Chapter 4

Stolen Marriage

The moment for Hae-won to take her revenge on Chae-ryeong arrived far sooner than she had vaguely expected.

Barely three days after spending that passionate night with Seo Jeong-hoo, an article was published regarding the marriage between the Gyeongseo Group and Woogang Logistics.

It was a scandal with exquisite timing.

“An engagement dating back to their grandfathers’ generation, a fateful love… Is this Father’s handiwork?”

Reading the article, the corners of Hae-won’s lips twisted slightly.

A “fateful love”—it was far too generous a description for Yoon Chae-ryeong.

Because from the very beginning, none of it belonged to Chae-ryeong; it was all meant to be hers.

In the summer when she was six years old, her mother left for a place where she could never be seen again.

The absence of a mother was a ordeal far too immense for a young child to bear. But for a child who didn’t even truly understand what death meant, that wasn’t the only hardship that struck.

Her father, Yoon Pil-jung, had been in a relationship with Jin-sook even before his marriage.

However, for the sake of power, he married Hae-won’s mother—the sole heiress of Woogang Logistics.

Unable to abandon either love or power, her father cunningly started maintaining two households, eventually secretly fathering a daughter with Jin-sook.

Then came the time when her mother was hovering between life and death. Jin-sook didn’t miss the opportunity; holding her seven-year-old daughter by the hand, she made her grand entrance into the household.

Not content with taking over the master bedroom before the lawful wife had even passed away, she coaxed Pil-jung into hatching a monstrous plot.

They decided to swap the two children.

Greedy as she was, Jin-sook wanted her own daughter to be “Yoon Pil-jung’s flawless daughter.”

She wanted her child to be born with blessings in a complete family from the start, rather than being the daughter of a mistress who seized the main bedroom before the wife died.

And so, her unregistered child was registered as the lawful wife’s daughter, while the original daughter was framed as an orphan adopted by the lawful wife before her death.

Even while stealing the small child’s destiny, Jin-sook felt no remorse whatsoever. It was merely desperate maternal love, desiring nothing but her own daughter’s happiness.

Thus, the mistress’s daughter took away the lawful daughter’s name and family registry, becoming perfectly “Yoon Chae-ryeong.”

Meanwhile, the true daughter of the lawful wife was stripped of everything—her name, her identity, and even her father’s affection—and entered into the family registry anew as an adoptee named Yoon Hae-won.

On that day, Hae-won was robbed of her entire life.

“Miss Hae-won! Come eat breakfast!”

At the sound of Housekeeper Hansu’s voice outside the door, Hae-won slowly got up.

Her father led the entire family to the breakfast table every single morning. At 7:00 AM, family mealtime was an unbreakable rule.

Hypocrite that he was, he was overly mindful of how outsiders saw them, constantly mimicking a harmonious family—despite being the most dysfunctional household in South Korea.

Short of marriage, one could only leave this house after dying. Until then, she couldn’t cross her father, the real power in the house.

“Auntie, I asked for salad this morning.”

“Koreans need rice to keep up their strength. Don’t grumble and just sit down and eat. You’re skinny enough as it is.”

Though Chae-ryeong complained, she didn’t talk back further to her father’s words.

Her sister’s seat was, as always, at the head of the table.

Hae-won, however, sat in a secluded spot out of her father’s line of sight. She simply continued her meal as if she were non-existent.

“Have you met with Jeong-hoo?”

“No, Oppa is constantly busy. He must be swamped with company work.”

“We didn’t leak it on our end, but seeing that the marriage article came out, it seems Jeong-hoo isn’t just sitting idle either. To handle external affairs, a man needs inner support from his wife.”

Seo Jeong-hoo had followed the textbook path expected of a Gyeongseo Group successor.

He completed his elementary, middle, and high school education, along with his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, entirely abroad. He then joined Gyeongseo Group’s overseas branch and put his name on major projects.

Recently, in an unprecedented move, he returned to Gyeongseo Headquarters with the title of Executive Managing Director. It was an official announcement that he was jumping into successor management.

“Oh my? Didn’t you release the article, Father? I completely thought you did.”

“What does that matter? What matters is that the article is out. By the way, no matter how busy Jeong-hoo is, does he really have no time to see his fiancée’s face?”

“Is Jeong-hoo Oppa the kind of person who has time to be desperate about romance? As long as he marries me, nothing else matters.”

Fiancée, she said. It was merely a relationship where Chae-ryeong was unilaterally obsessed.

The planned engagement was also an enforcement based on an agreement by the previous generation; Seo Jeong-hoo’s own wishes were not reflected in the slightest.

Her father, her stepmother Jin-sook, and Chae-ryeong—all of them were in high spirits over the article covering the marriage with Gyeongseo Group, and laughter never ceased above the dining table.

There was no room for Hae-won to butt into that space.

“You haven’t forgotten that you promised to transfer the Sinsa-dong building under my name when I get married, right?”

“Of course, it’s all yours.”

Hae-won, who had been listening quietly, stared fixedly at her father. Even when their eyes met, he nonchalantly looked away and smiled benevolently at Chae-ryeong.

That building had been inherited by Hae-won upon her mother’s death. Hearing that even that was being handed over to Chae-ryeong brought not even a shred of desolation to Hae-won.

This was what it meant to live a life accustomed to deprivation and loss.

“Speaking of which, Chairman Seo called last night suggesting a family dinner to celebrate Jeong-hoo’s return to Korea. It’s likely because of the article.”

“Oh, when?”

“This weekend. So everyone, clear your schedules.”

It was spoken like an imperative order.

This applied to Hae-won as well. After all, she was included inside the picture of the harmonious family seen from the outside.

Beneath the dining table, Hae-won tightly clenched her fists. Her pupils dilated with tension.

The most perfect timing to slam Yoon Chae-ryeong—who had soared all the way to the sky—down into the dirt was right now.

Perhaps she even owed a debt of gratitude to Seo Jeong-hoo. Because she was able to take revenge on Chae-ryeong much sooner than she had vaguely anticipated.

‘Phew…’

Just thinking about how to say it to make that pretty face twist in despair made her fingertips tingle with excitement.

It was obvious she would be severely scolded by her father, and she had to prepare herself to be thrown around by Jin-sook’s violent hands.

“I feel so bad for you. Your marriage fell apart, yet you have to come along to the formal family meeting.”

“I’m fine. It doesn’t bother me at all.”

Walking down the hallway toward the meeting location, Chae-ryeong sharply raised her cat-like eyes. Her face wore a sneering smile.

The thought that this arrogant face would shatter in just a few moments gave Hae-won a thrill.

Chae-ryeong was so blinded by the critical moment of getting her hands on Seo Jeong-hoo that she couldn’t see anything else.

In the first place, Hae-won possessed no power to stop the marriage between Seo Jeong-hoo and Yoon Chae-ryeong.

Furthermore, there was virtually no expectation that doing this would invalidate the marriage itself.

While Seo Jeong-hoo’s side might feel slightly uncomfortable out of a guilty conscience, it was far more likely to end as a mere incident.

It was enough simply to give Chae-ryeong the feeling of having sewage dumped over her head at her happiest moment—just as Hae-won had experienced.

She wanted Chae-ryeong to feel that exact same filthy emotion.

‘Will Seo Jeong-hoo recognize me?’

That night, unlike her usual self, she had worn glamorous makeup and a fatal style.

Today, she was dressed in an inconspicuous, colorless attire. A modest blouse, a pencil skirt, and natural makeup fit perfectly with the usual, barely noticeable Yoon Hae-won.

It was to the extent that it would be difficult to recognize her as the same person at a glance.

Of course, even if he did recognize her, Seo Jeong-hoo wouldn’t make it obvious on the spot.

To be precise, it would be closer to him not daring to speak up.

“Sister.”

Wearing a toned-down sky-blue tweed two-piece suit, Chae-ryeong shone brightly, as befitted the main protagonist of today.

When Chae-ryeong turned to look at her with a questioning gaze, Hae-won smiled brightly once more.

“What?”

“I have something to give you—this.”

Raising one eyebrow in strange displeasure, Chae-ryeong stared intently at the unfamiliar object.

On the single cufflink missing its pair, the initials JH.S. were clearly engraved, as if declaring its owner.

“Could you return this for me? It belongs to that man, Seo Jeong-hoo.”

“What?”

Instantly failing to comprehend the meaning behind her words, Chae-ryeong froze in place, holding the cufflink in question.

Hae-won slowly leaned in close toward her and whispered in a low voice right into her ear:

“I slept with that man.”

“…!”

“I’m not sure if he’s a decent guy, but his bed skills were quite useful.”

It was a vulgar and explicit statement, completely unlike her usual self.

They were also the very words Chae-ryeong had once used to tear Hae-won’s heart to pieces.

“I’m curious. Will you pick up and eat what I threw away after taking a bite, or will you spit it out?”

“Ha! You expect me to believe a piece of trash like you actually slept with Jeong-hoo Oppa?”

Her face stiffening into an unbelievable shock, Chae-ryeong glared at Hae-won with venomous eyes.

“Whether you believe it or not is up to you. Just make sure to return it to Seo Jeong-hoo.”

“Where do you get off acting so impudent?!”

Having the contempt returned to her in kind, Chae-ryeong’s complexion flushed even redder with rage.

Wearing a vicious expression, she strode forward and raised her hand out of habit.

Hae-won no longer felt any need to endure Chae-ryeong. Snapping her wrist mid-air to stop the slap, Hae-won smiled faintly.

“They said he treats women like stone, but he was nothing like what you said.”

“You brazen little bitch!”

“Chae-ryeong? What’s going on? How can you make a scene here?!”

At the sound of Jin-sook’s voice coming from behind, Hae-won tossed aside the wrist she was holding tightly.

Turning her back on the mother and daughter, Hae-won stepped inside the appointment room first.

Behind her, Chae-ryeong was huffing with rage, but given the importance of the setting, she seemed to be swallowing her anger unlike usual. Inside, her mind was likely in turmoil as if standing in the middle of hell.

“Why aren’t you coming in quickly? What are you all doing?”

Inside the room, guests—including her father—were already seated.

Hae-won held her breath at the dense tension that surged over her for a moment, then let out a short exhale.

It was Seo Jeong-hoo.

Simply by occupying his seat, the man exuded a heavy presence, locking his deep gaze directly onto hers.

His perfectly neat and handsome face was completely calm, without the slightest agitation.

‘Does he not recognize me?’

If not that, his expressionless face looked as if he had already anticipated this exact meeting.

“Nice to see you again.”

“…!”

At his greeting, which flowed out toward her so naturally, her heart dropped all the way to her feet.

With a thoroughly relaxed face, Seo Jeong-hoo had completely defied Hae-won’s expectations.