Chapter 22………………………………

“Don’t tell me she’s planning to marry Jung Min-hyung now?”

This was the same woman who, until recently, had insisted she would marry Cha Hyukjin.

And now she was switching sides this quickly?

Unable to shake off the uneasy feeling, Seoyoung began investigating Oh Yeran after that day.
She heard that Yeran was as fickle as boiling porridge and had quite the messy dating history.

Not that it mattered—chaebol marriages were mostly about public image anyway.
No one cared whether they cheated or not.

“Their handlers will cover up all the dark parts for them.”

Ever since joining Shinhwa Group, Seoyoung had learned a lot from the rumors and inter-company intel floating around.
The behind-the-scenes world of the chaebol families was dirtier than anyone imagined.

As she walked toward a nearby café where her friends were waiting, her expression hardened.

Now that she’d faced Yeran in person, Seoyoung was even more convinced that Minhyung might’ve been involved in the data leak.
And if Yeran was behind him, the situation would become even more troublesome.
Her brows furrowed deeper.

“Seoyoung, over here!”

When she opened the café door, her three college friends waved brightly at her.

Seoyoung’s lips curled into a pleasant smile as she walked toward their table as if nothing were wrong.

“To what do we owe the honor of the princess gracing us with her presence today?”

Minhyung grinned as he stepped into the vice-president’s office.

Seeing Yeran sitting on the long sofa with her legs crossed filled his face with smug delight.

He approached with open arms and a welcoming expression, prompting Yeran to smile back.

“I came because I missed you, oppa.”

Sitting naturally beside her, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and even pecked her lips.

Yeran’s brows creased for an instant.

Not noticing the change, Minhyung leaned back—then finally caught onto her mood and frowned slightly.

‘What happened to her today?’

Like many daughters of wealthy families, she’d had work done here and there, but Yeran was still the woman he had liked for years.
He’d catered to her long enough to notice even the slightest change in her expression.
He hadn’t missed the look on her face when he walked in.

With a gentle tone he never showed others, he coaxed:

“But why the face? Something bothering you?”

The moment he finished speaking, Yeran pushed out her lips as if she’d been waiting.

“That annoying wench Hyun Seoyoung was on the first floor. Just looking at her gives me goosebumps. I swear, she and I are destined to never get along.”

Her already cat-like eyes arched higher with irritation.

“Can’t you kick that bitch out of here already? Preferably before your wedding. Though… that might be hard, right?”

She intentionally pressed her full chest against Minhyung’s arm while whining.

Feeling her blatant provocation, his eyes darkened.

He remembered how intensely he had wanted her the night before, and his throat dried as heat rose in his body.

“Of course I’d love to get rid of her right away. But you know how things are, Yeran. They never go as easily as we want.”

“Tch.”

She stood up and pushed away the arm he’d begun to pull around her.

Every time she heard news of Hyukjin and Seoyoung speeding up their wedding preparations, her heart seethed with boiling anger.

And Minhyung, constantly trying to touch her, was an added annoyance.

She still couldn’t understand why Cha Hyukjin—Cha Hyukjin!—chose someone like Hyun Seoyoung, that lifeless block of wood, over her.

Considering how the men she slept with always clung to her afterward, Hyukjin would surely fall for her too… if only he’d give her a single night.

‘If only he’d give me an opening.’

It wasn’t that she hadn’t tried.

Just as the rumors said, Hyukjin was incredibly popular among women—he had a brilliant mind, handsome looks, and a flawless background.
The perfect groom candidate.

The problem was that he didn’t give even a needle-tip’s space to slip through.

Even when she got him drunk, she never once saw him lose control.
Even when she deliberately brushed her body against his, he would distance himself politely—as if maintaining perfect etiquette.
Infuriatingly so.

He had a reputation of being reserved and polite, refusing to get close to any woman.
Rumors even spread that he must prefer men.

“As if.”

Yeran had studied abroad in the U.S. following Hyukjin and knew firsthand that he absolutely did not prefer men.
She’d seen him with women.

But she never told anyone.
Why ruin her own chances and reduce competition?

And yet suddenly, Hyun Seoyoung appeared out of nowhere.

As his supposed fiancée.

She remembered seeing Seoyoung earlier.

Plain white blouse, black slacks—yet her clean features and slender figure drew attention.

It annoyed her, but she could admit that men would find Seoyoung desirable.

‘How irritating.’

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Her whole mood was ruined even though she’d come here to gather new info from Minhyung.

“So how’s Hyun Seoyoung these days? Lost her confidence yet?”

Trying to soothe herself, Yeran asked about Seoyoung.

Minhyung immediately smirked.

“You should’ve seen her. The bitch couldn’t make a sound in front of the executives today. Watching her run away with her tail between her legs was priceless.”

“And you don’t have anything new for me today?”

“Not today. And we need to lay low for a while. I think she’s starting to notice something.”

“If she hasn’t realized by now, she’d have to be an idiot.”

Yeran’s eyes glittered as she tilted her lips in a mocking smile.

“How about tonight, Yeran?”

Minhyung narrowed his eyes and gave her a suggestive look.

Yeran almost grimaced but quickly softened her expression and lowered her gaze as if regretful.

“Sorry, oppa. Grandpa’s been on my case about taking more bridal lessons. I don’t think I’ll be available for a while.”

“…Really?”

Her gentle refusal made Minhyung’s disappointment obvious.

“I’ll contact you first when I get time, okay? You must be busy too, so I’ll get going.”

Before he could grab her, Yeran quickly left the vice-president’s office.

As she walked to the elevator, greeting the secretaries along the way, her lips curled crookedly.

‘I slept with him once. What more does he want? Does he really think I like him or something?’

She recalled the day of the gathering.

The humiliating day when she ended up covered in wine while trying to mess with Seoyoung.

That day, she remembered Minhyung shouting at Seoyoung at the hotel entrance.

Being close with Minhee, she knew quite a bit about the siblings.

Knowing full well that Minhyung liked her, Yeran had decided to use him and called him immediately.

They met at the private room of her favorite lounge—and spent a heated night together.

“Minhee told me. That woman humiliated you pretty badly, didn’t she?”

But even when she offered to help him get revenge, Minhyung wasn’t very interested.
Instead, he asked for something else.

“You don’t just want revenge. You can’t stand the thought of Cha Hyukjin marrying someone else.”

Seeing his snake-like eyes pierce right through her intentions, Yeran quickly rearranged her thoughts.

“That’s one of the reasons, sure. But it’ll benefit you too, oppa.”

Under his skeptical gaze, Yeran raised her glass with a meaningful smile.

“As long as neither of us ends up losing.”

And that was how that one night happened.

She had no qualms sleeping with many men, but she didn’t particularly want to sleep with her friend’s older brother.

But to screw over Hyun Seoyoung?
She was willing to do almost anything.

And of course, Jung Minhyung—who’d wanted her for so long—would never turn down her offer.
Leaking the hotel information might cost him, but in exchange, he got the one thing he wanted most: her in his bed.