Won Hoo, who had clearly confessed his true feelings to Do Soon yesterday, commuted from Dogok-dong this morning.

Today is Saturday, and after the weekend passes until tomorrow, things will get hectic with So Yeon’s movie filming. Thinking that she should at least clean the house thoroughly so she could comfortably invite him inside anytime, Do Soon turned the whole house upside down and spent the entire morning cleaning enthusiastically.

So she hadn’t even been able to sit down until now, but she was still full of energy and feeling elated as if floating on clouds.

“The saying that first love can’t be fulfilled? I’m proof that it’s all baseless ‘gossip’!”

After finally polishing even the small crevices of the window frames until they sparkled like new, Do Soon’s good mood improved even more, and only then did she remember something she had forgotten. She had forgotten until now that today was Eom So Yeon’s birthday. As soon as Do Soon realized this, she hurriedly made a phone call.

“Sorry. Am I late in wishing you a happy birthday?”

-It’s still lunchtime, Team Leader Yeo Do Soon? And you’ve remembered my birthday every year, so what’s wrong with missing one?

“Hehe, you sound good. I guess the Director took good care of my share for this birthday too?”

-You’re the one who sounds really happy? Come on, be honest. Things are going well with the CEO, right? You received a confession, didn’t you?

“That’s right! You guessed it exactly!”

-Wow! The one who should be congratulated isn’t me, but Yeo Do Soon!

“Well, then, let’s just congratulate each other.”

-Okay, okay.

Ding dong.

While talking with So Yeon, the doorbell rang.

Hearing that sound, So Yeon said they should talk more when they meet, and Do Soon agreed and hung up the phone.

There was no one on the intercom screen. But even as she was heading to the entrance, someone kept pressing the doorbell repeatedly. Thinking it might be Gu Won Hoo playing a prank after leaving work early on Saturday, Do Soon grinned and tiptoed to open the front door.

From that moment, things happened in an instant.

“Ms. Yeo Do Soon?”

“Yes, that’s me, but wh-who are you?”

Several men who forcefully opened the door wide and entered the entryway were completely unknown to Do Soon. One of them asked for her name, and all the men pushed their way into the living room with their shoes on as soon as Do Soon answered.

“No, just who are you to barge into someone else’s house without even taking off your shoes…!”

Bang, crash, clatter, smash…!

“Eek!”

The men thoroughly searched every corner of the house like they were conducting a raid, throwing and breaking things indiscriminately. It took less than 5 minutes for the cleanly tidied house to become a disaster area as if a typhoon had swept through.

What on earth was going on? Too sudden to grasp reality, Do Soon was just dazed. The man who had asked for her name earlier approached Do Soon, who was watching the chaotic scene unfold, stopping the actions of the other men.

“That’s enough, go wait outside.”

The man threw a thick envelope of money at Do Soon’s feet.

Thud!

“We were told to deliver this.”

“Who… did… such a thing…”

As Do Soon spoke haltingly with clenched teeth, her words stuck in her throat. The man, seeming to know their actions were too much, scratched between his eyebrows with his finger as he answered.

“We were told you’d understand right away if we mentioned Lady Cha Yeo Jeong. Well then, I’ll be going now.”

The interior, which had been turned upside down in the blink of an eye by the men who had barged in, was now eerily quiet.

“…”

Cha Yeo Jeong.

As she slowly mulled over that name, her gaze fell on the white envelope of money lying at her feet.

Do Soon’s eyes gradually turned as red as autumn maple leaves.

An art museum overlooking the Han River.

Today, there was a regular social gathering here attended by prominent ladies of society.

Screech!

A car kicked up a cloud of dust as it entered the courtyard in front of the museum and came to an abrupt stop. The person who roughly flung open the driver’s door and got out was none other than Yeo Do Soon.

Do Soon took two or three steps at a time, stretching out her long legs as she bounded up the stone stairs.

It was after she had barely managed to come to her senses following the chaos of her entire house being turned upside down. Do Soon had called her mother to ask where she could find Lady Cha Yeo Jeong.

Her mother said Cha Yeo Jeong would be in the cafeteria in the annex of the exhibition hall. As her mother had said, when Do Soon looked up to the right of the stairs, she caught a glimpse of Cha Yeo Jeong through the glass windows.

Lengthening her stride even more quickly and widely, Do Soon entered the cafe without hesitation as soon as she reached the top of the stairs. Then she strode purposefully to the table where the noble ladies were seated and stood stock-still.

With her chest heaving from running up the stairs, Do Soon looked down at Yeo Jeong with eyes twisted in anger and contempt, her breath hissing between her teeth.

At that sound, the voices of the noble ladies chatting leisurely were suddenly cut off, and Yeo Jeong, feeling the chilly gaze on the back of her head, turned to look diagonally behind her.

She had never expected that even such a reckless tomboy of a girl would dare to come running here. So Cha Yeo Jeong’s expression couldn’t help but contort in momentary bewilderment.

“What… why are you here?”

“Well, I wonder why…”

Do Soon retorted briefly, continuing to stare at Yeo Jeong with reddened, angry eyes.

“What’s with that impudent look?”

“I have reason enough for it.”

“So, you’ve come to confront me?”

“Yes.”

“Ha, you really…”

It was around this time yesterday. While skipping lunch due to lack of appetite, a phone call had come in. Though she was initially pleased that her son was calling her for once, his firm declaration that he would no longer go on arranged dates was truly absurd.

So how could someone of Cha Yeo Jeong’s temperament just sit still? Although she was used to her son’s rebellion, Yeo Jeong turned the arrow of her anger towards Yeo Do Soon and sent her henchmen to ransack Do Soon’s apartment the very next day, which was today.

She had given the extreme order to break down the lock and enter if the door wasn’t opened, to carry out her instructions exactly as given. This was based on the calculation that Do Soon, being merely a manager, wouldn’t dare to sue after coveting Gu Won Hoo, the company CEO.

Looking down on Yeo Do Soon, Cha Yeo Jeong didn’t hesitate to use harsh words.

“Are you crazy? How dare someone like you cause a scene here, do you know where you are?”

“I’m not crazy, and I haven’t caused a scene yet.”

“So you’re saying you will now?”

“Maybe so.”

Normally, Yeo Jeong would have considered her dignity first, but she was already beyond caring about the eyes of those around her, finding Yeo Do Soon, who clung to her son like a pine caterpillar, utterly detestable.

“I hear you readily accepted the money I gave you?”

She deliberately brought up the act of throwing money and shame at Yeo Do Soon, hoping that even if rumors spread, this sordid affair would quickly be buried as a simple incident of a low-class woman after money.

In other words, Cha Yeo Jeong needed to make the people here perceive Yeo Do Soon as a leech sucking money by latching onto a wealthy family.

Only then would her wishes become perfect reality.

Unkempt hair, as if not even brushed. A shabby t-shirt, as if she had rushed out while doing housework. Her current slovenly appearance was just right to push things in that direction.

“Don’t you feel any shame? If I was considerate enough to think of you that much, you should be cowering and counting the money you received, not trying to get more.”

Cha Yeo Jeong was not only adept at manipulating people to her will but also believed that money could solve anything. However, Yeo Do Soon was not one to be swayed by money.

“I suppose you’re talking about this money…”

Things escalated dramatically in an instant.

Do Soon took out the wad of cash from the envelope she had been clutching tightly and flung it into the air.

“I don’t need this at all.”

“What do you think you’re doing!”

As Yeo Jeong let out a sharp cry, the noble ladies with her gasped and quickly glanced back and forth between the floor where 10 million won checks had fallen and the two women facing off.

Then they hurriedly stood up and moved to other tables. Though they didn’t yet know why the young lady was acting this way, they sensed from her fierce look alone that something was about to happen.

Given Cha Yeo Jeong’s unusual temperament and this unidentified young lady who wouldn’t back down even from harsh words, they were all curious to see who would win, so no one left the place entirely.

“I’m just returning what you did to me. Ah, it must be a bit embarrassing to pick up the money you gave, right?”

When Do Soon finally spoke rough words, Cha Yeo Jeong twisted her lips with a sharp look that seemed to say, ‘You see?’

“What, is 100 million not enough for you?”

“Is your son’s price tag only 100 million? Did you think I would just hand over your son for this measly amount of money?!”

No. That’s not it.

Cha Yeo Jeong never expected the daughter of a wealthy family, a cut above even most conglomerates, to be swayed by such a paltry sum.

She had only ruthlessly ransacked Yeo Do Soon’s apartment to inflict an irreparable deep wound on her strong pride, befitting a prestigious family. So that she would never dare to set her sights on her son again. So that she would tremble just recalling today’s events.

She had merely handed over the price for that cruel farewell.

“Huh, now I understand. I wondered why Mrs. Ji always changed the subject whenever her second daughter was mentioned. How could she present you anywhere with your uncouth way of talking back to adults! Congressman Yeo must be so pitiful. How did such a daughter come from such a respectable family?”

“Are you bringing up my family now because you have nothing else to say? What business is it of yours whether my parents are ashamed of me or proud of me?”

“Why wouldn’t it be my business? Your family might have cast you out for being so worthless, but I absolutely cannot stand the sight of an ill-mannered child clinging to my son!”

The eyes of those around grew twice as large. Listening to Yeo Jeong’s words, they realized Do Soon was the daughter of a family they knew.

“Oh my! That young lady must be Congressman Yeo’s second daughter.”

“So, she’s dating Cha Yeo Jeong’s only son, and Cha Yeo Jeong doesn’t approve of it?”

“It seems that way, but why is she opposing it? Both Congressman Yeo’s family and Chairman Gu’s family should be satisfactory matches, shouldn’t they?”

“That’s right. I find it a bit strange too. When we’ve met at gatherings before, the two ladies weren’t particularly close, but the atmosphere wasn’t bad either.”

“That’s not true. They’ve been cold to each other for some time now. Neither Cha Yeo Jeong nor Mrs. Ji has ever mentioned anything about their children seeing each other.”

“Anyway, this is the first time I’ve seen Congressman Yeo’s second daughter, but her personality is incredibly fierce.”

Although she hadn’t come to the art museum for this reason today, Mrs. Ji Myung Sook was also a member of this noble ladies’ gathering. Because of this, the quietly whispering noble ladies put their heads together here and there, adding more to the gossip.

In the midst of this, the noble ladies finally witnessed a rough scene.

“He may be a 100 million won son to you, but I wouldn’t trade him even for ten billion! No matter how many times you wreck my house, you won’t get your way…!”

Slap! Splash!

Following Yeo Jeong slapping Do Soon’s cheek, she then threw the omija juice she had been drinking at Do Soon.

“What did you say? Say it again!”

The red liquid covering Do Soon from her hair to her t-shirt looked like blood. However, Do Soon acted as if nothing had happened, wiping her wet face with her palm and muttering to herself.

“Ah, sh… You heard it all, why ask me to repeat it.”

“Did you just say ‘sh’? You’re completely a cheap girl!”

“I was trying to hold back… but you really speak offensively. Don’t you feel sorry for your son? Even if you’re his mother, don’t trade your child for money or anything else. I can’t stand to see that. And no matter what you do, I will never give up on the CEO!”

“This, this girl is now… You, you really are crazy!”

“I think you’re more out of your mind than I am…!”

Slap!

Trembling with rage, Yeo Jeong, unable to contain her anger, slapped Do Soon’s cheek again. But Do Soon didn’t even blink. She just stared clearly at Yeo Jeong with a smirk.

“How dare you look at an adult like that!”

“No matter how much violence you use, it won’t work on me.”

“Ha, such a loose mouth! Someone like you needs to be hit more…”

Was it a desperate attempt not to be overwhelmed by Do Soon’s fierce spirit? Yeo Jeong raised her arm high, about to strike Do Soon’s cheek once again.

It was then.

“Lady Cha!”

Someone who had hurriedly entered the cafeteria called out to Cha Yeo Jeong in a loud, crying voice. And it happened in the blink of an eye. Ji Myung Sook, who had come running in one breath, wrapped her arms around Do Soon and glared at Yeo Jeong with fierce eyes as if she would devour her right then and there.

“My goodness! What on earth are you doing to our child!”