A woman entered the private room of a hotel located in the center of Cheongdam, said to have the highest land prices in Seoul. The black dress clung tightly to her body, revealing her curved figure.

The heavy makeup that didn’t suit her face and the provocative outfit made older people frown.

“You’re here?”

An elderly middle-aged woman hid her discomfort and smiled kindly.

“This is our eldest daughter. Why aren’t you greeting them?”

The woman slowly exhaled and bowed her head.

“I’m Ji Young Hwa.”

“Chancellor Ji Kang Seok’s eldest daughter? As beautiful as the rumors say.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

It was an uncomfortable situation. But Young Hwa smiled without showing her displeasure on her face.

However, her heart ached as she watched her family’s reactions, unable to change out of her outfit.

Young Hwa’s family had already filled their seats.

Although she was the eldest daughter, today’s event was the engagement ceremony for the second daughter, In Ha. So Young Hwa’s seat was at the very end, innermost.

“Elder sister, you’re here? You’re a bit late.”

In Ha spoke in a voice full of aegyo.

“Oh. Sorry.”

Her voice and attitude were quite different from usual. But to Young Hwa’s ears, it sounded like cursing, making her body tremble.

In Ha was wearing a dress with a subtle pink tint. The cute dress that matched her image sparkled, creating curves as it caught the light.

“You look pretty.”

“Thank you, elder sister.”

Young Hwa pretended to be an affectionate family member as In Ha wanted.

“Now, if only our Sun Woo would arrive. He’s not usually like this, being late.”

“It’s alright, in-laws. I know better than anyone how hard it is for businessmen to keep appointments.”

“Still, being late on a day like this is not proper. I’m embarrassed.”

As soon as the conversation ended, Sun Woo entered.

He was a man with a solid chest and broad shoulders that couldn’t be hidden even in a suit, and a face as symmetrical as a sculpture.

His extremely arrogant expression created an overwhelming atmosphere.

“I apologize. I had some business to attend to, so I’m a bit late.”

“What business? You should at least call if you’re going to be late. What kind of behavior is this in front of the elders?”

Sun Woo smirked at his mother, Madam Hwang’s words.

“I’m sorry. Should I get on my knees?”

“Oh, this boy!”

Madam Hwang wore an uncomfortable expression.

His extremely rude attitude was relentless.

It was the same that day, in that place.

He sent terribly oppressive gazes, and the rising heat was both frightening and ecstatic.

Young Hwa’s face flushed just remembering that moment.

“Now that both families are gathered, let’s start with the exchange of gifts. Even if it’s a simplified engagement ceremony, we should follow the procedures.”

Chairman Kang Seok Hun, Sun Woo’s father, stood up.

“Father, I have something to say before that.”

As Sun Woo stood up, everyone’s attention turned to him.

“What is it?”

Sun Woo’s gaze moved slowly and landed on In Ha.

When their eyes met, In Ha blushed and turned her head as if embarrassed.

Passing over In Ha’s parents, his gaze stopped on Young Hwa.

“This is an engagement ceremony with the woman I’ll be living with as a partner. Although divorce rates are increasing these days.”

A man mentioning divorce on his engagement day.

Young Hwa lowered her head and smiled mockingly.

“I need to change my wife.”

The private room was suddenly enveloped in silence.

“What did you say?”

Chairman Kang shouted, and Madam Hwang touched her forehead with surprised eyes.

Of course, the most shocked person in that situation was In Ha.

Her large rabbit-like eyes seemed about to fall out.

“Not Ji In Ha, but Ji Young Hwa.”

Silence fell again.

No one in that room could easily speak in such a situation.

“What are you saying right now?”

Chairman Kang’s voice trembled as if dumbfounded.

“It’s exactly as I said. I want to change my engagement partner from In Ha to Young Hwa.”

Chairman Kang stood up and slammed the table with a bang.

“You brat! Is engagement a joke!”

The anger he could no longer contain finally burst.

“It’s because it’s not a joke that I’m telling you this. I can’t live my whole life with a woman I spent one night with as my sister-in-law, can I?”

People’s sighs erupted along with groans.

Of course, Young Hwa, who was there, closed her eyes too.

No, she wanted to cover her ears rather than her eyes.

She thought she had made a mistake, but she didn’t think he would be this reckless.

It was clearly a mistake, a miscalculation.

To have messed with such a crazy guy.

***

That day, Young Hwa intentionally visited a bar in Gangnam that Sun Woo frequented.

She had already figured out his face and tendencies. So it wasn’t difficult to spot him among the many people.

After confirming her target, Young Hwa gradually closed the distance towards him.

He was merrily drunk on alcohol and songs with his friends.

“Sun Woo, I heard you’re getting engaged?”

As expected, marriages in chaebol families were easily exposed no matter how much they tried to hide it. It seemed Sun Woo’s engagement news was known to those around him before the person himself.

“Yeah, my parents want it, so I have to do it. I’m not keen on it though.”

“I heard it’s Chancellor Ji Kang Seok’s daughter?”

Sun Woo nodded his head. As if it wasn’t a big deal.

“Doesn’t that family have two daughters?”

“Ah, Chancellor Ji has only one biological daughter, the other one is adopted. It’s famous. There are rumors she’s an illegitimate child too. Officially an adopted daughter?”

“Hey, there are even worse rumors.”

Sun Woo’s friends heated up over the embarrassing gossip. Even though it was about his future in-laws, Sun Woo remained unmoved, as if watching a fire across the river.

Young Hwa, eavesdropping on their conversation, smiled at his trashy attitude.

“Worse rumors? What are they?”

“Actually, there’s a rumor that the daughter is Chancellor Ji’s this.”

The man wiggled his pinky finger.

The women at the table screamed in high-pitched voices.

“Eww. That’s disgusting.”

“What’s disgusting, all men are the same. No man dislikes pretty and young women.”

The strong beat music playing in the bar disappeared and soft jazz started flowing.

“I’m going to get some air.”

And Sun Woo stood up from his seat.

“Hey, where are you going?”

Sun Woo waved his hand towards his friends calling him.

Young Hwa didn’t take her eyes off Sun Woo as he moved, continuing to follow him.

It was to encounter him in the most natural and comfortable situation possible.

“Ah!”

The glass in her hand collided with Sun Woo, spilling cocktails all over both of their clothes.

“Oh my, are you alright?”

Young Hwa smiled lightly.

“I’m fine, but my clothes are ruined.”

Young Hwa gave Sun Woo a sultry look. The bar’s lighting and the music playing all created an appropriately sensual atmosphere.

And along with the atmosphere, Young Hwa clearly felt how hot Sun Woo’s gaze on her was.

It was a man’s gaze looking at a woman. Not simply person to person, but the feeling of looking at the opposite sex.

“I don’t think we can stay like this.”

Young Hwa’s hand brushed off the cocktail flowing on Sun Woo’s jacket.

Sun Woo stepped back but couldn’t take his eyes off Young Hwa.

“I see.”

“Your clothes are ruined. I think you need to change.”

Sun Woo was a healthy man. He was also more faithful to his instincts than anyone. So he couldn’t misunderstand the signals the woman was sending.

Young Hwa was sending blatantly explicit and stimulating gazes.

“It would be difficult for both of us to stay here like this.”

“Wouldn’t it?”

He must be contemplating. Even if he understood the signals the woman was sending, it wouldn’t be easy to act on them.

And it was Young Hwa who pulled his taut bowstring.

“Shall we go out?”

“Haa-.”

A moan burst from Sun Woo’s parted lips.

Irresistible charm. Like a beast surrendering to instinct, Sun Woo nodded.

The chaos that would unfold afterwards would be instinctive rather than rational. Sun Woo’s face looked flushed as if heated with such anticipation.

“Let’s do that. Let’s go out.”

It was a perfect night – the atmosphere, and even the conversation the two shared with their eyes.

***

The engagement ceremony ended in a mess.

They couldn’t change the marriage partner on the spot, so they hurried to wrap things up.

“Hey, you’ve gone crazy!”

In Ha hurled insults at Young Hwa.

“Ouch!”

And she grabbed Young Hwa’s head with both hands and started shaking it.

“In Ha, let go of her.”

It was Kang Seok who stopped In Ha.

Ha Jae Hee, called mother, was just observing the situation without intervening.

“What are you going to do now? What about my marriage!”

In Ha collapsed on the spot and screamed.

“We’ll have to proceed with the engagement ceremony with Young Hwa.”

In Ha raised her blank eyes at Kang Seok’s words.

“Father!”

“How can you say that now? How can we do that with a man who was about to get engaged to her younger sister?”

Jae Hee shouted in surprise at Kang Seok’s words.

“Then what do you want to do now? Do you know how much research funding and sponsorship Chairman Kang sends to our university? Are you going to give that up?”

In Ha jumped up from her seat and went in front of Kang Seok.

“No. Absolutely not.”

In Ha spoke, filled with anger.

“It’s frustrating enough that the engagement fell through, and now you want me to lose to that X? I’d rather just do it. I’ll get married. He probably just played with her once. What man wouldn’t fall for a X who throws her body around like that? Would he be interested in such a cheap woman? I don’t care.”

Young Hwa, watching this scene, felt like laughing.

Yeah, do as you please. You have no idea how much that man you’re so desperate for chased after me.

‘Go ahead and get engaged, get married even. Even after that, I have no intention of letting Sun Woo go.’

Young Hwa smoothed her disheveled hair.

There was a taste of blood in her mouth, as if she had bitten her cheek.

Yet she kept laughing. She felt refreshed as if she had drunk soda.

If all the humiliation she had endured until now could be relieved by something like this, she thought she should have done it sooner.

“Stop talking nonsense! Even if you say you’ll do it, we need to see how that family will react. I’ll meet with Chairman Kang first, so keep quiet for now.”

In Ha glared at Kang Seok’s words, her eyes glistening with tears.

Then she turned to go to her room.

“So disgusting, really.”

In Ha spat out curses towards Young Hwa. As she passed by, bumping Young Hwa’s shoulder, Young Hwa staggered, her legs losing strength.

‘Do whatever you want. I’ll pay you back even more miserably. This is just the beginning.’

“Follow me in.”

It was Kang Seok who interrupted Young Hwa’s thoughts.

“Yes.”

She had expected to be called. It was a situation no different from having humiliated his daughter in such a place.

As Young Hwa entered the study, Kang Seok closed the door with a bang.

“Have you gone mad?”

“No. I’m perfectly sane.”

“A sane X goes around throwing her body like that? Do you even know who you did such a thing with?”

Kang Seok’s eyes were rolling. Seeing those eyes made Young Hwa want to laugh.

“Should I scream?”

“What?”

“Before I spill everything about how filthy and disgusting a human you are, shut your mouth.”

Kang Seok stepped back in shock.