savory scent that entered his nose.

"Ah!" Ara exclaimed, just now remembering her spicy pork bone stew she left simmering on the stove.

With Baekhyun trailing after her, the two of them headed for the kitchen.

"Would you like to try it?" Ara asked as she turned off the fire and looked up at the same time her curious husband peered over her shoulder, causing their eyes to meet once more. This time, both were certain that the pink tint suddenly painted on their cheeks was more visible than the one from earlier. And though it wasn't as awkward, they felt their chest pound harder and louder than usual.

Clearing his throat, Baekhyun shifted his gaze elsewhere. Now that he was no longer relying on his proven game plays, calculating every move, and predicting outcomes, he was starting to develop a love-hate relationship with the man he was becoming. The moment he declared his fidelity and vowed to help her with her agenda, he had subconsciously allowed every moment with his wife to dictate his expressions, his reactions, and overall, emotions.

Before Seo Ara stormed into his life, cliché scenes and staring contests had no chance of making his heart flutter, even slightly—especially not to the point that he