Time flowed cruelly, and the day I hoped would never come arrived.

“We have arrived.”

Hee Won turned her head at the words of the driver assigned by President Seong.

The car had already arrived in front of LS Hotel, even though it felt like they had just departed.

Getting out of the car and looking up at LS Hotel, her heart fluttered.

“Why of all places…”

Ridiculously, the place she came for the arranged marriage meeting was where she had her escapade a week ago.

She recalled the man who had persistently tormented her and shown her the heights of pleasure.

“I don’t want to go.”

Just remembering him made her body heat up and her heart pound.

His firm embrace had smelled cool and refreshing, like being in a forest.

Though she thought it should be a forgotten memory of a one-night fling, the lingering image of the unforgettable man tormented Hee Won.

“I should have at least asked for his name.”

Though knowing his name would be useless, she couldn’t help but regret not asking for it then.

Ding.

The vibration of her phone in her hand broke her reverie. Seeing the name on the screen, her head cooled as if doused with cold water.

When Hee Won pressed the call button, an excited voice came through the speaker.

[What are you doing? Don’t keep them waiting, go right in when you arrive.]

President Seong had already been notified by the driver, it seemed.

His urging words flew like a sharp dagger and pierced Hee Won’s heart.

He felt no guilt in selling off his daughter. Rather, he was full of anticipation.

Tired of being disappointed, resentment toward her father welled up once again.

Hee Won clenched her fist tightly, forcibly suppressing the emotions rising within her.

Showing no interest in Hee Won’s feelings, President Seong said:

[There must be a reason they wanted to see you even after postponing the formal meeting. You need to make a good impression. Don’t do anything to upset them.]

“…”

[Seong Hee Won, are you not answering? Are you listening?]

The formal meeting scheduled for last weekend had been postponed. The LS side had requested a private meeting between the parties first, before the families met.

According to the original plan, this was supposed to be the only meeting before the wedding, after the formal introduction.

So the sudden proposal from LS Group to meet just the two of them was not at all welcome. But no matter how much she agonized, nothing would change.

How much longer must she live like this? She felt increasingly backed into a corner.

Her heart surged with emotion at the helpless reality.

“Yes. I’m listening. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything for you to be concerned about.”

But all Hee Won could do was barely endure. She clenched her fist tightly and managed to squeeze out a response.

From now on, I’ll live as if I’m dead.

Swallowing the words she couldn’t utter until the end, Hee Won squeezed her eyes shut.

[Good. You have to do well. Whether Jinseong Foods becomes more than just a dumpling company now depends on you. Don’t give them anything to criticize and be obedient. Don’t irritate Director Cha. Remember how important your role is, keep it in mind.]

“Yes… I’ll hang up now.”

Hee Won opened her eyes after ending the call with President Seong. Then she slowly entered the hotel.

Her retreating figure was like that of livestock being led to slaughter.

Crossing the lobby and boarding the elevator, Hee Won pressed the button for the 12th floor.

What greeted Hee Won upon arriving at the restaurant where the ‘notorious scoundrel’ was waiting was an employee standing by.

“Welcome, Miss Seong Hee Won. He has already arrived and is waiting inside. I will escort you.”

Hee Won followed the employee’s guidance toward the room. The restaurant’s layout had a large hall right past the entrance, and past the hall were private spaces for intimate dining.

But strangely, there was not a single person in the spacious hall.

As Hee Won glanced around, the employee answered with a business smile.

“The director instructed us to clear out the entire floor today. Besides the three of us staff members, only you two are on this floor, so please feel free to talk comfortably.”

“…Oh, I see.”

Hee Won inwardly exclaimed in awe. It was a moment of realizing LS Group’s prestige once again.

“This is the room.”

Arriving at the room with the employee’s guidance, her heart began to race. Hee Won took a deep breath to calm herself.

“I’ll open the door for you.”

“Thank you.”

As the door opened, a man standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window came into view. His tall 190cm frame with broad shoulders, slim waist, and long legs was like that of a model.

“…No way.”

The moment she confirmed the man’s face, Hee Won covered her mouth with her hand.

The man’s face was very familiar.

She blinked several times thinking she was seeing things, but what she saw remained the same. The man before her eyes was the one who had not left her mind for even a moment during the past week.

“Cha… Kang Woo?”

Hee Won’s voice trembled. She hoped it wasn’t true.

The man smiled upon hearing his name. He closed the distance in one stride with his long legs.

“Yes, I am Cha Kang Woo.”

The deep, low voice that seemed to scrape the ground, the woody scent that sharply pierced her nose.

“…”

It was the most flustered moment of her life. Hee Won’s face turned deathly pale.

Kang Woo extended his hand toward Hee Won.

“Nice to meet you.”

Hee Won couldn’t think at all, faced with the fact that she had met the man she spent one night with at an arranged marriage meeting.

She blankly stared at the man’s outstretched hand.

But she couldn’t reject the hand he offered either.

Hee Won reached out and grasped Kang Woo’s hand, then raised her head.

“…I’m Seong Hee Won.”

She couldn’t read any thoughts from Kang Woo’s face as she met his gaze.

He was looking her up and down as if observing his prey. The intense gaze, everywhere his eyes touched felt like she was naked, and shame washed over her.

His gaze was the same as that night a week ago when they were together. The vivid memory of that night suddenly came flooding back, sending a shiver through her entire body.

“Let’s sit down first.”

Kang Woo spoke after releasing her hand.

Though they were facing each other, no words were exchanged.

A heavy silence descended. The atmosphere felt suffocating.

But she couldn’t just blurt out anything either.

Hee Won couldn’t avoid Kang Woo’s gaze toward her, nor could she nonchalantly meet it head-on.

To think this man was Cha Kang Woo.

The words of her half-sister Yu Na flashed through Hee Won’s mind.

[That Cha Kang Woo is disabled, isn’t he? But women flock to him because he’s rich.] [Plus, they say his face is really ugly. Apparently he has burn scars on his face that he covers with makeup.] [I couldn’t even kiss a man like that even if you gave me billions. Honestly, how could you live with a man like that no matter how important money is?]

The rumors about his ugliness and disability had all turned out to be false.

With jet black hair neatly styled and flawless skin, his cold and sharp features were perfect enough to captivate anyone passing by.

Kang Woo was the first to break the silence.

“It seems we’ve met before, haven’t we?”

“…Have we met before?”

Hee Won’s voice and eyes shook roughly. In truth, her heart sank the moment she heard those words. She hesitated on how to respond.

For now she pretended not to know, but it wasn’t a situation where she could claim it was a misunderstanding.

Hee Won felt her mouth go dry as the silence stretched on.

In that short time, countless thoughts raced through her small head.

[My name is Seong Hee Won.]

Though Kang Woo hadn’t told her his name, she had revealed hers to him.

Why did I tell him my name, Hee Won felt like sewing her mouth shut from back then.

Could it be…?

Suddenly, worry washed over her that Kang Woo might have already known who she was.

If he knew and still slept with her, perhaps he wanted to have something to hold over her, the thought caused her anxiety to grow.

But on the other hand, she questioned whether Kang Woo really needed to gain leverage over her. Even for a strategic marriage, Jinseong Foods was just a small shop compared to LS Group, ranked 1st in the business world. So gossipmongers said this marriage was a losing deal for LS Group.

If the marriage fell through now, all arrows of blame would point to her.

Of course, it’s not that Hee Won wanted this marriage. Rather, she didn’t want to do it. But she knew well that she couldn’t be the reason for the marriage to fall apart.

The fate of Jinseong Foods hung on this marriage. She already knew the company’s circumstances.

President Seong hadn’t explained the details of the marriage to Hee Won, but she had heard about the purpose of the marriage through Joo Ah.

The conversation she had with Joo Ah came to mind.

[You heard the rumors a while back about choosing Kang Woo’s wife, right? That scoundrel has also come of age for marriage, and they called him back from living abroad for succession.] [Succession?] [Yeah, he’s the eldest son. But after entering Korea, he hasn’t appeared at a single official event. So vicious rumors started circulating.] [Ah, I see.] [But that’s too awful to even mention. The rumors your half-sister Seong Yu Na told you were just the tip of the iceberg.]

The things her half-sister Seong Yu Na had said about Kang Woo were already quite severe, but to think it was even worse than that.

Hee Won no longer wanted to get married.

[So even though Cha Kang Woo is set to inherit LS Group, ranked 1st in the business world, parents with daughters were reluctant to send their daughters after hearing about that scoundrel’s terrible personality and the rumors. Plus… there were considerable rumors about his appearance too, so I didn’t expect your father to send you.]

From a young age, Hee Won knew that her father treated her as a product to be put on the marriage market.

Her every move was all for the sake of becoming a good product.

Not just her appearance and weight, but also her friendships and even her college major.

The reason President Seong sent Hee Won to study elementary education was because elementary school teachers were preferred as brides.

As a result, Hee Won had a graceful appearance and impeccable manners, becoming the top pick in the marriage market.

[Besides, your father and Chairman Cha of LS Group were university classmates. Maybe the two of them knew about this.]

Hee Won forced a smile as she met Kang Woo’s eyes, pulling up the corners of her mouth.

She wanted to appear unrattled.

Let’s just say I was drunk, that I have no memory of you at all because I was in an irrational state.

“I think this is my first time meeting you, Mr. Cha Kang Woo?”