Green’s voice, transmitted through the phone, was filled with excitement.

Satisfied that he had pleased her, the corners of Sun Woo’s mouth quietly turned upward.

“May I assume that Miss Han Green will be attending the family meeting tomorrow?”

“Very good.”

After concluding the satisfactory call with Green, Sun Woo immediately left the office and headed to Seongbuk-dong. This was because his mother, Park In Young, the vice chairman of K1 Construction, had summoned him.

As the garage door of a luxurious house in Seongbuk-dong opened, the high-end sedan Sun Woo was riding in glided inside.

Though it was the day before the family meeting, the house was excessively quiet. Upon entering the living room, Sun Woo immediately looked for his mother, Park In Young.

“The Vice Chairman is waiting for you in the study.”

After taking a moment to compose himself in front of the study, Sun Woo calmly knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

As he opened the study door and entered, In Young, who had been examining a pile of documents at her desk, took off her glasses to greet him.

“You’re late from work.”

“Two hours ago, we received a positive response from Marseille, France. There’s a 90% chance that K1 Construction will be selected.”

“Well done.”

A faint smile flickered across In Young’s face and then disappeared. She pulled out a small memo from her drawer and handed it to Sun Woo.

“This is the location and time for tomorrow’s family meeting. Your father and I will stop by Pyeongchang-dong in the morning before heading there. Make sure you arrive on time as well.”

“Understood.”

Even for matters that could be handled through text messages or phone calls, In Young always used memo notes.

As usual, Sun Woo memorized the contents of the memo and then put it in the paper shredder in front of In Young.

“The article on the front page of the Korea Daily a few days ago, is that why this marriage is proceeding?”

In Young frowned at Sun Woo’s question. She seemed to have hoped he wouldn’t know about this.

“What article are you talking about?”

“It said that the prosecutor’s office is summoning and investigating the CEO of P Communications for allegedly providing sexual entertainment to politicians from both parties at a villa. Is that the weakness Father has that Han Moon Taek is exploiting?”

“Your father said it wasn’t him.”

Having confirmed that Sun Woo knew everything, In Young admitted it straightforwardly.

In fact, Jin Young Cheol had only told Sun Woo that he was being blackmailed by Han Moon Taek, without revealing the specific details of the blackmail.

However, when the Korea Daily broke the story exclusively, and Wide Current Affairs, where Han Moon Taek was the representative, eagerly followed up with additional reports, Sun Woo had a gut feeling.

The fact that his father, Jin Young Cheol, was being blackmailed by Han Moon Taek over this incident.

Park In Young took out two photographs from her drawer and handed them to Sun Woo.

“These are photos Han Moon Taek sent two months ago.”

The first photo clearly showed the license plate of a car driving down a country road, while the other distinctly captured Jin Young Cheol’s face as he was driving.

“The road where the car was photographed is the entrance to that villa. It’s been shown dozens of times on the news. And the date stamped on the photo is the day in question.”

“That’s right. But your father says he went to the villa at 3 PM, as shown in the photo, and left at 5 PM. The incident occurred after 8 PM.”

“Is there any evidence that he left the villa at 5 PM?”

“No. If we could just find that, we could escape this blackmail…”

“Don’t tell me you actually believe Father’s words?”

“Is there any reason not to believe him?”

Sun Woo was genuinely curious whether the always cool and rational In Young truly believed those nonsensical words, or if she just wanted to believe them.

“If he has no connection to that incident, why did Father go to the villa that day?”

“He says he can’t reveal the reason. But I have my suspicions.”

“Ha!”

It was absurd. There was evidence that Jin Young Cheol had entered the villa, but no evidence that he had left early. Moreover, he couldn’t even disclose why he went to the villa.

Yet In Young said there was no reason not to believe her husband.

Sun Woo looked at In Young as if he couldn’t understand, but her faith in her husband remained unshaken.

In Young carefully opened her mouth, as if seeking Sun Woo’s understanding.

“Right now, all circumstances are too unfavorable for your father. We’ve tried to find a way, but it seems we have no choice. For now, we need to proceed with your marriage as that man demands.”

“It doesn’t matter. The women I’ve been meeting for arranged marriages and Han Moon Taek’s daughter are all the same to me.”

“What a thoughtless thing to say. The women from the families your father introduced could all empower you.”

For a moment, Sun Woo looked at In Young as if he was hurt.

Jin Young Cheol’s introductions to daughters of influential politicians were because he wanted Sun Woo to leave K1 Construction and enter politics. Yet In Young was acting as if she had no objections.

“Do you want me to leave the company and enter politics?”

“If that’s what you want, then you should.”

“…”

“Sun Woo. Your father said that as soon as he finds evidence to prove his innocence, he’ll immediately file for divorce. So I hope you can be patient for a little while.”

Looking at In Young, who still seemed to have no intention of holding on, Sun Woo quickly regained his composure.

He decided to reveal to In Young his plan to make the marriage with Green happen.

“Why do you think Han Moon Taek is so desperate to become in-laws with K1 Construction?”

“His first goal is probably to sell you off to place K1 Construction ads in the Korea Daily and Wide Current Affairs. He’s already contacted the marketing team. Isn’t it so transparent? It looks like he plans to use his connection as our in-law for something in the future, but we’ll have to keep watching.”

“That’s why I was thinking, I’d like to proceed with the wedding at this time.”

Sun Woo handed In Young a memo with his desired wedding date and future plans.

After reviewing Sun Woo’s memo, In Young’s eyes widened in surprise. Even she hadn’t expected this content.

“Are you… serious?”

“Yes.”

“Will Han Green just go along with it?”

“She was more delighted than anyone else.”

Recalling Green’s reaction from earlier, the corners of Sun Woo’s mouth turned up slightly.

At that moment, In Young’s eyes narrowed. She scrutinized his face closely, as if not wanting to miss even the slightest expression.

“Sun Woo, you.”

“Yes?”

Sun Woo, his face already back to its usual expressionless state, looked at In Young quizzically.

In Young, who had been looking at Sun Woo as if she had something to say, soon composed her emotions and turned her gaze away.

“You can go now. I’ll see you at the family meeting tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

After quietly bowing and leaving the study, Sun Woo stood in front of the closed study door for a while, unable to take a step. An inexplicable feeling of oppression came over him, weighing down his chest.

“Do you want me to leave the company and enter politics?”

“If that’s what you want, then you should.”

Recalling his conversation with In Young from earlier, Sun Woo’s face involuntarily crumpled.

‘How much more do I need to prove myself?’

With a bitter smile, Sun Woo slowly left the Seongbuk-dong house.

As the oppressive feeling that had always weighed on his chest since he was 9 years old resurfaced, Sun Woo felt as if he was walking alone in the middle of a barren desert.

*****

On the morning of the family meeting, Green ran to Hannah’s house in the same state she had woken up in.

“I told you today is the family meeting, right? I’m entrusting myself entirely to you, Hannah. Mold me as you wish.”

“What a troublesome guest we have from the morning. Hey, you should have at least washed your hair before coming!”

Hannah grumbled at Green’s disheveled appearance, but she transformed her with the skill of Cinderella’s fairy godmother.

First, she chose a modest two-piece suit suitable for the family meeting, then used a hair iron to puff up Green’s bangs and crown before tying it neatly.

“If you’re just going to tie it up anyway, why use the hair iron?”

“Silly. There’s a world of difference between just tying it up and using a hair iron first. Stop talking and just stay still while I do it.”

At Hannah’s scolding, Green decided to keep her mouth shut. Leave medicine to the pharmacist, medical treatment to the doctor, and transformation to Hannah!

Meanwhile, Hannah finished the base makeup and moved on to lip and eye makeup, even attaching false eyelashes and perfectly drawing the eyebrows.

“Um, isn’t attaching false eyelashes a bit too much?”

“These days, people wear false eyelashes even to work. Do you think everyone lives as they were born like you?”

Hannah, having finished all the preparations, pulled Green in front of a large mirror. She couldn’t hide her satisfaction with her own handiwork.

“How is it? Do you like it?”

“…It’s strange. I don’t look like myself.”

“After I’ve worked my ass off to turn this pumpkin into a carriage, that’s all you have to say?”

“Really, don’t I look weird?”

“You don’t look weird. Your skin is so good it’s even pretty. Are you deliberately saying this to hear me say that?”

No matter how much Hannah emphasized that she looked pretty, Green kept pacing in front of the mirror, seemingly uncomfortable with her appearance.

Then Jenny, who had been watching Green and Hannah’s bickering from the corner, suddenly stood up and approached Green.

“Don’t you have a wristwatch? A watch would look good with that outfit.”

“Who wears a wristwatch these days? We have smartphones.”

Sighing lightly at Green’s words, Jenny unfastened the watch from her own wrist and put it on Green’s left wrist.

Unlike the nonchalant Green, Hannah was startled and tried to stop Jenny.

“Are you crazy?! You can’t just casually put a 20 million won watch on Green’s left wrist, it’ll paralyze her.”

“What?”

Hannah’s prediction was completely off the mark. As soon as she heard that Jenny’s watch was worth 20 million won, it wasn’t just Green’s left wrist that was paralyzed, but her entire body.

Only after taking at least twenty deep breaths did Green manage to regain her composure. She left Hannah’s house, carrying the designer bag that Jenny had lent her as well.

With a luxury watch on one hand and a luxury bag in the other, she felt as if both her arms had become incredibly heavy.

Han Moon Taek had been waiting in the car in front of the house for 30 minutes.

He had been constantly texting, urging her to come out quickly, but when an unfamiliar woman opened the passenger door and got in, he was startled.

“Why are you so surprised? You said I was late. Let’s go quickly.”

“Ah, Green, it was you?”

“Did you think it was someone else?”

Even though she herself had found her reflection in the mirror unfamiliar, Green felt annoyed when her father didn’t recognize her right away.

“Make sure you keep your promise. In exchange for me obediently attending the family meeting today, you must visit Mom’s hospital when I go on my business trip. And make sure to take care of the nursing expenses too.”

“I told you I would, didn’t I? How many times do I have to repeat the same thing?”

Grumbling as if displeased, Han Moon Taek hurriedly started the car. Perhaps due to nervousness, he remained silent for a while before glancing sideways at his daughter.

“There’s nothing to feel inferior about. People’s lives are all the same, and being rich doesn’t mean they eat five meals a day.”

“Yes.”

Although the words were meant to ease Green’s tension, it was actually Han Moon Taek who was feeling insecure about the upcoming family meeting. He licked his lips unnecessarily and muttered discontentedly.

“If only you had studied a bit harder and gotten into the Korea Daily, wouldn’t that have been better? We sent you to photography school and even let you retake the exam despite our tight budget, but you put your studies on the back burner and hung out with those model kids instead.”

Green’s entry into the Korea Daily had been Han Moon Taek’s lifelong wish, but it was a nightmare for her.

Becoming a reporter meant living a life like her father’s.

She didn’t want to deal with corrupt politicians, nor did she want to see people acting high and mighty as if they were doing something great in the world.

Green had never regretted becoming a photographer. There was nothing in the world that could excite her as much as the thrill of capturing the most beautiful moment, the most dramatic instant of her subject through the camera lens.

As she continued to ignore Han Moon Taek’s ongoing nagging, they finally arrived at the K1 Hotel, the venue for the family meeting.

It was the moment when the family meeting between two families who hated and despised each other was about to take place.