***

Go Jinseong – the eldest son of Chairman Go and heir to the Jaewon Group. He was born to be a crown prince, but lacked the qualities of a true businessman.

Soo-min’s eyes narrowed slightly. Just sitting across from him was uncomfortable enough. More than awkwardness, they simply did not like each other.

“We see each other quite often.”

“Do you really think I came here just to see the two of you?”

When Jinseong spoke curtly, Soo-min got up from her seat.

“Then go about your business.”

“You know very well that I came alone and you’re just going to leave? How cold…”

“…Sigh, well. We may not be the type to drink coffee together, but still.”

“…….”

Dressed sharply in a suit from head to toe, he seemed to have an appointment, but he was alone.

“Are you waiting for someone?”

“Beom Yuhyeon.”

At that moment, she let out a small gasp.

“Did you have an appointment with him?”

“No, but if I stay here long enough, I’ll get a chance to meet him.”

“Are you trying to make it look like a coincidence? That’s not like you, Jinseong. Why don’t you just call the reception?”

“He’s not the kind of person you can approach like that. I have to be very careful.”

Jinseong looked incredibly serious. Was he in danger of being ousted as heir? Well, he would have to succeed in a major project to gain the trust of the shareholders. It seemed likely that his target was Beom Yuhyeon, a powerful businessman.

Jinseong looked at Soo-min in silence.

“…Why?”

“Try to get closer to him.”

“Me?”

“I hear he’s staying in Korea for a few more months. That means you’ll see him often. This is a chance, a real chance.”

“What chance? Don’t tell me you want to use me to get close to him?”

“That would be ideal.”

“I’m not a fresh, bright-eyed 24-year-old girl – I’m a divorcee.”

She did get compliments on her looks from time to time, but only because of the youthful freshness of her early twenties. Objectively, she didn’t have an unattractive face, but she wasn’t an extraordinary beauty – just an ordinary person.

“Who says you have to seduce him with your looks? I’m just telling you to get closer to him. Besides, you still look like you’re in your early twenties. You take after Auntie, so you’re pretty.”

“Enough with the flattery. You’d better ask Eunhyuk instead.”

Only seek her out when necessary – he was just like Chairman Go.

“Do you really not know that this guy sees me as nothing more than a rock?”

“Maybe you should have treated him better before.”

“Ugh, whatever. I don’t feel like arguing. We may not like seeing each other, but sitting here alone like an idiot is even more ridiculous.”

“I’m busy.”

“Shall I go to your office instead?”

“Ha…”

A sigh escaped her lips. Soo-min sat down again and took an irritated sip of her coffee.

Although she was sitting directly in front of Jinseong, his eyes were fixed on the lift.

A moment later, he suddenly jumped to his feet.

“Oh! That’s Beom Yuhyeon. See you later.”

Jinseong quickly ran over to Yuhyeon as he was about to leave and eagerly reached out to shake his hand. It was almost as if an invisible tail was wagging behind him.

Soo-min’s gaze turned sharp.

‘Opportunist.’

***

“Manager, these flowers….”

“Call Team Leader Park for me.”

“Aren’t you going to see him yourself?”

“My wrist hurts a bit. I’ll try not to lift anything heavy.”

“Take care of your wrist. A florist’s hand is their most valuable asset.”

“Yes, that’s my plan.”

‘I’d rather not see him if I can help it.’

Like a man who dealt in huge sums of money, he was arrogant and looked down on others. It was foolish to think that he was like Junhwan.

Even if someone who had died came back to life, his original personality wouldn’t change.

‘He is absolutely not him…’’

It frustrated her that he happened to have Junhwan’s face.

She remembered Junhwan gently stroking her hair and smiling warmly at her.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Nothing.”

“You’re hungry. I can see it in your face.”

“How can you tell?”

“Because I love you. Of course I’d know.”

Junhwan would look for restaurants nearby and take Soo-min to the best one he could find.

“Come here, I’ll give you a massage. Can’t you cut down on your part-time jobs?”

“I have to prepare for next semester.”

“I can help. If you need money, just tell me.”

“You’re a student too. Where would you get money? You should concentrate on your studies.”

“I’m pretty sure I’ll get a scholarship again next semester, so I’ve saved some money. Just rely on me.”

“No, I can’t do that.”

She declined his offer. Even without telling him the details of her family situation, she knew he could sense that she didn’t come from a wealthy background.

For Soo-min, his mere presence was enough to make her happy and fill her with gratitude. Until the day her mother was diagnosed in a vegetative state, she had found emotional stability in Junhwan.

She chose to remain silent and suppress her feelings, knowing that if the world found out that she, who had struggled to support her family, was actually an illegitimate granddaughter of the Jaewon Group, she would only become an object of ridicule.

Tears welled up, threatening to fall.

Her chest ached, a deep, searing pain spreading through her. The wounds she thought had long since healed were slowly reopening and festering again.

‘Why did I have to meet someone who looks like Junhwan?’

Soo-min bit her lip hard.

***

After that incident, Yuhyeon seemed to be busy and rarely crossed Soo-min’s path.

Perhaps he had ordered room service for breakfast, as he was nowhere to be seen in the restaurant. The next time she saw him was unexpectedly in the Sky Lounge.

She was startled to see Jinseong sitting next to him, drinking.

‘What the…? Had he really managed to get close to Yuhyeon in such a short time?’

It seemed that he had successfully found an opening and used it.

Soo-min had come for a beer because she couldn’t sleep, but now she thought it would be better to just go back to her room.

‘Wait, why should I be the one to avoid him? He’s the one who messed up.’

With that thought, she settled into a quiet corner and ordered a bottle of beer. The summer breeze was surprisingly cool.

After a while, when the two men finished talking and left, Soo-min got up to go to the toilet.

As she made her way back to her seat, she suddenly saw a familiar face in the distance.

‘Why does he look so serious?’

Yuhyeon’s face was filled with concern as he spoke to his secretary.

Since the only way back to the lounge was to walk past them, she pressed close to the partition and moved carefully. As she did so, she couldn’t help but overhear their conversation.

“It seems the Chairman wants you to establish a strong position here in Korea.”

“Is marriage really necessary?”

“If we want to build the image of a stable company, wouldn’t it be better to ally ourselves with a Korean company rather than a foreign one?”

“That is true. If I’m going to do it, it would be better to get Korean citizenship through marriage.

Was Yuhyeon planning to marry a Korean? If word got around in high society, offers of arranged marriages would be flooding in.

If a man who controlled the finances of the Russian elite was looking for a bride, women from Gangseo to Gangbuk would line up for the chance.

‘…Which family’s daughter will he end up marrying?’

***

With the two-week extension only two days away, nerves were running high.

She visited the bank with Jung-wook, the illegitimate son of the president of Han Bank, but his expression was anything but good.

“How did it go?”

“It looks like we’re going to have to turn to the secondary financial sector.”

“Isn’t that a big problem? What if we end up losing the hotel…?”

“There’s no way we’re going to let that happen after all we’ve gone through to get this hotel.”

“It’s not like we have no options.”

Jungwook, who had been deep in thought with them, finally spoke up.

“What option?”

“The VIP here – the Russian tycoon. A hundred billion won is probably just pocket change to him.”

“That’s ridiculous!”

Eunhyuk shouted.

“What’s so ridiculous? If we borrow from the investment finance company he runs, everything will be solved.”

“No way.”

Eunhyuk’s gaze shifted sharply to Soo-min. He had never liked the way Yuhyeon looked at her and the thought of involving him in this made Eunhyuk even more uncomfortable.

“Why are you looking like that? Isn’t he the VIP who helped keep your hotel afloat?”

“One way or another, it’s not happening. Noona! Don’t even think about it.”

“What do you mean…? I haven’t thought about it.”

Soo-min shook her head, but she couldn’t deny that Jung-wook was right.

Beom Yuhyeon… A hundred billion won would be nothing to him.“How about we give each other what we want? Let me bury mine inside you while you touch me… Isn’t that nice?”

The words he had said suddenly resurfaced in her mind, making her blood run hot.

What he wanted – maybe it was her body…

If she exchanged her body for a hundred billion won, even if her mother was unconscious, it would still break her heart.

“My Soo-min will find a good man. My beautiful and kind daughter, I hope you marry someone like your father.”

She couldn’t even remember her father, although she had heard that he had loved her mother very much. Although he had no wealth, he had devoted himself to her family throughout their marriage.

Perhaps he was born under an unfortunate fate, as he died of illness while her mother was still pregnant with Eunhyuk. Despite this, her mother never stopped longing for him.

Eunhyuk tried to fill the void left by his father, but in their current situation, pride was a luxury they couldn’t afford.