***

A steady drizzle soaked the misty road. A car sped through the dense fog, its headlights dim in the darkness.

The car stopped in front of Seoul General Hospital.

After parking, Soo-min quickly made her way to the private patient rooms.

There, in one of them, was her mother.

Her mother had been asleep since the accident that had left her unconscious.

She had not woken up for ten years.

After her father’s early death, her mother had become the head of the household, raising her siblings on her own.

An illegitimate child of the Jaewon group, she lived a life of hardship after her mother’s death.

“Today I’m going to talk to my brother. We have to survive too.”

Ten years ago, on the day her grandfather died, her mother boldly went to her mother’s side of the family to claim her rightful inheritance.

But on her way home, she was involved in a car accident – and never woke up.

“Mum… I’m sorry. I tried to live well… but I don’t think I can anymore…”

Soo-min had vowed never to cry, no matter how hard things got. More than anything, she wanted to raise Eunhyuk to be an exceptional person.

She worked tirelessly – taking care of her mother as the eldest daughter and head of the household, and making sure her younger brother got the best education.

She had even entered the world of the wealthy elite through an arranged marriage to a conglomerate family and lived among the upper class, albeit for a short time.

“I know you’re hurting, Mum. But don’t worry, I promise to protect your inheritance. I’ll also take good care of Eunhyuk, so please don’t be too sad.”

It was enough for Soo-min to know that her mother was still breathing.

She imagined how happy her mother would be when she woke up and found out that the hotel had become her inheritance. It was something her mother had never been able to achieve, but now she had done it for her.

Perhaps, when that day came, her mother would tell her she had done well and be proud of her.

“The moment our family goes bankrupt, you’re already talking about divorce? You wretched woman! Did you divorce him just so you wouldn’t be a burden on your own family? Just wait and see! Let’s see how well you can live without us!”

Her mother-in-law cursed and accused Soo-min without hesitation. Although she knew very well that her son had never treated Soo-min like a wife in their five years of marriage, she still called her a heartless woman.

An evil woman. A gold digger.

They could call her whatever they wanted, she didn’t care.

***

With a powerful swing, the ball soared through the air and landed squarely in the hole.

The moment the birdie was secured, the crowd erupted in applause.

Meanwhile, a secretary standing off to the side had been on the phone for some time. As soon as the call ended, he rushed over to Yuhyeon.

“Byeon Yedo has agreed to a mutual divorce.”

A small smile appeared on Yuhyeon’s lips. He handed his club to the caddy and took off his leather gloves with an air of effortless ease.

A dangerously handsome man, he turned to the others with a smile.

“Let’s call it a day here. I must return to Korea immediately.”

His gaze flickered coldly.

***

Though Soo-min was the one who had finalized the divorce, Eunhyuk looked even more exhausted than she did.

“Noona…”

“I’m fine.”

“It feels like you got divorced because of me…”

As Eunhyuk hunched forward in guilt, Soo-min gently patted his shoulder.

“It’s not your fault. I was already tired of enduring a hollow marriage.”

“Noona…”

“And you were right. It turned out that what he called an investment was really a gamble. He didn’t travel overseas on business – he just went to the casinos.”

The amount Yedo had squandered in casinos had reached hundreds of billions of won. No wonder his overseas business trips had suddenly increased in the past year – he had been spending his time gambling instead.

“How did it happen, Noona? How did you end up marrying such a man? The chairman was so unfair. I know you were the only woman in the family of marriageable age, but it’s infuriating how they only recognise you as a niece when it suits them.”

Daughters were rare in the Jaewon clan. The only reason they pushed an illegitimate niece like Soo-min into an arranged marriage was because the family had no daughters of their own to marry off.

“Life is full of things that don’t go our way. But at least we still have this hotel, so we should be grateful for that.”

“If you’d divorced him any later, he’d have taken the hotel down with him. Forget calling him brother-in-law, that bastard doesn’t deserve it. Do you know how much money that was? And he wasted it on gambling…”

“Just concentrate on your work and don’t worry about anything else.”

At that moment there was a commotion outside.

“It’s getting noisy out there. Are we expecting an important guest today?”

“A big shot.”

“A big shot?”

Eunhyuk adjusted his tie and stepped out into the lobby.

Following him, Soo-min saw about twenty foreigners standing in two neat rows at the entrance.

“They look like Russians, don’t they?”

“Yes. I’ve only heard their names before, but seeing them here in Korea… I was so nervous I couldn’t even sleep last night.”

“Who is he?”

“Vladimir Vasiliev. He’s the richest man in Russia. Now that he’s arrived in Korea, the KOSPI share prices are bound to soar.”

A moment later the revolving door swung open and a man entered the hotel.

Soo-min’s gaze followed, of course, and the moment she saw him, time seemed to freeze.

The air felt completely sealed off. It was as if only the room where she and the man stood was moving in slow motion, separated from the rest of the world.

His sharp, icy gaze pierced through her, cutting the silence like a blade.

Soo-min couldn’t breathe.

Her heart pounded wildly and her eyes widened in shock.

‘No… it can’t be… it can’t be…’

‘Ji-Ji Junhwan…!’

No, it couldn’t be.

‘Junhwan had died in the fire!’

Soo-min remembered the last time she had seen him – five years ago at a boarding house in Gangwon-do.

On the day she had decided to accept the arranged marriage, under pressure from Jaewon Group chairman Go, she had also decided to break up with Junhwan.

Her last trip to Gangwon-do had been her farewell.

He had clung to her like a man who had lost everything, desperately clutching her wrist.

Leaving him had been painful, but Soo-min had no choice – she had to look after her mother and Eunhyuk.

She couldn’t refuse Chairman Go’s proposal.

“Even if I die, I can’t let you go.”

“Don’t wait for me.”

“Think it over again. We may not be married, but we’re as good as husband and wife! We promised to get married! And now you’re asking me to just let you go?”

“”I’m sorry… That’s all I can say. If you want to hit me, go ahead. Curse me all you want. But I can no longer continue this relationship.”

“Han Soo-min! I’ll wait for you until you come back to me!”

Soo-min forced herself to run away from him, no matter how painful it was. Her tears flowed like a river and it felt like her heart was being torn apart. But she couldn’t turn her back on her mother, who lay unconscious in a vegetative state.

As she let go of Junhwan and headed back to Seoul, a massive fire broke out in Gangwon-do. The flames spread quickly, engulfing the entire area in no time.

Twenty-four people were confirmed dead and Junhwan’s name was on the list of victims.

He had the chance to escape, but didn’t – he stayed and waited for Soo-min until the fire consumed him.

“This makes no sense…”

Soo-min felt dizzy, her vision spinning. Seeing someone alive and well – no, someone who just looked like him – made her whole body shake.

“There’s a banquet today, so I thought I should put some effort into my appearance… What’s wrong, Noona?”

“N-no, it’s nothing.”

“Hmm… That VIP over there looks Korean, doesn’t he?”

“Maybe he booked the hotel under a different name. If not…”

Soo-min was unable to finish her sentence. Her attention was completely focused on the man talking to the others. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead.

“Are you feeling sick? You don’t look well. Could it be that your body is reacting badly to too many shocks at once?”

“N-no, I’ll be fine if I rest a little.”

“Go to an empty room and get some sleep. It’s obvious that you haven’t been able to rest properly lately.”

“No, I have to go to the office. We’re running out of time if we’re to finish the flower decorations for tonight’s banquet.”

As she looked up, her eyes met the man’s again. His expression was completely unfamiliar – there was no recognition in his eyes. Then, with a sharp turn of his head, he looked away.

Soo-min walked aimlessly and when she was out of his sight, she collapsed as if her legs had given out.

‘It’s not him. He looks at me as if I’m a stranger… Even his aura is different.’

Was it because he came from Russia? He was so cold.

Even in the middle of summer, his presence sent a shiver down her spine.

Led by the manager, the man disappeared into the lift. A breeze from somewhere carried his scent to her.

A feeling of longing washed over her.

‘And yet… he looks so much like him.’

Even as she worked with flowers in the office, her mind was in complete disarray.

“Chief, the flowers…”

At the words of her team member, she snapped out of her thoughts and looked down at her hands. She had accidentally cut the flower.