Chapter: 1

Blind Date

Bora’s already long eyelashes felt heavy under the weight of the carefully applied mascara.

Blinking slowly, she cautiously sipped her juice through a straw, careful not to ruin the lip gloss she had painstakingly put on.

“That’s unexpected.”

“Pardon?”

The handsome man with the broad frame sitting across from Bora was named Han Kang-yoon.

He was known as the type who bulldozed his way through work without regard for others, a cold-blooded person who showed neither mercy nor compassion in anything he did.

Because of that reputation, despite his flawless credentials and appearance, rumors abounded that he still hadn’t managed to marry.

His perfectly tailored dark navy suit and crisply pressed white shirt seemed to reflect his precise and meticulous personality.

“What’s unexpected about it…?”

Since the moment she had entered, Bora had felt slightly uncomfortable under Kang-yoon’s unwavering gaze.

“You’re beautiful.”

“What?”

“I never thought my aunt would choose someone this beautiful as my blind date.”

Caught off guard by his remark, Bora’s pale cheeks flushed red.

“Miss Yoon Bora, were you also dragged here against your will?”

“No… Yes.”

At Bora’s honest answer—she was incapable of lying—Kang-yoon, who had maintained a blank expression until now, curled the corner of his lips into a faint smile.

“The truth is…”

“Right. There must be something. What is it?”

Removing the straw from his iced Americano packed with ice cubes, Kang-yoon took a drink.

After only two gulps, more than half the coffee was gone.

Bora stared at the cup, then absentmindedly fiddled with the straw in her own juice.

There was something that had been bothering her ever since she’d been told to meet the son of the Kangsan Group.

“Representative Han Kang-moon of Kangsan Trading requested to meet me several times.”

“Huh?”

“But I never accepted. He’s such an important person, and there’s also the age difference…”

“Hmm. Han Kang-moon and I are only one year apart.”

“What? Really? He looks much younger than that…”

“Well, we’re practically the same age. Our birthdays are only one day apart. Han Kang-moon was born on December 31, and I was born on January 1.”

As he said that, Kang-yoon’s eyes once again turned as cold as they had been at the beginning.

Bora couldn’t figure out what he was thinking.

If he were truly the cold-hearted man people described, he wouldn’t have bothered showing up to a blind date he wasn’t interested in.

Even if he had come, if he had no interest in her, he should have already stood up, claimed he was busy, and left the hotel lobby.

Yet Kang-yoon simply sat there, silently drinking his coffee while gazing steadily at her.

His unreadable demeanor left Bora’s mouth feeling dry.

“I don’t know what you’ve heard about me.”

After a long silence, Kang-yoon finally spoke again.

Bora found his deep, low voice surprisingly attractive.

“Whatever you’ve heard or thought, I’m probably a better man than you imagine.”

“You don’t even know what I imagined…”

Cold-blooded. Rude. Arrogant lone wolf.

As Bora recalled the many negative descriptions she had heard about him, she trailed off awkwardly.

Of course, learning that Kang-yoon was Han Kang-moon’s brother had only worsened her prejudice.

Han Kang-moon was the kind of man who thought the entire world revolved around him.

An immature fool who believed money could buy a woman’s heart.

That was the extent of Bora’s opinion of him.

The two had only met a few times during volunteer events hosted by the Honor Society Club.

Bora’s beauty, youth, and innocent personality had caught Kang-moon’s interest.

Even after she had rejected him, he had persistently continued contacting her.

Remembering his oily smile made her expression stiffen slightly.

“I’ve only heard one thing about you, Miss Yoon Bora.”

Looking at Bora’s neatly manicured fingers wrapped around her juice glass, Kang-yoon continued.

“You’re the only daughter of Bitchan Co., Ltd., and the CEO of the senior living community, The Light.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Well, I already knew they weren’t planning to set me up with the daughter of some wildly successful conglomerate.”

His indifferent tone made Bora think, Like brother, like brother.

Han Kang-moon and Han Kang-yoon really are alike when it comes to speaking without considering other people’s feelings.

Ignoring her reaction, Kang-yoon tapped the armrest of his chair with a long finger as he sank into thought.

“As you already know, I’m the son born from my father’s mistress.”

“Yes… I’ve heard.”

“My father died early, so my aunt raised me like her own son.”

Bora nodded.

“Officially, I’m the second son of the Kangsan Group. But in the marriage market, I’m just a decorative extra who’ll never inherit the group, so marriage proposals rarely come my way. Of course, my nasty personality has probably been exaggerated enough to contribute to that.”

His self-deprecating smile drew Bora’s gaze.

“Now it’s your turn.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve revealed my weaknesses and embarrassing background. Why don’t you reveal yours? That way we can honestly find out whether we can both get what we want.”

Revealing each other’s flaws on a blind date?

The unexpected turn of events made Bora tense slightly.

Her mother had instructed her to do whatever it took to charm Han Kang-yoon into marriage.

According to her, only a giant corporation like the Kangsan Group could save her father’s collapsed business.

Worse, her father’s reckless borrowing had pushed Bora’s own company to the brink of ruin.

Her mother had known for some time that Han Kang-moon liked Bora.

Through an acquaintance, she had subtly approached the Kangsan Group.

But instead of Han Kang-moon, the response had been a blind date with Han Kang-yoon.

“Oh, come on. Who cares if he’s an illegitimate son these days? And rumors are just rumors. You never know until you experience it yourself. Bora, steel yourself. If you just close your eyes and act a little clever, you’ll save the whole family. Okay?”

Her mother, who had spent her life comfortably as the wife of a wealthy man, couldn’t cope with their recent financial downfall.

Her goal was simple: marry off her beautiful daughter to a rich family for the highest possible price.

Bora’s love, happiness, and career mattered little.

To her mother, being able to buy every new luxury handbag released that season ranked higher than Bora’s own well-being.

The thought suddenly made Bora feel as if her throat were closing up.

“If it’s difficult to talk about, you don’t have to.”

Seeing her face turn pale, Kang-yoon tried to ease the pressure.

But Bora opened her mouth firmly.

“As you said, my family is in financial trouble right now. That needs to be resolved. And I’m at an age where I’ll have to marry eventually anyway. And…”

She hesitated.

Kang-yoon watched her tightly pressed lips and patiently waited for her to continue.

“My father’s incompetent management has put my own business at risk. What kind of parent siphons resources from their child’s company? I built my senior living community with my own effort without receiving a single penny from him.”

“Hmm.”

A spark of interest appeared in Kang-yoon’s eyes.

“There are two reasons I came to this blind date.”

“What are they?”

“First, my mother requested a match through the Kangsan Group, and fortunately it was you, not Representative Han Kang-moon, who agreed to come.”

“That’s not unpleasant to hear.”

“The second reason is that I hoped you might invest in my senior living community.”

“Invest?”

“As you know, my family’s finances are collapsing. If I can’t resolve The Light’s debts soon, Hanjeung Group will acquire my company. They originally proposed a partnership, and when I refused, they built a competing senior living community and have been waiting for an opportunity ever since.”

“Hmm…”

When senior living communities first became popular, countless facilities had sprung up everywhere.

Many quickly gained bad reputations due to poor management and declining value.

But Bora’s facility, The Light, consistently ranked number one in the industry and was widely respected.

“I don’t know why you came today, Mr. Han Kang-yoon. But I came thinking I’d meet an investor with good judgment who could save my business. A win-win situation, you know? Everybody benefits.”

Although she spoke confidently, Bora’s heart pounded.

She had no idea what Kang-yoon was thinking as he watched her with that strange expression.

Her pale fingers, resting neatly atop her skirt, unconsciously clenched and relaxed.

“Negotiations are always most effective when both sides reveal their bottom line.”

After thinking for a long moment, Kang-yoon nodded.

“You’re the CEO of a senior living community.”

“Yes?”

“So winning over stubborn old people must be easy for you.”

“What?”

“Tell me. Can you soften up a rigid old man who keeps his mouth shut and refuses to talk?”

Bora couldn’t understand the true meaning behind his question.

But instinctively, she realized something.

This is it.

My last chance to save The Light—the business I’ve poured everything into.

I have to grab the lifeline this mysterious man is offering.

“Yes. I can.”

“Good.”

A broad smile spread across Kang-yoon’s face for the first time that day.

At that moment, Bora felt as though her heart had dropped straight into her stomach.