"Is this what you meant by taking care of it? Do you know what kind of meeting that was, and yet you treated Hyemi like that? Do you not realize what kind of relationship NY Group has with us?!"
"It would've been the same with any other woman."
"Are you really saying that right now?"
A cold, sharp voice filled the living room.
Pilsun's fiery personality made her body tremble.
Her bloodshot eyes looked like they could burst, and biting her lips hard, she spoke again.
"There's a limit to how much I can tolerate. If you don't get married by the end of this year, forget about inheriting Kanghwa Group."
Hearing Pilsun's words, Taeseok's lips curled up slightly.
"When did I ever dream of inheriting it?"
"What did you say?"
"You should probably be saying all this to Han Jitae instead."
"Are you really saying that to me right now?"
"Chairman, you're the one wasting your time. I have no intention of marrying a woman from a family like the one you have in mind."
Pilsun's cold, sharp eyes were fixed on Taeseok's back as he turned to leave. Her tightly bitten lips began to bleed.
'Let's see how long you last.'
A deep, burning sigh.
Taeseok pulled at his tie, feeling suffocated.
Pilsun wasn't the only person who made him feel this way.
Even 10 years after his father passed away, he couldn't forget the stepmother Min Hyejeong and her son Han Jitae.
Just thinking about them made him feel like something was strangling him.
Jitae, the son Hyejeong brought with her, wasn't related to the Han family by blood. That's why he was always pushed out as a candidate for Kanghwa Group's next president.
Because of this, the jealousy and greed from Hyejeong and her son toward Taeseok only grew stronger over time.
Forcing someone to live in a cage disguised as marriage was wrong.
It was enough for him to be trapped in the prison created by Pilsun and Hyejeong.
"If you're done talking, I'll leave now."
"This was your last chance. I set up that meeting under that condition. And you were the one who didn't take it seriously. So now, take responsibility until the end. I'll set up another meeting soon. Be ready."
Taeseok stood, grabbed his jacket, and left.
---
**In a small one-room apartment, located in a narrow alley.**
A quiet street. Flickering streetlights.
What once felt scary now felt familiar.
Even though she hadn't finished a single bottle, the alcohol warmed Iseo's body. She drank too quickly.
A light dizziness and chills started to creep in.
It was April. Still too chilly to feel like summer.
Iseo's thin body trembled as she rubbed her arms for warmth.
She entered the dark room, turned on the lights, threw her bag, and collapsed to the floor.
She was used to being alone, but tonight her chest felt emptier than usual.
A pounding headache and heat spread throughout her body. Just as she closed her eyes to fight the dizziness…
*Bang bang bang!*
Someone knocked loudly on the door.
"Choi Iseo!"
A rough, unfamiliar voice.
"We know you're inside. Come out for a second."
The knocking continued. When Iseo opened the door, a group of men with fierce eyes were standing there.
"Who are you?"
"We're here because of Choi Byungtae. You got my text. Don't pretend you didn't."
A name she wanted to erase.
A name she wanted to forget.
Just hearing *Choi Byungtae* made her heart sink.
"You wouldn't answer the phone, so we came here."
"Why should I answer your calls? And how did you get my number?"
"It's not hard. Choi Byungtae borrowed a lot of money from us and then vanished."
"That has nothing to do with me."
"Don't lie. We know everything."
One man stepped closer and handed her a piece of paper.
"Ten million won. He borrowed 5 million, and the interest is another 5."
Iseo had been paying off debt little by little with the money she earned working with Soonyoung.
She was so close to the end, finally able to escape the dark tunnel. But now — ten million?
Iseo froze.
"Ten million? I told you I don't know that man."
"You don't know your own father?"
"Father? Who said he's my father? I'm not that man's daughter!"
Hot air escaped from Iseo's mouth as she glared at the men.
"If you borrow money, pay it back. You think you can just disappear? We're not a charity. Look — your name is right there as guarantor. Choi Iseo."
"That signature's fake! I never signed that!"
"You're family. Your father signed it using your name. That's enough."
The word *family* made her laugh bitterly.
The man who used to be her father.
Because of the debt he left behind, she lived every day running out of time, always working, always struggling for money.
Her lips, bitten hard, started to bleed.
"We're busy too, so don't waste time. Just write down when you'll pay."
"Why should I? Go find Choi Byungtae yourself if you've got time for this."
"Oh, so it's like that?"
The man stepped even closer.
"You've got a pretty face. If you can't pay us back in cash, we have other options. Want to hear?"
"…What?"
Just as he reached for her hand—
Iseo broke free and ran.
"Is she crazy?!"
"Stop! Don't run!"
She kept running, escaping the alley.
**SCREEECH! CRASH!**
A loud crash, and Iseo collapsed to the ground.
---
After leaving Pilsun's house, Taeseok got into his car with a heavy sigh.
More marriage talk again.
His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, blue veins standing out.
Then, he saw the wallet on the passenger seat.
He remembered he had gone back to the hotel to return it — but had completely forgotten.
Better to return it now.
He checked the address on the ID and started driving without hesitation.
As he neared the area—
Someone ran into his car.
He quickly got out and checked the woman on the ground.
His heart pounded like it was about to burst.
---
Some time passed.
A dull pain pressed against her head. She wasn't sure if it was a dream or reality.
Then she heard faint voices.
"How is she doing?"
"Thankfully, it's nothing serious. She fainted from shock, not from the car hitting her."
Taeseok's eyes stayed fixed on her face.
"Should we still take her to the hospital?"
"She wasn't injured from the car, so no need for hospital admission. But her physical strength is very low, and her blood pressure is high. Probably from extreme stress and lack of sleep."
Taeseok frowned slightly.
"She's been given an IV and nutrients. Let her rest."
"Thank you."
The family doctor of Kanghwa Group left.
Taeseok looked at Iseo lying there, buried in white blankets. Her body looked small and weak.
Extreme stress and sleep deprivation.
He couldn't take his eyes off her.
Her blurry vision slowly became clear.
"Hey."
A voice — cold, but oddly familiar — echoed in her ears.
"Hey."
*This man…*
Leaning against the wall, he looked at her with deep, unreadable eyes.
Taeseok's face appeared clearly in front of her.
"You're awake?"
Struggling to speak, Iseo asked,
"W-What happened?"
She looked around.
A fancy chandelier. White and brown furniture.
Soft curtains and a strange, sweet scent.
It didn't look like a hospital.
"Where… am I?"
"Do you remember what happened?"
She had run from those men, saw the white lights of a car, and then everything went blank.
That was the last thing she remembered.
Trying to remember more only brought a sharp ringing in her ears and dizziness.
---