ARHS 01

Episode 1

[Hajin Group Vice President Kim Minseong Announces Shotgun Marriage]

The bride in a pure white dress turned pale. The hand holding her phone trembled.

[Hajin Group Vice President Kim Minseong announced that he will be holding his wedding today. The couple first met two years ago at a robotics expo and have been dating with marriage in mind since then. The bride is Miss Ryu Somin, daughter of National Assemblyman Ryu Inho, and it has been revealed that she is currently pregnant.]

The moment the official statement was released, provocative headlines flooded in.

• [Hajin Group Vice President’s Premarital Pregnancy, Lightning-Fast Wedding]

• [Hajin Group to Become In-Laws with Leading Presidential Candidate Ryu Inho]

• [Assemblyman Ryu Inho’s Presidential Move Backed by Hajin Group]

Not only the business section but the political pages were quickly plastered with wedding articles. Real-time search rankings were dominated by Hajin Group and Assemblyman Ryu Inho.

Alongside them trailed words like premarital pregnancy and collusion between politics and business.

“Ha…”

Somin couldn’t contain her anger at the broken promise. They had agreed to release the statement after the ceremony ended.

Right then, Minseong, dressed in a white tuxedo matching the bride’s gown, entered the waiting room.

“So annoying… Why do they need more photos?”

Grumbling, Somin glared at him as he walked in.

Unbothered by her gaze, he brushed off his white tuxedo with a casual flick.

“What’s going on with this article?” she asked, her voice low but tightly restrained.

“We agreed to announce it after the wedding. And… why is the premarital pregnancy in the news?”

Minseong brushed past her words with an indifferent expression.

“It’s a good issue. Why hide it? If we’re putting out an article, it should take the front page.”

“That’s not what we agreed on.”

He dropped into the chair meant for the bride, spreading his legs carelessly and slouching back, head tilted to the side in clear annoyance.

“You know it’s enough of a headline that Hajin Group and Assemblyman Ryu Inho are becoming in-laws. Who ordered this?”

“It’s already out. Does it matter who ordered it? Collusion or whatever—what matters is that I’m getting married.”

“We agreed to announce only that you’re getting married today. This is a clear breach of contract.”

Somin pressed him as if she might storm out of the venue at any moment.

Minseong’s lips curled up at one corner.

“Breach of contract? Heh.”

“Listen here, Kim Minseong!”

“Instead of yelling at me, why don’t you talk back to your precious politician father like this?”

He sneered openly.

“You can’t even breathe in front of Assemblyman Ryu, and now you’re raising your voice? Don’t you understand your situation?”

“What did you say?”

“No charm, no tact… There’s not a single thing about you I like.”

Though muttered like a monologue, his voice was loud enough on purpose.

She wanted to retort, but her stomach churned, and she forced herself to stay silent.

“Are you ignoring me right now?”

Her silence seemed to strike his inferiority complex.

Suddenly, Minseong shot up and stepped right in front of her. The heavy scent of his cologne made her nauseous.

“I got the photos of you coming out of the OB-GYN. Careless enough to get photographed… Tsk. Trashy and stupid people show it no matter where they are. Just like you.”

Somin’s body trembled.

A few days ago, she had seen a bit of blood. Terrified something was wrong with the baby, she had rushed to the hospital without even thinking to wear a hat or mask. Nothing else mattered except the child.

She had been shocked to learn photos were taken that day.

“A reporter brought the photo of you holding a maternity booklet and smirked, asking for money. Crazy bastard. Do you know how much this wedding is costing me? Even if I have money, why should I waste it on garbage like that? People should have some conscience.”

Twisting his thin lips, Minseong hurled his insults.

Somin clenched her fists until they trembled.

If someone humiliates you with money when it’s not your fault, just punch them. Trash like that deserves it.

She remembered the man who once gave her that advice.

A sharp sting pricked her eyes, and Minseong’s figure blurred.

“Don’t tell me you’re crying? I only told the truth.”

His sneer deepened, intoxicated by a sense of victory.

He stepped closer and grabbed her chin.

—Smack.

Somin slapped his hand away.

“Don’t touch me. Did you forget the contract?”

“Oh, right. Of course.”

He nodded mockingly.

“Well, what can you do? You still have to hold my hand and walk into that hall.”

As if determined to provoke her, he extended his hand before her eyes.

Somin glared at him murderously.

For a bride and groom about to be married, the atmosphere between them was murderous.

“Bride and groom, please get ready to enter.”

The staff’s polite announcement felt like a death sentence.

Once they entered the hall, it would be no different from truly being married.

Elegant classical music filtered faintly through the door.

Minseong stood beside her.

Let this miserable wedding end quickly. I just want to be alone.

Somin closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“We’re opening the doors.”

The doors swung open, and bright lights poured in. She turned her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

When the afterimage faded, she slowly opened them.

Soft lighting illuminated the elevated virgin road. From where she stood, the guest seats below were shrouded in darkness due to the intense spotlight.

If not for the murmuring woven between the classical melody, it would have felt as though no one was there.

“Bride and groom, enter!”

At the MC’s cue, the two walked side by side, keeping a noticeable distance.

She silently cursed the absurdly long aisle. When they had passed about halfway—

The music suddenly cut off.

“What the—?”

Minseong’s irritated voice burst out.

But all eyes shifted toward the end of the aisle, where a man stood beneath the bright lights.

“So boring I couldn’t stand to watch.”

His low voice echoed through the hall.

The moment Somin saw the man standing at the end of the aisle, she dropped her bouquet.

Even from afar, his overwhelming physique and sculpted features were unmistakable.

She knew him.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

A scream threatened to escape, and she covered her mouth with both hands.

The man fixed his gaze on her and began walking slowly forward.

Like a predator savoring the moment before cornering its prey.

“Isn’t that Chris Han?”

Someone among the guests recognized him.

He had dominated global headlines for a month.

“That’s right! Global investor Chris Han! They said he was a Korean adoptee, didn’t they? But didn’t he die in a helicopter crash?”

“He was listed as missing. So he’s alive.”

“But why is he here?”

The noisy whispers reached her ears as nothing but static.

Before she knew it, the man was standing right in front of her, hands still tucked in his suit pants pockets as he appraised her leisurely.

“I doubt you chose that yourself… Didn’t I tell you that throwing money at something doesn’t mean it suits you?”

Among all the people she knew, there was only one who would make such a shameless comment.

“But it’s passable.”

The tears she had been holding back finally rolled down her cheeks.

Chris pulled a hand from his pocket and grasped her face.

“At times like this, you smile. Or kiss me. That’s the most effective way to explain this situation.”

“Chris… Is it really you?”

“If it’s not Chris, why would I be here?”

For a brief moment, warmth flickered in his sharp eyes.

“Hey, who the hell are you? Why are you crashing someone else’s wedding?”

Minseong finally asserted his presence irritably.

Though he stood beside Somin, Chris hadn’t spared him a single glance—until now.

Slowly, Chris turned to look at him, scanning him from head to toe with a cold gaze. He frowned.

“Is this bastard a cuckoo?”

“!”

The sharp look in his eyes, as if he knew everything, hadn’t changed at all since the day they first met.

She had chosen what she thought was the lesser evil to avoid the worst.

But that had been her mistake.

From the moment she first met him until now—

This man had always been something beyond the worst.