Kang Do Eum.

There were mainly two types of people who called my name loudly.

Those who deliberately called it out loud and giggled, or those who called it quite secretively, as if they had committed a crime.

Neither type was welcome, so the hardship regarding my name continued throughout my 25 years of life.

Do Eum is the world’s best helper.

“What can Kang Do Eum help with best?”

“This bastard, does he always snicker when Do Eum is mentioned? You perverted bastard.”

It wasn’t just once or twice that I blushed at the mischievous teasing of the opposite sex rather than the same sex, and many of the men who approached me claiming to be interested were also reluctant to call my name.

Not in a position to help anyone,

The feeling that I should live to help others and be kinder than anyone else was like shit.

If I happened to meet someone I knew on the street and they called out my name.

In this day and age, what’s with ‘helper’, why are you so proudly going around being called that, and so on.

The biased looks from those with prejudice against the ‘helper’ profession were common.

“Your father gave you that name so you would live a life that helps others. Your poor father had nothing else to leave you, the only thing he left was your name, so what’s left if you throw even that away?”

I swallowed the question of whether mother’s chastity wouldn’t be better than my name if we wanted to show faith in father.

Mother, who said she couldn’t live without love, had endured for several years even after father died, so she had endured for quite a long time.

“So, your occupation is not helper, but your name is Do Eum?”

Woo Seok asked the same question several times.

The situation was as follows.

From the hotel coffee shop, Ji Wan had consistently mistaken the name ‘Do Eum’ called by the man at the back table for ‘helper’, and the woman had heard Ji Wan’s constant calling of ‘helper’ as her name, ‘Do Eum’.

It was an unintentionally amusing situation arising from each other’s misunderstandings.

If he wanted me to help others, he should have made me born in a position to be able to help, not just give me a name, the unfairness came rushing in like irritation.

“Yes, my pure Korean name is Kang Do Eum.”

“But when I asked if you were a helper, why did you say yes?”

Woo Seok asked again, flustered.

“Because my name is Do Eum.”

That’s right, Do Eum is Do Eum.

“In the neighborhood and at school, that’s what I’m called, the world’s best helper, Kang Do Eum.”

“No, even so, that’s a bit…”

“You both misunderstood, didn’t you? I’ve lived bearing this lifelong misunderstanding, like a stigma.”

Ji Wan, who had been leaning back on the sofa with his arms crossed just listening to the two people’s conversation, frowned.

“What should we do now, CEO?”

The man with thick eyebrows lowered checked the time on his left wrist.

Above the rolled-up shirt cuff, a silver L brand luxury watch revealed its noble appearance.

“Let’s get up.”

The man who hadn’t said a word picked up the jacket next to him.

“Why? It was fine when the job was helper, but not when the name is ‘Do Eum’? If that’s the case, I’ll change my name soon. As soon as I get married.”

Do Eum, who had moved to the edge of the sofa and was anxious about pretending nothing happened, asked.

Ji Wan, who had taken a few steps, stopped and turned around.

“If you disliked your name that much, couldn’t you have applied for a name change long ago?”

When I became an adult and looked into applying for a name change permit.

I found out there were tens of millions of won in debt in my name.

The day I first got my ID card,

My mother Hee Suk, who said she would make me rich overnight with the information she had gathered, had not sold information but had taken out private loans by selling her daughter who had just become an adult.

Needless to say, I became a debtor, not rich overnight.

I also learned then that it’s difficult to apply for a name change permit if there are problematic debts in terms of credit.

“…There were circumstances for that. So I can change my name, sufficiently.”

Once the debt was paid off, changing my name wouldn’t be difficult.

“It doesn’t matter, things like names.”

The man’s gesture of holding his chin with his right hand was infinitely slow.

I was about to ask what the problem was then, but thinking that pleading desperately might look unsightly, Do Eum took a step back.

“Alright then. Let’s take some time to think. I need time to look into you too. We’ll have to live as husband and wife for at least 6 months to a year, so shouldn’t I know what kind of person my husband is?”

The man who had been stroking his chin chuckled at the bold statement that she would look into what kind of person he was.

“Well, do as you please.”

With that brief comment, Ji Wan resumed his steps.

“Aren’t you going to ask for my contact information?”

Do Eum, who had risen to follow, asked urgently.

She was anxious because not asking for contact information seemed like an intention not to contact.

It seemed like there couldn’t be a better proposal to settle the debt that needed to be repaid all at once.

“You’ll find out as you look into me. Even without knowing contact information, finding one person is no big deal.”

He was a person full of confidence from the bottom up.

With just a flick of his hand, he would get what he wanted.

It was enough with just a few conversations to know that it wasn’t just vain conceit.

Because the arrogance that even if a tiger that had brazenly entered a rabbit hole was hungry, it couldn’t fill its stomach with the likes of you, was evident everywhere.

Perhaps,

Do Eum thought that she might be entering another mud pit after leaving the sewage.

“Name, Kang Do Eum. Age twenty-five. Heungser-dong Shinro 11. A soon-to-be demolished shantytown. Since it’s not owned property, there seems to be no substantial compensation even if demolished. The 240 million won private loan of her adoptive father and the 20 million won debt in her own name that her mother took out have all been repaid. Her birth mother left home quite a while ago, and she’s currently working part-time jobs to pay off her adoptive father’s debt. Senior in Business Administration at Korea University. Took a year off due to living expenses and paying off private loans, but she’s talented enough not to lose the top spot in her department and has received scholarships throughout the semester, so there’s no problem with graduation.”

Samsung-dong, Bando Construction Review Tower, 17th floor.

Tap, tap tap, tap.

As he listened to the report, Ji Wan’s fingertips tapped regularly on the mahogany desk.

Woo Seok immediately recognized it as the man’s long-standing habit when he had concerns.

He had been accompanying Ji Wan since he first entered business management in America, so it had been 8 years.

Having been with him through every move, Woo Seok could tell his superior’s mood just by the movement of his eyebrows.

A man who rarely spoke and whose expressions were not easily revealed, making it difficult to grasp his intentions.

Even without being coached, he knew etiquette and propriety befitting a royal family member and kept himself neat, yet never revealed that he was a person of royal lineage.

Until Lady Jang’s summons in Korea, he was so cautious and composed in everything that no one knew he was a person of the Bando family.

Such a man was now quite anxious.

“Are you worried?”

“There’s no choice, is there?”

Even though there was no need to hesitate if that was the case, the man was clearly hesitating.

“Born and raised, I was born this way. So I wonder if this woman by my side will be able to endure the contempt I’m used to now.”

“If you’re concerned about Miss Do Eum…”

“My nose is bleeding, what concern.”

Even though he said that, the man’s inner thoughts after knowing Do Eum’s situation would be different from before he knew.

It was worry that he might add more pain to the life of a woman already stained with scars.

The man’s thoughts deepened at the three syllables of the name Kang Do Eum.

While thinking what kind of parents would name their child like that,

When thinking of the benevolent meaning of the word ‘help’, it seemed it could be like that too.

“It’s a name given by her late father with the meaning of becoming a person who helps the world.”

As if reading Ji Wan’s thoughts, Woo Seok added.

In fact, helping someone with what you’re good at could be considered a kind of help.

“Unbelievable.”

Below the cuff wiping his face, the red pyramid-shaped cufflinks of D company sparkled.

“I looked into it because it could be a problem later, but her relationship history with men is very clean. There were quite a few men who confessed to her, but she refused them all, saying her circumstances weren’t good enough.”

Spinning around, Ji Wan turned his gaze to the floor-to-ceiling window overlooking the city center.

She wasn’t an ugly face.

But it wasn’t an outstandingly pretty face either, but how should I put it.

A clean, pure feeling without makeup, perhaps.

Generally, that purity is the first thing to disappear in a harsh society.

It was also strange that this ‘purity’ remained in a woman who had lived more harshly than anyone else.

“She seems to have done everything that makes money. From tutoring to store demolition to move-in assistance. It probably wasn’t easy to pay off 20 million won in debt as a student.”

There might have been easier ways to make money without overworking herself.

Usually, people chased by money are most vulnerable to such temptations.

A woman who would do this and that if only given money, cleaning, odd jobs, even marriage, but absolutely nothing beyond that.

Is it that even in a tough life, while putting down pride and everything else, there’s one thing that must be kept no matter what?

It wasn’t bad at all.

As far as this proposal was concerned, it was rather fresh that she, who was clearly the superior party, grated on his nerves by saying it wasn’t her style, and her boldness in saying she would find out what kind of person her future husband was.

“In Han Director’s view, is this person capable of fulfilling this role?”

Woo Seok answered as he put down the documents.

“If it’s a marriage to be settled without emotion after just a few months, I think she’s more excellent than any of the women I’ve served over the past two months.”

Ji Wan, who had been looking down at the bustling city center, spun his chair around and stood up.

“Let’s go meet the bride.”

*****

“You’re showing me in this way that finding a person is no big deal even without knowing contact information, as you said.”

Do Eum put down two cups of coffee on the white plastic table with a thud.

“I told you to look into that yourself.”

“I did look into it, and I found out I had misjudged a very impressive person. You’re so impressive that you had to come dressed like this, with a person in tow, even though you’re the kind of person who doesn’t need to say ‘this is who I am’ for others to know?”

Korea University, Student Union Main Building Cafeteria and Coffee Shop.

The gazes of numerous bustling students swept over the model-like man wrapped in luxury brands from head to toe and the black-rimmed glasses man following closely behind.

They might think he’s a celebrity, I did too.

It was inconceivable that a man who wouldn’t let even a grain of sand stick to his shoe soles would be in a cafeteria coffee shop where a cup costs 2,000 won.

“Miss Do Eum’s next schedule is cleaning the swimming pool shower room, so we had no choice but to come here.”

Han Woo Seok, who gave an additional explanation instead of Ji Wan, said his piece and then stepped back a couple of paces again.

“You’ve already investigated me?”

“Isn’t it natural to investigate the person who’s going to be your wife?”

After spitting that out and observing the woman’s surprised expression, Ji Wan added.

“You look like you’ve done some investigation about me too.”

“Hmm, yes, of course.”

“So, are you satisfied?”

At the relaxed gesture of spreading both arms over the chair backrest, low exclamations continued from the female students gathered around.

“How can I be satisfied? It’s a marriage that will end in a year at most anyway.”

Do Eum added, burdened by the stares and the momentum as if they would soon rush over for autographs.

“Let’s go to the car, my shift ends in 10 minutes. If you wait in the car…”

“I’ll wait here, it’s only 10 minutes.”

The expressionless man pushed the paper cup in front of him slightly away.

The meaning that he was asking if she expected him to drink this kind of thing was clear.

“Well, suit yourself.”

Do Eum stood up, feeling irritated.

Ji Wan’s brow furrowed slightly at the name ‘Bean Café’ written on the blue apron.

Bean Café, really.

The sight of a man whose entire outfit was worth several thousand sitting on a cheap plastic chair was distinctly out of place.