Chapter 3
Even if it was technically her uncle’s business, clinging to it out of greed would accomplish nothing.
That was the very reason Kang Myunghan had been pushed out of the race to become Shin-A Group’s successor. He simply lacked the qualities needed to run a company. He had neither vision nor courage. Instead, he surrounded himself with flattering sycophants whose sugary praise patched over the holes in his fragile pride.
He had also stubbornly refused to hire professional managers because doing so would have meant admitting his own inadequacy.
Even if Kang Jongwon became president, nothing would truly change.
“So,” Yujin said, “tell me two ways I can beat that bastard Kang Jongwon.”
As she finally began laying out her strategy, her secretary answered quietly.
“You need to get married.”
“And the second?”
“You need to get engaged.”
Yujin uncrossed her legs and leaned back into her chair.
The secretary knew better than anyone how little interest her superior had ever shown in marriage, but she didn’t believe her judgment was wrong.
“The only thing Executive Director Kang Jongwon has over you is that he has a spouse who strengthens his position.”
Jongwon had married the daughter of a former Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, a match that shareholders viewed very favorably.
His wife not only came from an outstanding family but was intelligent enough to make full use of her father’s extensive network while compensating for her husband’s shortcomings.
“At the moment, Executive Director, your stake in Shin-A Foods is still relatively small. If you start buying up shares now, Executive Director Kang Jongwon will notice.”
“…”
“For now, I believe your best course is to marry and gather allies. That will solidify your position. People may oppose your new business today, but once profits continue to rise, the shareholders will come around. Eventually, all eyes will turn to you.”
It was the perfect strategy for quietly seizing the throne while hiding her ambitions.
“…Would that be difficult?”
The secretary’s voice carried genuine concern.
Yujin stared at him for a moment before looking away.
This was a world where stock prices rose and businesses expanded depending on whose child you married.
She knew that better than anyone.
Despite Chairman Kang’s constant wishes, she had refused to marry even at thirty-three.
Partly because she wanted to prove herself through her own ability rather than her family background.
But more than that…
She had simply never met a man capable of capturing both her heart and her attention.
A man unforgettable enough to leave a lasting impression.
Suddenly, one face surfaced in her mind.
Yujin reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a business card, holding it between two fingers before extending it toward her secretary.
“I’ll give you one day.”
Her eyes sharpened.
“Dig up everything about this man. Every last detail.”
The secretary accepted the card, and his expression immediately turned serious.
Ki Seunghyun.
President of SOO ENM.
It was midnight.
A torrential downpour, like summer’s final fever, drenched the entire city in darkness.
The silence inside the empty movie theater was broken only by the soft echoes of black leather shoes against the floor.
The bodyguard standing outside Theater Three recognized the man immediately and stepped aside.
“You may enter through the door on the right.”
Another guard opened the auditorium door as he approached.
The moment he climbed the stairs, the enormous screen washed over him with breathtaking imagery.
Unlike the rainstorm raging outside, pure white snow drifted gently across the screen.
After silently watching the winter landscape for a moment, he lowered his gaze.
Sitting alone in the middle of the empty theater was the solitary figure of a woman.
Like someone abandoned on a winter night.
He walked toward her.
“I’ve heard wealthy families sometimes do things like this.”
The rich scent of cloves drifted down from above, filling Yujin’s senses.
“Rent out an entire movie theater after closing… just to watch a movie.”
Taking the seat beside her, he rested one arm casually on the shared armrest.
Ignoring how close their hands were, Yujin kept her eyes fixed on the beautifully composed scenes unfolding on the screen.
Whenever her mind became clogged with work, she usually relieved her stress by horseback riding.
If that wasn’t possible, she’d spend hours immersed in films instead.
“If there’s damage to the interior, you can just text me the repair bill.”
At the rustle of fabric, Yujin glanced sideways.
Apparently finding the narrow theater seat uncomfortable for his broad frame, he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt before asking quietly,
“Is there another reason you asked to meet me?”
The light from the screen traced across his Adam’s apple, making it look as sharp as a blade.
Yujin slowly parted her lips.
“Ki Seunghyun.”
She recited evenly.
“Thirty years old.”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“Following the late Honorary Chairman Shin Junghwa’s will, you were appointed Executive Director and CEO of SOO ENM at twenty-seven.”
“…”
“You also played the biggest role in acquiring H Studio, which produces dramas and films, along with its talent agency. By combining production, investment, and distribution under one umbrella—and filling the agency with top-tier actors—you turned the company into the center of South Korea’s media industry.”
She continued without pause.
“Your father owns Mina Ilbo, one of Korea’s most influential newspapers.”
“Your mother, Oh Yeonsoo, is the daughter of a former Prime Minister.”
“Your eldest brother, Ki Minhyun, works in asset management in the United States. He married a foreign national and obtained permanent residency.”
“Your younger sister, Ki Yoonyoung, studied piano and is currently studying abroad.”
“And among the three siblings, only the second child—you, President Ki Seunghyun—returned after studying overseas to continue the family business.”
She met his eyes.
“Did I get anything wrong?”
Seunghyun looked at her with an unreadable expression.
“Nothing’s incorrect.”
His fingers slowly curled around the armrest.
“But…”
His voice lowered.
“I do feel like you’ve investigated me far more than necessary.”
Seeing the tension gathering in his hand, Yujin quietly closed her lips.
Was he offended?
Of course he was.
A woman he’d only met once had thoroughly investigated his life—and was now calmly briefing him on it.
“President Ki Seunghyun.”
Tilting her head slightly, she asked,
“What do you think about marrying me?”
The white light from the screen washed over his face with an icy glow.
Seeing no point in beating around the bush, she continued.
“When you’re running a business, you’re inevitably affected by your parents’ expectations.”
“I’ve heard you’ve been set up on six blind dates since turning thirty.”
“One of them was the daughter of Assemblyman Shim Uihwan, who’s considered a leading presidential candidate.”
“The rest all came from equally prestigious families.”
“And yet you’re still unmarried.”
She smiled faintly.
“So unlike your parents, you don’t seem particularly interested in marriage.”
“Am I wrong?”
“No.”
His answer came without hesitation.
“So if you already know that…”
His eyes slowly swept over her.
“…what exactly is your motive for proposing to me?”
His gaze seemed intent on uncovering her true intentions.
Then his voice pierced the silence.
“Executive Director Kang Yujin.”
“The woman who’s famously uninterested in men.”
He pulled a stick of gum from his pocket, unwrapped it, and popped it into his mouth.
“That’s why you’ve never married until now.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“Am I wrong?”
Has he looked into me?
No.
He hadn’t needed to.
Yujin’s unmarried status at thirty-three was famous among Korea’s chaebol circles.
As the only daughter of Shin-A Group, countless wealthy mothers had hoped to pair their sons with her. When those hopes failed, the rumor naturally evolved into one convenient explanation:
Kang Yujin simply wasn’t interested in men.
Now that she was suddenly proposing marriage…
His dark eyes pressed for an answer.
“Because it’s Chairman Kang’s lifelong wish.”
She couldn’t tell him about Kang Jongwon.
Nor could she reveal her plan to take over Shin-A Foods.
So she chose the simplest excuse.
“His second wish is for my younger brother, Kang Yiheon, to get married.”
“You’ve probably heard about Han Jeongyeon from Geumhwa Group.”
“She’s been chasing my brother for over ten years.”
“My father believes that once I get married, Yiheon will follow.”
Though this marriage would be entirely political…
It could never appear that way.
“Since I’m granting his wish anyway…”
She looked directly at Seunghyun.
“…I’d like it to look like a love marriage.”
If people started saying she’d married purely for family connections, Kang Jongwon would attack without mercy.
He would stop at nothing to interfere.
“Even if it were an arranged marriage, the PR team would work overtime trying to make it look romantic.”
“So I’d rather plan the deception from the beginning.”
The ideal story was simple.
That they had secretly fallen in love.
That their feelings had gradually deepened.
And that those feelings had naturally led them to marriage.
“…Deceive everyone.”
He looked down at her.
“Putting acting ability aside…”
A crooked smile tugged at his lips.
“…you’d need a lot of nerve.”
“Isn’t this basically fraud against Chairman Kang Homoon of Shin-A Group?”
“Don’t worry.”
Yujin met his gaze without wavering.
“I’m deceiving Chairman Ki Junmin of Mina Ilbo too.”
When she’d first considered marriage…
His face had been the very first one that came to mind.
“When I first met you at Richel…”
Her voice softened.
“…you left quite an impression on me.”
Seunghyun stared at her for a long moment.
Then, slowly…
A smile spread across his face.
It was the kind of smile that looked undeniably dangerous.
