Soo-min couldn’t believe it. It was impressive enough that he managed Vladimir’s money, but to think that he was actually his adopted son! She fought to calm herself.

“You’re marrying someone even more remarkable than you originally thought.”

With the promise of more surprises to come, her feelings were a mixture of anticipation and worry.

Since his younger brother had arrived in Korea, Soo-min finally had a chance to get out.

She went straight to her mother’s hospital.

Her mother lay quietly, but Soo-min knew she had to tell her the news of her second marriage.

Soo-min held her mother’s hand.

“Mom, I’m getting married the day after tomorrow. As part of the marriage arrangement, I have secured what you wanted from the Chairman. You can rest now and stop worrying about us.”

Although her mother remained silent, it was as if she was proudly saying, “My daughter has finally made it! But are you sure you want to marry a man like Junhwan?”

“Yes, I’m sure. I want to give him my best. By living with someone who reminds me of him, I’ll think of him every day and ask for forgiveness.”

Soo-min smiled brightly.

***

The wedding day brought more surprises. World-famous figures, the kind you’d expect to see on social media, attended the ceremony.

Celebrities from the world of politics, business, art, and literature flew to Korea for this one wedding.

The last guest arrived. As a silver-haired old man sat on the groom’s side, Yuhyeon bowed her head in greeting.

The man was Vladimir Vasiliev. The hall immediately buzzed with murmurs.

Soo-min was stunned.

A large number of Korean dignitaries attended the wedding, including many who had once criticized her mother for being the child of a mistress.

“Beom Yuhyeon, and it’s not even his first marriage, but a remarriage.”

It became a huge topic of discussion.

With trembling hands, Soo-min held Yuhyeon’s. The artist he had invited had transformed the hall into something resembling an imperial palace.

How was it possible to create such a thing with flowers?

The blossoms floated beautifully in the air, spreading out like a masterpiece.

Step by step, they entered this work of art.

The rest of the ceremony was similar to others. They solemnly recited their vows to the distinguished guests and exchanged rings.

Their beaming smiles made them look like a couple truly in love, basking in happiness.

Although her smile was part of an act hidden behind laughter, she kept it.

After the wedding, there was still some time before they had to leave for the airport.

*** “Let’s stop by the newlyweds’ house. All the furniture was moved in today.”

Soo-min hadn’t paid much attention to the house since he had arranged everything, but as the car drove along a familiar road, a strange feeling crept over her.

She thought it was the same road. But the moment she saw the big silver gate, everything changed.

Soo-min froze. It felt as if the muscles in her neck were paralyzed, and it took her a long time to turn her head.

The house he had prepared was none other than the mansion of the chairman of the Daeseong Group. It was the same house where Soo-min and Yedo had lived for five years.

“Who are you really?”

“I’m your husband.”

Yuhyeon’s lips curled into a smile. The smile was eerily similar to Junhwan’s and sent shivers down Soo-min’s spine. Her face turned pale.

“You… who are you, really? What are you doing to me?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about this house! The Daeseong Group mansion you bought at the auction!”

A strong wind blew, scattering the leaves dangling from the branches.

Yuhyeon said nothing. He just stuffed his hands into his pockets and stared at Soo-min.

Soo-min’s mind was in chaos.

Could all the coincidences that had piled up so far have been part of his plan?

No, no-it can’t be. Why would he do that? What reason would he have to do such a thing?

They had only known each other for three months. If he had planned this on purpose, then he wouldn’t be Beom Yuhyeon – he would be Junhwan, back from the afterlife.

Junhwan? There’s no way Junhwan could have come back alive, right?

Could it be that I’m dreaming?

Soo-min’s confusion reached its peak and she felt a wave of nausea.

“I wasn’t informed about the Daeseong Group mansion.”

“What?”

“I learned from your own words today that it was the home of your former in-laws.”

Yuhyeon spoke calmly.

“Does this even make sense? How can you buy a billion-dollar house without knowing who the previous owner was?”

“Why does the previous owner matter?”

“That’s…”

Soo-min had no answer.

“When I bought the newlywed house, I only had one condition. It had to be a three-story house with a large garden in this neighborhood, which is one of the safest areas in Seoul. If you investigate, you’ll find that this was the only house that met my criteria that was put up for auction.”

“…”

“If you don’t believe me, take a look at the list of properties that went up for auction at that time, sorted by date.”

Yuhyeon cut his explanation short, as if the topic wasn’t worth discussing further.

Soo-min stared at him intently.

Could this be another coincidence? Really?

Is this really just a coincidence? And why? Why do these coincidences keep piling up?

There was no way to know. However, without any concrete evidence, Soo-min couldn’t confront Yuhyeon directly.

“If you’re suspicious, go ahead and check it out. I’m just as annoyed about this situation. It had to be the same house… You must have lived there with your ex-husband for five years, right?”

Yuhyeon’s voice became harsh, his tone cloudy. He fidgeted irritably with the edge of his sleeve.

“Is this really a coincidence?”

“You don’t think so? Then let me ask you this time – why are you so suspicious of me?”

“Because…”

Soo-min’s eyes trembled slightly.

“Why is this house so important? It’s not like we’re going to live here for a long time…”

“W-what did you just say?”

“This house is a second home. My main home is in Russia.”

“I-I thought you were going to live in Korea? You said you have business here?”

Soo-min’s lips twitched slightly.

“I’ll be living in Korea for now because of business, but there’s a good chance I’ll move back to Russia once things settle down.”

“Oh…”

“Why?”

“I never imagined living in Russia.”

Soo-min’s strength suddenly drained from her body.

“You married a man with Russian citizenship and never considered the possibility of living there? You’re a more naive woman than I thought.”

“….”

“In short, wherever I go, remember that you, as my wife, are to stay by my side.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Leaving her mother and Eunhyuk behind… But does Yuhyeon really have no interest in her? How could he not even consider visiting her mother before the wedding?

“My mom is in the hospital. If you want to meet her…”

“I heard from Director Go that she’s completely unconscious. Is that true?”

“Yes…”

“Then is it necessary to visit her? She wouldn’t be able to greet me anyway.”

“But…”

“How about we make an agreement before this contract marriage? Soo-min, you will have no duties as a daughter-in-law, and I will have no duties as a son-in-law. I do not like unnecessary obligations.”

“Yes, that’s fine with me.”

On paper, her father-in-law would be Vladimir Vasiliev.

It was still hard to believe that she would become the daughter-in-law of Vladimir, a major figure in Russia, but she had no desire to see him often.

She was afraid.

The cold look he had fixed on her at the wedding was truly frightening. If looks alone could kill, Vladimir would be the one capable of it.

“…Beom Yuhyeon’s aura felt like that of a mafia boss, but the real boss was Vladimir…”

Suddenly, a shiver ran down her spine.

***

Vladimir adopted Yuhyeon as his son to repay him for saving Ivan’s life. With a brilliant mind, Yuhyeon never missed a scholarship opportunity and received a proper education.

When Vladimir entrusted him with the company for five years, Yuhyeon delivered unimaginable results.

In those five years, the investment business made a profit of 1 trillion won with a return of 10%, what else could one say?

“Father, what do you think of her?”

“She is just an ordinary woman. I thought there was something special about her, but there wasn’t.”

“Don’t tell me you still have Lydia in your heart? Come on, you know Sergei (Yuhyeon) became your adopted son because of her, but you still can’t let go…”

Lydia, the only daughter of a Russian weapons manufacturer, had feelings for Yuhyeon. Although she was of mixed Korean descent and her appearance resembled that of an East Asian, Yuhyeon paid no attention to her.

“What a waste. If he had married into that family, our household could have climbed into the global top 50… tch, tch…”