Young bride

When she returned home, the house was in chaos. News of Jiwoo swapping the arranged meeting partner had reached home faster than Seo-ah.

Seo-ah sat on the living room sofa, watching the noisy scene with a cold and detached expression.

“If that man likes Kwon Seo-ah, then it’s fine, isn’t it?!”

“Kwon Jiwoo, don’t raise your voice as if you did something right! Be quiet!”

“Dad! This is unfair. I told you so many times that I didn’t want this. But in the end, everything worked out, so why do you keep blaming me?”

Jiwoo shouted at Chairman Kwon before stomping up to the second floor. Bang! The loud sound of the door slamming echoed through the house.

Chairman Kwon pressed his temple with one hand, feeling a headache coming on. For the first time, he regretted raising his daughter so indulgently.

“How did you even raise our child? Do I have to handle every little thing myself?”

“I’m sorry. But everything turned out fine, so please calm down. You know Jiwoo isn’t in good health.”

Mrs. Han quickly defended Jiwoo, afraid that her precious daughter would be hated even more.

“I heard that even Vice President Choi likes Seo-ah. As Jiwoo said, if the result is good, why does the process matter?”

Chairman Kwon looked at Seo-ah with disapproval.

From the beginning, he could have used Seo-ah for an alliance with Seohan Group. But he hadn’t, because he felt that ‘Seohan’ was too valuable to give to her.

To Chairman Kwon, Jiwoo’s rejection of an older man seemed foolish.

With age, she would eventually understand. A woman could not easily have both honor and power at the same time.

If she became the lady of Seohan Group, she could have everything without effort. But Jiwoo had thrown that opportunity away, giving him a headache.

But now that things had come to this, there was no turning back.

Besides, with his ex-wife in a vegetative state, Seo-ah would never escape his grasp. He had no reason to sell off such a valuable asset for a low price.

Chairman Kwon quickly made his calculations.

“Alright, you understand the situation now, right? Vice President Choi Kyuhyun said he likes you, even though you are lacking. Truly a blessing, isn’t it?”

“……”

“I’ll have Secretary Kim send you the Seohan family records. Study them well and prepare yourself. If you mess this up, you know what will happen—not just to you.”

“Yes, Father.”

“How lucky you are. I wonder if you won’t suffer from taking away your sister’s fortune. Tsk.”

In an instant, Seo-ah became the greedy woman who had stolen her sister’s blessing.

Chairman Kwon clicked his tongue, giving Seo-ah a sharp look before turning away.

Old emotions she thought had disappeared swirled inside her. She kept her head down until his footsteps faded completely, afraid he might see the expression on her face.

Returning to her room, Seo-ah collapsed onto her bed, covering her stinging eyes with one arm.

She wished time would stop. But at the same time, she knew she didn’t have the luxury of standing still.

After lying motionless for a few minutes, she picked up the Seohan family profile Secretary Kim had given her.

Choi Kyuhyun (39)

Before reading anything else, the number stood out.

A man almost 40. A 17-year age gap.

Though well-maintained, Kyuhyun didn’t look that old. But she was only 22. Whether he looked young or not, he was still old enough to be her uncle.

The file contained his education, background, and failed marriages.

Three marriages and divorces. The reason for each divorce wasn’t listed, as if it were some state secret.

Then, there was information about his family.

Nothing surprising—until the last page.

“This is impossible.”

A family photo showed two boys standing beside a couple.

One boy was clearly a young Kyuhyun.

The other was someone she desperately hoped wasn’t there—Choi Kangwoo.

Her teacher.

The one person she had admired and depended on.

The man who once gave her hope.

The words in the file matched what she had heard. Kangwoo had returned from the U.S. after earning a doctorate.

No matter how much she denied it, reality would not change.

She struggled to breathe. She had imagined meeting her teacher again one day—but not like this.

“I’m going to be his sister-in-law?”

Just thinking about it made her stomach churn.

Seo-ah stared at a memo inside her book, where she had carefully kept a phone number she had memorized by heart.

Her fingers hesitated over her laptop keyboard.

“What would I even say?”

“Teacher, I’m about to become part of your family. Please stop this?”

“I don’t want to be Seohan Group’s mistress. Please save me?”

No matter what she said, it would sound ridiculous.

To Kangwoo, having a former student as a sister-in-law would be nothing more than a strange coincidence, something to laugh about.

Her arms dropped weakly.

The only warmth she had known. The only person who gave her hope.

Now, those warm memories might be ruined forever.

Seo-ah desperately wished this was just a bad dream.

But the bright morning sun only reminded her that reality was inescapable.

⸻

A few days after the arranged meeting, Seo-ah was summoned by Kyuhyun.

The location: a VIP room in a luxury department store.

She looked around, unfamiliar with the elegant space.

In the middle of the room was a plush velvet sofa.

She had heard rumors that wealthy families had private shopping rooms, but seeing it in person was different.

Kyuhyun had called her here for one reason—to make sure she “looked the part.”

“Throw away all those tacky clothes you have. From now on, you’ll only wear what I choose.”

Kyuhyun sat beside her, draping his arm around her shoulders as he whispered.

His warm breath against her ear sent an unpleasant shiver down her spine.

Seo-ah forced herself to ignore the feeling.

As the tense atmosphere hung in the air, a personal shopper entered, pushing in racks of expensive clothing.

Kyuhyun easily selected outfits with a few gestures.

His taste was clear—every piece was short, revealing, and impractical.

“My ex-wives were so old-fashioned. Even when I told them to wear something nice, they refused. If you’re getting older, you should at least dress younger. But they always tried to hide their wrinkles behind ‘elegance’.”

He sipped his wine, complaining.

At that moment, Seo-ah understood a little better why he had already been divorced three times.

The charming and capable heir of Seohan Group was just a carefully crafted illusion.

“Do you want to know why I chose you?”

When Seo-ah didn’t respond, Kyuhyun smirked and continued.

“Because you’re obedient. Even if someone holds something over you, you won’t make a sound.”

“……”

“I needed a girl like that. And since this is my last marriage, I wanted someone young and fresh.”

Seo-ah clenched her fists so hard that her nails dug into her palm.

Such a shallow reason.

At 20 years old, young and pretty but powerless compared to Seohan Group, Jiwoo had been the perfect pick.