Chapter 5

Stolen Marriage

Hae-won’s calculation that Seo Jeong-hoo would never acknowledge her first in front of the elders proved to be completely wrong.

To greet someone with “Nice to see you again” when they were supposed to be meeting for the first time—the ripple effect of his casually tossed words was immense.

The quizzical, piercing gazes of Chairman Seo and his wife, along with her father, Pil-jung, landed squarely on her.

A razor-thin, precarious tension hung in the air, as if a tsunami were about to sweep through.

She couldn’t fathom the true intentions behind his words in the slightest.

She tried hard not to let her fluster show, but she couldn’t help her face freezing up.

“It has been a while, Mrs. Kang.”

Jeong-hoo politely greeted Jin-sook and Chae-ryeong, who entered through the door right behind her.

There was not a single flaw to be found in his calm, polite tone, and the tense atmosphere naturally dissolved.

It was hard to believe that the refined man before her eyes and the wild man who had ravenously possessed her body like a madman that night were the exact same person.

However, having already heard what he said to Hae-won, Chae-ryeong’s face had also turned completely rigid.

Hae-won did not miss the subtle trembling in Chae-ryeong’s hand, which was tightly clutching the missing cufflink.

She looked as if she couldn’t endure the moment her fears became reality.

“Please sit.”

With his innate aura, Seo Jeong-hoo effortlessly commanded the room.

Despite his young age, the sheer power he projected left even her father, Pil-jung, unable to make a reckless move. The elite background of the Gyeongseo Group certainly played a role in that.

In an instant, an ominous premonition struck her that her shallow revenge plan had gone awry right from the start.

Her opponent was far too dangerous.

Hae-won did her best to suppress the surging anxiety as she took her seat. She sat diagonally across from Seo Jeong-hoo.

Fortunately, as long as she focused solely on her meal, it seemed she wouldn’t have to lock eyes with him.

“Shall we start with the meal first? The food here is quite good.”

“Let us do that.”

As Chairman Seo and Pil-jung picked up their utensils, the awkward atmosphere loosened up a bit.

Casual conversation flowed across the table. Chairman Seo and his wife could not hide their joy over their son’s return after ending his long stay abroad.

“…!”

It was right then.

Tap.

Something touched her leg beneath the table.

With a pale, drained face, Hae-won stared straight ahead.

Aside from Jeong-hoo, who was focused on his meal with an excessively relaxed expression, there was no one else who could secretly touch her leg.

‘No way… I must have felt it wrong.’

Just as Hae-won tightly squeezed her spoon, desperately trying to deny reality—

This time, something slid smoothly and slowly up her leg. The subtle, erotic movement was bold and unhesitating. Just like Seo Jeong-hoo on that night.

This was no delusion. It was unequivocally a dangerous signal he was sending her.

‘What on earth do you want from me, Seo Jeong-hoo?’

To think he would use his long legs in such a manner.

Hae-won bit her lip hard in sheer dismay.

“Shall we bring up the children’s marriage? The daily newspaper somehow picked up on it and ran an article.”

“Ah, did Chairman Seo leak that?”

“The details were quite specific, so we assumed Assemblyman Yoon subtly passed it along.”

“What does that matter? What’s important is that the marriage—the long-cherished wish of our two families—comes to fruition.”

Their maternal grandfathers had risked their lives to cross over from the North during the war, forging a deep friendship.

Throughout their lives, they were lifelong confidants who supported and guided each other.

They promised a marriage between their children, but unfortunately, both only had daughters, so that dream couldn’t be fulfilled. It was only now, reaching the generation of their grandchildren, that the pledge of those days could finally see the light.

Over time, Gyeongseo Group had grown large enough to become a flagship retail conglomerate representing South Korea, whereas Woogang Logistics had not expanded nearly as much.

It was a marriage heavily tilted to one side, yet Gyeongseo Group had not betrayed their trust.

Pil-jung smiled with satisfaction as he looked at Chae-ryeong.

Chae-ryeong let out a shy smile, looking like someone who had been waiting for this exact moment.

However, it didn’t take long for that smile to completely vanish.

“I want to marry Yoon Hae-won.”

“…!”

The calm words uttered by Jeong-hoo poured cold water over the entire gathering, plunging it into silence.

Hae-won’s eyes, in particular, widened so large they couldn’t possibly grow any bigger.

She couldn’t begin to guess what this man was pulling, or what he was thinking.

Her only goal had been to scratch at Chae-ryeong’s heart. She simply wanted her sister to hurt as much as she had been hurt. That was all.

To think that marriage discussions with Seo Jeong-hoo would involve her… was something even she hadn’t anticipated in the slightest.

“Jeong-hoo, you mean Chae-ryeong, don’t you?”

“No. Yoon Hae-won.”

Jeong-hoo’s gaze remained fixed squarely on her without veering away even an inch, and his voice was nothing short of resolute.

At his unyielding declaration, the expressions of the elders noticeably darkened.

“What on earth are you talking about? This is an important marriage pledged since your grandfathers’ time.”

“That’s right! Hae-won is a child who has absolutely nothing to do with this promise!”

To the outside world, Yoon Hae-won was an adopted child. Jeong-hoo’s declaration that he would marry her was equivalent to overturning a marriage built on bloodline premises.

Jin-sook, hopping mad in her hypocrisy, twisted her face into a grimace of pure disgust.

Jeong-hoo’s parents also nodded, seeming to agree with her words.

“I am aware that Yoon Hae-won was adopted by Assemblyman Yoon after discussions with the late Mrs. Lee during her lifetime.”

“That’s…!”

“Aren’t both Chae-ryeong and Yoon Hae-won children of Assemblyman Yoon’s household all the same?”

Which meant Hae-won was equally the granddaughter of the maternal grandfather.

Though he wore a gentle smile, a force that could not be resisted resonated in his voice.

“Even so, the one most suitable for this marriage is Chae-ryeong!”

Fired up, Jin-sook was not about to back down easily.

It was then that Jeong-hoo met her eyes, a leisurely smile blooming across his face.

There was not a trace of urgency or agitation in his composure.

“You sound as if you are Chae-ryeong’s biological mother, Mrs. Kang. Though the love of raising a child should be equal for both.”

“…!”

The weight of Jeong-hoo’s offhand remark was staggering.

Jin-sook’s complexion flushed red and pale by turns, yet she could no longer bring herself to say another word to him.

Even if Seo Jeong-hoo had said it without any ulterior motive, to the person receiving it, it struck their conscience as if a grand secret had been exposed.

“I believe Yoon Hae-won is fully qualified.”

“Oppa!”

His powerful words cut through the air, clearly implying that no one should discriminate between a biological child and an adopted child.

There was no room for Chae-ryeong’s shrill voice to cut in.

It was the first time Hae-won had ever seen Chae-ryeong look so desperate in her life.

Hae-won’s heart began to beat violently.

“I happened to run into Miss Hae-won in private recently…”

“….”

No way, he isn’t going to bring up that night here, is he?

White bone knuckles stood out over her tightly clenched fists from sheer tension.

With a drained face, Hae-won stared at Jeong-hoo. The moment their eyes locked, he smiled innocently—with secretive eyes whose true thoughts were impossible to read.

“I fell in love at first sight.”

Fell in love at first sight?

Their relationship didn’t fit such romantic and pure words.

It had merely been explicit, raw, and animalistic.

“Therefore, I will marry Yoon Hae-won.”

Now she understood with absolute certainty. Seo Jeong-hoo was an uncontrollable man. No one could stop him—

Not even the very parents who gave birth to and raised him.

As if proving that, Chairman Seo and his wife nodded absentmindedly, completely overwhelmed by their son, Seo Jeong-hoo. They seemed to have forgotten how uncomfortable they had felt moments ago about Hae-won being the marriage candidate.

The tide of the room turned swiftly.

Pil-jung and Jin-sook were thoroughly flustered by the sudden turn of events.

In their scenario, there was no variable where Jeong-hoo would single out Hae-won instead of Chae-ryeong. It was a horrifying twist.

Chae-ryeong’s eyes turned red as if she were on the verge of tears, occasionally flashing a vicious glint.

“Hae-Hae-won is still young and has many shortcomings…”

“Is she not merely a year younger than Chae-ryeong?”

A neat, polite smile flowed on his lips as he struck right at the core.

Since Seo Jeong-hoo had already brought up “Yoon Hae-won’s qualifications” as a bride, every word Jin-sook spat out was nothing more than a clumsy excuse—a final, desperate struggle.

“Hae-Hae-won might think differently! Hurry and speak up—do you feel the same way?!”

“….”

Finally, the arrow pointed toward Hae-won.

Hae-won pressed her clammy palms together tightly, unable to utter a single word.

She clearly knew an opportunity had come to her, but she couldn’t judge whether she should grab it or cut it off. It was a situation she had never once imagined, leaving her completely bewildered.

“It is my one-sided feeling. It is unfair to force an answer out of Miss Hae-won.”

“Ha…!”

He was relaxed, composed, and excessively considerate.

Hae-won was immensely confused as to whether this was his true self, or if his wild nature from that night was closer to his real disposition.

As Jeong-hoo took a protective stance over Hae-won, a gasp of surprise escaped Mrs. Kang’s lips.

After that, time dragged on uncomfortably—like sitting on a bed of nails—to the point where she couldn’t tell if food was going down her mouth or up her nose.

Eventually, the bizarre family dinner came to an end.

“Let us have a drink together next time.”

“Let us do that.”

While the fathers exchanged farewells, persistent eyes followed Hae-won, who stood anxiously behind them.

This man had no intention of hiding his feelings toward her whatsoever.

“I would like to speak with Yoon Hae-won alone. Is that alright?”

That was not a statement seeking the elders’ consent. At his gaze directed purely at her, Hae-won’s slender throat bobbed up and down.

Swallowing her faint tension, she barely parted her lips.

“…Yes.”

She had unfinished business to settle with him.

She was also curious about his true motives for pushing things to this extreme. Hae-won was not naive enough to take his words of “falling in love at first sight” at face value.

Unable to contain her rage, Chae-ryeong bit her red lips and stormed out of the room.

Chairman Seo and his wife, clicking their tongues at their son’s audacity, also departed, while the flustered Pil-jung and Jin-sook hurriedly hurried their steps to appease Chae-ryeong.

In the end, the only ones left in the spacious room were Seo Jeong-hoo and Yoon Hae-won.

Click.

The moment the door closed, a strange silence settled over them.

A taut tension stretched between the two, as if the air inside a balloon were expanding, ready to burst at any second.

“I finally found you, Yoon Hae-won.”

“What on earth is…”

“Hitting and running after taking my first time—did you think that would be the end of it?”

Putting his masterly performance from that night to shame, he uttered a glaring lie:

That she had taken his first time.

“What did you say?”

“Did you mishear me? I said you were my first.”

The gaze he locked onto the stunned Hae-won did not waver in the slightest.

Her chest thrashed like a fish struck by a harpoon.

Just as a chill ran down her spine, he drove in an irreversible stake:

“You aren’t planning to hit and run again, are you? You ought to pay proper responsibility for taking my virginity.”

Seo Jeong-hoo revealed his true colors, letting out a shameless yet leisurely laugh.

A wave of anxiety washed over her, as if she had been caught in a deep, inescapable trap.

It felt as though she would never be able to break free from this man.