“No, Yul Li. Don’t. I’ll do it. But please keep our wedding cancellation a secret until I speak to my grandfather. He should be the first to know.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Unaware of everything, Yul Li nodded innocently.

Damn, she’s so beautiful.

The desire for her was overwhelming, and Min Woo cursed inwardly again.

“Why are you only sending this to me now? Huh?”

Min Woo, his face alternating between red and pale, threw the tablet PC at his secretary. He had received the photos of the Geoje resort exactly one hour after parting with Yul Li.

The man in the photo could only be seen from the back, but it was undoubtedly Je Ho. How could it not be? His eyes bulged with rage the moment he saw the photo.

What the hell have they been doing behind my back?
Min Woo wanted to rush to Je Ho and smash his arrogant face. If Je Ho had dared to touch Yul Li first, he would mercilessly crush him until Je Ho begged for death. But that was a matter for later; he had other things to deal with now.

“Where’s my father-in-law now?”

“Your father-in-law?”

“Who else but Chae Hyung Sik, the congressman! Where is he now, huh?”

After learning that the congressman was at the central party office for a by-election matter, Min Woo immediately went there. Confronting Chae, Min Woo presented the photos from Geoje Resort.

“I met Yul Li today. She said something interesting. She wants to break off the engagement. Is it because of this?”

“Sit down first.”

Chae received Min Woo calmly.

“Where did you get these photos?”

“Someone close to you must have thought I wasn’t capable, so they gave them to me.”

“I see.”

Even after realizing the leak came from his side, Chae, an experienced politician, showed no significant reaction.

“I’ll post online that she broke off the engagement due to an affair with my cousin. You know better than I do how much Yul Li’s image influences voters. Such a scandal would have a great impact on the next election.”

“Don’t beat around the bush. What do you want?”

Chae asked directly.

“Let this marriage proceed as planned.”

“I can’t force a girl who doesn’t want to marry into the wedding hall.”

Typically calm as a seasoned politician, Chae remained nonchalant. But he couldn’t hold out for long. Min Woo revealed his other card.

“Why can’t you? You’re the one who forcibly stopped your adult child from leaving.”

Chae’s eyebrow twitched, showing a slight crack in his stoic façade.

“I’m aware of the incident where you were accused of hitting for over three weeks. I have the hospital reports. I’ll release them too. It’ll go like this: The eldest daughter ran away with a man, and you brought her back for some loving discipline. Her history with men goes way back.”

Although most of it was baseless rumors, the fact that Chae had been violent towards Yul Li was true. This seemed to weigh on Chae, who remained silent for a while before slowly speaking.

“Yul Li won’t budge with such rumors. You know her personality.”

“That’s why I came to you instead of threatening Yul Li. It will impact you more.”

Expecting Chae to surrender easily, Min Woo changed his approach when Chae remained silent.

“So, father-in-law, please find a solution. You know better how to handle Yul Li. Please help me, father-in-law.”

Dropping his previously dominant demeanor, Min Woo knelt and bowed his head in front of Chae. It was a gesture of desperation from Min Woo, who had never knelt even before Chairman Kwon.
“If you let me marry Yul Li, I will do anything for my father-in-law. I am the next chairman of KG Group. I will support your election campaigns both materially and morally. You have to run in the next presidential election.”

A long silence followed. As Min Woo’s feet started to feel numb, Congressman Chae stood up and put his hand on Min Woo’s shoulder.

“Alright, that’s enough. You can go now.”

“Father-in-law.”

“The wedding will proceed as planned, so don’t worry.”

Min Woo’s face brightened as he lifted his head. Congressman Chae patted his shoulder emotionlessly.

“What brings you here suddenly?”

Je Ho looked down at Yul Li, who stood at his gate, surprised.

Yul Li stood leaning against the wall, smiling at him. Je Ho had not expected her, but he hurried out to open the gate when he saw her through the door camera.

“I was passing by and thought I’d drop in. I wanted to thank you for yesterday.”

“You should have called first. What if I wasn’t here?”

“If you weren’t… well, I would have just left.”

Yul Li expected him to invite her in, but Je Ho stood at the gate without moving.

Why isn’t he letting me in? Is someone else here? The landlord, perhaps?

Yul Li glanced past Je Ho’s shoulder but saw only the vast garden.

“Wait here for a moment. I’ll come out with my car.”

Confusion crossed Yul Li’s face. Now that he had found the necklace, was he barring her from entering? Perhaps he had resumed the delayed construction work. She felt slightly rejected.

After agreeing not to marry Min Woo, she had rushed to see Je Ho. She wanted to see his face first, now that she could face him with a lighter heart.

She tried not to show her disappointment, but it seemed Je Ho noticed. He bent down to her eye level and asked.

“Why? Don’t you want to come in?”

“…It’s not that.”

Je Ho smiled gently and brought his lips close to her ear.

“If I let you in now, how far do you think you’ll go?”

Caught off guard by his unexpected question, Yul Li was flustered. She blinked her large eyes, speechless. Je Ho, wrapping his hand around her head, playfully nibbled her earlobe.

“This time, we’ll go all the way.”

He whispered softly into her ear, his breath warm against her skin.