“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

The man was holding a camera. Wondering if he was from a TV station, she looked at the camera – when she suddenly heard Jeong-ah’s voice.

“Boss!”

“Oh, Jeong-ah. Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see if any of the flowers in the hall have wilted. We can’t let the ones Elena worked so hard to arrange wilt.”

“Ah… the flowers…”

She had completely forgotten.

Then Soo-min saw the reporter who had joined the man with the camera leaving the hotel.

“This is huge – an exclusive scoop! Beom Yuhyeon of all people… Let’s go. The director must be dying to see us.”

Ah, Beom Yuhyeon.

It looked like they had come to see him.

Soo-min walked to the banquet hall with Jeong-ah.

The flowers floating in the air like clouds still looked fresh, but they wouldn’t last much longer.

“These flowers are such a waste.

“We have to take care of them as best we can so they don’t wilt.”

“By the way, did you know that our hotel’s weddings are starting to get some buzz? The CEO is impressive, of course, but with Elena personally decorating the wedding hall, the impact is going to be huge. Don’t you think we could get into the wedding business at this rate?”

“That would be nice, but the scale is too small. With only two banquet halls, it would be hard to handle even one wedding a day…”

One of the banquet halls was temporarily converted into a wedding venue, while the other was used as a reception hall for guests to dine.

Realistically, they could only handle one wedding a day. Even if there was a brief spike thanks to Elena’s influence, they still had to prepare for the possibility of vacancies in the future.

‘If we expand the business carelessly and beyond our means, the value we’ve built could end up falling…’

A quick look around showed that there were plenty of five-star hotels. Given the same budget, most brides would naturally want to get married in a more glamorous venue.

Soo-min felt it was a shame to see all the beautifully decorated flowers go to waste, but she had no intention of denying reality.

“Oh, here comes your husband.”

Just then, Yuhyeon came into view.

“I’ll go first.”

Soo-min approached him with a warm smile.

“You’re not late.”

“I’ve been waiting.”

“Let’s go.”

When Yuhyeon offered his arm, she naturally linked hers with his. They acted like a sweet newlywed couple, honey dripping down their cheeks – but the corners of her mouth trembled unnaturally.

***

It was her maternal grandparents’ house, a place she’d visited every holiday since she was a child – but being treated worse than a stranger, the very air felt suffocating.

When she saw Chairman Go grinning from ear to ear, she felt sick to her stomach.

“Oh my, we have such an important guest. No, no-that’s not right. You’re part of the family now. Come, sit down. Make yourself comfortable.”

“Thank you.”

For Chairman Go, Beom Yuhyeon was the most important guest. It was unbearable for Soo-min just to sit across from him, so she got up from the sofa.

“I’m going to the kitchen.”

“What are you talking about? Don’t do anything – just sit and relax.”

“It’s okay.”

Ignoring Chairman Go’s words, Soo-min went to the kitchen. It was probably the only place in the house where she could breathe.

During the holidays, her mother washed dishes non-stop and put food on the table for the children who weren’t allowed to eat at the same table.

The dining table was overflowing with a sumptuous feast. It looked as if food from land, sea, and air had been gathered in one place – there was hardly any room left on the table.

She almost burst out laughing. What must her aunt have been thinking as she prepared all this food? It was clear now – she had married a truly powerful man.

“You’re here.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Her aunt appeared, dressed as if she were going to a party.

“What are you saying, calling me ‘ma’am’? What if your husband hears you?”

“What should I call you then?”

“‘Aunt.’ That’s the proper term.”

“Oh, so now I’m finally allowed to call you ‘aunt’?”

“……”

A frown formed around her aunt’s eyes.

“Well, I just find it more comfortable to call you ‘ma’am’. But for your sake, I’ll use ‘aunt’ in front of Yuhyeon.”

“Honestly, this attitude of yours… Fine, do what you want.”

She clicked her tongue, but Soo-min wasn’t in the mood to play along. Since dinner hadn’t started yet and they were preparing fruit and tea, Soo-min picked up some fruit to help.

After five years as the Daeseong Group’s daughter-in-law, she was well-versed in entertaining guests. She neatly sliced the fruit, arranged it on a white plate, and added edible flowers for decoration, making it look like a work of art.

Just then, a hand suddenly reached in from behind. A perfectly arranged piece of fruit was torn away. It was Jinseong.

“Wow, it’s beautifully cut. How’d you do that? Ow!”

When he reached for another piece, she slapped the back of his hand.

“I just made it, how could you eat it first?”

“What, were you planning on giving it to your husband first? Oh! Han Soo-min is so in love.”

“Don’t be sarcastic.”

“You’re the one being sarcastic.”

“You’re already married, what more do you want?”

“Good question.”

“I have no idea.”

“Father will talk to you about it later.”

Jinseong grinned slyly, and she wanted nothing more than to sew his mouth shut.

***

Dinner was set to be served in the garden.

‘I really hate this. Sitting with people I can’t stand, pretending we’re family, forcing fake smiles…’

Soo-min felt sick to her stomach, disgusted.

Everyone was enjoying the meal in a cheerful atmosphere, but inside she was seething with anger.

The person who got on her nerves the most was Chairman Go.

The eldest son of the family, the one who had despised her mother the most, calling her a mistress’ daughter. A greedy man, full of selfishness and opportunism.

And yet, in front of Yuhyeon, he acted like the sweetest uncle, praising Soo-min endlessly.

Soo-min cut into her steak, blood red juices dripping with each cut. Maybe it was her frustration, but the steak wouldn’t cut properly, as if it was resisting her.

Yuhyeon, who watched her silently, suddenly picked up her plate as if to take over.

Chairman Go’s laughter rang out.

“Ha ha! Our dear Beom son-in-law is so thoughtful. Yes! That’s how it should be.”

“I can do it myself.”

“The meat seemed a little tough.”

“Okay…”

He cut the steak into small, bite-sized pieces and handed them to Soo-min to make it easier for her to eat.

Their eyes met.

The way he looked at her – sweet, like honey dripping from his eyes – was beautiful. She knew it was all an act, but her heart still pounded.

‘He acts like it’s real…’

Soo-min took a bite of the steak he cut for her. It had definitely been tough… so why did it suddenly taste so tender?

She wondered if he had secretly added some magic sauce.

Yuhyeon’s attention seemed to be solely focused on Soo-min – when her water ran out, he called the waiter; when her wine glass emptied, he asked her to refill it.

A warm rush spread through her chest.

She felt a sting behind her eyes – grateful to him, yet guilty for using him.

“Come with me for a moment.”

After dinner, Chairman Go called Soo-min aside. She followed him into the study.

“Go ahead.”

“You have to get pregnant. As soon as possible.”

“What? P-Pregnant?”

“You’re married now, so of course you should have a child.”

Soo-min looked at Chairman Go with a cold, sharp look.

“We haven’t even been married for a week.”

“People get pregnant before marriage all the time these days. What’s so important about time?”

“Ha… Chairman.”

“Uncle. Change the way you address me.”

“Doesn’t it bother you that your attitude has done a complete 180 since I married Yuhyeon?”

She laughed in disbelief.

“Of course it bothers me. A lot. No, I feel just as sick pretending to act differently.”

“Then keep treating me that way. Don’t suddenly act like we’re family.”

“Whether you like it or not, we’re in the same boat now, so we have to be family. Like I said, the fate of the Jaewon Group rests on your shoulders.”

Chairman Go spoke about the Jaewon Group again.

“…Be clear with me.”

“We finally have the chance to pursue the bio-industry we’ve been dreaming of. Beom Yuhyeon has agreed to invest a large amount of money in our group.”

“You benefited a lot from this marriage deal.”

“I could say the same for you, couldn’t I? You got the shares you always wanted.”

He was the kind of man who took ten when he gave one, and every time she saw his true face, it left her speechless.