Chapter 1

“You filthy bitch! You worthless whore! You ruined my life! Death is too easy for a woman like you!”

“I’m sorry! I was wrong! Please, honey, just let me live one more time! I’m begging you—ahhh!”

Thud.

The bloodstained golf club in the middle-aged man’s hands came crashing down on the woman’s head.

Shhhhhh—

Hot water poured down from the showerhead, soaking the tiled floor. Half drenched beneath the spray, Dasom pressed one hand against the wall, panting heavily.

“Haa… Hh, hhhk…”

Her heart seared with unbearable pain. Clutching her chest, she tried to regulate her breath. Cold sweat trickled down her skin, washed away by the water. Slowly, regaining her senses, Kang Dasom reached for the dial and lowered the water pressure.

Droplets slid down her wet hair and fell from her chin. When she wiped the moisture away, her blurred reflection appeared on the translucent glass wall of the shower.

“What… what happened to me?”

Startled, she looked down at her own body. Smooth skin without a single wrinkle. A full bosom, a narrow waist, and toned, delicate muscles.

It was completely different from the broken, frail body she remembered.

In a rush, she ran toward the bathroom mirror.

There, a young woman stood naked, soaked, her hair dripping wet. Dasom reached out, as if compelled, and touched the droplets on the mirror’s surface. The drops slid away, revealing the image more clearly.

“This… is me?”

Not the pitiful, aged Dasom who had lived in misery, but her most radiant, most dazzling self—her twenty-year-old self—was staring back at her.

On the marble sink lay a cellphone. Dasom had always carried her phone into the bathroom. She snatched it up and opened the calendar app. It was filled with schedules and notes.

When she checked the date, her lips twisted into a bitter smile.

“I was certain I died.”

The last memory burned into her mind was her husband, Yoon Sunghoon, swinging a golf club down at her head.

For a fleeting moment, she wondered if this was just a dream. But the calendar snapped her back to reality.

[Lumière Palace Hotel – Date with Sunghoon Oppa]

It was today’s entry.

Her gaze darted to the amenities stacked neatly on the bathroom counter. The hotel logo confirmed it.

Beyond the glass, the panoramic view of the Han River gleamed.

Darkness clouded her vision.

The Lumière Palace Hotel. The Royal Suite with a river view. April 12th.

“This day… I’ve never forgotten it.”

April 12th—her wedding anniversary. The day she began dating Yoon Sunghoon.

And…

“…the day I gave him my first night.”

Naïve, innocent Kang Dasom had offered him everything—her first love, her body, her devotion. She had stood by him faithfully for over a decade, never once doubting, never once wavering.

A stupid woman. A pitiful woman.

Even calling herself those names wasn’t enough.

Yoon Sunghoon was the second son of the Cheonmyung Group. After their marriage, Dasom suffered a car accident that left her unable to bear children. She raised the child he brought home—his illegitimate daughter—as if she were her own.

But the truth had been crueler than she could imagine.

“Mom, help me… Please, tell Dad to stop…”

“Ha! You still think you’re my real mom? You don’t even know whose daughter I am, do you?”

“What are you saying? I raised you like my own—”

“My real mother is Aunt Hana. She’s been with Dad all along, and you didn’t even notice.”

“Hana? My sister-in-law…? That can’t be true, Ye-seul!”

“Minjun too. He’s Aunt Hana’s son. You really didn’t know? Pathetic.”

Jung Hana.

She had married Yoon Jinwoo, Sunghoon’s younger brother. To Dasom, Hana had been the only person in that family she could rely on—a woman she trusted like a sister.

But that trust had been nothing but a cruel illusion.

“No… Hana wouldn’t… She couldn’t have.”

Dasom had been abandoned by everyone—her husband, the children she had raised as her own, even the sister-in-law she had cherished.

Her life—wasted, miserable, stupid.

She bit down on her lip until it nearly bled. If she could, she would have rushed out right then to bash his skull in.

“Dasom? Why are you taking so long?”

The voice outside the bathroom door jolted her. She quickly locked the handle. It rattled a moment later.

“Are you okay in there? You’re taking forever.”

“I’m sorry, oppa. I’m just slow at washing up. I’ll be out soon.”

She forced her voice to sound soft, careful, even sweet. Thankfully, the water’s noise and the barrier of the door concealed the fury shaking her. Otherwise, she might not have been able to keep her mask in place.

His footsteps retreated. Only then did she step back under the steaming shower. She twisted the knob to raise the temperature.

Soon, the entire stall was filled with scalding steam. Her pale skin flushed red, stinging as if burned.

It was the only way to endure this moment without collapsing.

When she finally shut the water off, dried herself, and slipped on the bathrobe, she wiped the condensation from the mirror.

“I will have my revenge.”

The man who ruined her life.

Yoon Sunghoon.

And the woman who betrayed her trust. Jung Hana.

“They will suffer. They’ll taste every ounce of pain I’ve known.”

The door clicked open.

Sunghoon, lounging lazily on the bed, shot upright the moment she stepped out. His snake-like eyes narrowed at the glimpse of bare skin peeking through her robe.

Unable to hold himself back, he leapt up and pulled her into his arms.

For an instant, Dasom’s body trembled with the urge to stab him, to end him then and there. But instead, revulsion churned in her stomach.

His hand slid inside her robe. She seized his wrist, her whole frame shaking.

“Dasom?”

He looked down at her, puzzled. Her heart plummeted. Her vision swam. But she steeled herself.

“What’s the rush? We’ve got plenty of time.”

“Haha, I guess I’m a little impatient.”

As he leaned closer, Dasom smoothly shifted away, reaching for the room-service pamphlet.

“Do you mind if I drink?”

“Drink? Didn’t you just say you didn’t want to?”

“Now that the moment’s here… I’m nervous.”

“Pft.”

He chuckled, draping an arm around her shoulders.

“If it’s your first time, that’s natural. Don’t worry, I’ll be gentle.”

His lips grazed her neck. She remembered all too well: his promises had been lies. That night, her “first” had been a nightmare.

“Shall I order wine? Let’s see…”

“How about this one?”

Dasom pointed to a whiskey—43% alcohol. His eyes widened. She smiled.

“I’ve always wanted to try it. Can I?”

“That’s strong. You sure?”

“When else will I get drunk like this?”

He stroked her shoulder. She froze under his touch, but didn’t resist.

“Are you trying to seduce me?”

“So what if I am? Can I order it?”

“Fine. Go ahead.”

He collapsed into the sofa, the Han River’s night view gleaming behind him.

Dasom placed the order over the phone. As she leaned forward slightly, she felt his lustful eyes crawl over her back.

“Damn, that’s hot.”

She ignored his filthy muttering and finished the call.

When the order was placed, she sat stiffly on the sofa. Sunghoon slid close, looping an arm through hers.

Her skin quivered each time he touched her.

“Nervous?” he whispered.

Her lips trembled, but she forced herself to nod.

Both of them exhaled deeply—though for entirely different reasons.

He pressed his mouth against hers. She stayed still, unresponsive. But that only seemed to excite him more. He nipped at her lips, tugging playfully.

“Relax.”

She feigned a smile and nodded.

The kiss was nothing tender—it was raw, forceful, his lips sucking greedily. He trailed down to her neck, biting lightly, leaving stinging marks as he went.

“Nngh…”

Her soft moan made him grin. Red blotches bloomed across her collarbone and throat. Again and again, he left his mark, grinding against her as his eyes darkened with desire.

Dasom shoved at his shoulders.

“Room service is here.”