<CHAPTER 10>

The words he said about marriage kept echoing in her ears like a hallucination.

Perhaps that was why, even when she heard the words she had longed for so much, she couldn’t give a proper answer and parted from him just like that, only to regret it deeply after returning home.

She couldn’t sleep all night, worrying that Sunjae might take her silence as rejection.

However, the next morning, something unexpected happened to Yeoreum.

As usual, she went down to the dining room for breakfast.

Ha… I’m so tired…!

She had no appetite at all after not sleeping, but because of the rule that she must always be present during Hancheol’s mealtime, she forced herself to wake up early and head downstairs.

But her steps felt heavier than ever.

What should I do… after what happened yesterday…

Every morning, Hancheol was always on edge.

He would check if there were any new articles about him overnight, and if even a single line could harm his reputation, the breakfast table would turn into a tense, knife-edge atmosphere.

The breakfast table was always filled with anxiety, and after what happened yesterday in front of Kwon Sunjae—where she couldn’t even properly respond to his proposal—she could only imagine how much Hancheol would scold and despise her.

This time… he’ll really… abandon me completely, right…? What should I do now…?

Dragging her limping leg, she barely made her way downstairs.

The brightly lit dining room was in sight, but her legs wouldn’t move easily.

As she hesitated, gripping the stair railing tightly, Hancheol’s voice rang out.

“Why isn’t Yeoreum coming down? Go check.”

At his low voice calling her, Yeoreum snapped back to her senses and limped toward the dining room.

A servant who had been about to come get her made eye contact and gestured for her to hurry inside.

Swallowing dryly, she approached the large dining table.

“S-Sorry… I wore high heels yesterday, so my ankle…”

Before she could even finish, Hancheol, who had been seated at the head of the table, dragged his chair back and approached her.

Expecting to be slapped again, Yeoreum tightly shut her eyes.

If she had one small wish, it was that he would hit her right side this time instead of the left.

The bruised area was already blue, and if it was struck again, it felt like the blood vessels might burst.

Gripping her clothes with trembling hands, she squeezed her eyes tighter as his strong perfume filled her senses.

She was afraid.

She bit the inside of her mouth, trying to endure the pain.

“Our Yeoreum… you’ve finally satisfied your father.”

But something was strange.

Instead of striking her, the man wrapped his arms around her and praised her—something he had never done before.

Yeoreum slowly opened her eyes, wondering if this was a dream.

Hancheol was smiling brighter than ever, showing his white teeth.

It was a genuine smile.

Why… was he smiling like this…?

As she couldn’t read his intentions, Inha, who had been quietly watching from behind, spoke.

“Early this morning, Executive Director Kwon contacted us saying he wants to get married.”

He… said he wants to marry me…?

Why?

They had parted without her giving a proper answer—she thought her feelings hadn’t been conveyed.

Her heart pounded rapidly at Inha’s unbelievable words.

“That’s right. Now you’re truly my daughter. You’re finally proving your worth. After making me furious yesterday, it turns out you stepped away just to secure Executive Director Kwon’s heart. You can do well when you try—why have you been so frustrating until now?”

“Ah… I…”

“Good job.”

She didn’t understand what was happening, but at Hancheol’s simple words, “Good job,” tears welled up in her eyes.

A beautiful smile spread across her lips for the first time in a long while.

It felt like she had finally been given a chance to be acknowledged as family.

I should thank him… I need to contact the Executive Director and thank him…!

Patting her shoulder, Hancheol turned back, saying they should eat, and Yeoreum followed behind him.

Then suddenly, he stopped and turned around.

“Yeoreum.”

His voice was unusually gentle.

But strangely, that gentleness made her feel uneasy.

“…Yes?”

“If you’re truly my daughter, you wouldn’t think everything ends with marriage, would you?”

She couldn’t understand what he meant.

Hesitating, she fidgeted with her fingers.

Hancheol smiled and gripped her shoulder tightly.

“Marriage isn’t the end of your value. Bring in money. Do whatever it takes to get money from Executive Director Kwon. Don’t forget—you must provide me with money regularly after marriage.”

“Ah… Father, how can I…”

“Why? Can’t you do it?”

At his sharp gaze, and with Inha and Haneul snickering behind him, Yeoreum pressed her lips together.

The warmth she had just felt vanished instantly.

She thought marriage would be the peak—but she hadn’t expected an even higher mountain ahead.

And that mountain… was money.

Still, she couldn’t refuse.

They were her only family.

So she believed she had to do whatever they wanted—no matter what it was.

“…Of course. Father, I’ll do well. I won’t disappoint you.”

“Yes, that’s my daughter. I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”

Suppressing the storm of emotions inside her, Yeoreum sat down and forced herself to eat.

Her mind was tangled with complicated thoughts.

The wedding she thought would never come had finally arrived.

Prominent political figures and famous business elites gathered in a dazzling ceremony.

Yeoreum was merely stepping into a story that Hancheol had constructed.

“Haha, thank you for coming. I feel both relieved and sad to send off my daughter.”

Hancheol smiled brightly, proud to marry off his adopted daughter.

Beside him, Inha shed fake tears, and Haneul whined about not wanting to send her sister away.

It all felt like she was a puppet moving according to their script.

Nothing about the wedding was her choice.

From the smallest makeup details to the dress—everything followed her family’s decisions.

I knew it would be like this…

During the preparation period, she never met Sunjae.

Because he told her to do whatever she wanted, her family indulged themselves even more.

Letting out a deep sigh, she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

Everyone praised her for being beautiful, but she didn’t like her heavily made-up face.

Is this really pretty…?

More importantly, had he even arrived at the wedding?

She hadn’t properly seen the face of the man who would become her husband.

She should have told him in advance about her family wanting money…

But they hadn’t been in proper contact.

What should I do…

If he finds out everything after the wedding and asks for a divorce… that would be a disaster.

It would disgrace Hancheol.

What if the man who begged me to marry him looks like that…

At that moment, a low voice came from the bridal waiting room entrance.

Yeoreum turned her head.

He stood there in a navy suit, leaning against the wall, looking at her.

“What, now that it’s really happening, you don’t want to get married?”a