Ding!

As the elevator door opened on the 24th floor with a cheerful mechanical sound, Green’s heart rate began to rise.

‘Stay calm, Han Green. You can do this.’

Stepping out of the elevator and passing through the large glass doors, numerous partitions and desks spread out before her eyes. People focused on their work didn’t even glance at the unfamiliar woman.

At the end of the long corridor, a large door appeared. As Green knocked and carefully entered, a tall, well-built man greeted her.

“Are you Han Green?”

“Yes. Are you Jin Sun Woo?”

“No, the director is in a meeting right now. When the people who arrived first come out, you can go in then.”

“I see.”

The man who had been looking at Green with curious eyes suddenly saw his ringing phone and hurriedly went outside, excusing himself.

At that moment, the tightly closed director’s office door opened, and two men with gloomy faces came out.

“Director, you caught that again like a ghost.”

“I know. Even though the team members looked at it for three days straight and couldn’t find it… Looks like we’ll be working overtime.”

The two men who had been grumbling to themselves hurriedly left when they made eye contact with Green.

‘Should I go in now?’

As Green was about to push open the slightly ajar director’s office door, a voice flowed out from inside.

“What’s the reason for the delay in the Hyewon City Hall project permit?”

Though not loud, the firm and charming baritone indicated that work was not yet finished.

“Well, the civil servants are so stuck in their ways…”

“Does looking for the cause only externally give you an answer?”

Unable to contain her curiosity, Green peeked inside through the open door crack.

She saw the face of a young man glaring at the monitor with piercing eyes. Though handsome, he exuded a chilling coldness that seemed impenetrable.

‘Is that Jin Sun Woo?’

His grandfather was a former National Assembly Speaker, and his father, Jin Young Cheol, was a current four-term congressman.

Not only that, his maternal grandfather was the founder of K1 Construction, and his mother, Park In Young, was the vice chairman of K1 Construction.

Green’s father always emphasized, spitting as he spoke, that Sun Woo was the golden child born from the union of prestigious political and business families.

So Green had easily judged that Sun Woo would be an arrogant, selfish, unlikable, and willful young master. But seeing him in person, he was, well… very different from her expectations.

“It’s a budget of over trillion won. It would be stranger if it got approved easily. Explain and persuade more easily about the complex development project. Emphasize that it’s a development that achieves greater synergy by linking various facilities for culture, leisure, business, residential, and commercial purposes. Make a new project proposal emphasizing that point.”

“Yes, Director.”

She had expected him to be a clueless young master or have an arrogant personality because he was born with a diamond spoon in his mouth, but he seemed quite capable, as cold and calm as he was.

Above all, his face was so striking that she felt the urge to press the camera shutter right away.

His straight forehead, dark eyebrows, sharp nose bridge and jawline were artistically harmonious. His well-shaped red lips, in stark contrast to his cold eyes, made Green’s heart flutter as she secretly peeked.

‘Even actors and models have differences between their left and right faces, but this man would look good in photos from any angle.’

Just as she was half-entranced by the face that professionally satisfied her completely, suddenly the door in front of her swung open wide.

The man who had been scolded by Sun Woo until just now left the director’s office with an expression as if his soul had been completely shaken out.

Green knocked on the already open door and went inside. Sun Woo, who had been glaring at the monitor with a frown, lifted his head to look at her.

“Are you Han Green, Han Moon Taek’s daughter?”

“Yes.”

Sun Woo gestured to the guest sofa. Green carefully approached the sofa and perched on the edge with an awkward posture.

As he came to sit in the main seat of the sofa, a fresh woody scent invaded Green’s nostrils. Just as she was about to take a deep breath unconsciously, Sun Woo’s dry voice was heard.

“I have 13 minutes left. Will that be possible?”

It was 15 minutes earlier, but now it had been reduced by 2 minutes. Green looked at Sun Woo with displeasure, but she had no choice.

“It’s possible.”

“Then let’s begin.”

Sun Woo leaned back on the sofa, crossed his long legs, and placed his interlocked hands on his firm thighs.

He was perfectly expressing with his body, not words, that he would listen to her words for 13 minutes.

After taking a moment to collect herself, Green opened her mouth.

“As you know, we’re having our first meeting next week. If nothing changes, we’ll get married too.”

“Yes.”

“I’m sure my father caught some weakness of Congressman Jin Young Cheol and blackmailed him. Because there’s no way this marriage would happen otherwise.”

“That’s right. You know very accurately.”

Green took a deep breath, then took out an envelope from her bag and handed it to him.

“I hope something unexpected happens at next week’s meeting.”

Sun Woo, who had been leisurely leaning back on the sofa until then, slowly uncrossed his legs and straightened his back. He looked at the envelope Green had presented with interest.

“Are you saying there’s something in here that will cause the unexpected?”

“It’s evidence of Han Moon Taek’s corruption. This should be enough for Jin Sun Woo’s side to overturn this marriage.”

“Very interesting.”

Sun Woo’s eyes shone sharply like a predator before its prey, as if it wasn’t just lip service.

Yet he didn’t readily reach for the envelope. Green found this very strange.

“If you’re suspicious, you can check the contents right here.”

“No, it’s not that.”

Sun Woo still didn’t touch even a fingertip to the envelope. Instead, he looked at Green in front of him anew.

His dark eyes gazed at her as if measuring her true intentions. Under Sun Woo’s sharp gaze staring openly at her, Green’s heart raced fast even though she hadn’t done anything wrong.

‘There’s nothing to be afraid of. I haven’t committed any crime.’

Flustered by her body’s reaction, Green unconsciously cleared her throat. At that moment, as if he had finished figuring everything out, Sun Woo opened his mouth.

“There’s something Han Green doesn’t know yet.”

“What is it?”

“I want this marriage to happen for sure.”

Green’s eyes widened, wondering what nonsense he was spouting. Thinking he might not have grasped the situation, Green explained the situation again.

“This marriage, it’s happening because my father blackmailed your father!”

“I know.”

“And you still want to do it? Marry me?”

“Yes. With Han Green.”

“Why? Did you fall for me?”

After blurting out those last words, Green wanted to bite off her tongue that was wagging on its own.

It clearly wasn’t in her brain, so why did it come out of her mouth?

Surprisingly, Sun Woo smiled! Though he didn’t make a sound, Green could see that the corners of his mouth curled up very slightly.

Meanwhile, feeling that his smile was very sexy, Green wondered if she had finally gone crazy.

Sun Woo, who had already returned to an expressionless face, opened his mouth calmly.

“It’s not like that, but if someone asks later, I’ll answer that way.”

“Then why…?”

As she stammered with her face flushed bright red, unable to hide it, Sun Woo’s expression suddenly turned cold.

“My father really hates the idea of this marriage happening.”

“What?”

Green was surprised once again by Sun Woo’s unexpected answer.

“So because your father, Congressman Jin Young Cheol, hates the idea of this marriage happening so much, Jin Sun Woo absolutely has to go through with it?”

“That’s right.”

“Regardless of who the other person is?”

“Yes.”

“Are you some kind of contrarian?”

Sun Woo then looked at Green as if amused.

“That doesn’t seem like something someone who personally brought her father’s corruption files should say, does it?”

At those words that were so accurate, Green bit her lip hard. But she couldn’t back down here.

Thinking it was now or never, Green began to spill out everything inside her.

“You think I’m doing this because I want to? All this time, even when I didn’t like what my father was doing, I let it slide thinking that’s just how things are for journalists. But blackmail marriage, this is really not okay, right? I have no intention of dancing to my father’s tune.”

Even as he watched her get so worked up that her face turned red, Sun Woo made no reply. That fact made Green even more anxious.

“This marriage that my father is so desperate for, I need to definitely overturn it and give him a big slap in the face, but you’re going to make this marriage happen to give your father a big slap in the face? Don’t even think about saying such nonsense!”

As Green was getting heated, she made direct eye contact with Sun Woo, who was still sitting with a calm expression. Only then realizing that she had gotten too excited, she muttered, slightly deflated.

“You’re a capable person, so you’ll be able to find other ways to give Congressman Jin a big slap in the face. So yield this big slap to me.”

Sun Woo, who had been just watching Green as if enjoying a one-person play, finally opened his mouth.

“As expected, I’m not the only contrarian.”

Though his tone was blunt, there was playfulness in Sun Woo’s eyes, and the corners of his mouth were raised even more than before.

Sun Woo’s good looks when he had a cold expression, when he was fiercely focused on work, were very handsome, but Sun Woo’s handsomeness when he smiled with raised corners of his mouth was out of this world.

But to Green, whose anger had not subsided, Sun Woo’s smiling handsomeness became rather toxic.

‘A handsome bastard even trying to take away the big slap, what a dirty world where the haves take everything!’

Green glared at him with displeasure, her anger still not subsided.

Sun Woo leaned back in his chair again leisurely and crossed his long legs.

“I have a proposal for Han Green.”

“What kind of proposal?”

Green replied grumpily, frustrated that Sun Woo wasn’t moving according to plan.

“If Han Green shows up to next week’s meeting as scheduled.”

Sun Woo paused briefly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips again, but Green wasn’t fooled. Because his eyes turned cold in an instant.

“I’ll prepare the big slap for your future father-in-law.”

Receiving an unexpected proposal from Sun Woo, Green blinked her eyes rapidly.

“If Han Green cooperates with this marriage, I’ll be the one to ruin Han Moon Taek’s future. I guarantee it will be much more dramatic than doing it yourself.”

“Are you serious?”

“Also, I’ll make it so Han Moon Taek can no longer use Han Green.”

Green sincerely thought it would be good if things went as he said. But how? Did such a method even exist in this world?

Noticing that she was conflicted, Sun Woo deliberately glanced down at his watch.

“Ten minutes have passed. I only have 3 minutes left that I can use for Han Green. Let’s decide.”

“Wait! Marriage isn’t something that can be decided so easily!”

Green snapped with a frown. She was anxious because her plan to call off the marriage was flowing in an unexpected direction.

“Shall I help you decide? If Green wants, I’ll also provide appropriate economic compensation.”

For a moment, Green’s eyes narrowed. Is this the contract marriage she had only seen in dramas?

‘If it’s appropriate economic compensation, would he cover my mother’s hospital bills too?’

Every time the hospital bills were late, she got tired of having to beg her father, so she was truly tempted by the words ‘economic compensation.’

Sun Woo’s assurance that he would make sure she would never be used by her father again also swayed her heart. If she could escape her father’s shadow, she was certain this was clearly an opportunity for her to live a new life.

Noticing Green’s wavering, Sun Woo added leisurely.

“If Han Green agrees, I’ll do my best to cooperate so you won’t regret this marriage. We’re in the same boat now, after all.”

“Can you take responsibility for those words?”

“Let’s write a contract. We’ll discuss the specific details on the day of the meeting. With conditions that will satisfy both of us.”

“Alright. Let’s do it, let’s get married!”

Finally hearing the answer he wanted, the corners of Sun Woo’s mouth twitched with satisfaction. Green quickly added, worried that he might be negligent in preparing the big slap.

“But show me the big slap you’ve prepared the day before the meeting. If it’s not up to par, I won’t show up to the meeting.”

“It will definitely be to Han Green’s liking. I promise.”

Strangely enough, Green believed Sun Woo’s answer, though they had just met today. After all, a widow’s circumstances are known by a widower, and a contrarian’s circumstances are known by another contrarian.

She felt certain that Sun Woo would prepare a tremendous big slap that would turn Han Moon Taek’s insides upside down. More than anyone else, with a very willing heart!

Sun Woo stood up and extended his hand towards Green.

“I look forward to working with you, Han Green.”

“I look forward to working with you too, Jin Sun Woo.”

The two people’s right hands firmly clasped together. Green’s eyes looking at Sun Woo were sparkling with the joy of discovering a kindred spirit.