He had always known he was insane. 

The man he called his father – since the day he murdered his mother in front of him – had shattered half of his mind, leaving him lost in madness. 

In the ruins of his shattered world, a woman appeared. 

A woman with a pure, radiant smile – the complete opposite of his miserable existence. 

The moment he saw her, he knew. She was his destiny, his salvation. And he loved her. 

‘Enough to stake my whole life on her…’ 

Like a man possessed, he restrained himself, held back the madness that threatened to consume him. He cherished her, protected her, gave her everything he had. 

But in the end, all he received in return was betrayal. 

As the flames engulfed him and the stench of his own burning flesh filled the air, he clung desperately to the edge of life and death.

“I refuse to die like this. I can’t let you go. You… you… the one who gave me a reason to breathe in this world… never… never…”

Yuhyeon’s emotions surged, his grip tightening as his breathing grew heavier.

After many years, he stood before this woman again, kissing her lips under a different name – but there was not a trace of happiness in his heart.

For the body that was now burning with desire belonged not to Junhwan, but to Beom Yuhyeon.

The moment this realisation hit him, an uncontrollable wave of hatred boiled up inside him.

Yuhyeon grabbed the back of her head and forced her to sit on the floor. Then he spread his legs wide in front of her.

“Suck. And don’t stop until I come.”

Without a word she unbuckled his trousers.

Thump!

His hardened p*nis sprang free, drops of thick liquid dripping from the tip.

She slowly took it into her mouth.

“Ahh… Ugh…”

A raging fire consumed what was left of his mind.

“F*ck… I’ll f*ck you mercilessly.”

Rough curses spilled from Yuhyeon’s lips.

As he watched her – expressionless despite the way he was treating her – his frustration boiled over even more.

Meanwhile, she tightened her lips and moved her head more vigorously, concentrating on her task.

With each movement, blood rushed to his lower abdomen, making his already hardened p*nis even harder and larger.

‘I cherished you.’

‘I held back my desires, restrained myself—because I cherished you.’

‘But you betrayed me.’

‘You, the wicked woman who traded love for wealth.’

‘I’ve built a golden cage with the fortune you so desperately wanted. So now… fly to me. Come back to my side.’

Yuhyeon’s eyes became bloodshot. Maybe it was because he had been drinking, but today he couldn’t control his emotions.

Thump, thump,

He thrust his p*nis into her mouth. Seeing her suck his p*nis made him feel great.

Yuhyeon shook his waist like crazy. Eventually, his waist arched like a bow and a huge amount of s*men shot out.

Gulp, gulp, he could see that she was struggling to swallow the sperm. Yuhyeon quickly hugged her body and laid her down on the bed. Without thinking, he undressed her. Her white n*ked body shook. The small, soaking wet swan fluttered as if anticipating the next step. He buried his face in her.

* * *

A week had passed.

Soo-min had practically stayed in the hotel, avoiding the reporters who came looking for her almost every day.

Of course, she still went to Yuhyeon’s suite every night for some form of s*xual activity, but she waited for the media frenzy to die down.

Contrary to her expectations, the correction was never published. Still, she considered it a relief that she was no longer at the top of the real-time search rankings.

Soo-min sighed deeply.

RRRR.

The phone rang from the CEO’s secretary’s office.

– “Boss! Um, I think you need to come to the CEO’s office right away.”

“What’s going on?”

– “A-a detective… is here. But the CEO is on holiday…”

“A detective?”

Soo-min was startled. She rushed to the CEO’s office.

The detective handed her his business card – it was from the drug squad. Her heart sank.

“Are you Han Soo-min? I heard you’re the co-owner of the Clitie Hotel with Han Eunhyuk.”

“Yes, that’s right. But what is this about…?”

“We received information about the illegal drug trade in Russia.”

“W-what did you just say? D-drugs?!!!”

Soo-min’s face turned pale.

“The Russian government has asked the South Korean government to cooperate in the investigation. According to the reports received, Han Eunhyuk was secretly involved in the sale of illegal drugs that were supposed to have been destroyed earlier this year”.

The detective said the Russian Public Security Police had confirmed evidence linking Eunhyuk to the case.

Illegal drug trafficking.

Drugs?

Soo-min’s vision went dark.

As the detective explained the situation using complex legal terms, none of it registered in her mind. It was as if her mind had gone completely blank.

“Something is wrong here! This can’t be true! Eunhyuk hasn’t even been to Russia! Illegal drug dealing? That’s impossible! This is a trap!”

“We know that some of the details don’t add up, but after investigating further, we found something suspicious. Take a look at this. The man in the photo is your ex-husband, isn’t he, Han Soo-min?”

“Byeon Yedo…”

How could this be?

Byeon Yedo had been photographed selling drugs with men who looked like drug dealers.

It didn’t make any sense.

Eunhyuk is one thing, but no matter how much of a scumbag Byeon Yedo is, he’s not the type to be involved in drug dealing!

“We have completed our investigation. Han Eunhyuk gave 10 billion won to Byeon Yedo, who then travelled to Russia to negotiate an illegal trade deal on his behalf. The Russian police suspect that Han Eunhyuk was the one pulling the strings behind Byeon Yedo’s actions.

“…Ah… What is this… Yedo used the money for an investment.”

“And what if that investment was related to drug smuggling?”

“Ah…”

“We won’t summon him on suspicion alone, but this situation is undeniably annoying.”

Byeon Yedo.

Why was such a video made?

Why did he have to borrow money?

It was all because of Byeon Yedo.

Soo-min bit her nails worriedly.

If Byeon Yedo had malicious intentions and implicated Eunhyuk, what would happen?

The thought of Eunhyuk being locked up made her vision go dark.

“W-what will happen to Eunhyuk?”

“If the charges are confirmed, he will not be able to avoid legal punishment. Depending on the circumstances, there is even a possibility that he could serve his sentence in Russia.”

“We are the victims here!”

“We can’t confirm that because Byeon Yedo is currently incapacitated.”

“So it’s just an accusation for now, right?”

“Yes.”

“Give me some time. I have to look into it more thoroughly.”

As the incident took place in Russia, she needed more concrete information to fully understand the situation.

There was only one person Soo-min could turn to for help.

Beom Yuhyeon.

She desperately needed him.

Soo-min had no time to hesitate.

Eunhyuk was in danger of being falsely accused, and she needed to seek help from anyone who could.

She ran frantically to his suite. Standing in front of his suite door, she rang the bell repeatedly, but there was no answer.

‘Where did he go?’

Soo-min quickly pulled out her mobile phone.

Soo-min immediately called Yuhyeon, but he didn’t answer. She didn’t know what to do.

Hoping he might be in the staff suite, she went to look for him, only to find he was out.

Please, please come back soon.

With no other choice, Soo-min used the emergency key to get into his suite and waited for him.

An hour passed. Then two. Then three. When four hours had passed, the sky had gone dark.

Her mouth felt dry.

She couldn’t reach him by phone, and he hadn’t returned to his suite even late at night.

After a long wait, she finally heard the door open.

She jumped up from the sofa and ran to the door.

“What’s going on? Why are you in my room…?”

Soo-min grabbed Yuhyeon’s hand.

“Please help me. Eunhyuk is going to be falsely accused by the Russian police.”

“…And why should I save him?”

“…What?”

His cold tone felt like a heavy blow to the head.

Soo-min froze for a moment.

Yuhyeon, showing no interest at all, casually took off his suit jacket.

“I have no reason to get involved. We’re not family or anything.”

“But I’m begging you, aren’t I?”

“Begging? Ha, Han Soo-min, you really are shameless.”

“…….”

Yuhyeon stared at Soo-min intently.

“You have no idea how frustrating every day has been because of this scandal. Just today I had an interview with a BBU reporter. Pretending not to know was exhausting. But what about you, Soo-min? Weren’t you just hiding in the hotel, too busy avoiding the reporters?”

“Because… it wasn’t my place to explain. I didn’t want to say something wrong… and you suffered in the end, Yuhyeon…”

“I have already suffered. I’ve even received more proposals for arranged marriages. I absolutely hate blind dates, but since you refused the marriage proposal, I have no choice but to go out and find a spouse again.”

“…….”

Yuhyeon spoke as if he was sure he would get married soon.

Once he gets married, everything will be over between them.

What will happen to Eunhyuk?

He could end up in prison for a crime he didn’t commit.

Illegal drug dealing is already severely punished in Korea – what if he has to stand trial in Russia?

Her vision spun.

“Just this once, for the first and last time, I’m begging you. Please help me.”

“You’re going about this the wrong way.”

“What?”

“If you want to make a deal with me, shouldn’t you offer something in return? Just like when you sold yourself for 10 billion won.”

“D-do we really… have to do it this way? Can’t you just help out of goodwill…?”

“Goodwill? Hah! That’s the most laughable thing I’ve ever heard. You must be seriously delusional. Do you really think you matter? Just because you throw around the word ‘love’ in front of your family, you think it’s real? Let me make this clear—you are nothing more than a convenient bed partner. Nothing more, nothing less. Do you understand?”

She already knew.

Even if he didn’t make fun of her, she was nothing to him.

Yuhyeon sat on the sofa, one leg casually crossed over the other. With an air of arrogance, he tilted his head slightly, lifting his chin just enough to emphasize his dominance. 

His gaze was piercing, unwavering—he didn’t need to say a word. She knew exactly what he wanted. His expression alone made that clear.

Soo-min’s lips twisted into a painful grimace. Her throat tightened and a sharp sting ran through it, but she forced herself to speak.

“All right. I’ll marry you.”

“Good. I’ll use all my connections to clear my future brother-in-law’s name. He will never end up in the hands of the police.”

In the end, Soo-min made a deal with Yuhyeon – marriage in exchange for his help in proving Eunhyuk’s innocence.

Her steps felt so heavy as she left his room that she almost collapsed.

It was heartbreaking how her life had always been controlled by others.

All she ever wanted was to be happy with the man she loved… but heaven refused to forgive her.

‘This must be the price for leaving Junhwan… His unjustly lost soul must be punishing me…’

Soo-min felt like crying, but she held back her tears.

She kept telling herself that this was her ‘punishment’, believing that she wasn’t even worthy of shedding tears.