Chapter 5
“…It’s been a while, Kwon Soo-hyuk.”
How on earth did he get here?
And how did he even know that she was going on a blind date?
Questions piled up in her mind, but asking them might not yield any answers.
Even if she asked, it probably wouldn’t help.
‘He doesn’t exactly look like an honest man.’
Kwon Soo-hyuk gave off the aura of a predator who had lived his life at the top of the food chain.
Leaning on his chin, he tapped his index finger with a casual elegance that screamed confidence.
“You were looking for me desperately. Searching everywhere, I hear.”
That arrogant tone dared her to try to persuade him.
“Why were you looking for me?”
“….”
As he knew, Kwon Soo-hyuk was Yu-seong’s last hope.
“You have to catch the little bastard with a leather strap, that’s the only way, right, Shin Byung-oh’s daughter?”
Recalling her father’s constant advice, Yu-seong lifted her head.
‘I can do this. I’m Shin Byung-oh’s daughter, Shin Yu-seong.’
The scarier the opponent, the bolder you must act.
Lowering your head means the end.
Meeting his pitch-black eyes, devoid of emotion, tightened her chest, but she steadied herself.
“I didn’t think you’d come in person.”
Instead, she lifted her head even higher.
“You must’ve wanted to see me, so you came running all this way.”
“Running? You’re a little late. I’m your fourth blind date.”
Ah, the fourth? Raising one eyebrow, he pulled a chair closer to her.
“Did I have so many siblings I didn’t know about? The bloodline’s quite something.”
Yu-seong held her breath for a moment at the sudden closeness but did not avert her gaze.
“Any of them you liked? I hate sibling fights.”
“Yes, there is.”
At her confident reply, his expression twisted slightly.
“Kwon Soo-hyuk?”
And then he parted his smooth lips slightly at the follow-up.
“Kwon Soo-hyuk. Do you happen to have a girlfriend?”
“And if I don’t?”
“Then that’s a relief.”
Yu-seong let out a sigh of relief and smiled.
“Congratulations, you caught my eye. My standards are high, so none of the others before you were good enough.”
“…Ha!”
Soo-hyuk laughed awkwardly, brushing his eyebrow in embarrassment.
This is more fun than I thought.
“You knew everything about my situation before coming, right?”
“Of course I did.”
“Since you came all the way here, I assume it’s to help me? Am I right?”
“You’re probing, aren’t you, little one.”
Startled, she twitched her eyelid.
But since he didn’t deny it, he probably did come to help. Yu-seong felt a small spark of hope.
“Did your father say anything before he collapsed?”
“…It was sudden, so nothing in particular.”
“Then who?”
“Excuse me?”
He leaned back from the table lazily, stretching like a predator before a hunt.
“The marriage contract. Who handed it to Kwon Hyuk-joon?”
“How do you….”
Yu-seong forced herself to hide her surprise and closed her mouth.
Tsk, he sounded annoyed. He clicked his tongue once and gulped down some whiskey brought by the staff.
It looked like just one sip, but the liquid sloshed violently down his throat before disappearing halfway.
Soo-hyuk met Yu-seong’s gaze over the rim of the glass and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.
“You seem like someone with many questions.”
“…Yes. So many that I can’t even organize them.”
For a moment, Yu-seong noticed the people glancing at him over Soo-hyuk’s shoulder.
His presence alone had drawn all attention to this table.
Perhaps sensing it, Soo-hyuk shrugged at her.
‘This isn’t the place to talk. Would she hate it if I suggested we go upstairs?’
He was curious.
How would the woman before him react?
Right now, she seemed like a kitten, bristling and hissing at a new toy.
Just as he opened his mouth to tease her, Yu-seong spoke.
“Let’s go upstairs, Kwon Soo-hyuk.”
“….”
The kitten took the lead.
“You don’t want to?”
Yu-seong calmly picked up her bag and stood.
“I won’t eat you, so follow me.”
And then she smiled sweetly at him.
“Ha.”
…That should’ve been my line.
Soo-hyuk clicked his tongue inside his cheek as he watched her walk away without looking back, seemingly refusing to be rejected.
“Unbelievable. That one.”
A long, grand imperial table was set with dishes fit for royalty.
Only three people were eating at the table.
In the silence, even the sound of chewing or footsteps went unnoticed.
“When is the formal meeting?”
The voice of Kwon Seong-jae, head of the Kwon family, settled over the table.
“Next Saturday. But honey, are you really not going to stop this marriage?”
Chairman Kwon scowled as if he were fed up.
“You say that again?”
“Our Hyuk-joon… he’s your only son. How could he be with such a shameless girl…!”
The thought made her click her tongue in disbelief.
A few days ago, Shin Kyung-hee and Oh Yoo-na visited. Myung-sook wanted to send them away, but Seong-jae stopped her.
“She’s my friend’s younger sister, my niece. Treat them with respect.”
Even giving that absurd instruction, they were accepted as guests.
As expected, they handed over a document claiming it was a marriage contract among Seong-jae’s children.
“Chairman… no, Seong-jae oppa. Since Byung-oh oppa collapsed, it’s been so hard. Shin-yang is nearly ruined too. Can’t you help me? Huh?”
Brazenly, she called him “oppa” and shamelessly demanded money in front of his wife.
And her husband willingly gave her 1 billion won. Myung-sook still felt sick thinking about it.
‘Six years ago, they got money by framing Hyuk-joon for school bullying… and now these wretches again!’
The bigger problem was that Seong-jae insisted on carrying out the marriage contract seriously.
“Lately, I can’t even sleep. Don’t you know that Shin Yu-seong was Hyuk-joon’s girlfriend when he was in high school? He suffered so much because of her back then!”
Bang!
Seong-jae slammed his spoon down irritably.
“Honey?”
“After the news is already out, why are you still whining!”
Chairman Kwon sighed deeply as he saw Myung-sook and their son Hyuk-joon staring at him in surprise.
“Look at your son!”
Hyuk-joon stopped moving his chopsticks.
“I even got a call from Manager Jung yesterday. Not a single daughter agreed to the blind date.”
Manager Jung was a renowned matchmaker, handling children of top business and political families.
Even she refused him—despite being Kwon Seong Group’s heir.
“What?!”
“Your son’s done so much, that not a single girl wants to marry him, even though he’s my own child. Understand?”
Hyuk-joon’s face reddened as he bowed deeply.
“Why would Chairman allow such a lopsided marriage? Doesn’t he think?”
“Even if he’s the only son of the Kwon Seong Group head, no woman wants to marry him. That’s why.”
Hearing the same words from her father as Shin Yu-seong had, Hyuk-joon’s mouth trembled with rage.
Seeing her pitiful son, Myung-sook glared at Chairman Kwon.
“I was finding a bride for Hyuk-joon! Even if the boy insisted, shouldn’t you have stopped this?”
“It’s my close friend’s daughter, anyway. And…”
The chairman paused as if at a loss for words.
“It was a promise Yeo-jung wanted to make come true.”
When Yeo-jung first had Soo-hyuk, she had jokingly yet earnestly written the marriage contract wanting her child to marry Byung-oh’s offspring.
Hearing his late ex-wife mentioned, Myung-sook’s eyes widened.
“Some gangster she lost contact with? That friend more important than your son?!”
“What?”
“Why should Hyuk-joon clean up a promise left by a dead woman? Are you crazy?!”
“Watch your mouth!”
Seong-jae shouted, clutching his head as if it were about to explode.
“Chairman!”
The staff immediately came to support him.
“Proceed with the marriage as planned. Don’t complain.”
In the end, Seong-jae left the table without finishing his meal.
Walking toward his study, he stopped in front of a family photo hanging in the hallway.
It showed his late wife, Lim Yeo-jung, and their deceased son, Soo-hyuk.
Yeo-jung wore a black dress and smiled brightly.
It was a remembrance wedding photo taken when Soo-hyuk entered elementary school.
Seeing her husband stop, Myung-sook gritted her teeth.
Every time she saw that photo, her stomach twisted.
She and her son were absent from it.
Seong-jae had displayed the photo proudly to honor his late wife and son.
‘And of course, the dress is black.’
“Besides you, I won’t let anyone else affect me. That’s the meaning of the black dress. Romantic, isn’t it? That’s why I chose to wear it on the wedding day.”
Over thirty years ago, Yeo-jung had shyly told Myung-sook this as her secretary.
Watching it, Myung-sook secretly laughed.
Her husband was already getting “dirty” with her every night, yet Yeo-jung declared no one else would affect her.
“Madam, it will suit you perfectly.”
It had suited her well, very much so.
She had driven her husband and son to death, so in the end, it was Myung-sook’s victory.
Either way, both were dead.
Tsk, worrying about it is a waste of time.
Glancing at the photo, Myung-sook turned her head after glaring through the faces.
“…You’re still beautiful.”
At the whispered compliment, she froze.
“…Huh!”
In her husband’s eyes was the longing for his ex-wife.
Myung-sook shivered at a look she had never received in her life.
As Seong-jae left without looking back, Myung-sook returned to the table to drink some water, her heart burning with anger.
“Ha…”
She didn’t know what to do with her bottled-up rage.
