The small, pale face seemed to frown slightly, then the closed eyes opened, revealing pitch-black pupils.

The clear, sparkling eyes, like finely crafted jewels, stared blankly into space for a moment before slowly moving to the clock on the wall.

Had she only slept for two hours?

As soon as she opened her eyes, thinking this was neither sleeping nor not sleeping, a deflating sound escaped Lee Ha Jun’s lips.

Slowly rising, Ha Jun turned her emotionless eyes to look down with a complex gaze at the man sleeping face down beside her.

What on earth did I do last night?

“Haah…”

Ha Jun let out a small sigh. As her eyes watched the man’s broad back slowly rising and falling, something entered her gaze.

“Ah, my…”

Those bright red marks drawn right in the middle of that smooth, firm back must have been done by her in some moment when she lost her senses.

“That must sting. I’m sorry.”

Ha Jun muttered indifferently in a tone that wasn’t sorry at all as she got up from the bed. Then she slowly circled around to stand in front of the man she had spent the night with.

The feeling given by her first transgression in life was quite diverse.

The man’s every aspect, so charming it took her breath away when their eyes met, numbed her senses. It was dreamy, as if floating on clouds, ticklish, and a bit strange too. And it seemed to have been tearfully good as well.

It was truly inexplicable.

Ha Jun looked down at the sleeping man’s face with confused eyes.

But a moment later, as if it had never happened, she had already returned to her usual expressionless face.

Quietly picking up the clothes dropped on the floor, Ha Jun turned her back without any lingering attachment.

Kim Yi Hyun’s eyes opened much later, when the phone rang with a call from the front desk announcing the check-out time.

As expected, though anticipated, the woman had disappeared. Of course, there was no note with her contact information either.

Her emotionless gaze and expressionless face, consistent from the start, had been telling him it would end like this.

But when that prediction turned out to be exactly right, was the bitter feeling because last night was too good?

“Or because I liked that woman.”

That was it. From the moment he first saw her, she strangely caught his eye and kept bothering him like a thorn stuck in his throat.

In fact, that’s why he ended up following the woman who was leaving as if bewitched. It was behavior completely unlike his usual self.

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

Yi Hyun muttered, then stiffened abruptly. He was startled by his own inner thoughts that came out unconsciously.

“Nonsense. She’s just a woman who disappeared anyway.”

It was just a fleeting, shallow curiosity that passed by in an instant. An impulsive curiosity that ended as a one-night dream.

Shaking his head, he got up from the bed and stood in front of the large window, vigorously pulling back the curtains.

The dazzling, scorching sunlight that poured down struck his full body, which exuded masculine charm like a well-sculpted statue.

With an elegant face befitting his perfect body, he gazed indifferently at the view of the Han River clearly visible outside the window, then suddenly turned and headed for the bathroom.

Ha Jun, who had fallen asleep immediately after returning home, woke up well after lunchtime.

Lying on her bed in her room, staring blankly at the ceiling, a faint sigh escaped Ha Jun’s lips. In just a few hours, she would have to go to what was supposed to be a blind date or something.

However, her body was still aching all over and her eyelids were unbearably heavy.

“So sleepy…”

Just as Ha Jun’s eyes were about to close again, the door burst open with a bang!

“Are you still sleeping?! You must be crazy. Hey! Get up! Hurry!”

At her sister Lee Seo Hyun’s shout, her eyes opened again. With the familiar rudeness and contemptuous gaze, Ha Jun turned her gaze away from Seo Hyun and said emotionlessly:

“I’m up.”

“If you’re up, then get out quickly and do some cleaning or something! What are you doing?! You freeloader living off our house! Are you really this family’s daughter? You’re not! You half-breed!”

“Even if I’m a half-breed, this house is mine.”

Surprised by her own inner thoughts that flowed out unconsciously, Ha Jun shut her mouth tightly. Seo Hyun’s face turned bright red.

“What are you saying now? Change the name on the deed! Just change it!”

“It’s not me who won’t change it because the taxes would be a waste.”

Let it be what it will be.

Ha Jun talked back again. Normally, she would have just silently bowed her head. What courage had come over her today?

She wondered if her first transgression in life had done something to her head.

Ha Jun wanted to just give this house to Ha Jae Suk. However, using the excuse that the taxes from changing the name would be a waste, Jae Suk left the name as is and took out the maximum mortgage loan possible.

With her father’s sudden death, the company went bankrupt and their fortunes plummeted like a lie. They say even rich people can last three years when they go broke, but for Jae Suk and Seo Hyun, mother and daughter steeped in luxury and vanity, even three years was too long.

In the end, all that was left was this house and the loan secured against it. Which Ha Jun would have to pay back in full…

Her father, who belatedly found his illegitimate child, left this one house to his daughter. There were no fond or happy memories, but when Ha Jun’s birth mother came just before dying of illness to ask him to take care of their daughter, he accepted Ha Jun without hesitation.

Although his wife Jae Suk foamed at the mouth in opposition, her father was firm.

Unlike Jae Suk, whom he married through an arranged match considering family background, Ha Jun’s birth mother was a woman he had once loved.

He couldn’t turn away the daughter whose existence he learned of after 6 years.

Moreover, it wasn’t an affair during his marriage, but from before he even met Jae Suk, so he had nothing to be ashamed of.

However, her father was always busy and indifferent to family matters.

Sometimes he would look at Ha Jun with pitying eyes, but that was all.

When her husband was around, Jae Suk just ignored Ha Jun. At her sharp words that although she accepted her as a child of this house, don’t expect love, Ha Jun’s father just remained silent.

A father always absent because he was busy, and the abuse from Jae Suk or bullying from Seo Hyun that occurred during those times were everyday life for Ha Jun.

Not even realizing that it was abuse or gaslighting, from the young age of 6, she just lived like that.

Seo Hyun, only a year older than Ha Jun, spread rumors about her and led the bullying throughout their school days. Thanks to that, she spent her long school years without a single friend.

And 5 years ago, her father, who was riding in the car Ha Jun was driving, lost his life in a traffic accident.

The drunk driver’s vehicle that hit the passenger side head-on took only her father, leaving her behind.

Afterwards, Jae Suk and Seo Hyun’s cruelty worsened.

Due to Jae Suk, who went wild claiming she had devoured her husband, Ha Jun was unable to attend her father’s funeral or send-off.

Ha Jun’s quiet personality was just like her father’s. It seemed there may have been times when she laughed and chattered when living with her mother, but it was too long ago and the memories were faint.

The young Ha Jun always quietly held her breath and watched Jae Suk’s mood. Accustomed to killing her emotions and living as if present yet absent due to the constant abuse from Jae Suk and Seo Hyun, she gradually lost her expressions.

That way, most of her emotions were already lost, and even the very little that remained, she buried deep in her heart somewhere after her father died because of her.

She was always expressionless and never raised her voice for anything. No matter how much Jae Suk and Seo Hyun cursed or hit her, Ha Jun was always indifferent.

I am a sin in my very existence, a base and useless human being.

Moreover, since father died because of me, this is only natural. It’s only natural. Repeating only those words, she simply endured and bore it silently.

How foolish indeed.

At the end of these thoughts, the peaceful face of the man sleeping soundly this morning came to mind. Strangely, it felt as if the heavy weight on her heart was quietly lightening.

The corners of Ha Jun’s mouth lifted slightly without her realizing.

At that moment, a violent kick shook her bed.

“Are you listening? I said, are you listening! Are you smiling? Are you ignoring me now?!”

Seo Hyun, who had kicked the bed with all her might, rushed in frighteningly and slapped Ha Jun, who was lying down. Jae Suk, who was just entering Ha Jun’s room, gasped at the sight and grabbed Seo Hyun’s arm.

“Seo Hyun! She has to go on a blind date later! Hit somewhere other than her face. Oh my~ I wonder if that won’t leave a mark?”

“Hmph! Tell her to cover it with makeup!”

Still not having vented her anger, Seo Hyun picked up the cushion on the chair and threw it at Ha Jun, then stomped downstairs.

Jae Suk clicked her tongue, tsk tsk, as she removed the cushion and watched Ha Jun sit up.

“Anyway, why are you like that? It’s because you’re like that that our kind Seo Hyun gets angry! Even though Seo Hyun is weak and hitting you wouldn’t do much, apply some hot compress and do your makeup well so it doesn’t show. I heard the man from the blind date likes sexy women. I’ve prepared all the clothes, so wear those and go.”

Having said her piece, Jae Suk was about to turn and leave when she suddenly stopped. Turning her head to look Ha Jun up and down, she added one more thing.

“You, you have to make a good impression on Chairman Kim. You need to please him so you can get married quickly~”

“How much did you agree to receive?”

At Ha Jun’s sudden question, Jae Suk’s eyes widened. Her eyes, which couldn’t move well due to too much Botox, looked grotesque.

“What? Where do you get off talking back! What does it matter how much? Oh my~ It’s unfair enough that I had to take in an illegitimate child! How dare you ask about the price of raising you without kicking you out even after you devoured my husband! You should be grateful. Where in the world is there a stepmother who would get a rich husband for someone unlucky like you!”

Jae Suk, who had been fuming, slammed the door shut with a bang−!! as if she would break it, and went outside.

“It’s the price for my body… Why don’t I know?”

Ha Jun, who had been muttering indifferently, let out a small groan, ugh.

“My body is so weak… The inside of my mouth is all torn up.”

She pulled out a tissue and spat, ptoo, and red blood came out mixed with the saliva. Ha Jun threw the bloodstained tissue onto the bedside table and lay back down, pulling the covers over herself.

When she closed her eyes, this time the handsome face of the man who had reigned over her last night, his cold eyes filled with ecstasy, came to mind.

Unlike herself, she had followed a man she had never seen before for the first time in her life.

As if bewitched by something.

She felt a strange feeling she had never experienced before in her life. Should she say her heart felt ticklish?

Although there had been no shortage of men who approached her, attracted by Ha Jun’s appearance, she had never felt this way before…

She thought she must have been crazy in that moment, but she had no regrets about last night’s events.

A very small smile appeared on Ha Jun’s lips.

Last night’s escapade with the handsome man would become a happy memory for her that she could smile about when she suddenly recalled it.

One good memory was created in Ha Jun’s life that had nothing good in it.