“Ho ho. The weather is nice today.”

Hee Won’s mood sank at President Seong’s words. Today’s fine dust level was bad. The air was murky, and the sky was gray, covered with ultrafine and fine dust. Yet he was saying the weather was nice.

“You should be grateful to your father. To think someone like you gets to be called the lady of LS Group, heh heh. I’ve certainly raised my child well.”

Hee Won’s face darkened at his words.

Perhaps due to the joy of things going according to his plan, the smile never left Seong Hyun Je’s face.

His second wife and Hee Won’s stepmother, Choo Hyun Jung, glanced at him with disdain. She bit down hard on her lower lip, painted with red lipstick.

Her anger towards her husband naturally turned towards Hee Won.

“They say there’s no useless servant. I guess you have your uses too.”

Choo Hyun Jung’s words, full of thorns, were something Hee Won had heard countless times since childhood.

Choo Hyun Jung glared at Hee Won, who never showed emotion no matter how much she was mistreated.

‘Our Yu Na should have been in that position.’

If only the other party hadn’t been rumored to be a scoundrel, Choo Hyun Jung would have sent her own daughter, not Hee Won, to be the daughter-in-law of LS Group.

In frustration, Choo Hyun Jung clenched her hand with its red-painted nails.

And sitting next to her was Yu Na, oblivious to her mother’s feelings, happily using her phone.

There was only one reason Hee Won endured Choo Hyun Jung’s mistreatment.

From the beginning, this house was never a home to her, and the people before her were only legally bound, not family.

“That’s right. Go and be careful not to shame the family. Be extra careful not to be looked down upon for lacking home training.”

Choo Hyun Jung’s words were never for her sake. She was one of the people who wished for Hee Won’s unhappiness.

So showing emotion to such words would only be to her disadvantage.

“I’ll take your advice to heart, mother, and be extra careful.”

Hee Won’s calm voice raised Choo Hyun Jung’s temper.

“You, did you hear me properly? Mom!”

At that moment, President Seong, who had been happily drinking, put down his glass with a thud.

“Enough.”

President Seong looked at Choo Hyun Jung with a somewhat hardened expression.

“Tsk. Don’t create unnecessary strife over a good thing. Hee Won, you don’t need to mind your mother’s words either. It’s all said out of concern for you. That’s what family is for.”

President Seong’s words made the atmosphere even chillier.

Hee Won felt a surge of emotion at President Seong’s words.

Neglect from her birth father, abuse from her stepmother. How could this be called family?

They had never once been family to her.

But weak emotions soon became weaknesses, weapons they could use to manipulate her.

This was something she had learned through years of abuse. So Hee Won tried hard not to let her emotions show.

“Yes, father.”

Pleased with Hee Won’s response, President Seong laughed heartily.

“That’s right, that’s right. Even after marriage, you’re still Jin Seong’s person. Of course, before that, you’re LS’s person. Heh heh. From now on, it’s smooth sailing for Jin Seong. I’ve certainly raised one daughter well.”

Meanwhile, Hee Won’s eyes grew cold as she looked at President Seong.

A moment later, the door opened and Kang Woo entered.

Hee Won’s eyes met Kang Woo’s as he came in. He nodded slightly towards her.

“Huh? What? It’s that person?”

Hee Won heard Yu Na’s surprised voice.

“They said he was ugly. His face is weird!”

The corners of Hee Won’s mouth turned up unknowingly. Hearing Yu Na’s words gave her an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

“This can’t be! How can that person be Cha Kang Woo.”

Yu Na stared at Kang Woo and shouted. The eyes of one who couldn’t have what she wanted were filled with madness.

The commotion was brief.

“Won’t you be quiet?”

Soon after, President Seong pushed Yu Na towards Choo Hyun Jung as he saw Chairman Cha and his wife enter.

When the flustered Seong Yu Na tried to shout, President Seong frowned deeply. All Seong Yu Na could do, rendered mute, was glare at Hee Won.

Hee Won pretended not to notice and only looked at Kang Woo. Kang Woo’s gaze was also fixed on Hee Won.

Seong Hyun Je approached Chairman Cha as if nothing had happened.

“You’ve arrived?”

“Yes. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? To think we’d meet like this.”

Chairman Cha responded to President Seong’s friendly greeting with a plain voice.

“Ho ho, I never thought I’d become in-laws with my senior. It’s an honor.”

“Indeed. I never thought I’d become in-laws with Seong Hyun Je either. Let’s sit down first.”

After brief greetings were exchanged and Chairman Cha sat down, food was quickly laid out on the table.

Chairman Cha raised his glass with President Seong.

“They say you never know about human affairs, and yet our fates have intertwined like this.”

Chairman Cha’s sharp gaze touched President Seong and then fell away. The next place his gaze landed was on Hee Won.

She doesn’t seem like Seong Hyun Je’s daughter.

Chairman Cha’s eyes narrowed as he raised his glass. As the head of LS Group, he prided himself on having an excellent eye for people.

In truth, Chairman Cha wasn’t entirely pleased with this marriage.

While he thought it was time for Kang Woo to marry, he was concerned about the family of the potential bride.

Chairman Cha thought, how much better it would have been if the in-law wasn’t Seong Hyun Je.

He had no choice other than Hee Won. Yet, even now, he couldn’t completely let go of the lingering regret that his daughter-in-law could have come from a better environment.

This was because since college, Seong Hyun Je had been a junior with excessive greed. He didn’t view him favorably, thinking he was a man who acted out without knowing his place.

However, perhaps due to rumors, no one was willing to marry Kang Woo.

As time passed, he grew anxious, and Chairman Cha finally learned who had spread those rumors.

It was none other than his own son, Cha Kang Woo.

He discovered that Kang Woo, who had declared he would never marry, had been spreading all sorts of rumors behind his back, but Chairman Cha couldn’t blame his son.

He knew why Kang Woo was so negative about marriage.

Kang Woo’s birth mother had left when he was young.

Chairman Cha hadn’t told his son anything about his birth mother and hadn’t officially revealed anything.

Countless rumors circulated about the birth mother.

Moreover, people around them said they should fill the void left by the missing birth mother.

All conclusions pointed to one thing. Taking a second wife.

Chairman Cha thought that after remarrying, the rumors would die down and Kang Woo would stabilize.

However, there were side effects to a forcibly created relationship.

Chairman Cha’s expectations began to twist after his second wife, Madam So, gave birth to Seok Hoon.

Madam So, who had been affectionate, grew cold towards Kang Woo and tried to usurp his place.

Because Chairman Cha thoroughly protected both Kang Woo and Seok Hoon, the son born to Madam So, from the media, there was no leak of family discord to the outside world, and outwardly, they appeared to be a harmonious family, rare among chaebol households.

Chairman Cha was a person who cared about honor and others’ perceptions, and divorce was absolutely out of the question, so he turned a blind eye to Madam So’s misdeeds.

On the other hand, he hoped that Kang Woo would claim his rightful place on his own. But contrary to his wishes, in the year Kang Woo became a first-year middle school student, he fell into a serious mental state.

Under the doctor’s diagnosis, Chairman Cha sent his son abroad. The father-son relationship became irreparably distant.

It was difficult to even exchange a warm greeting, and Kang Woo never sought out Chairman Cha except for business matters.

But recently,

For some reason, Kang Woo, who had adamantly refused marriage, said he would marry.

Chairman Cha had no grounds to object. After all, he was the one who had initially pushed for this marriage.

However, he still had concerns about Hee Won. Like father, like daughter, he wondered how greedy Seong Hyun Je’s daughter might be.

Perhaps feeling Chairman Cha’s gaze, Hee Won, who had been lifting her teacup with unwavering dignity, turned her head.

As their eyes met, she gave an awkward smile and slightly bowed her head towards Chairman Cha.

Meeting Hee Won in person was unexpected. Unlike her father, the daughter seemed pure and innocent.

A greedy father, a covetous mother, and a sister who shamelessly eyed her elder sister’s future husband with lustful eyes.

‘It’s surprising she came from such a group. She might be a gem.’

Somehow, Chairman Cha took a liking to Hee Won.

“Since the parties involved agree, let’s proceed with the wedding as quickly as possible. How about three weeks from now?”

Thus, even the wedding date was set at this first meeting between the families.

The corners of President Seong’s mouth turned up at Chairman Cha’s words after he set down his glass.

It had been worth raising Hee Won.

With the marriage to LS Group now certain, President Seong was overjoyed.

“That works for us too. There’s no reason to delay further.”

He said, covering his twitching mouth with his palm to hide his joy.

* * *

After concluding the meeting, Seong Hyun Je stayed behind in the room, saying he had business with Chairman Cha.

Kang Woo approached Hee Won as she left the room.

“Do you have any plans next?”

“Pardon? No.”

“How about some tea?”

“…Oh.”

Kang Woo’s words sounded like an invitation for a date.

Hee Won’s heart began to race.

In fact, until just moments ago, her thoughts had been filled with Kang Woo. Even though it wasn’t their first meeting, Kang Woo’s gaze across from her had been so intense that she couldn’t think of anything else while sitting opposite him.

Whenever their eyes met, her heart didn’t just ‘thump thump’, but ‘thump-THUMP thump-THUMP’.

So Kang Woo’s suggestion was welcome. She too wanted to spend more time with him.

But.

Instead of answering, Hee Won turned to look at Choo Hyun Jung.

When their eyes met, Choo Hyun Jung’s face scrunched up as if she had eaten something foul.

To spend time alone with Kang Woo, she needed Choo Hyun Jung’s permission.

But it was clear she wouldn’t grant it.

Beyond being a thorn in her side, Choo Hyun Jung despised and hated her.