Young bride

It was the first time she had seen Kangwoo in such comfortable clothes.

He always wore suits or formal attire, but even in casual training wear, he didn’t look sloppy because of his long arms and legs.

He looked like a distant, mature adult, making their upcoming marriage feel almost unreal.

“Mr. Kim, you can go in for the night.”
“Yes, sir.”

After the driver bowed and left, Kangwoo opened the door wide and guided her inside.

“Come in. You must be tired from the trip.”
“No, not at all. The driver brought me here.”

Following Kangwoo into the house, Seoa glanced around.

Since he was the second son of the Seohan Group, she expected him to live in a grand place, but she hadn’t known that such a private penthouse existed in Gangnam.

The view of Seoul’s dazzling nightscape and the Han River was stunning. The modern interior matched Kangwoo’s sharp image perfectly.

“Have a seat. What would you like to drink? Coffee?”
“Yes.”
“Then wait a moment.”

Seoa sat on the sofa as Kangwoo suggested.

The way he prepared coffee, even tamping the grounds, looked quite professional. The machine whirred, filling the air with a rich aroma.

Kangwoo poured the coffee into a beautiful cup and placed it in front of her. Considering the cold weather, it was a warm cup with steam gently rising.

In truth, Seoa didn’t like coffee much.

The bitter, burnt taste wasn’t to her liking, so she preferred water or other drinks.

But she didn’t want Kangwoo to think she was a child who couldn’t even drink coffee, so she sipped it without showing any dislike.

“You know, our relationship will have to remain a secret. I’m under surveillance, and a lot of people know you as Choi Gyuhyun’s fiancée.”

Seoa silently agreed.

Considering how obsessively Gyuhyun had monitored Kangwoo, it might not be just simple surveillance.

Since their plan wasn’t just about fooling one or two people, it made sense to be extra careful.

“And for now, Gyuhyun won’t come looking for you. He’s too busy.”
“Is it because the police raided his place?”

Kangwoo nodded.

She had already found it strange that Gyuhyun hadn’t contacted her at all.

Even though the police were involved, she couldn’t think of anything serious enough to make an heir to Seohan Group panic.

Her curiosity was answered by Kangwoo’s next words.

“Choi Gyuhyun is a drug addict.”

Seoa’s eyes widened. A drug addict?

“Then, that night…”
“Yeah. Some rooms probably had drugs. He might have held back in his own room because I was there.”
“Oh…”

She had known Gyuhyun had bad habits, being dragged along with him so many times.

But she never imagined that a future conglomerate leader would be involved with drugs.

Since even minor aspects of a chaebol’s life became big news, if this came to light, it would cause a huge scandal.

Now, his hollow eyes and strangely erratic gaze made sense. It must have been the side effects of drugs.

A man who found sexual pleasure in hitting women, indulged in alcohol and gambling, and enjoyed trampling the weak—adding drugs to the list wasn’t surprising.

Seoa held the warm coffee cup in her cold hands.

Listening to Kangwoo, she couldn’t stop thinking about what had been on her mind all the way from the hospital to his house.

After hesitating, she finally spoke.

“You said this is a win-win contract… but I’m getting a lot more out of it, right? Even so, can I make one shameless request?”

Kangwoo raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued.

He crossed his legs and looked at her, as if telling her to go ahead and say whatever she wanted.

“The moment our marriage is announced, please make sure my mother is taken away from my father.”

She knew she was in no position to make demands.

But there was nothing to lose by asking, and if it meant survival, she would be as shameless as necessary.

If there was a way to escape Gyuhyun and the Kwon family, she would fight for it with everything she had.

“Alright. I’ll do that. Anything else?”

His easy agreement left Seoa wide-eyed.

She had told him about her mother’s situation before, but he had no way of knowing the full extent of it.

It wouldn’t be a simple matter. At worst, it could mean a direct confrontation with her father, Chairman Kwon.

Yet, he accepted it so easily.

“Huh? And… what else?”
“You said you’d be shameless, but is that all?”
“Oh…”

How could he be so indifferent?

Looking into his dark eyes, her heart started pounding.

“T-that’s all.”
“Kwon Seoa’s ‘shameless’ request isn’t very shameless at all.”

Kangwoo’s teasing made her speechless.

She thought it was already a bold demand—she was benefiting more, while Kangwoo was taking on more risk.

But was he saying that just to ease her guilt, or did he truly not find it a big deal? She couldn’t tell.

“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

She didn’t know his true thoughts, but she was genuinely grateful.

The only way she could repay him was by being as useful as possible.

Kangwoo watched her bow deeply before taking a sip of water.

“You’ll have to do your best. At the family meeting, I plan to reveal that we were in a relationship all along.”
“Yes.”
“You’re not surprised?”
“I figured you’d go that far, considering you’re stealing your brother’s woman.”

Kangwoo went silent at her calm reaction.

He had known about her family’s situation since high school, but he wondered what had happened to make her this strong.

“That’s why, even though I don’t intend to touch you, we’ll have to act like a couple. That means skinship and everything.”
“Oh…”

Seoa sighed in understanding.

“I’m sorry if it makes you uncomfortable.”

Kangwoo frowned.

Every conversation with Seoa was unpredictable.

Most people her age would either refuse outright or reluctantly agree.

But instead of expressing her own feelings, she was worrying about his.

She seemed like someone who had forgotten how to prioritize herself.

“You should think about what you don’t want first, before worrying about others.”
“…What I don’t want?”

The idea was foreign to her.

There were countless things she disliked, but she had rarely voiced them.

The only recent exception was resisting when Kwon Jiwoo tried to take her phone.

Even then, she had felt some regret afterward.

But Kangwoo’s words made it seem like it was okay to stand up for herself.

“If you don’t want it, we don’t have to do skinship. It’s just the easiest way to make us look like a real couple.”
“No, I’m fine with it.”

Her unexpected response made Kangwoo’s lips twitch.

“I actually think it’s better that you’re the first.”
“What are you talking about?”

Seeing even Kangwoo flustered for once, Seoa smiled.

“You… don’t get the wrong idea, though. We’re not going that far.”

Even the cold, logical Kangwoo wasn’t completely emotionless.

“Yes, I know.”
“You always answer so well.”

The way he spoke reminded her of their high school days.

Smiling shyly, she scratched the back of her neck.

Kangwoo watched her for a moment, then tapped his knee.

“Then let’s start with a kiss as a preview.”