🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 1: You Started It First
The spring rain fell in a gentle drizzle in March. Raindrops trickled down the restaurant’s floor-to-ceiling windows, while the nightscape outside shimmered with colorful neon signs, creating a beautiful view.
As A-ryeon gazed at the scenery with empty eyes, she caught sight of her unfamiliar reflection in the window.
Her ill-fitting clothes and makeup made her look even more unfamiliar to herself, but they weren’t the only things that felt out of place. The luxurious restaurant on the thirtieth floor of a hotel, the staff’s courteous attitude, and the man she was about to meet all contributed to her discomfort.
The chatter of the people around her and the hurried footsteps of the busy staff echoed through the restaurant, making A-ryeon’s head throb.
She had been utterly exhausted all day, dealing with the aftermath of her grandfather’s encounter with another woman and trying to clean up the bribery scandal involving her mother, Han Mi-ryeong. Yet, pushed into it by Madam Han’s relentless insistence, she had been forced to come here without even getting a chance to rest.
‘You’re going to meet the man who’ll be seeing Se-ra, so I’m asking you to find out a little information about him. Besides, if you two get along and things work out, it’ll be good for you, too. I’m only doing this for your sake. How can you twist everything I say into something negative?’
Remembering Madam Han’s words, A-ryeon let out a hollow smile.
“Ha… She certainly is in a hurry.”
That was right. The reason A-ryeon was sitting in such a fine restaurant with a miserable expression was an unwanted blind date arranged by her stepmother, Madam Han. It was practically an order rather than an invitation.
A-ryeon’s biological mother had died in a car accident when she was seven. That same year, A-ryeon had been registered as the daughter of her biological father, Hyeong-geun, and his wife, Madam Han.
From Madam Han’s perspective, A-ryeon was nothing more than a thorn in her side.
Her husband’s past had inevitably found its way into her household, and she couldn’t stand it. Fearing that even a fraction of the love meant for her own daughter, Se-ra, might go to A-ryeon, she made sure to treat the girl differently at every turn.
A-ryeon had never once experienced the love of a family, and now, at twenty-eight, her life had changed very little.
The main reason she had come here today was to gather information about Cha Do-hyeon, the eldest son of the Ha-young Group, whom Madam Han had already chosen as a potential husband for Se-ra.
Ha-young Group was one of the wealthiest conglomerates in the country, commanding numerous subsidiaries. It was influential enough to attract the attention of not only Madam Han but also A-ryeon’s maternal grandfather, Assemblyman Han.
For a family like Assemblyman Han’s, whose members were primarily legal professionals and politicians, Ha-young Group was an ideal match for Se-ra. However, arranging a meeting with Cha Do-hyeon was no easy task.
There was hardly any gossip about the women he met, and he kept his private life tightly sealed. The only information available about him concerned his social standing and background.
It was common knowledge that Cha Do-hyeon was not the biological son of Chairman Cha Jeong-jin of Ha-young Group.
Unfortunately, Chairman Cha’s wife, Madam Lee, had been unable to conceive for five years after their marriage. This was considered a serious problem for a wealthy family that needed an heir, and rumors of the couple’s impending divorce had even begun to circulate.
However, despite theirs being a marriage of convenience, Chairman Cha loved his wife, Madam Lee, and so a divorce never happened.
Nevertheless, under the relentless pressure of the former chairman, who insisted that the family line had to continue, the couple eventually chose to adopt a child. It was an unusual decision in the world of conglomerates.
Adoption itself was already a shocking development among such wealthy families, but what made the situation even more unusual was the boy’s age at the time: fifteen.
Even to this day, no one knew how Cha Do-hyeon and Ha-young Group had come into contact or how the adoption had come about. Perhaps that was why the rumors surrounding him continued to grow.
There were all kinds of stories. Some claimed he was Chairman Cha’s illegitimate child. Others said he had been picked up off the street. Countless rumors circulated, but nothing had ever been confirmed.
His uncertain origins and negative gossip followed Do-hyeon like a shadow. Nevertheless, the fact that he had become the eldest son of Ha-young Group remained unchanged.
As the conglomerate’s eldest son, Do-hyeon was every parent’s dream son-in-law. Families from other major corporations and even influential political circles were desperate to arrange blind dates with him.
Madam Han was among those contributing to the frenzy, and her obsession had even begun to affect A-ryeon.
The person A-ryeon was meeting today was none other than Jeong In-cheol, Do-hyeon’s closest aide and chief secretary. Madam Han was hoping that, since In-cheol worked as Do-hyeon’s secretary, he would be able to provide information about him.
As the appointed time drew near, A-ryeon turned her gaze away from the window and looked toward the restaurant entrance. Before long, a man caught her eye.
He stood nearly 190 centimeters tall, and his long limbs made him stand out as he walked. His broad shoulders and well-built physique, in addition to his impressive proportions, drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant.
Assuming indifferently that celebrities probably frequented such a famous hotel, A-ryeon looked away from the man and returned her attention to the entrance, checking to see whether her actual date had arrived.
A moment later, a black suit filled her field of vision, casting a deep shadow over her.
“Miss Lee A-ryeon?”
A low, deep voice called her name.
When A-ryeon raised her head, she found herself looking into the eyes of the very man who had just entered the restaurant.
Up close, he was even more striking.
His features were so beautiful that the word handsome hardly seemed sufficient. His sharp facial features and strong, well-defined lines blended together in an intriguing way, creating an almost mysterious aura. His distinctly masculine yet dignified presence made him all the more captivating.
Without even realizing it, A-ryeon found herself staring at his face as though she were under a spell.
“Are you not Miss Lee A-ryeon?”
At the sound of his deep voice once more, A-ryeon finally snapped out of her daze. She rose from her seat and stood before him.
“Oh, yes. That’s right. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lee A-ryeon.”
“Likewise. I’m Jeong In-cheol.”
The man extended his hand with a faint smile.
As he stepped closer and offered his hand, A-ryeon felt an inexplicable sense of pressure.
He possessed an aura that made it almost impossible to believe he was merely a chief secretary.
Deliberately straightening her shoulders, which had instinctively begun to hunch, A-ryeon reached out and accepted his handshake.
The moment she took his hand, the pleasant scent of a man’s cologne reached her nose. A rich, subtle musk spread through the air, stimulating her senses.
“Shall we sit down?”
“Yes.”
Unlike A-ryeon, whose body had stiffened slightly with nervousness, he appeared calm and composed. As though accustomed to the place, he raised a hand to summon a server and began ordering their food in an even, unhurried voice.
Without realizing it, A-ryeon quietly followed his every movement with her eyes. He was doing nothing more than choosing food, yet it felt as though she were watching a scene from a drama.
After placing their order, the man turned his gaze back toward A-ryeon. She slightly turned her head to avoid his eyes. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was becoming increasingly intimidated by him.
Someone who knew nothing about her complicated family circumstances would have had no reason to think A-ryeon lacked anything. Yet, for some reason, she felt unusually small in his presence.
“Have you been waiting long?”
After finishing the order, he asked with a faint smile.
“No. I haven’t been here very long, either.”
Because she was nervous, A-ryeon’s voice sounded stiff. Worried that she might sound awkward, she repeatedly pressed her lips together and bit them.
“I often accompany our CEO to various gatherings, but I don’t believe I’ve ever met Assemblyman Han Woo-jin’s eldest granddaughter before.”
“Ah… yes.”
A-ryeon made no effort to come up with an excuse for his question.
In truth, it would have been more accurate to say that she couldn’t attend those gatherings rather than that she simply didn’t. Neither Assemblyman Han nor any of the other members of her family allowed her to accompany them to any event.
It was their petty way of refusing to acknowledge her as either a daughter or a granddaughter.
“Then I suppose you haven’t seen our CEO in person?”
“By CEO, you mean Representative Cha Do-hyeon, right?”
“Yes.”
“No, I’ve never met him face-to-face.”
At his question, A-ryeon took out her phone, intending to search for Cha Do-hyeon.
Just then, the man’s long, firm hand reached naturally toward her. His touch was gentle but decisive as he stopped her from continuing.
“That’s all right. Today, you’re here to meet me, so please focus on me.”
At his request that she focus on him, A-ryeon’s gaze drifted back to his face. His voice was kind, but the way he looked at her felt intense and almost sensual.
“Oh, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
Without realizing it, A-ryeon apologized and quickly lowered her gaze.
The food they had ordered arrived amid the awkward atmosphere.
The warmth and aroma of the dishes helped ease the tension between them. As they ate, A-ryeon and In-cheol continued the kind of conversation people usually had when meeting for the first time.
Yet he never brought up stiff or formal topics that would have made their meal feel like a blind date arranged by their elders.
His thoughtfulness, which seemed at odds with his somewhat cold appearance, gradually put A-ryeon at ease. Before she knew it, she was smiling as she talked to him.
Still, every now and then, she found herself unable to meet his eyes. His gaze seemed to pierce straight through her, as though he could see right into her thoughts, and she instinctively looked away.
When A-ryeon realized that she was avoiding his eyes almost bashfully, she was thoroughly flustered by her own behavior.
Someone like him is a chief secretary?
He took control of every situation as naturally as breathing. He struck her as a born leader. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t picture him standing behind someone else, assisting them and bowing his head.
The blind date she hadn’t wanted to attend had turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. Even so, A-ryeon wanted to return home as soon as possible.
Lately, she had been dealing with the messes her family kept creating, and she felt as limp and exhausted as a soggy cabbage.
An hour had passed since dinner began.
After finishing their meal, the two stood in front of the elevator.
A brief silence settled between them before A-ryeon spoke first.
“Are you going straight home?”
At her question, the man lightly shook his head.
“No. Our CEO has a meeting here tomorrow, so I’ve reserved a room.”
He took a key card out of his pocket and showed it to her.
“Oh, I see.”
A short while later, the elevator arrived.
“Then I’ll be going.”
Although A-ryeon felt a little disappointed that this would probably be their last meeting, she concealed her feelings, said goodbye, and started to step into the elevator.
At that moment, In-cheol’s voice came from behind her.
“Miss A-ryeon, could we meet again sometime? Next time, I’d like to talk to you while looking directly at you. We didn’t make much eye contact today.”
She had already noticed that the man had been watching her intently throughout their meeting, but she hadn’t expected him to say it outright.
Suppressing a light, incredulous laugh, A-ryeon replied,
“That’s because you…”
When she turned around, her eyes met his.
In-cheol simply raised his shoulders in a casual shrug, a teasing smile still playing in his eyes. A-ryeon was left speechless.
Why was it?
Normally, she would have brushed off such a provocation without giving it a second thought. But at that moment, for some reason, her competitive streak flared up.
She wanted to wipe that relaxed smile off his face and replace it with an expression of pure bewilderment.
Turning away from the elevator, A-ryeon took a step toward In-cheol. Her face was now devoid of any trace of a smile.
“Would you like me to tell you how to make sure you can’t take your eyes off me?”
“What would that be?”
The man raised an eyebrow and asked with a broad smile, as though he found her words amusing. The smile remained firmly on his lips.
“Sleep with me.”
A-ryeon answered calmly, looking straight into his eyes.
The corners of the man’s mouth slowly fell, and a crack appeared in his previously unshakable composure.
Seeing his reaction, A-ryeon felt a strange thrill, as though she had finally shattered the calm he had maintained throughout their entire meeting.
“Then I’ll be looking only at you while we’re in bed.”
A-ryeon snatched the key card from his hand and held it up before his eyes.
Throughout dinner, she had barely managed to conceal her exhaustion. Now, however, she had suddenly thrown out such a daring provocation that the man seemed momentarily lost for words.
Then a faint, disbelieving laugh escaped between his lips.
“Ha…!”
Perhaps her words sounded like a joke, but they weren’t entirely devoid of sincerity.
Part of A-ryeon wanted to knock the man down a peg, but more than anything, she wanted to spend just this one night immersed in pleasure and finally get some deep, peaceful sleep.
Even if word of what happened reached Madam Han, she didn’t care. In fact, she almost hoped it would.
Madam Han might stop sending her on blind dates altogether if she found out A-ryeon had tried to seduce the secretary of the man intended to become Se-ra’s husband. That would certainly be a far cry from her earlier claim that a good match would benefit A-ryeon, too.
“Are you serious?”
The man, who had shown a hint of surprise, once again wore a mocking smile as he asked.
“Yes.”
A-ryeon gave him a single-word answer without offering any further explanation.
At last, every trace of amusement disappeared from In-cheol’s face. As his smile vanished, A-ryeon’s eyelids began to tremble slightly.
She finally understood why he had kept smiling throughout their meeting.
Without that smile, his face looked far more ruthless than she had expected. The chill in his expression seemed to tighten around her throat, making it difficult to breathe.
“You’re the one who started it first.”
The man took the key card from A-ryeon’s hand.
And together, the two stepped into the elevator heading to the upper floors.
