chapter 03
Yeon-seo couldn’t believe her ears.
“What business would the heir of a chaebol family have with me?”
“A proposal?”
“It’s important, so let’s talk after I shower.”
She couldn’t close her mouth, stunned by the man who spoke and hung up on his own terms.
His attitude was unbearably arrogant, as if he had the whole world in his hands. Any gratitude she had for being saved vanished in an instant.
“Still insufferable.”
Then she heard the sound of running water. Staring blankly, Yeon-seo paced around the living room.
Soon, he emerged from the shower with a refreshing scent. He sat in the living room chair with the ease of someone at home.
“How long are you going to keep showing me this? Being so obvious makes it less attractive.”
What did he mean? Yeon-seo followed his gaze downward.
Not only were her undergarments visible, but the wet dress clung to her, exposing the cleavage between her breasts.
“Ah.”
She quickly grabbed clothes to change and went into the bathroom.
The thought of how he might have seen her made her cheeks burn. At the same time, his unbearably arrogant attitude annoyed her.
After washing and changing, his gaze still followed her. Yeon-seo tried to ignore him and spoke.
“So, what’s this proposal?”
He drummed his fingers on the chair’s armrest. Then his monotone voice filled her ears.
“A marriage proposal.”
“Marriage?”
Yeon-seo’s eyes widened like saucers.
Meanwhile, his expression didn’t change at all. He looked as calm as someone handling a trivial task.
“To be precise, it’s a contract marriage. With you, Woo Yeon-seo, the gardener’s granddaughter.”
He got up from the chair and approached Yeon-seo, the fresh scent of shampoo lingering in the air.
“My grandfather wishes for you and me to marry. That’s why I came to see you.”
Yeon-seo’s brown eyes wavered. She thought she misheard and asked again.
“Excuse me?”
“I think you heard correctly. He wishes for us to marry.”
“I don’t understand. Why me? Why of all people? This is a chaebol marriage!”
“It seems your grandmother, Shim Yoon-seon, had a special connection with my grandfather. There’s also a condition that if we marry, you’ll inherit as much company shares as possible.”
He explained in a dry, indifferent tone.
Does this man have no emotions at all? Yeon-seo felt a chill as he leaned closer and whispered in a gentle voice.
“I like you, Yeon-seo.”
“How could you know me after just meeting?”
“Not exactly the first time.”
Do-heon’s lips tilted to one side.
“I think I remember you. The little girl who barged into someone’s house and acted like the owner.”
His red lips curved into a smile.
Yeon-seo bit her dry lips. She hadn’t imagined he could remember something from years ago.
“I-I remember.”
“Then you understand how this marriage will change your life. It’s a clear rise in status above anything else.”
Yeon-seo shook her head.
“I’ve never considered marrying someone I don’t love, and Seoguk? It’s beyond my means.”
The man before her was overwhelming just by existing. He was the heir of the largest corporation in Korea. For someone like her, even a normal life was hardly granted—this man was far too much.
Do-heon’s gaze turned sharp.
“Really?”
“Yes!”
“This marriage could also fix the mess your worthless little brother caused.”
Yeon-seo flinched and shivered. She had thought she alone knew about Yeon-jae’s misdeeds. The fact that a stranger seemed to know sent chills down her spine.
“How much has he investigated about me?”
Feeling as if he knew everything, Yeon-seo suddenly became afraid.
“How much do you know about Yeon-jae?”
“Perhaps even more than you do.”
“….”
“The debt is about 100 million won, right? Your only way to repay it is either to sell this house, your only asset, or to contract with me. One of the two.”
He said this with a faint smile.
Swallowing hard, Yeon-seo fell into deep thought.
It was certainly a tempting offer, as it could immediately resolve Yeon-jae’s problem. But she also knew the Seoguk family wasn’t a place one could enter easily.
The chaebol life wasn’t easy. A luxurious life would come with a cost, perhaps even losing her identity entirely.
“But to solve just one debt, accepting a marriage proposal from someone I barely know…”
Her eyes, lost, dropped downward in hesitation.
She couldn’t make the decision based on immediate gain alone. Her pride was still there, and this proposal felt like selling herself for money, making it difficult to decide.
“Of course, Madam Geum Sun-ae may make your life miserable. But even so, it’s better than this life.”
Hearing this, she realized her shallow pride was insignificant.
“What did you just say? Geum Sun-ae?”
“That’s my mother. To be precise, my stepmother.”
A shiver ran through Yeon-seo. The name “Geum Sun-ae” struck every part of her body.
Her trembling gaze sank to the floor.
“That was a person’s name… I thought I misread it back then.”
The desperate cry she had made when the snow fell, the prayer she had made risking her own life—it all returned, digging into her chest.
The day her grandmother passed was during a snowstorm that paralyzed Seoul.
Yeon-seo, attending university, lived in a tiny 5-pyeong (≈16.5 m²) room. The floor was especially cold, and she couldn’t bear it without thick clothes.
The living allowance her grandmother painstakingly gave her couldn’t be spent freely. She studied by cutting sleep short during weekdays and worked part-time on weekends. Meals were often just instant noodles.
That day, she was waiting for her cup noodles to cook when an unfamiliar number appeared on her phone. She ignored it at first, thinking it was an advertisement.
The call rang again and again. For some reason, she felt uneasy.
She pressed the call button.
“-This is S University Hospital. Are you the guardian of Shim Yoon-seon, the grandmother? She is in critical condition from a fall. Please prepare yourself before coming.”
Her grandmother had slipped on a snow-covered slope. She was too shocked to even cry.
“What should I do? What do I do at a time like this?”
Her remaining misfortune was losing her grandmother.
Yeon-seo, her mind blank, dashed out without a proper coat. Her red skin and thin clothes offered little protection against the biting wind. She could only think of her grandmother.
She waved frantically to hail a passing taxi, but the roads were congested, and no taxi stopped. She ran toward the subway, tripping along the way.
Finally arriving, her grandmother’s breathing was faint. Seeing her grandmother lying in bed felt surreal.
“Grandma! Don’t go! How can I live without you? No!”
Yeon-seo, who had always tried to endure silently, collapsed in an instant. She cried and begged like a child.
“Please… save my grandmother. I’ll die instead if I have to. Okay?”
Her grandmother’s trembling hand grasped Yeon-seo’s.
The wrinkled lips moved slightly, but no sound came out. Yeon-seo tried to read them.
…Geum-nae.
Geum-seon-ae.
That was her grandmother’s last word.
Recalling this, Yeon-seo ran to the bedroom and found the brooch in her dresser drawer.
The jewel, like a captured lake, sparkled brilliantly. The intricate craftsmanship was remarkable.
It was evidence her grandmother had kept in her padding on the day she died. A brooch and a strand of hair, preserved in plastic in case it could be a clue.
Perhaps Do-heon could provide insight into her grandmother’s death. Swelling with anticipation, she presented the brooch.
“Have you seen this brooch before?”
His gaze fell indifferently. Yeon-seo tried to watch for any reaction, but Do-heon remained unshaken.
“No, where did you get this? At least worth 200 million won.”
“200 million?”
“Since you don’t know the value, it’s clear it’s not yours.”
Yeon-seo’s eyes trembled.
A small brooch worth 200 million?
“Hmm, seems you have sticky fingers, little thief.”
He tapped her nose with a long finger, like the first time they met.
“I didn’t steal it.”
In his indifferent gaze, there was a sharpness like a honed blade. Yeon-seo flinched, feeling as if he could see her entire soul.
“You didn’t buy this yourself, I take it.”
He took the brooch from her and held it up.
She reached for the sparkling jewel, but due to their height difference, she couldn’t reach even on tiptoe.
“Give it.”
“Where could this have come from?”
His lips curled slightly.
He was family to Geum Sun-ae, and she didn’t yet know who he really was. It didn’t seem wise to speak recklessly about her grandmother’s death.
Do-heon guided her hesitant fingers and placed the brooch back.
“You certainly can’t lie.”
