Chapter 1 …
Bzzzz.
The phone on the bedside table vibrated.
Despite finally falling asleep in the early dawn thanks to her severe insomnia, the world woke Choi Joo-young in less than two hours.
“Ha……”
Groggily holding onto her fuzzy mind, Joo-young got up, brushed her falling hair back, and checked her phone.
The screen lit up with the name “Secretary Shin.”
She pressed the call button and held the phone to her ear.
“Yes, Secretary Shin?”
―“I’ll arrive in 30 minutes, sir.”
“Ah… in 30 minutes?”
With her eyes barely open, Joo-young glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
It was 7:30 AM.
“Got it. I’ll be ready and head down by 8.”
―“Understood, sir. I’ll contact you again once I arrive.”
The call ended.
Joo-young set her phone down, let out a long breath, brushed her hair out of her eyes again, and got out of bed.
Since she’d stop by the shop first after returning to Seoul, no makeup was needed.
She decided to shower first, drank a glass of water in the kitchen, then went into the bathroom.
The shower was quick.
Even without makeup, drying her hair and getting ready would take nearly thirty minutes, so time was tight.
Joo-young sat at her vanity, applied skincare products, and grabbed the hairdryer.
Whirrr.
Even on the lowest setting, the dryer was loud enough to make her head ring.
Seeing this, Joo-young realized just how much her body had deteriorated.
Of course—she couldn’t fall asleep easily even with insomnia pills, and if she were healthy, that would have been laughable.
She checked the time on her phone while drying her hair.
07:50.
No sooner had she checked the time than Secretary Shin sent another message.
[“I’ll arrive in 10 minutes. If you need more time to get ready, I can wait outside.”]
[“No, I’ll be ready on time.”]
After replying to Secretary Shin, Joo-young put down the dryer, went to the kitchen, and pulled a shot glass and coffee capsule from a drawer.
She placed the shot glass under the coffee machine, inserted the capsule, and pressed the button.
With a hum and vibration, espresso poured into the glass.
Joo-young sipped the espresso and returned to the bedroom.
Her favorite spot in the bedroom was the large circular window by the bed.
From anywhere in the room, she could see the waves through the window. Now, as the sun rose, its reflection on the sea scattered into glittering fragments.
“Even if I hate mornings, this is nice.”
Joo-young had loved the summer villa in Oido since she was a child.
Every summer, she begged her mother to visit the villa, turned on the air conditioner, and watched the sea from the bed.
When sleepy, she napped in her mother’s arms, laughed and talked while eating her mother’s cooking, enjoying every moment.
It was pure happiness.
Laughter never stopped.
But those happy, joyful moments were gone. She couldn’t even sleep properly anymore.
The summer villa had become a refuge in times of hardship.
Though the moments could no longer be felt, coming to the villa made her feel as if her mother were still with her.
“Mom.”
Sitting on the bed, Joo-young picked up a framed photo from the nightstand and gently traced her mother’s cheek with her fingertips.
Her mother had been ticklish, laughing whenever someone poked her side.
Joo-young inherited that sensitivity.
They had spent their childhood tickling each other, running and laughing, but now…
“It’s quiet.”
Those moments would never return.
She clung to fading memories, trying to recall them.
“I have a blind date at noon, so I should get going. I’ll be back, Mom.”
Joo-young placed the frame back and left the bedroom.
It was time to no longer show weakness.
She stopped by the shop for hair and makeup, wore the outfit Secretary Shin had prepared, and arrived at the blind date location.
Joo-young opened her eyes. Fatigue was plain in her slowly revealing gaze.
“Where’s your date?”
“I just checked with the restaurant staff—they’ve already arrived.”
At this, a thin finger twitched. Still there? Why?
Joo-young turned to look at the traditional hanok beyond the window.
At a high-end Korean restaurant with a year-long reservation wait, today she was to meet her blind date.
Technically, she had already been scheduled to meet him—about an hour ago.
‘Why is he an hour late?’
Her blind date was Bae Sung-hoon, the eldest son of Sungwoon Group, ranked in the top ten of the business world.
From the profile she had received a few days ago, he seemed flawless: education, family, appearance. A man who could rightfully be called perfect.
But was he a man who would wait an hour for a blind date? Absolutely not.
Then what? Was there information about him she hadn’t gathered?
Whatever the case, something had gone awry.
“Secretary Shin, do you think I really have to go through with this blind date?”
“…I think there’s no choice.”
Though it sounded evasive, Joo-young knew exactly what it meant.
A smirk tugged at her lips.
“Right. What power do I have? In my world, I’m just weak.”
“I apologize.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault, Secretary Shin.”
“…”
“If anyone’s at fault, it’s me—for being someone who always loses out.”
Joo-young popped two headache pills she always kept in her car and drank water.
“I don’t want to prolong things with a multi-course meal. Tell them to serve everything at once.”
“Yes.”
Nodding, Secretary Shin got out of the car, circled to the front, and contacted the restaurant staff.
Meanwhile, Joo-young slipped on her high heels—10 cm tall.
Soon the rear door opened, and the fatigue disappeared from her eyes as she stepped out.
Her clicking heels echoed as she walked quickly into the restaurant.
“Ms. Choi Joo-young, we’ve been expecting you. I’ll show you to your room.”
Before she even entered, staff who recognized her led her to the private room.
“Enjoy your time.”
Joo-young nodded at the staff who opened the sliding door and stepped inside.
The next moment, she froze at the scene before her.
‘What the…’
The long table already had the main dishes, and her blind date, Bae Sung-hoon, was eating while talking on the phone.
Not only was he late, but he was already having his meal.
As her predictions continued to miss the mark, Sung-hoon slowly lifted his head and met her gaze mid-air.
“……”
In that instant, Joo-young felt her heart being ripped out.
The man’s seemingly lazy, calm eyes were intimidating.
“It’s nothing.”
After briefly meeting her gaze, Sung-hoon continued his task.
He ended speaker mode and held the phone to his ear.
“Don’t worry about it, continue.”
Even with his blind date present, he didn’t end the call.
He had no intention of ending it.
Ah…
Joo-young finally understood the situation.
The silent power struggle wasn’t hers alone.
She put down her handbag and clicked her heels toward him, snatching the phone from his hand.
Sung-hoon’s eyes narrowed.
“What are you—”
“Thirty-one, eldest son of Sungwoon Group.”
Joo-young had Secretary Shin research him.
Not to make the blind date work, but to sabotage it.
“He went abroad at thirteen, joined the military at twenty, then completed an MBA in the U.S. and returned to become the CEO of Sungwoon Hotel.”
Instead of keeping this under wraps, Joo-young briefed him without hesitation.
Her goal was to leave a bad impression on him.
“Both parents are alive. Second sibling is world-famous ballerina Bae Sung-yeon; third sibling is still studying abroad.”
“…”
“Other family or group-related details are too tedious to mention, so we’ll skip them.”
With a thud, she set his phone down and sat opposite him.
“I didn’t go deep into his romantic relationships either.”
Her lips, painted red, curved into a professional smile.
“If it’s okay, could you tell me directly? I like certainty.”
